House of Commons Hansard #334 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was change.
Andrew Scheer ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the minister that nobody thinks that the current government was too tough with Donald Trump. Nobody. Nobody thinks that it was too tough on autos when it accepted a cap. Nobody thinks that it was too tough when it agreed to limit Canadian dairy exports to other countries.
It seems like the minister had some Sunday night panic as the Liberals agreed to concession after concession. Did they get an end to steel tariffs after giving all that away?
Chrystia Freeland LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, what we are hearing from the Conservatives is déjà vu all over again. They wanted us to capitulate on NAFTA. We did not. Now they want us to capitulate on steel and aluminum. We will not.
The U.S. has imposed illegal and unjustified tariffs. Canada responded with perfectly reciprocal dollar-for-dollar retaliation. The solution is for both sides to lift their tariffs, and that is what we are insisting on.
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, the climate crisis is real, and it carries a heavy cost.
Last week, IPCC experts called on all governments to act very quickly to try to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.
The effects of climate change are already being felt. In my region, the Lower St. Lawrence, we have already experienced two summers of drought. In fact, according to the UPA, last summer was the worst drought in 50 years. We must act now.
Will the government agree, yes or no, to support our request for an emergency debate on the IPCC's findings?
The EnvironmentOral Questions
Dominic LeBlanc Minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs and Internal Trade, Lib.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know very well that we must fight climate change, and that is exactly what our government is doing.
We have a real plan to address climate change and to grow the economy. Our plan is to make polluters pay. We will continue to work with Canadians to ensure that we have strong economic growth, but that we also take concrete action to fight climate change.
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, instead of patting itself on the back, perhaps the government could acknowledge that it adopted the same greenhouse gas reduction targets as Stephen Harper's Conservatives.
The Conservatives deplore the carbon tax, and the Liberals have not been able to come to an agreement with the provinces.
A Nobel Prize in economics has been awarded to two researchers who demonstrated that carbon pricing is an effective means of fighting climate change. We should be able to move forward.
Our planet cannot wait for us to make a decision. We must set aside the half measures advocated by the government.
What good are government plans if they are not ambitious enough?
The EnvironmentOral Questions
Dominic LeBlanc Minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs and Internal Trade, Lib.
Mr. Speaker, it will come as no surprise to my hon. colleague that we do not share his pessimism about our ambitions. We have an ambitious plan.
In the 2015 election, Canadians agreed that we need a coherent plan to fight climate change and to focus on economic growth. That is exactly what our plan is doing.
We will continue to work with all Canadians to assure them that our plan is working and that we are going to take serious action on climate change while focusing on the economy.
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are feeling the effects of climate change, and things will only get worse if we do not act. In my province of British Columbia, wildfires threatened our communities for months, and last week, the UN panel on climate change said Canada's targets were woefully inadequate. Of course they are, because the Liberals took the Harper Conservatives' targets, and we are not even going to meet those.
Will the Liberals listen to the report and act now to protect the environment, or is the proof from 6,000 scientists still not enough?
The EnvironmentOral Questions
Dominic LeBlanc Minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs and Internal Trade, Lib.
Mr. Speaker, our government shares our hon. colleague's appreciation of the importance of taking robust action to deal with the challenge of climate change. Our government has said consistently, since before the 2015 election, that we would have a plan to tackle climate change and we would do so in a way that also fosters clean growth and a growing economy.
My colleague referred to the difficult circumstances of the wildfires in British Columbia. We have seen floods in New Brunswick and Atlantic Canada. We have seen tornadoes in the national capital region. All of these instruments tell us that we must take action on climate change.
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
Mr. Speaker, this is not a response that is robust. Six thousand scientists have said that the government's plan is simply not enough. The Liberals failed to eliminate the fossil fuel sector and spent billions of public money on a pipeline. Climate change is the single greatest threat the world is facing. It is an emergency that we need to deal with now.
Following the UN's report, Canadians need us to come together and do our part to prevent catastrophic climate change. It is very simple. Will the Liberals do the work and agree that we need to have a debate about this in the House?
The EnvironmentOral Questions
Dominic LeBlanc Minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs and Internal Trade, Lib.
Mr. Speaker, I can assure our hon. colleague and all members of this House that our government is taking real action to deal with the challenge of climate change.
Canadians know that the time is urgent in terms of concrete steps governments can take in partnership with industry and citizens. That is exactly what our government has proposed to Canadians. We believe that the measures we have proposed over the last number of years and that we are in the process of putting into place are good for the Canadian economy, will create good middle-class jobs and will also deal with the challenge of climate change head on.
Alain Rayes Conservative Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
Mr. Speaker, on Friday, Vice-Admiral Mark Norman's lawyer filed a request with an Ottawa court to gain access to a number of government documents that she claims are necessary to properly defend her client. Unfortunately, the government refuses to be transparent and make those documents available.
Will the Prime Minister explain why?
JusticeOral Questions
Scott Brison President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Digital Government, Lib.
Mr. Speaker, my mandate as President of the Treasury Board involves expenditure management and a challenge function to ensure that the integrity of government procurement practices is followed every time.
When we formed government, we inherited a situation where the previous government had negotiated a $668 million sole-sourced contract. We had a responsibility at that time to do our due diligence, to pause and to ensure that we were doing everything we could to protect the interests of Canadian taxpayers.
Alain Rayes Conservative Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
Mr. Speaker, Vice-Admiral Norman is a man who courageously served Canada all his life. It is unfair and unacceptable for the Liberal government to fail to give him every opportunity to defend himself. The documents that have been requested include communications between an Irving lobbyist and the Liberal member for Kings—Hants, who coincidentally enough is also the President of the Treasury Board.
My question is simple. Did the President of the Treasury Board get clearance from the Ethics Commissioner to lobby on Irving's behalf?
JusticeOral Questions
Karen McCrimmon Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Lib.
Mr. Speaker, our government is delivering for Canadians by equipping the navy and the—
JusticeOral Questions
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Lib.
Mr. Speaker, the government is delivering for Canadians by equipping the navy and the Coast Guard with the ships they need in order to serve Canadians. It would be inappropriate to comment on ongoing court proceedings on this or any other matter.
Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB
Mr. Speaker, there are very troubling reports about leaks that were coming from the Liberal government in relation to the Davie shipbuilding deal. The National Post reports that the Treasury Board President personally intervened and tried to kill the deal in favour of his friends at Irving.
That minister's connections to the Irving family are well known, so a simple question: Did the President of the Treasury Board get clearance from the Ethics Commissioner before he lobbied on Irving's behalf? We would appreciate an answer from the President of the Treasury Board.
EthicsOral Questions
Scott Brison President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Digital Government, Lib.
Mr. Speaker, again, my mandate as Treasury Board president is to ensure due diligence in the expenditure of public funds and to perform a challenge function, particularly in terms of the procurement process. The previous government negotiated, on the eve of an election, a sole-sourced contract worth $668 million.
I am sure the Conservatives understand the need to perform some level of due diligence for a new government, having formed government, to ensure the proper expenditure of taxpayer dollars. That is exactly what I did: my job.
Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB
Mr. Speaker, his job is not to lobby on behalf of the Irvings. My question was whether he was cleared by the Ethics Commissioner before he did that.
What we know about Mark Norman from all accounts is that he was a trusted and dedicated public servant who put his life on the line and served our country with distinction. However, today the Prime Minister and the Liberal government are singling him out with serious allegations of criminal misconduct. Vice-Admiral Norman deserves a fair hearing, but, shockingly, the PMO is blocking requests to hand over relevant documents. Why is the Prime Minister's Office not providing these documents? Who are they protecting?
Government AccountabilityOral Questions
Karen McCrimmon Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Lib.
Mr. Speaker, it would be inappropriate to comment on any court proceedings that are under way at this time, but it is important to understand and underscore how important it is to have a procurement system that actually serves the benefit of Canadians. That is exactly what we are doing.
Peter Kent Conservative Thornhill, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons is very clear when it says, “A Member shall not use his or her position...to influence a decision of another person so as to further the Member's private interests or those of a member of...her family”.
The member for Ottawa West—Nepean launched a blitz of robotic phone calls as an MP, asking her constituents to vote for her husband for city council. Do the Liberals agree this is a flagrant breach of the Conflict of Interest Code?
Bardish Chagger LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, the member has commented on this issue. We take the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner very seriously. We interact with that office and have the utmost respect for it. We will continue to do our important work.
Peter Kent Conservative Thornhill, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Ethics Commissioner has announced that his office is considering investigating the Liberal member for Ottawa West—Nepean. Ironically, the member sits on the ethics committee. Does the minister believe that the member for Ottawa West—Nepean should continue on the ethics committee while the Ethics Commissioner considers and conducts an investigation?
Bardish Chagger LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, as I have just stated and will state once again, the member has been in contact with the commissioner's office and will continue to respect and follow his advice.
