Debates of Oct. 16th, 2018

Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, Five Eyes fellow members the United States and Australia have looked into Huawei and determined that this company is a threat to telecommunications security. American senators even warned the Prime Minister last week. They sent him a letter saying that the Americans had grave concerns about Canada's decisions. The Prime Minister refuses to act, as though our two biggest allies were not important and had no credibility. Our head of government is never worried about anything, not terrorists, border security, not even spying and intellectual property theft.

Will the Prime Minister ban Huawei from Canada right now?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite has raised intellectual property. It was actually our government that introduced the first national intellectual property strategy. This strategy is designed to protect Canadian companies. This strategy is designed to make sure that IP that is generated in Canada benefits Canadians.

When it comes to our national security interests, we have been very clear. We are going to follow the advice given by our national security agencies. We have been very clear: We never have and never will compromise on national security.

Marijuana

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

Mr. Speaker, the president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has said that no police station in Canada is equipped to draw a blood sample to test for drugs. He also said that the legalization of marijuana will be much more difficult to manage in rural areas. In major urban centres or in the regions, police officers cannot prove a thing without a blood sample.

How do the Liberals plan on keeping Canadians safe if the police cannot do its job?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs and Internal Trade, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, we kept our promise to legalize, regulate and restrict access to cannabis to better protect young people and keep profits out of the hands of criminals.

The provinces and territories asked us to wait six to eight weeks after royal assent so that they could prepare. We decided to wait longer. It has been 17 weeks.

The president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has confirmed that police departments across the country are ready for legalization tomorrow.

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on the eve of marijuana becoming legal, we have learned that RCMP forensic labs are not equipped to handle the expected twelvefold increase in blood tests for drug-impaired drivers.

The delays caused in this spike in tests will create delays in our court system and likely lead to cases being thrown out as per the Supreme Court's Jordan decision. Justice delayed is justice denied.

Why are the Liberals rushing through legalization when they have not equipped the police to protect Canadians?

[Bill Blair, Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, for a decade the police in this country urged the Harper government to provide them with the legal authorities, investments in their training and access to technologies, and that government did not listen.

We listened. Yesterday, the president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police called a national conference. I would hope that the members opposite would listen. He said clearly that the “police are ready”.

Dairy Industry

[Karine Trudel, NDP, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec dairy farmers are angry and they are taking action. We understand why. Three trade agreements have created three breaches in supply management.

Family farms that have been around for four generations, such as the Laterroise farm in my riding, are at risk. Luc and his successor, his daughter Myriam, feel completely helpless.

Will the Liberals fully compensate farmers or will they simply abandon them once again?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure my hon. colleague that we are the party that implemented supply management, and we are the government that has defended supply management.

It is important to note that the Americans wanted to destroy supply management. We did not let that happen. We understand there will be impacts on our farmers, and we are committed to fully and fairly compensating them to make sure they succeed. We have supported and will continue to support our farmers.

International Trade

[Tracey Ramsey, NDP, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the concessions to Trump in the USMCA are many, from supply management to patent extensions to weak cultural protections, but it still boggles the mind that the government signed a trade deal with the U.S. and Mexico without negotiating an end to tariffs on steel and aluminum.

At committee today, we heard clearly that under these tariffs, Canada is facing massive losses in our manufacturing sector that we will not be able to recover from. Jobs are leaving, and we will not get them back.

How long do Canadian steelworkers need to wait before the Liberals negotiate a permanent removal of the tariffs?

[Andrew Leslie, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada-U.S. Relations)]

Mr. Speaker, the unjustified and illegal tariffs imposed by the United States on steel and aluminum are harmful to the U.S. economy and of course our own. The national security pretext has been and remains absurd.

That is why we have imposed retaliatory tariffs, and it was really in sorrow and anger, of course, that these were implemented. Now is the time for us to come together, work through, and get rid of these illegal and unjust tariffs on our steel and aluminum products.

The Environment

[Francis Scarpaleggia, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, citizens of Beauharnois and the greater Lac Saint-Louis region have been asking for years for the removal of the Kathryn Spirit. This derelict vessel was not only an eyesore, it was also a threat to the environment, coastal communities and the people of my riding.

Can the Minister of Transport update my fellow citizens from Lac Saint-Louis and all Canadians on what our government has done to address this issue?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

I thank my colleague from Lac-Saint-Louis for his excellent question and for his dedication to all water-related issues. He is known for his expertise in that area.

As we know, the Harper Conservatives did absolutely nothing to address this matter. That is why our government, under the oceans protection plan, developed a national strategy to prevent incidents like the Kathryn Spirit occurring again.

That is why, on Ocotober 12, I was very proud to announce that we have dismantled the Kathryn Spirit and thus kept our promise to the people of Beauharnois.

Carbon Pricing

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when the Liberals brought in their tax increases on farmers, plumbers and pizza-shop owners, they made sure that the millionaire finance minister and Prime Minister were excluded from any new taxes. Their income tax increases actually only applied to the middle class, which is paying $800 more per family, while the wealthiest 1% has paid $4 billion less. Now their carbon tax will hit single mothers and seniors, but 90% of the emissions of the large industrial polluters are exempt altogether. Why do they always tax most, those with the least?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians from across the country are seeing the impacts of climate change, whether it is forest fires or floods or extreme heat or in the Arctic, which is quite literally melting. We have a plan to tackle climate change, to do our part and also to grow the economy. We are taking measures, which include phasing out coal, net-zero building standards, investments in renewables, investments in clean technology companies and, yes, putting a price on pollution. There is a cost to pollution, but we have always said that we will give money back, more money in the pockets of the people who live in a province—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Carleton.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, there is going to be no cost for pollution for large industrial polluters. Let me quote a strong supporter of the government, the Toronto Star, which said, “Ottawa downplays carbon price plan that gives more tax relief to heavy polluters”. In other words, large industrial polluters get off scot-free, while the average Canadian household has to pay more. Why is it that those with lobbyists always get breaks, while those working Canadians who carry this country on their shoulders always bear the heaviest burden?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot tell you how much it warms my heart to hear the member opposite talk about how there should be a price on pollution. I am surprised, though, because the member opposite did not vote in support of a price on pollution. Yes, we have said that big polluters have to pay and we will give more money in the hands of Canadians. We know we need to take action on climate change. We have a climate plan, but the big question is this: What is the Conservatives' plan to protect the environment and grow the economy?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, once again the minister failed to answer the question. Her government has released documents showing that there will be up to a 90% exemption from the carbon tax, for large industrial polluters. Therefore, those who pollute the most will get the lowest cost on their tax bills, while single mothers and seniors, who have no choice but to heat their homes and drive to work, will pay tax on 100% of their emissions. Why?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, will the party opposite release a plan with a price on pollution? We have a plan. Our plan is working. It is growing the economy. We have created more than 600,000 jobs with Canadian—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. We heard the question and we need to hear the answer as well. Whether members like the answer or not, it has to be heard. The hon. member for Calgary Signal Hill will come to order. Order.

The hon. Minister of Environment has the floor.

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect us to have a plan to protect the environment, to tackle climate change and to grow the economy. We have that plan. We have been able to create more than 600,000 jobs with Canadians. We have the fastest-growing economy in the G7. We have historic low rates of unemployment. Guess what? Our emissions are going down and we are doing this with Canadians.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, what is going down is the burden on the large industrial polluters. They are getting off because they can afford powerful lobbyists who influence the government. People living below the poverty line, single mothers and seniors on a fixed income cannot afford to send powerful lobbyists and consultants to Ottawa. They cannot afford to donate to Liberal coffers, but they have important costs that they have to meet. Why is the government giving an exemption to the politically well-connected and putting the burden on working-class Canadians?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, forgive me if I am confused, because this is the party that does not support a price on pollution. This is the party that voted against the Canada child benefit that has raised 300,000 children out of poverty. This is the party that voted against middle-class tax cuts and an increase on the 1%. This is the party that does not have a climate plan. This is the party that does not understand that there is a real cost right now to the environment, and we are paying right now for the inaction of the previous government for a decade. We are also growing the economy.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, today is World Food Day, an important day to recognize and take action to address food insecurity, and to inspire solutions for change at home and abroad. Unfortunately, far too many Canadians still struggle with putting food on the table.

The NDP has long fought for a national food policy, which would link the farm to the factory to the fork. We know that the Liberals love to borrow from the NDP policy book, but it has been over a year since the government launched consultations on the development of a national food policy.

My question is simple. Where is the policy?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, we held extensive consultations, as my hon. colleague has said. We had 45,000 Canadians respond online and we had many round tables right across the country. I want to thank all the hard-working farmers, stakeholders, members of Parliament and Canadians who participated in this. We are currently working to develop a food policy with input from Canadians and stakeholders from our consultations.

We are committed to developing a food policy that will put safe, top-quality food on Canadian tables right across this country.