Debates of Oct. 17th, 2018

Government Accountability

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister did not believe in the independence of the justice system when he tried and convicted Vice-Admiral Norman before he was even charged.

It is clear that from the start of this case that the prosecution of Vice-Admiral Mark Norman was politically motivated. The Prime Minister is hiding documents and refuses to release them for Vice-Admiral Norman's defence, jeopardizing his right to a fair trial, documents that will reveal the truth.

If the Prime Minister has nothing to hide, why will he not release these documents?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I will not be commenting on this ongoing court case.

Air Transportation

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, an Air Canada flight en route to San Francisco narrowly avoided what could have been the worst disaster in aviation history. According to the United States National Transportation Safety Board, the pilot had been at the controls for 19 hours straight, something that is unthinkable anywhere other than Canada.

A study on air safety launched by the NDP and the NTSB report are calling on Transport Canada to review its rules.

Will the Prime Minister do something about this or will he continue to sing the same old song with the Minister of Transport that safety is their top priority?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the government is working on the rules that apply to pilots in order to ensure better safety for all travellers. That is exactly what we are going to do.

We will have more to say on that shortly.

Small Business

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this Small Business Week, the Liberals continue to betray small business owners by siding with credit card companies in a dispute over merchant fees.

Canada already has some of the highest credit card merchant fees in the world, costing consumers and merchants billions of dollars a year. Now, instead of actually reducing these fees, the Liberals announced a voluntary .1 % rate decrease, offering no relief and no certainty for small businesses.

Will the Prime Minister stop siding with Visa and Mastercard and cap merchant fees once and for all?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure for me to stand up to talk about the great work we are doing for small businesses. We are lowering small business taxes as of January 1 to 9% because we know that small businesses are at the heart of this country's success.

On top of that, regarding interchange fees for credit cards, we are pleased to announce that we are moving forward with lowering interchange fees for small businesses as of 2020. This is a real tangible element of progress for small businesses that this government will always support.

Government Accountability

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in 2004, former prime minister Paul Martin responded to a Conservative request and released hundreds of pages of cabinet committee records related to the advertising scandal.

The documents requested today are clearly essential to the legal defence of Rear Admiral Norman in a case that reeks of political interference. If the Liberals have nothing to hide, why will the Prime Minister not simply release the documents?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on this ongoing court case.

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Milton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister asked most recently why the Conservative Party is continuing to ask these questions as it is not the right place for it. I want to let him know exactly why it is.

When a cabinet exercises its power to withhold documents from the court, the court has no power. The only place left to hold a Prime Minister accountable is in this place. Therefore, we are going to keep asking the questions. I will start right now.

Why is the Prime Minister withholding the documents and why will he not allow Mark Norman to have a fair trial?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I have the utmost respect for this House. Indeed, that is why we moved forward with the Prime Minister's question period every Wednesday, so that we can answer questions from members that they may have about what the government is doing.

However, as everyone in this House knows, we respect the independence of the judiciary. Therefore, I will not comment on this ongoing court case.

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Milton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, if the Prime Minister truly respected the independence of the judiciary, he would respect the fact that they should make the call through evidence rules as to what is inadmissible instead of putting cabinet decision-making on top of it, preventing the court from calling these documents into evidence.

Mark Norman needs to put forward a defence that is going to help them prove that these allegations are incorrect. If he cannot, he could go to jail for five years.

Why are we not having the government release these documents?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on this ongoing court case.

Status of Women

[Emmanuella Lambropoulos, Liberal, Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, groups of women across the country are not just calling for gender equality. They are also providing essential services and working to make changes for women in their communities every day. However, these organizations need resources to continue their essential work.

Can the Prime Minister explain to the House how the government is supporting women's groups so they can continue their work and help sustain the women's movement?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Saint-Laurent for her question and for her tireless commitment to gender equality.

The progress we have made toward gender equality would not have been possible without the work of women's groups and indigenous organizations. The capacity-building fund provides up to $100 million for women's groups and indigenous organizations whose objective is to advance gender equality. We realize that gender equality helps drive Canada's economic growth and creates safer communities for all Canadians.

Justice

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians have reason to be disappointed today because the Prime Minister is obstructing justice in the case of a man who was prepared to risk his life for his country and is facing serious charges. He needs access to information for his defence, and there is only one person who can release that information.

We are not asking the Prime Minister for comments; we are asking him for information. If he refuses, we will be justified in thinking that he wants to protect his Liberal cronies, that he is scheming, and that he is putting his friends' interests and his own ahead of justice.

The Prime Minister should be helping Vice-Admiral Norman.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I would urge the hon. member to choose his words with care. A member must not accuse another member of a crime such as obstructing justice in the House.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on this matter while it is before the courts.

Foreign Affairs

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP and Canadians have long been calling on the government to stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia. Today, Republicans and Democrats introduced a bill in the U.S. Congress to have the United States suspend their arms sales to Saudi Arabia until more information comes to light about the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Is the Prime Minister prepared to do the same?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we remain very concerned about the disappearance of Mr. Khashoggi and about reports implicating Saudi Arabia. The Minister of Foreign Affairs has spoken with her Saudi counterpart to express our concerns and to call for a thorough, credible, and transparent investigation.

We fully support the joint statement issued by France, the United Kingdom, and Germany calling for a credible investigation. All those involved in the disappearance of Mr. Khashoggi need to be held responsible for their actions.

Small Business

[Ramesh Sangha, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as part of Small Business Week, it is important to note that 99% of tourism are small and medium-sized businesses. They are a real economic driver for Canada and certainly in my riding of Brampton Centre. The income of thousands of middle-class families depends on the growth and success of these SMEs, which make our communities strong.

Could the Prime Minister inform the chamber of the steps our government has taken to grow these businesses?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Brampton Centre for all the work he does in supporting small businesses in his riding. Permit me to wish a good Small Business Week to entrepreneurs across the country.

In the tourism sector, small businesses already provide 1.8 million good jobs for middle-class Canadians, but we want to grow that number. That is why I have asked the Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie to develop a national tourism strategy and to create even more opportunities and jobs for the middle class.

Also, we are indeed lowering small business taxes to 9%, as of January 1, right across the country.

Government Accountability

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I want to put the Prime Minister's mind at ease. I am not asking him to comment on the case. I am asking him to explain why he has chosen not to release documents to the court.

If he truly believes in an independent judiciary, if he truly believes in the right of a Canadian admiral to a just defence, then he will do what previous prime ministers have done and make these documents available. If he does not, then what on earth is he trying to hide?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I will always uphold the independence of our judicial system and that is why I will not comment on this ongoing court case.

Marijuana

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the legalization of cannabis was botched. The Government of Quebec had just been elected and barely had the time to introduce its own legislation when pot became legal. The result is that an 18-year-old can buy it today, but by all indications will no longer be able to do so in three months.

Is it one, two or four plants? We do not know. Will there be a legal challenge? We do not know. That is what happens when we do not have sovereignty.

What was the point of legalizing pot on October 17 when, clearly, no one was ready?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have been working with experts across the country, the provinces and municipalities for three years in anticipation of this day.

The provinces, including Quebec, asked for eight to 12 weeks to legalize cannabis after the entry into force of the bill, and we gave them 17 weeks. We continue to work with them on this process, but we know that protecting our youth and preventing organized crime from profiting is everyone's priority.