Debates of Oct. 2nd, 2018

Opposition Motion—Justice

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Madam Speaker, I find it very interesting that we have had the member for Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, the member for Winnipeg North and the member for Winnipeg Centre all stand in this place and, again, defend the convicted, not standing with the victim.

The member has the chance to do the right thing tomorrow and show his constituents back in Winnipeg, and all of Manitoba, that he actually stands with Rodney Stafford, that he believes what happened to Tori Stafford was an egregious, brutal killing, and that the murderer, Terri-Lynne McClintic deserves to be properly incarcerated. Stop hugging the thug.

I would ask the member to stop hugging the thug and stand up for the victims and the rights they deserve under law.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Madam Speaker, I am aware of the fact that we put people in prison in this country primarily for rehabilitation, as well as punishment, that we have professional corrections facilities, and experts who work in the facilities. We know that most people in prison, even those who have committed murder, will eventually be back on the streets. I, personally, would rather see them rehabilitated.

That is the expert advice and I cannot vote with the Conservatives on this motion. I cannot begin to think of the horrors of what happened and how much I sympathize with Tori Stafford's family and what they are going through. However, we cannot contort all of Canada into an emotional catharsis of putting people in their worst possible conditions.

That medium-security facility that Terri-Lynne McClintic was moved from was not sufficient to mean that everybody would feel she was having a thoroughly punitive experience, because our system is about rehabilitation.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Madam Speaker, rehabilitation is for those who have often committed lesser crimes than those who are going to be re-entering society. The member for Saanich—Gulf Islands is very naive to think that Terri-Lynne McClintic would ever be released. The records show that brutal child murderers, those who abduct, sexually assault, torture and kill their victims never make parole.

The idea that she deserves to be in a minimum security facility after only serving eight years is ridiculous. She is not a model prisoner. She has demonstrated time and time again that she is not remorseful for the crime that she committed, and she has been brutalizing other inmates. She even brags about stabbing one in the face.

Terri-Lynne McClintic does not deserve to be at the healing lodge. She deserves to be back behind bars.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. While the member for Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman was answering the question from the member for Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, after that the member from St. Boniface talked about his children and so on. In the middle of it, and I am sure if you review it, there was a one-finger gesture to the member for Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman. I do not think that he was giving the thumbs-up or giving him directions.

I would just ask that you review that. As far as I am concerned, it was a very inappropriate, unparliamentary action and he should apologize or resign today.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I certainly did not witness anything. I will certainly have the records reviewed, unless the member acknowledges that is what happened and he may wish to apologize. Otherwise, we will have to review it and we will get back to the member, if need be.

It being 5:23 p.m., pursuant to order made earlier today, all questions necessary to dispose of the opposition motion are deemed put and a recorded division deemed requested and deferred until Wednesday, October 3, 2018, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Speaker, on a point of order, I suspect if you were to canvass the House, you would find unanimous consent to see the clock at 5:38 p.m., so we could begin private members' hour.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Is there unanimous consent to see the clock at 5:38 p.m.?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Accordingly, the House will now proceed to the consideration of private members' business as listed on today's Order Paper.

(Bill C-236. On the Order: Private Members' Business)

February 25, 2016—Second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on Finance of Bill C-236, An Act to amend the Payment Card Networks Act (credit card acceptance fees)—Ms. Linda Lapointe.

Payment Card Networks Act

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles is not present to move the motion as announced in today's Notice Paper. Accordingly, the bill will be dropped from the Order Paper.

(Order discharged and bill withdrawn)

A motion to adjourn the House under Standing Order 38 deemed to have been moved.

The Environment

[Sheila Malcolmson, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Madam Speaker, oil spills and debris from thousands of abandoned vessels pollute our waterways, threatening fisheries and tourism across Canada. After decades of sounding the alarm on the long-standing problem of abandoned vessels, coastal communities finally have the government's attention, but the baby steps taken do not match the enormity of this problem for our coasts.

First, the federal government's funding program is a drop in the bucket compared to the scale of the problem. It allocates just one million dollars a year for the entire country, when getting the Viki Lyne II out of Ladysmith Harbour in my riding of Nanaimo—Ladysmith cost $1.2 million alone.

Second, the Liberals are dragging out a promised inventory and risk assessment. When they voted down my legislation on this eight months ago, the transport minister assured us that there was going to be an inventory prepared. He said it would be an “inventory of abandoned, dilapidated, and wrecked vessels, along with a risk assessment methodology to rank these vessels according to the risks that they pose.”

We just learned that the work has not even been tendered and that there is no way it will be completed before July 2019. Inventorying boats does not in itself contend with the problems, but the fact that this work has been delayed is deeply discouraging.

Third, just 20 abandoned vessels will be removed this year across Canada under the federal abandoned boats program. That includes the six removals re-announced in Victoria last month. At this rate, it is going to take more than 40 years to deal with the backlog.

I have pushed the federal government hard to close the loopholes and deal with the backlog polluting our coasts. I advanced all the solutions that coastal communities have proposed over a decade: fix vessel registration, pilot a turn-in program, create good green jobs by supporting local marine salvage businesses and vessel recycling, and end the jurisdictional runaround. The Union of BC Municipalities and countless coastal partners from across Canada championed those solutions, but they were voted down by the Liberals in Parliament.

However, coastal leaders will not give up. At the same time the Liberal government MPs were recycling a $31,000 abandoned vessel funding announcement last month at Victoria's Laurel Point, chambers of commerce from across the country were debating and endorsing the same remedies the Liberals had voted down here in the House. Nanaimo's chamber of commerce got provincial association buy-in from across the country for abandoned vessel solutions to fix vessel registration, support recycling, pilot a vessel turn-in to deal with the backlog, and to make the Coast Guard the lead agency. By the time it went to the national chamber's convention floor in Thunder Bay, the Atlantic association had stronger wording still, all with the intention of pressing the federal government for deeper reform.

Coastal leaders are not giving up, and neither am I. While thousands of abandoned vessels continue to pollute our coasts, coastal communities are left with a complicated puzzle of legislation in a maze of government departments. If the undermined vessel registry is not repaired, there is no way to mail a ticket to negligent owners. User pay just does not work if we cannot track down who owns the boat.

I will continue to challenge the Liberal government to include the accountability and recycling fixes that coastal leaders have been asking for. It is fantastic that abandoned vessels are finally now on the federal agenda. When will it be time to truly take the load off coastal communities and protect our oceans?

[Andrew Leslie, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lib.]

Madam Speaker, addressing abandoned and wrecked vessels is a priority for the government, and we are very proud to be implementing a comprehensive national strategy on this issue.

Bill C-64 was introduced back in October 2017, has passed third reading in the House and has been introduced in the Senate. On coming into force, this new legislation would help reduce the flow of new abandoned boats. We know there are hundreds of abandoned boats that litter Canada's coasts and waterways. That is why our government announced, since the spring, more than $1.3 million in funding to assess and remove the boats that were a high priority for local communities. So far, 106 vessels have been either assessed or removed from Canadian waters. This is just the beginning, as funding remains available to address other priority boats across Canada, and we encourage all communities that want to remove problematic vessels to apply for this funding.

We are currently developing a national inventory of abandoned and wrecked vessels and a risk assessment methodology to prioritize these vessels based on the risks they pose, which will support evidence-based decision-making under Bill C-64.

We are working in partnership with provinces and territories, given their expertise in vehicle registration, to explore ways to enhance the pleasure craft licensing system to ensure boat owners are held responsible and accountable. At the same time, our government is studying options to enhance the commercial vessel registry system.

We are also working with provinces and territories to explore options for establishing sustainable funds in the longer term, financed by the boaters themselves. The burden of removing abandoned and wrecked vessels will eventually no longer fall on Canadian taxpayers. This is a long-overdue solution that our government is providing.

Our government also recognizes the importance of providing boaters with affordable and accessible boat disposal and recycling options. This is why we have invested in research and development into boat design and these recycling options.

New legislation, a national inventory and risk assessment methodology, funding programs and research, improving boat owner identification systems, and working with our provincial and territorial partners on areas of shared responsibility and expertise will, together, ensure we comprehensively address this issue for today and for generations to come.

[Sheila Malcolmson, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Madam Speaker, here is the motion that was passed by the national chamber of commerce at its convention.

It states, “1. Designate Coast Guard as the agency responsible for directing the removal and recycling of abandoned vessels; 2. Improve vessel registration so that owners can be held accountable; 3. Fund a study of the Washington State model of fee collection for the costs of disposal of abandoned and wrecked vessels on the West Coast, other coasts and waterways; 4. Create a pilot “turn-in” program for safe disposal and recycling of abandoned vessels; and 5. Work with governments at all levels, including first nations, to provide a comprehensive regulatory framework for addressing the financial and environmental risks of abandoned vessels.”

It was recognized by the chambers of commerce across our country that this work has not been done. When will it be complete?

[Andrew Leslie, Liberal, Orléans, ON]

Madam Speaker, our government has worked with coastal and indigenous communities, and affected stakeholders and partners, to ensure the optimal development and implementation of a comprehensive national strategy to address abandoned and wrecked boats.

The wrecked, abandoned or hazardous vessels act is currently under review in the Senate. This legislation, once passed, will enhance federal powers to take proactive measures on problematic vessels and create a new compliance and enforcement regime to address abandoned and wrecked vessels.

Over the short term, the federal government is providing support for the assessment and removal of the highest-risk small abandoned boats, as mentioned previously.

Together, these measures ensure a comprehensive approach to abandoned and wrecked vessels that will both prevent new cases and clean up the existing stock of the problematic boats that are littering our coasts and waterways.

International Trade

[Tracey Ramsey, NDP, Essex, ON]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise tonight to talk about something that is as pressing an issue today, October 2, as it was when I asked my original question in the House earlier this year. On April 30 this year, we were wondering what would happen to us, because there was a temporary tariff exemption under steel and aluminum. We now know that within 24 hours of my asking that question in the House of Commons, those tariffs became permanent. The workers in those communities who depend on these 146,000 steel and aluminum jobs have had many sleepless nights since.

Following the signing of this new trade agreement, the USMCA, there are no assurances for the steel and aluminum workers in Canada, because once again the Liberal government has failed to get them a permanent exemption. Although there are a lot of accolades from the Liberal side about this deal, steel and aluminum workers in our country feel betrayed and left behind because these tariffs were left on the table.

In my riding of Essex, I have a steel manufacturer by the name of Zekelman Industries. It produces hollow structural steel. It is world class. Barry Zekelman is the CEO and chairman. We have been in constant contact on these steel issues. I want to say a little about this company, the employees and about Barry and the way he has given back to our community. Without Atlas Tube in Harrow, this community would not have the quality of life it does. I say that knowing that in Harrow, one in four children lives in poverty. We already live in one of the most impoverished areas in our country down in Essex and Windsor.

Barry Zekelman has grown this business from zero to a multi-billion dollar business, and he has become one of the premier employers in our region. People in his workplace are well paid and well treated. One of his sources of pride is that when someone walks into the plant, they will see on the wall how many days the company has been without an accident. He is extremely proud of the safe workplace and good jobs he provides. He knows the people who work for him, and when they come to work for him, they stay working for him, because these are good jobs that have supplied many families in our region with livelihoods for many years. We would like to see that continue.

Barry is very concerned. He has written to me asking for help from the government with safeguards that they feel are necessary on hollow structural sections. I sent a letter of support to the Minister Morneau, and I am hoping that the parliamentary secretary will be able to update the House on folks like Barry, who have been writing to the government desperately seeking some type of support or safeguard.

When will the government start to help our steel industry in Canada, because the clock is ticking on those jobs staying safe?

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I want to remind the member that she is not to name ministers by their names.

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

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

Madam Speaker, reaching an agreement with the United States and with Mexico on the new USMCA is good news for Canada and good news for our workers and consumers. ln fact, the new auto rules of origin components of the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement will level the playing field for our Canadian auto workers. Specifically, because it will require 40% to 45% of a car producer's activities to be carried out by workers who earn at least $16 an hour, our skilled workers will be able to take advantage of the fact that greater volumes will be built in Canada. That is a key component of this new trade deal.

We have also significantly strengthened the labour chapter, including by making it subject to a dispute settlement mechanism. Of note, this now includes provisions to address violence against workers exercising their labour rights, protections against sex-based discrimination and a provision to prohibit the importation of goods produced by forced or compulsory labour.

Another key Canadian objective in the NAFTA negotiations was to obtain an exemption from future potential use of this measure, including against Canada's auto sector. We have successfully done that through the side letter on section 232 tariffs, which is a unique agreement that no other country has been able to arrange with the United States.

This includes a 60-day exemption should any future 232 measures be imposed, which we would use to come to a mutually beneficial outcome through negotiation.

While the section 232 tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum remain, very unfortunately, their elimination remains an absolute and top priority for our government, the minister and myself. lt is something the Americans have indicated they are more than willing to work on over the next while. We have momentum now, having concluded this deal, and we will be taking advantage of that momentum to intensify our conversations about steel and aluminum tariffs unjustly put against our workers and factories.

ln the meantime, our strong responsive measures to defend our workers remain in place. This includes $16.6 billion in reciprocal measures against U.S. imports and over $100 million in loans that we have provided to small and medium-sized steel and aluminum businesses to ease them in their time of pain and challenge.

We are also challenging these U.S. 232 tariffs under the World Trade Organization rules and under NAFTA. That we can challenge such provisions through NAFTA illustrates just how important it is we have reached an agreement.

Our teams worked tirelessly to ensure we could retain the dispute settlement chapter, specifically chapter 19, as has been tirelessly advocated by my hon. friend. lt is essential to defend our workers, which our government will always do.

[Tracey Ramsey, NDP, Essex, ON]

Madam Speaker, signing this deal has not eliminated the steel and aluminum tariffs and the threat. I want to talk a little about the threat happening when we are talking about the imports flooding into our country.

In this last year alone, the hollow structural steel import surges from offshore have been unrelenting. I have a spreadsheet from Global Affairs that shows 2018 imports, and some of them are over 200% higher than they were in 2017. What has happened to us is that we have become a target for global dumping from bad actors like India, Korea and China because of what is happening with the U.S. pushing back and the government is not acting fast enough.

I go back to the request to have this safeguard put on, the urgency that is necessary for safeguards, hollow structural steel.

Hundreds of people's jobs are at risk. When will the government act and implement the safeguards that are necessary?

[Andrew Leslie, Liberal, Orléans, ON]

Madam Speaker, the USMCA is further evidence that our government has the interests of workers and the middle class at the very forefront of all our decisions. Reaching this agreement will be the security and stability that enable further economic prosperity. It reduces uncertainty. It creates the conditions for increased investment, which will benefit our workers.

ln fact, Jerry Dias of Unifor said yesterday that this was a much better deal than the deal that was signed 24 years ago. Quite frankly, he knows more than all of us put together with regard to labour.

Just as we fought for Canada's interest at the negotiating table, so too will we continue to fight for the interests of our workers when it comes to the steel and aluminum tariffs.

Public Transportation

[Sheri Benson, NDP, Saskatoon West, SK]

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the parliamentary secretary for being here this evening, but I am saddened to have to continue to speak up about this very important issue, which is the need for safe, affordable public transportation in Saskatchewan.

The previous parliamentary secretary said, in reply to my question in the House, that “having an efficient, functional transportation system is absolutely critical”. In fact, I have heard a few different versions of this sentiment from several members of the government. From the Minister of Innovation:

As the member knows full well, this is an issue that we are working on. We will work with her office to make sure we take the appropriate steps that are required and needed to address the issue in a meaningful way.

How to explain, then, that a recent Order Paper question I submitted, asking for the list of any meetings or correspondence related to STC by officials at Innovation, came back with a shocking answer: There have been zero meetings and no correspondence on this issue whatsoever. Why did the Minister of Innovation say what he said if, in fact, no work has been done? I believe the people of Saskatchewan deserve an explanation.

Further, I heard from the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, who said:

I can assure the member that I am working with my Saskatchewan colleagues. We want to deliver for the people of Saskatchewan. There will be good news coming. I can assure her that she can come to see me or the Minister of Public Safety and my colleagues.

Well, I reached out that very same day to the Minister of Public Safety, the lone minister from Saskatchewan, for an urgent meeting. I have still not heard back. I have certainly never been contacted or approached by the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities on this issue, nor have I heard from any of his departmental officials.

The hon. parliamentary secretary will forgive me, perhaps, if I do not quite believe that the government is taking this issue seriously, despite what the Liberals say. In addition to many questions in the House from me and my NDP colleagues, I have also written to various ministers about the loss of STC and the impact this has had on families across Saskatchewan, especially people who live in northern and remote areas, in terms of safety, affordability, access to medical and education services and the ability to connect with family members, as well as about the barriers to being able to attend and participate in the only hearing held in Saskatchewan for the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

In July of 2017, my colleague, the member for Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, and I wrote a joint letter to the ministers of Indigenous Affairs, Status of Women and labour asking them to coordinate an effective federal response to the concerns raised by a group of seven women's organizations about the adverse effects of the STC shutdown. The Minister of Indigenous Affairs replied that she understood that the closure of the STC has had “some effect on commuters” but that she also understood that Greyhound Canada “continues to provide connections to communities.”

This cavalier, callous and out-of-touch response is astonishing, especially now that we will be facing an even deeper void when Greyhound Canada ends its operations in western Canada as of October 31.

The issue of adequate transportation came up repeatedly during the ongoing Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. What the minister, and by extension the government, fails to understand is that even with financial support to participate in the inquiry, people cannot move around the province without viable, safe and affordable transportation. What I fail to understand is why the government will not do anything to help the people of Saskatchewan.

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

Madam Speaker, I cannot thank my hon. colleague enough for her very valid points, with which I wholeheartedly agree. Transportation affects the daily lives of people all across Canada, and we remain committed to providing travellers with a national transportation system that is safe and reliable and continues to serve our communities.

Our transportation 2030 initiative was brought forward to provide just such a strategic plan for the future of transportation in Canada, which is a key focus of this initiative. Of course, this government has allocated historic proportions of resources to national transportation. To do so, we work co-operatively with the provinces and municipalities, so it is a tripartite agreement wherein all three partners have either to contribute or to agree to fund the actual projects at the local level.

We recognize the difficulties some travellers, including indigenous peoples, as referred to by my hon. colleague, may have been facing since the withdrawal of intercity bus services by the Saskatchewan Transportation Company. I would like to take this opportunity and this time to encourage the Government of Saskatchewan to engage with communities, including indigenous communities, and different stakeholders, including the municipalities, to promote the development of alternative transportation options that would meet the safe mobility needs of travellers.

The Government of Canada stands ready to do its part, and we look forward to moving this requirement forward to ease the legitimate concerns raised by my hon. colleague.

[Sheri Benson, NDP, Saskatoon West, SK]

Madam Speaker, I want to stress that I believe that the federal government needs to lead in this area, and we have not seen any action. It is not moving the needle one bit.

I would like to ask the parliamentary secretary to at least acknowledge that there is a role for the federal government in restoring not only crucial intra-provincial but interprovincial transportation options for the people of Saskatchewan. The loss of STC, and now Greyhound, is definitely having a disproportionate impact on women. It places women's lives at risk, further isolates northern, rural and indigenous communities and places unnecessary limitations on the mobility of seniors, people living with disabilities, people living in poverty and those who are disenfranchised.

I would like to know how many more questions and how many more letters we need. What will it take to get the government to step up and help the people of Saskatchewan?

[Andrew Leslie, Liberal, Orléans, ON]

Madam Speaker, we recognize the importance of having a national passenger transportation system that works for all people in Canada. We acknowledge the challenges faced by members of affected communities, including those of the hon. member, especially indigenous communities, as a result of the loss of provincial bus services in Saskatchewan. We are encouraged to see recent expressions of interest by some Canadian bus carriers that are using different business models and equipment to fill some of the gaps.

Again, I would encourage the Government of Saskatchewan to engage with municipalities, communities, including Indigenous communities, and the various stakeholders to promote the development of alternative transportation options that would meet the safe mobility needs of its travellers.