Debates of Oct. 3rd, 2018

International Trade

[Tracey Ramsey, NDP, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in the new USMCA, we learned that Canada will finally eliminate chapter 11. Canadians have been hit with millions of dollars in legal fees and payouts to private corporations. Now, thanks to the tireless work of the New Democrats, labour and civil society, it is gone.

Canada has been the most sued country under ISDS and, for years, the Liberals have argued to keep this clause. They argued to keep it in the CPTPP, which they will be ramming through this week, and created a whole new investor court system in CETA.

Will the Liberals finally commit to no future ISDS in trade agreements?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Essex knows well that the people in Windsor are very happy with this deal, which secures Canada's auto industry for the coming decades. It demonstrates a real win for the Canadian auto and auto parts suppliers' industry. However, yes, we also got rid of the investor-state dispute resolution system, which has cost the federal government more than $300 million in penalties and legal fees.

I am glad to hear the member opposite's support for the USMCA. We continue to work to defend people in Windsor and right across the country.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Eva Nassif, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Mr. Speaker, next week is Citizenship Week.

Our government made significant reforms to the Citizenship Act in order to ensure fairness while preserving the integrity of our citizenship program, which was exploited by the Harper Conservatives to create division.

Can the Prime Minister tell the House about the progress that has been made since our government made changes to Canada's citizenship program?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Vimy for her question and for her dedication to new Canadians.

Since we amended the act, nearly 150,000 newcomers have joined our great Canadian family. That is 40% more than we had under the Conservatives. We also reduced the wait time for applications from 24 months to 10.

Next week, we will hold 54 citizenship ceremonies and welcome 13,000 new Canadians. On this side of the House, a Canadian is a Canadian.

International Trade

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, speaking of Canadians, unfortunately hundreds of thousands of Canadians working in the steel, aluminum and softwood lumber industries are directly affected by the U.S. tariffs.

In Quebec, the aluminium industry is essential. It represents $5 billion, nine aluminum plants and 20,000 jobs.

The Prime Minister keeps repeating that the deal with the Americans is a good one. Can he tell us, yes or no, if the U.S. tariffs on aluminum are still in place?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as I told steel and aluminum workers when I toured their plants, our government is there for them. Our countermeasures will remain in place until the unfair tariffs on steel and aluminum are removed.

During the negotiations, our goal was to create the conditions to grow the middle class and provide more opportunities for Canadians. We will continue our efforts to eliminate these tariffs. That is what Canadians expect and that is what we will do.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians actually expected these tariffs to be eliminated during the negotiations with the United States, but they are still in place.

In Quebec alone, the aluminum sector represents 20,000 jobs, the steel sector represents 15,000 jobs, and the softwood lumber sector represents 46,000 jobs.

Need I remind the Prime Minister that he has been the member for Papineau, Quebec, for 10 years?

What does he have to say to workers in the industries targeted by the U.S. tariffs, given that he has failed to do anything for them?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I am surprised to hear the Conservatives playing Monday morning quarterback, considering that last year, Stephen Harper and the Conservatives begged us to give in and accept an agreement at any cost. Stephen Harper's memo said, and I quote, “it does not matter whether current American proposals are worse than what we have now”.

We on this side of the House refused to give in. We were patient and persistent, and we succeeded in negotiating a good deal for Canadians.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, former prime minister Stephen Harper predicted the Liberal government would capitulate and he was absolutely right. For the first time in the history of trade deals, there are more tariffs after the conclusion of the deal than there were when the negotiations actually started.

My colleague asked when the steel tariffs will be removed. The Prime Minister has backed down on pharmaceuticals, dairy, and so much else. I ask again, when will the steel tariffs be removed? When?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I will highlight that even though the Conservatives in the House are continuing to play politics, there are Conservatives across the country who understood that standing together for the good of the country was important. That is why former Conservative prime ministers like Brian Mulroney and Kim Campbell, premiers like Brad Wall, Scott Moe and Brian Pallister and others stood strongly on team Canada to make sure we negotiated a good and right deal. It is why we were able to count on smart Conservatives like Rona Ambrose and James Moore, who stood with us understanding that relations with the United States are bigger than mere political points. Unfortunately, not all Conservatives—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Carleton.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, says the Prime Minister who has been repeatedly misrepresenting the position of the Conservative Party on this negotiation from the very start.

It is true that many Conservatives entered on a rescue mission to try and help the Prime Minister who was clearly floundering from the beginning. Now we have the result. He backed down on pharmaceuticals with higher drug prices for Canadian seniors. He backed down on dairy, imposing Canadian tariffs on Canadian farmers.

Why did he give up so much to get absolutely nothing that we did not already have?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, not only did we secure access to the United States for our middle class and for our workers at a time of protectionism and uncertainty, we got rid of the ratchet clause. It infringed on our sovereignty by preventing our government from controlling our access to energy resources.

In the face of stiff opposition from the Americans, we kept chapter 19 in the dispute resolution system. We got a cultural exemption that now will apply to digital platforms. That is modernizing NAFTA. We got rid of the ISDS that cost Canadians so much. The auto sector got a big win here in Canada and we have new, enforceable environmental and labour standards.

[Cheryl Hardcastle, NDP, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the failure of the Liberal government to get the U.S. to lift the steel and aluminum tariffs is hurting employers in my riding of Windsor, in Essex County and the rest of southwestern Ontario. Tool and mould manufacturers that rely on specialized metals from the United States are fed up. The government failed to secure an end to the punitive tariffs imposed by the U.S. during the recent USMCA negotiations, and some of these businesses have already had to relocate to the United States. What is the government doing to keep jobs in Canada now?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I know well, having heard from many Canadians in Windsor and across southwestern Ontario, that they are very pleased we have moved forward to secure the auto industry in southwestern Ontario and in Windsor. We protected good, middle-class Canadian jobs that will continue long into the future, because we have secured the future of Canada's auto industry with the USMCA.

I look forward to getting the support of the members from Windsor, because folks in Windsor are really pleased we have moved forward on protecting their jobs long into the future.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in the NAFTA renegotiation, the Prime Minister left steel and aluminum industries hanging in the wind, but he has also abandoned small businesses across the country, like northern boat sellers who are paying punishing import duties because of the Prime Minister's tit-for-tat war with Donald Trump.

Would he explain his logic to Clint Chartrand of Guiho Saw Sales in Timmins, who is being hammered by punitive penalties from the government, why the government has squeezed $300 million out of hard-working Canadian businesses and has only paid $11,000 back? When are these penalties going to end against Canadian businesses?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, right across the country, Canadians have been clear that they want us to stand strong, be firm and stand up for Canadian jobs. That is exactly what we did.

The members opposite do not have to take my word for it. They can ask Jerry Dias of Unifor, who said that this is a much better deal than the deal that was signed 24 years ago. Perhaps they will listen to Hassan Yussuff, the president of the Canadian Labour Congress, who said, “The USMCA gets it right on labour provisions, including provisions to protect workers against employment discrimination on the basis of gender.”

This deal is a good news story for middle-class Canadians right across the country.

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, we know that the Prime Minister backed down to Donald Trump on so many files. In fact, Donald Trump's senior economic adviser thanked him for backing down so graciously.

After combing through the deal trying to find something to latch onto that he can claim as a positive, he tells us it is investor state and the ratchet clause. The Prime Minister actually fought to get the investor-state proposition into the TPP, and the energy ratchet clause has never been used. However, steel and aluminum tariffs have been in effect and are hurting Canadian jobs. Has he removed those tariffs?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we will continue to stand up for Canadians in the steel and aluminum sector. Despite what the member opposite says, we have had an awful lot of wins, on top of obviously securing our access to the U.S. market.

We have eliminated the ratchet clause that prevented our government from controlling access to our energy sources. We got a cultural exemption that, in the spirit of modernizing NAFTA, will now apply to digital platforms. We got rid of the ISDS platform. We got a new auto deal for Canadians that will secure our auto sector. We have enforceable environmental and labour standards, which I know the Conservatives—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Yorkton—Melville.

Veterans Affairs

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, Lucille's husband, Morris, served our country for 28 years. He developed PTSD while serving his country dutifully and honourably. He witnessed acts of violence and faced unimaginable horrors.

When the minister did not respond to her letter, Lucille contacted my office, saying how horrified she is that Garnier, who never served a day in his life, is receiving veterans benefits due to the PTSD he developed while murdering officer Campbell.

Could the Prime Minister explain to Lucille why Chris Garnier is still receiving veterans benefits?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, our government places the highest priority on ensuring veterans and their families have the support and services they need when and where they need them.

The member knows well that I cannot talk about the specifics of any individual case on the floor of the House. However, we have been firm in our commitment to enhance access to veterans benefits, unlike the Conservatives, who cut front-line staff, closed offices and balanced the budget on the backs of veterans.

We continue to follow up on making sure all the rules have been followed, and we will make modifications if necessary.

[Richard Martel, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, CPC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians want to know where is the justice in a criminal receiving benefits while he is serving his sentence. Veterans want to know where is the justice in a criminal receiving benefits reserved for our brave veterans.

Once again, is Christopher Garnier still receiving these benefits?

When will the Prime Minister demand justice for Canadians, for our brave veterans, and for the family of Constable Catherine Campbell?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, all of us here are mourning with Constable Campbell's family.

This is a tragic situation, and the minister took steps to change the policy so that this kind of thing will never happen again.

The minister increased oversight measures, and the department is reviewing the policy. We will continue to support veterans and family members who need help, all while maintaining the integrity of the system.

Innovation, Science and Economic Development

[Majid Jowhari, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, new technologies have changed the way we access information, shop, live, socialize and work. As a result of these changes, our economy has transformed to become increasingly data driven. These transformations have brought with them new and uncharted challenges surrounding the changing nature of work, privacy, information and consent.

Can the Prime Minister tell the House how our government is helping to unlock the potential of a data-driven economy while balancing Canadians' right to have their data and privacy protected?