Debates of Oct. 30th, 2018

Canada Revenue Agency

[Shaun Chen, Liberal, Scarborough North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, since we took office, the Minister of National Revenue has been working hard to repair the damage the Harper Conservatives did to client service at the Canada Revenue Agency.

Can the minister explain how the appointment of CRA's first chief service officer will help the agency to meet its client service objectives?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

Since 2015, we have introduced a number of initiatives to improve the CRA's services, but we recognize that we can do more. The chief service officer will be responsible for leading the transformation of CRA's service culture using a client-centred, integrated approach.

My top priority is to improve the CRA's services to Canadians, including the people of Scarborough North, so that they are treated as important clients, worthy of respect.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. If the hon. member for Carleton wishes to have a loud conversation during question period when it is not his turn, I would ask him to do so somewhere else.

The hon. member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan.

International Development

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals said during debate last night that the Minister of International Development has personally raised Canada's concerns about particularly problematic material in Palestinian textbooks with the Palestinian Prime Minister and the Minister of Education, and that she raised it as recently as this summer. If that is true, if the government is aware of and is raising the issue of anti-Semitic content in UNRWA textbooks, then why is it also funding them to the tune of $50 million?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of International Development]

Mr. Speaker, I travelled to the West Bank last summer. While there, I had the opportunity to visit the UNRWA's facilities and schools and to speak with the principals, teachers and students. I also had the opportunity to talk to the Palestinian prime minister and minister of education.

I also had the pleasure of announcing funding for another organization, Right To Play, which supports education and teacher training in West Bank and Gaza schools.

Employment Insurance

[Brigitte Sansoucy, NDP, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are breaking their promises.

The Prime Minister and the Minister of Families promised to improve EI sickness benefits, but they are not doing anything. Was it all just lip service? I have to wonder.

The Liberals are tabling the budget implementation act with partial reforms to EI, but it does not contain a single measure addressing sickness benefits. They have just one more chance, one more budget, before their term ends.

Are they going to improve EI sickness benefits?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for giving me a chance to remind all members of the House that employment insurance has an important role to play in helping families, especially those struggling to get by, because it is vital that they receive the high-quality services and benefits they need.

I am also pleased to say that since 2015, we have reformed the five existing special benefits and added two others. All these benefits, including sickness benefits, now have added flexibility, making them more responsive to families' actual circumstances.

Grain Transportation

[MaryAnn Mihychuk, Liberal, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, after having band-aid solutions by the Harper government for 10 years, our grain farmers have asked our government for a solution to get hopper cars moving and to get our grain crops to international markets so they can make a living.

I know we listened and took action to address these concerns. Would the Minister of Transport please inform the Manitoba farmers and all Canadians about what he has done to fix the rail system?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Kildonan—St. Paul for her advocacy for Manitobans.

The Harper Conservatives pretend to be the friends of our grain farmers, but for 10 long years they did not do anything. In fact, when we brought in freight rail legislation to help our farmers and shippers, the Conservatives voted against it.

Our grain farmers and other producers in this country should know that this government has their backs.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals waited so long to pass Bill C-49 that it may not even have an effect this year.

Yesterday, the Liberal government proved once again that it has absolutely no understanding of the realities faced by supply-managed farmers.

How can the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food justify the fact that the USMCA was signed a month ago, yet farmers are still in the dark?

Yesterday, the minister had a chance to announce how much money is available and how it will be distributed, but no, he is still figuring out how to set up two working groups.

Should he not have set up these working groups before he sacrificed our farmers?

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

Mr. Speaker, we did exactly what we said we were going to do.

We understand there is an impact on the farmers, and we are committed to fully and fairly supporting them to make sure they can continue to succeed.

We are forming a working group with dairy processors and dairy farmers, and with poultry and egg farmers and processors. Together they will help our supply-managed farmers and processors innovate, grow and remain competitive and sustainable for future generations.

We will continue to support our supply-managed sector, and every other agriculture—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel.

Transportation

[Louis Plamondon, Bloc, Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am quoting the report of the Transportation Safety Board. It says that the slow pace of implementing recommendations perpetuates safety risks. More than 60 recommendations are still outstanding, and a third are more than 20 years old. Ottawa is asleep at the wheel.

What will it take to get the Minister of Transportation to stop playing with Canadians' safety?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the chair of the Transportation Safety Board recognized that Canada has one of the safest transportation systems in the world.

We think so, too. At Transport Canada, our top priority is the safety of all modes of transportation. That will continue to be our focus. We are especially pleased that the Transportation Safety Board removed three major items from the Watchlist yesterday. That is progress.

We will continue our efforts to make our transportation system safer—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. The hon. member for Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel.

[Louis Plamondon, Bloc, Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister does not seem to have read the report. The Transportation Safety Board was clear. The government is managing safety very poorly, and the oversight regime for federally regulated transportation companies falls short.

In addition, the department is falling unbelievably behind on regulating companies. In short, the transportation safety problem is the department's fault.

When will the Liberals stop playing with the safety of Quebeckers and Canadians?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we know that transportation safety is extremely important to all Canadians. It is important when they travel on trains or planes and it is also important when products are transported across our vast country.

We take transportation safety very seriously. We are doing everything we can to improve regulations, consult when necessary, and develop regulations that will keep our transportation system safe.

Public Services and Procurement

[Erin Weir, Independent, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow night, Canadian children will be curious to see what gets into their Halloween bags. Unfortunately, trick or treat remains an apt metaphor for how our federal public servants are compensated under the Phoenix pay system. Tomorrow is also the two-year anniversary of the government's deadline to fix Phoenix.

How many more years will it take for the government to implement a payroll system that pays its workers accurately and on time?

[Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that stabilizing the Phoenix pay system remains my absolute priority. We are seeing progress but it is taking too long.

Public servants deserve to be paid accurately and on time. However, we are seeing progress. We have dealt with 100,000 transactions in the backlog since January. We have 1,500 people working at the pay centre. We have paid out $1.5 billion in retroactive pay as a result of the collective agreements that were not bargained and were not completed by the previous government.

We are taking every step possible to ensure that our public servants are paid.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order, order. I have heard a lot today from the hon. member for Battle River—Crowfoot who has not had the floor. Maybe tomorrow he will have the floor, but the thing is, if he keeps talking when he does not have the floor, he may not get the floor.

The hon. opposition House leader is rising on a point of order.

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to table a rather large document. It is actually over 800 pages, and no, it is not the Liberals' omnibus budget implementation act. In fact, it is answers from the government in regard to how many departments, agencies, Crown corporations and other government entities have breached the privacy of Canadians. It is over 800 pages' worth, in less than two years, of when privacy has been breached. I wonder if I would have unanimous consent to table this.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Is there unanimous consent?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I absolutely apologize. It is my mistake. This actually already has been tabled. This is a response from the government. It was tabled on June 8, so it is actually in the record already that the breach of privacy has occurred tens of thousands of times in less than two years.