Debates of Nov. 21st, 2018

National Defence

[Richard Martel, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, CPC]

Mr. Speaker, the Australian F-18 fighter jets will be a burden on the Royal Canadian Air Force and on all taxpayers. The Liberals invented this capability gap. It never existed.

According to the Auditor General, the Liberals' plan to buy the used Australian jets will have a small effect on fighter force operations. The Prime Minister must cancel this completely useless purchase.

When will he do so?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Auditor General for his recommendations.

The report confirmed what we have known all along, that the Conservatives mismanaged this file and misled Canadians. The report confirmed that a capability gap exists, having started under the Conservatives. We will not compromise our ability to meet our NATO and NORAD commitments. This is why we launched an open and transparent competition to replace our aging CF-18 fleet, which the Conservatives did not manage to do in the decade they were in power.

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

Mr. Speaker, no one believes the Prime Minister for a second. That is a guy who pulled our CF-18s out of the fight against ISIS. Now he wants them to fly around like we are dealing with the Cuban missile crisis.

The Auditor General trashed the Prime Minister's fighter jet plan. Instead of following the Auditor General's recommendations and scrapping his outrageous plan to buy old, obsolete Aussie jets, the Prime Minister betrayed our air force by rushing out to finalize the deal.

Will the Prime Minister stop spending billions to keep our aging fight fleet on life support, cancel this asinine Australian deal—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The right hon. Prime Minister.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Auditor General for his important recommendations, which actually confirm what we have always known: The Conservatives mismanaged the jets file and misled Canadians for more than a decade. The report confirms the existence of a capability gap, which started under the Harper Conservatives.

Unlike the Conservatives, we will not compromise our ability to meet our NATO and NORAD commitments. That is why we launched an open and transparent competition to replace the aging CF-18s, something the Conservatives could not get done in a decade.

Justice

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians must have confidence in the security of the nation. To earn that confidence, the government must reassure Canadians that the highest authorities in the country, ministers of cabinet, protect the information with which they are entrusted, and Canadians need to know when that trust has been breached.

Will the Prime Minister confirm that no members of the current or previous cabinet have unlawfully released cabinet confidence information?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as the member well knows, because this is an issue of a current ongoing court case, it would be inappropriate for me to comment.

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

Mr. Speaker, I was not commenting on an ongoing case. I was asking a very important question of the Prime Minister.

Canadians need to know that the secrets of the nation are protected at the highest levels and that the Prime Minister will react swiftly and appropriately when Canada's security has been compromised.

Did a current or former cabinet minister unlawfully release cabinet confidence information?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite well knows, these exact questions are at the centre of an ongoing court case. We respect the independence of the judiciary on this side of the House. We will ensure that we continue to respect that by not commenting on this ongoing court case.

Canada Revenue Agency

[Pierre-Luc Dusseault, NDP, Sherbrooke, QC]

Mr. Speaker, for three years now, the Prime Minister has been telling us, with his hand on his heart, that he is working on implementing a fairer and more equitable tax system. However, according to the Auditor General's report, the Canada Revenue Agency is more lenient with wealthy multinational corporations and those who conduct suspicious transactions abroad than it is with ordinary citizens. Surprise, surprise. The Liberals are maintaining a two-tiered tax system, one for the Liberals' wealthy friends and another for everyone else.

Will the Prime Minister finally recognize that he did not keep his promise and that the Auditor General's report shows that his government's attempts to achieve tax fairness have been a complete failure?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we thank the Auditor General for his report. We are committed to ensuring that all Canadians are treated fairly and that they all pay their fair share.

The CRA will review internal processes to ensure that compliance work is consistent. Since we took office, the CRA has completed twice as many offshore compliance audits than it did under the previous Conservative government. Thanks to our investments, the CRA can now identify those involved in tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance and ensure they face the consequences of their actions.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Immigration has left families and caregivers in the dark for months on what will replace the current caregiver program.

This week, migrant workers' rights groups released a report calling on the minister to ensure caregivers would finally be given the respect and security they deserve. Experts and caregivers have been clear for decades. If they are good enough to work here, they are good enough to stay. There should be no more delay tactics.

Will the Prime Minister do what is right and commit to providing caregivers permanent resident status on arrival?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are proud of the improvements and reforms we have made to the immigration system to make it fairer, to make it better and to respect the rights and protect the rights of anyone coming to Canada.

We recognize there is more work to do, but we also need to make sure we are maintaining the confidence that Canadians have in our immigration system. That is why our immigration minister is working so hard with a broad range of immigration and advocacy groups to respond to their concerns to make Canada's immigration system continue to be the example to the world that it is.

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

Mr. Speaker, borders exist for a reason. They keep Canadians safe and require planned, orderly immigration.

The Conservative Party does not support Canada signing the UN's global compact for migration since the Prime Minister is allowing nearly 38,000 people to enter Canada illegally from the United States, thereby undermining the integrity of our borders and our asylum system.

Will the Prime Minister commit to fixing the problem with the safe third country agreement and withdraw from the UN's global compact for migration?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are not going to withdraw from the UN's global compact on migration. It is essential that we continue to show our respect for immigration systems and show that we understand the need to increase immigration and take in even more refugees from around the world.

We built our country by accepting those who came here seeking to build a better life. Canadians are positively inclined toward immigration because they know we have a robust and secure system. Even in the case of irregular arrivals, we continue to enforce every law to the letter and apply our immigration principles.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, people who have reached the safety of upstate New York are not the world's most vulnerable people. The UN global compact on migration directs the countries to “sensitize the media” on what to say with regard to immigration.

Given that the Prime Minister disparages, name calls, bullies anyone who dares to question his severe inability to manage Canada's borders or manage the integrity of our asylum system, the Conservatives oppose the signing of this agreement.

Will the Prime Minister withdraw Canada from this agreement and close the loophole in the safe third country agreement?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the world is seeing unprecedented levels of men, women and children displaced by war and by persecution. Our government is proud to have taken a leadership role on the global compact.

This is the first time the international community has worked together to develop a comprehensive set of principles to better manage this phenomenon. It is disappointing to see the Conservatives engage in pedalling rebel media conspiracy theories, while we work with the international community to protect our robust immigration system.

Canada Revenue Agency

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General confirmed what Canadians have known for years, that tax rules are not applied fairly. He said:

....the Canada Revenue Agency did not consistently apply tax rules....even though the Taxpayer Bill of Rights includes the right to have the law applied consistently.

The report also said that those with offshore transactions were given special breaks that were denied to ordinary Canadians.

Why is there one set of rules for regular Canadians and another set of rules for people like the Prime Minister's rich Liberal friends?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we thank the Auditor General for this report. We are committed to ensuring that all Canadians are treated fairly and that they all pay their fair share. The CRA will review internal processes, definitions and procedures to ensure that compliance work is consistent.

It is interesting to note that the Auditor General's report also covered the last years of the Conservative Party in office. That is why, since we took office, the CRA has completed twice as many offshore compliance audits than under the Conservatives. Thanks to our unprecedented investments, the CRA can now identify those involved in tax evasion and aggressive avoidance and ensure they face consequences better than they did under the Conservative government.

Employment

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, our space sector gives us good middle-class jobs and innovations that improve Canadians' day-to-day lives.

Over 100 space-related businesses and organizations contribute $2.3 billion to the economy and employ nearly 10,000 Canadians.

A clean environment and a strong economy go hand in hand. Satellite images are important to Canada's fight against climate change.

Would the Prime Minister tell the House how the government is investing in the future of space technology?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

I thank the member for Alfred-Pellan for his work and for supporting industries in his region.

We are proud to have announced a $13-million investment in NorthStar Earth and Space. The funding will help NorthStar revolutionize the way we see the world. Better satellite images will improve weather forecasting and tracking of events on Earth such as industrial and ecological disasters. NorthStar is an exciting example of an innovative Canadian company. Our investment will ensure that Quebec remains at the forefront of advanced information technology.

Health

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the safety of the food that Canadians eat should be a top priority for any government.

Cases of E. coli have been occurring for over a month in Canada by people who consume romaine lettuce. Just now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States has ordered grocery stores to pull this contaminated product.

It took over a month for the Liberals just to inform Canadians that the lettuce they were eating might not be safe. Why have the Liberals not issued a recall to protect Canadians?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, protecting the health and safety of Canadians is our government's top priority.

We are collaborating with provincial health authorities, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA in the United States, to investigate the outbreak of E. coli infections linked to romaine lettuce in Ontario and Quebec.

People in Ontario and Quebec should avoid eating romaine lettuce and salad mixes containing romaine lettuce until the cause of contamination is known. We will continue to keep Canadians informed as new information becomes available.

Air Transportation

[Christine Moore, NDP, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when the Prime Minister visited my riding, several stakeholders explained to him how crucial it is that overnight services be maintained at the Rouyn-Noranda flight service station, even though Nav Canada has already recommended shutting down those services.

The Minister of Transport said he has asked Nav Canada to do another study, but it seems that Nav Canada has already made up its mind and will confirm only that it is doing additional consultations.

Will the Prime Minister stand in favour of safety and side with local residents and maintain the airport's overnight services?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased to visit Rouyn-Noranda and hear directly from citizens about their concerns.

The safety and security of the transportation network remains a priority for our government. The minister and his department are working with Nav Canada on this file to ensure the safety of operations at that airport. No decisions have been made, but no one is talking about cancelling night flights.