Debates of Nov. 27th, 2018

Natural Resources

[Paul Lefebvre, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, we understand that, right now, in the oil fields of Alberta, people are frustrated by the price differential. We know that the solution is to build pipeline capacity and expand the oil to new markets. That is why we are working hard to do that, and making sure we do that in the right way.

Currently in Alberta, there is no consensus within the industry on short-term solutions. However, we welcome workable solutions to work with Alberta to make sure that we move forward in the right way.

Canada Post Corporation

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are blocking equal pay and safer workplaces at Canada Post.

A postal worker in my riding said, “Social assistance cheques were held back [by Canada Post]. We were instructed that we could not deliver these cheques even though they were in our Nanaimo facility.”

Workers want to deliver assistance cheques. They also want to be treated fairly, but Canada Post and the Liberals are painting posties as the enemy. Why are Liberals using the most vulnerable people to undermine workers' rights?

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

Mr. Speaker, our government expects all employers to provide safe workplaces. As Canada Post works to reduce the backlog, the health and safety of its employees will continue to take the highest priority.

However, the labour dispute has taken its toll on Canadians, including workers, charities, organizations and businesses of all sizes. Canada Post will be doing everything it can to get up to full operations as quickly as possible.

Health

[Ramez Ayoub, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this week is National Addictions Awareness Week. The entire country is facing a crisis, the opioid crisis, so this is an important moment to think about the complexities of addictions, the people who suffer from them and the ways we can help them.

I would like to thank all the healthcare workers who save lives, reduce stigma and encourage our friends and families to lend each other a helping hand when needed.

Could the Minister of Health tell the House about the measures the government has taken to address addictions?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Thérèse-De Blainville for his important question and for the excellent work that he does on the Standing Committee on Health.

This week is an opportunity to think about how anyone can be affected by issues related to drug use, whether it be a family member, a loved one or even a co-worker.

I am proud of the compassionate approach our government is taking, and we will continue on that path. We will continue to help those who need it and keep Canadians informed through awareness and education campaigns. That will help us to ensure that all Canadians get the help they need.

International Trade

[Dean Allison, Conservative, Niagara West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, every day steel and aluminum tariffs remain in place, Canadian jobs are at risk. The new NAFTA with the United States and Mexico is a deal with many concessions.

The Liberals gained nothing and lost a lot. Why did the Prime Minister give up so much without ensuring that steel and aluminum tariffs would be lifted?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, our government is absolutely clear on the steel and aluminum tariffs imposed illegally and unjustly by the United States. Our view is that we have to fight these tariffs. We fight them with a strong retaliatory response, we fight them at the WTO and we fight them at NAFTA where we have preserved the chapter 19 tribunals.

What is unclear is the position of the Conservative Party, which seems, today, to be arguing that we should capitulate, just as it did on NAFTA.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Transport is sending the message that the free trade agreement with Europe is going to be honoured on the backs of Quebec's workers.

VIA Rail, a Crown corporation, where the Crown is the government, is going to have its trains made in Europe rather than Quebec. We have people in Saint-Bruno and La Pocatière who have the necessary expertise, but once again, Quebec gets tossed by the wayside.

Why is the Minister of Transport allowing VIA Rail to turn its back on Quebec's workers?

[Omar Alghabra, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade Diversification, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to opening markets for Canadian workers and businesses. We are the only country in the G7 that has a free trade agreement with all other G7 nations. We are committed to helping our businesses grow. That is why in the fall economic statement, the Minister of Finance announced our trade diversification strategy to help businesses in Quebec and across Canada. We want to bring more investment to Canada, we want to create more jobs for Canadians and we want to raise the quality of living for all Canadians.

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

Mr. Speaker, we knew that Ottawa had hung our dairy producers out to dry in the free trade agreement with Europe. What we did not know, however, was that it would do the same to our rail industry.

A government-owned company is awarding a $1-billion contract to one of Quebec's competitors.

How can it explain that? I suppose the free trade agreement was poorly negotiated.

Will the minister speak with officials at the Crown corporation to ensure that our workers are not the victims of their inability to negotiate for our people?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, it would be totally inappropriate for anyone to comment on VIA Rail's procurement process, which is currently under way, to replace its Quebec City-Windsor fleet.

I would remind my colleague that VIA Rail is an independent Crown corporation and is responsible for this procurement process. I can assure the member that it is open, transparent and thorough, and that it has been conducted in accordance with all trade rules.

Natural Resources

[Maxime Bernier, Independent, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, since 2014, the energy industry in western Canada has suffered proportionately a far greater crisis than the automobile industry, and yet not only is the government not helping, it would make energy projects even more difficult with Bill C-69. Can the minister give us assurance that she will finally listen to the concerns of the industry, and pull out this bill?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise. We know that we need to ensure that Canadians trust us when it comes to the assessment process for major projects.

We need to get it right when it comes to major projects. That is the only way our resources will get to market.

There was a failed system under the previous government, so we were not able to do that. We did not bring indigenous peoples together, we did not take seriously environmental concerns, we did not have a timely process, nor did we work with provinces to ensure one project, one review. That is exactly what we are doing.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I would like to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of the 2018 Governor General's Literary Award winners: Paul Gagné, Lori Saint-Martin, Marianne Dubuc, Mario Brassard, Frédérick Lavoie, Anne-Marie Olivier, Michaël Trahan, Karoline Georges, Howard Scott, Phyllis Aronoff, Jillian Tamaki, Jonathan Auxier, Darrel J. McLeod, Jordan Tannahill, Cecily Nicholson, Sarah Henstra.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I would also like to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of the Honourable Issaka Sidibé, President of the National Assembly of Mali.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

Member for Brampton East

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am rising on the issue of the question from the member for Thornhill. I am hoping you can provide some clarification.

On Thursday, November 22, CTV News reported that the member for Brampton East informed the chief government whip that he intended to leave, which, according to the Canadian press, was effective immediately.

On Friday, November 23, in the Toronto Star, the Prime Minister's Office is quoted as saying, “Based on these circumstances, we agreed that his decision to resign as Member of Parliament for Brampton East was the right one.”

As far as we have been told, this member has resigned from Parliament. Could you inform the House what the procedure is to inform this chamber about a member resigning and whether we would be made aware of that from your office as soon as possible or whether we should continue to rely on inaccurate media reports that say he is a former member of Parliament?

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this question and response left me with some concern and confusion as well. My understanding is that any member of Parliament who seeks to resign has to notify one person in one office in writing, and that is your office, Mr. Speaker, to officially resign that seat.

We have a Liberal member from Montreal who has had some problems doing that since the spring. We had this recent case just last week. The member for Brampton East indicated it through the Prime Minister's official site and I believe also through the government House leader's comments here today that “it was agreed that his decision to resign...was the right one.”

Mr. Speaker, first, could you clarify for us if you have received notice from the member for Brampton East that he in fact has resigned that seat, and if he has not resigned that seat, could you call upon the government House leader to clarify the record from the beginning of this very concerning affair that now involves an Ethics Commissioner investigation and a RCMP investigation?

The government has had difficulty being consistent and truthful to Canadians about this very worrisome affair. Continuing to contribute to that confusion does not help anyone, and it certainly does not help us get closer to the truth in this matter.

I call upon you, Mr. Speaker, to clarify the reality for all Canadians.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I thank the hon. members for Chilliwack—Hope and Skeena—Bulkley Valley for raising this point of order. Of course, a member may resign by standing in the House and resigning. However, let me refer members to page 252 of the House of Commons Procedure and Practice, third edition, which says:

A Member may also resign his or her seat by delivering to the Speaker a written declaration of intention to resign signed before two witnesses. On receiving the declaration, the Speaker addresses a warrant to the Chief Electoral Officer for the issue of a writ for the election of a Member to fill the vacancy.

First, I have not received such a letter. Second, when the Speaker receives the letter, the Speaker then informs the House that the Speaker has informed Elections Canada of the vacancy.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, thank you very much, first, for clarifying. As far as we in this chamber know, the member for Brampton East continues to hold his seat in Parliament.

The second part of the question was whether the government House leader had left the House in error in reporting that he had resigned in her replies to the comments and questions we have been consistently asking about the situation of the member for Brampton East. She has several times indicated that she agreed with his sentiment to resign. If that is not, in fact, true, and she does not have any extra knowledge of that fact, she should simply clarify the record for all Canadians.

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, you will be able to check Hansard, I am sure, which is the official record, in which my response would have been that we have accepted his decision to resign.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I thank hon. members for their comments on this.

Access to Information—Speaker's Ruling

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I am now prepared to rule on the question of privilege raised on October 30, 2018, by the member for Milton regarding the government's response to written Question No. 1316, tabled in the House on January 29, 2018.

I want to thank the member for Milton for having raised the question, as well as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House for his response.

The member for Milton explained that she had submitted a written question asking the Minister of Environment and Climate Change for the titles of the individuals who had approved a particular tweet from November 7, 2017. In response, she received what she described as a non-answer, as it lacked the specific information requested. She explained further that the information she was looking for was recently provided to the CBC by the government through an access to information request. This she characterized as a deliberate attempt by the government to deny information to her and the House, and thus, a contempt of the House.

In response, the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader argued that it is not the role of the Speaker to judge the quality of answers provided to Order Paper questions and that the answer was in fact duly tabled as per the rules of the House. He was also of the view that, through the two different processes—that is, written questions and access to information requests—different questions were asked and, thus, different answers provided.

The right of members to obtain timely and accurate information from the government, through whatever means, is essential to the proper functioning of our parliamentary system.

My predecessor made this point clearly on May 26, 2015, when he said, at page 14137 of Debates, and I quote:

Members place great importance on obtaining full and accurate information through answers to their written questions, a procedure that exists in part to allow members to fulfill their obligations as parliamentarians.

Despite this, the fact remains that under current practices the Speaker’s authority is limited in this respect. As House of Commons Procedure and Practice mentions at page 529:

There are no provisions in the rules for the Speaker to review government responses to questions.

In a ruling dated February 8, 2005, which can be found at page 3234 of Debates, Speaker Milliken further explained:

Any dispute regarding the accuracy or appropriateness of this response is a matter of debate. It is not something upon which the Speaker is permitted to pass judgment.

While I cannot conclude that there is a prima facie question of privilege, all members must have easy access to precise, relevant and complete information. Commensurate with this obligation is the government's responsibility to provide that information to members in support of their work as parliamentarians.

I thank members for their attention.

The House resumed consideration of Bill C-86, A second Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on February 27, 2018 and other measures, as reported (with amendments) from the committee, and of the motions in Group No. 1.