Debates of Nov. 5th, 2018

Canada Revenue Agency

[Tracey Ramsey, NDP, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am not surprised the Liberals do not want to talk about the paradise papers. The paradise papers constituted a huge leak of financial documents that revealed how politicians, multinationals and the wealthiest evade taxes.

I would like to see working-class Canadians try dodging taxes and see how that works out. Not only have the ultra-wealthy rigged the system completely for them, but we are all paying the price. Tax dodging deprives Canadians of public services like health care, and the government is doing nothing to stop it. Instead of going after the big bucks, Liberals continue to go after the little guys.

When is the government going to find some courage and stop tax evasion in Canada?

[Mélanie Joly, Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is comparing apples and oranges. The reality is that we reinvested in CRA. We have made sure to counter tax evasion by investing more than $500 million. At the same time, we have been reinvesting in the public service to make sure Canadians have access to really good public service and good services in terms of programs and support all across the country.

We can do both, and that is exactly what our government is doing.

International Trade

[Tracey Ramsey, NDP, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, New Democrats are calling on the Liberal government not to sign the USMCA until steel and aluminum tariffs on Canadian workers are removed. This is about jobs. This is about Canadians' livelihoods. This is about keeping Canadian shops open.

Trump's unjustified tariffs are having a devastating impact on Canadian workers and their families. No wonder Mexico announced that it would not sign the deal until the tariffs on its workers are gone.

Will the government do the right thing and not sign this deal until steel and aluminum tariffs are removed?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I have to say I am surprised again. Once again, I have to remind my colleague from the other side that the leader of the NDP was at a reception celebrating the fact that Canada had arrived at a deal on USMCA.

In fact, their Quebec lieutenant, the member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, actually said that this was the best deal possible. He said this at an occasion that was multipartisan, and very clearly indicated that the NDP is quite pleased with the deal this government arrived at.

Privacy

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Mr. Speaker, last week the Prime Minister went to extraordinary lengths to defend the Liberals' plan to engage in the unauthorized surveillance of Canadians' personal banking information. We also learned that the Liberals have already seized 15 years of the private information of potentially millions of Canadians from a credit rating bureau. They did all of this without the knowledge or consent of any impacted Canadians.

Will the government delete all the information it has already secretly collected and end its plans to collect even more information?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear about our concerns around privacy and data protection.

That is why our government introduced new regulations when it comes to PIPEDA, to further strengthen privacy. That is why we are actually engaged with Canadians around further data protection.

With respect to personal information and the request made under this pilot project, it is clear that all this personal information will be removed. Under section 17(1) of the Statistics Act, the government cannot compel Statistics Canada, nor can the opposition, the courts or the national security agencies.

The bottom line is the privacy of Canadians has been and will always be protected.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I thank the hon. member for his patience. I would ask all members to be patient and listen when someone else has the floor. Remember, we each get our turn eventually.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on Friday the government claimed that this pilot project was also still in design, but it actually was secretly getting the accounts of potentially millions of Canadians from a credit bureau.

Specifically, Conservatives have sponsored a petition calling for the end of this program. In just a few days, it has already received 14,000 signatures. Canadians care about their privacy, even if the government does not.

The chief statistician says that the government cannot ask for consent, because most Canadians will refuse to give it. Is it seriously the position of the government that if it cannot get consent from Canadians to collect this data, it will just do it secretly, behind Canadians' backs?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, we already had this debate in 2015, when the members opposite said they wanted to make the long-form census voluntary. That resulted in 1,128 communities not receiving good-quality, reliable data. That impacted communities, businesses and Canadians right across this country.

We are willing to have this debate. Statistics Canada has been very clear that it will continue to protect the privacy of Canadians and to protect data. The members opposite just do not trust good-quality, reliable data.

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

Mr. Speaker, I think the Liberals simply do not understand the seriousness of the situation they themselves have created.

Honest Canadians do not want people from the Liberal government snooping around their bank accounts. It is simple, but the Liberal government refuses to see it. It is a direct attack on people's integrity and privacy. The Liberal government has no business sticking its nose in Canadians' bank accounts.

Why does the Liberal government insist on going down this road?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, this is pretty ordinary behaviour from the members opposite. That is Stephen Harper's party, and it is about fearmongering, about going over the top with rhetoric, about scare tactics.

The Conservatives fail to disclose to Canadians that first, all the personal information is removed from any information that Statistics Canada collects. Second, Statistics Canada has been very clear that it will never, ever disclose that information to anyone. With regard to the pilot project, Statistics Canada has engaged the Privacy Commissioner and will address any issues around privacy and data protection.

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

Mr. Speaker, what is ordinary behaviour is the Liberal government wanting to stick its nose in the bank accounts of honest Canadians. That has no place in our democracy.

The government says this is a pilot project. Whether it is a pilot project or not, it is wrong. A pilot project means that it is a trial, but there is no point in trying this out because Canadians want none of it. Canadians in my riding told me on the weekend that they do not want this.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce told Global News this weekend that this could have an adverse effect on our trade relations with Europe.

Why is the government continuing down this road?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians understand the importance of privacy. They understand the importance of data protection. They also understand the importance of good-quality, reliable data.

This data that is under process under the pilot project, for example, could help the Bank of Canada look at how to make monetary decisions around interest rate policy. This helps around the consumer price index and to make sure that individuals get the appropriate benefits under OAS and CPP. This is about evidence-based decision-making.

The members opposite have a problem with Statistics Canada, and they have a problem with good-quality, reliable data.

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

Yes, Mr. Speaker, Canadians do take their privacy very seriously, which is why they do not want the government stealing their financial information without their consent. There is documentation, 800 pages worth, of the government violating the privacy of hundreds of thousands of Canadians just in the last 19 months alone. Now what the government is saying is that if Canadians will not willingly give their private financial data, it will just take it by force and without their consent.

Why do the Liberals not put an end to that today and stop this unauthorized surveillance of Canadians' personal, private data?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, not one single breach of any information is on the servers. The members opposite again are over the top with their rhetoric. They are over the top when it comes to fearmongering and to misleading Canadians. They fundamentally do not believe in good-quality reliable data.

They had this debate with the mandatory long-form census. We won that debate. Canadians understand the importance of reliable data to help communities, to help Canadians, to help businesses. We are going to have this debate. When it comes to privacy and data protection, Canadians respect Statistics Canada.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order, please. There is far too much noise in here.

The hon. member for Chilliwack—Hope.

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

Mr. Speaker, last week, the government said that Canadians trusted it with these data and that we in the official opposition should just get on board with this program for the government to harvest the financial data of Canadians. No, we will not do that.

We are standing up for Canadians who have not given their consent for the government to go snooping around their private financial transactions, their credit transactions, their debit transactions, their mortgage payments. All of it is on the table.

Why does the Prime Minister not put an end to this invasion of privacy and unauthorize government surveillance, and do it today?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, all personal information will be removed. The members opposite know that. The members opposite also know there have been no breaches when it comes to Statistics Canada's server.

The problem is that the members opposite just do not trust Statistics Canada. They do not like good-quality, reliable data. They do not want Canadians to see a government make decisions based on evidence. They have a fundamental problem against data, against the facts, against science. We have had this debate before and we continue to have this debate. We look forward to debate come the next election.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order, please. I remind members that most members are able to sit through question period and hear things they do not like, without reacting. It may be hard, but most members are adult and can do it. Most in all parties are able to do it, and I am sure the rest can as well.

The hon. member for Jonquière.

Veterans

[Karine Trudel, NDP, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, since 2016, the $372 million promised to our veterans has been left on the table. Our veterans deserve high-quality services. It is not like there are a hundred different ways to improve services; the Liberals have to invest the money they promised.

The motion we put forward today calls for the government to automatically carry forward all annual lapsed spending to the next fiscal year, which would solve the Department of Veterans Affairs' financial problems.

Will the Liberals make the right choice, put partisanship aside and support our motion?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand on behalf of the government and talk about the support our government is giving to veterans. Any time when it comes to motions for veterans, we will support it.

We have listened to our veterans. That is why we delivered a pension for life, reopened the nine offices previously closed by the Harper Conservatives and hired over 470 staff as well, put forward a joint suicide prevention strategy, created the veterans emergency fund, and the list goes on. When it comes to our veterans, we will support them.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, while backlogs for processing the veterans applications for disability, earnings-lost benefits and every other program are growing, the Liberals have left $372 million unspent at Veterans Affairs. The government is failing our veterans, meeting just 12 of its 24 self-identified service standards, and has not hired the case workers it promised.

First, the Conservatives left over $1 billion unspent. Now the Liberals have followed suit. Canadians know that veterans deserve better. Will the government support our motion and make use of the lapsed spending so veterans get the services they need?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as I stated, when it comes to any motions supporting our veterans, our government will be supporting the motions. The benefits are demand-driven, so whether 10 or 10,000 veterans come forward, they receive benefits. These are based on estimates and this process guarantees that whether veterans come forward this year or the following year, we will always have the resources available for veterans.

When we took office, we immediately increased financial support, putting more money into the pockets of veterans, increasing mental health support and delivering on the promise we made to veterans.

Carbon Pricing

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government admits that when its carbon tax reaches $50 a tonne, the cost to the average family will be around $300. Even if we believe those bogus numbers, they do not take into account a document released just last week wherein the government admits that after the next election it will consider raising the carbon tax even further. If that is the case, it should be honest about it now.

Could the government guarantee whether the tax will go higher than it has currently admitted, yes or no?