House of Commons Hansard #352 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was cases.
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the member in question released a statement in which he mentions the files he is working on and how he will continue to serve his community until January.
Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister likes to toy with democracy. Some 300,000 Canadians do not have a representative in the House because the Prime Minister refuses to hold a by-election. He made a sweetheart deal to ensure that the hon. member for Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel does not run in the next election.
What the Prime Minister failed to say is that the hon. member for Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel said that the Prime Minister tasked him with a special assignment.
Could the Prime Minister tell Canadians why this member had a special assignment that kept him away from the House?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member in question has publicly indicated his intention to step down from his duties in January. He has also shared the issues he will be working on until then on behalf of his community. We expect all members to work in the best interest of their constituents.
Mark Strahl Conservative Chilliwack—Hope, BC
Mr. Speaker, Tori Stafford's killer is finally back behind bars, where she belongs.
Canadians were outraged that a child killer more than a decade away from parole eligibility was moved to a fenceless healing lodge. Each and every one of these Liberals voted against our motion that would have forced Tori's killer back behind bars, saying they did not have the power to do the right thing.
Will the Prime Minister apologize to Tori Stafford's family for forcing them to fight against him and his government to put Tori's killer back behind bars?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the family of Tori Stafford for the loss they endured.
The Minister of Public Safety asked the commissioner of the Correctional Service to review the transfer decision in question and its policies on offender transfers. Following that review, he has provided direction to improve transfer policies on medium-security women offenders to facilities without a directly controlled perimeter. These changes will help ensure that guilty parties are held accountable while fostering rehabilitation so we can have fewer repeat offenders, fewer victims, and ultimately, safer communities.
Mark Strahl Conservative Chilliwack—Hope, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has just admitted he had the power from day one to do the right thing and put Tori Stafford's killer behind bars. Instead, he hid behind bureaucrats. He hid behind the Minister of Public Safety, when all along, he had the power. He forced Tori Stafford's family to fight against the government to get justice for their murdered daughter.
Will the Prime Minister apologize to them for making them come to Ottawa to fight against the government to do the right thing?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I cannot even say how much our hearts go out to Tori Stafford's family. We understand. We hear their anguish. That is why the Minister of Public Safety asked Corrections Canada to review their policies and to ensure that they are changed going forward. That is exactly what happened.
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, this morning Bombardier announced that it is cutting 2,500 jobs in Quebec, and the company's executives gave us the same old line: it is a cost-cutting measure.
However, in 2017, the company's six executives got a 50% pay raise, for a total of $42 million. They got hundreds of millions of dollars in public money, lined their pockets with it, then fired thousands of workers. That is unacceptable.
How much longer will the government keep letting those executives fatten their bank accounts instead of standing up for workers?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, our thoughts are with the workers, families and communities affected by this morning's announcement. We are always concerned to learn about possible job losses.
Our government is committed to the long-term viability and success of the Canadian aerospace sector. We will work with the Canadian aerospace industry to improve access to global markets and supply chains for one of the most innovative and export-driven industries in the country.
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the workers, their families and the communities impacted by this morning's announcement. We are always concerned to learn about any possible job losses.
Our government is committed to the long-term viability and success of the Canadian aerospace sector. We will work with the aerospace industry across Canada to improve access to global markets and supply chains for one of the most innovative and export-driven industries in the country.
Tracey Ramsey NDP Essex, ON
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister decided he will not take part in the signing of the USMCA alongside Donald Trump if tariffs are still in place. How exactly is this defending Canadian jobs? Is the Prime Minister so vain that he thinks depriving the U.S. of his presence in a photo-op is the best trade strategy to get rid of the tariffs? Make no mistake, we are still signing it. He just does not want his picture doing it. Who can blame him? I would not want my picture taken signing it either.
These tariffs are killing jobs. Will the Prime Minister finally do the right thing and not sign the agreement until the tariffs are removed?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I suggest the member for Essex pay attention to the region of Windsor, which is overwhelmingly happy that we have secured access to the United States for the coming years.
As I told the steel and aluminum workers on the floor of their plants, this government has their backs. Canadian countermeasures will remain in place until the unfair tariffs on steel and aluminum are removed.
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
I would remind the hon. member for Barrie—Innisfil and others that the time to speak is when they have the floor. Whether that comes today or some other time, they have to wait for that and keep in mind the Standing Order against interrupting.
The Right Hon. Prime Minister.
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
Mr. Speaker, during negotiations, our purpose has always remained to create the conditions to grow a stronger middle class and improve opportunities for Canadians. We will not stop working until these unfair tariffs are gone. It is what Canadian workers and their families expect, and it is what we will do.
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, thousands of jobs in the steel and aluminum sector are on the line because of Donald Trump's tariffs, but there is no need to panic because the Prime Minister has a strategy. He is going to go off into a corner and sulk.
He is going to refuse to have his picture taken while signing the free trade agreement and he is going to tell Mr. Trump that, if he is not nice, there will be no photo op. Mr. Trump must be quaking in his boots.
Seriously, does he think that he will be able to save the jobs of the aluminum workers who are here today by merely refusing to have his picture taken? Is that his strategy?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, we have been negotiating with the U.S. for 13 months. With this agreement, we have secured our trade with the United States.
What is more, the member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie told negotiators that he simply wanted to congratulate everyone in the room for the fantastic work they accomplished. He then added that the USMCA was the best possible agreement and that it would protect workers across the country.
We will continue to defend steel and aluminum workers and all workers across the country.
Peter Kent Conservative Thornhill, ON
Mr. Speaker, we learned today that the Liberals not only misled this House but misled the Privacy Commissioner to believe that the deepest personal financial information of only 500,000 Canadians would be seized, without consent, by Statistics Canada. We know now that it is 500,000 households, that almost 1.5 million Canadians' data will be captured.
Did the Liberals try to hide the true scope of this project because they knew Canadians would be, quite rightly, appalled?
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, the chief statistician has been absolutely transparent and clear with Canadians. When this question was posed, the chief statistician made it very clear that this information was part of a pilot project, and he was very forthcoming with his answers. Again, I want to highlight that no personal information will be disclosed. All that will be removed.
The members opposite have a fundamental problem with Statistics Canada, and the chief statistician is disappointed to see that they have not learned the lessons from 2015.
Peter Kent Conservative Thornhill, ON
Mr. Speaker, Ann Cavoukian, the former Ontario privacy commissioner, says it is time Statistics Canada realized it is no longer the same world as when the Statistics Act was first enacted. Dr. Cavoukian says,
When our sensitive financial data is disclosed by our banks to the govt. without our consent, and then housed at “Shared Services Canada”, you can bet we have something to worry about!
Why will the Liberals not listen when a privacy expert like Ann Cavoukian says, “Stop this totally unacceptable practice”?
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, we have clear laws in place when it comes to protecting the privacy and data of Canadians. Subsection 17(1) of the Statistics Act is very clear. No policing service, RCMP, CRA, government agency, the court, or even the Prime Minister can compel Statistics Canada for any personal information. There are provisions in place to protect privacy and data. The members opposite should read the law.
Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals boasted about invading the privacy of more than one million Canadians by obtaining their personal financial data without their consent. It got to the point that the Privacy Commissioner launched an investigation.
This is like me going to someone's home, breaking down the door and once in the living room, asking permission to enter. That is exactly what they are doing.
In just one week, 20,000 Canadians have already signed a petition and shown that they are clearly against this invasion of their privacy.
What is the government waiting for to put a stop to this practice?
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, I do not agree with my colleague because our government takes Canadians' privacy very seriously.
Let us be clear. This is a pilot project still in the design stage. No data has been collected to date. No data has been collected.
The chief statistician clearly indicated that the project will move forward only once Canadians' concerns have been addressed.
Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île dOrléans—Charlevoix, QC
Mr. Speaker, in light of the minister's comments, it might be time to pull the plug on this project. Canadians are very worried. They are worried about having the government digging around in their private financial information without their consent. This is an intrusion—an intrusion into their private lives.
When will the government, which claims to be in touch with Canadians, do right by them and permanently shut down this project?
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about the facts. Personal information will be removed. Canadians can rest assured that their banking information remains protected and private.
Statistics Canada can absolutely not share this information with anyone—not with any agency or government, and not with the Prime Minister. Canadians' privacy will be protected.