Debates of Dec. 12th, 2018

Federal-Provincial Relations

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to sit down for the fifth time with all premiers last week and to have frank discussions about how we can continue to work together.

That is something Stephen Harper refused to do in the last years of his term because he did not want to talk to the provinces. Personally, I believe in collaboration and co-operation, and I want to point out that the work we are doing with the Province of Quebec is going very well.

We have tremendous respect for its views and we will work with it to improve the lives of Quebeckers and all Canadians.

Public Services and Procurement

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, it is not about meeting with the provinces; it is about respecting them.

On the other side of the river in Lévis, Davie shipyard workers delivered the Asterix supply ship on time and on budget.

Our brave men and women in uniform need another supply ship, the Obelix, and the Davie shipyard is prepared to start work on it tomorrow morning.

The Prime Minister needs to stop playing political games and give Davie that contract before Christmas.

What is he waiting for to do that?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot believe that the member opposite just asked me to stop playing political games on this issue, because he is the one playing petty politics. The Canadian Armed Forces conducted an analysis and found that the Obelix is not needed. For the member to suggest that we should buy it anyway is just cheap politics.

We make decisions based on facts. We recognize that the Davie shipyard does good work, and we are working with Davie to give it more jobs, but we are not going to invent contracts for political reasons.

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, he can tell that to our men and women in the Canadian Armed Forces and to the Davie shipyard workers.

When you look at the scope of the Prime Minister's failures, it is obvious that he has failed to treat the provinces as partners. Instead, like all good Liberals, he maintains a paternalistic and centralizing attitude.

The new government in Quebec has identified a third link to the east as a priority for addressing urban mobility problems in the old capital.

Can the Prime Minister finally commit to being a reliable partner on that project?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have made record investments in infrastructure over the past three years, proving that we are here to be a reliable partner. I can say, however, that the project the member opposite referred to does not yet exist; it is still in the idea phase.

If he submits a plan, we will look at it. That is what we are here for. No one should be inventing projects for political rhetoric.

Our decisions will be based on the facts, on real projects submitted to us. We are not there yet with regard to the third link. When that happens, we will work with the stakeholders.

The Environment

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, our Prime Minister grew up in British Columbia and knows the southern resident killer whale is iconic to the people of our province. Sadly, these marine mammals face significant threats to their survival. For 10 years, the Harper government failed to take any measures to protect the environment that would actually sustain B.C.'s orcas.

Our government has a plan. Could the Prime Minister update British Columbians on our most recent initiative to save this precious species?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Vancouver Centre for her hard work and her extraordinary service to our country. We recognize that a strong economy and a clean environment go hand in hand and that we must grow our economy responsibly.

Canadians and marine mammals have waited long enough during the 10 long years of Harper Conservatives' inaction. That is why in budget 2018, we announced concrete action to fix this problem. We will now have the needed and enforceable tools to address immediate and long-term threats to the marine environment, including marine mammals and the southern resident killer whale.

Ethics

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, another massive failure for the Liberal government under this Prime Minister has been the ethics file. This is the only Prime Minister in Canadian history to have been found guilty of breaking ethics laws, and several other members of his team have followed suit.

The finance minister conveniently forgot about a villa in France, and other ministers have been found guilty of breaking rules. Now there is a massive investigation, with a big cloud of suspicion around a former Liberal MP and a Liberal cabinet minister.

Can the Prime Minister tell us exactly how many more Liberals are currently being investigated by the RCMP or by other investigators?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite just got censured by the Ethics Commissioner for having told one of his members to break the ethics rules. We will take no lessons on ethics from them or from the legacy of 10 years of the kinds of practices that were all too common under the Harper Conservatives.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. The member for Banff—Airdrie will come to order, please. We each have our turn, and we wait for our turns. The Prime Minister will wait for his turn also.

It is now the turn of the hon. member for Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke.

Health

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the number of Canadians being infected with HIV is once again rising rapidly among young gay men and has reached epidemic proportions in indigenous communities, yet the Liberals have cut funding to many front-line HIV agencies and have failed to increase access to testing, when we know that knowing one's status is the key to reducing new infections.

Will the Liberal government move quickly to approve home testing kits for sale in pharmacies to help reach all men who have sex with men, and will it work with the provinces to ensure that testing is widely available without needing to see a doctor first?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we know that we have made strong strides forward in the fight against HIV-AIDS, but we know that there is much more to do. That is why Health Canada is working with our provincial partners to ensure that there are even more ways for Canadians to stay safe and more ways for Canadians to counter this terrible epidemic that we know continues, despite all the efforts we and others are putting forward to counter it. We understand, as always, that there is more to do, and we look forward to working with the member opposite and all members in this House to continue to address this terrible challenge.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Colin Fraser, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, southwestern Nova Scotia depends on fishing, which is why I was so pleased last week when the Minister of Fisheries announced funding in excess of $18 million to be distributed through the Atlantic fisheries fund. The money will be invested in aquaculture, science, innovation, research and development.

Can the Prime Minister tell us what measures our government has taken to support fisheries across Canada?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for West Nova for his work as a member of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans and for the excellent work he is doing for his riding.

Our $325-million investment in the Atlantic fisheries fund will support many different projects throughout the region. We have also announced the $100-million British Columbia salmon restoration and innovation fund. In Quebec, we are investing $30 million to support the province's fish and seafood sector. We are supporting our coastal regions.

The Economy

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, before I ask my question, I want to take this opportunity, in the last question period on a Wednesday for Prime Minister's questions, to wish the Prime Minister the very best, on a personal basis, for him and his family. I hope all parliamentarians and all party members enjoy some time with their friends and families and connect with their constituents.

In the spirit of giving, I have given the Prime Minister 23 opportunities to answer simple and straightforward questions. I have one more gift for the Prime Minister. I am going to give him one final chance to tell Canadians in what year the budget will be balanced.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member opposite's kind words and wish him and his family, indeed all members in this House, a happy and safe and merry Christmas and happy holidays. We know that this is a time of year when we are a long way from our families. We still have a couple of more days, at least, of work to do in this House, so we know that the days grow shorter but the time seems to grow longer.

We put forward a fiscally responsible plan that is growing the economy the way Canadians expect us to. We will keep working on creating jobs and growing the economy for all Canadians.

Rail Transportation

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

Mr. Speaker, and so it is. VIA Rail would rather sign a $1.3-billion agreement with a German multinational than with a Quebec company, to purchase trains that will be used in Quebec. What a lump of coal.

Workers in La Pocatière are being laid off, and they are popping champagne corks in Sacramento, where the cars are manufactured.

How can the Prime Minister justify abandoning workers in La Pocatière and allowing VIA Rail to choose Siemens?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, our government maintains a safe, effective and reliable rail transportation system for Canadian passengers. Today's investment will give millions of passengers access to new trains with a smaller environmental footprint that offer more space for people with reduced mobility and are equipped with the latest technology.

Unlike the previous government, we got the best possible contract to provide Canadians with modern, more accessible, high-quality trains.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

I rise today in the Christmas spirit, and also in a spirit of great nonpartisanship, to table, with unanimous consent, a copy of the Liberal platform, which promises a balanced budget in 2019.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent of the House?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. There have been discussions among the parties and an email sent to all members of Parliament with respect to this motion. If you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent for this motion.

I move that the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology be instructed to undertake a study of no less than four meetings to investigate the impact of the announced closure of the General Motors automotive assembly plant in Oshawa, and that the study (1) include impacted stakeholders, such as the union Unifor, to solicit input towards devising a plan to address issues that may have contributed to this announcement; (2) provide an opportunity for the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development to appear to address concerns about competitiveness raised by General Motors and any other issues the minister deems instructive toward developing a plan; and that the committee report its findings to the House of Commons no later than March 11, 2019.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent of the House to propose the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

Message from the Senate

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I have the honour to inform the House that messages have been received from the Senate informing this House that the Senate has passed the following bills on which the concurrence of the House is desired: Bill S-244, An Act respecting Kindness Week; Bill S-1003, An Act to amend The United Church of Canada Act. This second bill is deemed to have been read the first time and ordered for a second reading at the next siting of the House.