House of Commons Hansard #371 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was elections.
Bobby Morrissey Liberal Egmont, PE
Mr. Speaker, our government has been working hard and making significant progress to remove barriers for persons with disabilities and to build a truly inclusive and accessible Canada. Could the Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility please update the House on our government's progress?
Carla Qualtrough LiberalMinister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility
Mr. Speaker, last month, with the unanimous consent of the House, we passed Bill C-81, the most significant advancement in disability rights since the charter. With Bill C-81, we are creating a system to identify and remove barriers proactively so that all Canadians, regardless of their disability, can fully participate in society. Canada also recently acceded to the optional protocol for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, further strengthening the rights of Canadians with disabilities. We are acting, we are working with the disability community and we are going to build a truly inclusive and accessible Canada.
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
Mr. Speaker, 2018 will go down in history as the year when the Prime Minister, his ministers and the Liberal members representing rural areas failed to defend Canada's supply-managed farmers.
Between dairy concessions, loss of sovereignty and export limits, farmers were literally sacrificed because the Liberals were too incompetent to negotiate with the Americans.
The milk lottery is the Liberals' latest idea for compensating farmers, but the deadline to apply is in early January.
Is the government willing to give farmers more time, or will this be yet another show of incompetence on supply management?
Lawrence MacAulay LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to get a question like this from the hon. member, whose previous government cut $700 million from the agricultural envelope. They cut research, innovation and everything else they could cut in the agricultural sector to try to balance the books. We have defended and are going to continue to defend the supply management system in this country. We have indicated quite clearly that we fully and fairly support our supply-managed farmers. This government has supported and will continue to support the agricultural sector.
Ruth Ellen Brosseau NDP Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
Mr. Speaker, access to high-speed Internet is a priority issue for the people of Berthier—Maskinongé, especially for residents living on the Point-du-Jour Nord concession in Lavaltrie.
Like the 2 million Canadians who do not have affordable, reliable Internet access, residents like Gilles Auclair and Sylvie Legault do not even have Internet service that meets the CRTC's minimum standards. The Liberals need to do more for our rural regions.
When is the government finally going to bridge the digital divide in the regions and take meaningful action to ensure that they get affordable high-speed Internet service?
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for her question.
Our government understands the importance of high-speed Internet access. That is why we came up with the connect to innovate program. This program is going to create many opportunities for the regions, especially rural regions. We will keep investing in the regions.
We are going to make sure we address the digital divide, as we have done with the connect to innovate program.
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
Mr. Speaker, in the fall economic update, our government announced the social finance fund, which will help businesses and charitable organizations bridge the gap between business and philanthropy.
Organizations such as the McConnell Foundation say that this fund will enable us to generate economic growth while addressing urgent social challenges.
This being our last day in the House, would the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development tell us more about the social finance fund?
Jean-Yves Duclos LiberalMinister of Families
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Edmonton Centre and congratulate him on working so hard for his community.
He is right. Just a few days ago, in part in response to the extraordinary work of the social innovation co-creation steering group, we announced a brand-new $750-million social finance fund that will create 100,000 jobs and inject $2 billion into our economy over the next 10 years.
This plan is part of a bigger plan to support our middle class and help more families join the middle class.
Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB
Mr. Speaker, Shawn Rehn murdered Constable David Wynn while out on bail because his extensive criminal history was not presented at the bail hearing. Now, due to a loophole with the Liberals' judicial referral hearing process, it could not be presented because it would not be entered into CPIC, the national police database, in the first place.
I wrote to the Minister of Justice about this issue. What action is the minister taking to close this dangerous loophole?
Jody Wilson-Raybould LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I have received the correspondence from my hon. colleague across the way and I will take great care in reviewing that correspondence. The letter is speaking with respect to a bill that we introduced, Bill C-75, which seeks to reform the Criminal Code and improve efficiencies and effectiveness.
We are making changes to bail reform. We are looking at administration of justice offences to address delays, with the underlying emphasis on public safety, ensuring we respect victims and ensuring we have an efficient and effective criminal justice system. I look forward to having further conversations with the hon. member.
Gabriel Ste-Marie Bloc Joliette, QC
Mr. Speaker, VIA Rail is taking $1 billion of our money to get their trains built in California, when we could get them built in La Pocatière.
The Liberals are literally watching the train go by. Bombardier came back twice with two competitive offers and with the support of the Government of Quebec. Ottawa did not even consider them. It is a slap in the face to Bombardier and our workers.
Who in the government is so determined to have trains built in California, trains that will travel through Quebec and can be built in Quebec?
Marc Garneau LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I would just say that people who take the train in the Quebec-Windsor corridor will enjoy better accessibility, improved comfort, safer trains and cleaner operations. Maintenance of these new trains will be done by VIA Rail at its facilities in Toronto and Montreal.
I would add that we have also provided more than $150 million to have part of VIA Rail's current fleet renovated in La Pocatière, Montréal and the Gaspé region. That work will be done by 300 workers in Quebec.
Gabriel Ste-Marie Bloc Joliette, QC
Mr. Speaker, does this mean that those trains will be more comfortable than the ones that would have been built in La Pocatière? That is nonsense.
Bombardier won a train contract in the United States this year. Seventy per cent of production will be carried out in the U.S. Bombardier just won a contract in China and, yes, the trains will be built in China. When Bombardier signs a contract with Germany, the trains are built in Germany.
Why is it that only Ottawa is unable to require local production from multinationals when our taxpayers are footing the bill?
Marc Garneau LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, perhaps the Bloc Québécois does not understand our obligations under free trade agreements.
VIA Rail, a Crown corporation, put out a tender and three companies bid on it. The company selected made the best offer with the best availability, best price and best product. That is how things work. The criteria were very well detailed beforehand and a decision was made. That is how it works.
Gabriel Ste-Marie Bloc Joliette, QC
Mr. Speaker, the problem lies precisely with the bid criteria.
When it comes to Crown corporations, the government needs to consider the economic benefits. It is as simple as that.
Every time that we see the new VIA Rail trains going by, we will remember that good jobs in the regions are not important enough to the member for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount.
I am amazed that not one single Liberal from Quebec is standing up for the workers in La Pocatière.
What is the point of voting for MPs who use our tax money to fund jobs abroad?
Marc Garneau LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, let us not forget that La Pocatière is getting $500 million for the AZUR train contract.
It is also important to remember that we need to spend taxpayers' money responsibly. That is an obligation that we have. In this case, VIA Rail chose the best product in terms of cost, quality and availability. Taxpayers expect us to spend their money responsibly.
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order on a matter of a minister misleading this House. When I raised the issue of the failed screening of Abdullahi Hashi Farah, the minister told the House that officials did not have information about Mr. Farah's criminal past prior to rendering a decision. However, a CBC article published this morning reported that Mr. Farah confessed to having an extensive criminal history prior.
Given this, I would like the minister to apologize to the House and to commit to a review of the government's failed screening processes.
Rail TransportationOral Questions
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order emanating from earlier in the week, when I attempted to table the Liberal platform. Unfortunately, some members on the other side thought I was tabling another platform. It is their platform.
I ask for unanimous consent to show that the Liberals promised a balanced budget in 2019.
Sheila Malcolmson NDP Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
Mr. Speaker, in a moment, I will be seeking the consent of the House for a motion.
Because the abandoned vessel legislation, which would prevent oil spills and pollution on the coast, is ready to go, and because the amendments proposed by the Senate would add the additional protection of ensuring that any efforts to remove abandoned vessels would not disturb war graves of men and women who served this country, I am hopeful that if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for the following motion.
I move that the amendments made by the Senate to Bill C-64, an act respecting wrecks, abandoned, dilapidated or hazardous vessels and salvage operations, be now read a second time and concurred in.
Rail TransportationOral Questions
The Speaker Geoff Regan
Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent of the House to propose the motion?
(Motion P-15. On the Order: Routine Proceedings:)
December 5, 2018—member for Perth—Wellington—That an Order of the House do issue for a copy of the guest list for the reception which occurred at the residence of the High Commissioner of Canada in India, in New Delhi, on February 22, 2018.