House of Commons Hansard #365 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was transplant.
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, for folks watching question period, let me explain parliamentary privilege. It allows members of Parliament to say things in this House without fear of prosecution or legal consequences. It is a foundation of an important element of what we do in this House.
One of the ways people at home who are keeping score can note whether something is serious or not is whether members opposite will repeat what they say in the House outside the House.
Andrew Scheer ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, and for the folks at home, what the Prime Minister is trying to do is make it seem that what is being said inside the House has not already been said outside of the House, including by major media reports.
However, this is what the Prime Minister always tries to do: there is nothing to see here and nothing has been done wrong. He tried to do that with his illegal vacation to billionaire island, when the finance minister conveniently forgot about the French villa and when one his ministers awarded a lucrative contract to a Liberal friend.
I would be happy to ask the exact same questions outside the chamber. Will the Prime Minister stand beside me and finally answer them?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, again, for people watching Question Period, they notice that the opposition's job is to ask questions, to critique government policy, to make sure that what we do is exactly right for Canadians and to challenge us on it. That is the role of Her Majesty's loyal opposition.
Unfortunately, the current opposition tends to spend its time making innuendos, personal attacks and drive-by smear jobs that seem to consist of political debate. We are happy to exchange on ideas and to argue rigorously why our plan is right.
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, Canadians will condemn violence against women. This violence is always unacceptable, but for some communities it is part of everyday life.
Over the past 30 years, more than 1,200 indigenous women have been murdered or reported missing. Forty mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts and cousins disappear every year. Safety and the right to justice for indigenous women must be a priority.
Does the government plan to establish an ambitious national action plan to address violence against indigenous women?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question and his hard work.
We are determined to put an end to the national tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. The mandate of the independent commission is clear: families must be at the centre of its work. We have committed to giving families the answers they have long been looking for about the institutional failures that resulted in this tragedy.
We are also taking immediate action with investments in women's shelters, housing, education, the reform of child services and safety on the Highway of Tears.
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, holding consultations and writing reports is a good step, but the Liberals need to realize that it is just the first of many steps for the government.
Indigenous women are three times more likely to suffer physical or sexual abuse than non-indigenous women. The government has to stop considering them as second-class citizens and come up with a national plan to end violence against indigenous women.
Will the government commit to implementing all the recommendations made by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, yes, and we can even say that we are in the process of following up on the interim report and implementing the recommendations.
We must not wait to combat violence against women and girls, especially in indigenous communities. We know that the national housing strategy helps women who would otherwise have to return to an abusive relationship or turn to the street.
Since 2015, we have created more than 4,800 shelter spaces. We know that there is a lot more work to do and we will keep at it.
Sheri Benson NDP Saskatoon West, SK
Mr. Speaker, today I proudly joined our leader, Jagmeet Singh, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the PSAC national indigenous peoples' circle to stand in solidarity with all indigenous women and girls who have been victims or survivors of violence. We must ensure that the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls leads to justice and healing.
Will the Prime Minister agree to meet with the national indigenous peoples' circle to receive their petitions on the inquiry?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to ending the ongoing national tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. The independent commission's mandate is clear that families must be at the centre of its work. We are committed to getting the answers, which have been about the systemic and institutional failures that have led to this tragedy.
In addition to our substantive response to the inquiry's interim report, we are also taking immediate action with investments in women's shelters, housing, education, reform of child welfare and safety on the Highway of Tears.
Sheri Benson NDP Saskatoon West, SK
Mr. Speaker we do indeed need to make sure that the families of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls are at the centre of this inquiry and are being heard, informed and supported throughout the process.
The missing and murdered indigenous women and girls inquiry must lead to change. Will the Liberal government commit now to fully implementing all the inquiry's recommendations?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, we launched a national public inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls because we saw there was a need for leadership. For too long it had not moved forward. We did that because we know we needed healing for the families, we needed justice for the victims and we needed to put an end to this ongoing national tragedy.
That is why we extended the time and mandate of the inquiry to ensure that all families could be heard. We gave it the extra funding it requested. We are looking forward to seeing the results of the important work it is doing. At the same time, we are not waiting for that result, to—
Lisa Raitt Conservative Milton, ON
Mr. Speaker, the mayor of Brampton's chief of staff gave a confidential document regarding a piece of land that the city wanted to purchase from the province to the minister and another member of the Liberal caucus. Now, a private consortium called Goreway Heaven actually purchased the land for virtually the same price that was disclosed to the minister and the MP. The land was resold to the city at a tidy profit of 33%, and city council has asked the RCMP to investigate.
Folks at home may wonder this. Why did a member of the Prime Minister's cabinet invite a direct—
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, it is the opposition's responsibility to oppose, to challenge a government and to disagree on positions of policy. Unfortunately, the members opposite choose to make personal attacks and drive-by smears.
The fact is that for those at home who want to see whether there is any substance to these at all, they can simply watch whether the members opposite will repeat those allegations outside of the House where they are not protected by parliamentary immunity.
Lisa Raitt Conservative Milton, ON
Mr. Speaker, the company Goreway Heaven had 10 directors on it. Five of those directors are known major contributors to the Liberal Party of Canada. As well, one of those directors was invited to be part of the Prime Minister's delegation to India, not more than one month after the company collected a 33% hike in the property that it had purchased, which, miraculously, resembled the price that was disclosed to the minister.
All we want to know from the Prime Minister is which member of Parliament invited that gentleman on the trip.
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, like I said, an opposition's job is to oppose. However, the fact is that the Conservatives are not asking us about the economy and they are not asking us about the challenges faced by Alberta right now. They are simply choosing to make the same kinds of personal attacks and smear jobs that characterize 10 years of Stephen Harper's Conservative leadership.
We see that the Conservatives actually have no new approach to governing the country and no alternative proposal for economic growth. They are still stuck in the same old approach that Canadians rejected soundly in 2015.
Alain Rayes Conservative Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
Mr. Speaker, a director from a company with ties to the Liberals, notably the Minister of Innovation, made a really good deal. He bought land from the Ontario government for $3.3 million and sold it a back a few months later for $4.4 million. Talk about a deal. It is so questionable that the City of Brampton asked the RCMP to investigate.
Now that we know this director went on the Prime Minister's disastrous trip to India, we would like to know who invited him.
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the opposition's responsibility is to oppose, to ask difficult questions and to challenge what the government is doing.
Unfortunately, this Conservative opposition is still stuck in its old Stephen Harper ways, choosing to rely on personal attacks, innuendoes, and smears against government members. The opposition could be asking questions about our record for economic growth, which is excellent, or about the unemployment rate, which is at a 40-year low.
Alain Rayes Conservative Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
Mr. Speaker, allow me to refresh the Prime Minister's memory.
This administrator, Bhagwan Grewal, is a former Liberal association president. He is a Liberal Party donor. He went on the India trip and even took the time to have his picture taken with the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development so he could keep a nice souvenir of that great trip to India.
If the Prime Minister has nothing to hide, when will he present the official list of all his VIP guests who were with him on his trip to India, which was paid for by Canadian taxpayers?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, there is an easy way for Canadians to see whether the Conservatives are actually asking real questions or going after real facts. All they have to do is check whether the members opposite are able to repeat outside the House of Commons the allegations they are making here under the protection of parliamentary privilege.
If they will not repeat those allegations, then Canadians will know that these are baseless attacks, personal attacks, to try to distract from the fact that we are—
Mark Strahl Conservative Chilliwack—Hope, BC
Mr. Speaker, we can tell when the Liberals are in trouble when they start threatening law suits and refusing to answer even simple questions.
We now know that the RCMP investigation in Brampton involves Goreway Heaven, a company with close ties to the Liberal Party. One of its directors, Baghwan Grewal, a former Liberal riding president, got a prime ticket to the Prime Minister's catastrophic trip to India.
Could the Prime Minister tell Canadians who extended the invitation to Mr. Grewal? Was it the Liberal member for Brampton East, the innovation minister, or was it the Prime Minister's own office who invited him to come along?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, we know the Conservative Party is in trouble when it falls back on the same failed approach of personal attacks and smears that characterized it through 10 years of Stephen Harper, 10 years of low job creation and the worst economic growth since the Great Depression.
What we actually have now is people trying to dig up stories around a trip that happened a year and a half ago as a way of attacking and smearing the government, because they have nothing to say on our economic growth, on job creation, on the way we are delivering for Canadians—
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Order, please. As members know, each side gets its turn. The idea is that we will hear things we do not like, but we listen and do not interrupt.
The hon. member for Chilliwack—Hope.
Mark Strahl Conservative Chilliwack—Hope, BC
Mr. Speaker, we know the Prime Minister gets a little jumpy when we ask about Liberal ethics, being the only Prime Minister in Canadian history who has ever been found guilty of breaking the ethics rules.
We know it was the Prime Minister's office who invited Jaspal Atwal, a convicted terrorist, to join him on the disastrous India trip. The guest list for that also included Baghwan Grewal, a Liberal operative whose company is now under RCMP investigation.
Will the Prime Minister give the RCMP all the documents relating to Mr. Grewal's involvement in the India trip, or will the cover-up continue?