Debates of Feb. 1st, 2018

Democratic Reform

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, most anniversaries we like to celebrate, but today is a day that Liberals are hoping Canadians forget all about, because it was a year ago today that Liberals and their Prime Minister broke a sacred oath to Canadians to make 2015 the last election under first past the post.

Despite this betrayal, hope is alive in Canada. All opposition parties in Quebec have promised to bring in proportional representation. Prince Edward Islanders voted for it. In my home province of British Columbia, Premier John Horgan will be campaigning for it in the fall.

If the Liberals want to restore a little faith, help elect more women, and truly make every vote count, will they show just a little bit of contrition, apologize, and get to work on real electoral reform?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to strengthening our democracy, Canadians want us to focus on what unites us, not on what divides us. We listened to Canadians. They expect us to protect the integrity of our democracy.

My job is to strengthen and protect our democratic institutions and ensure they represent the values of Canadians. Through the introduction of Bill C-33 and Bill C-50, we are moving to accomplish that mandate.

I know every member of the House shares the deep affection Canadians have for our democracy. Canadians want us to work together on priorities that unite us, and that is where our focus will remain.

Canadian Heritage

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after a number of access to information requests, the government finally released 773 pages of emails exchanged between the government and Netflix, but 90% was redacted. It almost seems as though the government has something to hide. Is that possible?

In his year-end review, the Prime Minister had the nerve to contradict Céline Galipeau. Regrettably, he went and said that it would be impossible to charge GST on Netflix, when we know that is not at all the case. Everyone knows that.

Why is the government so determined to mislead the public about the Netflix deal? Why is it afraid to make the deal public? Is it afraid that we will be proven right?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, we have some good news to share today. Netflix has made an initial investment as part of a deal to acquire a Quebec production, Les Affamés. Congratulations to Robin Aubert and his team. Their film is going to be distributed to over 100 countries, giving them access to all those markets.

Of course, the Investment Canada Act is there to guarantee that new foreign investments are of net benefit to Canadians. The act requires strict confidentiality in order to protect the commercial information of businesses that want to invest in Canada. Canadians know the broad strokes of the deal, and we are very proud of this new production—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. The hon. member for Sudbury.

Taxation

[Paul Lefebvre, Liberal, Sudbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last election, we ran on a platform to help the middle class and those working hard to join it, including middle-class families like those in my riding of Sudbury. We put in place the Canada child benefit, which puts more money, tax-free, into the hands of nine out of 10 families. We did this by ending the Conservative practice of sending cheques to millionaires. The Conservatives voted to keep sending cheques to millionaires. Could the government explain the importance of focusing on those who need it most?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the member is right. For a decade, the Harper Conservatives focused on giving boutique tax credits that benefited some but not all. They are at it again today with a proposed non-refundable tax credit that does nothing for the self-employed and small business owners, that does nothing for low-income workers, that does nothing for those who do not qualify for EI, that does nothing for those who have lost their job and are looking for one.

We have taken a different approach with the Canada child benefit, one that is helping nine out of 10 Canadian families. That is giving more to those who need it the most. That is the right approach for the Canadian dream to be alive and well.

Marijuana

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we have learned that 35 federally licensed cannabis producers were being financed by unknown investors from tax havens. We also know that, contrary to what the minister claims, the Liberals' proposed investor background check does not apply to the majority of industry players. In other words, their background check plan is full of holes.

Can the minister assure us that organized crime has not infiltrated the Prime Minister's marijuana program?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, one prime objective of our whole new regime on cannabis is to stop the flow of illegal cash to organized crime. That includes on the selling end of the equation, and it certainly includes on the investor end of the equation.

Under our proposed regulations, security clearances will be mandatory for individuals who occupy key positions in any organization, as well as background checks on significant investors who hold more than 25% of any particular company.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is giving me roughly the same answer I got from the Minister of Health yesterday. Currently there is some confusion over what is legal and what is illegal and how to regulate it.

Can the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness confirm that before moving ahead with Bill C-45 the necessary background checks will be made in order to prevent organized crime from infiltrating the Prime Minister's marijuana program?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, the regulations that will be promulgated under this new legislation will indeed require security clearances. In addition, the Minister of Finance recently reached an agreement with his provincial and territorial counterparts to ensure that we know who owns which corporations, which will help prevent Canadian or international companies from facilitating tax evasion, money laundering, or any other criminal activity.

Foreign Investment

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

Mr. Speaker, a state-controlled Chinese company is in the process of taking over one of Canada's largest construction companies. Not only does this raise security concerns in terms of critical infrastructure, but construction companies across the country are raising concerns about thousands of job losses.

Will the minister commit to conducting a full security review of the sale and to extending the period of time for a rigorous net benefit assessment under the Investment Canada Act?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, global companies want to invest in Canada precisely because of our skilled workforce and our strong innovation economy. Our government is open to investment that will grow our economy and create good middle-class jobs. The Investment Canada Act provides for a review of significant international investments to ensure that they are of an overall net economic benefit to Canada. Yes, a security review is part of that process.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is clear, under the Liberal government, that Canada is open to business with the Chinese Communist Party. The government approved the sale of Norsat without a security review and despite the concerns of our American allies. The Prime Minister's hand-picked ambassador to China recently said that China has more in common with Canada than we do with the United States.

When will the Liberal government start taking security concerns seriously, and when will it extend the period of time on the Aecon sale to allow Canadian employers to have their say?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, the Investment Canada Act provides for a multistep review in all of these cases, which are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. It is a rigorous process in which we rely, as a government, on our national security experts. We believe in them. We have confidence in them. It is interesting that the opposition does not seem to have confidence in our national security review people.

Official Languages

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne has given the government an ultimatum. It is demanding additional funding to improve conditions in official language minority communities. It is time for the Liberals to prove that they will do more than just pay lip service to official languages. They make promises but do not keep them.

When will the government walk the talk and agree to the communities' funding demands?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne, francophone communities, and the government agree on four points: first, there was no reinvestment under the Harper government; second, francophone communities across the country need the federal government's support; third, there will be a new official languages action plan; and fourth, everything must be in place in two months' time, when the roadmap expires.

Indigenous Affairs

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it has taken two years, a million dollars in legal fees, and four non-compliance orders for the Prime Minister to finally accept the ruling of systemic discrimination against first nation children in foster care. In that time we have lost so many young people, like Tammy Keeash, Courtney Scott, and Kanina Sue Turtle.

I thank the minister for pushing cabinet for compliance, and we will work with her, but we have heard these promises before. She needs to give us the dollar figure. How much have they been ordered to retroactively reimburse, and what will it take to end this shortfall and end this discrimination once and for all?

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Minister of Indigenous Services]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his commitment to work with us on this extremely important issue. Our government is firmly committed to addressing the severe overrepresentation of indigenous children in child welfare in this country. To that end, we sent a letter today to 105 child and family services agencies in the country to instruct them that we are pleased to respond to all the costs related to prevention services for children, not only going forward but over the past two years.

I am also pleased to report that the tribunal noted that they were delighted to read of Canada's commitment and openness, and—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock.

Natural Resources

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Trans Mountain pipeline is on life support. The British Columbia government is throwing up regulatory roadblocks, threatening to terminate this project. Canadian jobs and the economy are at risk. We are already witnessing Canadian oil and gas companies fleeing to the U.S., where recent investments in that sector are into the tens of billions of dollars. Despite all this, the Prime Minister chooses to look the other way.

When the Prime Minister is in Alberta today, will he commit to fight the B.C. government and ensure that this important project gets built?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure the hon. member knows that we actually approved the pipeline, and we approved the pipeline because of the thousands of jobs it will create—

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Just like we approved northern gateway?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. We had a question. It is time to have the answer and not for everyone to talk at the same time as the answer is being given, whether one likes it or not.

The Minister of Natural Resources has the floor.

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows that this government understands the importance of opening up export markets for Canadian crude. He knows, at the same time, that we announced an investment of $1.5 billion in the ocean protection plan. He probably knows that we are in constant conversation with indigenous communities up and down the line to ensure safety. What he may not know is that the Prime Minister of Canada, in Edmonton this morning, said—