Debates of Feb. 13th, 2018

Agriculture Day

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, today, as it has been for our entire existence, the common denominator among humankind is our collective need to eat.

Thousands of years ago, the agricultural revolution fundamentally transformed our species. Gone was the need for us to roam and to hunt and gather our resources in order to ensure our survival. We finally developed the ability to grow our own food in one place, which allowed us to start to develop complex societies, cultures, and civilizations.

I want to stand here today as the newly minted NDP critic for agriculture to offer my sincere thanks and appreciation for the patience, determination, and hard work of the men and women who grow our food and make our society possible.

Let us highlight the remarkable work of our farmers who, on a daily basis, provide us with fresh, local, and good-quality products, from farm to table. On behalf of the entire NDP caucus, I wish everyone a happy Agriculture Day.

Human Trafficking

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Niagara Falls, ON]

Mr. Speaker, recently, I held a round table in my riding of Niagara Falls to dialogue with community leaders on how we can work together to combat human trafficking.

My colleague, the former MP Joy Smith, has done much to raise awareness on this tragic issue and will be appearing before the justice committee in March as we prepare to study human trafficking in Canada. Among the initiatives she has developed is a documentary called Human Trafficking: Canada's Secret Shame. The documentary is used as a tool to educate young girls on how traffickers use mediums such as social media to lure young people into the sex trafficking trade.

If people have a daughter, granddaughter, or niece, she is at risk of being trafficked. These evil predators prey upon girls whose average recruitment age is thirteen.

I am pleased that the justice committee is determined to shine a light on this terrible crime, and hopefully in the process, help to keep Canadian girls and women safe.

Agriculture Day

[TJ Harvey, Liberal, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize February 13 as Canada's Agriculture Day. As chair of the all-party agriculture caucus, I hosted a breakfast with industry leaders this morning along with my colleagues and co-chairs, the member for Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound and the member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot.

We would like to recognize the great work being done around excellence in agricultural innovation and all those who contribute to the future of the agriculture and agri-food sectors, including artificial intelligence and robotics.

The opportunities for Canada's farmers and food processors on the global stage are nothing short of breathtaking. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization has projected that global demand for food is projected to increase by 60% by 2050.

I would like to reiterate Canada's message about the need to invest in innovation to help feed a growing population while protecting the environment. Today, 5% of the population feeds 95% of those who do not produce food. There is no question that innovation will play a critical role in helping the sector meet these demands.

I would like to extend an invitation to all my colleagues on both sides of the House to come to room 525, 180 Wellington, to sign my “how long have you been farming” poster.

Last, if people have eaten today, take five minutes and thank a farmer.

Natural Resources

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Milton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Trans Mountain pipeline project is an important project. It is a $7.4 billion investment and 37,000 good-paying Canadian jobs. There is much opposition to this project. They are saying that they are going to interrupt it and delay, and the government is silent throughout this whole time. What is the impact of that? Industry is watching closely, and as well there is a growing crisis among our provinces.

Will the Prime Minister stand up for Canadians relying on these jobs, bring certainty, and unveil his plan to allow construction to start this spring?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have always said that we will make sure that the environment and the economy go together. Unlike what the previous government did, we have taken action exactly on that. We have moved forward on a national plan to reduce carbon emissions. We have moved forward on historic oceans protection. We are moving forward on projects like the Kinder Morgan pipeline that will get our resources to new markets safely and securely. That is what Canadians expect.

That is why I have been across the country speaking with premiers, speaking with Canadians, hearing from both sides of the argument, and remaining steadfast. The Kinder Morgan pipeline will be built.

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Milton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately those are just words and platitudes that the government is utilizing.

Right now, as we speak, industry is responding to the uncertainty and instability that the government's lack of action is causing. Kinder Morgan has already indicated that it is going to be delaying and slowing its investments in the pipeline. The message to the world is that Canada is not open for business.

The Prime Minister can make these concerns go away by showing a bit of leadership. It is simple. When will he guarantee the construction of the pipeline in Burnaby?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I find it humorous that members opposite are talking about showing leadership. For 10 years they did not get anything built and when they approved the northern gateway pipeline, which was not a very good pipeline, they did it by press release in the middle of the night. When we approved the Kinder Morgan pipeline, I stood at a press conference, announced it myself, and then crossed the country taking responsibility for it and demonstrating that it is in the national interest.

For 10 years they had a failed process that could not get things built. We know that by restoring public trust, by protecting the environment, we can grow the economy.

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Milton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of heat and light in the Prime Minister's kind words but the reality is that he is not getting anything done. Let us take a bit of a review.

Five months ago, the Liberals botched the energy east pipeline and that was 14,000 jobs on a $15 billion project. Now we have another crisis and another 37,000 jobs. Clearly, the Prime Minister does not actually feel moved by the industry's concerns. Maybe he is going to be moved by the fact that it is 50,000 jobs.

Seriously, how many more well-paying Canadian jobs do we need to put in jeopardy to get him moving?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Again, Mr. Speaker, for 10 years those members talked up the energy industry but actually could not deliver for it. What was I doing? I went down to Washington, D.C., to make the pitch for Keystone XL to a group of American Democrats. That is what I was doing while I was leader of the third party.

I have continued to focus on delivering it. I have focused on making sure we protect the environment and grow the economy together. That is exactly what we are doing and that is why they keep talking down our chances of getting that pipeline built. We will get it built.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. I would ask colleagues to remember that each side gets its turn and members wait for their side in each case. We do not interrupt.

The hon. member for Richmond—Arthabaska.

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Trans Mountain project will create tens of thousands of jobs and benefit every part of the country. Before that can happen, however, the Prime Minister needs to address the situation instead of letting it deteriorate, which is what he is doing. Thousands of jobs are on the line because of our Prime Minister's lack of leadership. On top of all that, last week, Canada lost a contract worth hundreds of millions in Mirabel, and NAFTA talks are stalling.

Will the Prime Minister tell Canadians how he is planning to resolve the crisis in Alberta and British Columbia?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I made it very clear that we will get the pipelines built. We know it is in the country's interest. This situation is interesting because we know there are people in British Columbia who oppose the pipelines. I am telling them that the pipelines will be built anyway. When Alberta Conservatives go on about the pipeline not being built, however, they are undermining the process and creating uncertainty. We have said it before, and we will say it again: we will get the pipeline built.

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would just like to remind the Prime Minister that I am a proud Conservative from Quebec, in case he does not know. I quite like our friends from Alberta, too.

If the Prime Minister knows this matter is urgent, if he knows that the natural resources sector is important to our economy and our country, if he knows that thousands of jobs are at stake, then the question is a simple one. We do not want words. We want to know exactly what steps the Prime Minister will take to resolve the crisis in Alberta and British Columbia.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the members opposite want to know what steps we will take. We will get the pipeline built.

Taxation

[Guy Caron, NDP, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister informed us yesterday that the Canada Revenue Agency is finally going to share its data with the parliamentary budget officer after making him wait for 62 months. It may be too early to celebrate, however, and this agreement does not address the main problem, which is the agency's refusal to be transparent and accountable.

The agency acts as though it is not accountable to Parliament. The privacy of taxpayers must be protected. However, we have a major problem when agency officials use legislation to shield themselves from parliamentarians rather than to protect taxpayers.

When will the Liberals make the agency accountable to Parliament?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we understand that it is important that the data used by the parliamentary budget officer be reliable and accurate. That is why we have enhanced the position of the PBO and made him an officer of Parliament after Harper's Conservatives spent years undermining his credibility.

As far as the CRA's data is concerned, the Agency has concluded an agreement with the PBO and will, by the end of the month, provide it its data in a manner geared to protect Canadians' privacy. We will continue to support and respect the work of officers of Parliament.

[Guy Caron, NDP, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question was about the lack of accountability of the Canada Revenue Agency.

The government is actually acting exactly the same way that the previous government did, not only in protecting the unaccountable Canada Revenue Agency, but also in withholding information on tax havens.

Canada just signed two new tax treaties, with Antigua and Barbuda, and Grenada. What do those tax treaties do? They allow corporations to set up subsidiaries in those low-tax countries where their worldwide profits will be attributed, and they will bring those profits back into Canada tax free.

Why are Liberals continuing to sign those tax-avoidance agreements?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as Canadians expect, we are moving forward to combat tax evasion and tax avoidance. We put close to $1 billion in our first two budgets towards the Canada Revenue Agency to ensure that everyone pays their fair share of taxes.

That is exactly what we are continuing to do. We will continue to make sure that everyone pays their fair share of taxes. That is what Canadians expect of us.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, to make matters worse, they are still signing treaties with tax havens. That is a fact.

The Prime Minister could act now on certain issues. More than $3 billion is being lost due to tax loopholes like stock option deductions. More than $10 billion in tax dollars are ending up in tax havens, while Canadians go without housing and medication and many first nations communities have no clean drinking water. It is a matter of choice.

Will the Prime Minister take action on these unfair loopholes?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be able to answer the member's question by talking about what we are doing on social housing.

Working with the provinces, we are investing $40 billion in affordable social housing across the country. These are historic and unprecedented investments. We are investing in our indigenous communities to end boil water advisories nationwide by 2021. We are also investing in Canadians in need and middle-class Canadians through the Canada child benefit. We are going to continue to invest in those in need.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the truth is, we have never seen so much inequality in this country as under this Prime Minister's watch.

The truth is that this Prime Minister simply does not know how to say no to wealthy Canadians who want to escape taxes by taking their money overseas. That hurts Canadians: Canadians who cannot pay for medication, Canadians who are on the streets because there is so little affordable housing, and indigenous communities that have no drinking water.

Why does the Prime Minister not take action on tax havens so Canadians can have pharmacare, affordable housing, and safe drinking water?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, we have and will continue to take action on tax avoidance and tax evasion, but it is nice that the members opposite are bringing up pharmacare, because we recognize on this side of the House that Canadians pay too much for prescription drugs, and our government is taking bold action now to bring down prices. We joined the provinces and territories as a member of the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance, which negotiates lower drug prices on behalf of public drug plans. Through budget 2017, we are investing over $140 million to help improve access to pharmaceuticals and to support innovations within the health care system. We are going to continue to ensure that Canadians can better afford the—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Lakeland.

Natural Resources

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister just keeps saying that the pipeline will be built, I guess by magic, since Kinder Morgan says it is slowing down its operations, slowing down spending, and delaying it for more than a year. More delays continue to threaten this project every single day. The application was first filed over 2,000 days ago. The pipeline, clearly in the national interest, was approved over 440 days ago, and these delays continue to pile up and pile up. It is just words and no action.

Where is the plan? Table it on Thursday. And how many more days will it be before construction begins in Burnaby?