Debates of Feb. 2nd, 2018

Natural Resources

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in November 2016, when the Prime Minister approved Trans Mountain, he said that it was safe, that it was in the national interest, and that it would create 15,000 jobs. That is true. It has been four years since the application started. Now, $800 million and 175 conditions later, the B.C. NDP is trying to kill it.

Yesterday, the PM said that he did not want to “opine” on provincial disagreements, but it is about the whole country and he should lead.

When will the natural resources minister walk all that talk and show exactly what the Liberals will do to ensure this vital infrastructure gets built?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad the hon. member has her voice back because what she has to say is always worth hearing. The member knows that the Prime Minister said unequivocally yesterday in Edmonton, as he has said since the approval was made, that this pipeline will be built because it is in the national interest. The national interest means that we safely and securely get our resources to market. The national interest means that we put a premium on world-class protection for our oceans. The national interest means that we—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Lakeland.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

However, Mr. Speaker, in November, already a year after approval, Kinder Morgan warned about delays and hurdles. The PM himself said, as the minister said, that Trans Mountain is in the best interest of Canada and Canadians. It will strengthen our communities and put food on the table. It will create thousands of jobs and add billions of dollars to the economy, but it is all at risk. Yesterday, the PM declared that this pipeline is going to get built. The question is obvious. How?

Exactly what action will the Liberals take? What are they going to do beyond talking to make sure that Trans Mountain is not yet another multi-billion dollar opportunity lost under their watch?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, the pipeline has been approved by the Government of Canada in the national interest and it will be built. When there are motions in front of the National Energy Board that require interventions from the Government of Canada, the Government of Canada will intervene, as it has done. What could be clearer than the Prime Minister of Canada saying to the entire country that this product is in the national interest because it satisfies the pillars of economic development in the energy sector: jobs, environmental stewardship, and protection of our sacred relationships with indigenous people.

[Len Webber, Conservative, Calgary Confederation, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the B.C. premier shamefully gave his environment minister a mandate letter that ordered him to employ every tool available to prevent the Kinder Morgan pipeline from being built. It should not come as a surprise to the Prime Minister that this is happening. The Liberals have failed on energy east and now they are doing the same on Kinder Morgan.

What exactly is the Prime Minister going to do to get the Kinder Morgan built?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, this government has approved the Trans Mountain expansion. This government has approved the Enbridge Line 3 replacement. This project and also the support for Keystone XL will give us the pipeline capacity we need. Ten years of Conservative government did not have one kilometre of pipe delivered to tidewater.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister only offered Canadians vague platitudes in the face of escalating unconstitutional threats seeking to block a federally approved pipeline. What the Prime Minister has failed to tell anyone is which mechanism his government will invoke to overturn the recent B.C. government's efforts to block the project. This is a serious topic; it requires serious answers. We are talking about respecting the rule of law and our Constitution.

What is the Prime Minister going to do to rectify this situation between British Columbia and Alberta?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, we understand that the premiers of Alberta and British Columbia will have reasons to make statements about energy projects. There is only one government in Canada that has the responsibility of approving major infrastructure that goes across provincial lines, and that is the Government of Canada. The Government of Canada has approved the pipeline and we will ensure that the process is as expeditious as possible.

I do not understand all the fuss on the other side. We want the pipeline to be built.

Indigenous Affairs

[Romeo Saganash, NDP, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal issued its fourth non-compliance order for discrimination against indigenous children. This has been going on for two years, and we have seen $1 million in legal fees, four compliance orders, and one opposition motion in the House.

In the true spirit of reconciliation, will the government finally restore balance and put an end to this discrimination once and for all?

[Don Rusnak, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to reforming the current broken system, which takes far too many indigenous children in this country away from their families. We will immediately begin to cover the actual costs of all 105 first nation child and family service agencies for prevention and other areas, including retroactively to January 2016. As the CHRT ruling noted, our government is fully committed to implementing all the orders in this ruling to truly develop child-centred, indigenous-led, and prevention-focused solutions.

Rail Transportation

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, VIA Rail's high-frequency train project between Quebec City and Windsor would improve transportation services for Quebeckers and Canadians in a number of regions. This project would promote the socio-economic development of the greater Drummond area. Local and regional players are working hard to make this project happen. The time for reflection is past. Now, the government needs to take action.

When does the Liberal government plan on announcing its support and, most importantly, funding for VIA Rail's high-frequency train project?

[Karen McCrimmon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

Our government is developing the best approach to implementing an effective and reliable rail transportation system for Canadian passengers. That is why, in budget 2016, we allocated $45 million to various VIA Rail projects, including $3.3 million over three years for an in-depth assessment of VIA Rail's high-frequency train proposal—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Anthony Rota]

Order. The member for Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner.

Foreign Investment

[Glen Motz, Conservative, Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB]

Mr. Speaker, communist China's proposed takeover of Aecon has raised serious concerns from security experts, the construction industry, and everyday Canadians. Aecon is a major player in Canada's critical infrastructure including telecommunications networks, nuclear power plants, and the energy sector. This is a bad deal for Canada and a threat to national security.

If a company banned from international contracts due to corruption and fraud, based in a country known for cyber-attacks and espionage on Canada, is not subject to a national security review, then who would be?

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

Mr. Speaker, global companies want to invest in Canada because of our skilled workforce and our strong innovation economy. Our government is open to investment. We are trying to encourage investment, but we also have the Investment Canada Act, which puts into place a significant review process such that such investments are an overall economic benefit to Canada. A multi-step security review process is part of that, within which we rely on our experts. We will never compromise national security and each proposed investment is examined on a case-by-case basis.

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian company Aecon has been doing maintenance on Bell Canada's networks since the 1950s. Today, Aecon is working on Bell's wireless fibre optic migration to expand its wireless cellphone service in Canada. It is also building Bell's headquarters in Mississauga. The People's Republic of China is now seeking to buy Aecon through a state-owned enterprise. The Liberals do not seem to be concerned about the possible security risk this transaction will have for Canadians.

Could the minister of industry confirm that a national security review will be done on Aecon's purchase, yes or no?

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

Mr. Speaker, the act itself provides for a multi-step review process for security issues and we rely upon our experts in the national security structures that we have in order to provide us with guidance. We trust their judgment. We will follow that multi-step review process. In this case, as in all other cases, we will never compromise our national security.

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian company Aecon is also helping to build and has built a great deal of Calgary's South Health Campus in my riding.

The People's Republic of China is now seeking to buy Aecon through a state-owned enterprise, leaving many Canadians in fear over what knowledge this foreign government will have of our hospital. We know that the past approval of MDA means that the Liberals do not really care about the national security concerns of Canadians.

Will the minister of industry put Canadian national security ahead of any economic considerations?

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

Mr. Speaker, once again I reiterate to the hon. member that we never have and we never will compromise our national security. The fact of the matter is that we have a multi-step process in place under the Investment Canada Act, and we rely on the expertise of our national security experts. It is interesting to note that the opposition does not seem to want to rely on the opinions of our own national security experts. We will and we will get to a good result.

Child Care

[Colin Fraser, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, last June the government signed a historic agreement with the provinces and territories on early learning and child care. This agreement showed that, for the first time ever, multiple levels of government were committed to increasing the quality, affordability, flexibility, and inclusivity of early learning and child care.

Can the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development update the House on the implementation of that agreement?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to congratulate and thank our colleague for West Nova for his hard work on behalf of our families and children.

On January 10, I was pleased to announce the signing of an agreement on early learning and child care with the Nova Scotia government that will transfer $35 million over the next three years to families and children. This is a long-term, 10-year plan to support an increase in the affordability, quality, and accessibility of early learning and child care across our great country. For the next 10 years, more families will have access to those services for children in the long term and the short term.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that party says it is all for supply management, but it is actually undermining the system.

Without the United States, the trans-Pacific partnership agreement covers half the market, but the Liberals gave dairy, egg, and poultry producers from the other 10 countries the same access to the Canadian market. Producers and processors are worried, and although the agreement was signed 10 days ago, there is still no news about a mitigation plan.

Did the Liberals hang producers out to dry so that their Prime Minister could save face? When will they announce their plan?

[Jean-Claude Poissant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, the trade agreement will create major opportunities for producers across the country.

We know how important supply-managed sectors are, and we are committed to holding consultations about how this will affect the industry and how best to proceed. We started talking to representatives of supply managed sectors right away. I was part of those conversations, and we will continue to consult stakeholders.

Public Services and Procurement

[Gudie Hutchings, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and Tourism]

Mr. Speaker, construction workers in my riding and across the country have approached me to explain how late payments affect them and their families. Small businesses count on getting paid in a timely manner in order to feed their families.

This has been an issue for far too long. Can the minister please update the House as to what action our government is taking to ensure that contractors, especially subcontractors, in the construction industry are paid in a timely manner?