Debates of March 19th, 2018

(The House divided on the elements of the bill, which were agreed to on the following division:)

Vote #460

Impact Assessment Act

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I declare these elements carried.

The next question is on part 3, regarding the Navigation Protection Act, and clauses 85, 186, 187, and 195 of part 4.

(The House divided on the elements of the bill, which were agreed to on the following division:)

Vote #461

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I declare these elements carried.

Accordingly, the bill stands referred to the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development.

(Bill read the second time and referred to a committee)

A motion to adjourn the House under Standing Order 38 deemed to have been moved.

Public Services and Procurement

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Speaker, about a month ago, I had the opportunity to stand in this House and ask the Minister of Public Services and Procurement about the Phoenix issue, and I took the opportunity to congratulate her on her nomination for the Teddy award. The Teddy award, of course, is an award given by the Taxpayers Federation for government waste. Now, I made a big error in that comment. I overlooked mentioning that this is the second year in a row that the department and the minister have received a nomination for waste regarding the Phoenix system, the Liberal Phoenix fiasco.

I also overlooked some of the other Teddy awards, including the $8.2 million that Heritage Canada wasted on a parliamentary skating rink and the $100,000 for the health minister's Twitter account, to do two tweets a day. I also overlooked commenting on Finance Canada spending $192,000 to receive a Teddy award nomination for the money wasted on its budget 2017 book.

I apologize to the Liberal government for overlooking the nominations received from the Taxpayers Federation.

Getting back to the public services and procurement minister, we have been at this for over two years with Phoenix. We have asked again and again how the Liberals are going to fix it and what the plan is. All we have received is empty platitudes and talking points.

Again, I ask the minister, when will they deliver a plan to this House? When will they end the empty talking points, the platitudes, and deliver a plan to fix the Liberal Phoenix fiasco?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, it is a bit rich coming from the member across to get up and give empty lectures on a pay system. Let us go through a little of the chronology. The member across has conveniently omitted several facts.

The first fact he admits is that the Phoenix pay system began to be planned in 2008. It was his own friend, the member for Parry Sound—Muskoka, and his colleagues in cabinet, who ordered, dictated, ordained that this system must save money. We learned later that this system had to save $70 million annually. They bragged about that. Where did that $70 million come from? It came from firing summarily some of the most experienced and dedicated people in the public service of Canada, those who served as compensation advisers. Between 2008 and 2015, the member's party cynically, wrongly, and, as has been identified in countless reports, systematically at every turn in the planning process, broke every single rule in the enterprise information technology book.

The minute the member stands up and says we do not have a plan to fix the Phoenix pay system, he should look in the mirror and all around those Tory benches. There are 700 people out there this evening who could be helping us, and the Conservatives fired them.

My riding in Gatineau, like many ridings across the country, is full of dedicated public servants. We owe them our best efforts, our dedication. We owe, as the minister says so often, leaving no stone unturned.

The member talks about a Teddy award from some weird right-wing interest group, talks about the fact that we are spending too much to fix the mess that reeks, as I have said many times, of the arsonists complaining when the fire department shows up. That is what reeks. It is almost comedic for the member to stand in his place and say on the one hand that we are spending too much to fix the problem that they caused and, on the other hand, we do not have a plan to fix the system.

We have both. We have identified the resources to fix the problem, and we have a plan to fix this very sordid public administration debacle that the party across left us with and they ought to apologize for.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Gatineau for the enjoyable rant. I want to go back in time to 2008 when the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates came up with the suggestion to solidify the department in one group. Let us see who was on that. It was made up by a majority of Liberals who came up with the plan to make the Phoenix changes. That is one thing that the government refuses to acknowledge.

The very origins of this error go back to a Liberal-dominated committee, including the member for Mississauga—Malton, the member for Ajax, and the member for Mississauga Centre who are still here. He maybe needs to look at them for blame. He maybe needs to take a look at the Auditor General's report that clearly places the blame for the Phoenix fiasco at the government's feet. If the member spent more time fixing the issue instead of blaming others, we would not be in this situation.

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, if the Conservatives quit making sad platitudes, standing here with their false outrage, and took responsibility for the disgrace they left the Public Service of Canada in, the disgrace of a ticking time bomb of a disaster, and if they would stand and take a modicum of responsibility, maybe we would take them a little more seriously. Until then, they are just a sad joke every time they open their mouths about the Phoenix pay system.

Ethics

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, about four months ago I asked the government why it seemed like the Liberals are always taking care of themselves. They are always able to get free, taxpayer-funded nannies, for instance, free trips to private islands, or free helicopter rides on private islands.

The finance minister and the Prime Minister set up complex accounting schemes to protect their family fortunes, but were going after ordinary Canadians who worked hard to create a small business and employ other Canadians so they could put food on the table.

I asked why Canadians always have to foot the bill to pay for the lifestyles of the rich and famous Liberals.

Since I asked that question, the former ethics commissioner came back with a report confirming that the Prime Minister of Canada was guilty of breaking the law in four separate places because of that trip to the Aga Khan's island, a billionaire's island. He was found guilty by the former ethics commissioner of improperly arranging his personal affairs. He was found guilty of accepting illegal gifts. He was found guilty of illegally accepting a ride on a private aircraft and he was found guilty of engaging illegally in discussions about government business.

When I raised that question at another time, the government House leader said the Prime Minister was found not guilty of three other charges that had been brought forward. She was actually proud of the fact that he was only found guilty of four of the seven possible violations of the ethics code and the members' code of conduct. It is really unbelievable that the government is proud of the fact that the Prime Minister was found guilty of breaching those sections four times. The Liberals are proud that he accepted the report. The only thing the report did was to find him guilty of breaching those sections.

Since asking that question, the finance minister has been found guilty of failing to disclose the corporation structure around his French villa. None of us on this side of the House have a French villa, but if we did we certainly would know that the right things had to be filed with the Ethics Commissioner to properly adhere to the code of conduct. The minister violated that as well.

Since my question originally was about why Canadians always have to pay when the Liberals get the free ride, I am wondering whether in the recent budget there is a single change to the tax structure that would cause the finance minister or the Prime Minister to pay one additional cent of tax because of their trust funds or their complex numbered companies.

Is there anything in the budget that would raise taxes on those Liberals or were the tax hikes just reserved for average Canadian families and small business owners?

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome this opportunity to speak to the question posed by the hon. member about our commitment to combat offshore tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance.

In budgets 2016, 2017, and now 2018, our government is investing nearly a billion dollars to crack down on tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance. Budget 2018 alone would bring close to $130 million in new investments over five years to combat aggressive tax avoidance while improving our domestic and international rules to close tax loopholes used by certain large multinationals. Thanks to these investments, the CRA is now able to expand its tools and have tools at its disposal to help close in on any individual or corporation that tries to avoid paying its share of taxes.

Our plan is working. In particular, I commend the actions by our Minister of National Revenue for getting us where we are today. Canadians can be proud of our government's international leadership on these matters. Collaboration with international partners is crucial to identifying and taking action against those who are evading and avoiding paying their fair share. In fact, because of our government's action, in 2018 Canada will be able to automatically exchange information with other countries to identify taxpayers with offshore accounts through the OECD's common reporting standard. Compliance actions will be taken according to the information available in each case, including referrals to CRA's criminal investigation program and, where appropriate, to the Public Prosecution Service of Canada for possible criminal prosecution.

However, I want to emphasize that CRA does not depend on leaked lists such as the paradise papers and the Panama papers to tackle the issue of tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance. Thanks to our government's investments in the CRA, by the time such leaks occur, the agency is already well advanced in carrying out its work in identifying and pursuing those who are not paying their fair share. For offshore-related files alone, as of December 2017, the CRA has been conducting audits on nearly 1,100 taxpayers and is conducting criminal investigations in more than 42 cases of tax evasion. It will continue to apply penalties to all cases of serious tax non-compliance.

We are delivering on what we promised to Canadians, and that is exactly what we will continue to do, now and in the future.

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the parliamentary secretary for that answer; unfortunately, it was not to the question that I asked.

What I asked was this: was there anything in budget 2018 that caused the Prime Minister or the finance minister to pay one additional dollar in federal taxes, or were the tax increases reserved solely for people who own small businesses and for Canadian families?

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Brampton West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as I stated, our government is firmly committed to combatting tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance. We want a fair tax system for all Canadians, and our actions are producing results.

We will close the net on any wealthy individuals or corporations that try to avoid paying their fair share of taxes and drain resources away from the services that improve the quality of life of all Canadians. We will continue the work needed to combat offshore tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance. Our government stands on solid ground in this regard. We are on track and we are meeting our targets, and we will continue to deliver the results.

Indigenous Affairs

[Sheila Malcolmson, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the last time I was in conversation on this topic, the inquiry into murdered and missing indigenous women had just filed its report. That was at the beginning of November. We had identified that eight out of the 10 challenges raised by the commissioners of the inquiry, those things that were making it difficult for them to get their work done, to get to the root of the terrible problem of murdered and missing indigenous women, were related to government interference. When I questioned the minister for indigenous affairs and reconciliation in question period, she said that we would get a quick answer and that the government was committed to removing barriers.

Here we are all these months later and we have not yet seen a change.

One of the top and most compelling recommendations of the commissioners in their November report was that the government work collaboratively with the provinces and territories to create a national police task force to which the national inquiry could refer families and survivors to assess or reopen cases, or review investigations. This is extremely important. We have heard repeatedly from families that, where police found their report of a missing or murdered family member to be unfounded or something had just not been investigated or pursued to its very end, it left families in limbo and with no closure.

My colleague from Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, the New Democrat deputy critic for indigenous services, stated:

I am hearing the desire for law enforcement to be involved and given the necessary resources to solve cold cases of missing Indigenous women from all over Saskatchewan; cases like that of my friend, Myrna Laprise, and her family, who want to know what happened to her aunt who disappeared years ago.

The summer before last, the Native Women's Association of Canada said, again, that it is a missed opportunity that the terms of reference did not specifically invite the investigation of cold cases. It stated:

There does not appear to be an opportunity for families to pursue or reopen cases through the justice system. In fact, for families who want to pursue cases or re-open ones that have been part of the justice system, the Terms of Reference direct that the support the Commissioners can offer is to redirect them to the appropriate provincial or territorial victim services. Families are not looking for mainstream counseling services through victim services but justice. This is a missed opportunity.

To our disappointment, there still has been no government response to this very pressing interim recommendation from the inquiry commissioners, and there is nothing in the budget released last month to address other vital recommendations from the inquiry. There is no response to any of the requests in the report. There is no money to establish a commemoration fund in collaboration with families, survivors, and national and regional indigenous organizations as asked.

Therefore, these are my questions to the government. What is it doing with the recommendations? What assurances is it giving to families and survivors that their asks have been heard, and why was there no money in the budget to specifically address the inquiry's appeals for us to resolve this situation once and for all?

[Yvonne Jones, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on the traditional territory of the Algonquin people to answer the question posed by my hon. colleague.

Our government remains committed to ending the ongoing national tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in Canada. This is why, when previous governments failed to do so, we immediately moved to establish an independent inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.

As we have announced and have indicated many times, the federal government has provided nearly $54 million over the past two years to ensure the success of this national inquiry.

The inquiry released its interim report on November 1, 2017. The commissioners stated in their interim report that they were striving to make stronger connections with families, survivors, and women's and indigenous organizations that are their key partners on the front line.

The government will respond shortly to the recommendations of the inquiry's interim report and we will outline further actions at that time. The Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs has met with these commissioners on several occasions, including since the interim report was released.

On the broader recommendations, the commission is right to raise these important issues because they are all connected. The government took immediate action on these points. They produce better results for communities, lead to stronger and healthier families, and support self-determination.

A working group has also been created and is meeting regularly with the commission to help resolve the administrative issues faced by the commission. The working group is providing solutions to ensure the commission can complete its work.

We are also discussing the commission's recent request for an extension to the work that it is doing, so it may deal further with families, indigenous partners, and provincial and territorial counterparts.

We have said along, and we continue to say, that families must be at the centre of the independent commission's work. The families of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls remain at the heart of this inquiry. We know we need to bring healing for the families, justice for the victims, and put an end to this national tragedy once and for all.

We are determined to do this right for the survivors and for their families, to honour the spirits and memories of those who have been lost, and to protect future generations.

[Sheila Malcolmson, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my difficulty with what the member opposite is saying is that nothing has changed since the inquiry's interim report was released the beginning of November.

We do not see evidence that the Liberals are keeping their promise to the families to help the inquiry succeed at every level. The Prime Minister said that he would review the report and pay attention to its recommendations, but nothing has changed.

Witnesses from the department said at committee that they were preparing options, and this was just in January, and that we were going to have a response very soon. It is now the middle of March and still nothing. We do not have time.

Again, when will we hear the government's response to the inquiry's interim recommendations? We need to act quickly.

[Yvonne Jones, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Mr. Speaker, I know the member opposite would like to have this happen within her time frame. The reality is that we are truly committed to real reconciliation with indigenous people. The independent national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls is vital to that process. We are determined to get this right. We remain committed to working with indigenous governments and with communities, provinces, and territories, and other key partners to end the unacceptable rates of violence against indigenous women and girls.

We have received the interim report. The Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs is undertaking that review. She has also met with the independent commissioners. We will be responding to the interim report.

At the end of the day, this government is determined to end the violence that has been perpetrated against indigenous women and girls in our country. This is the reason we have committed to this process, and have committed nearly $54 million to support this process over the past two years.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 7:37 p.m.)