House of Commons Hansard #272 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was women.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer is trying to ascertain where all of this supposed infrastructure, now non-infrastructure, money is going. He wrote this in his report just last week:
Budget 2018 provides an incomplete account of the changes to the Government’s $186.7 billion infrastructure spending plan.
The Parliamentary Budget Officer requested a new plan, but it does not exist. How is it even possible to spend $186 billion without a plan?
Amarjeet Sohi LiberalMinister of Infrastructure and Communities
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite would not understand what an infrastructure plan is, because they never had one. We put forward a plan that is helping us build a better public transportation system. The City of Halifax has purchased 20 buses with our plan, buses that are improving service in that community. For the first time in the history of Red Deer, we are investing in that community to improve the public transportation system. In communities that have been ignored by the previous government, we are building—
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, I asked what the plan is to spend $180 billion on infrastructure, and he says, “We have 20 buses.” Congratulations. Now we know the Liberal plan. How much does that work out to per bus?
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Order. We have heard the question. I know members want to hear the answer, but we cannot hear any answers unless we listen. I know members are anxious to behave in a proper fashion in this House. Order, or else we will have a shorter question period.
The hon. Minister of Infrastructure and Communities has the floor.
Amarjeet Sohi LiberalMinister of Infrastructure and Communities
Mr. Speaker, the opposition may find it funny, but it is very important for people in Halifax and people in Red Deer and to understand that those buses are improving their quality of life. It is helping to reduce gridlock in those communities, helping to get students from home to university or colleges, and getting workers home safely to their families. That is the importance of those investments.
It is so sad to see that the opposition members do not understand that critical transportation infrastructure is for communities.
Pierre Nantel NDP Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC
Mr. Speaker, since everyone seems to be in a good mood, let me say that last week, the Minister of Canadian Heritage finally said what everyone in the cultural community has been waiting two years to hear about web giants. That is great, but let us hope that her boss agrees.
When the government decided to approve the sale of the great Maison de Radio-Canada, many feared that its unique collections would be lost. The recent decision to destroy 150,000 discs did little to put anyone's mind at ease. What about the props, sets, and extensive archives in Radio-Canada's custody?
I realize that Radio-Canada is an independent corporation, but is the Minister of Canadian Heritage being kept abreast of how these public collections are being disposed of?
Mélanie Joly LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, as my colleague mentioned, CBC/Radio Canada operates independently. That being said, we are always prepared to support any good initiative from the sector to protect our heritage. We will have the opportunity to engage in good discussions with sector stakeholders.
Tracey Ramsey NDP Essex, ON
Mr. Speaker, our francophone culture is being threatened by the web giants that the Liberal government refuses to subject to the same rules as Canadian businesses. Our culture is also being threatened by certain free trade agreements. The Liberals like to brag about standing up for our culture in negotiations.
If that is true, then why is the TPP cultural exemption in a side letter and not in the main agreement?
Mélanie Joly LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, protecting the cultural exemption is a priority for our government, as demonstrated by our negotiation of the Asia-Pacific trade agreement. Unlike the previous government, we really have stood up for our cultural institutions. We obtained unanimous agreement from all member countries to guarantee the protection of our culture. We will always defend our cultural sovereignty, even when it comes to the Internet.
James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB
Mr. Speaker, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali is the most dangerous peacekeeping mission in the world. One hundred and sixty-two peacekeepers have been killed since 2014. The reality is that Mali is a war zone, and there is no peace to keep. General Roméo Dallaire said, back in 2016, “I wouldn't touch Mali with a 10-foot pole.” He is talking from experience, after living through the UN debacle in Rwanda, with awful rules of engagement and bureaucratic chains of command.
Will the Prime Minister come clean about the UN rules of engagement and the chain of command our troops are going to be under in this dangerous mission in Mali?
Harjit S. Sajjan LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, the safety of our Canadian Armed Forces members is the utmost priority. As I have always stated, anywhere we send our members, we make sure that they have, with the proper mandate, the appropriate equipment, the appropriate training, and the rules of engagement. The rules of engagement are set out by the chief of the defence staff, and the right of self-defence is always there. We are proud of our commitment that we made yesterday.
James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB
Mr. Speaker, General Dallaire is not the only person with major issues about this deployment. Aileen Carroll, a former Liberal minister of international cooperation, stated that the Mali mission is “wrong-headed” and “folly”, and that “There is no peace to keep.” She understands the danger and the risk of this deadly peacekeeping mission. Will the Prime Minister admit that the UN deployment is more about his personal political aspirations than it is in Canada's national interest?
Harjit S. Sajjan LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, since the member opposite is quoting members like Roméo Dallaire, I had the privilege of asking Roméo Dallaire and Louise Arbour to accompany me on my fact-finding mission to Africa, five different countries, where I got to learn from their experience. We have taken that into account. We have also taken into account the experts. We also know that we cannot be secure at home if we are not engaged in the world, and that is exactly what we are doing.
Pierre Paul-Hus Conservative Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC
Mr. Speaker, it is perfectly clear that on Friday, while he was travelling in Florida, the Prime Minister decided on a whim that we had to rehabilitate our image and send soldiers to Africa. We are going to Mali. However, there is no peace to keep in Mali; it is a war zone.
Can the Prime Minister confirm that Mali is a war zone, yes or no?
Chrystia Freeland LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, Canada has a long tradition of co-operation and leadership on the international stage. Canadians can be proud of the initiatives led by Canada that contribute to peace and security and increase the effectiveness of UN peacekeeping operations. That includes Canada's contribution of expertise and capacity where we can make a difference. Today, it is in Mali.
Pierre Paul-Hus Conservative Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Minister of Foreign Affairs for her answer, but the issue is that Mali is currently a theatre of war. There is no peace there. Things are becoming quite chaotic over there, which always happens with the United Nations. When the United Nations oversees military operations, it is always chaos.
Are we sending Canadian troops into a country that is at war and descending into chaos, yes or no?
Chrystia Freeland LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, I want to reassure all Canadians that the lives of our Canadian military personnel are absolutely precious. Our decision to take on this mission was carefully thought out and we intend to take the time to diligently plan the deployment. We appreciate the service of the members of our military. Our government will do everything in its power to ensure that Canadians can make a real contribution to world peace in as prudent a manner as possible.
François Choquette NDP Drummond, QC
Mr. Speaker, more and more translation errors are being found in federal government tendering documents. Here are some concrete examples. Imagine bidding on contracts for “Computers for the Department d'Affaires autochtones” or “générator - entretien”. The Minister of Public Services and Procurement promised to resolve this problem. We are still waiting to find out whether it will be made mandatory for the department to use the services of the Translation Bureau.
Who does the minister trust, Google Translate or the Translation Bureau?
Carla Qualtrough LiberalMinister of Public Services and Procurement
Mr. Speaker, our government takes its official languages responsibilities very seriously. These poor translations are unacceptable. We expect good-quality French to be used on Public Services and Procurement Canada's websites. Our government recognizes the importance of communicating in both official languages, and we support the act that governs them. I have asked the department to review its internal processes and find solutions so that this type of thing does not happen again.
Daniel Blaikie NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB
Mr. Speaker, many children outside Quebec have no choice but to attend an English school because all the census asks is whether French is their mother tongue. However, the Charter also guarantees access to French-language education to children who have a parent or sibling who went to school in French. The Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones is asking that all of these questions be included in the census.
Will the Liberals make the necessary changes?
Mélanie Joly LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, our official languages and the vitality of our linguistic communities are both extremely important to our government. There is good news in the most recent budget. It allocates $400 million for a new official languages action plan. Language rights, the vitality of linguistic communities, and access to services are priorities for us. I will have some good news to announce in the House in the coming days.
Dan Vandal Liberal Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB
Mr. Speaker, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital is one of the most vibrant francophone communities in Canada. In schools and community centres, francophone minority communities continue to work to ensure that people can live their lives in French. Budget 2018 includes $400 million to support the vitality of our official languages, particularly by addressing priorities such as immigration, education, and the media.
Can the Minister of Canadian Heritage update the House on our government's official languages projects?
Mélanie Joly LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Saint Boniface—Saint Vital for his question. I would also like to wish him a happy International Day of La Francophonie. In the same vein as my response earlier, I am pleased to announce that on March 28, we will be unveiling our new action plan for official languages.
After 10 years of inaction by the Conservative government, we plan to take concrete steps to support official language minority communities. I hope all members in the House will join me and my colleagues because we want to send a clear message about the importance of bilingualism in Canada—