Debates of April 18th, 2018

International Trade

[Tracey Ramsey, NDP, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is holding its breath as Donald Trump threatens to remove steel and aluminum tariff exemptions on May 1 unless NAFTA is signed to his liking.

The minister is headed to Washington with only six out of 30 chapters negotiated and the idea of an agreement in principle being floated. What exactly is an agreement in principle and what will we give up to achieve it? Will it be brought before the House to be debated and voted on, or will Canadians be bound for another 25 years with a NAFTA that puts profits before protection of our environment, our sovereignty, and working people?

[Andrew Leslie, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada-U.S. Relations)]

Mr. Speaker, we have worked with U.S. counterparts for months now to ensure that at every level our position is fully understood and that Canada is exempt from these tariffs.

The Prime Minister has raised this question directly with the President, as has the minister with her opposite numbers, as have I, and as have a variety of Liberals members of the House when they do their good work down in Washington on a variety of visits.

We will continue to advocate for a full exemption. I can assure the member opposite that we will always stand up for Canadian workers and Canadian values.

Public Safety

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when firefighters, police officers, and paramedics put their safety on the line in service to all Canadians, when their work leads to the ultimate sacrifice, their families deserve our support in return.

Could the Minister of Public Safety tell us how the government is upholding the commitment that we made to Canadians to support the families of fallen public security officers?

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

Mr. Speaker, we promised to create a non-taxable compensation benefit of $300,000 for the families of police officers, firefighters, and paramedics who died in the line of duty. As of this month, the memorial grant program is now in effect.

First responders put themselves at risk every day to keep our communities safe. From now on they can go to work secure in the knowledge that if tragedy strikes, this federal program will be there to help support their families.

Finance

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on page 75 of its electoral platform, the Liberal Party made the following promise: “We will raise the bar on fiscal transparency.” However, what they are actually doing is raising the bar on fiscal secrecy. The President of the Treasury Board is proposing a $7-billion budget, but he is not quite sure of what he is going to do with it. He wants us to vote for it, but that would be like signing a blank cheque for $7 billion. He wants us to trust him and trust that he knows how to spend the money.

Why would we trust people who cannot do math and only know how to spend, spend, spend?

[Scott Brison, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, we are proud of the changes made to the main estimates in order to enhance transparency and deliver timely results for Canadians. They include a new budget implementation vote, the funding details of which are set out in table A2.11 of budget 2018. That level of detail for every single budget measure is unprecedented. These changes are going to deliver real results for Canadians.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I will be a good sport and congratulate the minister once again on all his efforts to speak French.

Niceties aside, it is hard to take him seriously when he talks about public finances. Those folks over there were elected on a promise to run small deficits, but deficits are three times larger than planned. They also promised a zero deficit in 2019, but they actually have no idea when we will return to a balanced budget. Today they want us to simply trust them with $7 billion. The answer is no.

Why is the government being so secretive?

[Scott Brison, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, we will take no lessons from the Conservatives on budget transparency. The fact is that it was the Conservative government that took millions of dollars from the border infrastructure fund to use to pay for fake lakes and gazebos hundreds of kilometres away from the border.

We have ensured that our funding is strictly tied to the list of initiatives described in a detailed table in our budget. We are proud of this major step toward fiscal accountability. We will continue to ensure we do the—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Carleton.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Says the President of the Treasury Board who was the greatest defender of the sponsorship scandal anywhere in Canada, Mr. Speaker.

He now expects us to believe that the novel he held up, which he calls his “budget book”, has any legal weight in restricting on what the government spends this $7 billion no-strings-attached Liberal slush fund.

What crisis justifies giving those Liberal ministers the power to spend that money with no restrictions right in an election year?

[Scott Brison, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, that hon. member was part of the cabinet where the president of the Treasury Board, the member for Parry Sound—Muskoka, actually took funds from a border infrastructure fund to put gazebos in his riding.

Beyond that, if the hon. member would look at the main estimates, he would find that the inclusion of the $7 billion budget implementation is for measures approved and identified in Table A2.11 of budget 2018. Every detail is in there.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, what is not in there is legal enforceability.

The legislation does not clearly restrict the power of that group of Liberal politicians on the Treasury Board to move that $7 billion between and among priorities that have not been approved by Parliament. Governments can only spend what Parliament has approved and only on the specific purposes approved. Except this slush fund will allow the Liberals to move the money wherever they want.

How is that accountable to taxpayers?

[Scott Brison, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, just about everything the hon. member has said is wrong. The fact is that he can go to Table A2.11 and he will see line by line items, detailed descriptions of these funds and where they will be invested for Canadians.

Let us be very clear. We will continue to invest for Canadians. That is what has created 600,000 new jobs for Canadians in the last two years and that is what has created the best growth in the G7. We are going to keep on investing in Canadians and being transparent with Parliament as we do it.

Natural Resources

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals go on and on about Kinder Morgan being in the national interest. Do members know what is in the national interest? Protecting our coastal economy. Do members know what else is in the national interest? Protecting our marine environment.

The proposed Kinder Morgan pipeline will mean a sevenfold increase in tanker traffic. These tankers will be filled with diluted bitumen. Do members know what is not in the Liberals' so-called oceans protection plan? Technology to clean up toxic dilbit.

When will the Prime Minister put an end to this charade and protect our coast?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, that sevenfold increase is from five to 35 a month, so one tanker a day.

The $1.5 billion oceans protection plan strengthens the eyes and the ears of the Coast Guard to ensure better communication with vessels. It adds new radar sites in strategic locations. It puts more enforcement officers on the coast. It adds more primary environmental response teams to bolster Coast Guard capacity. It invests in new technology. We are conducting scientific research to make cleanups more effective. We reopened the Kitsilano Coast Guard station that was—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley.

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

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the Kinder Morgan crisis, the Prime Minister is actually uniting the country, but not the way he thinks, because whether one is an oil worker in Alberta or an environmentalist in British Columbia, everyone can now agree that he screwed this thing up right from the very beginning. There has been no meaningful consultation with first nations, no credible environmental review, and no oil spill cleanup plan.

From the British Parliament to British Columbia, folks want to know when the Liberals are going to finally keep their promise to people on the planet.

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, in addition to the oceans protection plan, there will be additional funding for Western Canada Marine Response, which will provide marine safety. It played a critical role in our decision in this project, and is facilitating an investment of $150 million to establish six new response bases in British Columbia, 135 new personnel, 43 new vessels, including spill response craft and barges. All new personnel, facilities, and equipment will be in place several months before there is any increase in traffic associated with the expansion.

Foreign Affairs

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Mississauga—Erin Mills excused her words at an event featuring a notorious apologist for the war crimes of Syrian President Assad, an event hosted by Palestine House, long associated with anti-Israel extremism and terror, by saying that she was only meeting with a diverse array of individuals.

Diversity does not excuse pandering to extremist organizations in the Prime Minister's name. Again, will the Prime Minister renounce this unacceptable solicitation of votes?

[Matt DeCourcey, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we have been abundantly clear that we oppose and condemn the murderous Assad regime and its indiscriminate violence perpetrated against its own civilians, including the use of chemical weapons. Equally, we have said many times that we are a friend of Israel and a friend of the Palestinian people, and that Canada is committed to the goal of a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in the Middle East, including the creation of a Palestinian state living side by side at peace with Israel.

I know that these are positions which my colleague, the member on this side of the floor, shares as well.

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this is not the first example of the government looking the other way when Liberal MPs seek electoral support and funding from groups associated with extremism and terror. Government funding of Palestine House was cut by our previous Conservative government six years ago for just these reasons.

Again, will the Prime Minister distance himself from this outrageous tribute made in his name?

[Matt DeCourcey, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I just stated clearly the position of this government. It has been the position for a long time: clear condemnation of the indiscriminate violence perpetrated by the murderous Assad regime, and that we are friends of Israel and remain friends of the Palestinian people.

The member, too, has publicly condemned the recent attacks perpetrated by the Assad regime, and she has worked hard on these issues as a member on international human rights. Equally, she has done tireless work tackling issues of discrimination in all forms, including anti-Semitism. We applaud the work that she has done on this side of the floor. They are positions that this government believes in.

Justice

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, first-degree murder charges against notorious gang leader Nick Chan were thrown out of court due to delay.

The Minister of Justice claims that she is appointing judges, but after a year and a half, only one out of 10 new judicial spots created to stem the backlog in Alberta's courts has been filled. This is worse than inaction. This is negligence.

Will the minister take responsibility for the release of this dangerous criminal?

[Jody Wilson-Raybould, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, our government has taken responsibility by moving forward with criminal justice reform that keeps communities safe, protects victims, and holds offenders to account. By way of introducing Bill C-75, we have fulfilled a commitment to bring forward substantive reform to the criminal justice system that will fundamentally address delays, if passed.

Further to that, I take my responsibility of appointing superior court justices incredibly seriously. One hundred and sixty-seven have been appointed, with 27 appointed in Alberta. We will continue to appoint judges to ensure that all vacancies are filled.

Indigenous Affairs

[Paul Lefebvre, Liberal, Sudbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in Ontario, 25 remote first nations communities depend on diesel as their sole source of electricity. This source is neither viable nor reliable. It is also extremely expensive.

Recently, the hon. Minister of Indigenous Services announced a historic partnership that would not only allow for reliable and clean power generation but would also contribute to economic development and infrastructure opportunities in first nations communities.

Would the hon. minister please share with this House the benefits of this project?