Debates of April 25th, 2018

Natural Resources

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has always produced the most responsible oil in the world, and the Liberals' ongoing attacks are collapsing confidence in Canadian energy investment and in our country's reputation. The bottom line is this: The Liberals are paying people to “stop the Kinder Morgan pipeline”. Chief Ernie Crey of the Cheam First Nation said, “Our young people every day come to me and say, ‘I want to get trained. I want a job'” with the Trans Mountain pipeline.

Why is the Prime Minister undermining Canada's national interest and funding anti-energy activists to kill indigenous aspirations, thousands of jobs, and the Trans Mountain expansion?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is quite something to watch these guys—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. Members do not seem to understand that one side gets to ask the questions and the other side gets to have its say as well. Each side gets to have its say. It is a democracy, and we have to listen in spite of not liking what we hear sometimes. Let us show a little respect for this institution, please, including the hon. House leader of the opposition.

The right hon. Prime Minister has the floor.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we see that the Conservatives learned nothing in the last election campaign. They continue to try to invent and torque things, and to attack their opponents and demonize everyone as they try to make things happen. It did not work. It failed miserably. You underestimate Canadians' intelligence when you treat them like children and try to scare them into supporting you.

Sorry, Mr. Speaker, not you, but them.

We are going to take Canadians seriously.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

We are all adults here, so let us act like adults.

The hon. member for Carleton.

Employment

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Waupoos Farm is a charity in my riding that provides free vacations to poor families that could not otherwise afford one. The Prime Minister cut its summer jobs funding this year because it refused to attest to supporting his ideology, and yet today he claims that an organization that seeks a summer student for the express purpose to “stop the Kinder Morgan pipeline” gets the money under the Prime Minister's defence of free speech.

Why does free speech only apply to those trying to kill Canadian jobs and not to those trying to help the less fortunate?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I remind all hon. members and the Prime Minister to address comments to the Chair.

The right hon. Prime Minister.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party of Canada is the party of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and we will always stand up to defend Canadians' charter rights. Organizations that cannot ensure that they will abide by the principles in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and that indeed will work to take away the charter rights of Canadians, will not get funding from this government.

I know the members opposite do not like that, because it means standing up for women's rights and reproductive rights, but it also means we will be unequivocal in always standing up to defend the charter rights of all Canadians.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we just witnessed the Prime Minister accuse the Waupoos Farm of attacking the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This is an organization that provides low-income families with a rare recreational opportunity, the chance to have a vacation that they could not otherwise afford. It does not impose any values of any kind on those families. Waupoos Farm invites them and gives them an opportunity to recreate together and grow.

Why is it that the Prime Minister is prepared to support funding for jobs for organizations that are taking away opportunities from Canadians, but not for those trying to help the less fortunate?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, no matter how the members opposite try to spin it, the Liberal Party and this government will always stand up for charter rights. This is something that is ingrained in what we feel a government's responsibility is.

Under the Harper's Conservatives, we saw them regularly de-funding the court challenges program, put forward pieces of legislation that they knew was non-charter compliant. We are simply saying that if organizations want to move forward and get funding from the government, they need to demonstrate they are supporting the charter. I think that is a minimal thing we can expect of any organization we fund.

Status of Women

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Mr. Speaker, not only has the government allocated insufficient funding to combat sexual assault on Canadian university campuses, but the UN has also criticized the government's general inaction on the issue of violence against women. According to a United Nations report, resources are seriously lacking and there are not enough shelters for victims. The problem is systemic, and the Liberals' piecemeal approach does nothing to solve it.

Will the government stop simply talking about being a feminist government and actually take meaningful action to protect women who are victims of violence?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we understand how important it is to tackle gender-based violence, which is why budget 2018 allocates $5.5 million to improve access to on-campus centres for the prevention of sexual harassment. We also committed $86 million to develop a broader strategy to prevent and tackle gender-based violence. We understand that we still have a lot more to do, but we are here to fight for gender equality and protect everyone from violence.

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

Mr. Speaker, that spending is years away.

We hear a lot of talk from the Prime Minister, but there is still so much to do on gender equality. This week, the UN special rapporteur on violence against women called out the government for its lack of action to end violence against women. Today, women from 20 countries called on G7 leaders to drop the feminist platitudes and take real action that would change the lives of women now.

The feminists I know get stuff done, so when will the Prime Minister drop the fake feminism and take real action for women today in Canada?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I very much understand where the member opposite is coming from. However, I would exhort her to remember that everyone can be allies as we move forward in the fight for more gender equality. That level of judgment is not something that is serving Canadians or the world.

I was proud to sit down with leaders in the W7, just at lunch today, to talk about how we could do more, and we must do more, on gender-based violence, and on promoting true equality and equity around the world. There is much to do, and we are proud we are having this conversation, and leading in this conversation.

Natural Resources

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has, in his own words, told Canadians that he plans to phase out the energy sector, having already driven out $87 billion in investments, destroying investor confidence in Canada, and putting jobs and communities at risk. However, that was not enough.

Could the Prime Minister explain to Canadians why he is using taxpayer money to fund professional protestors whose job description is to kill the Kinder Morgan pipeline?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, what we all remember from the years of the Harper government are the organizations that were de-funded because the government disagreed with them, whether it was KAIROS, whether it was a range of court challenge programs, or whether it was other organizations that were labelled as eco-terrorist. That Conservative Party is consistent in trying to shutdown anyone who dares to disagree with it. Know what? Canadians shut the Conservatives down by excluding them from government.

We respect the rights of Canadians to hold a diversity of opinions. We will defend the charter.

[Kevin Sorenson, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, no one believes the Prime Minister is supportive of Canada's energy industry. Last week, when he was in France, he mourned the fact that he could not phase it out fast enough. Now we have documents that prove that the Prime Minister is using taxpayer dollars to fund professional protestors against the Kinder Morgan pipeline.

When will the Prime Minister just admit that he is using taxpayer money to fund the protestors and to fund his plan to shutdown the Alberta energy sector?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, part of the reason why the Conservatives under Stephen Harper, and they continue with the same approach, were not able to get a single kilometre of pipeline toward new markets built was because they did not understand that respecting a broad range of voices in the country, encouraging people to express their views and working with them instead of shutting them down is the way to ensure we can move forward as a united country that both gets that growing economy and protecting the environment must go together in the 21st century.

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

Mr. Speaker, deep down, the Prime Minister hates and despises Canadian oil. He said that he wants to phase it out as soon as possible, that that process is moving too slowly in his view. Things may be moving too slowly, but the Prime Minister's attitude is harming the economy. Investment has tumbled by $80 billion, 125,000 jobs have been lost, two pipeline projects have been scuttled, and another is in limbo.

What is the Prime Minister doing to help? He is giving an organization a grant to hire someone, and that organization has posted a job offer for someone to help organize a network to stop the Kinder Morgan pipeline.

Why is the Prime Minister helping those who want to destroy the Canadian economy?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have been in government for nearly two and a half years. In that time, this country has seen economic growth. Indeed, last year's growth was the fastest in the G7. The unemployment rate is at a historic low, and over 600,000 new jobs have been created. We know that we are creating a growing economy, one that respects and protects the environment. That is what Canadians want, especially after 10 years of the Conservatives' pathetic economic performance.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has already killed $87 billion of investment in our energy sector. Now we finally have confirmation that he is actively funding the protest against Kinder Morgan. Here is the posting for the job he is funding, “help our organizing network stop the Kinder Morgan pipeline and tanker project.”

Why is the Prime Minister funding these campaigns against our energy industry?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, again, we remember the Stephen Harper years, of which so many of the members opposite were part, where anyone who dared disagree with official government position was persecuted, marginalized, had funding yanked, was shut down. That was the approach Canadians suffered under for 10 years.

I can understand those members outrage that perhaps we encourage advocacy on a broad range of issues. However, Canada is a country strong not in spite of its differences but because of our differences. We will always support the right of Canadians to express themselves.

International Trade

[Karine Trudel, NDP, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, farmers in Quebec and Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean are troubled by the government's lack of clarity on NAFTA negotiations. The liberals cannot be trusted to prevent our supply management system from being further undermined. In addition to softwood lumber and aluminum, new sectors risk being hit.

Will the government finally commit to fully protecting supply management and the jobs in our other agricultural sectors?