Debates of April 30th, 2018

International Trade

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

Mr. Speaker, our government is a strong supporter and advocate for Canadian steel and aluminum industry workers. We have worked very hard to obtain an exemption from U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum. At this time, open trade is the best way to support U.S. and Canadian jobs. We will continue to stand up for our workers and our industry, as we always do.

[Tracey Ramsey, NDP, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow our time will be up on the temporary tariff exemptions, and our steel and aluminum industry still has no idea what our government is doing about the Trump administration's deadline. We are talking about a 25% tariff on exports to the U.S., starting in less than 24 hours, and yet we have heard nothing about whether the government has reached a deal with the Americans. Workers and communities that depend on the 146,000 steel and aluminum jobs have spent too many sleepless nights worrying about their futures.

Can the minister reassure them that they will not be slapped with U.S. tariffs tomorrow?

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

Mr. Speaker, we have taken important action to defend and support Canadian steel and aluminum workers and industries over the last week. We strengthened our enforcement policies against the diversion and dumping of unfairly priced foreign steel and aluminum into Canada. This includes an additional $30 million for trade remedy enforcement and new powers for the CBSA. We also now have 72 specific trade remedy measures in force on steel and aluminum imports alone. We are also standing up for Canadian steel and aluminum workers. We have done so in the past and will continue to do so in the future.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, social programs across Canada are under severe strain due to tens of thousands of unplanned immigrants illegally crossing into Canada from the United States. Forty per cent in Toronto's homeless shelters are recent asylum claimants. This, food bank usage, and unemployment rates show that many new asylum claimants are not having successful integration experiences.

This begs the question: How many people will the Prime Minister allow to illegally cross the border into Canada this year?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, we commend the City of Toronto, as well as the Province of Ontario, the Province of Quebec, and all Canadians, on their generosity toward newcomers. That is something this country is proud of, and we will always be proud of our tradition.

In terms of asylum processing, making sure that there are minimal impacts on provincial social services, we have provided $74 million to make sure that the Immigration and Refugee Board does its work so that legitimate claimants can move on with their lives and those who do not have legitimate claims can be removed from Canada.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, that was not the question I asked.

This year the sponsorship agreement Canadians who sponsor refugees have to sign was changed to prevent refugee allowances being reduced if a refugee rejects a reasonable job offer and so that self-sufficiency is not a requirement but is aspirational. Leaked drafts of the new citizenship guide remove references that it is the responsibility of new Canadians to find a job.

Our immigration system should value integration, not entitlement. It should be managed to compassion, not to disorder. How many people is the Prime Minister planning to allow to illegally cross the border this year?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, it is very rich for that member to talk about compassion and refugees when Conservatives only had a target of 4,500 in the privately sponsored refugee program. We more than quadrupled that program to 18,000. That member should never talk about settlement and integration, because they slashed settlement and integration money for newcomers. We are investing more than $1 billion in settlement and integration for newcomers. Last but not least, they should never talk about immigration processing, because under that party, when it was in government, wait times for legitimate immigrants ballooned.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after failing to take action for more than a year, the Liberals finally recognize that it is illegal to cross the border illegally. Bravo. However, they have no plan to end this crisis that they created. As usual, they are blaming others and accusing those who have legitimate concerns of being divisive and alarmist. We expect that there will be a record number of illegal border crossings this summer. Quebec is asking for help.

The question is simple: what is the Liberals' plan for stopping the migrant crisis at the border?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite wants to convince Canadians that Conservatives are serious about the border, when they cut $400 million from CBSA. The party opposite wants to pretend that it cares about immigration processing. What was its record under its system? Wait lines ballooned with spouses, with travellers, with visa applicants, with refugees, and with the live-in caregiver program. We have done so much to reinvest in those programs to make sure that wait times come down, and we have reinvested in border security.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals do not have a plan or a real answer. That is not surprising since, on Twitter, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour accused those who want to ensure the integrity of our immigration system and put an end to this unprecedented immigration crisis created by the Liberals of stoking fear and condoning violence. As usual, the Liberals do not have any answers and are saying that those who are asking legitimate questions are bigots, racists, or what have you.

Does the Prime Minister agree with his labour minister? Is that what he thinks of all of the Quebeckers who are understandably concerned about the illegal immigration crisis at our border? Will he apologize for those remarks? That is unacceptable.

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, we will never apologize for our welcoming nature in Canada. We will always make sure that Canadian law is respected as well as meet our international obligations.

Our record speaks for itself. We have invested $173 million in border security operations as well as faster processing of refugee claims. What is irresponsible is cutting $400 million from border security and pretending to care about the border.

Taxation

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it seems like everyone, including the MPs on the other side of the floor, are starting to get why it is so important that web giants pay their fair share. I guess the Liberal government is not listening to its own MPs, because instead of making the web giants pay their fair share, it keeps signing sweetheart deals. With countries around the world moving to tax web giants, why is the government not doing the same?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we do believe that it is important that we keep our tax system up to date with the changing norms of business. What we are doing is working together with other countries around the world. The OECD has been looking at how we can coordinate our taxation approach for large digital companies. That report came first to the G7 and G20 in the last months. We are expecting a further report in the next year to year and a half that will inform us on how we can do it together collaboratively to make sure that we do tax these organizations appropriately.

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is pathetic when the government resorts to pretending that it does not understand.

Last week, Liberal parliamentarians recommended that the government ensure that web giants collect GST, something that almost every OECD country is doing. I therefore asked the Minister of Finance whether he was going to listen to his colleagues' recommendations. I was told that the government would work with our OECD colleagues. The OECD has been recommending this course of action since 2015. We are not talking about corporate taxes, Mr. Minister of Finance. We are talking about GST.

Are you doing this on purpose or what?

[The Speaker, Geoff Regan]

I would remind the hon. member to direct his comments to the Chair.

The hon. Minister of Finance.

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, it is very important to consider taxes in concert with other countries, especially when it comes to international corporations. We need to consider taking an approach that will truly work in the future. That is why we are working with the other countries, the OECD, on finding the best way forward for the future.

The Environment

[Churence Rogers, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

Mr. Speaker, this week the leader of the Conservative Party admitted that he, like Harper, has no real plan to protect the environment or grow the economy. Meanwhile, a new analysis from our government shows that a price on carbon is the foundation of any serious climate plan, cutting pollution in a way that is equivalent to shutting down 20 coal plants. Can the parliamentary secretary share with this House the positive impacts our plan to put a price on pollution will have for the environment and the economy?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians made a choice in 2015 to grow the economy while protecting the environment, something Stephen Harper could never do. Our plan to put a price on carbon pollution will reduce emissions, drive innovation, and help Canada compete in a global market for a clean solution, one that will be worth trillions of dollars.

The Conservatives do not want to take action on climate change. They want to go back to the failed Harper Conservative approach by doing nothing to address climate change or to achieve our targets. We know that their approach does not work. Their poor economic and environmental records prove it.

Natural Resources

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, investment is leaving Canada under the Prime Minister. Scotiabank said, “Reliance on the existing pipeline network and rail shipments to bring Canadian oil to market has a demonstrable impact on Canada’s well-being, with consequences that extend well beyond Alberta.” BMO warns that the pipeline crisis sends a message that it is difficult to develop Canadian resources and will limit “revenues, tax...investment, production” and development. Why is the Prime Minister chasing billions in investments, jobs, and indigenous opportunities from Canada into the United States?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was in Fort McMurray, and so was the Minister of Infrastructure, and we listened to workers at Fort McMurray. They actually came from every nook and cranny of the country working in the oil sands. They understand better than everybody else how important the energy sector is for families in virtually every region of the country.

The member knows that we approved the Trans Mountain expansion pipeline for all the reasons she would agree with: jobs, expansion of export markets, and investor certainty.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Business Council of B.C. says that the TMX delay is a “crisis of confidence” in Canada's regulatory processes, with far-reaching implications. Canada has always had the world's highest standards for energy and environmental regulation. However, the Prime Minister has killed over 6,600 kilometres of pipeline and driven over $80 billion in energy investment out of Canada in less than one term.

RBC warns that capital is fleeing Canada in real time, and “if we don’t keep the capital here, we can’t keep the people here ”.

When will the Prime Minister finally champion Canadian energy?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

How about pretty well every day, Mr. Speaker.

It is remarkable what the members opposite do not want to hear. They do not want to listen to what we say when we talk about the oceans protection plan. They do not want to listen to us when we talk about working with indigenous communities. They do not want to listen to us when we talk about the pipelines we have approved, so it is very selective hearing and revisionist history.

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has not done that. He repeated in Paris that he wants to phase out the energy sector.

Canadian pipelines are built with Canadian steel. The Ontario steel industry supplies some of the best quality green steel available. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister has committed over and over again to shutting down our energy sector. We have lost more than $80 billion due to his failed policies.

No Canadian pipe means no Canadian steel and no Canadian jobs. Why is the Prime Minister killing good manufacturing jobs in Canada and in Ontario by phasing out our energy sector?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I guess the member opposite was not listening. He was not listening to what the Prime Minister has said and what we say every day. He is not listening to the number of pipeline approvals and why. He is not listening to the importance the natural resource sector continues to play in the Canadian economy.

It does not matter if the Conservatives are not listening. We will continue to repeat that message every day.

[Ron Liepert, Conservative, Calgary Signal Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, today is the last day of April, exactly one month until Kinder Morgan will make its decision on whether it proceeds with Trans Mountain or whether it ends up in the graveyard of pipeline failures, like northern gateway and energy east. At the same time, when the Minister of Natural Resources wants to talk about what we are listening to, we are listening to the Prime Minister talk about phasing out the oil sands, and we are watching as the Liberals are funding summer student jobs to protest against pipelines.

What does the minister not just admit that this was all part of the Prime Minister's plan to get rid of the energy sector in Canada?