Debates of May 11th, 2018

National Defence

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, the member for Mississauga—Lakeshore, for his important work on the national defence committee.

Canada and the U.S. stand shoulder to shoulder in defence of peace and security. NORAD is a cornerstone of our defence relationship in North America. That is why NORAD's importance is highlighted in Canada's new defence policy.

I invite all members of the House to recognize the 60th anniversary of NORAD and the contributions made by Canadian and U.S. armed forces members who defend our shared continent.

Taxation

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Donald Trump wants to take Canadian money and Canadian jobs, and the government is helping him.

Since the Liberals took office, Canadian investment in the U.S. is up two-thirds and American investment in Canada is down by half. Now the head of the C.D. Howe think tank, which used to be headed by the finance minister, said, “For every dollar of new investment enjoyed by the average U.S. worker in 2017, a Canadian worker enjoyed a mere 59 cents.”

Magna International says that high taxes and regulations will make it even harder to keep jobs in Canada.

Why will the government not get taxes down and stand up for Canadian workers instead of trying so hard to make America great again?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I want to reassure the member that Canada is the best place to do business. It is highly competitive and we will make sure it remains competitive. Last week's A.T. Kearney study ranked Canada number two in foreign direct investment confidence. It is the highest in our history.

In the last year on which we have data, we have the highest level of foreign direct investment as a share of our GDP. Our taxes are among the lowest in the OECD. We will make sure that in the long term we make the investments that the Conservatives failed to make in skilled labour, infrastructure, innovation, and science. They left us not only with $150 billion more debt, but with a huge deficit in vision—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Carleton.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, actually, foreign investment in Canada has nosedived since the government took office. In 2017, it was much lower than it was way back in 2014, and that is even before we adjust for inflation.

Higher taxes, more regulation, and stifling government interference are driving down Canadian investment. We know that when the money leaves, the jobs are soon to follow.

Why does the government not finally defend Canadian interests and Canadian jobs, stand up to Donald Trump, and put our economy first?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, after the Conservatives offered for a decade the lowest growth in GDP since since Mackenzie King, after they offered Canadians for a decade the lowest job creation since 1946, after they offered to Canadians the worst growth in exports since the Second World War, it is hard to take them credibly on any topic when it comes to the economy.

However, our results speak for themselves. In the last two years, the Canadian economy has created over 600,000 jobs, most of them full time. We have the fastest growth in the G7. We will continue to work for Canada's prosperity in the long term so that Canada remains competitive.

Housing

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Vancouver Board of Trade released a damning report saying, “If affordability and investment competitiveness are not addressed, Greater Vancouver runs the risk of becoming an international bedroom community.” The Liberals' mortgage changes have made it harder for first-time homebuyers to buy a house, and that is before they hike up payroll and carbon taxes. This is making life less affordable for those who cannot even afford their rent.

Why is the government dead set on making the market simply out of reach for first-time homebuyers?

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to housing, the member opposite might want to take a look at the headlines in British Columbia this morning. Yesterday the minister announced $90 million, 2,000 new and affordable housing units. Victoria is on the verge of ending chronic homelessness as a direct result of the national housing strategy being spent into cities, creating the affordability to which the previous government turned a blind eye.

The previous government invested less money in housing than any other federal government in the history of the country, and it was taking money out of the affordable housing system. We have invested. We have spoken to those issues. We have a 10-year plan and $40 billion. Help is on the way because the member's government was defeated.

Public Safety

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government made an irresponsible decision about fire safety in maximum security penitentiaries like the Donnacona facility.

This government's priority should be the safety of Canadians and the workers who protect our society. This new measure endangers the lives of correctional officers.

Does the Prime Minister realize that he is jeopardizing the lives of valuable state employees by increasing response times? Why cut internal fire services? What are the lives of our penitentiary employees worth?

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

Mr. Speaker, Correctional Service of Canada is very aware of this situation and is working assiduously with the union and with its internal resources to ensure that fire protection services and standards are more than adequate to meet the challenges they face. It is very important to make sure our public safety officers who work in the correctional system are safe and secure, as well as the people to whom they tend.

Marijuana

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, we are just weeks away from the Liberals' July 1 deadline for legalizing cannabis and Canadians are left with serious questions. The Liberals cannot explain what Canadians can expect at the U.S. border. They risk being barred from entry for life for participating in a legal act.

The AFN says the government has failed to respect first nations sovereignty or ensure the meaningful participation of indigenous communities in the cannabis market.

With time running out, when will the Liberals provide real solutions to these critical issues?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and to the Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as we have said many times, our government is legalizing, strictly regulating, and restricting access to cannabis with very clear policy goals in mind to do a better job of protecting our kids and keeping the profits of this illicit business out of the hands of criminals.

We have been working very extensively with community partners across Canada and around the world. We have been working with the provinces and territories in developing regulatory frameworks to help us achieve these important public purposes.

We now have a bill before the Senate and we are looking forward to its passage and royal assent so that we can begin the important work of an orderly implementation of a new regulatory regime that will help us protect our kids, protect our communities, and—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Trois-Rivières.

Transportation

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the victims in Yamachiche are angry about the Minister of Transport's lack of transparency. After my request to see the Yamachiche incident report was denied, I went through the Access to Information Act to get it. My request was postponed once, and since then I have not heard anything back. Now that five months have gone by, I have to file a complaint with the Information Commissioner to get an answer and to get the report tabled.

Seriously, what could be in this report that is making them treat it like a national defence secret?

[Karen McCrimmon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the member that we are in the process of creating a secure and safe transportation system. We have invested in the Canadian Navigable Waters Act. We are aware of certain situations and we are working hard to make sure that they are addressed in a timely manner.

Natural Resources

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

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Natural Resources claims that the Liberals will come to a financial agreement to get the Trans Mountain expansion built, even though his certitude is based on an option being discussed just 10 sitting days before the deadline.

Most Canadians oppose spending money to camouflage the Prime Minister's incompetence on the energy file, which is costing Canadians $2 million an hour in lost revenue.

When will the Prime Minister stop abusing and misleading taxpayers and finally clear the way to get the Trans Mountain pipeline built?

[Kim Rudd, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives had 10 years to build a pipeline to ship Canada's resources to new global markets. They built zero. The Conservatives had 10 years to consult indigenous and local communities. They ignored them. The Conservatives had 10 years to rally the country around the need for new pipeline capacity to end the discount on landlocked Canadian crude. They did not. The Conservatives had 10 years to address environmental concerns. They failed.

We will take no lessons from that party on how to champion resource projects.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised to introduce legislation to confirm federal authority over Trans Mountain, but his natural resources minister is not sure that this legislation will ever actually be introduced. Meanwhile, the Fraser Institute has confirmed that the lack of pipelines will cost us about $16 billion this year alone.

Is the Prime Minister making more promises he has no intention of keeping, or will he actually back up his words with legislation?

[Kim Rudd, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, the TMX project is of vital strategic interest to Canada, and it will be built.

Our government has initiated formal financial discussions with Kinder Morgan, the results of which will be to remove uncertainty from the project. We are also actively pursuing legislative options that will assert and reinforce the federal jurisdiction in this matter, which we clearly have.

Hundreds of thousands of hard-working Canadians depend on this project being built. Protecting our environment and growing our economy are not opposing values. On the contrary, each makes the other possible.

[Bob Benzen, Conservative, Calgary Heritage, AB]

Mr. Speaker, media reports say the Prime Minister will not guarantee legislation he promised to re-assert federal authority over the Trans Mountain pipeline and get this project built. Legislation is now only being called an option.

With few sitting days left before Kinder Morgan's deadline, it is now clear the Prime Minister only intended his promise to mislead Canadians that he was taking action to get himself out of a jam.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Is this another Liberal broken promise, and if not, then where is the legislation?

[Kim Rudd, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, the Trans Mountain expansion is in our national interest. That is why we approved the project, and we stand by our decision. It is not a matter of whether the pipeline will be built but how it will be built.

At a time of great global trade uncertainty, the importance of Canada's role in the global energy market is bigger than individuals, projects, and provinces. We have the responsibility to ensure the stability and growth of the Canadian economy to get our resources to market, and British Columbia shares this responsibility.

We are determined to find a solution and we will act in Canada's best interests.

Health

[Chandra Arya, Liberal, Nepean, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this week is Mental Health Week. According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, more than 500,000 adults in Canada take time away from work each week because of mental health distress or illness. That costs employers more than $6 billion in productivity loss and has a significant impact on the well-being and health of employees.

It is clear that ensuring Canadians work in healthy and safe workplaces, as well as making mental health a priority, is a win-win for employees and employers. Can—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Nepean for reminding us that this week is Mental Health Week.

Our government is focused on ensuring federally regulated workers have healthy and safe workplaces. We introduced Bill C-65, a historic piece of legislation, to put an end to harassment and sexual violence in the federal sector and here on Parliament Hill. We have also introduced the right to request flexible work arrangements and new leave provisions for workers so they can better balance work with family responsibilities.

This week and every day, we will support those struggling with mental health issues.

Justice

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

Mr. Speaker, on May 31, 2015, Dwayne Demkiw was murdered. His grieving family lives in my riding of Saskatoon—Grasswood. They tell me the pain of their tragic loss is compounded by delayed justice. Their son's accused murderer is not scheduled to stand trial—get this—until 2019. The justice minister's failure to fill judicial vacancies could cost the Demkiw family the justice they deserve.

Why is the minister making the Demkiw family wait years for justice?