House of Commons Hansard #305 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was budget.
Joël Lightbound LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the member opposite that 85% of Canadians already live in a jurisdiction where there is a price on carbon. I can also tell him that 100% of small businesses will get a tax break, a tax reduction in the new budget, going to 9%.
Those are the actions we are taking, among many, to ensure that we support Canadian businesses and create jobs. We have created 600,000 jobs over the last two years, something the Conservatives never could achieve in 10 years.
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Mr. Speaker, a cabinet directive, in effect since 1995, compels all ministers to complete and submit a sustainability assessment on any proposal to cabinet. The Liberals proudly claim their deep commitment to ensuring sustainability considerations for all their decisions, including impacts to the environment and indigenous rights.
Did the finance minister comply with this directive and submit a sustainability assessment on his decision to buy the Kinder Morgan pipeline? If no, why not? If yes, will he publicly disclose it?
Catherine McKenna LiberalMinister of Environment and Climate Change
Mr. Speaker, let us be clear that the TMX included a full environmental assessment. We considered all different factors involved, including the impacts on climate change. It fits within Alberta's hard cap on emissions. It fits within our client plan.
Yes, of course we look at the environmental impacts of all decisions we make. We also look at the jobs impact. We wish the party opposite would do the same.
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Mr. Speaker, in 2016, the Prime Minister said that while governments granted permits for resource development, only communities granted permission.
Vancouver, Burnaby, the Squamish, the Tsleil-Waututh, the Coldwater Nations, and many others along the Kinder Morgan route have said no. However, the government has taken direct ownership for driving this pipeline straight through these communities.
What does the Prime Minister plan to do when tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, of citizens demonstrate and hold him to account for his flawed pipeline and broken promise?
Kim Rudd LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, the safety and security of the public in energy infrastructure is a priority for this government. Unlike the Harper Conservatives, who labelled environmental groups as foreign-funded radicals, we accept a diversity of views and opinions. However, we expect people to express their views peacefully and in accordance with the law.
We recognize that not everyone agrees with those decisions, but we remain committed to working to ensure a strong economy, while taking leadership on the environment. Our goal now is to ensure that this project moves forward to create economic benefits for all Canadians.
Rémi Massé Liberal Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC
Mr. Speaker, contrary to what the Conservatives would have people believe, all members on this side of the House are extremely proud of our Prime Minister, who is putting in place practical measures to defend the interests of Canadians and Canadian companies.
On another note, world-renowned researchers across the country are generating new knowledge and inspiring new generations of scientists. Recently, our government made historic investments in research and science.
Could the Minister of Science tell us more—
ScienceOral Questions
The Speaker Geoff Regan
Order, please. Thanks for the help, but no thank you.
The hon. Minister for Science.
Kirsty Duncan LiberalMinister of Science and Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his important support for research.
Our government knows that if we want our researchers to soar to new heights, they need support.
That is why we announced the largest investment in research in Canada's history. This week, I announced a $158-million investment through Insight development grants and Insight grants.
This investment will support 800 research projects across Canada, and will build a healthier, stronger, and more prosperous country.
Pierre Paul-Hus Conservative Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC
Mr. Speaker, Canadians all agree that Canada must not give preferential treatment to foreigners who enter the country illegally.
Quebec's Liberal government clearly told the federal Liberal government that is is being overwhelmed by illegal migrants and that it does not want any more.
Yesterday, we learned that the Liberal Ontario government, under the pretext of the provincial election, is refusing to accept any more illegal migrants.
If the two largest Canadian provinces are already overwhelmed, what is the minister's plan for managing this never-ending crisis?
Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount Québec
Liberal
Marc Garneau LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I completely disagree with my colleague's comments. We have been working all along with Quebec and Ontario on the issue of refugee claimants. We held our 10th meeting last night.
Like Canada, Quebec is open to receiving refugee claimants as long as the rules are followed when an individual makes a refugee claim.
Pierre Paul-Hus Conservative Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC
Mr. Speaker, I would remind the minister that Quebec said earlier that it is anxiously awaiting a triage plan.
The level of Liberal hypocrisy is really beyond the pale. The Minister of Immigration says that illegal migrants are not welcome, but the Minister of Transport is saying that there is a process in place for illegal migrants who want to settle in Ontario.
The minister took a nice trip to Nigeria, but could not be bothered to go to Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle to see the magnitude of the problem for himself. The minister needs to understand that the problem is here in Canada.
Will the minister finally acknowledge the problem caused by his Prime Minister, take his responsibilities seriously, and fix the problem?
Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount Québec
Liberal
Marc Garneau LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, we are working continuously on this important issue. I disagree with my colleague when he says that we only need to tackle this problem here in Canada.
We have introduced an outreach program in the United States to educate diaspora communities that might be thinking of coming to Canada. Right now, the majority of people crossing the border at Lacolle are from Nigeria, so our minister's visit to Nigeria was extremely important and is producing results.
Mel Arnold Conservative North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC
Mr. Speaker, here are the facts. The Liberals expropriated 25% of a fishing quota from a company and gave it to the brother of a Liberal MP and a former Liberal MP. They claimed it was for reconciliation, but now they are being sued by a first nation.
The company they awarded the quota to does not even have a boat, so it will not be able to harvest the expropriated quota. Therefore, there is no reconciliation, no harvesting, no jobs.
Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and reverse this unethical expropriation?
Terry Beech LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries
Mr. Speaker, our decision to introduce indigenous participation is consistent with our government's commitment to develop renewed relationships in Canada with indigenous peoples. The minister made this decision to allow for an increase in indigenous participation in the fishery, and we reject any claim to the contrary in the strongest terms.
Our government is proud of this decision and will continue to focus on how it will directly benefit the people of Atlantic Canada and Quebec.
Mel Arnold Conservative North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC
Mr. Speaker, contrary to Liberal claims, our Conservative government initiated a process to include first nations, and I can send that press release to the member if he wishes. It would increase the total allowable catch, allowing new entrants, without stealing it away from another existing holder.
The minister has made such a botchery and ethical mess of this deal and put at risk the people and jobs in Grand Bank, Newfoundland.
Could the minister confirm that his lucky winner will not even be able to harvest its quota this year?
Terry Beech LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries
Mr. Speaker, as I stated in the House many times, these claims are completely unsubstantiated. The fact that there is a new participant in the surf clam industry should not be a surprise. As the member just stated, the Conservatives went through a similar process. The only difference, both in fact and opinion, is that they did not include indigenous people when they went through their process.
We are proud of our robust process that allowed us to pick the best expression of interest to ensure that the highest number of Atlantic Canadians and people from Quebec benefited from this decision.
Pierre Nantel NDP Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC
Mr. Speaker, the CRTC report on the future of our culture is clear: the system has to be fair. That means that the GST breaks for Netflix are unacceptable.
Above all, everyone should support content from here. Unlike the government, the CRTC listened and understood what measures needed to be taken. One of the briefs submitted to the CRTC was entitled “We do not need any more reports, just action from the government”.
I cannot make this up. That was the title of the brief. Everyone is calling for the same thing.
Will the Minister of Canadian Heritage heed that call?
Mélanie Joly LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairperson of the CRTC and his team for their work, as well as all the stakeholders who took part in the study that I commissioned last September.
Ultimately, our objective is to modernize our laws to protect and promote our culture in the 21st century. The Minister of Innovation and I will have the opportunity to make announcements shortly regarding the modernization of the Broadcasting Act and the Telecommunications Act.
Unlike the Harper Conservatives, who made draconian cuts to the cultural sector and waged war on it, we are taking action.
Brigitte Sansoucy NDP Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Mr. Speaker, seasonal workers are stretched so thin that L'Acadie Nouvelle has reported that workers are gathering at the church in Lamèque to pray for the workers who can no longer feed their families.
A number of organizations agree that the Liberals are flying by the seat of their pants. These seasonal workers do not need a miracle. They do not need training. They need permanent, concrete solutions to fix the EI spring gap in the long term.
Will the Prime Minister and the minister finally keep their promise?
Jean-Yves Duclos LiberalMinister of Families
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for giving me the opportunity to talk about this incredibly important topic. As she knows, a very important and never-before-seen feature appeared in budget 2018, and this shows that the Canadian government is already involved and is already aware of the measures it must take to support workers, families, and businesses with respect to seasonal work. She also knows that in the coming months and in the next two years, there will be a historic investment of $230 million to support these communities.
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are obviously very nervous. Canadians are waking up to the fact that this government is making a terrible mess of our beautiful country. The Liberals are panicking. Their so-called democratic reform is another tactic to try to keep the other political parties quiet. They want to limit how much political parties can spend leading up to election campaigns.
What is the problem with that? Will the same rules apply to the government? In other words, will their ministers be limited in how many announcements they can make and how much they can spend during that same period?
Karina Gould LiberalMinister of Democratic Institutions
Mr. Speaker, as you know, we introduced Bill C-76 and we hope we can work with all of our House of Commons colleagues to improve democracy so Canadians can vote. Many Canadians, 176 in fact, were not able to vote in the last election. This is a real problem for future voters. What are we going to do about it here? We are going to work together to make sure everyone in Canada can vote.
Blake Richards Conservative Banff—Airdrie, AB
Mr. Speaker, we all know that the Liberals love to spend money that is not theirs, and the Liberal government routinely spends millions of dollars in ridings where by-elections are being called, trying to buy its way out of trouble. That money belongs to Canadian taxpayers and not to the Liberal Party.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister is trying to restrict the opposition parties from spending their own money to speak to Canadians, but he will not ban ministerial travel or advertising in the pre-election period, because this gives the Liberals an advantage.
When will the Prime Minister stop using taxpayers' money to try to buy elections for the Liberal Party?
Karina Gould LiberalMinister of Democratic Institutions
Mr. Speaker, as I told my hon. colleague in committee, Bill C-76 does not limit travel at all. When he is talking about advertising, it limits it for any party during the period, and that is only with regard to advertising. Perhaps he is thinking about a previous Conservative minister who perhaps put a CPC logo when he was delivering Canada child benefit cheques. That is why we are doing this, because Canadians want to ensure integrity in our electoral system.