Debates of May 4th, 2018

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, the Quebec union of municipalities is troubled about the harm caused by the federal government's reluctance to tax web giants. This week, the Minister of Finance got mixed up again. He was asked about GST, and he answered something about corporate taxation. That is troubling. Canadian businesses are struggling while multinational corporations continue to get a free pass from the government. Everyone should pay their fair share. It is just common sense.

Is this going to be like with pot? Do the Liberals have friends they want to protect?

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

Mr. Speaker, to answer the member's question, no, there are no friends to protect. We are taking a cautious and responsible approach. We want our approach to taxing web giants to be collaborative and not piecemeal. We want an approach that supports and fosters an innovative economy, while ensuring that the system is fair and just. That is why the Minister of Finance is working with his OECD partners to make sure Canada takes an internationally collaborative approach.

The Environment

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

In May 2016, at a G7 ministers meeting, the environment minister, according to an article in The Globe and Mail, “advocated for greater recognition of the gender dimension to climate ”. However, a subsequent gender-based analysis of the Prime Minister's carbon tax suggested that it could have a lopsided negative impact for different genders. Why is the Prime Minister not taking his own minister's advice and refusing to recognize the gender dimension of the carbon tax?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that the member opposite has raised the importance of doing gender-based analysis. We are committed to doing that. In the second annex to the report we put out this week, it talks about the gender-based analysis. We think provinces that are putting a price on pollution should take into account the impacts of putting a price on pollution on everyone: on women and on marginalized groups. They can do that through rebates and through other means. It is very good that we are having this discussion in the House of Commons and actually talking about and looking at the impact of policies, including on women.

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

Mr. Speaker, now it is the provinces' responsibility to implement the intersectional gender-based sexist carbon tax?

I support asking questions on whether new policies, like new taxes, create barriers to equal opportunity. In that spirit, why is the Prime Minister set on implementing or forcing the provinces to implement a new tax that his own intersectional gender-based analysis said will make life harder for women?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, the focus of doing a gender-based analysis is basically that every policy can have a disproportionate impact on different groups. We actually did this. I would encourage the member opposite to review appendix 2 of the report.

Yes, provinces are the ones that are putting a price on pollution. In fact, 80% of Canadians live in a province where they put a price on pollution. Provinces have the opportunity to take the revenues and give them back to people. They can give money back to women. They can give money back to disadvantaged groups. They can give money back to farmers. It is up to the provinces. We are giving them the tools and the information they need.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I asked the minister a question, but I do not think he understood it. I will ask it again. In 2010, the Harper government appointed a special advisor to the Privy Council Office to address human smuggling and illegal migration issues, but that advisor retired in 2016. The position has remained vacant ever since.

My question is not about the G7 summit or the issues that will be discussed there. I am asking the Prime Minister when we can expect that position to be filled.

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

Mr. Speaker, we have taken a broader approach. We have embedded these issues with respect to human trafficking in a broad range of federal government policies at the G7, but beyond the G7. Indeed, in the last budget is one very useful initiative that has been asked for, for a very long time, by a variety of women's organizations. It is the establishment of a national hotline for dealing with human trafficking. We are proceeding step by step on an effective plan to deal with human trafficking, and it is proving to be effective.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we will come back to this next week because the question is about whether someone will be tapped to fill that position.

We have learned that Canadian government officials are in Nigeria to talk to the Americans about the visa process. It is also clear that Nigerians are continuing to receive visas and continuing to enter Canada illegally.

Now that the Prime Minister knows that these people are obtaining visas for the sole purpose of coming to Canada illegally, he is finally realizing that there is a problem at the border.

Is the Prime Minister prepared to implement a mechanism to immediately deport these individuals?

[Serge Cormier, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, once again, our government is committed to protecting the safety of Canadians and securing our borders. As members know, in the last budget we invested $175 million, including $74 million for processing refugee claims. That is in stark contrast to the former government, which made over $400 million in cuts to border services.

I can say that, yes, we are in discussions with our American counterparts with regard to members of the Nigerian community who are crossing the border. We will continue to deal with this situation with the help of our American counterparts, who have recently taken some very practical steps to address this problem.

CBC/Radio-Canada

[Christine Moore, NDP, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the disappearance of over-the-air broadcasting is having an impact in my region. Not only is there no longer any regional news programming on Radio-Canada, but people who tuned in to Radio-Canada over the air no longer have access, unless they are prepared to pay for cable or satellite. Similar situations are increasingly common in rural regions across Canada.

Will the Minister of Canadian Heritage share her position on the gradual disappearance of over-the-air Radio-Canada broadcasting in rural areas?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, we certainly believe in the importance of our national broadcaster. That is why we invested $675 million in CBC/Radio-Canada to get more local journalists and to gradually enhance Radio-Canada's online programming.

I understand the over-the-air issue, but I would like to remind my colleague that this matter is under the jurisdiction of the CRTC, which functions at arm's length from the government.

On the telecommunications infrastructure file, we have invested $500 million to improve Internet services in the regions throughout Quebec and across Canada.

Official Languages

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, egregious language errors continue to appear on the French versions of the government's websites, a problem that appears to be getting worse. This time it is the Parks Canada and Revenue Canada websites that are riddled with poor translations. Here is an example. Imagine wanting to go to a park this summer where the hours of operation are from “1^er juillet au 4 septième”, or “July 1 to Seven 4”.

It is unbelievable. The French language is not a language for Google Translate; it is an official language in its own right and must be respected. The Minister of Public Services and Procurement promised to fix this problem.

When will she take action?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, we are committed to restoring the Translation Bureau's good name. We have made significant investments in the Translation Bureau. We just appointed a chief quality officer and we are creating important partnerships with universities, students, and others, in order to meet future HR needs. Obviously, language errors in the French or the English versions of government websites are unacceptable. We are committed to correcting them and that is what we will do.

International Trade

[James Maloney, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Portugal was one of the very first countries to ratify CETA last November. CETA was an important step in our bilateral relations, providing great opportunities for businesses and workers in both countries.

This morning, as part of the state visit, our Prime Minister and the Portuguese prime minister are attending the Economic Club of Canada summit, entitled “Canada-Portugal Economic Relations: Maximizing the Benefits of CETA”.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade tell us a bit more about the benefits of CETA for our two great countries?

[Pam Goldsmith-Jones, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, Canada and Portugal are long-standing friends and allies, and important commercial partners. CETA marks an important new chapter in our relationship.

With the increased market access from CETA, our exports to Portugal have already increased by over 40%. We are very grateful for the support and leadership Portugal has shown.

With CETA, Canadian companies, especially in sectors like oilseeds, aircraft, and cereals, are benefiting. This historic progressive trade agreement is creating opportunities for the middle class today.

Democratic Reform

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the issue of electoral reform, Canadians should not have an ounce of trust in the Liberals doing the right thing. Does anyone remember that 2015 was going to be the last election under first past the post? That lasted about a year or so until Canadians realized the Liberals were trying to rig the election system in their favour.

Why is it that every time the Liberal Party wants to change things for the better, it ends up being better for the Liberals?

[Andy Fillmore, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, we are committed to strengthening Canada's democratic institutions and increasing Canadians' trust and participation in our democratic processes.

Bill C-76 is a great example of that. The bill would increase the transparency of our electoral process. It would make elections more accessible to all Canadians. It would make the electoral process more secure and ensure political parties protected Canadians' privacy.

We believe that a whole-of-government approach is required to protect Canada's democratic institutions. We look forward to working with all members in the House to build a more open and transparent system for Canada.

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last election, nearly one million incorrect voter information cards were mailed out. The Liberals now want those to be used as proof of address.

Outside foreign influencers funnelled millions of dollars into Canada last election as an assault on our democracy. They have left the door open for the same thing to happen in 2019. Liberal operatives can organize to verbally vouch for individuals with no ID and allow their votes to count.

Why is the Prime Minister ripping democracy out of the hands of Canadians and giving it to foreigners and Liberal operatives?

[Andy Fillmore, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, the main challenge for our electoral democracy is not voter fraud but voter participation. Eliminating the voter ID card does not improve the integrity of the system. It only takes away the ability of many qualified voters to vote.

In Bill C-76, we are not only restoring the use of voter identification cards and vouching, but we are also giving back the mandate for Elections Canada to promote participation. The Conservative Party's so-called Fair Elections Act was simply cover for a government determined to wring political gain from every measure.

We will take no lessons from the party opposite. We believe Canadians have a right to vote and we will continue to fight for that.

The Environment

[Harold Albrecht, Conservative, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal carbon tax will raise fuel costs by over 10¢ per litre. For a farmer in Kitchener—Conestoga, that means an additional $6,000 a year just for this carbon tax. Add to that the cost of getting his feed to his farm and getting his milk to market, these costs will be devastating.

Why is the Liberal government padding its books on the back of farmers in my riding of Kitchener—Conestoga?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I want to be very clear for Canadians that we have committed that all revenues will be returned to the province. In the province of Ontario there is a price on pollution, as there is in Alberta, B.C. and Quebec. Eighty per cent of Canadians live in a jurisdiction where there is a price on pollution and, guess what, those jurisdictions are the fastest growing economies in the country, while reducing our emissions.

Is that not what we should all want? Should we not all want that we tackle climate change for our kids and that we should also grow our economy and create jobs? I wish the party opposite would understand we can do both.

Public Safety

[Glen Motz, Conservative, Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB]

Mr. Speaker, communities in New Brunswick are currently experiencing record flooding, with water levels expected to continue to rise in southern regions of the province over the coming days. Families along the St. John River have been forced to leave their homes and dozens of roads have been closed, leaving others cut off and in need of assistance.

My question is for the Minister of Public Safety, and I do not want him to blow another gasket with this question. Will you please update the House, sir, on what the government measures will be to assist those affected by the New Brunswick flooding?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

While I appreciate the hon. member for Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner was polite to say “sir”, he should not be saying “you” of course. Unless he is referring to the Speaker, we address the Chair.

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries.

[Terry Beech, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, our thoughts are with the people affected by the flooding and with the first responders who are working hard to keep them safe.

Initial estimates of damages are in the $24 million range. However, this could increase should the water hit forecasted levels in the upcoming days. I am happy to report to the House that since being asked, the Canadian Coast Guard has actually worked throughout the night to help people in this horrible situation.

Our government always stands ready to help the province or territory requesting federal assistance in response to natural disasters, including flooding. The Prime Minister has also offered to provide military to the province if it requests it.