Debates of June 14th, 2018

Housing

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking the member for Shefford for his support in the fight against homelessness. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the advisory committee on homelessness for their hard work and excellent report.

Yesterday in Montreal, I had the opportunity to launch “reaching home”, a program that will double investment in the fight against homelessness and reduce homelessness in Canada by at least 50% over the next few years. Through this partnership and these investments, we are demonstrating the return of federal leadership in ensuring that everyone has a safe and affordable place to call home

Foreign Affairs

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, let us be eminently clear to the parliamentary secretary. When the Liberals refuse to stand with our allies we will challenge them to do better. That is our job. That is what we were sent here to do. One wonders why they are so bent on getting on the UN Security Council just to abstain once they get there.

The parliamentary secretary and the Prime Minister voted to immediately designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a listed terrorist entity under the Criminal Code. That is how they voted, so when will the Liberals follow the will of the House and immediately designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization?

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

Mr. Speaker, in fact, the IRGC's Quds Force is already listed as a terrorist entity. That is the branch of the force that, in fact, involves itself in terrorist operations. In addition, Iran is a state sponsor of terror, all listed under the State Immunity Act, and the senior officials of that regime are already subject to special economic measures under the SEMA legislation. The process for listing actually involves an investigation by the RCMP and CSIS and that process will go forward.

Marijuana

[Rhéal Fortin, Québec debout, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, with respect to allowing home cultivation of cannabis, yesterday, the Prime Minister tried to justify his power trip by claiming that the move was meant to fight organized crime. He is ignoring what the provinces, the Senate, the opposition, cities and police forces are telling him.

Is that his plan to fight organized crime? To allow people to grow three or four pot plants at home?

Could this government be serious for once and let those who tackle the real problems, on the ground, make the decisions that are theirs to make?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, protecting the health and safety of Canadians is our number one priority.

Finally, we are moving forward to ensure that we have a system that actually works. Finally, we have also created a legal source for those who will not have access to it through provincial or territorial stores or a digital platform. We are also following the advice of the task force as well as the approach taken by several U.S. states that have legalized and regulated cannabis use.

[Rhéal Fortin, Québec debout, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I think we have the wrong record.

Legalizing cannabis is one thing, but making a pot plant as common as a tomato plant is another. The Quebec government has chosen to prohibit growing pot in gardens: it does not believe that this helps prevent young people from accessing marijuana. That is its legitimate choice, and it is consistent with this government’s goal of preventing young people from accessing cannabis.

Why, then, is it disrespecting Quebec’s choices within its jurisdiction?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, once again, protecting the health and safety of Canadians is a top priority for our government, and home growing will help displace the underground market in Canada. It will also create a legal source for those who will not have access to intermediate sources, such as provincial or territorial stores or online platforms. We are also following the advice of the task force and various experts, and our approach is consistent with that adopted by other states. We are satisfied that this is the right approach.

Natural Resources

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, earlier today, a major report on the safety failures of the pipeline safety system in this country was released by Équiterre. It is a very disturbing record, and it is getting worse.

Fifty-five percent of the oil pipeline incidents in Quebec since 2008 occurred in 2017, most of them involving the Trans-Northern pipeline.

Will the government launch an independent investigation into this unacceptable record of shoddy monitoring and weak enforcement?

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

Mr. Speaker, getting resources to market must be done with the highest regard for safety and the protection of the environment. The Pipeline Safety Act strengthens Canada's pipeline safety system, enshrining the polluter pays principle in federal law. Companies are liable, regardless of fault.

Our budget 2017 includes $17.4 million for the NEB to enhance its pipeline safety oversight activities, along with a further $1.9 million to provide Canadians with timely access to information on energy regulations and pipeline safety.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I believe there have been discussions, and if you seek it, you will find consent for the following motion.

I move that, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practices of the House, Bill C-79, An Act to implement the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership between Canada, Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam, be deemed to have been read a second time and referred to a committee of the whole, deemed considered in committee of the whole, deemed reported without amendments, deemed concurred in at report stage, and deemed read a third time and passed.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent of the House to move the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

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

Mr. Speaker, I believe you will find unanimous consent for me to table the report from the Department of Homeland Security confirming what I put forward in my question.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent of the House?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis on a point of order.

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

Mr. Speaker, during question period, the Minister of Public Safety referred to the budget of the Canadian Border Services Agency, which was $2,001,144,000 in 2014-15 when I had the privilege of being a Conservative minister. That budget then dropped to $1,698,951,000 two years later under the Liberal government, a drop—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. That is a matter for debate.

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

I ask for the unanimous consent of the House to table the Library of Parliament document that provers that—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent of the House to table this document?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. Minister of the Environment on a point of order.

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table, in both official languages, a document produced by Government of Canada officials, entitled “Estimated impacts of the Federal Carbon Pollution Pricing System”, which was published on April 30. This document includes an overview of the federal system, the estimated emissions reductions across Canada, and the economic impacts of pricing pollution, including impacts on GDP, implications for households, and the benefits of pricing pollution.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. The hon. member for Calgary—Nose Hill is rising on a point of order.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Could the minister tell us on what page in that document is the cost of the carbon tax for Canadians?