Debates of June 14th, 2018

Carbon Pricing

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

Mr. Speaker, where are the Conservatives hiding their climate plan? That is all we all want to know. Where is the climate plan?

When it comes to putting a price on pollution, we have an April 30 document and I am very happy to share that personally with the member opposite. We often have conversations and I am happy to deliver it. I will hand it over to him, because that is where it explains that pricing pollution is like taking 25 million cars off the roads. It is up to provinces what they do with the revenues. They can do tax cuts. They can give it back through rebates. They can—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. I would ask the hon. member for Edmonton Manning and others not to interrupt when someone else has the floor.

The hon. member for Abbotsford.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Again, Mr. Speaker, there is no answer.

The news gets worse. The Liberal government has admitted that it will not meet its climate change targets. We all know the Prime Minister is secretly planning to increase the carbon tax from $50 to $100, to $200, even to $300 per tonne in the coming years, so what is he hiding? Can anyone imagine how astronomically expensive life would become in such a world?

One more time to the Prime Minister, how much will this carbon tax cost the—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. Minister of Environment.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is really sad that we have fake news coming from the other side, misinformation and fake news. The only thing that is being hidden is what the Conservatives' climate plan is. Maybe the next time they get up, they can tell us what their climate plan is, how they are going to tackle climate change, and how they are going to create jobs, which they were not able to do either.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. The hon. member for Dufferin—Caledon will come to order, along with others.

The hon. member for Drummond.

International Trade

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the new comprehensive and progressive agreement for trans-Pacific partnership, or CPTPP, will have a devastating impact on Canadian workers.

At a time when we need economic leadership, the Liberals introduced a trade agreement that will cost us some 58,000 jobs. The Liberals signed an agreement that does not even include the words “climate change”. I would hardly call that a progressive agreement.

Why does this government support an agreement that will have devastating effects on the economy and the environment?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

We will always be there to listen to stakeholders. Canadians understand that there has never been a better time to diversify our markets. That is why we signed the CPTPP and introduced a bill to ratify it this morning.

This agreement will open new markets and provide new opportunities for our small and medium-sized businesses across the country. It will benefit families and workers in the ridings of every member of the House of Commons.

Canadians know they can count on us when it comes to international trade.

[Tracey Ramsey, NDP, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, now Canadians know the government is choosing the economy over the environment.

The legislation for the trans-Pacific partnership was tabled today, despite overwhelming evidence that this deal will be devastating to auto workers and supply management. NAFTA is in shambles and Trump has launched an attack on our auto sector, with threats of outrageous and illegal tariffs. What are the Liberals doing to help auto workers? Today they are tabling a deal that is a betrayal to auto workers, their families, and the communities that depend on them.

Why does the government insist on ratifying this terrible trade deal that will cost our economy close to 58,000 jobs?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

It seems that it is only the NDP, Mr. Speaker, that does not understand that there has never been a better time to diversify. Canadians across our nation understand, but it is only the NDP that does not understand that there is no better time to diversify. That is why we signed the CPTPP. That is why we introduced the law this morning, because we want to create new markets and new opportunities for workers across our nation. Canadians who are watching know they can trust us when it comes to international trade.

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship

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

Mr. Speaker, I have asked at least 60 questions about the border crisis and whether there is a plan to address it. I am still waiting for an answer.

A Department of Homeland Security report confirms that the U.S. is concerned about the back and forth of illegal migrants across the border. Quebeckers and Canadians feel abandoned by the Liberals, who are not taking their concerns over safety seriously and who do not seem to want to negotiate with the Americans. It is the government's responsibility to ensure the integrity of our border.

Where is the plan?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, our government remains determined to ensure the safety of Canadians and to secure our borders. Canadians can count on it.

The Conservatives' proposals would militarize the border in violation of international law. Those are not serious solutions. We will continue to ensure that Canadian law is enforced and that our international obligations are met.

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

Mr. Speaker, as you can see, after 60 times, they are still talking nonsense.

We never talked about militarizing the border. Give me a break. Even the minister said the other day that he was pleased that the opposition leader went to Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle to see the situation for himself, when the Minister of Immigration has never been.

Canadians are pretty clear on what is going on, and now, the government has lost their trust.

We do not want bogus answers and we do not want to create problems. We want to know if there is a plan.

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

Mr. Speaker, in the report from the U.S. this past week, the comments by and large were very favourable about the relationship with Canada, about what they called the “northern border”, and about the strength of security and other operations along that border. Indeed, the former secretary of homeland security, who is now chief of staff in the White House had nothing but praise for the Canadian border and said that he was happy to work with Canada to ensure that the border was constantly thinning, to the advantage of both countries.

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

Mr. Speaker, let us be clear: the Liberals are slashing border funding.

Since 2015, they have cut $302 million, particularly with respect to criminal investigations. Since the Prime Minister’s Twitter blunder, our border services officers have been reduced to tour guides, and Roxham Road is a sieve.

My question is not about transportation or public safety; it is for the Minister of Immigration. What is his plan to finally stop this wave of illegal immigration?

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman speaks of budget reductions with respect to CBSA. If he in fact follows the governmental decisions with respect to those fiscal measures he will find that they were implemented in 2014. He was the minister at the time.

Telecommunications

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, with the growth in the digital economy in Canada, access to reliable telecommunications services at an affordable price is essential for Canadians. However, Canadians currently pay some of the highest prices for wireless and Internet services in comparison to other developed countries, making them inaccessible for some. This is something I hear repeatedly from many of my constituents.

Could the minister please share with us what the government plans to do to ensure Canadians have access to reliable, affordable, and quality wireless and Internet services?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Scarborough—Agincourt for her advocacy on this issue. She has been a true champion.

We believe Canadians deserve quality, low-priced telecommunications services. That is why we have asked industry to step up in a big way. Through the connecting families program, low-cost Internet will be provided to hundreds of thousands of Canadian families right across Canada. Our government will always fight for lower prices and better prices for consumers.

Foreign Affairs

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' moral equivalence with Israel and its enemies is notorious, and when they had an opportunity to stand against a one-sided motion against Israel at the United Nations yesterday, and in direct contradiction to votes in the House this week, they did it again. The Liberals directed Canada's diplomats to sit on their hands, to abstain from standing with the only democracy in the Middle East.

The Liberals always show up for the annual Walk With Israel, as fair-weather friends would. Why did the Liberals refuse to stand with Israel yesterday?

[Matt DeCourcey, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives continue to make Canada's long-standing steadfast support for Israel a partisan issue despite being told not to do so. Canada has long been a friend of Israel and we believe that resolutions at the UN should accurately reflect the situation on the ground. That is why Canada supported a U.S. amendment to yesterday's resolution that would have explicitly referred to the role of Hamas in the situation in Gaza. Hamas is a terrorist organization, and Canada calls on the international community to stand up to Hamas. Hamas must end its incitement of violence against Israel.

Marijuana

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, as we stand on the cusp of cannabis legalization, we face the deep irony that Canadians continue to be arrested at alarming rates for behaviour that will soon be legal. It was inexcusable for the Liberal government to exclude pardons from the cannabis act, and now the Senate, the so-called chamber of sober second thought, has also neglected to address this glaring omission. It is enough to question its sobriety.

When will the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who carry unjust records for simple possession finally receive amnesty?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I urge the hon. member for Vancouver Kingsway to be cautious with his language about the other place.

The hon. Minister of Public Safety.

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

Mr. Speaker, Parliament is in the process of dealing with two very important pieces of legislation, Bill C-45 and Bill C-46. They are, together, making some of the most profound changes ever with respect to the legal handling of cannabis in the history of Canada. When that process is completed, the law will change, and at that time, the government will consider all appropriate measures to ensure fairness in our system.

Housing

[Pierre Breton, Liberal, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government has announced its vision for the new homelessness partnering strategy. This announcement is the culmination of more than a year of work, including the release of the first ever national housing strategy and its commitment to provide $2 billion to combat homelessness.

Can the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development explain to the House how this new strategy will prevent homelessness?