Debates of June 4th, 2018

Veterans Affairs

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, while new dedicated funds to research post-traumatic stress injury disorder is welcome, research is just one element in this crucial fight.

We cannot have a conversation about PTSD without a conversation about treatment. Many were hoping that dedicated resources for treatment facilities would also be announced. We know that a lack of PTSD treatment is a significant contributing factor to the recent deaths by suicide of our veterans.

Will the government work with us and veterans to make sure that necessary treatment is widely available?

[Seamus O'Regan, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, there is no question that one suicide is one too many.

I am continuing to work with the Minister of National Defence on this as a priority of our government. To this end, we have hired 460 new front-line staff, and 4,000 mental health professionals that we work with. We have opened 11 operational stress injury clinics that deal with PTSD. We announced the opening of a new centre of excellence on PTSD just recently. In fact our newly proposed pension for life is centred around the flexibility required for the treatment of PTSD.

Employment Insurance

[Brigitte Sansoucy, NDP, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, for several years, the Liberals have been proudly saying to anyone who will listen that the EI gap is fixed.

Oddly enough, seasonal workers in the Atlantic provinces have a completely different experience. The training program does not fix the EI gap. In a few months, their nightmare will begin anew. Putting money into half measures is not enough. Seasonal workers want EI reform, as promised.

When will this reform happen?

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

Mr. Speaker, all members in the House know just how important the EI system is to providing income security and job transition opportunities to all families and workers, and in particular seasonal workers.

We have listened to our provincial and territorial partners, and in recent weeks and months we implemented important measures to provide appropriate support in the coming months and years. This support will provide hope and opportunities to all of our communities, workers, and businesses.

Democratic Reform

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are concerned about foreign interference in elections through third party spending, and rightfully so.

Right now in the Ontario election, Leadnow, a shadowy, foreign-funded group, is paying thousands of dollars to try to affect the outcome of that election. This is a problem federally, too. The Liberals are allowing foreign groups to flow unlimited amounts of money to influence Canadian elections through third parties.

Will the Liberals actually protect our elections from foreign influence, or perhaps they are trying to benefit from it?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague opposite's assertion is absolutely false. We are doing everything we can to ensure that we do not have foreign funding within our elections here in Canada. In fact, it is already illegal for foreign entities or individuals to contribute to political parties or campaigns. We are ensuring that we are tightening loopholes with regard to third parties. Third parties, in the next election, should this legislation pass, would be required to open a bank account. They would be required to report all the time the contributions they receive, and they would have a limit on their spending during an election and during the pre-writ period.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am totally aghast that the Liberals are continually trying to sweep this problem under the rug. Is it that the Liberals know that they benefit from this shady third party foreign spending? I say this because under this new legislation, third parties would still be able to take unlimited amounts of foreign cash as long as they do so before June 30. That money will be directly used to influence the outcome of Canadian elections.

Can the minister explain how this is not just the Liberals acting in their own self-interest once again instead of protecting Canada's democracy from foreign interference?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, I am absolutely aghast that the member opposite is fearmongering in this way. We take foreign influence in our elections extraordinarily seriously, including with regard to foreign funds, which is what we are doing in this legislation to ensure that it will be limited not just with the six months prior to an election as the previous Conservative government did, but also, in fact, requiring that third parties report all the time the funding they have, and open a bank account to assert that the only money used is Canadian. Furthermore, we are also taking actions with regard to the cybersphere and foreign influence. We are going to protect our next election.

Public Safety

[Alupa Clarke, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this Friday and Saturday, the people of Beauport—Limoilou will be in the thick of the G7 action, for good reasons or for bad, because we live between downtown Quebec and Charlevoix. An anti-G7 protest in Beauport, near the highway to La Malbaie, is already scheduled.

Residents and business owners are increasingly worried. Uncertainty prevails, especially about the compensation procedures; in truth, people are wondering if they will get any compensation at all.

In case of damage due to vandalism or demonstrations getting out of hand, will the residents and business owners of Beauport—Limoilou receive compensation?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to start by assuring my colleague across the aisle that the compensation policies for affected businesses are the same as when Canada was hosting the G7 in 2010, when his party was in government. In addition, we actively collaborated with all regional partners, local communities, first nations, the Quebec government, and the City of Quebec. We also held a public meeting to gather feedback from local residents. This event will generate major economic benefits throughout the region.

Pensions

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, our government enhanced the Canada pension plan, restored the eligibility age for old age security and the guaranteed income supplement to 65, and implemented automatic registration for the GIS. That is how we are addressing the problems Canadian seniors are worried about.

Last week, the minister responsible for seniors met with the National Seniors Council.

Can the minister tell us about the council's mandate and how its work will help the government continue to meet seniors' needs?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking my colleague from Brossard—Saint-Lambert for the amazing work she is doing to support our seniors.

The National Seniors Council is a major partner whose experience and expertise are vital to helping us provide quality services and benefits to all our seniors. That is why we are fortunate to be working with the council's new chairperson, Dr. Suzanne Dupuis-Blanchard, who has 25 years of experience in gerontology and community health and who will be helping us as we continue to work very hard for our seniors.

Ethics

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Mr. Speaker, from the very beginning, the minister has prioritized his Liberal family and friends over the hard-working, good people of Grand Bank. He compromised a 25-year surf clam success story for partisan gain. In the words of the Fisheries Council of Canada, he has undermined Canada's fisheries sector. With all the controversy, it now appears the minister has been informed that Five Nations cannot even secure financing.

When will the minister admit he has created a disaster, start a new, fair, and open and transparent process, and recuse himself from the file?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I have risen to state in the House many times, many of these allegations are unsubstantiated. Our government believes that increasing indigenous participation in offshore fisheries offers a powerful opportunity to advance reconciliation. That is why we created a process that we are proud of to consult industry and indigenous communities on potential participation in the surf clam fishery.

This process was similar to the one undertaken by the previous Conservative government, except they forgot to include indigenous people. We did not forget. We are focused on how this is benefiting the highest number of Atlantic Canadians and first nations in Atlantic Canada and Quebec.

Canada Post

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Canada Post retail outlet in Bentley, Alberta is closing and residents will be forced to travel more than 22 kilometres each way to access postal services. Not only is this absolutely unacceptable, but it is also a direct violation of Canada Post's own charter.

Canada Post has apologized for the inconvenience, but apologies just do not cut it. What will the government do to ensure that communities like Bentley have access to full postal services?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, our government has introduced a new vision for Canada Post that puts service front and centre and fulfills its platform commitments. Part of that vision includes reinvesting profits in Canada Post service and innovation.

We certainly encourage Canada Post to expand its partnerships for the benefit of Canadians. We have heard loud and clear from the Canada Post review that it should focus its efforts on excellence in service and its core functions, and we agree with this view.

Indigenous Affairs

[Lloyd Longfield, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Mr. Speaker, even today, there are indigenous children living on reserves in Canada who cannot safely drink, bathe in, or even play in the water that comes out of their taps. This is why we committed to ending long-term drinking water advisories on all public systems on reserves by March 2021. Could the hon. Minister of Indigenous Services please update the House as to the actions being taken to ensure reliable access to clean drinking water on reserves.

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Minister of Indigenous Services]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his advocacy on this issue. I am happy to report to the House that as of today we have lifted 62 long-term drinking water advisories for public systems on reserves.

Canadians really care about this, and finally we have a government that has the political will, the long-term investments, and the meticulous organization to work with communities to make sure that water operators are trained. We will continue to do this work with communities and make sure that all long-term drinking water advisories for public systems—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis.

Employment

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

Mr. Speaker, we were shocked to discover on the Government of Canada website that Liberal ministers and MPs supposedly funded organizations in several ridings that support terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, which are associated with anti-Semitism and violent homophobia. The religious leader for one of these organizations was recently criticized for his appalling anti-Semitism.

Now that the Liberals have specifically introduced an attestation on respect for human rights, how can the Prime Minister justify the unjustifiable and unacceptable?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, our government doubled the funding for the Canada summer jobs program in order to offer nearly 70,000 students paid work experience.

All organizations approved for Canada summer jobs funding must adhere to the terms and conditions of the program. If an organization does not respect these terms and conditions, it will not be reimbursed for the salaries of the students it has hired.

I have asked my department to look into these organizations, and we will continue from there.

Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, we all know that G7 protests are inevitable, but we hope that they will be peaceful.

We also all know that vandalism could occur, but the government has not made any plans in that regard. The government expects residents and businesses to get their insurance to cover the cost of any damage. Canadians should not have to foot the bill for G7-related property damage. They should not have to pay deductibles or premium increases.

Will the government immediately commit to compensating any victims of G7-related vandalism?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to reiterate what I just said about how proud we are to welcome world leaders to the beautiful Charlevoix region for the G7 summit this week.

The Prime Minister met with local leaders, first nations communities, and local residents to ensure that the meeting this weekend goes well. We know that residents of Charlevoix are proud to host this meeting. What is more, policies have been in place for a long time regarding compensation for local businesses related to this event.

[Simon Marcil, Québec debout, Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Global Affairs Canada has told farmers not to spread manure during the G7. Once again, Ottawa does not understand the regions.

Here is how it works. Farmers have only until June 15 to finish planting their crops, but they have to spread manure before planting. These farms produce the food that the ministers from the big city will find on their expensive menus at the G7. That is what happens when events take place in rural areas. The scenery is beautiful, but people are hard at work.

Does the government realize that its directive is unrealistic?

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

Mr. Speaker, once again, Canada will be hosting a world-class event this weekend when we welcome the world for the G7. We are proud, as is everyone in the Charlevoix region, to be hosting this important event. It is an opportunity to talk about issues that are important to the entire world, such as human rights, democracy, and peaceful pluralism, things that Canada strongly advocates for in the world.