House of Commons Hansard #309 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was c-69.

Topics

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, strong action is needed to tackle climate change, all the while generating the long-term economic development that will grow the middle class and support a clean economy.

Yesterday, on World Environment Day, we appointed Patricia Fuller as Canada's new ambassador for climate change. Working together on climate change, oceans, and clean energy is one of the key themes of our G7 presidency.

We are working to ensure that we are leaving a healthy environment and a strong economy to our kids and grandkids.

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

Mr. Speaker, well, we only wish that were true.

Canada is a country rich in natural resources, home to innovative businesses, and populated by hard-working Canadians. Our country should be attracting investment, but instead we are repelling it. In fact, we are so opposed to private sector investment in the energy sector that we have killed three pipeline projects worth over $100 billion. Now, we have taken $4.5 billion and given it to Kinder Morgan to take its projects elsewhere.

When will the Prime Minister stop attacking Canada's energy sector and start putting the interests of Canadians first?

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, on the member's first comment, it is true that we just appointed Patricia Fuller as Canada's new ambassador for climate change.

On the issue of pipelines, for 10 years the Conservatives tried to move forward on getting our oil resources to new markets, and they failed. They failed because they refused to understand that the only way to grow a strong economy is to protect the environment at the same time. That is what we are demonstrating with a national price on carbon pollution, with a world-class oceans protection plan, with $8 billion worth of investment in clean energy projects and renewable technologies. We know the way—

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan

The hon. member for Edmonton Riverbend.

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Conservative

Matt Jeneroux Conservative Edmonton Riverbend, AB

Mr. Speaker, in Kinder Morgan's 2017 annual report to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, it valued the Trans Mountain pipeline at $2.5 billion, and yet the Prime Minister paid $4.5 billion to purchase the pipeline. We now know that a lot of the extra padding went to executive bonuses.

If Kinder Morgan says its pipeline is worth $2.5 billion, why did the Prime Minister pay it $4.5 billion in taxpayers' money to leave Canada?

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, it is a real shame to see the trapped ideology of the Conservatives who are playing politics with this issue. I can tell them that I was just in Alberta yesterday talking to oil sands workers, talking to pipeline workers, who are deeply grateful that we are able to move forward on building this pipeline project after years of the Conservatives being unable to do so. Why were the Conservatives unable to do so? It is because they did not understand that the only way to build a strong economy is to protect the environment at the same time. This government is doing both, and that is why we are getting it done.

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Conservative

Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC

Mr. Speaker, $4.5 billion in taxpayers' money is going directly to Houston, Texas. That is eight times more than Kinder Morgan spent on the pipeline. That is $2 billion more than Kinder Morgan itself estimated the pipeline to be worth.

When Kinder Morgan executives made that deal, they called Houston.

They did not say, “Houston, we have a problem”. No, instead, they said, “Houston, it's party time” with $4.5 billion of Canadian taxpayers' money, thanks to the Liberal Party of Canada.

Why is the Liberal government sending $4.5 billion to Texas?

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Conservatives are feeling a bit lost. For years, they have been demanding that we do what they could not, and that is to build a pipeline to give Canada access to new markets other than the United States. The Conservatives were unable to do that, but we did so, at their request. Now that we have delivered on their main demand, they have to try to find a way to attack us and play petty politics. Fortunately, workers across Canada understand that we did the right thing for them.

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

3 p.m.

Conservative

John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON

Mr. Speaker, before selling the Trans Mountain pipeline to the Prime Minister for $4.5 billion, Kinder Morgan valued its Canadian assets at $2.5 billion. That is quite a deal if one is Kinder Morgan. Kinder Morgan did not ask for any Canadian tax dollars. All it wanted to do was to build a pipeline.

Why did the Prime Minister pay Kinder Morgan $2 billion more than the pipeline was worth and allow Kinder Morgan to invest and create jobs outside of this country?

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

3 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, one almost has to feel sorry for the Conservatives. For 10 years, they tried to get this done, and were unable to do it. Then, for two and a half years, while we were in government, they have been screaming at us to get this pipeline built, and now, when we are finally getting this pipeline built, they do not know what to do with themselves. So they fall back on their silly attacks, on playing politics, on their rigid ideology that somehow, suddenly, they do not think that public investment has any place in the development of our natural resources, which, of course, the great Peter Lougheed disagreed with them about. We know that we are doing the right thing, the right way.

MarijuanaOral Questions

3 p.m.

NDP

Murray Rankin NDP Victoria, BC

Mr. Speaker, a Senate report has just concluded that Canadians who use cannabis after it is legalized and try to cross the border to the United States could be denied entry, but worse, those who do not answer certain questions in pre-clearance could face up to two years in prison under Bill C-23, which calls it resisting or wilfully obstructing an American officer, even on Canadian soil.

Can the Prime Minister confirm whether or not Canadians who simply refuse to answer American officers in Canada about their cannabis use could face fines or imprisonment?

MarijuanaOral Questions

3 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear about one thing. The reason we are moving forward on the legalization of marijuana is because the current system does not work. It does not protect our kids from the harmful impact of marijuana, and it delivers billions of dollars every year to criminal organizations that make profits off of that.

We are also highlighting that cannabis is not somehow a positive health food supplement that we encourage everyone to use. It is a controlled substance. We are trying to make it more difficult for kids to access, and people need to be honest when they cross the border if they choose to enter a different country.

MarijuanaOral Questions

3 p.m.

NDP

Matthew Dubé NDP Beloeil—Chambly, QC

Mr. Speaker, I am going to help the Prime Minister out. Conservatives and Liberals voted for Bill C-23, which gave unprecedented powers to American border officers on Canadian soil. Luckily, the NDP was here raising exactly these concerns, because now what we are seeing in the Senate report is that with the legalization of marijuana, any person on Canadian soil, not crossing the border and subject to another country's laws, but here in Canada, could potentially be fined or imprisoned under that very legislation.

My question for the Prime Minister is simple. Is that the case, yes or no? When will he finally take that issue up with his American counterparts?

MarijuanaOral Questions

3 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, we are, of course, in ongoing discussions with our American counterparts on a broad range of border issues, and we will continue to be, but at the same time, I hope the NDP is not suggesting that somehow a sovereign country cannot make determinations about how it handles people entering its own borders. Of course, we would never expect or allow any other country to dictate to us who or how we can or cannot let someone into our country. We will ensure that we are also respecting other countries' sovereignty in doing that at the same time as we stand up for Canadians, and of course, for the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

National DefenceOral Questions

3 p.m.

Conservative

James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces were ordered to return their sleeping bags and rucksacks because of an equipment shortage.

The Prime Minister is failing our Canadian Armed Forces. Already he broke the Liberal promise and cut another $2.3 billion from defence spending. This is unacceptable. How can Canadians trust the Prime Minister to buy navy ships and fighter jets when he cannot even get buying sleeping bags right? How can we trust him to provide the right equipment to our troops who are about to deploy to Mali?

National DefenceOral Questions

3 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, here we go again. The Conservatives pretend that they are friends to our troops, but for 10 years they underinvested, they politicized, they played games with procurement, and they nickel-and-dimed our veterans, yet they are easy to stand up with inflated rhetoric any time there is a challenge.

We are going to continue to work with the men and women of our Canadian Forces to ensure that they have the equipment and the support they need to do their jobs as they stand up for Canada with their lives and livelihoods on the line. We continue to support our troops, not just with words, like them, but with dollars and cents that go the distance.

National DefenceOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Conservative

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

Mr. Speaker, on June 6, 1944, 14,000 Canadian soldiers landed on the beaches of Normandy. On June 6, 2018, our soldiers are being asked to hand in their rucksacks and sleeping bags to the quartermaster. This is outrageous. What is the Prime Minister doing in the meantime? He is spending $10 million on Omar Khadr, $7 billion on a pipeline that a company could have taken care of itself, and $7 million on a temporary skating rink right here in front of Parliament.

Mr. Prime Minister, do you think that we are going to send our soldiers to Mali under those conditions?

National DefenceOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan

The hon. member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles ought to be aware that he has to direct his comments to the chair. When he says “you” here, that usually means the Speaker. I do not think he was speaking to me.

The right hon. Prime Minister.

National DefenceOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is looking to politicize the fact that today is the 74th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, but we on this side of the House are thinking about what unfolded on the shores of Normandy and paying tribute to our fallen soldiers. The monumental achievements of those young men transformed this great country. Their determination to fight for freedom, democracy, peace, and security was passed down to future generations. As an expression of our gratitude to their bravery and perseverance, we thank and salute the men and women who played a pivotal role all those years ago. Lest we forget.

EthicsOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Conservative

Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC

Mr. Speaker, responding to questions about the fisheries minister's surf clam decision, the minister's most senior official confirmed that the Liberal-connected Five Nations had the lowest participation of first nations out of all the applicants. She also confirmed that she had no knowledge of the minister's family connection to the unincorporated entity. She confirmed multiple times that this was the minister's sole, personal decision.

When did the minister become aware of the minister's family connections, and when did he know that Five Nations had the least amount of indigenous participation?

EthicsOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, our decision to introduce indigenous participation is consistent with our commitment to developing a renewed relationship between Canada and indigenous peoples. Enhancing access to the Arctic surf clam fishery broadens the distribution of benefits from this public resource, and it is a powerful step toward reconciliation. When the Conservatives went through a similar process to increase access to this fishery, they chose to exclude indigenous peoples.

Of course, the member will continue to work with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and follow his advice.

TransportationOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Liberal

Nicola Di Iorio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC

Mr. Speaker, Montreal's public transit system is the most heavily used in the country. Many Montrealers make the eco-friendly choice to get around the city by metro, bus, and bike share. I am very pleased with our government's recent decision to help with planning the blue line extension to Anjou.

I would like to ask the Prime Minister how the government plans to help maintain the existing network and ensure quality service going forward.

TransportationOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel for his question.

Public transit is a priority for our government because it enables Canadians to spend less time on the road and more time with their loved ones. I am proud of this week's announcement that we will be giving the Société de transport de Montréal over $450 million to help it purchase buses, build a new garage, and renovate Montreal metro system equipment.

That is what it means to invest in our communities.

Indigenous AffairsOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Conservative

Cathy McLeod Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC

Mr. Speaker, three years ago, a young Cree girl was suffering chronic pain and was taking daily medication for a jaw misalignment. She simply needed $6,000 in dental work. Instead of showing compassion and common sense, the government decided to take Josey and her family to court, for over $110,000 in costs, to fight. Seven months ago, we suggested that it was time to quit the fight and show some compassion and change the policy.

Can the Prime Minister tell us how this represents using taxpayer dollars for reconciliation?

Indigenous AffairsOral Questions

3:10 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, in 2015, Canadians asked our government to step up on reconciliation and build a new relationship, nation to nation, with indigenous peoples, and that is exactly what we are doing. In partnership with them, in respect with them, we are working with indigenous communities across this country to respond to their needs, to deliver on the services they need, to build the housing, invest in the schools, and create the infrastructure necessary for them to determine their own future and for them to thrive in this country.

We are doing this hand in hand, in partnership, in respect, and that is what we will continue to do.