Debates of Sept. 17th, 2018

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the data I provided are from his own department, the Department of Citizenship and Immigration. We have not made anything up. This comes on top of the Trans Mountain issue, the out-of-control deficit, NAFTA, and the ethical and transparency lapses. Let us be clear. The Prime Minister's failures have consequences for all Canadians: fewer jobs, fewer opportunities, investments flowing out of the country, and rampant spending on the backs of our children and grandchildren. Canadians deserve better.

Is the Prime Minister aware of the failures he is dumping onto all Canadians?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, it is very important to have accurate numbers. Here are the real numbers. The unemployment rate is at one of its lowest points in 40 years. That means the number of Canadians working has risen, with more than 500,000 people working full time. This is really great for Canadians. Last year, we had higher growth than any other country in the G7. We are going to keep moving forward with our measures to strengthen the middle class and all Canadians.

Natural Resources

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Milton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it was interesting that in his questions and his answers today that the Prime Minister had a little slip of the tongue and he referred to Canada's oil industry as Alberta's oil industry. I can tell the House something. It is all Canadian resources.

What Canadian resource families want is real leadership, people who work hard to get the policy done so they can go out and build the pipeline. What is the plan the Prime Minister has or is he just going to say to them that it is going to be another fall season of failure?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we moved forward with the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. because we know how critically important it is to Canadians. We know how important it is for our economy.

We are not going to take lessons from the previous government that failed to get resources to international markets. We know that 99% of our resources go to the United States. We must create international access for our resources and that is exactly what we are going to do properly by listening and having meaningful consultation with indigenous Canadians and considering the environmental impacts that are so important.

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Milton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I think my favourite word of the summer was “de-risking”, and that is exactly what the Minister of Finance said that the purchase of the Trans Mountain pipeline would do for this project: he said it would de-risk it. It did not really work out for them very well, did it?

I am glad the Minister of Finance recognizes the importance of the pipeline to our economy, but I have a simple question for him. He had a summer of failure too. What is his plan to get this pipeline built?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the court has been very clear. We need to move forward promptly without unnecessary delay, and that is exactly what we are going to do.

We will not take lessons from a previous failed government. What we will do is move forward, having meaningful engagement with indigenous Canadians, ensuring that we deal with environmental risks in the appropriate way, and giving confidence that this project can go forward so we have access to international markets.

The previous government was unable to do that. We have resolved to make sure we do it in the right way.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, here are the facts. In 2014, the Supreme Court ruled on consulting first nations. In June of 2016, the Federal Court of Appeal affirmed the same. On November 1, 2016, the Liberal-appointed panel that consulted first nations on Trans Mountain reported to cabinet, and 28 days later cabinet approved the expansion.

The Prime Minister and all those Liberals repeatedly said their process would survive a court challenge, but two years later, on August 30, the courts ruled that the Liberals failed.

After this summer of total failure, what is the plan to get the Trans Mountain expansion built?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, we understand that the building of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project is in the national interest.

We will not follow the failed policies of the Conservative government. We are going to meaningfully consult with indigenous people to make sure we are engaging with them in two-way dialogue that finds accommodation for their concerns where it is possible to do so. We are going to look after the environment and make sure that we are meeting our environmental obligations.

We are going to move forward with this project in the right way so that those—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Geoff Regan]

Order. I would remind members that it is the responsibility of the Speaker to try to ensure that every member can be heard here. Therefore, I would ask other members not to interrupt and not to speak when someone else is speaking. It is simple respect. It is certainly worth the dignity of this chamber and our responsibility to Canadians.

The hon. member for Lakeland.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, four new pipelines were built under the Conservatives.

The reality is that the Liberals failed on the consultation on Trans Mountain. They failed to give certainty to Kinder Morgan that it could be built. They promised a law and failed to deliver. They failed to find a private sector investor for Trans Mountain. They failed to get shovels in the ground this summer. The Liberals have failed for three weeks to tell Canadians their plan to respond to the court's ruling and get the Trans Mountain expansion built. They killed thousands of jobs. They have spent billions of tax dollars on a pipeline they cannot expand.

Is this all part of the Prime Minister's plan to phase out the oil sands?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, for almost a decade the previous government failed to build a single pipeline to expand our non-U.S. market. Ninety-nine per cent of our oil is landlocked because the Conservatives failed to explore and expand the global market.

We are committed to making sure that we follow the highest standards that Canadians expect us to follow when it comes to consulting with indigenous people, when it comes to protecting the environment. We will do so and build this pipeline in the right way.

International Trade

[Karine Trudel, NDP, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the contribution of dairy, poultry, and egg farmers is essential to the Quebec economy. It represents 92,000 jobs.

Unfortunately, since 2015, the government has done nothing but carry on the Conservative legacy by sacrificing these farmers in its trade agreements, such as the TPP.

Supply management is more than just an industry. It is our way of life in the regions, the way we use our lands, and our tradition of family farms.

When will the Liberals commit to properly protecting our farmers and when will they stop signing bad agreements?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my hon. colleague's question. I can assure her that we have supported and will continue to support supply management and our farmers in this system. The Prime Minister, I myself, and many other ministers have indicated quite clearly that we have supported and will support the supply management system.

It is important to note we are the party that fought to implement supply management. I can assure my hon. colleague that we are the government that is going to protect it.

[Tracey Ramsey, NDP, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, “supporting” means no increase in quota.

Canadians spent the summer worried about their jobs under steel and aluminum tariffs, a shaky NAFTA and repeated threats from the White House. This is especially true in my riding of Essex. The government says it is fighting to help Canadians like auto workers and supply management farm families. If that is true, how can its first piece of legislation this fall be the ratification of the job-killing CPTPP?

Canadians are not buying the bogus argument that this is good for Canada and working people when the deal will cost us 58,000 jobs. Will the government do the right thing and take the CPTPP off the table?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of International Trade Diversification]

Mr. Speaker, no, and we would want the hon. member to know that trade means growth and growth means jobs, quality jobs for Canadians.

As we expand our export markets, we expand the possibilities for these Canadians, mostly small and medium-size enterprises, to have the chance to sell to these markets. We are looking for a swift passage of this important legislation and we hope the New Democrats will co-operate.

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship

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

Mr. Speaker, many illegal immigrants do not come back for their interview. Canada Border Services Agency officers are being muzzled by senior management. They are very concerned about cuts to security procedures. They are being told to skip certain steps. Canadians believe that the Prime Minister could not care less about their safety. They want to be informed.

We have a plan. Do the Liberals?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction]

Mr. Speaker, let me assure this House that our government will never compromise the safety of Canadians. Irregular border crossers are thoroughly screened and they do not get a free ticket to remain in Canada. We on this side of the House will always stand to protect Canada's system and we are taking concrete measures to do so.

It is important to recall that the Conservatives like to talk a good game, but they cut nearly $400 million for border security measures when they were in office.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of International Trade Diversification is new to the position. I do not think he has all the information, and he should be briefed.

We know that the Canada Border Services Agency has been asked to cut back on security checks. What is more, only a handful of illegal immigrants have been deported. The mandate letter of the new Minister of Border Security does not contain any directives on how to resolve this crisis.

How can the minister resolve this problem without any clear directives from the Prime Minister?

We have a plan. Do they?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction]

Mr. Speaker, I have received very explicit instructions to lead our government's response to irregular migration. We remain unwavering in our commitment to protect the safety of Canadians.

As I have already stated, we have invested $173 million to replace some of the resources that were taken away by the previous government. Let me assure this House that everyone ordered removed has been given due process. All orders can be challenged through various levels of appeal, but once those legal avenues have been exhausted, individuals are expected to respect our laws and leave Canada.

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

Mr. Speaker, the minister has talked about the hundreds of millions of dollars the government has spent on illegal border crossers, yet from January to August in 2017 the numbers were 13,221; while from January to August of this year, it was 14,125. The problem is getting worse.

There is only one way this is going to get solved, and that is by closing the loophole in the safe third country agreement.

Has the minister done anything of import, such as asking the Americans to close the loophole in this agreement?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction]

Mr. Speaker, as the minister for border security, I have been tasked with leading the engagement with the United States on the safe third country agreement. To that end, I have communicated with Secretary Nielsen and asked that government to engage with us on this important issue. There have been some discussions to date, and that process will continue.

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

Mr. Speaker, I will summarize that as “no”.

The member for Scarborough—Guildwood said the following: “People have come to the conclusion that these people”—illegal border crossers—“are not refugees and they should be returned sooner rather than later.”

A Conservative government would close the loophole in the safe third country agreement and expeditiously remove those who do not have a legal reason to be in Canada. That is very simple. It is what Canadians want. That is a Canadian thing to ask for.

When will the government close the loophole in the safe third country agreement?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has a long tradition and a proud tradition in providing protection to those who need it most by providing refuge to the world's most vulnerable people. At the same time, we must ensure the security of our communities and the integrity of our border.

The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act requires the ongoing review of all designated third countries to ensure that the conditions that led to their designation continues. As I have already indicated, I have reached out to Secretary Nielsen to discuss issues related to irregular migration and the shared border, including ways in which we might enhance the safe third country agreement.

International Trade

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

Mr. Speaker, supply management is a system that works. Martin Joubert and Émilie Courchesne, owners of the Ferme de la Carrière in Upton, told me how vital supply management is to the survival of their farm. If supply management breaks down, they will lose their farm. Farmers like Martin are worried, and with good reason. People like Martin and his family are the reason that the NDP is going to keep fighting. The Prime Minister has told farmers that he is not making any concessions on supply management.

When is he going to put his money where his mouth is?