Debates of Sept. 19th, 2018

Veterans Affairs

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as we will see from investments of close to $10 billion in our veterans over the past three years, the mental health and well-being of veterans and families is a priority for this government.

We have heard from the veterans community that this is an important issue to them, so in budget 2018, we expanded the medical expense tax credit for recognizing costs for psychiatric service dogs for 2018 and future years.

Being based in evidence is important to us, so we are currently funding three research initiatives related to service animals. We continue to monitor the research to ensure that we are making the best decisions to support our veterans.

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

Mr. Speaker, for over a year, my office has been helping a mother whose son is in the military. Her son has PTSD and, tragically, is also suicidal.

Despite his serious injury and critical situation, he has been forced to wait for almost a year for his medical claim to be processed by Veterans Affairs. He feels his government has abandoned him, and there are seven others in his unit who feel the same.

When will the government keep its promise to our veterans and get them the help that they so desperately need?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, this government recognizes that we have a sacred obligation to support our veterans and their families, and that includes investments in mental health.

We have invested, over the past three years, about $10 billion in helping our veterans, in supporting their families, in moving forward on veterans' mental health benefits and supports, in reopening shuttered Veterans Affairs offices. We recognize that there is still more to do.

We are working hard to meet the expectations and the needs of the veterans who have served this country so excellently for so many years. We will continue to be there for them.

National Defence

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government's policies have once again failed our military.

Canada needs effective equipment and highly trained personnel to maintain our defence obligations, but reports say that our military has a shortage of 275 pilots. As a former Air Force officer, I know that pilots do not want to fly 40-year-old used Australian F-18 fighter jets. Those planes are older than our current ones.

Will the Prime Minister start supporting our military to attract and retain the pilots we need, and finally cancel the interim purchase of these used fighter jets?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as the member well knows, after a decade of Conservative cuts, we are proud that our government is making landmark investments in the Canadian Armed Forces.

There has never been a better time for Canadians to join Canada's defence team. We are taking action to boost retention of our women and men in uniform, including with tax breaks, and with more than $6 million a year for support and services for military families.

We have introduced initiatives to speed up recruitment and training to ensure our Royal Canadian Air Force has all it needs to accomplish its mission.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has had three years, and his only solution is to spend half a billion dollars on a pile of scrap metal from Australia.

The Prime Minister just does not understand the consequences of his failures.

This report confirms that the Royal Canadian Air Force is short 275 pilots. Why are they leaving? It is because nobody wants to fly a bunch of old, rusted-out fighter jets from Australia.

When will the Prime Minister cancel this asinine interim policy of buying used jets, recruit and train new pilots, and finally stop failing our troops?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I know I am not the only one in this House who finds it a little bit rich that the Conservatives are complaining about procurement processes, when they completely botched our fighter jet procurement process from the beginning.

The Conservatives completely failed to get the equipment needed to our armed forces. They created the capability gap.

We are fixing that. We are ensuring that the men and women in uniform who serve this country are given the equipment they need, and are not just used for photo ops, like the Conservatives did every damn time.

Veterans Affairs

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has failed to give injured veterans the support they have earned. Remember the Prime Minister told veterans that they are asking for too much, yet these Liberals are giving a man convicted of murdering a police officer, a man who is not a veteran himself, money meant for veterans. He killed her, put her body in a compost bin and dumped her under a bridge.

When will the Prime Minister step in and stop this outrageous abuse of veterans' benefits?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, here is something we saw for 10 years that the Conservative government did not acknowledge. When a man or woman serves in Canada's Armed Forces or in the RCMP, their whole family serves with them. We have made it a priority to not only improve benefits and services for our nation's veterans but for their families as well. Since 2016, investments have totalled $10 billion for veteran programs and services, including the hiring of over 470 staff to increase delivery capacity.

In regard to the tragic and terrible case the member opposite mentioned, due to laws around privacy and confidentiality—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. The hon. member for Scarborough—Agincourt.

Science

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

Mr. Speaker, our government understands the importance of fostering a culture of curiosity among our kids and youth. Today is the Prime Minister's science fair, which highlights both our outstanding students and science centres across Canada. I am extremely excited to see all of the amazing projects that the students have brought for us today.

Can the Prime Minister please explain to this House the benefits of getting our youth interested in science?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Scarborough—Agincourt for her work on her file.

We are delivering on our promise to restore science to its rightful place in Canada. We are strengthening Canada's labs and classrooms with the largest investment in fundamental research in Canada's history.

I am looking forward to seeing the amazing work of our youngest researchers and scientists later today and invite everyone to come and join. Unlike the Harper Conservatives, we celebrate, promote and believe in science-based decision-making.

International Trade

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister does not seem to understand why dairy farmers from across Canada are on the Hill today, and I am wondering whether he knows why young farmers were protesting in front of his office this summer. I will tell him. Young farmers no longer believe the Prime Minister because he plays with words. He did not tell them his real intentions regarding supply management.

Will the Prime Minister finally tell the truth or will he have yet another item to add to the long list of failures he racked up over the summer?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank the Conservative member for standing up for supply management. I know that not everyone on the other side of the House supports it.

We all agree that protecting supply management is a priority for our government and Canadians. We will continue to protect supply management and support our farmers, particularly our dairy farmers who work hard every day to provide Canadians with a clean and healthy product.

Canadian Heritage

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the recent Gémeaux awards reminded us of the work of several generations of Quebeckers to capture our culture on film. The problem is that this work is in jeopardy. Our youth are growing up with Netflix and YouTube, multinationals that obviously do not care about the future of our language or our culture.

The former minister of Canadian Heritage spent three years figuring out that urgent action is needed and then did nothing in the end.

Will the Prime Minister stop interfering and let his new Minister of Canadian Heritage do his job and take action right now and before the next election?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we know how important it is to protect culture in Quebec and throughout Canada. That is why we have invested historic amounts to restore funding for Radio-Canada/CBC and we have doubled funding for the Canada Council for the Arts.

We will continue to invest and defend our cultural industries because we know that it enhances people's feeling of belonging and is good for jobs and the economy.

I have a great deal of confidence in our Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism, who will continue this excellent work.

National Defence

[Jean Rioux, Liberal, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, keeping Canadians safe means confronting instability around the world. In November, we announced a series of commitments to optimize Canada's impact and its contribution to UN missions. In March, we announced plans to deploy an air task force to Mali for a one-year period.

Would the Prime Minister please update the House on the peace support operation in Mali?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Saint-Jean for his question and the work he does.

After a decade of Conservative cuts, we are re-engaging in UN peacekeeping operations.

In August, we reached full operational capacity in Mali. Our armed forces are working closely with UN troops to provide medical evacuations 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are saving lives.

I thank our brave women and men for the incredible work they are doing.

Public Services and Procurement

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

Mr. Speaker, after the terrible fire at the Quebec City armoury, home of the Voltigeurs, we, the Conservatives, did everything in our power to restore this precious piece of Quebec history. Today, two expert reports confirmed that, following their summer of failure, the Liberals are now undermining the integrity of the Quebec City citadel by using a poor-quality American stone that does not meet government standards. There is still time to reverse this decision in order to restore the integrity of the citadel.

What is the Prime Minister waiting for? When will he take action and take our national heritage seriously?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we care about Quebec City's significant historical heritage, and particularly that of Old Quebec, which is a UNESCO world heritage site, and we are protecting it.

The contractor is required to follow the guidelines in order to ensure that the UNESCO designation is respected and upheld. The department is monitoring the situation very closely because we understand how important this is to the city.

International Trade

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Mr. Speaker, during the Quebec election campaign, the four party leaders stood together in support of supply management. It is a priority for the Quebec nation. The four leaders are calling on the Government of Canada to fully protect supply management.

Will the Canadian government side with Quebec and fully protect supply management, or will it decide to listen to its top adviser, Conservative Brian Mulroney, who wants to create another breach in the system?

Why does the government always avoid using the word “fully”?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times in the House and as I have told Canadian farmers, including dairy farmers, directly, we will protect supply management.

We know that the Americans want us to eliminate this system, which works for Canadians and our farmers. We will continue to defend supply management because it works.

Oral Questions

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it was brought to my attention that in an outburst of enthusiasm, I may have used a word that was unparliamentary. I withdraw that word and apologize to anyone who was offended.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I thank the right hon. Prime Minister for his apology.