Debates of Sept. 20th, 2018

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

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

Mr. Speaker, how funny that the Minister of National Revenue is the fourth minister responsible for border security. Now we really have seen everything.

I am talking about the 31,000 people who have entered Canada since the Prime Minister's infamous tweet. More than 65% of these people have legal status in the United States, but the Prime Minister told them to come here, and some of them misunderstood the message.

We simply want to know whether these files can be processed so we can send back those who are not eligible to claim refugee status here. That is all.

We have a plan. Where is theirs?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, we do have a plan. Our government is working with provincial and municipal governments to manage the asylum claims compassionately and in accordance with international law and Canada's humanitarian values.

When the Conservatives were in power, they cut almost $400 million from the Canada Border Services Agency's budget. That is not the right approach. We do not need any lectures from the Conservatives.

[Bob Saroya, Conservative, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our borders are under significant pressure. Over 30,000 illegal border crossers have crossed into Canada in the last two years. These illegal crossers put a huge pressure on taxpayers and cause delays and backlogs for those who play by the rules. We have been asking the government for two years to fix this problem, but it has fallen on deaf ears.

When will the Liberals fix this problem?

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

Mr. Speaker, I think it is very important to add some facts to this discussion.

The member opposite mentioned that there is a percentage of these irregular border crossers who have American citizenship. They are infants. They are babies and toddlers who were born very recently in the United States to asylum seekers.

Surely the member opposite is not suggesting that we tear these infants from their mothers' arms and incarcerate them in cages.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would love to have a debate about the integrity and the well functioning of our immigration system.

What just came out of the minister's mouth was beyond reproach. We should be trying to come up with a solution to bring back the integrity of our asylum claim system.

Will the minister apologize for the rhetoric and hyperbole that he just put forward in this House of Commons? Will he close the loophole in Canada's safe third country agreement?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order, order. I think I may have mentioned, once or twice, that sometimes members will hear things they do not like, but I would ask them to remember that only one person should be speaking at a time, and we try not to react to what we hear until it is our turn to speak. That is the time when one gets to react.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would never apologize for standing up for children, for standing up for families, for standing up for a compassionate response to those who are fleeing persecution and danger.

We have a proud tradition in this country of being a welcoming country to those who are legitimately seeking refuge. We will continue to provide and uphold Canadian law and Canadian values in that system.

To suggest for a moment that people should be removed simply because, as toddlers, they happened to hold American citizenship by virtue of where they were born, is—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Calgary Nose Hill.

Veterans Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, the minister talks about standing up for the rights of victims. Earlier in question period, the Prime Minister said, point-blank, that he would not answer a question.

He would not answer a question, and yet Christopher Garnier, who has never served a day in his life in Canada's military, who killed a female police officer and unceremoniously dumped her body under a bridge, is getting benefits from Veterans Affairs.

The Prime Minister needs to have the courage to stand up and answer this question right now. Does he believe that Christopher Garnier should be receiving benefits from Veterans Affairs?

[Seamus O'Regan, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the family of Constable Campbell. I always have to say this and I never like saying it, but it is important. For privacy reasons, I cannot get into the case.

However, I made it very clear, and I think many people in this House made it very clear, how uncomfortable they were with this whole situation. I have asked the department to go back and provide me with a better understanding of how this decision was made.

Indigenous Affairs

[Romeo Saganash, NDP, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, in response to a question about Kinder Morgan and the duty to consult indigenous peoples, the Prime Minister said that the process was adequate, but that they had to do a little bit more. The Federal Court of Appeal said that “Canada fell well short of the minimum requirements imposed by...the Supreme Court of Canada.” I have news for him. His little bit more will not be enough.

Does he realize that imposing a pipeline on first nations is not an act of reconciliation?

[Paul Lefebvre, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that we take the Federal Court of Appeal's decision very seriously. We are currently examining it. There is no doubt that we must consult indigenous peoples, as it is a legal duty under the Constitution. We are currently reviewing this decision and will have more to say in the days to come.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, what is the price of a political vendetta? Well, if one is the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations fighting the survivors of St. Anne's residential school, one will spend $2.3 million, millions spent on every brutal legal tactic, on every procedural weapon, even targeting their pro bono lawyer to intimidate them into silence. I was with the minister when she met the survivors and they wept openly asking her to end her vendetta.

How can she look them in the eyes and break her word?

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed for justice for all the survivors of Indian residential schools. More than 90% have received compensation. There are a few cases that, as the member knows, were difficult to settle. In one of the cases, Justice Perell has stated that counsel's “repeated and deliberate attack on the integrity of this Court threatens to interfere with the administration of justice.” We remain committed to bring closure for all survivors.

Ethics

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

Mr. Speaker, earlier this week the former fisheries minister stood in this House and completely deceived Canadians, and through his inaction, the Prime Minister is complicit in this deception. The minister has said that there was no financial gain to his family, yet the Ethics Commissioner found that the minister's “decision provided an opportunity to further the private interest of Mr. Thériault”, the minister's family. The commissioner added that his “compensation by the company depended on it being granted the licence.”

Why does the Prime Minister sit silent and allow his minister to mislead Canadians?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, the commissioner's report states there was no preferential treatment given. We cannot say the same about the conduct of the member for Haldimand—Norfolk who, when in cabinet, gave preferential treatment by funding a project connected with the Conservative Party after her own department had ruled it was ineligible for federal funding.

The Conservatives are in no position to lecture our government.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard was caught red-handed but is acting as though nothing happened. The Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner is saying that the minister is completely at fault, but he does not seem worried. No one is above the law or the rules established by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.

When will there be real consequences for the Liberals' total lack of ethics?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, as the commissioner indicated in his report, no preferential treatment was given in this case. However, since the Conservatives have a short memory, I will remind my colleague opposite that Prime Minister Harper's chief of staff was found guilty by the commissioner after writing a personal cheque for $90,000 to a senator to try to hide their corruption.

Our government does not need any lectures from the members opposite.

Carbon Pricing

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Mr. Speaker, this summer the Prime Minister admitted that his carbon tax would harm Canadian business when he cut a special deal for large companies, yet he still is forcing small businesses and Canadian families to pay this unfair tax. He continues to ignore the concerns of my province by rejecting a “made in Saskatchewan” plan to address climate change. The carbon tax kills jobs, makes life more expensive for families and does nothing for the environment.

Will the Prime Minister now admit that his entire carbon tax scheme is a failure?

[Sean Fraser, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, we were elected on a commitment to protect the environment and grow the economy at the same time. I note that just last night the National Post is reporting that even Stephen Harper's former director of policy is indicating that our government's plan is going to provide a net benefit to Canadian families. It is disappointing in the extreme that the member opposite would dip into the pockets of her constituents so they can make pollution free again.

[Harold Albrecht, Conservative, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, during the Prime Minister's summer of failure, I was hosting meetings in every corner of my riding and listening to the concerns of my constituents. What they told me is that they cannot afford a carbon tax. Small business owners, manufacturers, seniors, single moms and farmers are all tired of their taxes being raised by the Liberal government.

When will the government stop helping its Liberal insiders and start to focus on making life more affordable for middle-class families in southern Ontario?

[Sean Fraser, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, we are making life more affordable for Canadians and more expensive for polluters. If people do not believe me, they can ask the former director of policy to Stephen Harper, who indicated that our plan is going to result in a net benefit for Canadian households.

We are protecting the environment and growing the economy at the same time. Since we were elected and came into office, the economy has added half a million jobs and emissions are going down. We are on the right track and I would suggest, if he is interested in protecting the pockets of his constituents, he get on board with our plan.

Natural Resources

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, almost a million kilometres of oil pipeline criss-cross this country, going through virtually every town and city, and last year we saw a 41% increase in pipeline spills. For B.C., it was the worst year in a decade. Now we learn from a shocking new report from the NEB admitting that it learned about hundreds of faulty pipeline parts three years ago. These parts will “expand or break” under pressure.

I have a simple question for the Liberal government. When will all the faulty pipeline parts be replaced and does it even know if any of them exist in that wonderful 65-year-old leaky pipeline it bought on our behalf?

[Paul Lefebvre, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, getting resources to market is the fundamental responsibility of any government, but that must be done with the highest regard for safety and the protection of the environment. The 2016 Pipeline Safety Act that we brought in strengthens Canada's pipeline safety system. We have also invested $17.4 million in the National Energy Board to enhance pipeline oversight and monitoring activities. We promised Canadians we would restore trust in our regulatory processes. This is a step to ensure Canada maintains the highest safety standards for federally regulated pipelines.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it feels like Groundhog Day. The Conservative Party leader is begging the Prime Minister to bring back energy east. He might do it, even though most Quebeckers are strongly opposed to the proposal. Why listen to people and protect our rivers when friends in the oil industry make such hefty donations? Those two are like two peas in a pod. I can barely tell them apart.

Can we get a promise from the Prime Minister, right here, right now, that he will never put the insane energy east proposal back on the table?