Debates of Sept. 24th, 2018

Natural Resources

[Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to pipelines, it is the same old story from both the Liberals and the Conservatives. Quebeckers have lost faith in the Liberal Prime Minister's bungled consultations and discredited assessments.

The Liberals can say what they will to defend themselves, but the Federal Court of Appeal clearly indicated that consulting with first nations and affected communities is not really their strong suit.

Now, the Conservatives are trying to revive energy east, and the Liberals' response is vague and not very reassuring.

Are Quebeckers in for a nasty surprise? Does the Liberal Party plan to revive energy east?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Natural Resources, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect a government to work hard to get our resources to the global market. We have a condition where 99% of our oil is sold to one customer, the United States. There is a fundamental responsibility that we expand the capacity to go to other markets. Canadians deserve well-paying middle-class jobs. That is what we are focused on. We will move forward on this project in the right way, respecting the environment and at the same time engaging with indigenous peoples in a meaningful two-way dialogue.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, last Wednesday, the Prime Minister mocked the idea of legislation to get Trans Mountain built. He said it would not create a “predictable, clear path” for “investors around the world or in Canada”.

However, news flash, in April, he himself told Canadians that the Liberals would bring in a law to “reassert and reinforce” federal jurisdiction to create certainty. Of course, he failed to deliver it, and the courts said he failed on Trans Mountain. It is no wonder no one believes him.

Where is the plan for the Trans Mountain expansion?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Natural Resources, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about the Conservative record for a minute and go to a flashback.

When they took office in 2006, 99% of oil exports went to the United States. Flash forward to 2015, and 99% of oil exports still went to the United States. That is the Conservative record.

We are working hard to ensure that we are expanding our non-U.S. market, but we will move forward on this project in the right way, respecting the environment, and at the same time engaging with indigenous peoples in a meaningful two-way dialogue.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I think this minister's constituents, in particular, and all Canadians would like him to show some urgency and actually take action.

Every single day of delay risks thousands of jobs and billions of dollars. The Liberals' failure is damaging Canada's reputation as a place to do business. Five thousand families now do not have jobs they were counting on. Opportunities for 43 indigenous communities are at risk. On Friday, the Liberals really just kicked the can down the road for another six months, and they still do not have a plan.

The Liberals are zero for three on getting pipelines built, and they just keep failing. Why should Canadians trust them now?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Natural Resources, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives had 10 years to expand our global markets. They failed for 10 years. They did not do anything for 10 years.

We will ensure that we are moving forward on expanding our global market and building pipeline capacity in a way that Canadians expect us to do, which means respecting the environment and, at the same time, consulting and engaging with the indigenous peoples in a meaningful, two-way dialogue.

We will not take a lesson from the Harper Conservatives who failed Alberta workers for 10 years.

Manufacturing Industry

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I might remind the minister that when the Conservatives left office, they had three pipelines in the queue. The Liberals now have zero.

Speaking of that, on Friday, the Liberals announced another six-month delay on Trans Mountain. Unfortunately, as the Prime Minister flounders, Ontario manufacturers are fleeing Canada. With no real plan in place, Friday was just one more failure in a summer of failures.

Ontario manufacturers know that every job created in the energy sector results in seven manufacturing jobs in Ontario. When will Ontarians finally see a plan to save our manufacturing jobs?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, we have a plan. That is what we ran on in 2015. That plan is focused on investing in Canadians, and because of that we have seen unprecedented economic growth. Last year, the economy grew by 3%, the fastest growth rate among the G7 countries.

Since we formed government in 2015, over 540,000 good-quality jobs have been created. More Canadians are working. That is a plan that we put forward. That plan is working, and we will continue to remain focused on Canadians.

Natural Resources

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Mr. Speaker, first nations communities were depending on the Trans Mountain to provide jobs and economic opportunities.

Forty-three first nations have economic benefit agreements. They now have to look at budget cuts to important programs, and at cutting back in terms of many of the things they had hoped to do next year. This is because of the Prime Minister's failure.

Others, indigenous businesses, now have contracts on hold.

How long is the minister willing to deprive these 43 first nations of jobs and economic opportunities? What is the plan?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Natural Resources, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, we understand that we need to expand our global markets, and that is why we are working very hard.

We have more confidence than the Harper Conservatives did in our energy sector. We believe that supporting our energy sector is the right thing to do, and supporting our workers, in both indigenous communities and non-indigenous communities, is exactly what we are focused on.

The economy is growing in Canada, as in Alberta, and 540,000 more Canadians are working today than were working under Stephen Harper's government.

Child Care

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

Mr. Speaker, how can the Liberals claim to be progressive and feminist when they are forcing women to make the difficult choice between paying exorbitant amounts for child care or staying at home? Here in Ottawa, women pay $65 a day for child care. At that price, child care is not a service; it is a barrier. Quebec knows that, which is why it has an affordable day care system.

It is 2018, so what are the Liberals waiting for? When will they implement a universal child care program?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for giving me the opportunity to say that we are very aware of how important it is to invest in educational child care, not only to support the work of families and reduce poverty, but also to ensure gender equality in the workplace and at home in 2018.

We have put an ambitious plan in place to invest $7.5 billion over the next 10 years, the first plan of its kind in Canadian history. We are working with the provinces and municipalities, who support us, and we are counting on that broad support from governments and Canadians to do even more—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Saskatoon West.

[Sheri Benson, NDP, Saskatoon West, SK]

Mr. Speaker, Saskatoon and Regina are among the most difficult places in Canada to find licensed child care. In fact, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives study says that Saskatoon has only one licensed space for every four children, comparable to rural areas in Nunavut.

In 2015, the Liberals promised a child care framework that meets the needs of Canadian families wherever they live. Families throughout the country are still waiting. Will the so-called feminist government commit to a national child care program to help families now?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am again very pleased to be given this opportunity to tell the House and all Canadians how proud we are to be since 2015 investing in a historically large investment plan to build more quality, affordable and accessible child care services across Canada for all Canadians including indigenous Canadians and families. We announced just last week the first ever distinctions-based investments with our indigenous peoples that will support hundreds of thousands of families across Canada and indigenous communities and they should have more—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Marc-Aurèle-Fortin.

National Defence

[Yves Robillard, Liberal, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as members of a founding nation of NATO that is one of its largest financial contributors, Canadians know that our government's commitment to the alliance is strong. Under the Harper Conservatives, the previous government cut its support for the Canadian Forces by $10 billion and withdrew from the world stage. Unlike them, we are increasing annual defence spending by $32.7 billion, an increase of more than 70%—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. Minister of National Defence.

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his tireless work on the defence committee. Unlike the Conservatives, who withdrew from NATO and the world, our government is taking leadership roles within the alliance. In July, we announced Canada will assume command of the NATO training mission in Iraq and this will help build a more effective national security structure. The need for any mission builds on the successes we have achieved in the region where we continue to have an impact in the region.

International Trade

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Junkin family owns a small business in Port Perry, Ontario and sells boats for recreation. Both Brandon and his wife, Martina, work at the small business as do both of Martina's parents. Like most businesses in this sector, they buy their inventory in the winter for sale in the summer. They have to pay the GST up front, and now they have to pay the Canadian tariffs up front. This means they will buy fewer boats and they will lose money this year.

Why is the government failing to listen to these small businesses? Will the Liberals exempt these boats from the Canadian tariffs?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to address the question from the member opposite to say that first of all, we have been trying to take into account Canadians across the country who have issues and real challenges in dealing with the tariffs put in place as retaliatory measures against the United States. We are certainly listening to businesses to make sure that we get it right and that we deal with any problems in the implementation of those tariffs. That is an ongoing process, one which we are taking very seriously in order to make sure businesses are not disadvantaged.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the finance minister needs to recognize small business owners cannot wait a year for relief from the tariffs their government is imposing on them. The government is collecting $300 million already in tariffs, but studies show most of that will go to large businesses. Small business owners like the Junkins cannot afford armies of lobbyists and lawyers. They need to access tariff support now. Will the government streamline the application process and make support available to small businesses across Canada in the next month, not next year?

[Andrew Leslie, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada-U.S. Relations)]

Mr. Speaker, our government understands that the U.S. section 232 measures have created real challenges and hardship for Canadian workers and Canadian businesses. That is why this government has made up to $2 billion available to defend and protect the interests of Canadian workers and businesses. These include measures such as extending work-sharing agreements, increased funding for skills training and funding to bolster competitiveness. The teams are working through the night to get these resources out to those who are most affected. We are going to continue to monitor and supervise the situation and respond to protect our Canadian workers.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. The hon. member for Provencher will come to order.

The hon. member for Louis-Saint-Laurent.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in July we learned that the government is imposing tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum. Nearly $286 million has been collected and that money should be going to Canadian businesses.

According to Global News, so far only $11,184.35 has been allocated. That is not a lot. Worse yet, most of that money is expected to go to corporations and not the small business owners who need that steel.

Why is the government favouring big business and abandoning small business owners yet again?