Debates of Jan. 29th, 2019

Taxation

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is a new year and we are in a new House of Commons, but the Liberals are still playing the same old broken record.

The Liberals are showing their true colours when it comes to Quebec. They pretend to listen, but Quebec's requests fall on deaf ears. The Prime Minister remains firmly opposed to the idea of making the lives of Quebeckers easier and ignores the consensus in Quebec regarding the single tax return, claiming that it would lead to more tax evasion.

What is the real reason for the Prime Minister's refusal to listen to Quebec, for once?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives are stooping to petty politics by making empty promises they have absolutely no intention of keeping.

The Canada Revenue Agency employs over 5,500 people in Quebec. It is an economic driver in places like Shawinigan, Gaspé, Rimouski, Quebec City and Montreal.

Our employees are bilingual and capable of serving all Canadians. We will be here and we will keep working—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Mégantic—L'Érable.

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

Mr. Speaker, was the minister trying to scare people just now?

This is about an administrative agreement, about one form instead of two, about making it easier for Quebeckers to complete their tax returns.

Only Quebeckers have to send in two tax returns. Quebeckers do not have two pockets. They do not have one pocket for the federal government and another for the provincial government. They get only one paycheque, but two governments try to get their hands on it. Enough already.

When will the Prime Minister understand that Quebeckers are not a threat and that they can handle a single tax return?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, it is quite something to listen to the Conservatives, who were in power for 10 years and unable to figure out how the Canada Revenue Agency works.

I can say that we have put in place programs to address tax evasion, unlike the Conservatives who do not want to get in the way of their rich friends.

We have invested $1 billion and hired 1,300 auditors. We have put everything in place to deal with tax evasion and we will continue to work—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order.

The hon. member for Mégantic—L'Érable.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is important to trust Quebeckers. Instead, the government insists on making life more expensive for Quebeckers. It insists on making their life more difficult.

The Prime Minister is tuning out the consensus in Quebec calling for a single tax return. I know that the Prime Minister has never had to file his own taxes, but not all Quebeckers can afford to pay an accountant for that.

Why will the Prime Minister not make life easier for Quebeckers and allow them to file a single tax return?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, while the Conservatives are making unrealistic promises, I am pleased to tell my colleague and any Canadians who may be listening to us what the Canada Revenue Agency is doing to make life easier for Quebeckers and Canadians.

We have invested in our call centres, we have simplified tax returns, we have invested in volunteer community programs, we have encouraged low-income non-filers to file their returns, all so that more Canadians can get the money they are owed.

National Defence

[Eva Nassif, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as the member for Vimy, I am fortunate to have many members of the Canadian Armed Forces living in my riding as well as a reserve unit of the Royal 22e Régiment. Every year, many recruits receive basic and other training there.

Many of them join the reserves to get good-paying summer jobs and hone their leadership skills.

Could the Minister of National Defence inform the House how our government is investing in young Canadians and the Canadian army reserves?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Vimy for her important question and her hard work for her constituents.

I was proud to be in Quebec a few weeks ago to talk about our new full-time summer employment program for members of the reserves. Through this initiative, new recruits will receive guaranteed summer employment and competitive pay and will gain valuable military experience, all of this guaranteed for the first four years.

Our government is committed to supporting the reserve members of our Canadian Armed Forces.

Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are paying for the Prime Minister's failures on China and national security.

Chinese law requires any Chinese company to spy for the government, and Huawei is no exception. The U.S., Australia, New Zealand and Japan have banned Huawei. The U.S. has threatened to withdraw intelligence sharing if Canada does not do the same.

Cyber-intelligence is the new arm's race, and it is escalating. The U.S. has now brought 13 criminal charges against Huawei and is unwavering in its extradition request.

When will the Prime Minister ban Huawei?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member should know, the issue of safety and security in the supply chains for new technologies are under very careful examination by the Government of Canada.

All Canadians want to take advantage of the world of improvements that can come from the application of 5G technology. At the same time, we want to be absolutely certain that our systems are safe and secure. Canadians can be confident that the decisions made by the Government of Canada will not in any measure sacrifice safety and security.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government continues to devalue the contributions of parents and grandparents. First it was family reunification based on the luck of the draw. After scrapping that colossal failure, it was right back to the Conservative plan to make families race, at breakneck speed, just to submit an application before an arbitrary cap was reached. It took all of 11 minutes yesterday before the door was slammed shut. Now families have to wait another year to even have a shot at submitting an application.

Will the Liberal government do what is right and cancel the cap?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians asked us for a more fair system, a system that would treat everyone on a first-come, first-served basis.

We have quadrupled the number of spots available for permanent residents and Canadians to sponsor parents and grandparents, from 5,000 to 20,000. We have slashed the wait times. It used to take seven to eight years to sponsor parents and grandparents.

We have listened to Canadians, and we continue to improve the program. We are proud of our record, and we will continue to reunite families.

Natural Resources

[Kent Hehr, Liberal, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is investing in renewable energy technologies to reduce carbon emissions and create good middle-class jobs for Canadians.

Could the Minister of Natural Resources provide the House with an update on the solar energy project he recently announced in Suffield, Alberta?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Calgary Centre for his hard work.

Last week we announced $15 billion of investment our government is making in the Suffield solar project in Alberta. This project will create 250 well-paying middle-class jobs during construction and power over 7,000 homes every year.

We are delivering on our plan to grow the economy and at the same time protect the environment.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. I encourage members to hold their opinions until it is their time to speak, not to speak, like the member for Calgary Signal Hill, for example. He could do that.

Riding of Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel

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

Mr. Speaker, constituents of Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel have been waiting seven months for an answer about the special status of the Liberal member.

On June 22, he announced that he was resigning. On September 27, he changed his mind. On November 14, he announced on his Facebook page that he would resign on January 22. We were just officially notified that he is resigning.

Unfortunately, the constituents of Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel are suffering because of the member's seven-month absence and soon the lack of representation for several more months.

The question I would like to ask the Prime Minister is simple: does he intend to call a by-election before the end of the term, or will the constituents be without an MP for more than 17 months?

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, as members know, the member announced his resignation only today. We will examine the situation and proceed accordingly.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

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

Mr. Speaker, in Quebec, we want to integrate our newcomers. We want people who choose Quebec to participate in Quebec life. We want them to take on our culture. For this to happen, we have to be able to speak to each other. Quebec has one official language, and that is French.

Does the minister agree that to become a citizen through Quebec, a newcomer must have adequate knowledge of French?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, we recognize the traditional discourse of the Bloc Québécois, which seeks to divide and create barriers on the basis of language, culture and colour. The Bloc Québécois has not changed, but Quebeckers and all Canadians have continued to progress and move forward. The Bloc Québécois is the only one that has not and never will move forward.

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

Mr. Speaker, I had the honour of introducing a bill to require that residents of Quebec have an adequate knowledge of French in order to obtain citizenship.

Knowledge of French is needed to integrate those who decide to join us, who want to be part of us and who want to be us. The Government of Quebec understands this.

Is this government in favour of a law that requires residents of Quebec to have an adequate knowledge of French in order to obtain citizenship?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, that “us” is the problem here. Their “us” seeks to divide people based on language. For the Liberals, “us” includes francophones, anglophones and people from all over the world who come to Quebec and Canada to work together to build a better future for themselves and their children. We on this side of the House do not seek to divide, but to unite.

Natural Resources

[Darshan Singh Kang, Independent, Calgary Skyview, AB]

Mr. Speaker, despite selling our oil at discounted prices, the oil and gas industry last year contributed $117 billion to the Canadian economy. That is lots of money, but the number could have been even higher had we had the pipeline capacity to deliver our oil to other markets. We need the Trans Mountain pipeline now more than ever. CNRL is warning that it will have to lay off workers, and how many other companies will be following suit?

My question is to the Minister of Natural Resources. What is the timeline for getting construction under way on the Trans Mountain pipeline? Are we close?

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians understand that in order to continue to grow the economy and get our resources to non-U.S. markets, pipeline capacity is very, very important. We are moving forward on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion in a responsible way, in the right way, with meaningful consultation with indigenous communities and at the same time making sure that we are dealing with the impact of tanker traffic on the marine environment. We have eight teams currently consulting with indigenous communities, and the NEB is on track to provide a report on February 22. We are moving forward in the right way on this project.