Debates of Dec. 10th, 2019

Veterans Affairs

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 75th anniversary of the Italian campaign. It was a great honour for me to lead the delegation to Italy, including 15 incredible veterans of the campaign and members from all sides of the House.

Canadians can be extremely proud of how the Italians thanked the Canadian people and the Canadian veterans. They will never forget the bravery shown by Canadians, and we will always remember them.

Forestry Industry

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has ignored B.C.'s forest industry and its workers for far too long. Thousands of workers in communities in British Columbia are out of work. Residents in my riding are suffering thanks to the Liberal government's indifference. These men and women want and need to get back to work.

Could the Liberals inform the House if the new NAFTA agreement includes an agreement on softwood lumber, yes or no?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of International Development]

Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the new NAFTA that will be signed shortly between Canada, the United States and Mexico. We are very proud that we have continued to stand up for Canadian workers and Canadian industries from coast to coast to coast. We are very proud of the new chapters on the environment, on labour, on dispute settlement to ensure that we get the best deal for Canadians, elements that the Conservatives urged us to abandon.

This is a good deal for Canadians, and we will continue to stand up for them and industries at every opportunity.

[Gary Vidal, Conservative, Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK]

Mr. Speaker, NorSask Forest Products is a 100% first nations-owned company whose profits are directed to the nine bands that make up the Meadow Lake Tribal Council. These funds are used for services like housing, education and health care, including suicide prevention programs.

Since 2017, NorSask has paid over $10 million in softwood lumber tariffs. That is $10 million not being used for services in these communities. When will the Liberals prioritize the negotiation of a new softwood lumber agreement with United States?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of International Development]

Mr. Speaker, this is an important issue that my colleague across the way raises. This is something that we have been committed to and are working on very diligently.

The previous minister of foreign affairs, the Deputy Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister will continue to ensure that we advocate for Canada's interest in the softwood lumber industry and ensure we get not just any deal, as the Conservatives keep advocating for, but a good deal.

The Environment

[Richard Bragdon, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to rise in the House today for the first time. I am grateful to the good people of Tobique—Mactaquac for electing me as their member of Parliament.

New Brunswick has presented a credible and effective environment plan to the government for review. Unlike the federal carbon tax, New Brunswick's plan is made in New Brunswick and protects consumers and local businesses.

The provincial government is still waiting for a reply. When will New Brunswick receive its answer?

[Seamus O'Regan, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member on his presence in the House.

We will continue to work with provinces, including the Province of New Brunswick in order to evaluate its plan and to make sure it is in keeping with the government's priorities.

Health

[Pat Finnigan, Liberal, Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB]

Mr. Speaker, over the past month, I have heard from many constituents from my riding of Miramichi—Grand Lake who have loved ones struggling with an addiction to crystal meth. Crystal meth devastates lives and communities, and it is both accessible and very cheap.

Often, the stigma is also an obstacle for those who want to get help.

Can the Minister of Health tell the House what the government is doing to help Canadians struggling with substance abuse problems?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Miramichi—Grand Lake for his advocacy. This is an issue that affects many people and their families. My heart goes out to all the people and families struggling with substance use problems across the country.

Over the past years, we have restored harm reduction to our national drug strategy, because we believe that every life matters and that recovery is always possible. We also know that access to treatment is not equal across the country, which is why we have committed an additional $700 million to make sure people can access treatment that is appropriate, no matter where they live.

The Environment

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

Mr. Speaker, while scientists at COP25 and young people across the country insist that this is a climate crisis, the Liberals are all over the map.

The commissioner of the environment and sustainable development announced today that not only are we going to miss the Conservatives' 2030 targets, but also that the Liberals are hiding key information on their climate failure. That is unworthy of government that claims to be transparent.

Will the Minister of the Environment commit to adopting a green new deal and telling the truth to Quebeckers and Canadians?

[Seamus O'Regan, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, we acknowledge the commissioner's recommendations and we are taking action to follow up on them.

Our government has always been clear that we will meet and surpass our 2030 climate targets, and we believe that this plan will get us there. If we need to do more, we will.

[Paul Manly, Green, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, today is Human Rights Day. A year ago this week, the UN human rights office sent a letter to the government requesting information on the steps taken to suspend the Site C dam until free, prior and informed consent was obtained from affected indigenous—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order, please. I know some people are new to the House and if I can have some quiet, I can explain what the rules are.

The rules are that if members have something that they refer to, they can use it as a reference, but to hold it up and use it that becomes a prop. That is inappropriate by parliamentary rules. I am sure the hon. member did not mean to break the rules.

I will let him continue with his question.

[Paul Manly, Green, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my apologies.

Today is Human Rights Day. A year ago this week, the Human Rights Office sent a letter to the government requesting information on the steps taken to suspend the Site C dam until free, prior and informed consent is obtained from affected people. A second letter requesting additional information was sent—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. Minister of Natural Resources.

[Seamus O'Regan, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, our government is restoring confidence in federal environmental assessments. The previous government approved the project and set legally binding conditions with which the proponent must comply. We will ensure that every condition attached to the project's approval is met, and we will conduct regular inspections to ensure compliance.

Appointment of Deputy Chair

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I am now prepared to propose, for the ratification of the House, a candidate for the position of Assistant Deputy Speaker and deputy chair of committee of the whole.

Pursuant to Standing Order 8, I propose Ms. Hughes for the position of Assistant Deputy Speaker and assistant deputy chair of committee of the whole.

The motion is deemed moved and seconded.

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt this motion?

[members]

Agreed.

(Motion agreed to)

Appointment of Assistant Deputy Chair

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I am now prepared to propose for the ratification of the House a candidate for the position of Assistant Deputy Speaker and assistant deputy chair of committee of the whole.

Pursuant to Standing Order 8, I propose Mrs. Mendès for the position of Assistant Deputy Speaker and assistant deputy chair of committee of the whole.

The motion is deemed moved and seconded.

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

(Motion agreed to)

The House resumed consideration of the motion

Opposition Motion—Proposed special committee on Canada-China relations

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise and continue my discussion on the importance of this special committee to investigate the trade relationship between Canada and China.

I will take this opportunity to read what Jeff Nielsen, the chair of Grain Growers of Canada, said earlier this week. It relates to the lack of any mention of agriculture in the throne speech and the crisis with canola. He said:

Yesterday’s Speech from the Throne displayed a concerning lack of understanding of the unique needs of Canada’s export-oriented agriculture producers. This is particularly surprising considering the magnitude of the challenges currently facing farmers in every province across the country.

The absence of any recognition of the dire circumstances facing farmers today, suggests that our political leaders are not only oblivious [to] the harsh realities facing Canada’s export oriented farmers, they are without a plan to address them.

That is a very stark comment by the chair of Grain Growers of Canada about the lack of any consideration for the crisis that Canadian farmers are facing when it comes to our relationship with China. As I said earlier in my speech, 250,000 jobs are at risk and about 45,000 producers across Canada are relying on access to that critical market.

What is in the bins from last year's harvest has already devalued by more than $1 billion. These funds are not going to farmers to pay off mortgages, loans on equipment or their input costs. It is money they need to purchase the seed to get ready for seeding next year. Many of those farmers have not even been able to harvest this year's crop because of an extremely harsh harvest.

Once again, this is a recurring issue with the Liberal government; it is not something new. The bungling of important trade relations with some of our most critical partners around the world has become a regular occurrence with the Prime Minister. It started with his “tickle trunk” tour of India, which has resulted in the loss of one of our most important customers for pea and pulse crops. Now we are losing our canola crop exports to China, our durum wheat exports to Italy, and barley and wheat exports to Saudi Arabia and Vietnam. It also impacted our relationship with Australia and Japan when we were going through the TPP signing process.

The Prime Minister does not seem to understand the importance of our global relations with some of our most important partners. Unfortunately, time and time again, those paying for these mistakes are in Canadian agriculture: our farmers and ranchers who work extremely hard every single day to ensure that they have the highest-quality products not only on our tables but for customers around the world.

We tried to address this last spring. We asked many times for an emergency debate. I believe it was eight times. Each and every single time the Liberals denied us that opportunity. Then we tried to bring it up at the trade committee and the agriculture committee, but many ministers refused to appear at those committees to discuss the issues we were facing. In fact, we heard the minister say that the crisis with China was not important enough, as it had not reached the stage for sending a delegation, which would have included ministers, to China to address this issue and regain market access.

That is why this special committee is so vital. Members from all parties would have an opportunity to discuss and debate this crisis with China.

Billions of dollars in trade are on the line. The lives of farmers and ranchers across Canada depend on this critical relationship with China. It behooves the government and all members of the House to be part of a special committee to investigate our relationship with China to ensure we get that critical market back.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I have listened to many members of the Conservative Party talk about this special committee, but they have failed to clearly demonstrate the difference between this special committee and a standing committee. There is nothing that this special committee could do that a standing committee could not. Our foreign affairs committee has a history of dealing with many different issues in the past. This is one question I put to my friend across the way.

The other question is on the good, solid suggestion from the Bloc regarding paragraph (k). Why does the Conservative opposition have no confidence in a committee, whether a standing committee or a special committee, to determine on its own who should be the special witnesses, especially given that we have a minority situation?