House of Commons Hansard #6 of the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was need.

Topics

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5:20 p.m.

Bloc

Martin Champoux Bloc Drummond, QC

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question, which I did not talk much about in my response to the throne speech.

In my opinion, the solution is perfectly clear. It is simply to heed the calls from us and from all the provinces to increase health transfers to the provinces by 5.2%. That would be the right thing to do.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5:20 p.m.

Bloc

Caroline Desbiens Bloc Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC

Madam Speaker, woman to woman, allow me to congratulate you on being appointed Assistant Deputy Speaker of the 43rd Parliament. You are doing all women proud.

Since this is my first time speaking in the House, I want to take a moment for acknowledgements. I may not always be as articulate and eloquent as my colleague, because I would rather sing my speech than say it. I am a singer-songwriter, so I would probably be more at ease.

I would like to applaud the voters in my riding who honoured our treasured democracy by voting on October 21. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank my campaign volunteers, whose passion and energy are what got me here. I want to thank my loyal husband, Pascal, and my beautiful daughter, Marie-L'Eau, for their unfailing love and support. I love them. They are my guiding lights.

I also want to salute the entire arts community of Quebec, especially my fellow singer-songwriters and musicians, who share this passion with me. I think of them as good friends.

My thoughts are also with my late parents whose extraordinary guidance and devotion put me on the path that led me here. They would be so proud to see me represent the voice of Quebec in Parliament. To my large and wonderful family, my countless good friends and the 18,479 people who put their trust in me, I say thank you. I assure you that I am committed to all my constituents.

I was born on a very small bit of land, an island that became famous very early on. The French explorer Jacques Cartier, who had a harsh and trying crossing from Saint-Malo to the new world during his second trip in September 1535, found some land rich with hazelnuts and fish. That is why he named it l'Isle-aux-Coudres, or hazelnut island. Historians have said that this stopover was pivotal to the continuation of his trip to Stadacona, which later became the only francophone national capital of North America, Quebec City.

The islanders are very proud of this slice of history that belongs to them. I will take this opportunity to say hello to everyone, especially my friends, the people of Île-aux-Coudres, the Marsouins and Marsouines. That is what we call the people who live on this island. I will spare my colleagues the story of how this name came about. As a good Marsouine, I will tell you the story at an appropriate time.

Île-aux-Coudres has a lovely history full of symbolism, and its motto is that you must know where you come from to know where you are going. Culture is the principal driver.

Much later, this same small island continued to make its mark through time and space with the living memory of the islanders in the work of Quebec filmmaker and author, my friend Pierre Perrault. The National Film Board's documentary trilogy La Trilogie de l'Île-aux-Coudres was internationally recognized as a documentary masterpiece and its creator, Pierre Perrault, was recognized as one of the pioneers of direct cinema.

Quebec has something else to be very proud of today. I am proud to highlight some very good news for Quebec, which is again making its mark internationally, despite serious financial difficulties. Quebec does not lack talent. The Hollywood Critics Association just announced that Denis Villeneuve will receive the filmmaker of the decade award at the association's gala on January 9, 2020, for his body of work. We are pleased. This will go a long way to promoting Quebec's film industry abroad. On behalf of all members of this chamber, elected members and members of the Bloc Québécois, I extend our warmest congratulations.

I was asked to take on the role of culture critic in Parliament, and I want to question the government about a pressing, topical issue that is sadly missing from the throne speech: the cultural emergency. There is not only a climate emergency, but there is also a cultural emergency. We are in the midst of an unprecedented culture crisis.

Let us talk about this economic, social, historic, traditional and, as we have seen, international force that is culture. Culture sets us apart, defines us as a people and gives us a pointed and relevant view of ourselves.

Let us think of our writers, historians, novelists, biographers, poets, filmmakers, authors, actors, sculptors, directors, playwrights, circus performers and artisans who are crying out for help.

The culture that we love is in economic jeopardy. Our culture brings us freedom and immeasurable social benefits, but all of that is struggling for survival. Why is that? It is because culture relies on the economy, and the economy has experienced massive financial cuts.

Thus, culture and art do not have the resources needed to compete with the web giants around the world. However, some countries around the globe, such as France, Australia and New Zealand, have tackled the problem head-on and have taken action to fix it by taxing the various web platforms. Nothing of the sort is happening here. In Quebec, Netflix calls the shots.

Of course, project applications are increasing, and there is no shortage of labour in the industry, but government investments in culture have not kept up. Our wonderful and very popular television shows like Les filles de Caleb, some of which have been on the air for over 20 years and boast ratings of over three million viewers every week, have barely six or seven episodes left and smaller budgets. This is all because Netflix, like many other web giants, is still not paying its fair share of taxes. Our culture is being stifled and swallowed up by American giants.

During the election campaign, the government promised to quickly impose a tax of 3% of their total revenue on web giants like Netflix and redistribute those funds to culture. No such commitment was included in the throne speech, which worries us.

Large-scale productions can no longer be considered possible in Quebec. We have to stifle our bright ideas because of a lack of resources. What will happen to the joy and beauty that is spread thanks to our culture, not to mention the economic benefits?

In Quebec, the reality is that creators of French-language television content, with their limited financial resources, are being forced to compete with billion-dollar giants equipped with the latest technology and operating under extremely favourable conditions. This leads to the very real consequences we are seeing.

We keep going, yes, because we are fighters. In good times or bad, we keep going.

That is a very good reason for us to worry and to tell our friends that we will be there to collaborate with our neighbours and promote culture. This will help people like Pierre Perrault, Michel Brault, Gilles Vigneault and Gilles Pelletier, as well as friends closer by like Carol-Anne Pedneault, Daniel Gaudet, Simon Pedneault, Marilyn Castonguay, Claude Gauthier, Jacques Leblanc, Émile Nelligan and Octave Crémazie, succeed in standing out in today's culture.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5:30 p.m.

Yukon Yukon

Liberal

Larry Bagnell LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency)

Madam Speaker, the member's speech earned well-deserved applause, and I appreciate the positive manner in which she gave it. She made a great case for culture. I think she knows we are on her side. We reinstated a lot of programs to support culture. I want to commend her on the positivity of her speech and the attitude of all Bloc members, particularly the leader. I said the other day that this is the way Parliament should be: positive, articulate, making a case politely and dealing with issues, not personalities.

Why are your people called porpoises?

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5:30 p.m.

NDP

The Assistant Deputy Speaker NDP Carol Hughes

I want to remind the member to address the Chair and not individual members.

The hon. member for Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d'Orléans—Charlevoix.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5:30 p.m.

Bloc

Caroline Desbiens Bloc Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his kind words. I think he is reaching out to us, and I am deeply touched.

I hope all of Quebec is seeing us listening and talking to one another and promising to improve conditions for our workers in the culture sector, as well as in production. Some of these projects lead to great triumphs, like the honour for Denis Villeneuve that was just announced today.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5:35 p.m.

NDP

Taylor Bachrach NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC

Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate the member on her passionate speech and note that there are many parts I related to, especially the sense of place that she was able to convey. She spoke of a cultural emergency and it made me think of a situation facing the part of the world I represent where indigenous languages are in danger.

I wonder if the member could comment on the parallels that she sees. We have a commitment from the government to invest in indigenous language revitalization, but my feeling is that it is not nearly enough.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5:35 p.m.

Bloc

Caroline Desbiens Bloc Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague sincerely.

In Quebec, indigenous culture is a part of us. Many of us have strong family ties to indigenous communities. Our cultures intersect on a regular basis and exist side by side. Florent Vollant, Elisapie and Koriass are people who are contributing to our culture and are very popular in Quebec.

In moving forward, we will certainly have to keep a close eye on the investments the government makes to raise public awareness of the urgent plight of indigenous peoples and their culture, which is suffering as much as the culture of Quebec and the Francophonie.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5:35 p.m.

Bloc

Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC

Madam Speaker, I would like to commend my colleague on her election and on her speech. I would like to reassure her that she is definitely eloquent enough and talented enough to be an MP. I do hope, however, that we will have the chance to hear her sing again because she sings as well as she speaks.

I would also like to congratulate you, Madam Speaker, on your election. It is good and even essential to move toward greater gender equality and for women to play a bigger role in our institutions. As the Bloc Québécois critic for gender equality, the status of women and seniors, that is of particular concern to me.

Speaking of seniors, during the most recent election campaign, many seniors' groups talked to me about the taxation of GAFA by drawing a parallel with the matter of weekly and regional newspapers. One of the newspapers that is in jeopardy, La Voix de l'Est, is located in the heart of my riding.

What would we do without these local newspapers? What would our community organizations, our arts organizations and our democracy do without them? Who will talk about us and report on our work to our constituents? I therefore intend—

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5:35 p.m.

NDP

The Assistant Deputy Speaker NDP Carol Hughes

Order. I am sorry, but there is not much time left and I have to give the member for Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d'Orléans—Charlevoix the opportunity to briefly respond.

The hon. member for Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d'Orléans—Charlevoix.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5:35 p.m.

Bloc

Caroline Desbiens Bloc Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague and close comrade. The women of the Bloc Québécois are a tight-knit bunch. Yes, we will move all these projects forward. I am trying to be brief, so I will not list them all, but obviously my colleague and I are on the same page. We will keep a very close eye on all of those things.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5:35 p.m.

Conservative

Rosemarie Falk Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK

Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for New Brunswick Southwest.

Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate you on putting your name forward, going through the process and on your recent appointment. I also want to thank the voters of Battlefords—Lloydminster. They have given me a strong mandate. They sent me back to Ottawa to represent them to be their voice, the voice of rural communities, the voice of the taxpayers and families.

I know every single one of us in this place would not be here without our supporters, without our volunteers. I want to thank them because they are a very important part of helping us get here.

I am not too sure how many of my colleagues know, but over the summer, my husband and I welcomed a brand new baby girl. It is very important for me to express my thanks to my husband Adam and my children Annabelle and William on the birth of Victoria. Their love and their patience go a long way, especially in the middle of a campaign. We all know how sometimes we are not even home for dinner or sometimes to sleep, especially in a rural riding like mine. It is so big and I have to travel from community to community in order to reach constituents. I also want to honour my family members for their support in my desire and ability to serve in this place and be a voice in the nation. I am so appreciative of that.

On the note of door knocking, I spent a lot of time in the riding over the summer, sometimes with the baby in tow. Two weeks after I had her, I was out at events with baby in tow. The things that I heard at the door were sometimes quite sad. In conversations with people, I would ask how they were doing and they would say, “Well, I haven't been laid off yet. I still have a job. I was laid off six months ago and I found another job but I haven't been laid off from it yet.” That is the anxiety and anguish that is being felt in my riding in Saskatchewan. It is the same thing in Alberta. People genuinely are scared about whether they are going to wake up and go to work and still have a job.

I live in a very unique city. I have mentioned before in this place that my city actually borders Alberta and Saskatchewan. Half of the residents live in Saskatchewan and half of them live in Alberta. It makes it quite a mess because we are one municipality. It gets very difficult when we have different provincial regulations covering one place.

There is a company that employs hundreds if not thousands of people within my riding. The day after the election, October 22, the company laid off 60-some people in my community. That is not including the hundreds of layoffs that happened in Calgary with the same company.

I want to put that into perspective. I do not know if I fully understand going into work one day, thinking it is going to be a normal day and then being told to go home. What kind of conversation would I have with my husband? “Look honey, I was laid off today. I am not sure what we are going to do. I think Christmas is going to look different. I am not sure if we can afford to have the kids in hockey or in dance anymore. Things need to be different.” That is the reality where I live. People, with the struggles that they are dealing with day to day, feel ignored and just wonder if they are going to be able to get by.

The Prime Minister made a point of meeting with the premiers of the provinces. He also met with some of the mayors. The mayor of my community was very proactive. He reached out to my office and asked if we had a number for the Prime Minister because he wanted to talk to him. I found the number for the PMO, gave it to the mayor and he made a call. To his surprise, the Prime Minister called him back.

I am glad that the Prime Minister took the time to call him back. The mayor stressed that it is important for smaller cities to have a voice as well, not just big city mayors, and important that he hear what is impacting them, especially being in a western province like Saskatchewan. The mayor expressed to the Prime Minister the struggles of the people in my community and my region in not being able to get their agriculture products to market, for example, their canola, and not being able to get their energy products to market. The Prime Minister said that he understood.

What was troubling for me is, was that hope? Was it false hope? Was it a facade? Was it real? Was that conversation real and genuine? People today want authenticity. They want to be listened to. They want to be heard, actually heard.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that the government needs to listen harder and that it has been sent a message from Alberta and Saskatchewan that it needs to listen harder. I had a little bit of hope. I thought that this was great and wonderful, and that the government knows something is not right and is going to take the time to listen better and maybe turn some of that listening and consulting into action.

Then came the throne speech, and unless I missed it, I did not hear mention of the Trans Mountain pipeline. I know one thing that would definitely help the constituents in Battlefords—Lloydminster is being able to get gas to market. We heard a lot about the no more pipelines bill, Bill C-69, and also Bill C-48. Are those bills maybe some of the reasons some people are being laid off, because the atmosphere and environment for energy investment just are not there and it is too restrictive? I did not hear anything in the throne speech on how we are going to help get our oil to market, and maybe lessening the restrictions that have been created in the environment that we have.

Also, what is the government's goal right now to help farmers get their products to market? In my riding, there is a lot of farming, whether it is grain or cattle. Farming is one of those things that is year-round as there is always work to be done, but in the off-season, a lot of those farmers are hauling oil and water. They are trucking. They are doing things to pay the bills while they are not able to actively farm. It was really disappointing to hear that the government understood about not being able to get the beef and the canola to market and then hearing that the agriculture minister missed the deadline to file.

It saddens me because I thought the government was listening harder. I thought, in good faith, that because of those conversations and phone calls the Prime Minister was having with premiers and mayors across the country that something would come out of it. I am so sorry to say that my disappointment with this throne speech is just overwhelming in that real actions were not taken to help reduce and alleviate the western alienation that is happening.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5:45 p.m.

Liberal

Kody Blois Liberal Kings—Hants, NS

Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate the member on her newborn child. That is very exciting.

She talked a lot about struggles in rural communities. I come from a rural community myself in Kings—Hants and heard on the doorsteps too about affordability and the importance of investing to support rural communities. Does the member opposite believe that investing in the middle class and supporting individuals will lead to a better economic outcome? Will the member support the basic personal exemption going up to $15,000 that we have put forward?

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5:45 p.m.

Conservative

Rosemarie Falk Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK

Madam Speaker, if the government really cared about the middle class, we would not have an enforced carbon tax in my home province of Saskatchewan. I believe the Prime Minister and the government should respect the plans that Premier Kenney in Alberta and Premier Moe in Saskatchewan already have for the environment. The government should allow them to have their own in-province plans. It should allow Canadians to keep in their own pockets the money from the carbon tax that is going to the government, because families know best how to spend that money, which they earned, on their needs and priorities.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5:50 p.m.

NDP

Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC

Mr. Speaker, in the member's speech, what I did not hear enough about is seniors. Many seniors in our communities are struggling to make ends meet due to increased housing costs and medicines they cannot afford. We hear of seniors cutting pills in half or making a choice as to whether they will buy food or medicine, and living in pain, which is unacceptable. Some seniors cannot even pay for their basic needs.

The government promised that it would increase the OAS for seniors by 10% for those who are over 75 and increase the CPP by 25% for widows. We do not think that is enough to meet the cost of living today. The government did not allow people between 65 and 75 to benefit from its offer. We do not understand that. It seems that people who are 65 should have the same benefits as those who are 75 when they are retired, especially single women. In this country, over 30% of single women over 65 live in poverty.

Does my colleague support including those who are between 65 and 75? Does she support an even further increase for our seniors who are living on a basic pension?

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5:50 p.m.

Conservative

Rosemarie Falk Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK

Mr. Speaker, that is a great question. I am all about making life more affordable for everybody, whether it is a young, single mom, a senior or someone who is going through that craziness of kids going to university and all of that. A great way to start that is to stop enforcing the carbon tax and allow Canadians to choose where they want to spend that money instead of putting it in the government's pocket.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5:50 p.m.

Conservative

Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB

Mr. Speaker, I was inspired to hear how in the middle of the campaign the member was able to give birth and still continue on and raise a family at the same time.

We have heard a lot from the government about its new middle-class tax cut where, after the next three years, people can earn up to the $15,000 before paying taxes. The member is a new mom again. She has three children. The Liberals' new tax cut would put an additional 76¢ a day into her pocket next year. She has three children. What is she going to do with all that extra money the government is going to provide her?

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5:50 p.m.

Conservative

Rosemarie Falk Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK

Mr. Speaker, if I was to get 76¢ a day, unfortunately, it would all go to the carbon tax for my increased gasoline bills at the pump and my increased home heating bills.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

5:50 p.m.

Conservative

John Williamson Conservative New Brunswick Southwest, NB

Mr. Speaker, today is the first time outside of question period that I rise to speak in this session. I would like to congratulate you on your elevation to the Speaker's chair as our deputy. The mantel carries a heavy burden to be fair-minded and I am sure you will again guide our House to the best of your ability. For that, we all congratulate you.

I have had the privilege of serving in this great House in a previous Parliament. Given that I represent a constituency in Atlantic Canada as a Conservative, members know that there is a gap in my political employment history. It is a rare honour to be elected to Parliament. It is an honour to serve and be sent here by constituents to represent them. For this, I thank the voters of New Brunswick Southwest for sending me back. The one promise I made during the election was to work hard every day to represent the voice of my constituents. It is a task I intend to take seriously and one I will work on every single day.

|I must also thank my amazing wife Kelly Williamson. Many of us know all too well that our spouses make the biggest sacrifice for us to be here. Kelly has been with me through good times and bad. She continues to be my closest confidante and my best friend. My thanks to Kelly. “Je t'aime.”

I would also be negligent today if I did not include in my address my mentor, the hon. Greg Thompson. Greg was elected to Parliament six times. He served with distinction as minister of veterans affairs under the previous Conservative government. Greg passed away on the day before the election was called. It was a difficult moment for many of us at the start of that election campaign.

For those of us who have had the privilege of sitting on either side of the House with him, and for those who might know Greg only through Hansard, I can say this. Everything that was said about Greg is true. Greg did not do anything in half measures. Greg was never afraid to stand up, never afraid to speak out for his constituents. He truly represented the very best of us. My commitment is to follow Greg Thompson's high standard. Perhaps I will not always hit it, but I know at least I will always be on the right path.

In considering today's news, I wish to also acknowledge our Conservative leader. He is a friend, he is a good man and, importantly, he understands Canada.

In the last Parliament, when the federal government failed to appoint a minister for our region's economic development portfolio, when we nearly lost our seat on the Supreme Court, and when 32 Liberal MPs sat quietly, it was the federal Conservative leader and it was all Conservatives who defended those important priorities for Atlantic Canada. As well, it was Conservatives from outside the region who fought for the energy east pipeline more so than New Brunswick Liberal MPs did in the last Parliament.

Failing to stand up for home is why the Liberals lost 40% of their seats in New Brunswick and they nearly lost the majority of them. We will win them next time.

I turn now to the matter at hand, the Speech from the Throne.

In several places, the Speech from the Throne talks about a mandate, yet this is very much a hung Parliament. Canadians gave no party a mandate, except a mandate to try to work together. The Liberals won the most seats, but won fewer votes than the Conservatives. The debate will continue and a wise government will look to work collaboratively with other parties. Let me begin in a spirit of harmony or agreement.

I support the idea of cutting income taxes for Canadians. It is important to make home ownership more affordable for Canadians. It is important that governments' help families get ahead. The idea of providing clean water to indigenous communities is also important. We need to do more to tackle opioid abuse and as well, do more to help people battling mental health issues.

The government also needs to reduce red tape. We also need to work together on the NAFTA file, the free trade file, although on this one the government is getting off on the wrong foot already.

Those are the areas of the throne speech where I think we can find common cause.

Notably, the throne speech was silent on aquaculture and the traditional fisheries. This was a good thing, given the reckless promises made by the Prime Minister during the heat of the recent election.

Unfortunately, there is also a whole host of areas where we are on the wrong path. The ACOA minister continues to be a member from outside of our region. When it comes to scientific research dollars, innovation and R and D funding, the lion's share of that money ends up in areas outside of Atlantic Canada, which has a harmful economic impact on Atlantic Canada and areas outside of central Canada.

On rural Internet, the government is simply moving too slowly and is too focused on the big telecoms for solutions.

The government continues to target law-abiding, responsible firearm owners, not illegal guns and gangs.

Additionally, it has been equally silent on the forestry industry and its inability to get an agreement with the United States. This is important for Canada as well as New Brunswick.

On deficits and rising taxes, all too often the Liberals' focus is elsewhere, and they have not made deficit elimination a priority, which they have promised to do time and time again.

I will discuss the two most pressing areas where we are going to have a challenge.

The first is the carbon tax. Workers at Flakeboard in my riding lost their jobs because of policies brought in by the government which raised energy prices. Marwood, another company, is a builder of wood products, with sales at home in Canada and in New England. It, too, is deeply concerned about the impact of ever-rising energy prices.

As well, the economy is sluggish. We have heard that 71,000 jobs were lots in November, and we are falling behind our international competitors. Last year, real gross domestic product expanded by 1.4% and population grew by 1.5%, which means on a per capita basis, things are shrinking. They getting worse for Canadians and the economy. As a result, wages for working Canadians are not keeping up with the prices on just about everything. I will have more to say on this in the coming weeks and months in my role as the opposition labour critic.

Over these four years, we have seen one constant thing from the government. It has no discipline, and this has led to a decline for the entire country. This is true on the economy, it is true with our international standing, it is true with our institutions and now it is true on national unity. The Liberals are not a serious government. Canadians gave the government a humbling return in this Parliament. Unfortunately, I do not think it is enough to change its direction, so Conservatives will continue to offer a better course for Canada and a way forward.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

6 p.m.

NDP

Alistair MacGregor NDP Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC

Mr. Speaker, I am glad my colleague touched on the subject of aquaculture.

It is also a big area of concern on Canada's other coast, in a the riding I am proud to represent, but particularly in northern Vancouver Island. We know our wild salmon populations are feeling an incredible amount of stress right now. There is a real movement afoot to try to get those open-net fish farms out of the way of wild salmon migration routes. In the 42nd Parliament, my previous colleague, Fin Donnelly, tried to move those open-net fish farms to closed containment, land-based systems.

Could my colleague inform the House what the Conservative Party's position is on that? I know the coastal residents of British Columbia would be very interested in that, given the threat fish farms pose to wild salmon populations.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

6 p.m.

Conservative

John Williamson Conservative New Brunswick Southwest, NB

Mr. Speaker, I am here today to speak for myself. I can tell members the concerns from my constituents. The technology the hon. member is proposing is unproven. It will drive up the price to produce farmed fish. It will drive up the price that families pay to put food on their table. It will kill Canadian jobs.

If we do not produce farmed fish in the east coast aquaculture, our international competitors will. Investment dollars will go elsewhere, whether it is to Scotland, to Chile or to other parts around this world. This is a growing industry and it is a way to feed the world with safe and affordable farmed seafood.

That is the perspective from Atlantic Canada. We have this technology. It creates many good-paying jobs, not only on the water but also white-collar jobs in the office in rural Canada.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

6 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, I have a very specific question for the member opposite, related to tax cuts. The government is proposing tax cuts and tax relief for Canadians. Will the Conservative Party, in particular that member, support that?

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

6 p.m.

Conservative

John Williamson Conservative New Brunswick Southwest, NB

Mr. Speaker, again, I will speak for myself here. I will have to look at the tax cuts. Too often with the Liberals, they will propose one thing and then deliver something else.

I have been talking about raising the basic personal exemption since I was head of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, when the Liberals were fighting that idea and refusing to lower taxes on working Canadians. Our side will give any legislation from the government a fair reading. If, in fact, taxes are to be cut, we will likely applaud that. We are going to read the fine print first. One has to read the fine print on any promise when it comes from the Liberals on spending and taxes.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

6:05 p.m.

Bloc

Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member on being elected, and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you too.

I would like to ask my colleague a question about firearms. Discussions have focused on tightening the rules for assault weapons and handguns, but not shotguns, which means that hunters are not being targeted. When I asked a question earlier this week, I made the point that the weapon Marc Lépine used in his anti-feminist attack on December 6, 1989, is still in circulation.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

6:05 p.m.

Conservative

John Williamson Conservative New Brunswick Southwest, NB

Mr. Speaker, I will just repeat that the solution is not to go after Canadians who are following the rules when they buy and use firearms. What we need to do is go after the people who use firearms illegally and do not obey current laws.

Resumption of Debate on Address in ReplySpeech from the Throne

6:05 p.m.

Conservative

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

Mr. Speaker, once again, congratulations on your role in our Parliament.

In my new role as the shadow minister for northern affairs and the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, the one thing I am really concerned about is the lack of focus on the north by the government in the throne speech.

In the throne speech, the best that we got was “in the Far North or along the Canada-U.S. border—all Canadians want to make Canada a better place for themselves, their children and their communities.” That is all we got for the entire northern part of our country. I guess defining the north is difficult, because we are generally north wherever we step foot in any Canadian territory.

Especially in those northern areas, we develop our resources. This is a government that said it is supposedly pro-north, but it is difficult to defend that. I will mention one thing that was very clear. Having a northern development strategy would have been good to hear. A national energy corridor to help get our resources to market would have been a great thing to hear in the throne speech.

A plan to restore ethics and accountability in the government is a general theme that we did not hear about. As the former chair of the ethics committee, I certainly know how lacking the Prime Minister is on that file.

There was also the lack of support for our energy workers, such as building the TMX, repealing Bill C-69 and Bill C-48. We did not hear about those either.

Why does that relate to the north? A lot of the natural resource projects are in the north. All that we have seen, even when we talk about Bill C-69 and Bill C-48, is the Liberals really limit any new development in the northern part of our country.

It is not just the Conservatives who are saying this. We have leaders in the north who have already criticized the Liberal government. I will mention some of those individuals.

Former Nunavut premier Peter Taptuna said, “We do want to be getting to a state where we can make our own determination of our priorities, and the way to do that is gain meaningful revenue from resource development. At the same time, when one potential source of revenue is taken off the table, it puts us back at practically square one where Ottawa will make the decisions for us.”

I am referring to the moratorium on development in the north by the Liberal government. At the time, the leaders in the north were not made aware of that and it was very much a surprise. We have indigenous peoples across the north who want to develop their resources and a good economy for their people and for their benefit. What we saw from the government was a complete stifling of that opportunity.

Nunavut Premier Joe Savikataaq said, “No one in Nunavut asked for a carbon tax and no one in Nunavut agreed to it.” That is another aspect of what this particular leadership has addressed, which is the effects of the carbon tax on the north.

I live in northern B.C. and the member for Yukon across the way lives where it is a little colder than where I live. One thing I would think the Liberal member across the way can agree on is that heating our homes in the north really is not an option. It is not a luxury and it is not something we can choose not to do. We need to heat our homes just to stay alive in the winter months. That is why the carbon tax especially targets the north unfairly. I would have at least expected some kind of way to mitigate that effect on northern communities. They really have no choice, whether it is transportation or heating their homes.

I am going to mention another leader, Merven Gruben, mayor of the hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk. It is a long quote, but I will read it for the benefit of members today. He said, “I agree the Liberals should be helping us. They shut down our offshore gasification and put a moratorium right across”, and I will use his language, “the whole freaking Arctic without even consulting us.” It might show his anger too with this decision. Obviously, they were expecting to develop those resources to help their people and it was stymied and shut down right there. He further stated, “They never said a word to us.”

Mayor Gruben's colleague said, “It's so easy to sit down here and make judgments on people and lives that are 3,500 klicks away, and make decisions on our behalf, especially with that moratorium on the Beaufort. That should be taken away, lifted, please and thank you. That is going to open up and give jobs to our people—training and all the stuff we're wishing for.”

Merven Gruben also made another key statement, saying, “We're proud people who like to work for a living.”

This is the opportunity they are looking for. They want to develop their resources, yet the government, which is supposed to be supporting the north, seems to be doing everything to get in the way of that development.

Mr. Merven Gruben also said:

I thank God we worked very closely with the Harper government and had the all-weather highway built into Tuk. It opened in November 2017, if some of you haven’t heard, and now we are learning to work with tourism. We all know that’s not the money and work that we were used to in the oil and gas days that we liked.

All that said, we are talking about the throne speech tonight. One thing I have not mentioned yet that alarms us in the north is the lack of a softwood lumber agreement. It is affecting many of the communities across the north.

We talked about gasification and oil and gas and referred a bit to mining, but there are great jobs in the forestry industry as well. There is lots of timber in the north. A lot of areas have not been logged for many years and the timber is sitting there, affecting hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country. It would greatly benefit the north if we signed a softwood lumber agreement. Even a signal from the Liberals that they wanted to get this done would have been appreciated by the folks in my riding and in the north, but we did not even get a signal.

As the House probably remembers, the last time this happened the government at least signalled. Maybe it is better for the Liberals not to say it; maybe that is where they are now. They did not even talk about a softwood lumber agreement.

The last time we heard about it was in 2015. In the first 100 days, the Prime Minister was supposed to sit down with the then President Obama and get a signed, sealed and delivered softwood lumber agreement. That did not happen.

Some have asked what the big deal is. The big deal is that the 20% tariff applied to our Canadian lumber has greatly affected the margins. A couple of years ago when we were making $600 per thousand, it was still profitable, but with the market going down and stumpage rates affecting us in northern British Columbia, the 20% tariff is now really affecting the sale of lumber and timber to our neighbours. Despite this, it was once again ignored by the government.

As a bottom line, the throne speech signals the direction the government is supposed to be going. We do not see a whole lot for the north or the softwood lumber industry. The Liberals are working on language to talk back Bill C-69 and Bill C-48. They seem to be ramping it up. We heard what the Minister of Environment was talking about. There is gas project in B.C., another northern project, and one of the project partners is pulling out. Is that because of the carbon tax in Canada? Is that because of other signals the environment minister has given that the Liberals will not co-operating with that particular project? I do not know.

The bottom line is that Canadians need to work. Canadians in the north, in the file that I now represent, need to work. They need to be able to heat their homes, feed their families and keep a roof over their heads. It is unfortunate that the government does not seem to take that group of Canadians seriously.