Debates of Dec. 12th, 2019

Berthier—Maskinongé

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to pay tribute to two residents of Berthier—Maskinongé who have made outstanding contributions to civil society.

At the last convocation ceremony at Université de Sherbrooke, Amélie Drainville of Île-Dupas received her third Governor General’s Academic Medal in recognition of her academic excellence.

It is rare for someone to win this prestigious award three times, and the whole region is proud of you, Ms. Drainville.

In addition, the Commission des services juridiques, Quebec's legal aid society, recently presented the Robert Sauvé Award to Michel Purcell, of Saint-Paulin, who is the coordinator of the community street outreach organization of the RCM of Maskinongé. Mr. Purcell was a trailblazer in rural street outreach and has been working with our most disadvantaged citizens for 25 years. This award recognizes his outstanding contribution to the community.

Well done, Mr. Purcell, and keep up the good work.

Battle of Ortona 76th Anniversary

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, December 28 will mark the 76th anniversary of the Battle of Ortona during the World War II Italian campaign. The battle was described by those who were there as having “the quality of a nightmare”.

The Battle of Ortona took place over the course of eight bitter days during Christmas of 1943. Victory would cost 502 Canadian lives. The best estimates put civilian deaths at 1,300. Sadly, the town had not been evacuated before being overrun by retreating Germans. The fighting in Ortona that Christmas was hand-to-hand.

Ortona is just one example of the extreme sacrifices Canadians made in the hellish conditions of the Italian Campaign. The campaign raged on for one year, 10 months and 22 days. These are sacrifices we must always honour.

Lest we forget.

Christmas

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Mr. Speaker,

'Twas the last sitting week before Christmas
And who knew?
That Cuzner's Christmas poem tradition
Would be assumed by a Jew.

But whether we light the menorah
Or a big Christmas tree,
Parliamentarians are asking for presents
On that, we agree.

For our Conservative colleagues
I know today has been a shock.
In the spirit of the holidays
l will go straight to the Bloc.

And for the Bloc leader, flush with success
For Mr. Claus he had but one request.
When flying over Quebec, please remove that red suit.
It is a religious symbol and ugly, to boot.

For the NDP, pharmacare was on the list.
It is supported by the government, but they have requested a twist.
They asked Santa, who is known for passing out candy,
To put dental care on the agenda. Would that not be dandy?

And when it comes to our PM
We know what he wants, all being equal,
No more hot mikes
And a new Star Wars sequel.

I wish all members some holiday cheer.
Enjoy your family and friends, and maybe some beer.
And when we come back in January, let us see the light,
Let us work together for Canadians and let us get it right.

The Economy

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, last month 71,000 Canadians lost their jobs. This is shocking when we compare it to the 266,000 jobs created in the same month in the U.S. Broken down by sector, the story gets even worse. Natural resource jobs in Canada decreased by 3% while they grew by 15% in America. Manufacturing-job creation in the U.S. is more than double what it is in Canada.

Will the Prime Minister admit that he is creating the conditions for a made-in-Canada recession?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, let me start by recognizing the hon. member's service to the House and to his party. I hope he has many more years doing that.

I know we need to look at the month-by-month numbers, because they tell us about what is going on across our country. They tell us about Canadians who are struggling, people who are facing up to real challenges in their lives.

Our goal is to continue investing. We know that the program we have done over the last four years has created, together with Canadians, over a million new jobs. We are going to continue to invest to make sure we deal with the challenges across our country, improving the situation for—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the program is not working.

The Prime Minister drove out 56% of direct foreign investments. Energy projects worth $100 billion were cancelled. Canadian companies are forced to close their doors and sell their equipment to American companies, which are doing the work.

One might say that the Prime Minister is doing more to create jobs abroad than here. Our economy needs to refocus on jobs and growth.

Will the Liberals present an economic update this week?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, it is very important to have an approach for the economy and to give Canadians information about our economic situation. We will be making an announcement in the coming days.

We will maintain our approach, which seeks to improve the economy and make investments in Canadians as well as in infrastructure. This will lead to significant economic growth and the lowest unemployment rate in the country.

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the problem is that their high-tax, high-regulation, big-borrowing approach is not working. It may be creating jobs in other countries. Foreign direct investment into Canada has fallen by 56% since the government came to power, over $100 billion of investment in the energy sector has been cancelled and five G8 countries have a significantly lower unemployment rate than does Canada, including Japan, Germany, the U.S., the U.K. and even Russia.

Will the Prime Minister abandon this course of action?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, let me start by acknowledging that we do need to continue to focus on how we can ensure that the economy does well.

Our approach has been to make investments in our economy, and that approach has clearly been working. We have been able to have a higher level of growth than we would have had otherwise. We are expected, next year, to have among the highest levels of growth among the G7 countries, and of course we are going to continue to invest across the country to make sure we have strong employment all across the country, including in those regions of our country that are experiencing particular challenges.

International Trade

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the official opposition was briefed on NAFTA after it was signed. We still have more questions than answers. The aluminum, auto and agriculture sectors have a lot of concerns. The Prime Minister cannot expect us to accept this agreement without doing the necessary checks.

When will the Liberals release the impact assessments of the new NAFTA?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I want to be very clear: this agreement puts an end to the existential threat that our country has been facing since Donald Trump threatened to tear up NAFTA. Our economy and our country were in real danger. We avoided this danger. All Canada has to do is ratify this modernized, updated agreement. Jeopardizing the ratification of the new NAFTA essentially amounts to putting partisan politics ahead of the national interest.

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

Mr. Speaker, we are asking for the economic impact analysis so we can make an informed decision.

While the Prime Minister's undiplomatic behaviour at Buckingham Palace is providing comedians with new skit material, for Canadians this is no laughing matter. The relationship between Canada and the United States is crucial. Canada's foreign policy, domestic defence policy and trade partnerships are all shaped by a historically strong and positive relationship with the United States.

What will the Prime Minister do to regain a sense of trust and partnership with the President of the United States so that Canada's interests are defended—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. Deputy Prime Minister.

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I will tell the member what our Prime Minister will do and what he is already doing, and that is to get a modernized trade deal with the United States, our neighbour and most important partner, ratified. I must say that we are aware we are in a minority Parliament and that this is a grave historical responsibility of every member of this House.

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, steel is protected, but not aluminum. Aluminum is produced in Quebec, steel is produced in Ontario.

Once again, Ottawa has sold out Quebec's interests to the benefit of Canada's best interests. Aluminum workers have been abandoned, as were dairy producers, cheese producers, Rona employees, forestry workers, our creators, the people in our shipyards and others.

Instead of denying what is obvious to everyone, will the government provide real protection for the workers in Quebec's regions?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to defending the aluminum sector and its workers. We fought to have the U.S. tariffs on aluminum fully lifted. Only Canada and Mexico have had these tariffs lifted.

When the new NAFTA is ratified, we will have a guarantee that 70% of the aluminum in cars manufactured in the area covered by NAFTA will be sourced in North America. The current percentage is zero.

We must ratify this agreement.

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government seems to be the only one that still believes that tale.

The economic nationalism that serves Quebeckers and Quebec workers so well is being sacrificed by this government in the name of Canada's best interests. The Prime Minister has been repeating ad nauseam that he protected aluminum workers. That is true. He protected the aluminum workers in China, India and Russia, but not those in Quebec.

Does the Prime Minister realize that he is basically inviting aluminum plants to abandon their investments in Quebec, invest in Asia instead, and then come back to flaunt their steel in the faces of the workers from Côte-Nord, Bécancour and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, this is very important. This is a historic moment for the entire House. It is important to talk about facts and reality.

The reality is that this modernized agreement will benefit the aluminum industry, Quebec and all Canadians.

This is not the time for partisan politics. It is the time to stand up for our national interest.

Indigenous Affairs

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, all parliamentarians agreed that the government needs to accept the tribunal's decision and stop the discrimination against indigenous children. That means that the government must follow the tribunal's orders, stop taking the children to court and ensure that the children and families do not have to testify in court.

My question for the Liberals is this: will the Prime Minister immediately stop taking indigenous children to court?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Indigenous Services]

Mr. Speaker, we need to compensate the first nations children who were harmed by past government policies. We are seeking a comprehensive, fair and equitable solution. That is why I asked the assistant deputy minister to work with those involved in the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, or CHRT, and those involved in the Moushoom class action suit to find the best possible solution for all of the children affected.

Our commitment to implement other CHRT orders and reform child and family services has not changed in any way. That work will continue.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, that is not good enough. Indigenous kids and their families have sent a clear message: Stop taking us to court and stop discriminating against us. It is pretty simple.

The thing is, the tribunal decision did not just say that the government discriminated against indigenous kids. It said that it was “willful”, it was “reckless”, and the result is that kids are dying.

The question is very simple. The whole House agreed to follow the tribunal's decision. Will the government respect basic human rights and stop taking indigenous kids to court?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Indigenous Services]

Mr. Speaker, today we are in full compliance with all of the CHRT's orders to address the overrepresentation of first nation children in care. We have almost doubled funding to child and family services, with over 483,000 Jordan's principle requests that have been approved.

We agree that the most recent orders for compensation for first nation children harmed by government policies must be respected. What the CHRT has asked parties to do is to sit down and work out what exactly the compensation will look like, and that is exactly what we are doing.

International Trade

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

Mr. Speaker, the Deputy Prime Minister is very well known for her support for the international rules-based order. In fact, she once told the House that it was absolutely essential for Canada's interests to make sure we stand up for a rules-based order.

Does the Deputy Prime Minister still believe it is essential for Canada to stand up for an international rule-of-law-based order in all of our trade agreements, including NAFTA?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, let me give members a few of the reasons why the new NAFTA is a much better agreement for supporting the rules-based international order than the agreement it will replace.

One is that in the new NAFTA we have a much stronger state-to-state dispute settlement mechanism, formerly chapter 20, now chapter 31. Second, we have gotten rid of ISDS, which is inappropriate in our trade relationship with the United States. Third, we have maintained chapter 19.