Debates of Dec. 6th, 2019

Foreign Affairs

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order, please. I want to remind the hon. members to place their questions through the Chair and not directly across when it is not their turn to speak. I am having a hard time hearing the answer. I am sure we all want to hear the answer from the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

I will let him continue now.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am afraid it is more of the same. If those members were listening, perhaps they would be able to appreciate what we are saying.

We maintain our opposition to the singling out of Israel on failing at the UN. As those members know well, and as the world knows well, we have voted against the vast majority of the Israeli-related votes. We will stand with Israel, and Canadians know that.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I want to remind hon. members on both sides of the House that respect is a two-way street. It has to go both ways. Blaming others for something that is not right, when they are doing it themselves, does not go over well.

The hon. member for Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill.

Intergovernmental Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, a growing number of Canadians no longer believe the Prime Minister when he says that Canada is back.

Every one of his international trips turns into a disaster, and the examples are endless. Just look at his trip to India and what a fiasco that was. His recent performance at the NATO summit is more evidence of his undiplomatic conduct.

Will the Prime Minister finally get the message and stop embarrassing Canada on the world stage?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure my hon. colleagues and all Canadians that the Prime Minister is an excellent representative of our country abroad, especially when it comes to our essential relationship with the United States.

I want to assure all Canadians that our current relationship with the United States is very constructive. The Prime Minister attended a very constructive bilateral meeting with the President of the United States. This morning I spoke with Ambassador Lighthizer about NAFTA, and I will be speaking to him again after question period.

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are not reassured. Canadians continue to lose confidence in the Prime Minister's ability to defend our interests abroad. His diplomatic disasters continue to mount.

His trip to India was a failure. He angered our partners in the Asia-Pacific. Our ties with Saudi Arabia are frozen and our relationships with China are at an all-time low. Now his actions this week at NATO are further evidence of his undiplomatic behaviour.

When will the Prime Minister stop embarrassing Canada and just stay home?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to assure hon. members in the House, but above all, all Canadians, that our Prime Minister is an excellent representative and, crucially, because this is something that Canadians care about because it affects their daily lives, that we have an excellent relationship with the United States, led by the excellent working relationship the Prime Minister has with President Trump.

Health

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in the opening paragraphs of the throne speech, the government issued “a call for unity in the pursuit of common goals”.

That is exactly what Quebec and the provinces did last week at the Council of the Federation. Every single one of the premiers called for a 5.2% increase in health transfers. Funding for the care of our loved ones is the priority for all constituents in every one of our ridings.

Will the Prime Minister respect Quebec and the provinces' united front and increase health care transfers?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the House and respond to my hon. colleague's question. First I would like to thank the constituents of Thunder Bay—Superior North for sending me here to do this phenomenal job on their behalf.

As the Prime Minister indicated, we have committed an additional $6 billion. We have made this commitment to ensure that every Canadian has access to health services in his or her province or territory which will meet the growing needs of our country and the changing needs of our country. Of course we will work closely with our provincial and territorial partners to make sure those services reflect the needs of the residents where they live.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, everyone agrees that health transfers must go up. The government says it wants everyone to have a family doctor. Well, give Quebec the money. The government wants better mental health care. Give us the means to provide it. We have the expertise.

Quebec and the provinces are unanimous: they want more money for health care. Will the government give it to them?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are rightfully proud of their public health care system. It is something that we all know is the first point of pride for Canadians, whether they travel abroad or people visit Canada. Of course we are going to work incredibly hard with provinces and territories to protect this institution, to grow the institution, to meet the changing needs of Canadians all across the country and to make sure we work closely with provinces and territories to get it right. Canadians are expecting us to do that on their behalf.

Canada Revenue Agency

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

Mr. Speaker, during their last term, the Liberals did not do much about addressing Quebec's specific demands, such as the single tax return, the third link and the issues surrounding illegal immigration at the Quebec border, to name just a few.

I have a very simple question for the Prime Minister today. Could he tell us clearly whether Quebec is getting a single tax return, like everywhere else in Canada? Yes or no?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, we employ over 6,000 people across Quebec and we are a major economic driver in cities like Shawinigan and Jonquière. Unlike the Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois, we have no intention of putting those jobs at risk.

That being said, we are always open to working with Revenu Québec to make tax filing easier for Quebeckers. Though it comes as no surprise to me, the Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois should be ashamed of proposing policies that could jeopardize the livelihoods of people in the regions.

Infrastructure

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my hon. colleague that the request regarding tax returns was made by the Quebec National Assembly and by all political parties, without exception.

Once again, we see that the Liberals do not want to respond to Quebec's specific requests. Again yesterday, in the throne speech, there was absolutely nothing regarding those requests. I will ask another question.

Could the Prime Minister clearly tell us whether he will commit to supporting the third link project in the greater Quebec City area, yes or no?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, today, as we mark the anniversary of the deaths of 14 women, I urge everyone in the House to put their words into action.

Mobility issues are very important for the Quebec City region. That is why will we be investing $5.2 billion in Quebec's public transit infrastructure over the next 10 years. We know that the third link project is very important to the residents of Quebec City and the south shore and to their representatives. We will continue to closely monitor this file. We are still waiting for a proposal.

Forestry Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, the B.C. forestry industry is in crisis. Thousands have been laid off and more job loss is expected before the holidays.

The Speech from the Throne yesterday failed to mention that the Liberals will not even acknowledge a crisis exists. The government has failed to negotiate a softwood lumber agreement, and the Prime Minister's antics at NATO may have destroyed any opportunity to get a deal done.

What is the Liberals' plan to get forestry workers in B.C. back to work?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member opposite for the very important question. The forestry industry is an absolutely essential industry for Canada and one that all of us are deeply concerned about.

We have been working hard with the forestry industry and with our provincial colleagues to support the forestry industry. When it comes to softwood lumber tariffs, we are taking cases at NAFTA and at the WTO.

We have preserved chapter 19 at NAFTA that allows us to fight for Canadian industry, and we are prepared to talk to the Americans when they are ready to come to the table.

Natural Resources

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Right, Mr. Speaker. That is going well.

The Prime Minister said that he heard western Canada and would “work hard to bring our country together”, but Canada is more divided than ever because of him. Still, he refuses to overhaul his antienergy, anti-business bill, Bill C-69, which ignited the unity crisis. As recently as Monday, every single premier in this country wanted major changes to Bill C-69.

If the Liberals are serious about dousing the fire they lit, when will they stop their attacks on Canadians resource workers and on provinces?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, the Impact Assessment Act delivered on an important promise that we made in 2015 to fix a broken environmental assessment process that had been gutted by the Harper Conservatives in 2012.

The new process will put in place better rules that will ensure that we address issues early in the process, such that good projects will move forward and be built in this country. It is an enormous step forward, both for the environment and for the economy.

The Environment

[Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to say congratulations to you and all other members for being trusted by Canadians in their roles here in the House. I am honoured to be representing my territory, Nunavut.

We know that climate change is a crisis. It threatens the lives and abilities of our hunters to provide for families and communities. We need to treat it just as it is, a crisis. In Nunavut we continue to fight for basic human rights: to have a safe place to live, to afford to feed ourselves and to have clean drinking water.

The Prime Minister gives billions to oil and gas companies and has delayed climate action for 20 years. The target now is 2050. These companies are being put ahead of people, our people, our Canadians. When will the government work for people?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, climate change is a crisis. Clearly, Canadians told us in the election that they want governments and all members of the House to address climate change on an urgent basis. There is no area in Canada that is more affected by climate change than the north. We must act. We must act now.

We have said that we will work, and we look to other parties to work with us, to exceed the target that we established for 2030 and to move toward a net-zero economy in 2050. I look forward to working with my hon. colleagues to do just that.

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the planet is warming. The verdict is clear. We are running out of room to manoeuvre. People in the North are already living with the effects of climate change. The ice season is getting shorter and our infrastructure is at risk.

The throne speech does not even mention this. Ending oil subsidies would have been a start, but not buying any more pipelines is not even mentioned. In fact, I wonder what the member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie thinks about this. Clearly, he is finally discovering just what the Liberal Party's legacy is.

Why are the Liberals refusing to take action?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, two out of three Canadians voted for serious action on climate change. This means that we must co-operate in order to discern the best ways of fighting climate change.

We already have a credible and affordable plan that includes 50 measures developed by Canadians for Canadians. We know that we must do more. We want to work together with our colleagues in the House to do more to combat climate change.

Women and Gender Equality

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, 30 years ago today, a man committed the most horrific act of extreme violence against women in our history. Fourteen young women were shot to death at École Polytechnique in Montreal simply because they were women.

Could the Minister for Women and Gender Equality tell this House what our government is doing to ensure a safer future for women and girls in Canada?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Brossard—Saint-Lambert for her question.

Today the names of 14 women will echo in this chamber and across the country. Tonight Parliament Hill will be lit up with 14 rays of purple light, one representing each of the lives needlessly taken 30 years ago.

Every day our government will work to further implement the gender-based violence efforts we have already begun. We will respond to the calls for justice from the MMIWG inquiry. We will work to prohibit the type of assault weapon that was used by the Polytechnique shooter. We will work to pay women fairly, and stand up against misogyny so that our daughters can reach their full potential.