Debates of Feb. 1st, 2019

Small Business

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our government has said that it is a small business-friendly government committed to helping small businesses start up, scale up and access new markets.

In my riding, Ottawa—Vanier, small businesses employ a large number of people and help stimulate economic growth at the local and national levels.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion share with the House what our government has done to make it easier for small businesses to create good-paying jobs?

[Richard Hébert, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and our government is working hard to help them out. We cut the small business tax to 9% on January 1 to help them save money and ensure that Canada has the lowest tax rate in the world.

We reduced 450 administrative burdens and we are introducing measures to modernize the regulatory system in order to simplify business.

The Conservatives often claim that they care about small businesses. Their decade of disappointments suggests that all they have to offer is lip service.

Consular Affairs

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Mr. Speaker, two Canadian children were kidnapped and taken to a hostile foreign country, which is littered with no-go zones, where Hezbollah roams freely and suicide, car bombings and rocket fire are not uncommon, yet the Prime Minister is letting their mother, Shelley Beyak, fend for herself. Only direct intervention by the Prime Minister will bring Liam and Mia Tarabichi home, but he refuses to act.

When will the Prime Minister call the President of Lebanon and demand the return of Liam and Mia Tarabichi?

[Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Consular Affairs), Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, our thoughts go out to the family at the centre of an abduction of Canadian children to Lebanon. Canadian consular officials are in direct contact with the family and are providing consular assistance. I have spoken personally with the family. Due to the provisions of the Privacy Act, I am very sorry not to be able to disclose any further information.

Employment Insurance

[Simon Marcil, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, by refusing to hear the case of former Aveos workers, the Supreme Court of Canada is confirming what we have been telling the government for years: it is the government that created this problem, and it is the government that must solve it. This is more of a political file than a legal one.

The Minister of Social Development says that his thoughts are with the former Aveos workers. Seriously, that means nothing. What the Aveos workers really need is concrete action.

When will he take action and cancel their odious debt?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, every MP understands the significant difficulties that the workers and their families are facing and have faced for far too long. I read the Supreme Court of Canada ruling, as have the other members of this chamber. It would be completely inappropriate for a politician to comment on court decisions.

That said, I can assure all workers that they will be treated fairly and with respect and dignity by the Canada Revenue Agency.

[Simon Marcil, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, in an attempt to avoid being seen as heartless, the Minister of Social Development claimed to be unfamiliar with the Aveos file. This is not a joke.

We have written him a number of times. Former Aveos employees have written to him. He even met with them. I cannot even count the number of times we have questioned him in the House on this matter.

Compared to the $20 billion they gave to the oil companies, $4 million for victims of the Aveos saga is pocket change.

What is the government going to do? Will it do the right thing and write off this debt?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, the members of the House were all elected to serve their constituents. We are all listening and in tune with their needs. We are saddened by the difficulties they face. We are all there to serve them.

What I said yesterday pertains to a legal matter, and I will say it again today. I will add that the minister responsible for the Canada Revenue Agency will work very hard to ensure that all of the workers involved, who are going through a difficult time, are treated with dignity, fairness and respect.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, every year, farmers worry that they will not be able to hire enough temporary foreign workers in time for the harvest because of Ottawa's dawdling. The government has obviously done nothing to fix that problem, because processing times for applications from Quebec more than doubled this year.

What is the minister going to do today to make sure that our farmers are able to hire workers this summer and that the workers get there before the crops rot in the fields?

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, our government has helped create 800,000 jobs across the country, 190,000 jobs in Quebec alone. That has put pressure on the workforce in Quebec. We are working with the Government of Quebec. With respect to processing, we have added additional resources.

After having experienced the Conservative cutbacks over the last number of years, we have reinvested in those who are able to process and enter data. We hope we are able to support the farmers who need those workers.

Indigenous Affairs

[Hunter Tootoo, Independent, Nunavut, NU]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Indigenous Services.

There are $700 million missing. That is what was identified by a media analysis of the spending of the current government's infrastructure program. That reporting gap was directly attributed to an ongoing failure by your department and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs to report details of its spending.

Nunavut has a huge infrastructure gap, particularly social infrastructure. Therefore, where is the missing $700 million and why has it not been invested in these desperately needed projects?

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I want to remind hon. members to place their questions through the Speaker, not to the speaker, just to facilitate things.

The hon. Minister of Indigenous Services.

[Seamus O'Regan, Minister of Indigenous Services, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, we are making significant investments in Nunavut in conjunction with our indigenous partners. For instance, we have invested some $27.5 million over five years to eliminate tuberculosis by 2030. We are working with our partners. We have invested $189 million over 10 years in a Nunavut wellness agreement, as well as $8.4 million this year alone for mental health support for Nunavut.

We understand, too, that significant investments require accountability. I will continue to work with the hon. member and with local partners to make sure that we have that accountability for his constituents and for the people of Nunavut.

[Simon Marcil, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I really believe I have the unanimous consent of the House to table the correspondence between my office and the minister's office concerning the Aveos workers.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Does the hon. member have unanimous consent to table this document?

[Some hon. members]

No.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, you will soon find the unanimous consent of the House to table the Liberal platform. Page 76 talks about returning to a balanced budget in 2019.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Does the hon. member have unanimous consent to table this document?

[Some hon. members]

No.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the member erred in not repeating his motion in English. The motion was to table the Liberal platform showing a balanced budget in 2019. I think, Mr. Speaker, you will find unanimous consent to table that in the House of Commons.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We do have translators who take care of that, but I thank the member for pointing it out.

Plastics

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to table today, which were signed primarily by people in my riding.

The first petition has to do with a national strategy to combat plastic pollution. Plastics are ending up in our oceans, lakes, rivers and other waterways and are threatening sensitive ecosystems, wildlife and individuals. Plastics make their way into these bodies of water in a variety of ways, including stormwater outfalls, ocean tides and currents, and direct industrial and consumer waste disposal.

For all these reasons, the petitioners are calling on the government to work with the provinces, municipalities, communities and indigenous peoples to develop a national strategy to combat plastic pollution in aquatic environments.

Local Food

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition has to do with local food.

When Canadians buy local, it encourages our local farmers, our agricultural industry and our economy. Since buying local cuts down on transportation and greenhouse gas emissions, it is also good for the environment. What is more, when people buy local, they get fresh, nutritious food.

For all these reasons, and since the federal departments and agencies should be setting an example, the petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to host a conference of provincial and territorial agricultural ministers to develop a Canada-wide strategy on local food.

They are also calling on the Department of Public Works and Government Services to develop a policy for purchasing locally grown food for all 48,000 federal institutions across the country.

Nicaragua

[Ziad Aboultaif, Conservative, Edmonton Manning, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today for the first time in this beautiful chamber to present a petition on behalf of Nicaraguan Canadians from across Canada, including many who live in my riding of Edmonton Manning.

The Nicaraguan community is very concerned with the grave and persistent human rights abuses occurring in their home country under the Ortega regime.

The signatories are calling on the Government of Canada to follow the example set by the United States and take concrete steps against Ortega regime officials who are implicated in severe human rights violations and corruption by applying sanctions through the Magnitsky act.

I know the community looks forward to the government's response on this vitally important petition.

Nuclear Disarmament

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by many people, from Toronto in particular, who are concerned about the use of nuclear weapons and about the signing of the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

I would like to thank the advocacy of Michael Nevin, who collected all of these signatures.