Debates of Feb. 27th, 2019

Justice

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure if the Prime Minister is aware that the former attorney general has written a letter to the justice committee explaining that the order in council that the Prime Minister keeps bragging about falls far short of what is required. She said:

[It] does nothing to release me from any restrictions that apply to communications while I served as Minister of Veterans Affairs....

The letter goes on:

[and it] leaves in place whatever restraints there are on my ability to speak freely about matters that occurred after I left the post of Attorney General.

Why has the Prime Minister kept the restraints on the former attorney general unless he is afraid of what she is going to say?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the question that is before the justice committee and the Conflict of Interest Commissioner is entirely focused on her time as Attorney General. We know that the system of cabinet confidentiality and solicitor-client privilege is a fundamental tenet, extraordinarily important both to our democracy and to our system of justice. That is why we took the unprecedented step of waiving those elements so that Canadians could hear directly from the former attorney general on this matter.

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister had no trouble talking about that period of time after he had fired her as Attorney General and until she resigned. The Clerk of the Privy Council had no trouble talking about that period of time after the former attorney general was moved along and then resigned.

Why is the Prime Minister preventing the person who was fired and who resigned from sharing her full truth? Why is he placing restraints on her? Why will he not do the right thing and lift them right now?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, for 10 years Canadians watched Stephen Harper and his Conservatives disrespect their institutions, play games with the rule of law, and meddle with the independence of the judiciary. They expect a government to stand up and defend our institutions, including one of the fundamental tenets of our justice system, which is solicitor-client privilege, and indeed a fundamental tenet of our government, which is cabinet confidentiality.

When we made the decision to waive those elements so that the former attorney general can speak to this matter, that is a big deal.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. There is too much noise, and I would ask the member for Chilliwack—Hope and others to not interrupt when someone else has the floor.

The hon. member for Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River.

Infrastructure

[Georgina Jolibois, NDP, Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK]

Mr. Speaker, northerners are taking part in the ice road jigging challenge to raise awareness about ice road communities. Their message is clear: We need roads that work all year to bring supplies to our communities and to travel to doctor appointments.

The Liberals do not seem to understand the climate change is making Hatchet Lake first nation inaccessible because the ice roads are open for shorter periods of time. Why does the Liberal government keep neglecting the basic needs of northerners?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have made historic investments in infrastructure, including in partnership with indigenous communities right across the country.

I personally had the pleasure and honour to spend some time with the community in Hatchet Lake one winter a few years ago and got to see directly the challenges they are facing. That is why this government is committed to reconciliation, to investment, to partnership with indigenous communities right across this country to make sure we are building a better future together for everyone in this country.

Indigenous Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, first nations leaders from Manitoba came to Ottawa this week to once again call on the government to respect their rights and move on treaty land entitlement. For two months they asked to meet with the new minister, but he could not be bothered. When he was appointed, he said he had a lot to learn, yet he could not bother to walk two blocks to meet with leaders who want to help him understand his historic obligation.

Learning? This is failing the test.

Will the Prime Minister direct his minister to do his homework, and will the government stop disrespecting first nations' rights to land?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I am extraordinarily proud of the work that the Minister of Indigenous Services is doing every single day to build a better future for indigenous peoples.

In regard to northern Manitoba, it was this government that moved forward to restore rail service to Churchill. We did that in a way that partnered with indigenous communities along the way and that gave them ownership over the railroad to make sure they are integral and empowered in the future of northern Manitoba and, indeed, of northern Canada.

Justice

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister claims that if he had allowed SNC-Lavalin to face criminal conviction, the company would be banned from getting federal contracts and would go out of business.

However, in December 2015 the government gave SNC-Lavalin a deal exempting it from the ban despite criminal charges. Now the government is changing the policy to exempt SNC-Lavalin even if it gets convicted.

If the Prime Minister plans to allow SNC-Lavalin to get contracts even after a conviction, why did he need to intervene to stop the company from going to trial in the first place?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we will always defend Canadian jobs. We will always defend workers. We will always defend pensioners. We will always stand up for the economic growth that, unfortunately, simply did not happen under 10 years of Conservative government.

At the same time, what also did not happen under 10 years of the Conservative government is respect for our institutions, respect for the independence of law, and the kinds of thoughtful processes that actually defend our justice system. That is exactly what we are doing, at the same time: We are protecting jobs while standing up for the rule of law in this country.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister says that he needed to protect SNC-Lavalin from conviction, because they would not be able to bid on federal work and the business would go under.

However, yesterday, his public services minister confirmed that a simple policy change would have allowed the company, even after conviction, to bid on those federal contracts and continue to operate.

Given that revelation, and given that he was not doing this to protect workers, who was the Prime Minister trying to protect?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we did what Canadians expect us to, which is to stand up for jobs, defend Canadian workers and defend the economic growth that did not happen under 10 years of Stephen Harper, while at the same time protecting our institutions, standing up for the rule of law and defending the integrity and the independence of our judicial system.

That is what this government has always done. That is what we will always do.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister still fails to answer the question.

He claimed for so long that he needed to allow SNC-Lavalin to avoid conviction so it could continue to have federal contracts. We now know from his own minister's admission that a simple policy change would allow SNC-Lavalin to go on getting contracts and employing people. That cannot be his real motivation.

Obviously, the Prime Minister was protecting someone else. If this is not about protecting jobs, who was he protecting?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, the member opposite was part of a government that did not do a good job of protecting jobs or of creating growth for Canadians. Indeed, it had the lowest growth rate of any prime minister since R. B. Bennett in the depths of the Great Depression.

At the same time, in those 10 years, we saw countless examples of that government's torquing the truth in favour of partisan interests and disrespecting the judiciary, including Supreme Court judges.

We will consistently stand up to create jobs, to protect jobs and to protect our institutions at the exact same time.

Poverty

[Joe Peschisolido, Liberal, Steveston—Richmond East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, last summer the government announced Opportunity for All, Canada's first-ever national poverty reduction strategy. The strategy highlights all the investments the government has made in the fight against poverty. It also sets ambitious targets of reducing poverty by 20% by 2020, and by 50% by 2030.

Could the Prime Minister tell the House what progress is being made towards meeting these targets?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we set a goal of achieving the lowest poverty level in Canada's history. Yesterday the Canadian income survey showed that we hit our first target three years ahead of schedule.

In the first two years of our mandate, our investments helped lift over 820,000 people out of poverty, which includes 278,000 children. Thanks to programs like the Canada child benefit, which was of course opposed by the Conservatives, we are giving every Canadian a real and fair chance at success.

Justice

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

Mr. Speaker, former Ontario Liberal attorney general Michael Bryant stated that a crime may have been committed when the Prime Minister conspired to stop the criminal trial of a company charged with bribery. Legal experts, including a former judge, agree that a crime may have been committed and that the RCMP should investigate.

I have a simple question requiring a simple answer. Has the Prime Minister, any former or current cabinet minister, or anyone in his office been contacted by the RCMP?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, no, not to our knowledge.

Persons with Disabilities

[Cheryl Hardcastle, NDP, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Mr. Speaker, a couple of weeks ago, I stood in this House to raise the alarm on the increase in rejections of disability tax credit applications. It is a disturbing fact that there is a 60% increase in rejections. To make matters worse, Liberals have clawed back over $26 million from people with severe and prolonged impairments. They still have not fixed this problem. Liberals are clearly out of touch.

What Canadians really want to know is how the Liberals could let this happen.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, this is the government that moved forward on the historic accessible Canada act for the first time, moved forward with a comprehensive approach to removing barriers for all Canadians. We recognize that a country like Canada needs to make sure that every single Canadian has a full opportunity to participate and has the support and benefits they need in order to succeed and contribute to our country.

That is exactly what we have done with this historic legislation. There is still much more work to do, and we will do it, but we will do it together.

Telecommunications

[Sven Spengemann, Liberal, Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we know Canadians need access to telecommunications services to participate fully and to succeed in a digital economy. Canadians have expressed concerns about the quality, coverage and, most significantly, the cost of these essential services, and they are looking for lower-cost options and innovative services.

Can the Prime Minister please update the House on our government's work to ensure that Canadians have access to quality services at more affordable prices?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Mississauga—Lakeshore for his hard work and thoughtful questions. We are constantly listening to the concerns of Canadians. We are taking action to increase competition, because that is the best way to bring down the costs of services like Internet and cellphone plans.

Yesterday, we proposed clear direction to the CRTC to build on our work to date. Telecommunications policy decisions must put consumers first. We need to ensure that Canadians can get the access they need at prices they can afford, and that is exactly what we are doing.

Justice

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister conspired to stop the criminal trial of a company charged with bribery, and this is what the bribery looked like—