Debates of Feb. 4th, 2019

Natural Resources

[Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Natural Resources, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, we understand that Canada's natural resources have been a source of prosperity for all Canadians and that thousands of jobs have been created in that sector. The previous government failed to diversify our export markets. Ninety-nine per cent of the oil from Alberta goes to the United States. That was the case in 2006, and that was the case in 2015.

We are moving forward on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion in the right way to ensure that we are able to expand our markets. As to the pipelines the hon. member cited, none of those will allow us to get our resources to non-U.S. markets.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Canada Border Services Agency had to reassign up to 550 employees to deal with the illegal migrant crisis. What is more, the Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates that this will cost taxpayers over $1 billion by the end of next year. That does not even include the costs covered by the provinces, which are still waiting to be reimbursed. All of this chaos is creating an increased security risk.

Will the minister commit to appear before the committee to explain his and the Prime Minister's mismanagement of the situation?

[Peter Schiefke, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister (Youth) and to the Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, the health and safety of Canadians is our government's top priority.

With regard to asylum seekers, we are working closely with the RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency to ensure that this is actually the case and to give them the resources they need. Even the CBSA said that the deployment of staff from across the country to support the processing of irregular migrants had no impact on the agency's daily operations.

Unlike the previous government, we are taking measures to protect Canadians. We have invested in our security and will continue to do so.

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

Mr. Speaker, there is no impact on the operations of the agency? That is in spite of these stories from recent weeks: an individual was deemed a national security concern but was still granted permanent residency; an illegal border crosser was able to enter Canada in spite of admitting to an extensive criminal record. However, there is no discernible impact.

Will the minister appear before a parliamentary committee to be held accountable for Canada's immigration screening processes?

[Peter Schiefke, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister (Youth) and to the Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that we will never compromise on the safety and security of Canadians. We are working closely with the Canadian Border Services Agency and the RCMP to ensure that this is actually the case. Wherever we need to put resources in place, that is where we are going to put them.

At no time was there any compromising the security of Canadians. I want to quote the CBSA on this. “[T]he deployment of staff from across the country to support the processing of irregular migrants had no impact on the agency’s daily operations.”

Conservatives may not believe the CBSA. We do, and we support it.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the online application process for the parents and grandparents sponsorship program was a farce. Grace had tried to apply for four years, but the link did not even show up for her on the IRCC website, despite her upgrading her Internet. Yuna felt cheated, as no one told her about the game rules. She opened the form at 9:01. It said she had 10 minutes to complete it. She finished it in three. Then she went over it to make sure everything was correct, but after seven minutes, she was kicked out. Later she heard that she only had to fill out the name and the contact information to be accepted.

How is this a fair process? What will it take for the minister to do the right thing and eliminate the cap?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, we inherited a backlog of 167,000 people in the parents and grandparents program. Under Conservative leadership, families were waiting eight years to be reunited with their parents and grandparents.

We have brought that process time down to less than two years. We have quadrupled the number, from 5,000 to 20,000 spots, so that more parents and grandparents can be reunited with their families. We have put in place a fair, first-come-first-served process.

We will continue to do better. We have already improved the system in many ways. We are—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni.

Veterans Affairs

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, since the Liberals came to government, they have left $372 million unspent at Veterans Affairs, even as service levels deteriorate. Last November, Parliament unanimously supported the NDP motion to end lapsed spending and to ensure that all lapsed spending went to veterans so they would get the services they need and deserve.

I would like to congratulate the new minister in her new role. My question is simple. Will she honour Parliament's unanimous vote to end lapsed spending at Veterans Affairs and ensure that money budgeted for veterans is actually spent on veterans?

[Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the hon. member across the way for joining me in the chamber this morning as we conducted the closing ceremonies.

To the member's question, as the member knows, our benefits are demand driven, so no matter how many veterans come forward, when eligible they will receive their benefits. These are based on estimates, and this process guarantees that whether veterans come forward this year, next year or beyond, they will receive benefits.

Intergovernmental Relations

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are showing their true colours when it comes to Quebec. Despite their hypocritical smiles, they are not listening to what Quebeckers need.

The Prime Minister is ignoring the consensus in Quebec regarding the single tax return, concocting some big story about how it could lead to more tax evasion in Quebec. He might as well call us a bunch of thieves.

Why are the Liberals incapable of granting a legitimate request from Quebeckers?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I was in Shawinigan this morning, along with my colleagues, the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility, to announce the construction of a new building that will accommodate the 1,300 or more Canada Revenue Agency employees in Mauricie.

This morning I delivered a very clear message for our employees and their families, namely that we are investing in Shawinigan because they are important and because we believe in their future. Unlike the Conservatives, we believe in the importance of investing to maintain and create good jobs in Quebec's rural regions.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a single tax return means getting rid of a form, not public servants. No one will lose their job in Shawinigan or Jonquière or anywhere else in Canada.

The display of bad faith and fearmongering by the Minister of National Revenue is just pathetic. It is the same old story with the Liberals. They say they are open to Quebec and as soon as Quebec trusts them then it is too much of a bother and they stop. They start fearmongering and upsetting everyone.

Can the minister do something positive and tell Quebec it can have a single tax return?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, there was no shortage of fearmongering in Gaspé and the Magdalen Islands in 2011 when the Harper Conservatives brought in their EI reform.

The Maritimes and eastern Quebec were terrified. The Harper Conservatives and today's Conservatives are doing exactly the same thing. In the coming months, we are going to see two categories of promises: one for Quebec and one for western Canada. Divide and conquer is their motto. I encourage them to make “Chop, chop, chop” their next campaign slogan.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Revenue has made a fool of herself again by completely disregarding a request by the Premier of Quebec, the National Assembly of Quebec and the vast majority of Quebeckers.

Instead of using her position to make things easier for Quebeckers, she is chopping away at Quebec's requests. A single tax return, chop! The supply ship Obelix, chop! The fitness tax credit, chop! The joke has gone on long enough.

Will the Minister of National Revenue stop viewing Quebeckers as a threat and let them have a single tax return?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, had the Conservatives done their homework during the 10 years they were in power, they probably would now have a better understanding of how things work at the Canada Revenue Agency.

The federal government, representing nine provinces and three territories, harmonized its definition of “income”, while Quebec has retained a different definition.

Do we ask the provinces and territories to harmonize their system with Quebec's or do we try to require Quebec to harmonize its system with that of the rest of Canada? We will continue to work with our colleagues—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Saint-Laurent.

Status of Women

[Emmanuella Lambropoulos, Liberal, Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, one of the first things our government did after it was elected was announce the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

In its interim report, the national inquiry highlighted the need to fund commemoration activities to help honour the lives and legacies of indigenous women and girls and LGBTQ2S individuals.

Could the Minister for Women and Gender Equality tell the House how our government has responded to the inquiry's recommendation?

[Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her strong advocacy on behalf of the people of Saint-Laurent and her good work on the status of women committee.

We have heard from families and survivors across the country on the need for a commemoration fund to honour the lives and the legacies of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, including LGBTQ2S individuals. We delivered, with a commemoration fund worth over $10 million, because we know that when we come together to remember, to ensure that the stories of the missing and murdered find a dignified place, we all move forward on this path to reconciliation.

Tourism

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the government says one thing and does another. It promises a balanced budget by 2019, and then deficits for decades to come. It promises to make life more affordable for Canadians, and then increases the cost of everything with an unfair carbon tax. It says that the environment and the economy go hand in hand, and then refuses to negotiate fairly and honestly with the Sunshine Village ski area.

Can the Minister of Tourism explain how threatening to kick a family business off the land it has used for 38 years protects our environment or grows tourism for our economy?

[Mélanie Joly, Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, we will take no lesson from the Harper Conservatives, who decided to make cuts in the tourism sector by cutting into Canada's marketing to international visitors, basically letting down the 1.8 million Canadians who work in the sector. On this side of the House, we believe in the 1.8 million Canadians who work in the tourism sector. We have reinvested $100 million to promote Canada's tourism brand to the world, and we will present a good tourism strategy to make sure that Canada is the destination in the world to come to. We all know—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Longueuil—Saint-Hubert.

Canadian Heritage

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, for three years now, the Liberals have been promising reforms to protect our culture from the flood of American content on Netflix and its ilk. Ten days ago, artists from Quebec media and culture gathered in Montreal, and the one message I heard tossed around was “just do it”. The Liberals keep saying that to profit from our culture, one must contribute to our culture, and that there is no free pass. The government should do something, then. Everyone involved agreed that Ottawa already has the tools to start stemming the tide.

Everyone wants the minister to adopt interim measures before the election. Will he take action, or would he rather let our culture slowly die out?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, it is always the same old story. He sounds like a broken record.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!