Debates of Feb. 4th, 2019

Opposition Motion—Taxes

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Longueuil—Saint-Hubert for the question.

Like many Canadians, I enjoy Netflix. To me, it is a good opportunity to have Canadian content on a different platform.

To the specific question about applying the HST to Netflix, I want to go one step further. Let us talk about how we can encourage the innovative economy. How can we as Canadian parliamentarians work to ensure the innovations of tomorrow are enhanced and encouraged, and not taxed out of existence? How do we as Canadians support entrepreneurs who are coming up with the next big thing, like the next Netflix or the next major innovation? That is what we should be doing as Canadians.

I would also note that it was the Conservative government that lowered the HST and the GST by two percentage points. I am proud of that record.

[Earl Dreeshen, Conservative, Red Deer—Mountain View, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member spoke of some of the issues concerning all Canadians with respect to debt and deficits. One of the finance department records indicated that had the Conservative platform and record of management continued, the country would be debt free in 2040. The debt will be $1 trillion if we follow the Liberal trajectory.

Could he comment on that? The Prime Minister is making Canadians continue to pay for his mistakes. We want to balance the budget as soon as we possibly can to ensure that Canadian debt going into the future is not something we burden our children and grandchildren with.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, what a wonderful question from the hon. member for Red Deer—Mountain View. He is quite right about following the path that was laid out by the Conservative government, through Jim Flaherty and Joe Oliver. They had a long-term plan to ensure that Canada had the economic capacity and fiscal space to pay down the debt long term and invest in the priorities of Canadians long term.

We have seen the Liberals spend and spend with nothing to show. Their long proposed infrastructure investments have failed to move the needle on economic growth. Why? Because they are not investing in the priorities of Canadians. They are not implementing infrastructure projects in ridings like mine and in communities across the country. They are not making it happen. Canadians know better.

We on the Conservative side remain committed to working on behalf of Canadian families and taxpayers in ensuring we have a long-term plan so our fiscal house is in order for future generations.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

It being 6:31 p.m., pursuant to order made earlier today, all questions necessary to dispose of the opposition motion are deemed put and a recorded division deemed requested and deferred until Tuesday, February 5, at the expiry of the time provided for oral questions.

A motion to adjourn the House under Standing Order 38 deemed to have been moved.

Transport

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in October, a report by the CBC's The Fifth Estate revealed an eight-year-old study by the Department of Transport that was not made public. That study contradicted previous Ministry of Transport statements that no evidence was available that pointed to seat belts improving the overall level of safety on school buses. How many injuries and child deaths could have been prevented across Canada in the past decade had school buses been equipped with seat belts as a result of that buried report?

Since 1999, 16 students have been killed in school bus accidents in Ontario alone, and more than 6,000 have been injured. We will probably never know whether mandatory seat belts on the bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos would have made a difference that tragic day in April last year, or whether the deaths of three and injury of 23 public transit users in Ottawa could have been prevented had seat belts been mandatory on January 11 when a double-decker bus carrying commuters crashed into the Westboro transit station.

On January 21, the minister announced a task force investigating seat belts on buses. CBC reported that Transport Canada stated, for the first time on its website in a posting December 21, that seat belts, when worn properly, do offer added protection for school-aged children.

Transport Canada has decreed that all large and medium highway buses must have seatbelts by September 1, 2020. In announcing the change, the transport minister said, “By having seat belts on highway buses, we can help reduce injuries in severe collisions, such as rollovers, and improve safety for everyone.”

The federal government has the authority to mandate seat belts on all new school buses without needing provincial approval. For existing school buses, the minister has stated that he will require more consultations with the provinces to determine the source of money to retrofit school buses to provide seat belts. It seems that the minister and his department have no questions about whether or not seat belts save lives; the only question is who should pay for the retrofits.

The facts speak for themselves. After all, if it is mandatory for a bus driver to wear a seat belt for safety reasons, why would it be any less dangerous to fail to require seat belts for the passengers that the driver carries? A delay on this makes no sense at all. Why would the minister require another review when the report that was buried eight years ago determined that school buses without seat belts failed safety tests?

The government has plenty of money when it comes to paying $1 billion more than the actual value of a leaky pipeline, or when it comes to ignoring billions in lost revenues in its refusal to close tax loopholes for the richest Canadians and corporations that hide their excessive income in offshore accounts. The government conducted bogus consultations on electoral reform when it had no intention of keeping that election promise, and it continues to demand pointless consultations on pay equity for women.

With every day that goes by without action by the Minister of Transport, more and more Canadian lives are at risk when the solution is simple and evident: Make seat belts mandatory on buses. It is time for action on the part of the minister, not more studies, task forces and obfuscation.

[Steven MacKinnon, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, at the outset I would like to be very clear that protecting children on the road is vitally important to our government. Of course, we are going to, and must, do everything we can to make the streets safer for them.

School buses are built, inside and out, to protect children, including having a series of structural safety features built in that are specifically designed to protect children in the event of a collision. School buses are mandated to have high roof crush standards, reinforced joints, electronic stability control to help prevent rollovers, and a highly effective seat design, referred to as “compartmentalization”.

Make no mistake: the exceptional level of safety currently afforded by school buses is owing to extensive research conducted over decades in both Canada and the U.S. It is because of this research that our government is a strong supporter of seat belts.

The Minister of Transport has taken action in this area and, in July 2018 we published regulations that include specific technical requirements that must be followed should seat belts be installed on school buses. This technical standard is directly aligned with requirements in the United States and will help ensure that when properly used and installed, seat belts can provide an additional layer of safety to complement the existing highly effective seat designs.

Building on this commitment to road safety, in June 2017 we published regulations to require electronic stability control systems on all new large school buses and other heavy vehicles. Our leadership in this area makes our large school buses the only ones in North America that are now federally mandated to have electronic stability control systems, which reduce the risk of rollover and obviously help to protect school children.

We are always looking for ways to improve road safety, and in October 2018 the minister tasked his department to take a fresh look at the issue of seatbelts on school buses. This review is now well under way.

We are not conducting this review alone. On January 21, 2019, the Minister of Transport met with the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety to discuss this important issue. The ministers agreed to establish a task force on school bus safety, bringing together government representatives, safety associations, manufacturers, and school board representatives to assess potential safety measures, including school bus standards and operations, both inside and outside the bus. We also agreed to conduct pilot projects, which will help school bus operators across Canada to make sure that seatbelts, when installed on their buses, are always worn properly by occupants.

These pilot projects, and our review of school bus safety, are critical steps to ensure that Canada's school buses continue to be the safest way to transport children to and from school. We will not hesitate to take the necessary actions to protect Canadians, especially young Canadians.

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, they have already hesitated for eight years. Task forces, pilot projects and reviews do not put seat belts on school buses.

The minister and his department's own statements reveal the truth. Evidence that seatbelts save lives is not the problem. The real question is who is going to pick up the tab, although money never seems to be a problem when it comes to propping up corporations or padding the pockets of their rich friends.

The Conservatives and the Liberals cannot seem to find the will when there is a cost involved with providing better public service like health care, pay equity or environmental protection, or when it comes to saving the lives of children.

The truth is plain to see: Seatbelts save lives. When will the government, the Prime Minister and the minister understand that we are the stewards of the public dollars placed in our trust by the Canadians who elected us? When will we see the day that good public service and good public progress take priority over personal and corporate interests? When will the minister move to make seatbelts mandatory on school buses?

[Steven MacKinnon]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to reiterate on behalf of the minister that protecting children on the road is of vital importance to this government, and we will do everything we can to make this transportation mode as safe as possible for them. That is why the Minister of Transport established a task force on school bus safety to work with all levels of government and a diverse road safety community, because they have a responsibility to implement any changes and see them through carefully.

While we cannot speak to inaction in 2010 on this file after the Transport Canada study, our government is very much moving forward on this matter in a serious and deliberate way. Seatbelts can indeed offer an added layer of protection when they are installed properly and when they are worn properly by all occupants.

Given the responsibilities of provincial governments and school boards in making sure that happens, we have a duty to speak with them and to ensure that any changes we make are applied correctly and improve children's safety.

Public Services and Procurement

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, since this is my first time raising a question in adjournment proceedings in this new chamber, I would like to salute the people of Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis and thank them for the privilege they have given me as I begin my 14th year as an MP. I rise this evening on their behalf, particularly on behalf of the Davie shipyard workers.

When the Conservatives left government in 2015, the shipyard had nearly 1,300 workers, and now it has only about 200 employees. They had the contract for the Asterix in the bag. Anyone who follows my work knows that I have been working hard to ensure that the Davie workers get the contract for the Obelix. Canada had two supply ships, which were built in 1969 and 1967. I was not very old when they were built, but I was born. One of those two ships caught fire and the other one was so rusted out that Vice-Admiral Norman decommissioned it, because it was kaput. This should remind the member opposite of something. When our government saw that, we got to work on the Asterix.

My colleague opposite, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement, is well up on this file. All he has to do is tell his officials to exercise the option to purchase the Obelix. That is essential. Right now, the Royal Canadian Navy is renting ships from Chile and other countries. Our own sovereignty is in jeopardy. Canada is bordered by three oceans. This situation is unacceptable. My colleague has a chance to do something meaningful, to take the advice of people like Vice-Admiral Norman and to say that we need ships to resupply our vessels.

Vice-Admiral Norman is not the only one saying this. His senator friends agree. A report released in May 2017 by independent senators, who we know have Liberal leanings, recommended that the government:

Procure a second Resolve-Class Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment (AOR) ship [in other words, the Obelix] by 2018 and retain both vessels, in service in conjunction with the projected Joint Support Ships...

The problem with the Liberals' shipbuilding strategy is that it is costly and is yielding no ships. We desperately need ships. Shipyard workers are ready. The Liberals are proud of the Asterix, so they should give us the Obelix. We will do that on time and on budget, with no risk. It is good for taxpayers, for the Royal Canadian Navy and for shipyard workers.

My colleague will probably ask me why we did not give it to Davie in 2011. There were some issues then, but the shipyard is ready now, and it is time to award it some contracts. I urge my colleague to do the right thing. There are contracts for Halifax and British Columbia, but Quebec is just as capable of building boats. Davie is building boats, and it is time to give it these contracts.

I am eager to hear from my colleague. I hope he will tell us that the Liberals are planning to give the contract for the Obelix to the shipyard workers. It will be good for the navy, for workers, for the government and for taxpayers.

[Steven MacKinnon, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague. As he knows, there is some background to consider.

We inherited a shipbuilding strategy that gave the Davie shipyard nothing. The lease agreement for the Asterix was executed and fulfilled, of course.

I would like to thank the Davie shipyard workers for the excellent work they did on the Asterix, a ship that proudly represents Canada around the world. That ship is proving and will continue to prove its worth.

That being said, we make decisions based on the advice and plans of our military personnel, of Canadian forces leadership. General Vance and the Canadian navy have assured us that a second interim supply ship is not needed. The shipbuilding strategy devised by our predecessors called for the construction of a supply ship at Vancouver's Seaspan shipyard, and that is what we are working on now.

What are we doing for Davie?

I have been working hard with my colleagues from Quebec and from the government to identify opportunities for the Davie shipyard, and we have found some. I had the pleasure of visiting the shipyard to announce the arrival of three interim icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard. The Davie shipyard also fairly regularly receives isolated ship repair and upgrade contracts. This is excellent. We continue our talks with the Davie shipyard about other opportunities, because the shipbuilding strategy provides for opportunities for shipyards other than the two main ones in Halifax and Vancouver, which were designated by my hon. predecessor and his government.

We recognize that isolated opportunities may arise, but these opportunities are strategic and long term, such as repairing our existing frigates. Other projects may come up from time to time.

I assure everyone watching us, and especially those associated in any way to the Davie shipyard, that we will continue to offer and look for opportunities for the workers who are doing excellent work in Quebec and who are doing extraordinary work for our navy.

The shipyard has already received some 16% of the $1.5 billion awarded to Quebec companies under our shipbuilding strategy. We will continue to work on this and to give our sailors and our men and women in uniform the best equipment and ships possible.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the efforts by the hon. member for Gatineau and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility regarding the shipyard, but announcing that existing icebreakers will be getting three coats of paint is not going to create jobs.

He mentioned his frigates, but that represents just a few hundred jobs in three years' time. It is not going to put bread and butter on our workers' tables any time soon. He could do that by having the Obelix built.

I want to come back to the icebreakers. The government was meant to buy the heavy icebreaker Aiviq. It would have been nice to have that ship on the St. Lawrence over the past few weeks. I am not sure if my colleague has picked up the phone and talked to his friends in the Canadian Coast Guard, but they are overwhelmed. Ice jams on the river have forced the coast guard to use ships from Newfoundland here and there. It is a mess. They need boats. The shipyard is ready and they have the expertise and knowledge. We are not going to get into the numbers, but compared to tens of billions of dollars, $1.5 billion is a drop in the bucket. The shipyard—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

[Steven MacKinnon]

Mr. Speaker, I noted my colleague's very strong opinions. I can assure him that we are taking this matter seriously. I can assure him that we greatly appreciate the skills of the men and women of the Davie shipyard and the work they have done.

As I mentioned earlier, we will continue to identify the opportunities he spoke of and also other opportunities that may arise. We are in constant communication with Davie's representatives, the leadership of Canada's armed forces and the people at the Canadian Coast Guard, who serve the country so well, to determine the needs and ensure that we have the necessary equipment.

I can assure the member that Davie shipyard will be part of the solution.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 6:50 p.m.)