Debates of March 22nd, 2019

Forestry Industry

[Paul Lefebvre, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam for his hard work.

Yesterday was the International Day of Forests. I grew up in Kapuskasing and know that in northern Ontario the forestry sector has always been an integral part of the community. Canadians are proud this industry is a recognized world leader in sustainable forest management. To further support the work taking place and the good middle-class jobs it creates, budget 2019 includes an investment of over $250 million for forest transformation and innovation. Our government will continue to support a competitive and sustainable forestry sector.

Justice

[Alupa Clarke, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Liberal MPs voted for 48 hours straight for one reason and one reason alone: to protect the Prime Minister, who is refusing to disclose all the facts about the SNC-Lavalin case.

Over the past two weeks, two ministers, the Prime Minister's senior adviser and the Clerk of the Privy Council resigned. This week, a Liberal MP even quit the caucus. There is clearly more to the story.

When will the Prime Minister give Canadians the whole truth and shed light on the SNC-Lavalin affair?

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, we know that Canadians have the right to hear the testimony of the witnesses who appeared at the justice committee. That is exactly why the Prime Minister waived client-solicitor privilege and cabinet confidence. He did so to let the former attorney general say what she wanted to say.

We voted for 31 hours. We were here. The government is working very hard for Canadians. However, as we saw last night, the Conservatives voted against economic agencies, including the agency for Quebec regions. Where was the member?

Rural Economic Development

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my constituents often tell me how important it is to have good Internet access and connectivity. We know that this is an important issue that contributes to development in rural regions. It is an important concern for the people of Glengarry—Prescott—Russell and all Canadians in rural areas across the country.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Rural Economic Development give the House an update?

[Marc Serré, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Rural Economic Development, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Glengarry—Prescott—Russell for his tireless work on broadband infrastructure, which will help rural communities realize their full potential. I am proud of our government's commitment.

In budget 2019, we are making an ambitious new commitment to ensure that every single household and business in Canada has access to high-speed internet by 2030, no matter how rural or remote. Where a person lives in Canada should not limit one's ability to participate in the digital economy. Our government has a real plan to get everyone connected.

Ethics

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

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Prime Minister's stories do not add up. The former attorney general testified before the justice committee that she was pressured by the Prime Minister and his staff to save 9,000 jobs at SNC-Lavalin, but the CEO of SNC said that he never made any such claims. The Prime Minister must end his cover-up.

Will the Prime Minister allow the ethics committee to take a full investigation into the corruption scandal involving SNC-Lavalin, or will he once again make his Liberal MPs stand in the way of justice?

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, that is the exact same question that the Conservatives have been asking at every opportunity that they have had a question to ask today. That is their prerogative.

However, what we see clearly is that the Conservatives are projecting. This is what they do. They know how their benches operate. They know that they have no room to be able to negotiate or have real conversations. All they can do is throw mud. We voted for 31 hours because they advertised; they made sure that everyone knew they were going to ensure that the budget would not be presented in this chamber. When the budget was presented, they were upset.

Do colleagues know who is not upset? Many Canadians from coast to coast to coast are not upset, because they will benefit from our programs—

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

The hon. member for Terrebonne.

Public Services and Procurement

[Michel Boudrias, Bloc, Terrebonne, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in the budget, the government just announced that it will be procuring three new ferries. That is a good thing. The timing is great, because Quebec's Davie shipyard has had to lay off 1,200 workers due to a lack of federal contracts. These 1,200 workers lost their jobs because the Liberals and the Conservatives have chosen to spend the past 10 years enriching shipyards in other provinces, even though those shipyards have not delivered a single ship in 10 years.

Could the government finally restore justice and fairness by awarding the ferry contracts to Davie?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to remind the House that during the Conservatives' 10 years in power, the Davie shipyard was shut out of the shipbuilding strategy. Whereas Davie was awarded 0% of contracts under the Harper government, it has received fully 15% of the value of the contracts awarded since we took office. Unlike the Conservatives and the member for Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, who was at the cabinet table at the time, we on this side of the House recognize the workers' potential and the shipyard's expertise. We are going to keep tapping that potential to meet all of the federal government's needs.

Transportation

[Michel Boudrias, Bloc, Terrebonne, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my guess is that 15% is a knock-on effect of marijuana legalization.

We now know that the Apollo ferry is a rickety and dangerous old boat that should have been pulled from service long ago. This information should have been available before now, because Transport Canada is responsible for inspecting vessels.

Apparently Transport Canada rubber-stamps vessel certifications without inspecting or investigating the vessels thoroughly.

Will the Minister of Transport take responsibility, get serious about inspections and compensate Quebec, whose only mistake here was trusting the Minister of Transport to do his job properly?

[Terry Beech, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, the safety of passengers is a priority. In the case of the Apollo, it has never been compromised.

Pursuant to an inspection that lasted multiple days, Transport Canada asked the STQ to make modifications before the ferry was put in service on February 11. A few minor problems were raised, none of which compromised the vessel's safety.

We share in the Transportation Safety Board's commitment to safety. It has shared some preliminary findings, but it is too early to speculate at this time. I offer my sincere thanks to the member from Matane for his hard work on this file.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the TSB's investigation is ongoing, but we already know that the Apollo had all kinds of problems: deck and hull watertightness, fire protection, life-saving equipment, main and auxiliary propulsion, electrical distribution, instrument controls and more. We know the problems are not new even though Transport Canada said everything was fine.

Is the Minister of Transport aware that Transport Canada's extreme negligence is costing Quebeckers a fortune and could pose a major threat to users' safety?

[Terry Beech, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite knows that this purchase happened between two provinces.

The transport ministry is responsible for looking at the seaworthiness of these vessels. As I stated, there was an inspection that lasted multiple days. There were changes asked of the STQ to make these modifications before the ferry was put into service on February 11.

Safety is our absolute top priority. We will make sure, in every case, that we take the actions necessary to protect Canadians.

International Trade

[Erin Weir, Independent, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, until today's breaking news, the only thing growing faster than the number of independent MPs was Canada's canola exports.

Now our largest customer, China, has stopped buying Canadian canola. Prairie farmers should not pay the price for an unrelated diplomatic tiff.

What actions is the government taking to reopen the Chinese market and to support our canola farmers until this is rectified?

[Jean-Claude Poissant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, we know that access to new markets for our high-quality canola means more money in the pockets of farmers and that it supports good middle-class jobs for Canadian farm families.

Talks will continue between representatives of both countries in order to find science-based solutions to this issue as quickly as possible. We are working very closely with industry representatives on this issue, and we will continue to keep them informed as new information becomes available.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Order, please. I have the honour to inform the House that a communication has been received as follows:

Rideau Hall

Ottawa

March 22, 2019

Mr. Speaker:

I have the honour to inform you that the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada, signified royal assent by written declaration to the bills listed in the Schedule to this letter on the 22nd day of March, 2019, at 9:44 a.m..

Yours sincerely,

Marie-Geneviève Mounier

Associate Secretary to the Governor General

The schedule indicates the bills assented to were Bill C-95, An Act for granting to Her Majesty certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2019; and Bill C-96, An Act for granting to Her Majesty certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020.

Canadian Human Rights Commission

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

I have the honour to lay upon the table the 2018 annual report of the Canadian Human Rights Commission. Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(e), this document is deemed to have been permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

Indigenous Languages Act

[David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, a charter statement for Bill C-91, an act respecting indigenous languages.

An Act to provide no-cost, expedited record suspensions for simple possession of cannabis

[David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, a charter statement for Bill C-93, An Act to provide no-cost, expedited record suspensions for simple possession of cannabis.

Government Response to Petitions

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 30 petitions.

Public Accounts

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

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 60th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts entitled, “Report 3, Canada’s Fighter Force—National Defence, of the 2018 Fall Reports of the Auditor General of Canada”.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.

I also have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 61st report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, entitled “Report 5, Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour—Canadian Armed Forces, of the 2018 Fall Reports of the Auditor General of Canada”.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.

Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities

[Bryan May, Liberal, Cambridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 15th report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, entitled “Taking Action: Improving the Lives of Canadians Living with Episodic Disabilities".

Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.

Finance

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

moved:

That it be an instruction to the Standing Committee on Finance that, during its consideration of Bill S-6, An Act to implement the Convention between Canada and the Republic of Madagascar for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income, the Committee be granted the power to travel throughout Canada to hear testimony from interested parties and that the necessary staff do accompany the Committee, provided that the travel does not exceed ten calendar days.

Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time.

The motion relates to issues of international taxation, and one international company that is affected by that issue is of course SNC-Lavalin.

In the debate over SNC-Lavalin, the Prime Minister has claimed that the reason for his pressuring the former attorney general to shelve charges against the company was to save jobs. Even if we believe that jobs trump the rule of law, there is still a problem with this story: It is false.

Let us start with the claim that the Prime Minister made on September 31, when he was speaking to the former attorney general. He told her that either she had to shelve the charges against the company or the headquarters would move.

Let me quote the former attorney general's testimony before the justice committee when she was speaking about the September 17 meeting. She stated:

The Prime Minister again cited the potential loss of jobs and SNC moving. Then, to my surprise, the Clerk started to make the case for the need to have a DPA. He said, “There is a board meeting on Thursday September 20 with stockholders”, “they will...be moving to London if this happens” “and there is an election in Quebec soon”.

She reported that the finance minister's chief of staff and a senior prime ministerial adviser also told her that the headquarters would leave Montreal unless she shelved charges against the company.

That claim, of course, makes no sense on the face of it. Moving its headquarters would be impossible for the company, and I will get to why in a moment, but would not actually reduce the company's criminal culpability. Even if the headquarters were in Beijing, London or Kalamazoo, criminal charges would proceed here in Canada; thus, leaving the country would make no sense as a strategy to avoid legal penalty.

Furthermore, it is impossible for SNC to move its headquarters. It must stay in Montreal as part of a $1.5-billion loan deal that the company signed with the Quebec pension plan.

To quote a March 20 SNC report written to its shareholders, SNC-Lavalin “...has undertaken that, for the period of seven (7) years, the head office of SNC-Lavalin will remain in Montreal and will remain the focus of the Company's strategic decision-making; a significant portion of the Company's management team, including its CEO, will be resident in the Province of Quebec....” That is the agreement that the company signed to retain this $1.5-billion loan from the Quebec pension plan.

Furthermore, the company just signed a 20-year lease and is undertaking a major workplace renovation for its 2,000 employees. Companies do not renovate their office space for 2,000 employees if they are moving. Even after the director of public prosecutions and the former attorney general decided not to grant the company a remediation agreement and even after the CEO learned that the charges would go ahead, the CEO, Neil Bruce, told the Toronto Star that SNC is not moving. The Star article says, “Bruce also insisted the company is committed to remaining headquartered in Montreal”, adding that he stated “We absolutely want to be based here in Quebec, here in Canada.”

Again, that is in the Toronto Star from December 17, 2018. These comments were made after the company learned that it would not get a deferred prosecution agreement and that charges would in fact go ahead.

Remember, the Prime Minister told the former attorney general that the company's headquarters was moving, and months later the company's CEO said no—

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons is rising on a point of order.