Debates of March 22nd, 2019

Government Accountability

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Order, order. We are trying to get through the matters at hand here. Members have brought positions forward that they would like to air, and the sooner we get to that, the better. It does not help when we get other members talking over the top of those who have been recognized to speak.

I see the hon. member for Carleton is rising on a point of order.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Winnipeg North was just heard audibly, as the member for Sarnia—Lambton was speaking, saying, “You are a child.” That is insulting language, and I ask the member to do the honourable thing and quickly stand and apologize and withdraw that insulting comment.

The member for Sarnia—Lambton is not only an adult, but an extremely qualified and successful engineer and businesswoman.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Members, of course, should always avoid those kinds of characterizations. I did not hear the offending comment in this case. I do see the parliamentary secretary on his feet, if he would like to address the point.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, what I indicated was that the Conservative Party members were behaving like children the other day. I suspect people who were watching would have seen the chanting, the slamming, the yelling and the screaming coming from the Conservative benches. They might have agreed, but—

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Order. This is what happens when we get into exchanging what are supposed to be points of order.

As I said, I did not hear the comment that the member for Carleton referred to, but I had hoped that the hon. parliamentary secretary would address that point and not introduce another point of debate.

We are in the midst of hearing a question of privilege intervention by the member for Sarnia—Lambton.

I see the hon. opposition House leader is rising. Is this a different point of order?

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, it is regarding the apology that is required.

The member for Winnipeg North has tried to say I was calling everybody childish, but he called our colleague, the member for Sarnia—Lambton, a child. He needs to unreservedly apologize and withdraw that insulting comment made to a woman who is accomplished, who is clearly an adult, and who is doing the mature thing right now—her job. That member should not be qualifying it if someone felt or experienced it differently. He should just stand up and apologize, as a man should.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

I see the hon. parliamentary secretary on his feet. We are not going to entertain any more debate on this point.

I will refer back to an earlier comment I made: Questions of privilege are interventions that members make, not to interrupt the ordinary course of debate before the House but to get to what they believe are specific breaches of members' privileges, which they can address.

I will say it again that they are not opportunities to expand and editorialize. If members have specific precedents in sufficient quantity they wish to use to support their arguments, that is fine, but it is not always necessary to have numerous precedents to make a point.

I will ask members, essentially to ensure that the House has time for the matters that are before it and are on the projected order of business for the day, to get quickly to their points on this question of privilege.

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I will wrap it up quickly.

Let us recall again that the Attorney General and his parliamentary secretary have called these allegations false. The evidence that I have been presenting begs to differ. These two government spokespersons misled the House or were themselves misled to that end.

Additional evidence came forward when Gerald Butts took his place at the witness table. He said at page 2 of the evidence in the morning of March 6:

So it was, and is, the Attorney General's decision to make. It would, however, be Canadians' decision to live with—specifically, the 9,000-plus people who could lose their jobs.

At page 3, Mr. Butts euphemistically spins this effort to drop corruption charges against a well-connected large corporation with Liberal ties by saying:

It was our obligation to exhaustively consider options the law allows....

Once again, the House was told that the statements by Fife, Chase and Fine were false, but the evidence has shown that to be anything but the case.

We heard testimony from the CEO of SNC-Lavalin that he never said 9,000 jobs would be lost. This again is a falsehood that has been repeated by the Attorney General and his parliamentary secretary.

The next allegation is at the 18th paragraph of the article, which states:

Sources at SNC-Lavalin told The Globe the PMO was furious with the justice minister's intransigence on the remediation agreement and that the company was pleased to see her moved out of the portfolio.

The former attorney general told the justice committee on February 27, at page 5 of the evidence:

On December 18, 2018, my chief of staff was urgently summoned to a meeting with Gerry Butts and Katie Telford to discuss SNC. They want to know where I—me—am at in terms of finding a solution. They told her they felt like the issue was getting worse and I was not doing anything.

This was followed by the quotation of the text message exchange between the member for Vancouver Granville and her former chief of staff, a portion of which is particularly relevant to this and is also in The Globe and Mail.

Let me get to the part of this that is the alternative. It is on page 12.

However we cut it, the House was misled and conflicting versions are now before Parliament. As for whether the Attorney General, his parliamentary secretary or both of them misled the House—or were duped into it through a misleading briefing or in other ways—is not material to determining that the House has competing accounts before it.

I will conclude by saying that whether it was done directly or indirectly, the House has been misled. To be blunt, this is happening on a more frequent basis, so I would urge you, Mr. Speaker, to assess the weighty evidence before the House and consider how it contradicts the bald denials given on February 7 and 8. These denials were meant to be a wet blanket thrown on an explosive scandal. They could not have been offered for any purpose other than to obstruct the House of Commons on its core constitutional capacity to hold the government to account.

Mr. Speaker, I commend the NDP House leader's question of privilege for your favourable consideration.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

I recall that the hon. member for Durham provided notice for a question of privilege. It can only be for about five minutes, and then we will have to interrupt for Statements by Members.

The hon. member for Durham.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would ask for your indulgence for more time than that. I do think questions of parliamentary privilege filed under Standing Order 48(2) would trump members' statements.

Parliamentary privilege, as you know, Mr. Speaker, is both individual and collective. My parliamentary privilege as a member of Parliament and as the shadow minister for foreign affairs has been breached, as has the collective parliamentary privilege of every member of the House of Commons to deliberate, debate and legislate in accordance with their parliamentary function, in accordance with what their constituents sent them to Ottawa to do.

These have been tiring days. There is lots of stress on both sides, but I would implore the Liberal members to remember that they are sent as individual members to Parliament to represent their constituents, not to represent the Prime Minister's Office. My privilege and the collective privilege of this chamber have been impeded in debate, in committee inquiry, in question period responses and in voting, so it is an extensive breach of parliamentary privilege.

I would remind the Chair and the House that this privilege is absolute, going back to 1689 and to our Constitution Act of 1867. In fact, solicitor-client privilege, which has been the subject of discussion in recent weeks in relation to the member for Vancouver Granville, is superseded by parliamentary privilege. That has been considered and is a precedent of that Chair. In fact, the April 27, 2010, a decision by Speaker Milliken said:

It is the view of the Chair that accepting an unconditional authority of the executive to censor the information provided to Parliament would in fact jeopardize the very separation of powers that is purported to lie at the heart of our parliamentary system and the independence of its constituent parts.

That was Speaker Milliken saying that national security, confidentiality at the highest levels, cannot stand in the way of any member of Parliament in this chamber exercising his or her privilege as a member. That was recently reaffirmed in Westminster with the decision in the matter of Lord Hain in 2018, in which public interest and parliamentary privilege superseded court injunctions.

Therefore, it is fundamental that solicitor-client privilege is secondary to parliamentary privilege, and I would note that Justice Lamer, as he then was, in the Descôteaux decision of the Supreme Court of Canada, confirmed this. There is the legal ability under law to insert itself into the solicitor-client confidentiality relationship.

That is important to understand, because certainly the member for Vancouver Granville, as a lawyer, takes that responsibility seriously.

What we can take from the decision of Justice Lamer is that the law gives authority to intercede into solicitor-client privilege and that it should be done narrowly. In his words, it should be done “only if doing so is absolutely necessary to achieve the ends sought by the enabling legislation.”

In this case, the enabling legislation is our Constitution. My parliamentary privilege and our collective parliamentary privilege is impeded by the executive's, the Prime Minister's Office's, persistence in limiting the waiver of privilege. The member for Vancouver Granville wants to speak further. The Prime Minister is not allowing her, but this Parliament can allow her. I would remind members that I have seen some of her own colleagues criticizing her.

I would ask for your indulgence, Mr. Speaker, for two more minutes of my presentation.

The Law Society of Ontario Rules of Professional Conduct recognizes that privilege—

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Order. We are going to interrupt for the time being, and we will get back to the hon. member for Durham immediately after question period and Routine Proceedings later this day. When we get back to regular matters of business, we will come right back to the hon. member for Durham.

I would ask the indulgence of the House for proceeding now at this time to Statements by Members. We will start with the hon. member for Winnipeg North.

Jaime Adao

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, imagine a 17-year-old boy about to graduate Tec Voc High School at home in the north end of downtown Winnipeg when someone starts banging on the door and busts through.

Recently we had a home invasion, and the sad reality of that particular home invasion saw a wonderful, beautiful 17-year-old young man with so much potential meet his death as a direct result.

The community has been grappling with this. I have known the family for many years, and Imelda and Jaime Adao are truly wonderful, genuine, generous individuals. Family and friends have been pouring their love and prayers and condolences to the family.

I want to make a commitment to the family and community that have come together at this very tragic moment that I will continue to work with others in an apolitical fashion to ensure that Jimboy's death will not go unnoticed.

2019 Brier

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, in early March Westman was swept up in a curling frenzy as Brandon hosted the 2019 Brier, its first since 1982. It was at that Brier that the Patch was invented. I have been to a few Briers since then, and I have to say that this may have been the best one yet.

I wish to thank Curling Canada for choosing the Brandon bid, and I want to congratulate the sponsors, curlers and all of the volunteers who rose to the occasion and made this event a huge success for curling fans and the city of Brandon. In particular, I want to thank Nate Andrews, Jackie Nichol and Ryan Shields, who co-chaired the Brandon Brier. With the help of an army of volunteers, they hit it right on the button.

I would also like to congratulate Team Koe for winning in spectacular fashion. I would be remiss not mention that Kevin has now tied the record for the most Canadian men's curling championships by a skip. I know that Team Koe will make us proud as they will now compete in their home province for the World Men's Curling Championship in Lethbridge, Alberta, starting on March 30.

Go, Canada, go.

West Vancouver Robotics Program

[Pam Goldsmith-Jones, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, about five years ago, a bunch of high school students in West Vancouver decided to form a robotics club. Within one year, that club became a full-fledged academic program in robotics.

It is innovative, not just because they are learning AI, tech, engineering, math and science, but also because they are learning collaboratively with all high school students of all ages and elementary school students of all ages. The students learn in two huge rooms, the board room and the Robo Dojo room, and the noise level is through the roof. They collaborate and get marks for failing. This club has now turned into 140 students.

Globally, 16,000 students compete for the world championships, and four of those kids from West Van High are going. Last year they came second. This year we hope they come first.

I would like to congratulate principal Steve Rauh, director of instruction Diane Nelson, head teacher Todd Ablett and faculty lead Dr. Mahesh Chugani. I encourage them all the way.

Tuberculosis

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of World Tuberculosis Day, which takes place March 24.

Around the world, nearly 4,500 people lose their lives to TB daily, to a disease that is preventable and curable. Here at home, too many communities are still living with tuberculosis. Nunavut has the highest rate of TB in Canada. My home province of Manitoba is second.

First nations people living on reserve have an eight to 10 times higher TB notification rate than other Canadians. TB is a disease linked poverty. It is caused by crowding, poor ventilation and mould.

Earlier this year, I joined with my northern NDP colleagues in calling on the Prime Minister to address the mould crisis in homes on reserve. We had hoped that budget 2019 would make clear a Liberal commitment to ending this housing crisis, but the budget ignored it, so today we once again call on the government not just to acknowledge TB Day but to make the investments necessary to commit to eradicating TB once and for all.

Swimming Scholarship

[Paul Lefebvre, Liberal, Sudbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the fantastic achievements of a young person from my riding of Sudbury.

After attending Collège Notre-Dame and graduating in June 2018, Nina Kucheran received an NCAA Division I scholarship to attend Florida State University and swim for their varsity team.

With the support of her family, Nina began swimming at the age of five at the Nickel District Pool before joining the Sudbury Laurentian Swim Club. In August 2018, Nina earned two silver medals representing Canada at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Fiji.

Physical activity is a big part of Canadian culture. Nina's hard work and intense passion can inspire us all. Our community is proud of Nina, and we are excited to see what amazing things she does next.

I wish her great success as she competes at the 2019 women's swimming and diving national championships in Austin, Texas.

Not only does Nina make Sudbury proud, but she makes Canada proud.

Special Olympian

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

Mr. Speaker, last Sunday, St. Patrick's Day, Special Olympian Linda Renner brought pride to my riding of Cariboo—Prince George and indeed our entire country.

While competing for Team Canada at the 2019 Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi, Linda struck gold, bowling over the competition, as she captured the women's singles championship, but Linda was not finished there. She added another gold medal and a silver medal to her tally. At 56 years of age, Linda's dedication to her family, her community and her sport is second to none. To quote her coach, Tracey Cole, "She is such a positive and committed athlete".

Linda was representing our country for the second time on the international stage as she also competed in the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games where she also brought home a silver medal.

The Special Olympics motto is “'Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt”.

Linda has made us all so very proud. We thank her for being an incredible ambassador to our country, to our community and to her sport.

Kraft Hockeyville 2019

[Pat Finnigan, Liberal, Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB]

Mr. Speaker, 40 kilometres southwest of Miramichi, there is a small community with a big heart called Renous.

This year, Renous and the Tom Donovan Arena have made it to the final four in the campaign to become the next Kraft Hockeyville. Last weekend, I joined the community as we all watched the exciting live results together.

For this community, it is about more than just the title and it is about more than just a rink. The campaign is a tribute to a young hockey player, Thomas Dunn, who was killed last year in a tragic accident. This is just one of the heartbreaking tragedies that the small community has faced over the last few years.

The Tom Donovan Arena in Renous is the heart of the community and could certainly use the $250,000 prize, as it is in great need of repair and modernization.

On March 29, I invite all my colleagues to go online and vote for the community of Renous and the Tom Donovan Arena to be the next Kraft Hockeyville, in memory of Thomas Dunn.

Special Olympians

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

Mr. Speaker, since 1969, our country has been dedicated to enriching the lives of Canadians with a disability through the transformative power and joy of sport. Our government continues that commitment by ensuring we support all of our athletes, of all ages and abilities, from the playground to the podium.

Over the past two weeks, 109 of our athletes participated in the Special Olympics Games in Abu Dhabi. The games ended yesterday. I would like to congratulate and thank all the incredible athletes who represented Canada in their respective sport.

Their feats and commitment inspire all of us each and every day. I want them to know that their country is proud of them. On behalf of all parliamentarians, I congratulate them and welcome them home.

Tuberculosis

[Ziad Aboultaif, Conservative, Edmonton Manning, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this Sunday, March 24, is World Tuberculosis Day, and I invite you and all members to wear the pin and help raise awareness about this terrible disease.

Last year, the World Health Organization reported that 10.4 million people fell ill with TB. There were 1.8 million TB deaths in 2016, making it the top infectious killer worldwide.

While many people think of TB only in the least developed nations, there are about 1,600 new cases of active TB reported in Canada every year, primarily amongst newcomers and indigenous communities.

The issue is not about finding a cure. The cure exists. It is about ensuring that everyone has access to life-saving treatment.

I encourage members to join me in raising awareness of this issue by tweeting ”#ItsTimeToEndTB” for those living with tuberculosis here in Canada and around the world.

Youth

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it goes without saying that young Canadians are the future of our country. I strongly believe that the best investment we can make is an investment in supporting and educating our young people and helping them become independent.

The young men and women in our communities will soon be our doctors, engineers, soldiers, professors and caregivers. They will also be the leaders of our country.

The time I have spent with members of my Hull—Aylmer youth councils since 2015 has been invaluable to me as a member of Parliament. Whether it be on subjects such as the environment, public transit, equality or heritage, their profound and penetrating discussions have reminded me of the immense responsibility we have when speaking in this House.

I would like to thank the members of my youth council and all young Canadians. I appreciate their work, their vision and their enthusiasm.

Muslim Community

[Chandra Arya, Liberal, Nepean, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after the recent terrorist attack which killed 50 Muslims praying in a mosque in New Zealand, the Prime Minister, to show solidarity with Muslim Canadians, visited SNMC mosque in my riding of Nepean. He addressed over 1,000 people and held a meeting with young Muslim Canadians.

Words matter. I call upon all political leaders to check whether the words they use or the actions they take create an environment that provides a platform for extreme anti-Muslim or anti-immigration individuals or groups.

I am thankful to SNMC mosque and Dr. Emdad Khan, Imam Zijad Delic, Raheemuddin Syed, Dr. Asma Amjad, Muhammad Zulfikar Bangash and other volunteers and community leaders for organizing this visit.

Justice

[Bob Benzen, Conservative, Calgary Heritage, AB]

Mr. Speaker, when the Prime Minister leaned on the former attorney general to cut a deal for SNC-Lavalin, he justified his actions by claiming that many jobs would be lost and the company would move from Montreal if there was no DPA. For weeks the Prime Minister has repeated his mantra that what some perceived as interference in a criminal prosecution was in fact an effort to protect threatened jobs. However, like so much of what the Prime Minister has said in relation to this scandal, we know that was not true.

On Wednesday, the CEO of SNC-Lavalin directly contradicted the Prime Minister when he said that the company's jobs in Canada were never threatened.

The Prime Minister is hemorrhaging credibility. Cabinet ministers are resigning and MPs are leaving the Liberal Party rather than participate in his cover-up.

There is still time to make this right. Will the Prime Minister do so today by allowing the member for Vancouver Granville and the member for Markham—Stouffville to finally speak their full and unfettered truth?

Special Olympian

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Nickel Belt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I stand today to congratulate Josée Séguin, a distinguished athlete from Valley East. Josée is a fierce competitor and one of our nation's top powerlifters. This month she represented Canada at the Abu Dhabi Special Olympics World Games, winning three gold medals, one silver medal and earning the title of the number one female in her division.

Prior to her departure, I had the privilege of meeting Josée and her mother Linda. Josée is a joyful and grounded individual who refuses to bow to adversity. Josée is an extremely dedicated individual, who works a full-time job at St. Gabriel seniors residence caring for the aging.

Congratulations to Josée and all the other Special Olympic athletes who represented Canada so well on the world stage. May their stories be a source of inspiration and motivation to all Canadians.

We are very proud of you. Keep up the good work.

The Environment

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, “I want you to panic. The climate is changing; why aren't we?" On March 15, young people from around the world took to the streets to demand action from their elected leaders on climate change. Among them were students from Vancouver East. The quotes I just read are some of their messages to the government.

Over 1.5 million students participated in this global climate strike. After the strike, the Prime Minister tweeted that he hears the young people, yet budget 2019 is still subsidizing big oil and he is still trying to ram a pipeline through our province without consent.

The youth are saying, “I care. Why don't you?” “If not now, when?” “Why study for a future if we won't have one?” “Like the ocean, we rise.” “Make earth cool again.” “There is no planet B.” “The earth needs you to give a frack.” “Respect existence or expect resistance.”

It is time to act.