House of Commons Hansard #404 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was liberals.
Bardish Chagger Liberal Waterloo, ON
Mr. Speaker, I will finish by saying that the Conservatives will remain focused on us, but we will remain focused on Canadians, because that is exactly who we are here to serve.
The member who occupied that seat prior to the member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes was actually a member of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, and we just tabled its report for the first time. It was dedicated to him—
The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
The hon. member for Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River.
Georgina Jolibois NDP Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
Mr. Speaker, survivors of the Île-à-la-Crosse and Timber Bay boarding schools are seeking justice from the government. When they were in opposition, the Liberals wanted justice for Métis survivors from northern Saskatchewan, but they have done nothing to provide compensation or justice since they formed government.
Métis people and survivors of boarding schools do not want to wait for another election to get justice. Will the Liberals commit today to do the right thing for survivors of the Île-à-la-Crosse and Timber Bay boarding schools?
Marc Miller LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite for her relentless advocacy in this matter, as well as her colleague from Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou.
This is obviously a matter that is under advisement with the department. It is a matter we take very seriously, and I hope to come back to the House with further clarification on the matter.
Georgina Jolibois NDP Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
Mr. Speaker, we are just weeks away from the Kashechewan First Nation's annual evacuation. The dike wall could fail, causing catastrophic damage to the community.
This community has been waiting for funding for relocation to higher ground for years. The Liberal budget gave nothing to the community, and people are getting desperate. This is not a nation-to-nation relationship. When will the Liberals stop playing games with the lives of Kashechewan's people and fund their relocation?
Dan Vandal LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services
Mr. Speaker, our government recognizes that the threat of flooding during the spring breakup is an ongoing reality for the first nation of Kashechewan.
Our commitment to a long-term relocation plan has not wavered and has not changed. In the meantime, we have made significant progress on priorities, such as the new modular school that will be installed in September of this year. We are currently working with the first nation to monitor the threat of flooding, conduct preliminary flood mitigation and prepare a smooth transition to the host communities.
Scot Davidson Conservative York—Simcoe, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has threatened to sue the Leader of the Opposition. His lawyer objects to our claim that the Clerk of the Privy Council pressured the former attorney general and made it clear that her job was on the line. Canadians heard the Clerk of the Privy Council in his own words. They know the statement to be true.
When will the Prime Minister allow this court case to begin so that the truth can be revealed?
Bardish Chagger LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I have answered that question now on numerous occasions, and I do believe that one day we will be in this House debating policies that have impacts on Canadians.
I can share that when it comes to our plan, we have seen 950,000 jobs created by Canadians. We know that over 800,000 children have been lifted out of poverty and almost 300,000 children have been lifted out of poverty because of the tax-free Canada child benefit, measures that the Conservatives continue to vote against.
We know that the Conservatives have no plan for the environment. The only plan they have is to mislead Canadians, and that really should not be the competition.
Bob Saroya Conservative Markham—Unionville, ON
Mr. Speaker, for months the Prime Minister has been trying to keep the truth from Canadians, and now he is threatening a lawsuit and trying to silence his opponents. It will not work. Canadians want the Prime Minister to present his evidence in a court of law.
When will the Prime Minister follow through on his threat, or is he just talk, no walk?
Bardish Chagger LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, once again, I have answered that question. What many Canadians are prioritizing is the economy and the environment.
When it comes to the economy, we know that we have one of the fastest-growing economies in the G7. That is pretty impressive, because it means that more Canadians are working today than were working in my lifetime. When it comes to our climate plan, because we know that climate change is real, we want to transition to a cleaner, greener economy by making cleaner, greener choices more affordable. That is why we have the climate action incentive payment.
That member and his party choose to mislead Canadians by not reminding them—
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lévis—Lotbinière, QC
Mr. Speaker, on March 29, our leader issued an official statement in a press release. It stated that the Prime Minister led a campaign of political interference, personally gave orders, denied the truth and had therefore lost the moral authority to govern. Our leader stands by everything he said in that statement.
My question is simple. Will the Prime Minister show some courage and do as he said he would, that is, follow through on his notice so the truth can come out in court?
Bardish Chagger LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite knows very well, I have already answered that question.
Instead of asking the same question, I encourage the member to focus on the policies that will have a positive impact on Canadians.
The Conservatives are doing everything in their power to block a budget that includes important initiatives for Canadians, things like lower interest rates on student loans, funding to help seniors keep more of their money and new assistance for first-time home buyers. We will continue to—
Kevin Waugh Conservative Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK
Mr. Speaker, it is becoming abundantly clear that the thing the Prime Minister fears most is telling the truth. Yes, in open court, he cannot shut down the hearings and he cannot threaten the witnesses.
Will he commit today to immediately file his lawsuit and testify in open court about what he did to politically interfere in a criminal trial?
Bardish Chagger LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the member from the province of Saskatchewan would rise, and he knows very well that I have answered that question.
Saskatchewan is one of the provinces that do not have a provincial climate plan. To ensure that we can transition to a cleaner, greener economy, the federal government has put forward a climate action incentive payment.
Families within Saskatchewan will be receiving over $600 when they file their taxes this year, and 80% of families will spend less when they come to make cleaner, greener choices, because we want to make sure that they make cleaner, greener choices and that they are affordable. I encourage—
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Mr. Speaker, according to breast cancer experts, thousands of Canadian women will die due to the Liberal government's new breast cancer screening guidelines.
The new guidelines ignore expert advice, disregard the importance of mammograms for women in their forties, and advise against self-exams. They overlook the benefits of early detection, ignore current data and are silent on the risk of breast density.
Given these grave concerns, will the Liberals halt these guidelines, advise physicians not to follow them and launch a review under the direction of subject matter experts?
Ginette Petitpas Taylor LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, protecting the health and safety of all Canadians is my top priority.
The Canadian task force on preventive health care is an independent, arm's-length panel of 15 experts with a mandate to develop practical clinical guidelines.
While the government provided support to the task force breast cancer screening workgroup, its decision was totally done independently. As such, these are not official government guidelines.
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, steel workers and their families are going through a tough time. They are facing uncertainty as the temporary safeguards are set to expire on April 27.
The Liberals are reluctant to keep these safeguards in place to protect our jobs and prevent our market from being flooded, but they offer millions of dollars as a gift to the Weston family.
It is the eleventh hour. Steel workers do not have the means to wait.
Instead of helping big banks and corporations, can the Liberal government finally help out workers?
Joël Lightbound LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, our government will always protect Canadians, Canadian workers and their interests. In reaction to the illegal and unjustified measures imposed by the United States, Canada introduced tariffs on steel and aluminum imports totalling $16.6 billion. We also put measures in place to help the industry on this side of the border.
We will continue to work with people in the steel and aluminum sector to support them during this difficult time until these illegal and unjustified U.S. tariffs are lifted.
Kyle Peterson Liberal Newmarket—Aurora, ON
Mr. Speaker, we know that our country's continued prosperity depends on innovative, hard-working Canadian companies and their ability to access new markets. Increased trade improves overall productivity and creates good-paying jobs for all Canadians.
Can the Minister of International Trade Diversification please let the House know what steps are being taken to increase trade opportunities for Canadians from coast to coast to coast?
Omar Alghabra LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade Diversification
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Newmarket—Aurora for his question and for his leadership on the international trade committee.
Consecutive governments talked about trade diversification, but it was only our government that made it a reality. Under our government, we signed and ratified CETA and CPTPP. That is 1.5 billion new customers for our businesses.
This week, the minister announced new measures to help SMEs trade, grow and create jobs. We are aiming to grow our global exports by 50% by 2025.
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
Mr. Speaker, they will not succeed, because instead of being at home planting, worried canola farmers were in Ottawa this week to sound the alarm. Canada is already barred from exporting canola to China, but now Saudi Arabia has stopped buying our barley, Italy has closed its doors to our durum wheat, and India is slapping tariffs on our pulses. The Prime Minister is failing dismally, and Canadian farmers are paying the price.
Eight times we asked for an emergency debate, and eight times the Liberals said no. It is time for the government to take a more involved, creative and aggressive approach to defending Canadian grains and oilseeds. That is what the industry is calling for.
When will we see that happen?
Jean-Claude Poissant LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, we understand the concerns of the canola industry. For the past month and a half, the minister has been meeting with dozens of farmers and industry representatives here in Ottawa, in Alberta, in Saskatchewan and even in Manitoba.
The Canadian representatives of the CFIA are having discussions with their counterparts in China to find a science-based solution. We have sent a letter to China to propose sending a high-level delegation of experts.
We are going to keep standing up for the canola industry.