Debates of April 29th, 2019

Steel Industry

[Karine Trudel, NDP, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the clock is ticking.

Quebec workers, including those in the aluminum industry back home in Jonquière, have been mired in uncertainty for several months already. Now the same is true for steelworkers. The Liberals announced late Friday that they would not be making the steel industry safeguards permanent. Thousands of jobs are at stake.

The Prime Minister is much quicker to act when his millionaire friends need help.

Will the government finally stand up for our workers and make all safeguards permanent in the steel industry?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we believe that protecting our steelworkers is extremely important. We will maintain our approach of working with the steel industry. We will continue to explore ways to protect the industry. Of course, this is very important to the 23,000 workers, but it is also very important to the future of that industry.

Public Safety

[Frank Baylis, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, flooding in four provinces is devastating our communities, including mine. Rising waters continue to destroy houses, roads and communities.

When crisis hits, we see our neighbours stepping up and our first responders working hard to keep us safe. Could the Minister of Public Safety please update the House on how the government is supporting Canadians who are being affected by the flooding?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government must respond quickly to every provincial request.

I have spoken with my three provincial counterparts and we are working seamlessly together. Since receiving requests from New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec, some 2,000 Canadian Armed Forces personnel have been deployed. They have been crucial in assisting with evacuations, sandbagging and other duties. The Coast Guard, DFO, Indigenous Services, Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Public Safety Canada, Transport Canada, Revenue Canada and thousands of volunteers are working their hearts out to keep everyone safe.

Ethics

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Ethics Commissioner found that the Prime Minister violated the Conflict of Interest Act, accepting an illegal vacation seen as a gift designed to influence the PM. This past week a federal court ruled that the Lobbying Commissioner must also investigate this illegal vacation. Now the Liberals are fighting that order.

Why is the government spending public money trying to cover up the Prime Minister's illegal holiday?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I have said on numerous occasions in the House, we support the independence of officers of Parliament. As we all know, the Lobbying Commissioner investigates lobbyists. As the interpretation of the act continues to be considered by the courts, we will not comment.

I can assure all members, as well as all Canadians, that the Prime Minister and his office were not part of the decision to appeal.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. The hon. member for Lévis—Lotbinière.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the investigation into the Prime Minister's illegal holiday will no doubt be delayed, since the Liberals are appealing a judge's decision. This shows how the Liberal government only respects our justice system when it helps them benefit, conspire or cheat.

We must do everything we can to maintain confidence in our justice system. Why is the Prime Minister not setting an example for all Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, we support the independence of officers of Parliament. As we all know, the Lobbying Commissioner investigates lobbyists. As the interpretation of the act continues to be considered by the courts, we will not comment. The Prime Minister and his office were not part of the decision to appeal.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a friend is a friend, but being a Liberal friend gets you an untendered contract.

The Minister of Justice pulled some strings to make sure that a lawyer with ties to the Liberal Party of Canada would be awarded a consultation contract worth $711 an hour. This lawyer just happens to be a dedicated Liberal Party fundraiser.

Is the government hiding a new scandal from Canadians with these paybacks?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. The hon. Minister of Justice.

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

Mr. Speaker, I assure the hon. member, the House and all Canadians that all of the rules were followed. In fact, a number of firms are working with the Department of Justice. This decision was made by the department, and the rules were followed.

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, let us get this straight. We have a Liberal-connected law firm that was initially offered a big contract without having to compete with other firms. The two lead lawyers are both regular contributors to the Liberal Party, one a former chief speech writer for the Liberals, the other the Liberals' 2015 campaign lawyer. Although other firms were belatedly invited to bid, none did, and the Liberal-connected firm won the big contract.

Why is it with the Liberals that it is always about who you know?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I said a moment ago in French, I can reassure the hon. member, the House and all Canadians that this kind of contract was well within the power of the deputy minister and the department to accord. They did so in a transparent process that followed all rules and regulations. That firm is one of many firms that work with our justice department.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I call the hon. member for Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d'Orléans—Charlevoix to order.

The hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni.

Fisheries and Oceans

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

Mr. Speaker, decades of Liberal and Conservative mismanagement of our fisheries have left chinook salmon populations in a desperate situation. Instead of acting with urgency, Liberals just keep reannouncing the same funding they promised for restoration enhancement and lost habitat protections, but the money is not flowing. The Liberals can find $4.5 billion for their pipeline expansion, but they cannot get the money out the door to support local fishers and communities affected by fisheries closures.

Will the minister finally commit to immediately rolling out these necessary funds? What are the Liberals waiting for?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased to stand with Premier John Horgan about a month or so ago to announce the B.C. salmon restoration and innovation fund, which is $142 million focused on habitat restoration in British Columbia, the largest investment ever made in habitat restoration.

We have expedited the process to ensure that we are taking in applications with respect to that fund and we will be commencing decisions on those applications by early June. I think that a two-and-a-half-month period to solicit applications and to make decisions is a pretty darn fast period of time.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, waiting for that announcement certainly took a lot of time, and wild salmon on our coastline are suffering every single day. We know this and we have known this for years.

The Liberals had a consultation process that was shoddy at best. The late announcement left small businesses scrambling. This problem is the result of decades of mismanagement and broken Liberal promises on habitat restoration. Hatcheries along the coast have not seen an increase in funding for over 35 years.

They have $12 million for Loblaws fridges. Where is the money for the hatcheries? When will the government take responsibility and stop—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. Minister of Fisheries.

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, addressing the decline in the Fraser River chinook is obviously a complicated process. It involves money going into habitat restoration, which we announced with Premier Horgan of British Columbia. It involves the new Fisheries Act, which brings back the protections that were lost under the previous Conservative government. It focuses on ensuring that appropriate fisheries management is taking place, which was the announcement I made last week. It also focuses on ensuring that we are discussing issues relating to supplementation in hatcheries. There are certainly pros and cons associated with that from a science perspective. We are engaging in that conversation with the recreational fishery and we will continue to do so.

Democratic Institutions

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

Mr. Speaker, it seems that the Liberals will never change. Last week we learned that they sold access to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. They sold a ticket for a Liberal fundraising gala to the CEO of an American cannabis company. They had to reimburse him when they got caught because what they did is illegal. The Prime Minister said that there was no problem, that he was going to introduce the company's CEO to his Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development.

We would like to know when, on what date, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development is going to meet the American company's CEO.

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague knows, we introduced new legislative measures on political donations. They are the most transparent and open measures we have had at the federal level. It is important that everyone respects them. That is why we are here. I am very proud of this legislative measure.

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government has been caught red-handed in another illegal cash-for-access scandal. American CEO Ian Jenkins attended a $1,600-a-ticket Liberal fundraiser. It is illegal for Americans to donate to Canadian politicians, but Jenkins boasted about being there. He got a picture with the Prime Minister, who said he would open doors of access to the Minister of Innovation. Talk about a “thank you for your donation”.

Why does the Prime Minister continue to give preferred access to the wealthy and well connected as long as they pony up to the Liberal Party of Canada?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague in the opposition knows, we introduced Bill C-50, which made fundraising events here in Canada more transparent. That is precisely why events that are attended by the Prime Minister, ministers or the leaders of parties represented in this House are made publicly available, as well as the names of those who attended, and that is very important for transparency purposes in Canada.

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals only paid back the illegal donation after they were caught, and now their story is that this American CEO was gifted the ticket from another Liberal donor who was also in attendance at the event. That would mean that the person gave $3,200 to the Liberal Party of Canada, something that is also illegal, but of course to Liberals it is only illegal if they get caught, and if they do not, it is “thank you for your donation.”

Why, when it comes to the Prime Minister's own behaviour, does he find it so hard to follow ethical guidelines?