House of Commons Hansard #405 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was companies.
Karina Gould LiberalMinister of Democratic Institutions
Mr. Speaker, I will remind my hon. colleague that even before this legislation came into effect in January of this year, the Liberal Party began disclosing its events and began disclosing the participants, something the Leader of the Opposition did not do, and we can only ask why.
Mike Bossio Liberal Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON
Mr. Speaker, it has been a year since the leader of the party opposite promised Canadians a climate plan. Now it is 365 days later, and the Conservatives still have no plan. Canadians cannot afford politicians who ignore climate change. They—
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Order, please.
I remind the hon. member not to use personal names in the House. I ask him to finish.
Mike Bossio Liberal Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON
Mr. Speaker, Canadians cannot afford politicians who ignore climate change. They expect us to lead the fight against climate change to protect Canadians and our communities.
Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment tell this House how our government is taking real action, while the opposition is just—
Sean Fraser LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Mr. Speaker, I would like to wish the leader of the official opposition a happy anniversary. It was one year ago today that he committed to bring forward a plan that would actually meet the Paris Agreement targets. He cannot bring himself to even talk about that plan or the Paris Agreement anymore.
While we move forward with a climate plan, the Conservatives are busy meeting behind closed doors with wealthy executives to discuss how they can take less action on climate change. It is reprehensible. We are putting a price on pollution. We are taking plastics out of our ocean. We are investing in public transit and making life more affordable and more efficient for Canadians.
Canadians want action on climate change. I invite the Leader of the Opposition to take note.
James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government threw a trusted and respected Manitoba chief justice under the bus for callous political reasons. The Liberals leaked Justice Joyal's confidential application to the Supreme Court, and now they are under investigation by the Privacy Commissioner. They trampled on his rights and slandered his good name, all so they could trash the reputation of the former justice minister.
Will the current justice minister confirm if he or his office has been contacted by the Privacy Commissioner regarding this leak?
David Lametti LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, our government has taken significant steps to ensure that the process for appointing judges is transparent and accountable to Canadians and promotes a greater diversity on the bench.
Our new process is effective. To date, we have appointed or elevated over 290 judges, and the diversity of these judges and the diversity of the bench is becoming unprecedented. Fifty-five per cent of these judicial appointments are women. We will continue to ensure that our process is merit-based, that it is secure and that confidentiality and the opinions given in confidence are secure.
Robert Aubin NDP Trois-Rivières, QC
Mr. Speaker, our thoughts are with all those in Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick who are affected by the floods.
Unfortunately, we know that with climate change this is only going to keep happening and that the map of flood-prone areas is outdated in many places. A $200-million fund was made available to the provinces to address this problem. To date, Quebec has not benefited from it.
Will the federal government promise to work with the provinces to ensure that the program meets their needs and, most importantly, that money is kept available for as long as necessary?
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, the natural disaster mitigation program has been in place for the last number of years, and a number of provinces and municipalities have taken advantage of the program. It is now in its final days. The government will have to make a decision in the future about whether the program will continue.
The hon. gentleman makes an important point, which is that flood mapping is an extremely important priority. There is huge expertise within the department of natural resources in the Government of Canada, and we will do our very best to collaborate with provinces and municipalities to make sure that this service is appropriately available across the country.
Mark Eyking Liberal Sydney—Victoria, NS
Mr. Speaker, our trade committee has been very active over the past few years with many trade agreements that our government has ratified. We understand the importance of these agreements, not only to our businesses but for all Canadians. The CPTPP will help us access new markets with millions of consumers.
This weekend, the Prime Minister welcomed the Japanese prime minister to Canada, where they reconfirmed the strength of our bilateral relationship, and it was a good one.
Can the Minister of International Trade Diversification please update this House on the successes of this agreement and our trade strategy?
Jim Carr LiberalMinister of International Trade Diversification
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Sydney—Victoria for his leadership and for all his work on the trade committee.
While it is still early, I am delighted to report that the results are nothing short of outstanding. Canada's exports of dutiable products to Japan rose by 17.1% in January and February, and some Canadian beef exports have doubled compared to last year.
Our trade diversification strategy is working. We are creating wealth. We are creating new markets and new jobs for Canadians.
John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON
Mr. Speaker, a month ago the Prime Minister threatened to sue the leader of the official opposition for telling Canadians the truth about the Prime Minister's role in the SNC-Lavalin scandal. At the time, the Leader of the Opposition said he would see the Prime Minister in court. Well, the opposition leader is still waiting: waiting for the suit to be filed, waiting for a trial to start and waiting for the Prime Minister to take the stand and testify under oath.
Will the Prime Minister tell Canadians when he will follow through on his threats and testify under oath in the SNC-Lavalin scandal?
Bardish Chagger LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, as the member knows very well, and as I have answered on numerous occasions, the leader of the official opposition has been served notice on numerous occasions. What he does is he changes his wording and deletes tweets. Then he steps out with a new narrative and believes that it is all of a sudden his new truth.
It is important to note that what Canadians have been waiting for 365 days for is a climate plan from the Conservatives. Rather than worrying about Conservatives advancing policy ideas, we will continue focusing on Canadians, making sure that we are delivering on a plan and on commitments that they expect from us, while the Conservatives continue playing silly politics.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, I do not need to tell members of the House that our country is in the midst of a climate emergency. We see flooding throughout Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick, killer wind storms in British Columbia in the winter and forest fires in the summer. What we do not need is to weaken the already inadequate plan that we have from the federal government.
I would like assurances that Canada will stand firm on its equivalency agreement for vehicle emission standards with the State of California no matter what the White House does.
Sean Fraser LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member pointed out, climate change is real and the consequences are too great to ignore. We know that transportation accounts for almost one quarter of Canada's emissions, and smart fuel efficiency rules for cars and light trucks are going to help reduce those emissions.
When we first adopted rules in 2014 under the previous government, we actually made a commitment to review those in light of the review that was going on in the U.S. We are partway through that right now. We are going to be carefully considering environmental and economic impacts as we make policy that is based here in Canada, not south of the border in Washington.
Raj Grewal Independent Brampton East, ON
Mr. Speaker, many young Canadians dream of owning a home. However, that dream is becoming more difficult each and every day. Many residents are concerned about the mortgage stress test rules and the impact they are having on home ownership, and about the continued slowdown of the real estate markets across this country.
Could the finance minister please update the House on what measures he and the government are taking to make home ownership more affordable for all Canadians?
Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, we know how important it is for Canadians to have the opportunity to meet their dream of buying a home. We need to make sure that we keep the market stable, which we have been working to do, while at the same time creating opportunities for people to step forward and purchase a home.
That is why in this year's budget we had two important measures. Some Canadians will have their RRSP access increased if they have such a capacity. For other Canadians, we have a first-time homebuyers incentive. That will allow people to take a lower mortgage as they purchase their first home, giving many more Canadians access to the possibility of buying their first home.
Tony Clement Independent Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON
Mr. Speaker, terrible floods are afflicting Canadians across the country, including in my riding of Parry Sound—Muskoka. While we appreciate the short-term efforts, there are also long-term solutions that have to be deployed.
One of these is the trillion trees movement around the globe, to plant a trillion trees across the world. This is a realistic plan to reduce emissions by 10 years' worth of emissions, to prevent flooding and to increase biodiversity.
To the Government of Canada, instead of these endless debates about taxing people more, why do we not sign on to the trillion trees movement and make a real difference for people?
Sean Fraser LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Mr. Speaker, the irony of the question is not lost on me, given the recent decision by the Ontario Conservative government to axe the program that would see 50 million trees planted.
Our plan to fight climate change is not just to put a price on pollution and put more money in the pockets of Canadians. It includes making record investments in public transit, making sure that 90% of our electricity is generated from clean resources by 2030, phasing out coal on the same schedule and making investments in green energy and green infrastructure.
I appreciate the urgency in the member's question. The time to act is now. If only the Conservatives would realize that, we would all be better off.
Luc Thériault Bloc Montcalm, QC
Mr. Speaker, I believe I will have the consent of the House to adopt the following motion: That this House denounce the Government of Canada's decision to deny Carles Puigdemont entry into Quebec.
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent of the House to move the motion?
Joyce Murray LiberalPresident of the Treasury Board and Minister of Digital Government
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of 55 departments and agencies, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the report entitled “Supplementary Information regarding the Departmental Plans, Main Estimates, 2019-20”.
An Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, Youth and FamiliesRoutine Proceedings
LaSalle—Émard—Verdun Québec
Liberal
David Lametti LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to present, in both official languages, a charter statement for Bill C-92, an act respecting first nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families.