Debates of April 4th, 2019

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, A&L Hammer is being investigated by the IRCC for human trafficking. The victim, Roger Demoto, is a key witness in this case. He was scheduled to give evidence to the IRCC yesterday, but instead, the CBSA detained him and wants to deport him. It is absurd that the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.

We must do everything we can to combat human trafficking. Urgent action is required. Will the Minister of Immigration work with public safety to stay the deportation to avert this travesty of justice?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member well knows that I cannot get into the specifics of an individual case. However, I commit to working with her on any issues of concern she has, on this or any other case, in her capacity to advocate on issues of concern to her.

What I can say is this. Every case that comes before my department is looked at based on its merits, and no decision is made on removal, especially after exhausting numerous avenues of appeal. That is the law in Canada.

Official Languages

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Netflix saga shows no sign of ending. First came the tax breaks, and now the Liberal government is giving in to Netflix's demands without even requiring the American giant to produce French-language content. This is an assault on the language rights of francophones across the country, an assault we must condemn. It may not be Netflix's job to promote official languages, but it is the government's duty to protect them.

When will the government take its job seriously and demand that Netflix produce an appropriate amount of French content?

[Andy Fillmore, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism]

Mr. Speaker, the Commissioner of Official Languages made it clear that our government is fulfilling all of its official language obligations.

We have always protected French, and we will continue to do so. Francophones across the country know that we are investing more in our official languages than ever before.

While the NDP busies itself with petty politics, we are busy modernizing our laws.

Justice

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we know the Prime Minister fired the former attorney general to cover up his political interference over SNC, and he has hired powerful lawyers, at the taxpayers' expense, to protect himself, Katie Telford, Gerald Butts, Michael Wernick, Mathieu Bouchard and Elder Marques in a potential RCMP investigation, yet the Prime Minister refuses to do the same for Admiral Mark Norman. Why will he not pay for the admiral's legal fees and ensure a fair defence? Why is there one set of rules for Liberals and another set of rules for everyone else?

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

Mr. Speaker, the rules for counsel in all cases are set by the department and apply to all members of Parliament and other people who work in the departments.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is a double standard. The legal fees incurred by the Prime Minister and his office for trying to interfere in a criminal case will be covered, while a senior officer, a vice-admiral who wanted to protect the Royal Canadian Navy and, by extension, jobs in Quebec, gets dragged through the mud by the Prime Minister. The vice-admiral's reputation has been tarnished and he will not get reimbursed one cent by the government for his defence.

Why the double standard? Why not stand up for justice and those who stand up for it?

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

Mr. Speaker, I know that General Norman has excellent legal representation. I can assure the House that the Department of Justice is co-operating in this case and providing the necessary documents.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals involved in the SNC scandal have retained lawyers at the public expense. I am informing taxpayers that they are paying for the Prime Minister, Gerry Butts, Katie Telford, Michael Wernick, Mathieu Bouchard, Elder Marques and the present justice minister. Do members know who is not having his legal fees covered in a politically sensitive matter? Admiral Mark Norman.

Since the justice minister is in a conflict, my question is for the defence minister. Why do the Lav-scam Liberals get their fees covered, and a 30-year veteran is left out to dry?

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

Mr. Speaker, the rules for the retention of counsel for members of Parliament and for other officers of the government are well known. I do know that Admiral Norman has very able legal representation, as is always the case for persons in the private sector.

I can assure Canadians that the justice department is co-operating with all requests in this case for documentation.

Status of Women

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, women's organizations provide vital services, supporting women and girls to be financially secure, to be free from violence, and to be fully able to participate in the economy and society.

In my riding and across Canada, there is increasing demand for their services, yet these organizations struggle to keep their doors open after a decade of neglect by the Harper Conservatives.

Can the Minister for Women and Gender Equality please update this House on what the government has been doing to support these organizations and the women they serve?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague from Mississauga—Erin Mills for her strong and courageous leadership and for her important question.

We know that the most effective way to advance gender equality is by investing in women's organizations. The Conservatives undermined, underestimated and underfunded women's organizations and muzzled them so they would not be able to advocate for women's rights.

Our government has made the single largest investment in the sustainability of women's organizations so that over 250 of them could keep their doors open, keep their lights on, and continue to save and transform lives.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Again I ask members to show respect when other members have the floor and are speaking. Order.

Justice

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last December, the foreign affairs minister stated:

We’re seeing a lot of countries around the world that are starting to play fast and loose with...rule of law.

The minister promised:

Canada is not going to be one of those countries.

That promise came three months into the Prime Minister's incessant campaign to corrupt the rule of law to help a corrupt corporation avoid criminal justice. Does the Prime Minister not owe that minister, as well the former attorney general and all Canadians, an apology and a resignation?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I have stated on numerous occasions, when it comes to respecting our institutions, when it comes to respecting the law, that is exactly what we will do. We are here to ensure that we do respect the rules, and that is why oftentimes it is the Conservatives who are being called out by the Speaker, because they always manage to find a way to break them.

We know that not only has the rule of law been followed, we can always improve our institutions and strengthen our institutions. We know that is what Canadians expect, and that is what we will continue to fight hard for. The Conservatives will stay focused on rhetoric and shenanigans. We will stay focused on Canadians so that we can deliver for them.

Rail Transportation

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we learned on Friday that the Minister of Transport, who has a history of very quietly announcing questionable decisions, did not re-appoint Mr. Desjardins-Siciliano as head of VIA Rail. Mr. Desjardins-Siciliano had a strong record and set the stage for the high-frequency train, but the government thought that a change in leadership was the right thing to do. Furthermore, the Liberals' recent budget made no reference to the high-frequency train, even though an announcement by the minister was promised.

Is the Minister of Transportation disavowing VIA Rail's vision of development?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague has a habit of kicking in doors that are already open. We thank Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, who did excellent work for five years. He did a great job and I thanked him personally. Cynthia Garneau will now be replacing him, and I am sure that she will guide us into the future with her vision to replace VIA Rail trains and work on the high-frequency train.

Natural Resources

[Gordie Hogg, Liberal, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Mr. Speaker, throughout our national dialogue on the country's energy future, generation energy, Canadians have told us that inclusiveness is a foundational principle of success, and across this great country, stakeholders who have contributed have made it clear that the time to act is right now. Indeed, putting gender equality at the heart of a global transition to a clean energy future is the key to achieving success.

Would the Minister of Natural Resources please update this House on the initiatives that have been taken to ensure that progress towards equality for women in the clean energy sector by 2030 is successful?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for South Surrey—White Rock for his hard work. Yesterday, this chamber was full of bright young women from across our country. Whether it is Parliament or our natural resources sector, we all must do our part to close the gender gap. That is why we launched Equal by 30. Countries, companies and organizations around the world are joining us as we work toward equal pay, equal leadership and equal opportunity for women in the world in the energy sector by 2030.

Justice

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the evidence is clear that there was an attempt to obstruct justice by the Prime Minister and his operatives in the SNC-Lavalin scandal. Let us recap how we got here.

After the Prime Minister initially called the allegations false, they were found to be true. They were so true, in fact, that they cost Gerald Butts his job, Michael Wernick his job and two former cabinet ministers their place in caucus. They left our great country with a government and a Prime Minister that cannot be redeemed but can only be replaced.

How come every time Liberals form government, a culture of corruption and entitlement follows?

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

Mr. Speaker, I have answered this question on numerous occasions. We know there were five weeks of meetings for the justice committee. We know the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner is studying this matter and we know there is an ongoing court case. We know all information is public so that Canadians can decide.

Let me share something else. For three and a half years now this government has been in office and we have seen almost 300,000 children lifted out of poverty. We have seen over 800,000 Canadians lifted out of poverty. We have the lowest unemployment rate in our lifetime. Canadians have created over 900,000 jobs. Conservatives could not do a fraction of that in 10 years.

Intergovernmental Relations

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, 12 years ago, Quebec was thinking about religious neutrality as part of the Bouchard-Taylor commission. Six years ago, Quebec was debating secularism following the introduction of the Quebec charter of values. Those passionate and necessary debates led to the introduction of Bill 21 on secularism last week. Today, Ottawa wants to prevent us from resolving that issue.

Why is the government trying to prevent Quebeckers from setting guidelines to protect the religious neutrality of the Quebec state?

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

Mr. Speaker, our government has always defended the fundamental rights of Canadians, and it will continue to do so. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects the rights of all citizens. We cannot choose which to protect and which to limit.

Our position is clear. The state must not dictate what people can or cannot wear, regardless of their beliefs.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the secularism of the Quebec state falls under the jurisdiction of Quebec and Quebec alone. It is not up to Ottawa, which is out of touch with Quebeckers' priorities, to decide what is good or bad for Quebec.

The Minister of Justice refuses to give any assurances that he will not challenge Bill 21 before the courts. However, Quebeckers elected the current government, their government, because they wanted to resolve this issue once and for all.

Will the Minister of Justice finally commit to respecting the will of Quebeckers, yes or no?