House of Commons Hansard #419 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was cbsa.

Topics

JusticeOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

Order. The hon. member for Lévis—Lotbinière.

JusticeOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Conservative

Jacques Gourde Conservative Lévis—Lotbinière, QC

Mr. Speaker, one of the key players in the SNC-Lavalin scandal was a minister's chief of staff who also did everything he could to get the attorney general of Canada and her employees to bend the law. He was even brazen enough to threaten them.

The more crooked one is, the better chance they have of moving up in the Liberal Party. Why does the Liberal government reward those who interfere in the judicial process?

JusticeOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Waterloo Ontario

Liberal

Bardish Chagger LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, obviously, the Conservatives are engaging in petty politics because they do not have a plan for either the economy or the environment.

We on this side of the House will keep working for Canadians. We know that we can strengthen our economy by investing and working with Canadians.

That is exactly why Canadians have created over one million jobs during our four years in office. The Conservatives had 10 years in office.

They had a really bad economy, is what they had.

JusticeOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Conservative

Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON

Mr. Speaker, when Ben Chin tried to interfere with the justice system, he moved up to the Prime Minister's Office. When the former attorney general upheld the justice system, she was fired, booted out of caucus and kicked out of the party. For the Liberals, if one does the Prime Minister's dirty work, one gets promoted. If one upholds the rule of law, one is out. Why do the Liberals not understand that this is wrong?

JusticeOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Waterloo Ontario

Liberal

Bardish Chagger LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, we have a justice system that is intact in Canada. We have officers of Parliament we can have confidence in, as well as an independent judicial system. What is clear is that we have confidence in those institutions, and that is what Canadians can also have confidence in. Unfortunately, the Conservatives will always undermine them, and they will continue to mislead Canadians.

Let us talk about this fiscal situation that we inherited when we took office four years ago. We had, under the Conservatives, the lowest growth since the Great Depression. What we did is to work with Canadians. We invested in Canadians, and guess what? Canadians have created over a million jobs, better than advertised.

JusticeOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Conservative

Marilyn Gladu Conservative Sarnia—Lambton, ON

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about job losses under the Liberals. Here are the facts. The SNC-Lavalin scandal resulted in the firing of two respected and competent ministers. The SNC-Lavalin scandal resulted in the resignation of two top advisers to the Prime Minister. Long before these terminations and resignations, Ben Chin, the finance minister's chief of staff, was attempting to undermine the independence of our justice system. Was Ben Chin fired or forced to resign? No. He was promoted to the Prime Minister's Office. How is it even possible that Chin gets promoted and cabinet ministers get fired?

JusticeOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Waterloo Ontario

Liberal

Bardish Chagger LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, we see now that this is the sixth question in a row, and what do the Conservatives do? The Conservatives sling mud and they focus on us.

What will we do? We will focus on Canadians. That is exactly why, by focusing on Canadians, lowering taxes on middle-class Canadians and increasing them on the wealthiest 1% of Canadians, Canadians are better off today than they were under 10 years of Stephen Harper. By bringing forward the tax-free Canada child benefit, almost 300,000 children have been lifted out of poverty and over 800,000 Canadians are better off today than they were under 10 years of Stephen Harper. Guess what? We will continue to work for Canadians and focus on Canadians—

JusticeOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

The hon. member for Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke.

HealthOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

NDP

Randall Garrison NDP Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC

Mr. Speaker, it is clear now that there are two keys to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic: everyone knowing their status, and those who are HIV positive having access to treatment. However, many Canadians still lack access to both testing and treatment.

Following up on a question that I asked the Prime Minister last December, and in view of the imminent Health Canada approval of new home testing kits and point-of-care kits, will the government commit today to a well-funded federal program to make those new testing options available to every Canadian, including those in rural, remote and indigenous communities?

HealthOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Oakville North—Burlington Ontario

Liberal

Pam Damoff LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health

Mr. Speaker, our government is deeply committed to addressing HIV/AIDS and supporting the Canadians who live with it. That is why we are investing $87 million annually to tackle it and are the first country in the world to support the principle that undetectable is the same is untransmittable. We remain committed to expanding access to antiretroviral drugs and other crucial medications that help to address HIV.

Human RightsOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

NDP

Hélène Laverdière NDP Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC

Mr. Speaker, our “say the right thing and do nothing about it” government is at it again.

Three years ago, the then foreign affairs minister, Stéphane Dion, was at an event sponsored by my colleague from Windsor—Tecumseh, where he announced with great fanfare that Canada would be signing the optional protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. That was in 2016. It is now 2019, and there has been no progress on that front.

Will the government at long last walk the talk and ratify the protocol, or is it only for show, as usual?

Human RightsOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country B.C.

Liberal

Pam Goldsmith-Jones LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Consular Affairs)

Mr. Speaker, our government has been unequivocal in our stance on human rights. They are an integral part of our foreign policy because they are an integral part of who we are as Canadians. We use every opportunity to promote and protect the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Canadians can be proud of the strong principles our government has taken in promoting and protecting human rights at home and abroad.

Veterans AffairsOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

Erin O'Toole Conservative Durham, ON

Mr. Speaker, four years ago, the Conservative government announced the creation of an Afghanistan war monument to mark the service and sacrifice of Canadians in the longest engagement our forces have ever been in. The Liberals cancelled that project. This week, the government quietly announced an Afghanistan memorial that is not even accessible to the public. The families of the fallen have to book an appointment to see it.

Will the Minister of Veterans Affairs apologize to Afghanistan veterans, to military families, for failing them once again?

Veterans AffairsOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Acadie—Bathurst New Brunswick

Liberal

Serge Cormier LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, we truly appreciate the service of our men and women in Afghanistan over many years.

The monument for soldiers is private, but it can be opened for families upon request. Our government is currently in the planning stage of a project to build a monument that would be open to the public.

Once again, we have the greatest respect for our men and women, including those who served in Afghanistan and on different missions around the world. We will ensure that the monument is open to private individuals and families.

Veterans AffairsOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

Erin O'Toole Conservative Durham, ON

Mr. Speaker, when the Liberal government cancelled plans for the Afghanistan war memorial, the MP for Kanata—Carleton, a veteran herself, promised that a new monument would be built quickly and would be accessible to Canadians. This week, we see that despite four years to get this done, she broke her promise to veterans yet again.

Will the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety, the MP for Kanata—Carleton, stand in this House and apologize to Afghanistan veterans for failing to deliver this monument over the last four years?

Veterans AffairsOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation Québec

Liberal

Stéphane Lauzon LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, commemorating the service of the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces and those who made the ultimate sacrifice is extremely important to our government.

That is why intend to build the monument. It will reflect the needs of the community, veterans, the Canadian public and families. Veterans and their families will be invited in due course to visit this beautiful monument, which will be public and open to everyone soon.

Veterans AffairsOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, a secret dedication service was held for the Afghanistan Memorial Hall, tucked away in National Defence headquarters. The public was not invited and are not allowed to visit in the future. Veterans and families of the fallen were shut out of the ceremony. What a despicable lack of respect for those who made the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefields of Afghanistan.

Afghan veterans and veterans' families want to know who of the last four ministers of veterans affairs let them down, or was it all of them?

Veterans AffairsOral Questions

11:40 a.m.

Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation Québec

Liberal

Stéphane Lauzon LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, those who serve Canada are a priority for our government. We do not play political games when it comes to our responsibilities or paying tribute to our veterans. The memorial will be built. The commemoration will occur. The families will have access. I assure the House that we care about commemorating this event, which is so important for Canada.

Veterans AffairsOral Questions

11:40 a.m.

Conservative

John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have had four years to get this right, and in another shocking display of disrespect towards our veterans, the Liberals refused to invite Canadian soldiers who put their lives on the line in Afghanistan, or families of Canadians who died for our country, to the dedication of the memorial. No one even knew about the event until pictures were posted on Facebook three days later. Even worse, the memorial is, get this, not open to the public or families of the fallen without an appointment.

Are families of Canadian soldiers who died in Afghanistan not entitled to a public memorial, or does the Prime Minister consider that to be more than he can give them right now?

Veterans AffairsOral Questions

11:40 a.m.

Acadie—Bathurst New Brunswick

Liberal

Serge Cormier LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, as we just said, we are going to plan and build that memorial.

It is rather ironic to hear the opposition talking about veterans, when the Conservatives completely abandoned them for 10 years. They shut veterans' offices, cut help for veterans and made cuts to the Department of National Defence.

How can they stand up in the House and defend veterans after ignoring them for 10 years?

We will always stand up for veterans, and we are going to build that memorial, which will be open to the public, to the families and to everyone in this country.

SeniorsOral Questions

11:40 a.m.

NDP

Sheri Benson NDP Saskatoon West, SK

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals promised to do politics differently, but on the ground, for many seniors, life is still unaffordable. It is positive that we have a Minister of Seniors, but people in my community still cannot afford to pay for the care they need as they age. We must do better for people who built this country.

The GIS increase is a small drop in the bucket, and many people never see that increase. Saskatoon seniors are struggling. Will the government ensure that seniors in Saskatoon can afford the care they need to age with dignity?

SeniorsOral Questions

11:40 a.m.

Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne Québec

Liberal

Sherry Romanado LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Seniors

Mr. Speaker, our government values the contributions our seniors have made, and continue to make, to our communities.

We have taken action to combat seniors' poverty since the day we were elected. Budget 2019 supports low-income seniors who work by increasing the earnings exemption for the GIS from $3,500 to $5,000. We have restored the age of eligibility for OAS and GIS to 65, preventing 100,000 people from falling into poverty. We increased the GIS for the most vulnerable single seniors to up to almost $1,000 more a year. That is helping 900,000 seniors. In fact, in my riding alone, 4,000 seniors are receiving that increase.

Public Services and ProcurementOral Questions

11:40 a.m.

NDP

Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet NDP Hochelaga, QC

Mr. Speaker, thousands of public sector employees are still dealing with the consequences of the Phoenix fiasco and the Liberals' inaction.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer indicated yesterday that it would be cheaper to replace the pay system than to fix it.

The Liberal government's mismanagement of this file is insulting to our public service employees.

Why this stubbornness? When will the government put an end to the Phoenix scandal?

Public Services and ProcurementOral Questions

11:40 a.m.

Gatineau Québec

Liberal

Steven MacKinnon LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility

Mr. Speaker, of course we are working very hard. Our hearts go out to all the public servants affected by the problems with the Phoenix pay system. We inherited it from the Harper government, which had the utmost contempt for our public servants and axed 700 public service positions from the system, so it could put savings on the books that were never achieved.

We, on the other hand, are investing the resources needed to fix the system. We have cut the wait-list down by a third and we will not stop working on this.

JusticeOral Questions

11:40 a.m.

Liberal

William Amos Liberal Pontiac, QC

Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, the Prime Minister announced a new process for Supreme Court of Canada appointments. This process will enable Quebec to be a full participant.

Could the Minister of Justice tell the House about this new process and how it differs from past approaches?