Debates of May 2nd, 2019

Les Jardins-de-Napierville

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to share two pieces of news concerning Les Jardins-de-Napierville, which is highly regarded for being Quebec's top market gardening region.

The Conseil de la transformation alimentaire du Québec has named Gerry Van Winden, the CEO of Veg Pro International, in Sherrington, its “agri-food personality of the year”. The largest fresh vegetable producer in the country has made a remarkable impact on the sector by investing in Quebec, British Columbia and Florida.

The region has also been selected to be home to a Laval University research chair that will be working on curbing the degradation of organic soil, also known as muck soils. Fourteen market gardening companies are taking part in the project, in partnership with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Government of Quebec.

This $11-million investment will help Les Jardins-de-Napierville, which is located in my riding, Châteauguay—Lacolle, remain the pantry of Quebec.

Human Rights

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this week, on the steps of the Alberta legislature, there was a disturbing pro-communist rally. The legacy of communism includes mass violence, oppression, the dislocation of hundreds of millions and the deaths of more than 100 million people. Its legacy is an ocean of blood.

My maternal great-grandparents are among those who lost their lives to communism, dying in the gulags in Siberia. My maternal grandparents were forced to flee their native Lithuania. They, among hundreds of thousands, came to Canada to escape communism.

What happened at the Alberta legislature this week should shock the conscience of all Canadians of good will. The promotion of this evil and murderous ideology must be condemned unreservedly.

Shirley Malcolm Fontaine and Benjamin Chee Chee

[Robert-Falcon Ouellette, Liberal, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, an inspirational woman has joined her ancestors and husband Earl Fontaine in the spirit world this past week. I would like to acknowledge Shirley Malcolm Fontaine for her contributions to the Manitoba first nations and her lifelong commitment to improving educational opportunities for children.

Shirley was involved in several important initiatives, including the creation of the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre, which provides the province's leading education, administration, technology, language and cultural services to first nations schools in Manitoba.

Shirley believed in her people and language and had a commitment to bettering our youth through education. I thank Shirley. Meegwetch.

Let us also recognize one of the finest artists of Canada, Benjamin Chee Chee. He always refused to be an indigenous artist; he was a proud Anishnabeg. He drew simple lines, usually acrylic on paper.

Highly influential in his time, he said he did not paint the past but the present, the living of today.

We can see his works, like the flock of four geese. They represent the four directions of the unborn, the youth, the adults and the elders all moving in the same direction.

Even though he died in tragedy and is buried in Ottawa, far from his land and people, he still inspires today.

Mississauga—Lakeshore Council for Seniors

[Sven Spengemann, Liberal, Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the health subcommittee of the Mississauga—Lakeshore Council for Seniors, which has worked tirelessly on a report reflecting the ideas and concerns of our community. The committee members connected with home care providers, health care administrators and professionals, hospital executives, and seniors in Mississauga—Lakeshore. The council also had the opportunity to meet directly with the Minister of Seniors.

In the report, the council addresses important issues like the need for national pharmacare, wait times for essential diagnostics, hallway care and the negative physical and mental health effects of not being able to age at home. The council further points to the growing proportion of seniors in our population, the high cost of hospitalization and the need to focus on affordable, comprehensive home care. The council also stressed the importance of transparency and accountability in our health care system.

I would like to thank Madeline Edwards, Andrea Lloyd, Frank Stendardo, Probir Chatterjee, Robert Harrick, Roy Cornish and Tim Tibbs for their inspiring work in advocating for the seniors of Mississauga—Lakeshore.

Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in 2015 the Liberal leader said that the budget would balance itself in four years, but instead he saddled Canadians with a massive deficit with nothing to show for it but tax hikes and job losses. He said he would be a feminist, but instead he used his power to smear and denigrate strong women who spoke truth to his abuse of power.

He took an illegal trip to a billionaire lobbyist's island, embarrassed himself and our country in India and consistently places more importance on his photo ops instead of the people who pay our salaries.

He spent millions of tax dollars on people who have illegally entered Canada from upstate New York, while those languishing in refugee camps wait years and years to legally come to Canada.

Over four years, through his own actions, Canadians have learned the truth about the Liberal leader. Fake, self-centred and incompetent, he is not as advertised.

Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold

[Vance Badawey, Liberal, Niagara Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I stand today to recognize 100 years since the founding of Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold.

Community Care is an organization committed to the welfare of others, founded in 1919 as soldiers returned from the First World War. Founding member Leone Taylor said back then that she cooked soup all day and every day because she had 400 families to look after.

Today, 100 years later, 200 volunteers just like Leone contribute every week by serving thousands of individuals throughout our community. Today, led by Betty-Lou Souter, a Niagara Citizen of the Year many times over, Community Care offers 21 programs and services ranging from food and shelter security to emergency services and family supports.

Please join me to congratulate and thank Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold on the incredible milestone of 100 years of service to others throughout the Niagara area.

Development of Rural Communities

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have toured the municipalities every year since 2011. It makes no sense to me that, in 2019, in a country as rich as Canada, many regions still have only limited access to high-speed Internet. It also makes no sense that there are still areas with spotty cell phone coverage.

People in my riding of Drummond have to deal with those problems. Our rural regions are being neglected, even though there are resources available. For example, the Drummond RCM worked hard for two years on a rural fibre optic network project, but unfortunately the Liberal government did not support it.

The government plans to connect all Canadians by 2030, but that is not soon enough. We need a quick solution to ensure the development of our communities by giving all Canadians Internet access and decent cell phone coverage at a reasonable price.

Gord Brown

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am humbled to rise today to mark the one-year anniversary of the passing of my friend, Gord Brown.

Gord was a lover of sports, both as a champion kayaker and as captain of the Conservative hockey team, but above that he loved his family and where he was from.

For 14 years, Gord was nothing short of a tireless champion for the constituents of Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes. With the loving support of his wife Claudine, who is here today, and his sons Tristan and Chance, he was able to cement his legacy through the revitalization of the eastern Ontario development program, compassionate care measures in Bill C-44, his work for forgotten survivors of thalidomide and the passing Bill C-370 to rename what is now known as Thousand Islands National Park.

Canada lost a top citizen and a great parliamentarian. His boys lost their dad, and Claudine lost her best friend. With the love for Canada that everyone in this place shares, we will be working hard every day to make it better and stronger, just as Gord did.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Hear, hear! It is wonderful to have you here, Claudine.

The hon. member for Calgary Centre.

Affordable Housing

[Kent Hehr, Liberal, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is difficult, if not impossible, to build a life without a home. By next summer, an empty downtown lot in Calgary will be home to an affordable rental apartment building.

With 74 units for people at risk of homelessness, it is the fifth major Calgary housing project to receive support from our federal Liberal government. Importantly, 16 units will be wheelchair accessible, and the building is designed to achieve 41% energy savings.

This project would not have been possible without our government's historic national housing strategy, as well as support from the HomeSpace Society, the Resolve campaign, the Calgary Homeless Foundation and philanthropist David Bissett.

Thanks to their hard work and efforts, countless more Calgarians will be able to stop worrying about trying to have a roof over their head and start building their lives.

International Trade

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, another day, another dispute with China, and still no meaningful action from the Prime Minister. The canola crisis has already cost farmers almost $1 billion, and now pork producers in Quebec and Alberta are feeling the pinch.

When will the Prime Minister understand that refusing to stand up to China has a very real impact on thousands of Canadians?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Chinese authorities informed us that two pork exporters' permits had been suspended.

I want to clarify that this happened for administrative reasons. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is working with the two companies to find a solution. This kind of thing happens regularly, and we expect to find a solution quickly.

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, it is not just administrative reasons when there are two Canadians unlawfully jailed in China. Now our canola exports are being unfairly blocked, and we can add the pork producers of this country to those who are paying for the mistakes of the Prime Minister on the world stage.

What is the Prime Minister's response in terms of these attacks on Canadian interests? Absolutely nothing—worse than nothing: the government is still sending Canadian tax dollars to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which is run by China.

How many more people and how many more industries will have to suffer before the Prime Minister finally takes action?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, what is going on with the pork industry is an administrative issue. I am confident that we will find a solution very rapidly.

Conservatives keep playing little politics. I would like the House to know that today we have learned that the Leader of the Opposition is refusing to allow an independent check on the cost of their promises. I think Conservatives are hiding in the same way Doug Ford is hiding very big cuts.

Natural Resources

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians have been paying for the broken promises of the Liberal government ever since the 2015 election. That will come to an end in October.

Another area where the Liberal government has completely failed Canadians has been the energy sector. The Conservative record on pipelines has been to see the private sector build four major pipeline projects during our time in office. However, the Liberals have vetoed and killed projects, and now they have purchased a pipeline that they cannot build.

Bill C-69 is the final nail in the coffin. More and more Canadians are speaking out against it. Will they—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. Minister of Natural Resources.

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. Leader of the Opposition is absolutely wrong.

We are the government that gave approval to the Nova Gas line, which has been completed. We are the government that approved Enbridge Line 3, which is almost completed on the Canadian side. We have advocated with the U.S. on the Keystone XL pipeline. We are the government that has put a process in place to move forward on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion in the right way, with meaningful consultation with indigenous communities, something the Conservatives voted against.

International Trade

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government has done nothing about canola and China for two months, and now we have learned that Quebec's and Alberta's pork industries are being affected.

The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food confirmed this morning in committee that she has not spoken with her Chinese counterpart, that she does not know what the Minister of Global Affairs is doing and that now is not the time to file a complaint with the WTO.

The crisis is getting worse. The Liberals refuse to even talk about it.

How long will the Prime Minister let producers suffer before he does something?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, we have been talking about this matter and doing something about it for exactly two months now. We are in contact with the Chinese authorities. Our representatives there are in daily contact with Chinese authorities. We have regular meetings with a working group because we recognize that this is an important industry, we respect our partners, we respect the industry and we are working together to find the best way to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the problem is that China does not respect the Liberals because they are incapable of standing firm. That is the problem.

In a tweet from 2016, which he has since deleted, the Prime Minister promised that canola producers would have access to the Chinese market through 2020. Now it is 2019, and canola producers no longer have access to China. It is unacceptable that the Prime Minister has failed so spectacularly to keep the promise he made to producers.

Instead of deleting his tweets, will the Prime Minister keep his promise for once and stand up for canola and pork farmers?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure you that we are standing firm and taking action in a variety of ways to address this situation.

We are working with my colleague, the Minister of International Trade Diversification, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and with the Prime Minister himself. We have immense respect for our farmers and their representatives. That is why, as I have said, the working group is currently looking at the best steps to take.

We are going to continue working very actively, both here and in China, to fix this problem.

Justice

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, both the Liberals and the Conservatives made it clear that they are more interested in working for rich corporations than they are for Canadians. With Loblaws and SNC-Lavalin, the Liberals have shown whose side they are on, and it is not on the side of regular people.

The current attorney general refuses to investigate the justice appointment leak. He seems to think that vetting judges through a partisan Liberal voter list is A-okay.

Whatever happened to the rule of law? Whatever happened to the promise that the Prime Minister would do things differently?

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

Mr. Speaker, our government has taken significant steps to make sure that we have in place a process for appointing judges that is transparent, that is merit-based and that enhances the diversity of the Canadian bench. The new process is effective. We are at 296 judges appointed or elevated at this stage. The diversity of these appointments is unquestionable. Fifty-five per cent of them are women.

We are going to continue to ensure that our appointment process is merit-based, continues to be fair, continues to be open and continues to attract the very best candidates.

Status of Women

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

How many of them are Liberal donors, Mr. Speaker?

The Liberals gave $12 million to one of Canada's richest companies. At the same time, women's shelters in Canada are shutting their doors. Every day, on average, 590 women and children are turned away from overcrowded shelters that are packed beyond capacity. Many are forced to return to abuse and violence because of a lack of funding from the Liberal government.

If the supposed feminist government is able to find millions of dollars for handouts to billionaires, why can it not provide funds to help women and children find shelter?

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

Mr. Speaker, I have just come back from a gathering with the founding members of Canada's shelter movement. An announcement was made about a study we have invested in that is showing where the gaps are and where the opportunities are.

To date, our government has invested in a child benefit that gives women and families more money. The NDP voted against it. We have invested in a gender-based violence strategy with over $200 million to prevent this tragedy from happening. The NDP voted against it. We have invested in a national housing strategy with a carve-out for women and girls. The NDP voted against it.

Our record speaks for itself. So does theirs.