Debates of May 28th, 2019

Veterans

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as I said in the House yesterday, and outside to the media, I offer my heartfelt apologies to the families of the fallen for this ceremony. The families of our fallen will always have access to this memorial and an appropriate ceremony will be organized for them.

I would ask the member opposite to stop playing politics and trying to make it seem like the Conservatives have a better monopoly.

We went to the Party Under the Stars. We publicly stand together and we ask the member to stand together and—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. Let us not have any interruptions of the question or the answer.

The hon. member for Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, trying to use wiggle words instead of making a decision is not leadership.

Our Canadian Armed Forces and our veterans want a defence minister, not a spectator. The defence minister sat idly by during a secret ceremony for the Afghanistan memorial, instead of standing up for the families of the fallen. As someone who served in Afghanistan, it is shocking that the minister could be so thoughtless when it comes to honouring our fallen soldiers. Why did the defence minister take part in the secret ceremony when he knew it excluded the families of the fallen?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I am not going to politicize or dignify the member's insinuations in this regard.

As I stated, I want to offer my heartfelt apologies to the families of our fallen. This memorial will always be accessible to the families. An appropriate ceremony will be organized for them.

I ask the member to stop playing politics in this regard and work together. He knows exactly what I am talking about.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order, please. Members need to remember that this is the House of Commons and it is a place where we have to allow others to speak. Even if we do not like what we hear, it is still important that we do that.

The hon. member for Montarville.

Democratic Institutions

[Michel Picard, Liberal, Montarville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this week the international grand committee on big data, privacy and democracy is meeting in Ottawa to understand how governments around the world can tackle challenges to our democracies.

We know that Canada enjoys a strong democracy that is an example to the world. However, a lot of work remains to be done to develop our model of open government.

Could the President of the Treasury Board tell the House about the leadership role Canada is playing on this important topic?

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Digital Government]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member from Montarville for his question and his work on this topic.

As a government, we have led by signing onto the Christchurch Call to Action and by announcing Canada's very first data charter.

This week, Canada is co-chairing the Open Government Partnership Global Summit 2019.

We are welcoming governments, civil society and thought leaders from around the world to come together and help us tackle threats to democracy and help chart a pathway forward together.

I invite all members of the House to join us as we work with governments to make government more—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes.

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Prime Minister's out-of-control spending includes a plan to run deficits for decades, and he has to raise taxes on Canadians to pay for it. His carbon tax is not enough to pay for his big spending, so he has to find a new way to take money from hard-working Canadians.

Will the Prime Minister confirm that he supports the Liberal plan to introduce a new tax on drinks?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to making the healthy choice the easier choice for Canadians. That is why we have moved forward proudly with our healthy eating strategy.

Last year, we banned industrial trans fats. We have also launched a wonderful revision of Canada's food guide, which has been extremely well received by Canadians. We are moving forward with respect to restricting unhealthy food to kids.

Let me make it clear. We have no plans on moving forward with the policy about which the member opposite is speaking.

Air Transportation

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

Mr. Speaker, the passengers' bill of rights has so many exemptions that it looks more like a list of official excuses than an actual travellers' bill of rights. For more than four years travellers have been promised that their rights will be respected, but instead they get over-bookings, unreasonable delays, and cancelled flights. Last Friday, the minister told them that they could wait another six months, something about satisfying the airline industry lobbyists yet again.

When the minister is done with his industry's bill of rights, does he plan to come up with one for passengers as well?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we are extremely proud of the passengers' bill of rights.

Our government believes that when someone buys a ticket, they have certain rights. I encourage my colleague, who is clearly unfamiliar with the content of the bill of rights, to go to the official Canadian Transportation Agency site and get the facts before saying such ridiculous things.

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Humber River—Black Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, for decades, Canadians have had to endure long delays at the airport, hence the interest today. They have also had to endure cancelled flights and lost baggage, with no clear, consistent rules to support them when such cases occur. My constituents are well aware of these issues and are looking to our government to make positive change.

Could the Minister of Transport please update my constituents and all Canadians on the progress that is being made by this great Liberal government?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Humber River—Black Creek for her tireless work as chair of transport committee.

We in the Liberal government believe that when an airline sells a ticket to a passenger, that passenger has certain rights. That is why we implemented the air passenger protection regulations, which we announced last Friday and which will come into effect this summer.

Air passengers are entitled to certain rights and this Liberal government will be there to protect them.

Foreign Affairs

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a Canadian citizen, André Gauthier, has been detained for over three years now, first in Dubai and now in Oman. The authorities in Oman are now in the process of deporting him to Dubai, where he could face life in prison, at his age, in a country with a poor human rights record.

Canadian authorities promised his family they would intervene. When will the Liberal government finally take concrete action in this case? The life of a Canadian is at stake.

[Pam Goldsmith-Jones, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Consular Affairs)]

Mr. Speaker, Global Affairs Canada is aware of a Canadian citizen detained in Oman. Our officials are closely monitoring the case and consular services are certainly being provided.

I, personally, have been actively engaged on this case, including with representatives of the Government of Oman. Beyond that, I am unable to disclose any further details.

Natural Resources

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, here is how the government responded to my question yesterday:

With regard to pipelines, especially pipelines that cross provincial borders, it is up to the federal government to do the work.

For Ottawa, doing the work means always saying “yes” to pipelines, every time, no exceptions. In light of the B.C. Court of Appeal ruling, we are worried about the energy east project resurfacing in Quebec.

Will the government promise to never revive the energy east project in Quebec?

[Paul Lefebvre, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, that question is hardly appropriate, since there is no energy east project currently before us. Until there is a project proposed to us, we cannot give our opinion or take a position.

What I can say is that we take our responsibility to the environment very seriously. We are making sure that good projects move forward, while safeguarding good jobs in Canada. That is our priority. We are moving forward in the right way with all projects in Canada.

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is funny how their good projects are always in the industries that pollute the most. Since 1956, Ottawa has always said yes to the oil industry's pipeline requests. The government always says yes and only yes.

Quebec does not want any more pipelines full of dirty oil. Quebec is saying no to energy east, and if Quebec does not want it, then neither does the Bloc.

It is great that the project is not on the table, but the government needs to commit to keeping it that way. Will the Prime Minister commit to never reviving energy east? Will he make that solemn promise today?

[Paul Lefebvre, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, we are honouring our economic and environmental commitments. We are investing in clean technologies and renewable energy. We are supporting our traditional resource industries as they become more sustainable, and we are encouraging innovation. We are helping more Canadians get into zero-emission vehicles, and we are reducing the dependence on diesel in our rural, remote and indigenous communities.

We are the only party that has a credible plan to fight climate change and reduce pollution while growing the economy. That is exactly what we will continue to offer.

[Darshan Singh Kang, Independent, Calgary Skyview, AB]

Mr. Speaker, last month, the Minister of Natural Resources said that a final decision would be made by June 18 regarding the Trans Mountain pipeline. Now we see the project in peril yet again, thanks to the provincial government of British Columbia.

We have already spent billions of dollars to buy this pipeline and we cannot wait for another year in court. We need action now. Let us stop this charade and get the results that Albertans and Canadians need, which is of course the immediate approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline.

Could the minister confirm that we are still on track for June 18?

[Paul Lefebvre, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, to meet our duty to consult and to respond to what we have heard from indigenous groups, with advice from the federal representative Justice Iacobucci, we communicated to indigenous communities that a decision on TMX could be made by June 18. Our goal is to make a decision toward the end of this period.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I would like to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of Her Excellency Elizabeth Cabezas, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Ecuador; the Honourable Andy Daniel, Speaker of the House of Assembly of Saint Lucia; and Mr. Edwin Tong, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Law and Ministry of Health of the Government of Singapore. They are here, along with other parliamentarians, as members of the International Grand Committee on Big Data, Privacy and Democracy.