Debates of May 3rd, 2019

Natural Resources

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, when the finance minister bought Trans Mountain, he said that the Liberals were doing so to ensure construction would begin “immediately”. This week, the minister refused to commit to when the Liberals would even make a decision on whether to build Trans Mountain.

Meanwhile, the government is funding the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which is going to finance a pipeline from Kazakhstan to China.

Will the minister commit to a start date for the Trans Mountain pipeline in Canada and cancel the investment in pipelines in China?

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

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the Trans Mountain pipeline, we are focused on getting the process right and doing this in the right way. We have informed communities engaged in the phase III consultations that we have until June 18 to bring the consultations to a respectful conclusion and make a decision on TMX.

The Conservatives voted to de-fund and shelve the TMX process. We know we owe it to Canadians to get this process right.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Mr. Speaker, China has banned canola seed shipments. It has suspended pork products and put up road blocks for pea and soybean exports. It is arbitrarily detaining Canadians.

What else is China doing? It is building pipelines with over $250 million in Canadian taxpayer money. Those are pipelines, ironically, that the Liberal government cannot seem to get built in Canada.

When will the Prime Minister shelve his admiration for China's basic dictatorship and pull money from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, again, the Conservatives are focusing on foreign investments that are helping Canadian interests and Canadian companies abroad and are providing important infrastructure initiatives there. Domestically, we have approved 4,800 projects here. That is creating more transit, more housing and more water systems that are helping the victims of the floods, on which one would think we would be united.

Instead of focusing on the Province of Ontario, which is blocking infrastructure, the Conservatives should be speaking with Premier Ford to unlock those historic dollars. That will be a game changer. We have not see it yet. Why?

The Environment

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Mr. Speaker, first it was GHG reduction targets—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order.

I was trying to listen to the hon. member for Salaberry—Suroît's question, but I could not hear anything. Would she please start over so I can hear her?

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Mr. Speaker, first the Liberals missed their GHG reduction targets, and now they are going to miss their conservation targets. Without biodiversity, our planet will die. Students are striking for the environment every Friday.

The Liberals are not even close to conserving 17% of terrestrial areas and 10% of marine areas by 2020. In my part of the country, organizations like Ambioterra are already involved in conservation work, but the Liberals' $100 million will not be used to raise awareness or to monitor conservation of natural areas.

When will organizations get the funding to do the work on the ground and track conservation efforts?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, last week, I was in Montreal with the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to host a nature summit. It focused very much on biodiversity issues and the decline of biodiversity globally and in Canada.

We have committed to 17% terrestrial and 10% marine. We have made substantial progress. In fact, at the nature summit, I announced the protection of the Laurentian Channel, which brings us now to 8.3% of the 10% target, far higher than the less than 1% that existed under the previous Conservative government.

We are determined to meet those targets. It is extremely important for the future of the world, and we will—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the world is facing a plastic waste crisis that is filling up our oceans and clogging our landfills. There is over one tonne of plastic waste for every person on the planet. In our lifetime, there will be more plastic than fish by volume in our oceans. Canada's recycling program is not doing the job.

Over 90% of what we put in our blue boxes actually ends up in landfills. However, we have a solution. A citizen-inspired bill, the zero waste packaging act, would require all plastic packaging to be recyclable or compostable. If Liberals are truly serious about dealing with the plastic waste crisis, will they support our bill?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his commitment to the environment. The fact is that plastics are simply choking our oceans right now, and I will undertake to consider the bill he has put forward and return to him with the government's position.

However, in the meantime, we are taking meaningful actions to fight plastic pollution today. We are banning microbeads. We are reducing plastic waste from government operations and eliminating unnecessary single-use plastics within the federal government. We have invested $100 million toward a marine litter mitigation strategy. Through the G7 presidency, which we held last year, we introduced the G7 ocean plastics charter. We have adopted a zero plastic waste strategy with all our provincial and territorial partners.

The time to act on plastics is now. I am willing to work with the member to ensure we have meaningful progress.

The Senate

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we continue to get confirmation of the Prime Minister's hypocrisy. Potential so-called independent senators are being run through the Liberals' partisan database to determine whether they have had any prior affiliation to the Liberal Party. The Prime Minister wants to know if they have been members of the Liberal Party, attended Liberal events or even had a Liberal lawn sign before he decides on which candidates to appoint.

When will the Prime Minister just admit that his independent Senate is not so independent?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, last election, Canadians were fed up with the partisanship in the other place. In fact, they were so done with all of the shenanigans that were taking place under Stephen Harper's leadership that they were proud we would introduce a new merit-based, independent process to appoint senators.

In fact, we now have a majority of senators in the other place who are independent senators, who have an incredible history and talent that they have provided to Canadians. They are diverse, from all locations across the country, and they are doing an excellent job ensuring the other place—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d'Orléans—Charlevoix.

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I get a real kick out of listening to the Liberals over there.

In January 2014, the Prime Minister booted Liberal senators out of his caucus. Now he is trying to convince everyone that newly appointed senators are independent.

Liberal blood is thicker than their respect for an independent appointment process, so it is not at all surprising that our newest senators were appointed because they are Liberal Party pals.

When will the Prime Minister stop lying to us, respect the process and tell the truth?

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I may have misunderstood, but I think I just heard an unparliamentary comment about a member. I hope the hon. member will withdraw the comment and apologize.

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am sorry, but the fact is that we want him to tell the truth.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

That is not really an apology.

The hon. Minister of Democratic Institutions.

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, when Stephen Harper was in power, Canadians said that the Senate was just a partisan chamber that did the Prime Minister's bidding and that enough was enough.

We changed this process, and public opinion polls show that Canadians have greater trust in the Senate as a result of the changes we made.

The senators we have appointed are doing an excellent job and are independent. Also, there is less partisanship in that chamber.

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

Yes, the Prime Minister's independent Senate, Mr. Speaker.

Last night, senators, who are not on the Liberal donor list, were trying to move a motion for an independent Senate hearing into the SNC-Lavalin scandal, but who blocked them? Independent senators who the Prime Minister's Office now admits were considered from a partisan Liberal database.

The fake, false and exaggerated pretence of an independent Senate, like everything else the Prime Minister does, is getting tiresome. Why will the Prime Minister not just admit that his independent senators take their marching orders from him?

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

Mr. Speaker, for the first time in the history of our country, people from across the country are able to put their names forward to be considered to be senators. It is an open, transparent and merit-based appointment process.

The Conservatives will always yell over us because they do not want to hear the validity of the process. They know the Senate is working. The upper chamber has actually offered amendments to this chamber. We have accepted more amendments on more occasions than the Conservatives ever would have considered.

It is unfortunate, because the Conservatives have never had regard for the upper chamber. That is why their Conservative senators remain in their caucus, so they can instruct and tell them what to do. That is not the case on this side.

Indigenous Affairs

[Ken Hardie, Liberal, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is an eye-opening statistic that people living on reserve in Canada are 18 times more likely to be evacuated as the result of a natural disaster compared to those living off reserve.

In recent years, thousands of first nations people in my home province of British Columbia, and across the country, have had to evacuate due to wildfires, floods, wind storms and landslides. We have learned from them many of the failures of the emergency management response system, which ignores their knowledge, traditions and experiences.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services please inform the House of the work under way to ensure first nations are made full partners in emergency management—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services.

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Fleetwood—Port Kells for his hard work.

The minister was pleased to join first nations leadership and provincial partners last weekend to sign a tripartite MOU on emergency management in B.C. This agreement recognizes first nations as full partners in emergency management. It ensures ongoing approaches to improve capacity and involves first nations as full partners. This would not have been possible without the leadership of the first nations Leadership Council.

Together we can and we will build a better, safer and more inclusive partnership on emergency management with first nations.