House of Commons Hansard #409 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was communities.
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Mr. Speaker, the out-of-touch Liberals are at it again. First it was their $12-million gift to the billionaire owners of Loblaws. Now they are giving half a billion dollars to subsidize electric vehicles made in Trump's America.
Now whether it is Alberta's oil sands or General Motors in Oshawa, the government seems perfectly happy to drive our businesses and jobs out of Canada.
Why are the Liberals subsidizing wealthy car buyers and U.S. car builders, while everyday Canadians get a carbon tax?
Sean Fraser LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Mr. Speaker, as somebody who believes that climate change is real and that we have an opportunity and an obligation to do something about it, I cannot say how frustrating it is to have been standing up here for the last year answering questions and never once receiving a question from a Conservative member of Parliament asking us to do more to protect our environment.
The fact is that we are making investments in energy efficiency so we can bring emissions down. We are making investments to help make electric vehicles more affordable. We know that is where the future of the industry is. It is also going to help us reduce emissions. We can do this without costing our economy.
I note, in particular, over the past three years our economy has added over 900,000 jobs. The good news that it is not just creating jobs; it is helping people get by and making life more affordable.
Rob Oliphant Liberal Don Valley West, ON
Mr. Speaker, economic prosperity and environmental protection go hand in hand as we grow our economy. My father had a long and distinguished career as a professional forester. He knew that sustainable forests created economic prosperity and played a critical role in the most important issues of our time: climate change, innovation and economic opportunities for rural and indigenous communities.
Will the parliamentary secretary tell us how our government is investing in the forest industry to provide a sustainable environmental and economic future for all Canadians?
Paul Lefebvre LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his hard work. I recognize as well that professional foresters were the early environmentalists. That is why our government is supporting a competitive and sustainable forest sector. We are investing nearly $23 million to help FPInnovations, Canada's premier forest sector research institute, to diversify markets and reduce emissions.
While our government is growing the forestry economy and protecting the environment, the Conservatives in Ontario are making reckless cuts to emergency forest firefighting and tree planting programs. These cuts will hurt people, hurt jobs and take us backwards in the fight against climate change.
We will continue to invest in this very important sector.
Alupa Clarke Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Mr. Speaker, every year, of the forty recruits trained at the RCMP academy only one is trained solely in French. I did say one. Now, there will be none, because the RCMP is launching a pilot project that will put an end to training in French only. Clearly, this decision goes against the spirit and the letter of the Official Languages Act. The Minister of Public Safety and the Minister of Official Languages must absolutely overturn this decision immediately.
What are they waiting for?
Mélanie Joly LiberalMinister of Tourism
Mr. Speaker, we have nothing to learn from the Conservatives about protecting language rights, as we recently saw with what is happening in Ontario with respect to the French fact.
It is important to know that our government wants to strengthen the Official Languages Act because we want to ensure that francophones and francophiles across the country have access to job opportunities with our system. That is why I am working with my colleague, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, to ensure that language rights and the rights of our country's francophones are well protected.
Marilène Gill Bloc Manicouagan, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Phoenix fiasco has been going on for more than three years. The Government of Canada has been unable to pay its own employees for three years.
This issue continues to drag on, and 80,000 new cases are added every month. These cases all represent families who are suffering massive amounts of stress. This government caused the crisis, so I expect this government to fix it.
Will the government commit to compensating those affected by Phoenix and fixing the problem, not in 10 years, but before the election?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility
Mr. Speaker, we are obviously committed to fixing this problem left to us by Mr. Harper's Conservatives. They fired 700 public servants and slashed funding.
For the past year we have been working through the list of outstanding transactions and rebuilding the new system that will pay our public servants properly.
Monique Pauzé Bloc Repentigny, QC
Mr. Speaker, as of January 1, foreign web giants are paying their taxes in Quebec like everyone else.
Not only have Internet media services complied with Quebec's demands, but revenues are twice as high as anticipated. Meanwhile, Ottawa is still letting Netflix and its ilk skip paying taxes at the expense of our cultural industries.
Now that we know web giants are willing to pay taxes, why is the government so determined to give them a free ride?
Gary Anandasangaree LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism (Multiculturalism)
Mr. Speaker, our government has shown that it supports our artists and creators.
If my colleagues really cared about investments in culture, they would stop asking me the same questions over and over only to get the same answers.
We have made historic investments of $3.2 billion in the cultural sector, including to the CBC, the Canada Council for the Arts, Telefilm Canada and the National Film Board of Canada.
Due to the previous Conservative government's inaction, our laws on culture predate the Internet, which is why we are—
Monique Pauzé Bloc Repentigny, QC
Mr. Speaker, the government is also taking a laissez-faire approach to rail transportation. Last week, a train carrying hazardous material derailed in L'Assomption in my riding. Fortunately, nobody was hurt and nothing spilled from any of the cars.
However, on February 16, in Manitoba, nearly a million litres of crude oil spilled in a derailment. On February 4, in British Columbia, three men were killed when a train went off the tracks. Since November, there have been at least eight major incidents that have claimed the lives of six people.
When will the government order a public inquiry on the problems with rail safety?
Terry Beech LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, the minister has made it clear to everyone in this House that rail safety is his number one priority, and that is why he has taken action to invest in the sector, to advance regulations and to ensure that we are continuing to improve safety.
On behalf of everyone in this House, our hearts go out to the family members who were affected by these horrible incidents. We are taking action to make sure that no family has to suffer that kind of incident ever again.
Erin Weir Independent Regina—Lewvan, SK
Mr. Speaker, we have heard a lot in this House about SNC-Lavalin, but Saskatchewan people are concerned about another multinational construction company accused of corruption. Vinci Construction took $2 billion to build a bypass around Regina that was supposed to cost only $400 million. Will the government investigate to ensure that the federal funds invested in this boondoggle were not misused?
Marco Mendicino LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for bringing this matter to the attention of the House and look forward to working with him to look into this matter.
In the meantime, I would point out that the government has made an historic amount of investment in the province of Saskatchewan that will see close to $1 billion flow into that province, including for new transit buses in Regina as well as for investments in the Highway 16 interchange project. With the leadership of the Minister of Public Safety and all our support for the Prairies, we will continue to invest in Saskatchewan for the good people of that province, and I look forward to working with my colleague.
Government Response to PetitionsRoutine Proceedings
Winnipeg North Manitoba
Liberal
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to four petitions.
Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with DisabilitiesCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings
Liberal
Bryan May Liberal Cambridge, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 16th report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, entitled “2018-2019 Annual Report on the Administration of the Centennial Flame Research Award Act”.
David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-445, An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act (management and direction of the Parliamentary Protective Service).
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a bill that would change subsection 79.55(2) of the Parliament of Canada Act relating to the Parliamentary Protective Service. The act reads, in essence, that “The Director...must be a member of the...[RCMP].” This bill would add the word “not” and mandate that the two Speakers, without outside intervention, would jointly select the director of our integrated security force.
While we appreciate the RCMP's efforts to integrate the security forces, this bill would give the Crown three years to complete the transition back to the House. Nothing in this act would prevent the RCMP from continuing to protect the Prime Minister in the House, nor from calling on the RCMP for backup should the need arise. However, all decisions going forward would belong to the House and Senate rather than to the executive. While it is not a matter for legislation, I hope that this would also allow the designated airspace known as CYR537 to be handed over to the Parliamentary Protective Service.
As I consider this to be, first and foremost, a matter of protecting parliamentary privilege, I ask that this bill be ultimately referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.
I thank the member for Hamilton Centre for seconding this bill, demonstrating the cross-party support it will need to move forward.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to table a petition today signed by many constituents in my riding of Perth—Wellington. This petition was initiated by the Hahn family of Moncton, Ontario. The petitioners call on the government to recognize the inherent right of farmers to save, reuse, select, exchange and sell their seeds.
I am very pleased to table this petition.
Harold Albrecht Conservative Kitchener—Conestoga, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition to present today by hundreds of residents across Canada who are drawing the attention of the House to the following: the Liberal government has established a prison needle exchange program that will be implemented across Canada by 2019. The Union of Canadian Correctional Officers was not consulted on this plan, which puts their members and the Canadian public at risk.
The previous Conservative government passed the Drug-Free Prisons Act, which revoked parole for those who are caught using drugs behind bars. Under this new regulation, an inmate who is approved for the prison needle exchange program is not required to disclose to the Parole Board that he or she is on the program.
Therefore, the citizens are calling on the Prime Minister and the Minister of Public Safety to end the prison needle exchange program and to implement measures that would increase the safety of correctional officers and the surrounding community.
Bryan May Liberal Cambridge, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present e-petition 1955, with 5,730 signatures. This petition calls upon our government to further Canada's space exploration and to develop a new space strategy. This strategy is critical for ridings such as mine, where we have companies such as Honeywell, formerly COM DEV, which have been critical to space exploration and to the aerospace industry in Canada.
David Yurdiga Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
Mr. Speaker, today I rise to present petitions signed by thousands of Canadians urging the government to support the energy east pipeline. It is time the Liberal government supported hard-working men and women in our energy sector. The jobs and livelihoods of thousands of Canadians depend on pipeline projects to tidewater. The Liberal government needs to start listening to Canadians and support the energy industry from coast to coast to coast.
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to table three petitions from very active members in my constituency.
The first petition is a call to withdraw Bill C-27. This is an important issue for many of my constituents, because before the 2015 federal election, Canadians were clearly promised, in writing, that defined benefit plans, which have already been paid for by employers and pensioners, should not be retroactively changed to target benefit plans. The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to withdraw Bill C-27.
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
Mr. Speaker, the second petition is in regard to addressing the opioid crisis. This is a very large concern across my riding. Many of these members from my constituency are from small communities, such as Port Hardy and Port McNeill. They want to make sure that the government understands that over 4,000 Canadians died in 2017 and over 2,800 in 2016 due to a preventable opioid overdose resulting from fentanyl-poisoned sources. The number of preventable deaths has surpassed the total number of deaths in all other public health emergencies in the last 20 years. This is a very serious concern. Those who have died as a result of a preventable opioid overdose from fentanyl-poisoned sources were valued citizens of this country: our children, siblings, spouses, parents, family members, clients and friends.
My constituents are asking the Government of Canada to declare the current opioid overdose crisis from fentanyl-poisoning a national public health emergency, to reform the current drug policy to decriminalize personal possession and to create, with urgency and immediacy, a system to provide safe, unadulterated access to substances so that the people who use these substances do not die.
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
Mr. Speaker, the final petition I have here today is one that is largely from the community of Zeballos, a beautiful community in my riding that I encourage everyone to visit. It was given to the Minister of Rural Economic Development. The petition is specifically with respect to cellular phone service on Highway 19. There are parts of this highway that are not serviceable by cellular phone service. This is an important public safety concern, as it is sometimes necessary to travel more than 30 minutes to reach a cellphone serviced area or land line to contact 911 in case of an accident or the need for roadside assistance. The constituents in my riding are very concerned and hope to see this actively dealt with.
