Debates of May 7th, 2019

National Defence

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, since 2015, Canada has re-emerged as a significant contributor to the international community. Canadians across the country know how essential the brave members of the Canadian Armed Forces are to the collective security of our allies. They speak to me about our support for Ukraine through our renewal of Operation Unifier, about our work on peacekeeping training in Poland and about Canada's role as the leader of the multinational NATO battle group in Latvia as part of Operation Reassurance.

We continue to work toward a strong NATO alliance that will ensure peace in eastern Europe and deter the rising tide of aggression perpetuated by Vladimir Putin.

The first Latvian to sit in the House was an MP for Parkdale—High Park, Sarmite Bulte. It is therefore with great honour that today I, alongside the Minister of National Defence, have the privilege of welcoming Latvian defence minister Artis Pabriks to Parliament.

Canada stands with the minister, with Latvia and with our eastern European allies.

Climate Change

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

Mr. Speaker, today I will be delivering my statement on behalf of Éloïse, Maude, Étienne and the other members of the environment committee at École secondaire des Pionniers who wish to deliver a message to the elected members of the House about the urgent need to address climate change.

As young people who are aware of the climate crisis, we do not understand why you are reluctant to take action. Be aware that your decisions are putting our lives at risk.

You are still not listening to the cries of scientists who, for decades, have been telling you to go completely green.

Our concerns are being dismissed outright, but they are very real. What good will your departments be if our earth becomes uninhabitable.

We have reached a point where the economy is far from being our priority. Without nature, we see no value in our future.

We hope that today you will finally hear our voices.

We want the environment to be at the heart of every decision you make.

We want you to stop putting everything off until tomorrow.

We want the right to have a future.

Mr. Prime Minister, whether out of concern for Canadians or out of love for your children, please take action.

I would like to tell each of these—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I would remind the hon. member for Trois-Rivières that he must address his comments to the Chair.

The hon. member for Barrie—Innisfil.

Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada

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

Mr. Speaker, sometimes politics can feel like online dating. In 2015, many Canadians were wooed by the Liberal leader. He had a convincing profile. He looked hip. He wore nice clothes. He hung out with all the cool kids. He went to all the best parties. He has that hair.

However, the guy who showed up to the date was not quite who we thought he would be. The guy in the profile turned out to be arrogant, self-involved and out of touch. He stood us up to take an illegal vacation—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. Members know that the rules do not permit language that is insulting. That is very clear, and I have made that very clear. I would be more than happy to refer members to the page in the book on procedure that says so.

The hon. member for Acadie—Bathurst.

Lobster and Snow Crab Fishing

[Serge Cormier, Liberal, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, crews have weighed anchor and set their traps. I am very proud to announce to the House that lobster and snow crab fishing season has officially begun in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and in my riding of Acadie—Bathurst.

Do members know that Canada exports over $3 billion worth of snow crab and lobster each year? Do they know that over 73,000 Canadians make their living working in the fishing industry?

As the son of a fisher, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all those who work in the fishing industry an excellent season.

I would like to thank the fishers, plant workers, producers and aquaculturists for their ongoing efforts to ensure the prosperity of this important industry. Thanks to their respect for the environment and their commitment to sustainable, responsible fishing, we will be able to pass on a healthy fishing industry to the next generation.

I would also like to thank the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard. Under his leadership, our government found a balanced solution that reduced the size of the restricted fishing zone while maintaining the utmost protections for the North Atlantic right whale.

I wish everyone a successful season.

Persons With Disabilities

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Milton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, at Library and Archives Canada, 34 people with developmental disabilities were earning an honorarium of $1.15 an hour to sort and shred some papers. They were told most recently that their program was going to be cut and they were going to lose their jobs. Families of people with developmental disabilities are very concerned and they are asking the Prime Minister to reverse the cut. Will he do so?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, people with disabilities remain under-represented in the workforce. Working with partners to address the challenges they face in securing gainful employment is important to us. That is why we are taking action to help people, regardless of their disability, to fully participate and be included in society and in the Canadian economy. We moved forward with the historic accessible Canada act and significant investments, taking the lead in advancing inclusion for persons with disabilities.

As for the program the member opposite mentioned, the existing contract has been extended and we are working with the organization to find meaningful—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Milton.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Milton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the most difficult thing for families dealing with developmental disabilities is being told that their loved ones are not wanted. In fact, what the government said is that they are no longer operationally required, so I hope it will do better in dealing with this going forward.

Another problem the Liberals have is the fact that the immigration system is broken. We heard that today, from the Auditor General himself. I wonder if the Prime Minister can tell us whether he will be accepting the recommendations of the Auditor General, implementing them and fixing this problem that his government caused.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we thank the Office of the Auditor General for the report, and we will of course be looking carefully at all the recommendations. What the report clearly demonstrates is how inefficient and poorly resourced the asylum system was when it was left behind by the Conservatives. We committed to fixing the underfunded asylum system, and work is already bearing fruit.

Budget 2019 includes the largest investment in the history of the IRB, to help it make fast, fair and final decisions. We have also cleared the legacy backlogs where Conservatives had people waiting up to eight years for a final hearing.

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Milton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on February 21, 2017, the official opposition started asking questions about the Roxham Road illegal express entry that the government had opened up through Twitter. It has taken over two and a half years to actually admit to the fact and be told by the Auditor General that there is indeed a problem, and what do the Liberals do? In a complete lack of leadership, they blame something from somebody else's regime five years ago. They take no responsibility themselves, and it lies at their feet. What will they do to fix this system?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, once again we see the Conservatives attempting to stir up fears among Canadians about things that they do not need to be worried about. We have made sure that every single person crossing our borders, whether legally or illegally, gets processed according to all our rules. We have seen over the past years, all around the world, an increase in migration and in asylum seekers happening everywhere, and Canada is not immune to that. However, we have a strong immigration system that continues to apply all its steps to everyone crossing the border.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today, the Auditor General was scathing in his explanation of how the Prime Minister allowed people to abuse our once fair and compassionate immigration system.

The Auditor General's findings were damning. They clearly show that the system is broken because the Prime Minister allowed people to cross the border illegally at Roxham Road.

When will the Prime Minister apologize to Canadians and the entire world for normalizing the abuse of our immigration system?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Office of the Auditor General for its report.

The report clearly demonstrates how inefficient and underfunded the asylum system was when we inherited it from the Conservatives. We committed to fix the problem and that work is already bearing fruit.

Budget 2019 includes the largest investment in the history of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada to help it make fast, fair and final decisions.

We have also cleared the backlogs left by the Conservatives, who had people waiting up to eight years for a final hearing.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, everything the Prime Minister said is completely false.

In 2012 the Conservative government implemented rules to speed up the process. Who tweeted in January 2017 inviting everyone to come to Canada? In the past two and a half years, 40,000 people have illegally crossed our border. The system is broken, and the Auditor General agrees.

Will the Prime Minister stop talking nonsense and fix the problem?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives are attempting to stir up fears among Canadians, but Canadians know that our immigration system is strong and that it applies to everyone crossing the border, legally or illegally.

We live in an age when people all around the world are more frequently crossing borders in search of safety or a new life. This affects Canada as well, but we have a strong, robust system that applies to everyone.

The Environment

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the new UN report on biodiversity concluded that a million species are facing extinction. We are losing natural habitat and marine diversity at an alarming rate. According to UBC professor Kai Chan, who helped write the report, we need fundamental and structural change.

Canadians rejected the Conservative approach. The Liberals have delivered more words than action. Will the Liberals now support our environmental bill of rights, which enshrines healthier environments as a right, protects habitats and compels government action?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, while the NDP proposes more words, we are actually taking real action.

Our actions include putting a price on pollution, phasing out coal, investments in public transit and green infrastructure, cutting methane emissions, reaching our targets for protecting biodiversity, and protecting marine and land ecosystems.

The NDP and Conservatives continue to pick between the environment and the economy. We are always going to build both for Canadians.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Liberal real action was buying a pipeline.

The report clearly states that we are at a real risk of losing over a million plant and animal species. However, the authors also note that better outcomes can be achieved if we make different choices.

We have a plan to protect our environment while ensuring that not a single worker or community is left behind. The Liberal plan is disastrous for our planet.

What will the Prime Minister do to truly protect our habitats, our ecosystems and marine diversity?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, our government is proud to be reaching our terrestrial and marine area protection goals. Protecting biodiversity is very important, and we are taking steps to do just that.

We have actually done more than that. We have put a price on pollution. We are phasing out coal-fired power plants. We have invested in public transit and green infrastructure. We have cut methane emissions. We are offering a rebate to those who purchase electric vehicles. We are working with the provinces to invest in greener technology.

We know that building a strong economy means investing in the future and protecting the environment.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the experts all say that the Liberals' actions fall short.

In Ontario, a young family does not have the means to pay $250,000 for the medicine their son needs to survive. A universal pharmacare program would go a long way toward helping that family and other families from coast to coast to coast.

Evidence in favour of a universal pharmacare program is clear. What is the Prime Minister waiting for?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, obviously no Canadian should have to choose between medicine and food.

Through budget 2019, we are laying the foundation for a national pharmacare program. We created the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, which works with the provinces and territories on negotiating drug prices for all Canadians. This helps reduce costs by $3 billion a year.

We also invested $500 million to establish a national strategy to access high-cost drugs used in the treatment of rare diseases. We know it is important and that is why we will continue moving forward.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, for the parents of six-year-old Joshua, suffering from cystic fibrosis, it is clear that Canada's funding system for medication is broken. For so many families, needed medicine is out of reach.

Experts say Canada is an “outlier” internationally. The Liberal agency will have limited effect, and it proposes Iittle more than a band-aid. New Democrats are listening, and we have proposed a bold solution.

Will the Liberals adopt our pharmacare for all plan, and bring life-saving medicine within reach of every Canadian family?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, no Canadian should ever have to choose between paying for prescriptions and putting food on the table. With budget 2019, we are laying the foundation for the implementation of a national pharmacare program. We have created the Canadian drug agency that, working with provinces and territories, will negotiate drug prices for all Canadians. Unlike what the NDP is actually suggesting, it will reduce drug prices by around $3 billion a year, which is not nothing.

On top of that, we are moving forward with half a billion dollars for a national strategy—