Debates of May 7th, 2019

The Environment

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the United Nations report on endangered species hits close to home in my riding, Windsor West.

The Ojibway Shores, the last remaining stretch of natural shoreline on the Detroit River and home to over 160 species, has been at the centre of a battle to protect our environment. We stopped the clear-cutting of trees and dumping on this pristine piece of nature. I have asked the government many times to protect this public property, and all I have received is excuse after excuse, no real action.

The UN was clear: Different choices get better results.

Why will the Prime Minister not protect Ojibway Shores? Why is the real action zero?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the Ojibway Shores is property of the Windsor Port Authority. I would encourage the City of Windsor to speak with the Windsor Port Authority with respect to the future of Ojibway Shores.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the way the Liberals are talking, one would think that they are really concerned about global warming and the environment. The problem is that the reality suggests otherwise.

We are supposed to be reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, but from 2016 to 2017, they rose by eight million tonnes, and likely even more. A recent study shows that oil sands emissions were up to 37% higher than reported.

When will the Liberals stop giving millions of dollars to rich oil companies and force them to be transparent with Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, with respect, I trust the hon. member knows that there was an artificial suppression of emission levels as a result of the forest fires in Fort McMurray. It is disappointing that we rely on these kinds of anomalies to try to make a political point.

When it comes to the issue of fossil fuel subsidies, when it comes to tax measures, we have actually phased out eight tax measures to date, and we have launched a consultation to identify further ineffective, non-tax fossil fuel subsidies by 2025.

We are going to move forward in that direction. Our climate plan has over 50 measures that are going to help reduce emissions. We have become a global leader when it comes to protecting the environment, because we know that climate change is real and we have an obligation to do something about it.

Justice

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, first, the Prime Minister used political interference to help his friends at SNC-Lavalin, and now he is politically interfering to punish those who get in his way.

The former parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs has resigned and will testify against the government for Vice-Admiral Mark Norman. What will he say that is so damaging that he had to resign to say it and he needs a lawyer, paid for by the Crown, to advise him on how to say it?

What are the Liberals hiding? When will the Prime Minister provide all unredacted documents and allow Vice-Admiral Norman a fair trial?

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

Mr. Speaker, the prosecution in question is being handled by the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, which operates independently from the Department of Justice and independently from my office.

Counsel to the Attorney General of Canada has been fulfilling all of its obligations before the court with respect to third party records applications. When counsel is needed, those decisions are made according to the rules and regulations in the justice department.

Public Services and Procurement

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on Friday, May 3, we learned that a Liberal MP would be testifying against the Liberal government in the trial of Admiral Mark Norman.

The Liberal government is doing everything it can to discredit the Davie shipyard, including political interference by influential cabinet members. The Davie shipyard is capable of doing the work on time and on budget. Quebec deserves better.

Why did the Liberals try to deny Davie a contract?

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

Mr. Speaker, the prosecution in question is being handled by the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, which operates independently of the Department of Justice and my office.

Counsel to the Attorney General of Canada has been fulfilling all of its obligations before the court with respect to third party records applications. As I just said, this matter is before the courts, and it would be inappropriate to comment further.

Justice

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, let us review the Liberals' political vendetta against Vice-Admiral Norman: obstructing subpoenas, clear political interference; refusing to cover his legal costs, pushing him towards bankruptcy, unable to defend himself; will not release documents critical to his defence; demoted the former foreign affairs parliamentary secretary because he will testify for Vice-Admiral Norman, against the government.

Why are the Liberals so intent on denying a fair trial for a Canadian who served Canada so honourably?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Public Prosecution Service of Canada has itself said, “The PPSC has not sought or received instructions in respect of the prosecution of Mr. Norman from the Privy Council Office or any other government department or body.”

The Public Prosecution Service of Canada is independent of the ministry and the Attorney General. It is independent of the Department of Justice. It makes its decisions independently and will continue to do so.

Status of Women

[Emmanuella Lambropoulos, Liberal, Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, every 17 minutes today, CALACS francophone d'Ottawa is sharing sexual assault survivors' stories as a reminder that a woman is sexually assaulted every 17 minutes in Canada.

The strength and resilience of survivors have led to a renewed commitment to end gender-based violence. Unfortunately, organizations like CALACS are asked to do more with less resources after the Ford decision to cut their funding.

Can the Minister for Women and Gender Equality tell the House what our government is doing to support victims of sexual assault?

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

Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of cuts by the Harper Conservatives, organizations serving women and girls were destabilized.

Our government listened to Canadians and invested in ensuring that survivors of gender-based violence have the supports they need. It is unfortunate that even in the wake of #MeToo and evidence that has been shared again and again, we see the Ford government repeat the Harper playbook, and we see our Conservative colleagues and even the NDP voting to de-fund women's organizations.

Canadians deserve a government committed to ensuring that survivors have a place to go when they need the supports they need. We are committed to that work.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

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

Mr. Speaker, earlier in question period, the Prime Minister tried to blame his illegal border crossing crisis on Stephen Harper. In 2015, there were 10,000 pending cases at the Immigration and Refugee Board, up from a peak left under the previous Liberal government. Today, according to the Auditor General's report, there are 71,000 cases, with another 50,000 on the way. When will the Prime Minister clear this backlog, or will Conservatives once again have to clear a 120,000-case backlog at the IRB?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, here are the facts. The party opposite cut refugee health care. The party opposite left the IRB without the funding necessary to deal with the volume it had. The party opposite is intent on getting away from the record that it has, but facts are stubborn things and the Conservatives cannot get away from that record.

The fact is that we are reinvesting in the border, and we are reinvesting in the Immigration and Refugee Board. To make sure that the refugee system works, we are making sure that the vacancies left behind by the previous government—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for London—Fanshawe.

Health

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, while the government announced free menstrual products in federally regulated workplaces, product cost and access in remote and northern communities are prohibitive and unacceptable. Because of that high cost and lack of government action, organizations like women's shelters are left to collect donations of products to distribute to women and girls in the north and in our communities. In fairness to disadvantaged women and girls in the north and everywhere, when will the Liberal government extend the provision of free menstrual products to women and girls?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, it is fantastic that we are having a conversation about menstrual products here in the House of Commons. I agree with the member opposite that we need to make sure that women can take care of their health and dignity no matter where they are. That is why we are taking these steps to ensure that menstrual products are available in bathrooms and washrooms of federally regulated employers. It is an important step, and I look forward to hearing from stakeholders about how we do this in an effective way.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Julie Dzerowicz, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, nearly seven years ago, the Harper Conservatives made irresponsible and shortsighted changes to the asylum system that forced tens of thousands of refugee claimants into limbo for years. Thirty-two thousand people who were seeking Canada's protection were denied a timely hearing and spent as long as eight years with uncertain status, unable to move on with their lives. Davenport groups like FCJ Refugee Centre have been advocating on their behalf. Can the minister update the House on what has been done to address the legacy refugee backlog?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is that, due to the half-baked measures introduced by the Harper Conservatives, the IRB developed a backlog of 32,000 refugee cases. We promised that we would do better for those people, some of whom had been waiting for a hearing for as long as eight years. One of the first things we did was to launch a legacy refugee task force. I am happy to update this House that we have cleared that backlog as of last week. We will make sure that the refugee system works the way it is supposed to.

Foreign Affairs

[David Sweet, Conservative, Flamborough—Glanbrook, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has a long record of torturing, jailing and murdering Iran's own citizens and exporting terror throughout the Middle East and across the world. The threat to Canada and our allies is crystal clear.

Last year, the Liberals voted in favour of our motion to hold the Iranian Khamenei regime accountable and list the IRGC as a terrorist entity. Is the government starting to cozy up to Iran again, or is it finally going to list the IRGC as a terrorist entity?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman, being a long-standing member of the House, knows that there is a very specific legal procedure that is undertaken with respect to listings under the Criminal Code. The system in Canada is strong and credible because of the integrity of that system. The government is pursuing all of the steps that are laid out in law to make the appropriate decision. In the meantime, the member will know that a number of the surrogates of this organization have already been listed.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Mr. Speaker, management of the migrant crisis has been a disaster, as the Auditor General has shown. Criminal background checks are inadequate. There is departmental overlap. Two-thirds of the hearings are postponed indefinitely.

If Ottawa stays asleep at the switch, it will take five years for asylum seekers to find out whether they can stay in Quebec or not. The system is broken.

When will the Liberal government finally wake up?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to be able to advise this House that, so far this year, we have achieved a 47% reduction in the number of people crossing our border irregularly.

In budget 2019—and I understand the member opposite may have missed this because of all the noise going on that day—our government has committed $443 million to increase IRCC's capacity. It includes $375 million to restore the CBSA's ability to increase its asylum system to implement border enforcement strategies, which includes better border management, security screening and enforcement operations.

Our plan is working, and we are making progress.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, things are not improving. The situation is getting worse.

It his inhumane to make asylum seekers wait for years to find out whether they can stay in Quebec. People are going to end up starting a family and laying down roots only to be deported in five years.

Who is going to pay for all this during those five years? Quebec will end up footing the bill for housing, health care, education, and social assistance.

Will the Liberal government reimburse Quebec for the $300 million it has already spent and will it ensure that claims are processed in a timely fashion?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to answer that question.

As everyone knows, Quebec has a remarkable history of being welcoming and open. It all started in my own riding in 1535. When Jacques Cartier arrived he asked Donnacona, grand chief of the Huron-Wendat nation at the time, where he was. The grand chief responded that he was in Canada, a welcoming, open, supportive country.

In Quebec City and Quebec we are proud to be part of that great tradition.