Debates of May 9th, 2019

Status of Women

[Eva Nassif, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Mr. Speaker, anti-choice activists are rallying on Parliament Hill today. What is worrisome is that some Conservative members are joining them, trying to control women's decisions over their bodies.

We know that members of the Conservative Party do not believe that safe access to abortion services is a right, because they said so in the House last year. In the face of these threats to women's health, could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health tell the House where the government stands on women's right to choose?

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, women, and women alone, should be the ones making decisions about their own bodies. That is why we stood up for safe access to abortion at home and abroad, from supporting groups like Planned Parenthood to increasing access to Plan B and Mifegymiso. It should concern all Canadians that the Leader of the Opposition only won the Conservative leadership thanks to the same anti-choice activists protesting today. Unlike the Conservatives—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. The hon. member for Red Deer—Mountain View.

International Trade

[Earl Dreeshen, Conservative, Red Deer—Mountain View, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's agriculture and agri-food industry contributes over $110 billion annually to the Canadian economy, yet the Liberal government seems perfectly content to let countries such as India, Saudi Arabia, Peru, Vietnam and now China get away with taking unwarranted trade actions against this vital sector of our economy. Canola farmers are the most recent victims of the Liberal government's bungling with our global partners. When will the Prime Minister resolve the canola issue with China?

[Omar Alghabra, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade Diversification]

Mr. Speaker, last week was a good week for Canadian canola farmers. The federal government, working with provincial governments, stakeholders and farmers, announced a support package for farmers, while recommitting our efforts to resolve the trade dispute with China. We continue to call on China to resolve this issue based on scientific evidence. On top of that, the Minister of International Trade Diversification is leading delegations around the world to promote the best-quality canola in the world.

Canadian Heritage

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec's culture and communications minister wrote to our Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism to share his concerns about the crisis at Telefilm Canada.

As a side note, I hope that the minister will allow the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage to support my motion today to call Telefilm Canada before the committee.

Since last week, CTVM.info and all major media outlets have been reporting about how much the cultural community needs a strong, tuned-in Telefilm Canada. The Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism promised to act this week.

It is already Thursday, so does he have some good news to announce about our cultural scene, for once?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism (Multiculturalism)]

Mr. Speaker, we have been working on this issue for the past month. Directors, producers and creators can count on us. As the minister said last week, we will have concrete solutions to announce this week. It is not about scoring political points; it is about ensuring that movies in French can be produced this year. Why is the member trying to politicize that? We are used to the Conservatives turning their back on our culture, but why is the NDP only talking about this important issue now?

Public Safety

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, information technology has revolutionized our lives, but cybersecurity has emerged as an issue that comes with challenges and great opportunities for growth.

I would like to know what actions our government is taking to aid cybersecurity initiatives.

[Karen McCrimmon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, I commend the member for Brampton South for her advocacy on this topic.

We are working with our partners in business and academia in order to strengthen Canada's cybersecurity and to become a world leader in the field.

We have invested $895 million to fund our new national cybersecurity strategy to ensure that our cyber-systems are secure and resilient, to encourage innovation and to support effective leadership and collaboration between government and all our partners.

Our government will be introducing legislation to create a Canadian framework for cybersecurity across all sectors.

Foreign Affairs

[David Anderson, Conservative, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the reach of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps goes far beyond brutalizing its own population. It goes far beyond interfering with its Middle East neighbours. It is also terrorizing Canadians, such as radio host Narges Ghaffari, by forcing family members in Iran to pass on the message of “Stop your activism”, so that, as the saying goes, “no one gets hurt”.

A year ago, the Liberals voted in favour of our Conservative motion to list the IRGC as a terrorist group.

When will the Liberals stop tolerating this murderous regime, take a stand for human rights and finally list the IRGC?

[Karen McCrimmon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, the Criminal Code listing regime is an important tool for countering terrorism and is part of the government's commitment to keep Canadians safe.

The update to the listings is an important step to fight terrorism globally and ensure that Canada remains a safe and peaceful country. There is a prescribed step-by-step process. New entities are added once it has been determined that they meet the legal threshold.

Infrastructure

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it has gotten to the point where Premier Legault has to think about scaling down and delaying the Quebec City tramway project because the federal government is not pulling its weight. The project is $800 million short. The money is there, but the government refuses to hand it over to Quebec without conditions. This problem could be solved tomorrow morning.

Will Ottawa get out of the way, let Quebec manage funds from the integrated bilateral agreement based on its needs and contribute fully to the Quebec City tramway?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to have an opportunity to answer this question.

Everyone is clear on the fact that the federal government allocated $1.2 to the project from the start. It did so in June 2018 when the Philippe Couillard government told Mr. Labeaume that Quebec could be ambitious and build a comprehensive transportation system with a $3.3-billion envelope. He knew perfectly well where those federal funds were coming from. Those funds were available in 2018 and they remain available today.

As a proud citizen of Quebec City, I truly hope that Mr. Legault's government will make the Quebec City tramway a priority, as it should.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, could the government transfer the funds with no strings attached and do the same for other programs?

What we are hearing is that the $800 million has to come out of the green infrastructure fund, meaning that all of Quebec's municipal green programs would have to be scrapped to make way for the Quebec City tramway. We should not have to choose between sacrificing our regions or sacrificing our national capital. We can carry out all of these projects if the money is transferred in a lump sum.

Tax revenues are supposed to be used to serve our needs, not to serve programs.

Will the government let Quebec handle infrastructure dollars without imposing conditions?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleague that a budget of $5.2 billion has been allocated for public transit in Quebec. He will be happy to hear that Quebec is getting the biggest chunk of this public transit budget per capita, not including the $1.8 billion from the green infrastructure fund. The Couillard government agreed to take the federal government's $800-million contribution from that fund, leaving $1 billion for the rest of Quebec.

Furthermore, in the last budget, we used the federal gas tax to increase transfers to municipalities by $500 million. The margins are there. If Quebec's priorities have changed, the Legault government should say so.

Public Safety

[Tony Clement, Independent, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am told on good authority that the Prime Minister has a secret plan to ban legal firearms. Apparently this plan is to be executed by cabinet directive, with no debate in Parliament.

The Prime Minister plans to announce this gun ban at the Women Deliver conference to be held in early June in Vancouver, which New Zealand Prime Minister Ardern will also attend.

Could the Prime Minister confirm or deny this zero-accountability secret plan?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the House that the government remains absolutely committed to undertaking all measures that are effective in keeping Canadians safe.

As I believe every member of the House would agree, there is no greater responsibility for any order of government than the safety of its citizens and the protection of its kids, and we are prepared to consider whatever measures would be effective in this regard.

Business of the House

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I hope we receive a more extensive answer than we did in the answer to the last question.

Could the House leader for the government tell us what business we can expect for the remainder of this week and for next week?

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

Mr. Speaker, this afternoon we will complete debate at third reading of Bill C-91, the indigenous languages act.

Tomorrow we will begin debate on the Senate amendments to bill C-55, an act to amend the Oceans Act and the Canada Petroleum Resources Act.

Next week the government will be proposing a motion to debate the rising climate emergency across Canada.

At noon on Monday, we will resume debate on Bill C-55.

On Tuesday, we will move on to Bill S-6, the Canada–Madagascar tax convention implementation act, 2018.

Wednesday shall be an allotted day.

Finally, pursuant to Standing Order 81(4), I would like to designate Tuesday, May 14, for consideration in committee of the whole of the main estimates for the Department of Justice.

In closing, mothers who provide love and guidance are present in our lives in many forms. I am thankful to the mother figures in my life. On behalf of the Prime Minister and the Government of Canada, and I am sure all members in this House, I wish all mothers a happy Mother's Day.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and to the Minister of Democratic Institutions on a point of order.

Parliamentary Internship Programme

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and to the Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations among the parties and I believe you will find agreement for the following motion regarding the parliamentary internship programme, of which I am a proud former intern:

That the House:

a) recognize the fiftieth anniversary of the Parliamentary Internship Programme, founded in 1969 through a motion of this House, which operates on a non-partisan basis under the auspices of the Speaker, and is administered by the Canadian Political Science Association;

b) congratulate the ten current interns, alumni, and staff of the Parliamentary Internship Programme; and

c) reaffirm its support for this outstanding experience for young professionals to learn about and participate in Parliament.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Does the hon. member have unanimous consent of the House to propose the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.