Debates of June 4th, 2019

Bill C-97—Time Allocation Motion

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, with all due respect to the minister, I must correct something she said that was patently absurd. She said that the Liberal government has not introduced omnibus bills containing items that have nothing to do with the budget. Need I remind her that the Liberal SNC-Lavalin scandal came about precisely because her government introduced an omnibus bill that included 10 pages of clauses that had absolutely nothing to do with the budget? That is what led to the SNC-Lavalin scandal.

On top of that, the minister said the Liberals have created jobs across Canada. It is not the government that creates jobs, but rather private enterprise. What the government is responsible for, however, is managing public funds and deficits. Need I remind the minister that she and her colleagues promised to run tiny deficits for three years and achieve a zero deficit in 2019?

Could she tell the House what the deficit is today, in 2019?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, obviously the Canadian economy is doing well.

Indeed, Canadians are the ones who have created one million jobs in this country, but there is a direct link between decisions made by the federal government, our economic performance and Canadians' capacity to create jobs. By cutting taxes for the middle class, we have helped create more jobs in this country and better redistribute wealth. By reducing the small business tax rate from 11% to 9%, we are giving our SMEs a better chance to succeed, improve their profitability and reinvest in their businesses. Not only are those results making a difference, but the federal debt-to-GDP ratio is much, much lower.

This means that Canada has posted the strongest performance of any G7 country. That is thanks to the hard work of Canadians, but also thanks to the work our government has done.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot but stand when the government denies it has tabled omnibus bills. What about the 800-clause Bill C-69? This bill was so huge that it should have gone to three committees: the environment and sustainable development committee, the transport committee and the natural resources committee.

Instead, our committee, the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, had to deal with the 800-clause bill. The Liberals cut off the number of witnesses we could hear. I could choose only three of the 600 first nations to testify. The bill would impact almost every one of them.

Then, when the committee went through clause by clause, we had to end the review half way through because there was not enough time to review it as it was so urgent to pass it.

The world will be watching what the government does with Bill C-69, which the Senate has shredded.

I cannot believe that a member on that side would say the government has never tabled an omnibus bill.

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, since my colleague mentioned Bill C-69, I will gladly take this opportunity to talk to him about our action plan for the environment.

Canadians know that climate change is real and that we have to be prepared to deal with it and to start engaging in an energy transition. That is why our government introduced a new action plan that includes putting a price on pollution. It is high time that we recognized the polluter pay principle in Canada and, ultimately, ensured that polluters are penalized, because pollution has an impact on society as a whole and on our children.

In the meantime, it goes without saying that putting a price on pollution does not mean that Canadians should end up paying more than polluters. That is why our plan helps put money in the pockets of eight out of 10 families while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

[Rémi Massé, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, I am very happy that my colleague can list the excellent measures included in budget implementation act, 2019, No. 1. These measures are important for all Canadians.

She mentioned the support that we are giving to seniors who want to return to work. We are exempting them from guaranteed income supplement penalties on the first $5,000 they earn. That is an excellent measure.

I would also like to hear my colleague talk about the measures we put in place to make it easier for young people to buy their first home.

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, access to home ownership is very important.

For 10 years, the Conservatives under Stephen Harper, and now under the Leader of the Opposition, ignored this issue. Little by little, home ownership has slipped out of reach for many Canadians, especially young people.

To address this issue, the Minister of Finance introduced the interesting bill we are debating today. It creates an incentive for the purchase of a first home that will really help new buyers put together a larger down payment. It updates the homebuyers plan and increases the amount that can be withdrawn from the plan from $25,000 to $35,000. That is good for first-time homebuyers as well as Canada's construction sector.

[Robert Gordon Kitchen, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Mr. Speaker, with this whole concept of closure, it has become apparent that the government does not want to keep the promises it made to Canadians. For example, the budget mentions the word “farming” only five times. The government promised it would help canola farmers. It came out with a change for things to go to $1 million and, surprise, it is not in there. It promised to get rid of the carbon tax on farm fuel and it is not there.

The whole approach of the government is to show nothing. It is embarrassing that we do not have the opportunity to talk about this.

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as the granddaughter of a farmer, I am concerned about the agriculture sector. I am convinced that Canada's farmers are aware of all the work the government is doing to open markets for them around the world while protecting our supply management system, which the Conservatives were prepared to scrap.

To protect the supply management system, we held our ground with the U.S. administration so we could get a good deal with the United States and Mexico. I also know that my colleague, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, is working very hard on the canola issue.

We have presented an initial action plan and we will always defend farmers' interests when dealing with the Chinese government.

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

Mr. Speaker, I find it unfortunate that we are being imposed a 69th time allocation motion. This time, it is a 370-page budget implementation bill. If this is not a mammoth bill, I do not know what is.

When the Liberals were on the opposition side, they condemned the actions of the Harper government, which did not care about transparency or democracy, but they are doing the same thing today. The minister boasted that 46 members spoke to the bill, yet there are 338 members in the House. That is a far cry from full democracy.

In addition, we are now talking about the most important issue of our time, the environment. All the reports, including those from the commissioner of the environment, the OECD and the Department of the Environment itself, say that we will not reach our targets for at least 200 years. That makes no sense. Every Friday since the beginning of the year, young people have been taking to the streets. These are serious protests, yet the government cannot even be bothered to listen to what they are saying and take concrete action to lower our greenhouse gas emissions right now.

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, time allocation is the only tool the government has to move a bill forward in the event of an impasse. We have the duty to ensure that all bills are put to a vote. Obviously, our goal is to work with all of our colleagues here. We do not take any decision lightly, but that is the decision we came to in this case.

With regard to the environment, I agree with my colleague. Climate change is real, and young people across the country are calling on us to take action. That is why we were the first government to have the courage to put a price on pollution. We will always defend our plan and continue to do even more.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the minister for continuing to defend her government.

Many Liberal MPs knocked on doors in the last election, saying that they were going to be completely transparent, which we have not seen from the government. They said that they would oppose omnibus legislation, like this bill. They also said that they would run balanced budgets in this fiscal year. That again is a promise broken.

I do not blame Liberal MPs, but the member is a minister of the Crown and she needs to account for the continual broken promises. Even in the bill before us, the Credit Union Association was promised that it would have two red-tape reduction measures, and there is only one.

When is the government going to start implementing a proper regime of which everyone in this room can be proud? When will the government start keeping its promises?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in 2015, Canadians had a difficult but clear choice to make. They could either uphold the austerity policies that were having a direct impact on our economy and people's everyday lives or choose to make new investments and create economic growth. The reality is that they chose the second option. They chose the Liberal Party, and that is exactly the approach that we took.

Canadians have created one million new jobs, the unemployment rate is at a historic low and incomes have increased. What is more, poverty has been reduced by 20%. In fact, 825,000 Canadians, including 300,000 children, have been lifted out of poverty thanks to the Canada child benefit and our tax cuts for the middle class.

[Paul Manly, Green, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am disappointed to see we have time allocation on a budget omnibus bill that has things in it that I do not believe belong in it. We are seeing changes to the immigration act and changes that violate the agreements we have for international refugees.

We are seeing the crisis in Mexico. My brother runs the UNHCR office there. He is saying that Canada needs to do more to protect refugees who have serious claims. The United States is not upholding its international commitments. It is not a safe third country.

I am really disappointed, as a new member of Parliament, that the amendments to the legislation that should be in a separate bill are not being debated in this bill.

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to offer my congratulations to my hon. colleague. It is a pleasure to see him in the House.

As I mentioned in French, which I will repeat in English, no person will be turned away if he or she is deemed to be at risk and nobody will be removed without an opportunity to be heard. The government is making that commitment.

We are committed to a fair and compassionate refugee system that provides protection to those who need it most, while ensuring the safety of Canadians and keeping our borders secure.

Since my colleague referred to the UNHCR, the UNHCR said that we were, as a government, upholding our international and domestic legal obligations as asylum claimants would still have access to a robust oral hearing subject to appeal whereby they would receive Canada's protection if found to be at risk.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the new finance minister on her appointment. Surely the person responsible for the budget implementation act would be the one put up to answer the questions.

The previous finance minister was most associated with raising taxes. That minister is maybe more associated with giving deals to allow certain people to avoid taxes. Maybe that is a welcome change.

I want to ask a very direct question about the budgetary policy of the government. When does the minister believe the budget should be balanced?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to mention for my colleague that he has two in one, a minister of finance and the Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie. It is too bad I did not get any questions regarding my file, because we reinvested $60 million into tourism, which is one of the most important industries in the country.

What is clear is that in 2015, Canadians had to make a stark choice. They had to decide whether they wanted to continue cuts under the Harper regime or they wanted to have investments in their own lives, in their own neighbourhoods and see the economy grow. That is exactly what they have seen.

Canadians decided to trust a Liberal government that would ensure they would have more money in their pockets at the end of the month. That is what we did with the Canada child benefit. That is why we were able to help Canadians create one million jobs all across the country. That is why Canada has the best performance of the G7.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

It is my duty to interrupt the proceedings and put forthwith the question necessary to dispose of the motion now before the House.

The question is on the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

All those in favour of the motion will please say yea.

[Some hon. members]

Yea.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

All those opposed will please say nay.

[Some hon. members]

Nay.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

In my opinion the yeas have it.

And five or more members having risen:

Call in the members.

And the bells having rung:

Budget Implementation Act, 2019, No. 1

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The question is on the motion. Shall I dispense?