House of Commons Hansard #426 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was seniors.

Topics

FinanceOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan

Order, please. The hon. member for Chilliwack—Hope.

Government PrioritiesOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Conservative

Mark Strahl Conservative Chilliwack—Hope, BC

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government uses its power to punish its enemies and reward its friends.

If its SNC-Lavalin, the Prime Minister fights to get it out of troublesome court cases. If one is a decorated vice-admiral, that vice-admiral gets a Prime Minister promising that he will be in court before an investigation is even complete. If one is a cabinet minister who speaks truth to power, that cabinet minister is fired and kicked out of the Liberal Party. If its an anti-Conservative group like Unifor, that group gets to decide how to hand out $600 million to the media in an election year.

When will the Liberals stop trying to stack the deck in their own favour?

Government PrioritiesOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Burlington Ontario

Liberal

Karina Gould LiberalMinister of Democratic Institutions

Mr. Speaker, let us just take a walk down history lane here and look at what the Conservatives have done.

There is only one party in Canada's history that has been found several times to have broken election laws: robocalls, the in-and-out scandal and actually having a member of Parliament go to jail for spending over the limit. That is just the tip of the iceberg. Let us not talk about the so-called Fair Elections Act that they put in place to made it harder for Canadians to vote.

We will take no lessons from the party opposite.

Government PrioritiesOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Conservative

Mark Strahl Conservative Chilliwack—Hope, BC

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government had no problem putting its fingers on the scales of justice in the Mark Norman case. It did not hesitate to try to interfere in the criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin. It sees nothing wrong with allowing foreign funding to continue to pour into special interest groups in Canada. It is unapologetic for putting an anti-Conservative group like Unifor on a panel that will decide how to hand out $600 million to the media that will cover the upcoming election.

Why are the Liberals so desperate to use the power of government to punish their enemies and reward their friends?

Government PrioritiesOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Burlington Ontario

Liberal

Karina Gould LiberalMinister of Democratic Institutions

Mr. Speaker, it appears my colleague opposite did not hear the answer the last time, so if he does not mind, I will repeat it.

There is only one party in the House that has been found to have broken election laws on numerous occasions. Let us go back. Let us remember the robocalls. Let us remember the in and out. Let us remember that one of its members of Parliament was found to have overspent and actually went to jail.

When it comes to this side of the House, we made it easier for Canadians to vote. We gave the Commissioner of Canada Elections more power to enforce our laws. We have ensured that we are protecting our elections from foreign cyber-threats.

Government PrioritiesOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan

Order, please. I know it will shock members to hear that they will hear things in the House they will not like sometimes, but we still have to allow each other the opportunity to speak despite that.

The hon. member for Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River.

Indigenous AffairsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

NDP

Georgina Jolibois NDP Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK

Mr. Speaker, the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls inquiry has called for serious action to help the families of women who have gone missing.

Families across northern Saskatchewan expect action from the Liberal government after the genocide of indigenous women. The families of Happy Charles and Myrna Montgrand need mental health supports and funding to help find their loved ones.

Will the Liberals commit today to provide all the necessary resources toward missing and murdered women in northern Saskatchewan?

Indigenous AffairsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Toronto—St. Paul's Ontario

Liberal

Carolyn Bennett LiberalMinister of Crown-Indigenous Relations

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to ending this national tragedy. We know that the actions and policies of past governments directly led to the loss and extinguishment of indigenous languages, culture and traditional practices.

We are thanking the commission for the report and carefully reviewing all the recommendations. Our job is now to work with the survivors, families and our partners to develop a national action plan to implement those calls for justice.

We must work together to end the ongoing tragedy and Canadians should expect no less, including the people in northern Saskatchewan.

Indigenous AffairsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

NDP

Niki Ashton NDP Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB

Mr. Speaker, last week the Minister of Indigenous Services went to Grassy Narrows to sign an agreement based on a two-year-old promise to a community that has been ravaged by mercury poisoning. However, he returned empty-handed.

Today, in committee, adding insult to injury, the minister blamed the chief, saying that the chief just “changed his mind”.

Let me be clear. Grassy Narrows is calling for what it was promised, including a mercury care home and treatment centre. Grassy Narrows deserves justice, not gaslighting.

When will the Liberal government quit the blame game and keep its promise to the people of Grassy Narrows?

Indigenous AffairsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

St. John's South—Mount Pearl Newfoundland & Labrador

Liberal

Seamus O'Regan LiberalMinister of Indigenous Services

Mr. Speaker, I was in Grassy Narrows, because building a health facility there is a priority for us. The hope was to sign an agreement to move forward in addressing the needs of the community. It is part of a process of consensus building and negotiation in the best interest of the outcomes for that community and looking after those who are no longer in the community but need attention and care.

These conversations are ongoing. We will continue working with Chief Turtle and his council until we agree on a solution that meets the health needs of Grassy Narrows, not only now but in the long term.

Status of WomenOral Questions

June 4th, 2019 / 2:45 p.m.

Liberal

Gudie Hutchings Liberal Long Range Mountains, NL

Mr. Speaker, our government has been working hard to advance gender equality, and our plan is working. One million jobs have been created and there are now more women working then ever before.

Women's organizations are at the forefront of gender equality, yet they often remain underfunded, undermined, despite the vital role they play.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality please tell the House how our government will change the way government funds women's organizations to make them more sustainable and stable for the future?

Status of WomenOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Winnipeg South Manitoba

Liberal

Terry Duguid LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality

Mr. Speaker, once again, there is very good news for gender equality and the sustainability of the women's movement.

The new partnerships with the Community Foundations of Canada, the Canadian Women's Foundation and Grand Challenges Canada will bring funding to women's organizations to a level never reached before. Women's groups know first-hand how a decade of being underfunded and undermined by a government can roll back equality rights, but we are standing with them.

I want to thank the hon. member for Long Range Mountains for her great advocacy.

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

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

Mr. Speaker, Canada has always had excellent relations with Mexico. However, the Liberals' poor management of the border and the cancellation of the visa program for Mexico are creating a safety risk for Canadians. More than 400 individuals linked to Mexican cartels have entered Canada to expand their territory and engage in criminal activity.

Can the minister tell us what steps have been taken to address the situation?

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Regina—Wascana Saskatchewan

Liberal

Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Mr. Speaker, I am rather surprised that the hon. gentleman continues to use statistics that have been totally discredited. In fact, he asked this question in the standing committee yesterday, and I indicated to him that according to the records of the CBSA, the number of Mexicans that had been connected or linked to the alleged cartels was not 400, but in fact three. It is not 300, but three, and they are among those who have been deported from Canada.

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for shouting so much. It shows a lot of respect for the House.

That said, the minister mentioned that the number of Mexican cartel members in Canada is three, not 400.

So much the better if this is true. Can the minister tell us where these three individuals are and whether they will be deported to Mexico quickly?

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Regina—Wascana Saskatchewan

Liberal

Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Mr. Speaker, in all the hubbub of the House, I think the hon. gentleman missed the last part of my previous answer. I indicated that those three, including another 27 who had criminal issues, had all been deported from Canada.

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Mr. Speaker, this week we learned that the Liberal government offered access into Canada as a reward for many people who sued the government based on the flawed and terribly managed family reunification program. I do not think there is anyone in this place who would say that access into our country is something that should be frittered away as a result of a lawsuit. This action was described by somebody as likening Canada to a third world country.

Is the government expecting further lawsuits on this issue?

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

York South—Weston Ontario

Liberal

Ahmed Hussen LiberalMinister of Immigration

Mr. Speaker, let me correct the record with respect to the Conservatives' record on the parent and grandparent program: a backlog of over 167,000 cases, a six to 18 year wait time to sponsor loved ones. They mismanaged the program so badly that it went off the rails for two years.

We have eliminated the backlog and we have reduced the wait times to under two years. So they do not forget, this is exactly what the Conservatives said about this program, a party that now pretends to care about family reunification—

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan

The hon. member for Calgary Nose Hill.

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Mr. Speaker, under the former Conservative government, we admitted an average of 20,370 people. Under the Liberal government, it was 18,768 in the family reunification.

I am really tired of the minister abdicating his responsibility to manage our border. He cannot allow people to skip the line at Roxham Road and give out access to our country through settlements and court cases, while people who are legally trying to enter this country have to wait.

When are the Liberals going to stop bringing disorder and unfairness to Canada's immigration system?

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

York South—Weston Ontario

Liberal

Ahmed Hussen LiberalMinister of Immigration

Mr. Speaker, this is what the Conservative Party recently said about the parent and grandparent program. The party describes this program as a “burden” on the federal government in terms of support as well as a drain on provinces. The party that pretends to care about family reunification is at the same time trying to describe parents and grandparents as a drain on Canada, as a drain on provinces.

We are the party that cares about family reunification, not the Conservative Party of Canada.

LabourOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

NDP

Brigitte Sansoucy NDP Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC

Mr. Speaker, the government still has no plan to deal with the labour shortage in rural areas like mine, despite the disastrous consequences for many businesses. Everyone agrees that immigration is one solution, but it is a long process. I asked the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to open an office in Saint-Hyacinthe to help SMEs and agri-food companies, but nothing has happened.

Why is the minister ignoring the people in my riding and in rural areas?

LabourOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Thunder Bay—Superior North Ontario

Liberal

Patty Hajdu LiberalMinister of Employment

Mr. Speaker, we are aware of the increased volume of labour market impact assessment applications. Due to the fact that we have the lowest unemployment rate ever since we have started measuring, we have a new problem, and that is that it is hard to find labour in all different sectors, including in the agricultural sector.

My department is trying to deal with the 40% surge in applications this year. We have dedicated more money and more resources. We are also looking at the way that we are processing LIMAs to find more efficient ways to get employers the workers they need.

Rural Economic DevelopmentOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

NDP

Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC

Mr. Speaker, 13 of the 39 municipalities in my riding have little or no cellphone coverage. While big cities will soon have 5G service, some regions are still fighting to get 3G. Two weeks ago, I asked why the Liberals view and treat people in the regions as second-class citizens when it comes to cellphone service.

The minister told me that telcos will be able to invest more thanks to the accelerated capital cost allowance. However, there is no guarantee that this will result in more investments in the regions. On the contrary, telcos will be able to invest more in the 5G service offered in big cities.

The minister is supposedly responsible for rural economic development. When will she wake up and start working for our regions?

Rural Economic DevelopmentOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

South Shore—St. Margarets Nova Scotia

Liberal

Bernadette Jordan LiberalMinister of Rural Economic Development

Mr. Speaker, we know all Canadians need access to broadband as well as mobile networks, to participate in the digital world and also for safety.

That is why our fall economic statement incentivized businesses to expand networks to rural areas. We are also making mobile projects eligible under the CRTC broadband funding.

In budget 2019, we announced our commitment to make sure we have 100% access to high-speed broadband for all Canadians. We have a plan and it is working.