House of Commons Hansard #429 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was c-59.

Topics

International TradeOral Questions

June 7th, 2019 / 11:30 a.m.

Conservative

Martin Shields Conservative Bow River, AB

Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister has grossly mismanaged our relationship with China. Now we have learned that meat producers are next in China's target list. Farm incomes were down 45% across the country in 2018, 68% in Alberta alone. Constituents in my riding of Bow River are suffering the consequences. This crisis began six months ago, and now the Prime Minister is considering, maybe, meeting the President of China in three weeks. Gee, thanks. What is the Prime Minister waiting for to take some real action for my ag producers?

International TradeOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Compton—Stanstead Québec

Liberal

Marie-Claude Bibeau LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Madam Speaker, we are taking real action for our farmers, and have been, consistently, since day one. I was pleased to meet with my Chinese counterpart and have a discussion with him when I was in Japan. Just two days ago, we followed up on the file. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has discussed the canola file with Chinese scientists. We are moving forward on this issue. We have also increased our support for farmers through the advance payments program in a meaningful way.

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

Marilyn Gladu Conservative Sarnia—Lambton, ON

Madam Speaker, those actions have had zero results. It has been six months since our relations with China have soured, six months since Canada has not had an ambassador to China, six months that two Canadians have been detained, and now the Chinese government is doubling down on canola, peas, soybeans and meat from Canada. We have repeatedly called for the Prime Minister to take action. Yesterday, he said he might arrange a meeting in three weeks. Really, three weeks?

Why will the Prime Minister not take action now to protect Canadians?

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Don Valley West Ontario

Liberal

Rob Oliphant LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs

Madam Speaker, the cases of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor are a priority for this government. This Parliament has had a proud tradition of uniting and working together when Canadians are detained and when we are at risk with any other country.

I would implore the opposition to think about what it is doing. We have rallied an unprecedented number of partners around the world in support of Canada's position. Liberal members were in China. The Conservatives and NDP did not come.

We invite colleagues to stand together and take the side of Canadians in this very important issue.

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

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

Madam Speaker, for six months, our relationship with China has been deteriorating. For six months, Canada has not had an ambassador in China and for six months, two Canadians have been detained there. Now, China is imposing sanctions on our agricultural products.

We have asked the Prime Minister many times to take action. He announced that he might organize a meeting in three weeks. However, before doing so, he is going to look into whether it is “appropriate or desirable”, as he said yesterday.

If the Prime Minister is scared to do his job, could he ask someone else to do it for him?

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Don Valley West Ontario

Liberal

Rob Oliphant LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs

Madam Speaker, the cases of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor are a priority for our government and others too, I hope.

We have rallied an unprecedented number of partners in support of Canada's position. Some Liberal members, myself included, were in China two weeks ago to raise these cases, but the Conservatives and the NDP refused to send anyone.

We are always ready to talk to China and raise these issues.

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

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

Madam Speaker, there is no progress. The Prime Minister continues to destroy Canada's relationship with China, as tensions continue to escalate. Canadian farmers are struggling as China has stopped imports of canola and is restricting soy and pork shipments, while two Canadians are suffering in a Chinese prison and another one faces the death penalty. Now the Prime Minister is only considering engaging directly with China in three weeks, and that is if the Chinese agree to it.

Why is the Prime Minister showing such weakness in the face of China?

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Don Valley West Ontario

Liberal

Rob Oliphant LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs

Madam Speaker, our Prime Minister and our Minister of Foreign Affairs have taken these cases and all of these issues extremely seriously, and we continue to work in a very complex and difficult situation with integrity, persistence and grace.

I raised the concerns that the member has raised myself in China two weeks ago, and we have rallied an unprecedented number of partners around the world in support of Canada's position. Last week, the United States and Canada issued a joint statement firmly rejecting the wrongful detentions and calling for the immediate release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. We continue to raise these cases and all these—

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

NDP

The Assistant Deputy Speaker NDP Carol Hughes

The hon. member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie.

TransportationOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

NDP

Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC

Madam Speaker, more and more people are jumping on their bikes to cycle to work or get around the city.

Yesterday the neighbourhood of Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie launched an ambitious plan to re-do our cycling network, make intersections safer and create new protected bike lanes. While municipal elected officials are taking action, the Liberals are dragging their feet. The report on cycling safety has been gathering dust in the Minister of Transport's office for months.

When will the Liberals step up to protect pedestrians and cyclists?

TransportationOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount Québec

Liberal

Marc Garneau LiberalMinister of Transport

Madam Speaker, the Liberal government took action a year ago.

I am the one who brought together the provinces and territories to talk about the very serious topic of vulnerable pedestrians and cyclists. As I have said many times, we are launching federal initiatives, including pilot projects, to increase the visibility of the trucks and other heavy vehicles travelling through our cities.

I congratulate Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie on its initiative. We would like to see more municipalities and provinces follow its lead.

Child CareOral Questions

11:40 a.m.

NDP

Richard Cannings NDP South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC

Madam Speaker, Amanda from Penticton has found that the money she gets from the Canada child benefit is useless, as there are no child care spaces for her daughter, so she cannot go back to work. Amanda began the Waitlisted Project online to document the difficulties parents face when looking for child care. They found that the child benefit is entirely inadequate for covering child care costs and does not open up any new spaces. This is unacceptable.

Will the Liberals act immediately to create more child care spaces so that parents like Amanda can go back to work?

Child CareOral Questions

11:40 a.m.

Spadina—Fort York Ontario

Liberal

Adam Vaughan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families

Madam Speaker, the focus on alleviating child poverty is one of the most important priorities this government has addressed in its first four years, and it has done it in several different ways. Of course, the Canada child benefit, which was massively increased and made tax-free, which the NDP voted against, is part of the solution.

The other part of the solution is the $7.5 billion we have invested, through the provinces, to create new day care spaces, to create new day care subsidies and to support, through the infrastructure program, the construction of new day care facilities.

This government is committed to finding the solution to the problem and working with partners to get there, including indigenous partners with the first-ever distinctions-based program.

VeteransOral Questions

11:40 a.m.

Conservative

Erin O'Toole Conservative Durham, ON

Madam Speaker, the veterans' hospital in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, was transferred from the federal government to the Government of Quebec in 2016.

Unfortunately, under this Liberal government, the quality of care has gone downhill, forcing very elderly veterans to take legal action to get the services they were promised at Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.

Why are the Liberals once again abandoning our veterans?

VeteransOral Questions

11:40 a.m.

Acadie—Bathurst New Brunswick

Liberal

Serge Cormier LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence

Madam Speaker, I want to compliment my colleague on his excellent French.

We are committed to supporting veterans in long-term care facilities across Canada by keeping them close to home and to their loved ones.

We are proud to provide financial support to over 5,000 veterans who are currently receiving care in one of the 1,300 provincial facilities we partner with.

Since this matter is currently before the courts, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further.

VeteransOral Questions

11:40 a.m.

Conservative

Erin O'Toole Conservative Durham, ON

Madam Speaker, what is inappropriate is for the Liberal government to ignore our veterans a day after we celebrated their win over tyranny in World War II, veterans like Wolf Solkin, who is the lead veteran at the Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue hospital. He and his friends were the veterans who secured the democracy we have today. He is standing up for his fellow veterans at Ste. Anne's to ensure that they have the same level and quality of service and treatment that they had before the transfer in 2016. We can celebrate our veterans, and both sides respect that, but only this side can make it right.

When will the government commit to fixing the situation at Ste. Anne's?

VeteransOral Questions

11:40 a.m.

Acadie—Bathurst New Brunswick

Liberal

Serge Cormier LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence

Madam Speaker, as I said, since this matter is currently before the courts, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further.

I find it very distressing to hear a Conservative member saying that we are not taking care of our veterans when the Conservatives made billions of dollars in cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of National Defence, closed Veterans Affairs offices and laid off staff who processed claims.

We have invested over $10 billion in our veterans. We will always be there for our veterans to support them and to make sure they get the care they need.

Forestry IndustryOral Questions

11:40 a.m.

Conservative

Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC

Madam Speaker, it is obvious that the government does not care about the over 200,000 Canadians who are employed by forestry, or the 9,500 forestry jobs in indigenous communities across our country, or the hundreds of communities across rural Canada that depend on the forestry industry for at least half their base income.

Despite having a once-in-a-generation chance to end the long-standing softwood dispute by negotiating a new NAFTA, Liberals squandered the opportunity. Why?

Forestry IndustryOral Questions

11:45 a.m.

London West Ontario

Liberal

Kate Young LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Science and Sport and to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility (Accessibility)

Madam Speaker, we are taking action to ensure that our forestry sector remains a source of good, middle-class jobs across the country. With new investments in budget 2019, our support will total over $1 billion. Our softwood lumber action plan is actively supporting workers in communities, and this past fall, we announced funding through the strategic innovation fund specifically for forestry.

Building on our work to date, budget 2019 includes additional investments to help this sector innovate, diversify and grow. We will always stand with workers in our forestry sector.

Forestry IndustryOral Questions

11:45 a.m.

Conservative

Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC

Madam Speaker, thousands and thousands of jobs are at risk right now. Hundreds of jobs have been lost in recent weeks in my province alone. Where are they standing with them? In the unemployment line? That answer is shameful.

The Liberals have admitted that forestry has not been a priority. They would rather litigate than negotiate. For the past four years, they have failed to be a champion for our forestry families. What are they going to do for the thousands of Canadians employed in our forestry industry who have already received mill closure layoff notices or job losses?

Forestry IndustryOral Questions

11:45 a.m.

London West Ontario

Liberal

Kate Young LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Science and Sport and to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility (Accessibility)

Madam Speaker, our hearts go out to the workers, their families and communities, but we have to underscore that the job figures are doing very well. We have increased the number of jobs by 27,000 in the last month alone, and we have the lowest unemployment rate in 40 years.

We continue to strengthen this industry's competitiveness and sustainability as it struggles with log supply and market conditions. From wildfires to invasive species, our forests are feeling the effects of climate change. With new investments in budget 2019, our support for forestry sector workers will total over $1 billion—

Forestry IndustryOral Questions

11:45 a.m.

NDP

The Assistant Deputy Speaker NDP Carol Hughes

The hon. member for Hamilton Mountain.

TaxationOral Questions

11:45 a.m.

NDP

Scott Duvall NDP Hamilton Mountain, ON

Madam Speaker, in 2015, the Liberals promised the people of Hamilton change to make their lives better, but everyday families are just trying to keep up with their bills and are grappling with sky-high housing costs, out-of-pocket health costs, child care and seniors care.

When big corporations decide to leave our communities, people pay the price by losing their jobs and livelihoods. Instead of standing up for workers, the Liberal government has been granting amnesty to wealthy KPMG clients trying to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. Can the Liberals explain to the people of Hamilton how this is fair?

TaxationOral Questions

11:45 a.m.

King—Vaughan Ontario

Liberal

Deb Schulte LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue

Madam Speaker, let me say that unlike the previous government, fighting tax evasion and bringing fairness to the tax system is a huge priority for this government.

Since we took office, the CRA has completed twice as many offshore non-compliance audits in three years than it did in 10 years under the Conservatives. The CRA has opened 50 criminal investigations relating to tax evasion. With our historic investments of over $1 billion, our government is giving the agency the resources it needs to do its work, and we are starting to see results.

We are committed to ensuring tax fairness, and we are delivering results.

PensionsOral Questions

11:45 a.m.

NDP

Cheryl Hardcastle NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON

Madam Speaker, in 2015, the Liberals promised all working people change to make their lives better, but workers and retirees in Windsor—Tecumseh and in the rest of Essex County can still lose their pensions, their deferred earnings, because the Liberals broke their promise. They did not fix the bankruptcy laws that put their wealthy insider friends ahead of hard-working Canadians.

New Democrats know that people rely on their pensions to retire with dignity and to take care of their loved ones. Are the Liberals going to explain now what they are doing to protect pensions?