Debates of Nov. 2nd, 2020

Justice

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

There it is, Mr. Speaker. The same minister has the same old lines from the same old story.

The Liberals always put their Liberal friends at the front of the queue. It turns out Mathieu Bouchard, a key PMO player during the SNC-Lavalin scandal, continues to meddle in the affairs of the Minister of Justice. The Liberals want to make sure that, if they do not get the right prosecutor, they at least get the right judge.

Why is the government always tilting the scales of justice in favour of well-connected Liberals?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, I remind the hon. member that the only people upon whom we consult, the only candidates we consider, are those who have gone through the judicial appointments committee and a rigorous process. Over half of them do not get promoted. Only those who are highly recommended and occasionally recommended get promoted.

I can assure the House and Canadians that I make the recommendations to cabinet and that I have not had any interference from the PMO with respect to my decisions, nor have I had a candidate refused.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, documents confirm that, because of “no caucus input”, appointments of at least 15 judges were stifled by the Prime Minister's Office. The Liberals have their hands on judicial appointments at every single step. Even Liberal MPs who do not show up for a year, like Nicola Di Iorio, had more say in who became a judge than the Attorney General did.

It is a simple question. What does the government think is a more important qualification for being a judge: being a lawyer, or being a Liberal?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, the important qualification is the quality of the candidate. That is determined, in the first instance, by the judicial appointments committee. In the second instance, there is wide consultation among the legal community, again focusing on quality, and only with respect to highly recommended or occasionally recommended candidates.

We are proud of the process that we have put in place. I am proud of the appointments that I have put in place. I repeat, as Minister of Justice, I have not had a single candidate rejected by the PMO, nor have I had a single candidate suggested to me by the PMO.

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

Mr. Speaker, the media are reporting that ministers, Liberal MPs, the Prime Minister's senior staff, influential members of the Liberal Party of Canada and riding assistants all have a say on the appointment of judges in Canada.

Are these the people who make up the expert committee for judicial appointments promised by the Prime Minister in 2016?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, the hon. member has misrepresented the process.

All candidates are assessed by judicial advisory committees, which are non-partisan. They have no access to partisan information. Only highly recommended and recommended candidates move on to the next step of consultation in the legal community.

Our goal is to seek out high-quality and diverse candidates. I am very proud of my appointments and I can assure the hon. member that I have never been pressured by the Prime Minister's office.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice keeps repeating in the House that there is no political interference in Canada's judicial appointment process, despite what we are seeing in the media.

Will the minister change his version of the facts, given what we know now about Canada's corrupt judicial appointment process?

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

Mr. Speaker, we changed and improved the judicial appointment process precisely because the former Conservative government was making very partisan appointments.

The judicial advisory committees work very hard to assess the candidates who are highly recommended or recommended so that they can move on to the next stage. Yes, we do hold consultations, but they are broad-based, thorough consultations with the entire legal community.

I am very proud of the quality and diversity of the appointments I have made.

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

Mr. Speaker, we will talk more about that.

Staff in the Prime Minister's office systematically check the political backgrounds of candidates for the judiciary in the Liberalist database. Those who contributed to the Liberal Party's campaign fund or participated in campaigns are put at the top of the appointment list.

Can the Minister of Justice confirm the use of this unethical scheme in selecting highly recommended candidates for judicial appointments in Canada?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the hon. member described the process incorrectly.

I recommend people of all political stripes. The information available at the end of the process is used only to decide how to proceed with an appointment. I have never had a candidate blocked. I can assure the member that I am the one who makes recommendations to cabinet, and I recommend only candidates who are highly recommended and recommended.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we already knew that the Liberals vetted judicial appointments using a partisan tool called the “Liberalist” to give their friends an advantage, but it is worse than we thought.

On the weekend, journalist Joël-Denis Bellavance stated that even the Prime Minister's Office was directly interfering by pointing the Department of Justice toward loyal Liberals. Also according to Mr. Bellavance, the Minister of Justice asked other ministers, including the Minister of National Revenue and the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, to approve new judges. It goes deep.

Is it still possible for non-Liberals to become judges in Canada?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, as I just said, I appoint people from all parties on the political spectrum as well as people who have no party affiliation.

I just described the process. Judicial advisory committees work very hard to evaluate candidates. Highly recommended and recommended candidates move on to the next stage, which is consultation within the legal community. It is all done in a non-partisan manner, and I am proud of the appointments I have made.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is saying one thing, and a journalist is saying the exact opposite. One of the two is not telling the truth. I am not convinced it is the journalist, because he has nothing to gain from lying.

We know the Liberals consult their pundits to find out who is a good Liberal, but it goes further than that. Former Liberal member Nicolas Di Iorio tried to block the appointment of a judge because she comes from a family of separatists. The Liberals personally intervene not only to favour those who are friends, but also to undermine those who are not.

Is competence still a requirement for becoming a judge in Canada?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, I can only speak based on my experience as justice minister.

I can assure the hon. member that I make all final cabinet appointments. I have never been pressured by the Prime Minister's Office. No one has ever blocked any of my appointments. I am very proud of my appointments. I have appointed people from several political parties and people with no political affiliation whatsoever. I focus on quality and diversity in my appointments, and I am very proud of them.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Before moving on to the next question, I want to remind members joining us virtually to mute their microphones.

The hon. member for La Prairie.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what is happening with judges is very serious. Let's not forget what happened in Quebec two years ago when we were forced to release criminals, including biker gang members, because of procedural delays and the Jordan decision. Now we find out that in 2018, five judicial appointments in Quebec were delayed by this government because it was waiting for feedback from caucus. I am not making this up.

It is bad enough that they give preference to their Liberal friends. It is bad enough that they are undermining those who are not Liberal, but do they realize how much they are undermining justice in Quebec?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, since being appointed Minister of Justice I have been working to ensure that judicial appointments are made regularly and that they follow the process. As I said, I have recommended several candidates for appointment in Quebec. I am working with my counterparts in Quebec to minimize the impact of the Jordan decision and I am constantly monitoring the situation in the courts.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last week the government refused to answer questions about how it intends to protect Canadian consumers from gouging by grocery giants. First it decided to talk about other government programs, then it decided to blame the provinces, but the government knows it has a responsibility to protect competition and the agriculture sector, especially after selling out farmers in numerous trade deals.

When is the government going to get serious about protecting consumers and farmers?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, of course it is absolutely disappointing to see grocers impose these costly fees, which fall on thousands of Canadian food producers who are working hard to feed Canadians and support their communities, among the other challenges they are facing right now.

We share the concerns of Canadians, and we want to make sure there are fair market practices in place. We continue to make sure this issue is addressed, and we are going to make sure we work with the provinces to address these issues.

[James Cumming, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the industry minister is responsible for the Competition Act. He knows that.

It is up to the federal government to protect consumers and farmers from the unfair fees being imposed by Walmart, Metro and others. Instead, the government wants to pass the buck to the provinces.

Will the government take its responsibilities under the Competition Act seriously and make sure that Canadians, already suffering enough with the pandemic, are not hit yet again?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, that is a very important question. As I said, our government recognizes that the ongoing financial health of independent grocers, food processors and growers is critical to ensuring a robust food supply for Canadians. However, we also recognize that the terms of sale generally fall under areas of provincial jurisdiction.

We encourage our provincial and territorial counterparts to examine the matter. As I said, we will continue to engage with them and work with them because we are here to stand up for Canadians.

[James Cumming, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the key word there was “generally”. The one industry that did not experience a slowdown during COVID-19 was the grocery sector. Many of these big chains saw record profits as Canadians prepared to lock down during the past spring.

As the Greater Toronto Area, Quebec and now Winnipeg are going through a second wave of lockdowns, more Canadians are worried about their next meal. This is a federal responsibility. Will the industry minister treat it like one and make sure that Canada's competition laws are protecting grocery customers?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, these are important issues, and I have full confidence in the Competition Bureau and its ability to look into these matters. These are issues that Canadians have raised, and I want to thank my hon. colleague for raising this issue as well.

As we have indicated on several occasions, we recognize that the terms of sale we have highlighted, those in respect to the ongoing financial impositions faced by independent grocers, fall under provincial jurisdiction. We encourage our provincial and territorial counterparts to examine this matter. We will continue to keep an eye on this as well.

Infrastructure

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Canada Infrastructure Bank has finally admitted what we have known all along: Publicly funded infrastructure projects will be allowed to charge Canadians to generate private profits. That includes the REM transit system in Montreal, which received over a billion dollars from the bank.

Which big corporation will be generating profits by charging riders? My colleagues can guess. It will be SNC-Lavalin. The bank was even planning on having private investors charge Mapleton residents to access their own municipal drinking water.

Why is the Liberal government giving public money to its corporate friends, and then turning around and charging Canadians for using their own infrastructure?

[Andy Fillmore, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, we know it is time to build up, and the Canada Infrastructure Bank is an important piece of that plan. This plan is creating a million jobs. It is building strong communities through investments and infrastructure, such as public transit, clean energy, access to broadband and affordable housing for indigenous peoples in northern communities.

Our government knows that investing in infrastructure for communities, for growth and for Canadians is important. We are continuing to engage with provincial leaders to make sure that we bring benefits to all provinces and territories in this country as we build back better.