Debates of Feb. 18th, 2020

Public Safety

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, while the Prime Minister was off wining and dining African dictators and kowtowing to Iranian despots, anti-energy activists were busy derailing the Canadian economy here at home.

It has been nearly two weeks and the Prime Minister has done nothing to assure Canadians that the rule of law will be upheld. His own anti-energy rhetoric has given courage to those who are willing to defy the courts with their illegal blockades.

Does the Prime Minister agree that these blockades are illegal? If so, when is he finally going to do something about it?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, as I have already indicated, it is not the role of government to give instructions to the commander of the RCMP.

Let me share with the House the RCMP's procedure for dealing with this. The RCMP operating manual for dealing with aboriginal demonstrations says very clearly that their responsibility is to preserve the peace, to protect life and property and to uphold the law, and every enforcement action shall be measured, incremental and as non-confrontational as possible, and they shall always try to negotiate the conflict before taking enforcement action.

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's empty words have done nothing to de-escalate the situation. In fact, these protestors have been emboldened by his lack of meaningful action.

This morning a group of extremists in British Columbia attempted to carry out a “citizen's arrest” on Premier John Horgan in his home. This is happening in Canada, under the Prime Minister's watch.

Will the Prime Minister realize that appeasement is no longer an option and finally make it clear that the rule of law will be upheld and enforced in this country?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, I am always shocked when someone invokes the rule of law and then chooses to ignore it.

The Supreme Court of Canada has been very explicit about this: Police independence underpins the rule of law. It is necessary for the maintenance of public order and the preservation of the police.

The police in this case are following their training and their procedures. They are working diligently to resolve this matter peaceably, and they have our confidence.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the rail blockades are holding the public hostage. In my riding, more than 3,000 people no longer have access to public transit.

Last week, I tried to contact the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations; no answer. I contacted the Minister of Indigenous Services; no answer. Then I found out that the questions need to be directed to the Minister of Transport, but I saw him on television saying that this is a provincial matter.

I know that the Prime Minister is in Africa and I wonder where the Deputy Prime Minister might be.

My question is simple: Who is going to address the concerns of my constituents?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we are extremely concerned about the impact of these blockades on those who rely on public transit, not only Canadians, but also those who rely on the freight system. We are seized with the issue. We are well aware of the problem and want to resolve it as quickly as possible. As we have been saying from the outset, we will resolve this matter through dialogue.

[Sylvie Bérubé, Bloc, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, first nations expect to have nation-to-nation relationships with the government, but there must be leadership to manage this type of relationship. Stakeholders must be present. When the crisis broke, the Prime Minister was in Africa. You would think that he took the minister with him, because we did not hear from her for the entire week. The minister made light of the first nations' anger.

What is she now doing to re-establish dialogue?

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Mr. Speaker, our government believes that dialogue is the best and most appropriate way to address these issues.

We are committed to establishing, together with indigenous peoples, a relationship based on the affirmation of rights, respect, co-operation and partnership.

We recognize that these are difficult times. That is why, together with the Government of British Columbia, we wrote a joint letter to the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs asking to meet with them as soon as possible.

Ukraine International Flight 752

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians were horrified to see the Prime Minister grinning, hugging and bowing during his interaction with the Iranian foreign minister, providing the regime a major propaganda victory and revictimizing families whose loved ones it killed.

Could the Prime Minister update the House as to whether this servile display led to any concrete progress on compensation for flight 752 victims' families or on a proper independent investigation?

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was very clear and very firm with the Iranian foreign minister. He made a promise to families in Canada that we will do everything we can to make sure that they get full disclosure, accountability, transparency and justice.

Equally, in Munich the Minister of Foreign Affairs and our allies sent a strong message that Iran—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I want to interrupt the hon. parliamentary secretary. There is quite a bit of shouting while he is trying to answer. There are one or two voices. I do not want to have to point the members out, but they know who they are. Their voices carry very well, and I am sure they would not want to be pointed out.

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our Prime Minister has taken every opportunity and was extremely clear and always firm with Iranian officials, the Iranian prime minister and the foreign minister. He made a promise to families in Canada that we will do everything in our power to make sure they get closure, accountability, transparency and justice.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, when former prime minister Stephen Harper met with Vladimir Putin, he said, “get out of Ukraine.” Now that is real leadership. The Iranian community and the families of the victims of flight 752 deserve that kind of leadership. Instead they had the insulting spectacle of the Prime Minister glad-handing, back-slapping and of course bowing to the Iranian foreign minister and chief propagandist.

Will the Prime Minister apologize to the families and the Iranian community for this blatant disrespect? Will he say sorry for once again embarrassing Canada on the world stage?

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, now more than ever as families grieve, as families try to make sense of this situation, it is important for us to be united in the House and in Canada and for Canadians to stand in the wake of this terrible tragedy.

I would ask my colleagues on all sides of the House to avoid trying to score political points on this very important and deeply personal issue to many Canadians. We have brought together Canadians and international partners to hold Iran to account. We will do that and we expect members to help us with it.

Foreign Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, at the Munich Security Conference last week, our closest ally, the United States, once again emphasized that reduced American intelligence co-operation would be the consequence for countries considering letting Huawei build next-generation telecommunications networks. Canada depends on U.S. intelligence sharing. Is the Prime Minister prepared to compromise Canada's national security and NORAD intelligence sharing by approving Huawei?

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, on every issue, we use an evidence-based approach. We ensure that we take into account our allies' positions, which are not unanimous. We will continue the discussions around the Huawei decision and do it thoroughly, carefully and expeditiously.

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

Mr. Speaker, the theme of this year's Munich Security Conference was “Westlessness”, highlighting a more divided and uncompetitive NATO alliance.

In response, France advocates for a Europe-first approach to security, arguing that Europeans need to preserve their own sovereignty in a world dominated by an increasingly nationalist United States and an ambitious Russia.

On this side of the Atlantic, Canada needs allies, but with Europe turning inward, Canada has never been more alone. How is the Prime Minister protecting Canada's sovereignty when no one has our back?

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, our foreign policy is based on renewing a rules-based international order that Canadians have built together, protecting universal human rights, supporting democracies.

We are a leader in the world on critical issues, whether it is in Venezuela, or in the Middle East or in China, all around the world. We will continue to stand with our allies, with NATO partners, as we continue to ensure Canada's leadership is strong and heard in our world with allies and like-minded who work with us.

Indigenous Affairs

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the government uses the concept of the rule of law when it comes to helping their corporate friends build development projects without the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous people. We can all agree that upholding the Constitution, which includes section 35, aboriginal title and treaty rights, requires the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous people prior to developing. It is the rule of law.

Why does the Prime Minister have a double standard when applying the rule of law in this country?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, I was honoured to receive in my mandate letter something that pertains precisely to the hon. member's question, and that is the implementation of UNDRIP into Canadian law. We plan to implement this declaration by the end of 2020 and will be engaging with Canadians and working in partnership with indigenous people to implement the framework that will, in part, be the answer to her question.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, while the hereditary chiefs of the Wet'suwet'en nation were defending their rights and lands and solidarity protests were being held across the country, the Prime Minister was taking selfies around the world. The crisis is here.

Today, the leaders of the Assembly of First Nations proposed realistic and reasonable conditions for finding a solution. They have a plan to put an end to the crisis.

Obviously, the Prime Minister does not have a plan. Will he agree to the Assembly of First Nations' plan? Will he take this outstretched hand, meet with the hereditary chiefs and promote true reconciliation?

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Mr. Speaker, our government believes that dialogue is the best way to deal with this issue.

Discussions with the hereditary chiefs of the Wet'suwet'en nation are under way. What is more, I spoke with Chief Woos on Sunday.

I would like to reiterate our government's commitment to a joint meeting with the hereditary chiefs of the Wet'suwet'en nation and the Province of British Columbia. This commitment was confirmed in joint letters between our government and the Government of British Columbia. We are open and available as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

The Economy

[Vance Badawey, Liberal, Niagara Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last week, in Niagara Centre, I was proud to share more great news about the Canadian economy with my constituents, 35,000 new jobs. In just the first 31 days of 2020, that is an incredible accomplishment by our Canadian folk, a credit to all business and fantastic news for Canada's workers.

Could the Minister of Labour tell us some of what she will be doing to continue making Canada a place to build a business and support Canada's workers?

[Filomena Tassi, Liberal, Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, February 7 was indeed another great day. Our government is and remains committed to Canada's workers.

We have repealed unfair labour-targeting legislation, introduced protections to address workplace violence and harassment and introduced more flexible work arrangements. Our plan for the future is a $15 federal minimum wage, implementing the Pay Equity Act and modernizing labour protections.

We remain committed to Canada's workers.