House of Commons Hansard #19 of the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was assault.
The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
On reflecting on that, I just want to remind the hon. members that the rules state that members cannot do indirectly what they cannot do directly.
Kristina Michaud Bloc Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC
Mr. Speaker, the rail blockade was caused by the RCMP. It was the RCMP that sparked the conflict by ordering its officers to arrest peaceful Wet'suwet'en protesters. It was the RCMP that ordered its officers to use as much force as possible, including snipers, to break up the protests. Using snipers, I could not make this stuff up.
To resolve the crisis, will the Prime Minister—
The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
I will have to interrupt the member for a few moments.
I am having a really hard time hearing the member at the other end, and the noise is getting rather loud.
I will let the member continue with her question.
The hon. member has the floor.
Kristina Michaud Bloc Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC
Mr. Speaker, to resolve the crisis, will the Prime Minister ask for the withdrawal of the RCMP from Wet'suwet'en territory and apologize for the RCMP's mistakes?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity that the member is giving me to remind people that there is no provincial police force in British Columbia. The RCMP serves as the provincial police, and in B.C. it is the equivalent of the Ontario Provincial Police or the Sûreté du Québec. It is the province's responsibility to monitor the RCMP's conduct. The RCMP was acting in the capacity of a provincial police force in this case.
Sylvie Bérubé Bloc Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC
Mr. Speaker, the rail blockade crisis is getting worse by the second.
I was stunned to hear the minister say yesterday that she planned to meet with the Wet'suwet'en protesters by the end of the month. We do not have weeks, or even days, to spare. We have hours.
We need action now.
Will the Prime Minister ask her to call a meeting immediately?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations is ready to meet with the Wet'suwet'en leaders any time. The challenge is that the Wet'suwet'en leaders are not ready to meet with us.
We will keep working to arrange that meeting. We are doing everything we can to resolve this situation peacefully, and we are going to keep exploring different approaches.
On our side, there is a willingness to resolve this peacefully and rapidly.
Pierre Paul-Hus Conservative Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC
Mr. Speaker, for the information of the Prime Minister and all members of the House, the government has the power to give instructions to the RCMP.
After initially denying it, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness finally admitted it in the House yesterday.
The illegal blockades must end, but that will take leadership, a quality that the Prime Minister is sorely lacking.
When will he tell his public safety minister to put an end to this national crisis?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, again, it might be a good idea to get the facts straight.
The blockade near Belleville is the responsibility of the Ontario Provincial Police. Naturally, we are coordinating between the federal police and the provincial police on the work they will do.
However, neither the federal government nor any other government has the right to order the police around in a democracy like ours.
Glen Motz Conservative Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Public Safety conceded that under the RCMP Act, he does in fact have the authority to provide direction to the RCMP.
Will the Prime Minister finally show some real leadership and instruct his public safety minister to direct the RCMP to enforce the law and safely end these illegal blockades?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, politicians do not order the police around in operational matters. That is a well-established principle in our democracy.
We are working with all partners across the country to resolve this situation peacefully and rapidly. That is what Canadians expect, because Canadians are hurting. From disruptions to shortages to layoffs, this situation is unacceptable, and that is why we are doing everything we can to resolve it as quickly as possible.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister, ironically, now says that he does not order police officers around. That will be news to Mark Norman.
Today at the finance committee, I asked the finance minister, who is supposed to be in charge of the money, how much these illegal blockades are costing the Canadian economy every day. He did not know. Does the Prime Minister?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, we recognize that this is a time of hardship for Canadians with shortages, with disruptions in their daily lives as commuters and with layoffs as well. This is a situation that needs to end. It needs to end peacefully, but it needs to end quickly, and the approach that we are taking is to look to resolve this situation in a peaceful manner so that we do not continue to see disruptions like this in the coming months and years.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, then the Prime Minister, like his finance minister, does not know how much this illegal blockade is costing our Canadian economy in terms of dollars.
We know today that 1,500 rail workers have lost their jobs. They went home and looked their families in the eye and said, “I lost my job.”
Can the Prime Minister tell us how many Canadians across the country in total have lost their jobs so far as a result of these illegal blockages?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, far too many Canadians are facing disruptions, facing shortages, and yes, facing layoffs as well. This is the—
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
Mr. Speaker, the very real challenges and suffering faced by Canadians in this situation are why we are so resolved to solve this situation peacefully and quickly. This is something that we need to resolve for stability and the opportunities for Canadians across this country. That is what we will absolutely do.
Taylor Bachrach NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, our country and the government are facing a crisis. The Prime Minister tells us that no relationship is more important to him than that with indigenous peoples, but the protests we are seeing tell us that indigenous people have had enough of the government's empty promises. The Wet'suwet'en people have been patient. They waited decades for the federal government to meet with them in good faith on the question of their title and rights.
Will the Prime Minister travel to Wet'suwet'en territory and personally sit down with the hereditary chiefs?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs have been engaged closely with the province on issues of title and rights. That table is proceeding in a very positive way. They have also engaged directly with the federal government on issues of child and family services in very fruitful discussions over the past few years.
We will continue to engage with the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs, and indeed with all indigenous leaders across this country on the path to reconciliation, but also to look to resolve this current difficult situation for Canadians.
Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's pipe dream is a nightmare for both the environment and the economy. With the Trans Mountain expansion, the Liberals gave the largest gift to an oil company in Canadian history, and the costs just keep going up. Now the finance minister will not even say how much is too much.
We know that as the costs for TMX skyrocket, opposition to it grows too, so when will the Liberals come clean about the full cost of this pipeline and when will they admit that they were wrong to buy it in the first place?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion is in the national interest. Getting our resources to markets other than the United States is a positive thing for our economy, a positive thing for workers across the country and indeed a positive thing for consumers and taxpayers across the country as well.
It is also going to be helpful in our transition and in our fight against climate change, as all the profits from the extremely profitable pipeline that will be built will be poured into the clean energy transition and invested in green solutions. That is how to manage the path forward responsibly for Canadians.
Sean Casey Liberal Charlottetown, PE
Mr. Speaker, the veteran and family well-being fund is a crucial tool that our government has introduced that helps veterans, their families and veteran organizations across Canada. This program provides grants and contributions to organizations to conduct research and implement projects that support the well-being of veterans and their families, and it will have a lasting impact on the veteran community.
Can the Prime Minister tell us about recent projects our government has funded through this important program?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Charlottetown for his question and for his hard work on behalf of Canadian veterans.
We announced the investment of $400,000 for Operation Entrepreneur, which will help veterans get the skills and supports they need to get started in business as they transition to civilian life.
We have also announced an investment of $400,000 to Good Shepherd Ministries to support homeless veterans and those at risk of becoming homeless.
We are working to ensure that Canadian veterans and their families are receiving the skills and support they so deeply need and deserve.
Jamie Schmale Conservative Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON
Mr. Speaker, Conservatives stand with the Wet'suwet'en people. When it comes to Coastal GasLink, the Wet'suwet'en elected chief and councillors support this project. We recognize that self-determination and economic independence are important steps—