House of Commons Hansard #24 of the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was medical.

Topics

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, Teck Frontier has made a clear statement that it supports carbon pricing. It supports a plan to fight climate change. It supports climate action.

The problem is that the Conservative Party of Canada and its provincial affiliates continue to think that the way to move forward on jobs is to refuse to move forward on fighting climate change and protecting the environment. They are wrong, and sticking in their wrongness is actually hurting Albertans and all Canadians. We are all impatient for them to wake up.

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Conservative

Shannon Stubbs Conservative Lakeland, AB

Mr. Speaker, Teck Frontier is the latest victim of the Prime Minister's plan and policies to phase out the oil sands.

The Local Fort Mackay Métis president says it is “a black eye for Canada” and, in his words “What the hell is going on?” However, in 2018, the Bank of Canada already warned of no new energy investment after last year.

Today, BMO warns that chaos, instability and uncertainty damages Canada as a place to do business. A leading economist says that Canada is “hostile” to oil and gas and to building major infrastructure.

Why is the Prime Minister a puppet of anti-everything activists who want to shut down Canada?

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, global investors like Larry Fink of BlackRock and other significant international pension funds and investment funds have indicated that the way forward is to make responsible investments in jurisdictions that have plans to fight climate change and that have a plan to continue to protect the environment.

Alberta and the Conservative Party of Canada continue to politically resist any action on climate change, and that unfortunately is why we need to keep moving forward to help Albertan workers, to help Canadians from coast to coast to coast, prepare for a better future.

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

Order, please. I want to remind members of the loyal opposition that the noise is coming from one place, and it is very obvious, even to folks back home. I ask them to keep it down, please.

The hon. member for Beloeil—Chambly.

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Bloc

Yves-François Blanchet Bloc Beloeil—Chambly, QC

Mr. Speaker, as an opposition party, we may be less royal, but we are more disciplined.

This government has to focus on dismantling the blockades and getting the economy back on track and not make firearms the priority. The Premier of Quebec expressed concern about the presence of automatic weapons at some of the blockades, which is a rather dramatic development.

Does the Prime Minister still think that police intervention was the solution?

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, I have tremendous respect for the professionalism of our police forces and their ability to do their job. It is not for politicians to order the police to go anywhere or do anything.

Our responsibility is to continue working on a peaceful and lasting solution to this troubling situation. That is exactly what we are doing while securing different ways of keeping essential commodities moving on our railway to help Canadians across the country.

Indigenous AffairsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Bloc

Yves-François Blanchet Bloc Beloeil—Chambly, QC

Mr. Speaker, on one hand, the knee-jerk reaction of politicians should not be to pawn their responsibilities off on other institutions.

On the other, it is possible to meet with indigenous leaders. I met with some this morning. I am also meeting with some this afternoon. It is possible.

Will the Prime Minister take another look at the three things that should be done, namely, asking the police to refrain from intervening for a minimum of 24 hours; flying to British Columbia to meet with indigenous leaders from the Wet'suwet'en nation, as the NDP leader also suggested a little earlier; and appointing a mediator?

Indigenous AffairsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, for nearly two weeks now, our ministers have had regular meetings with various indigenous leaders. I myself have had many conversations with indigenous leaders to try to resolve the situation and find a peaceful solution to this problem. We will continue to be engaged on this issue, that is for sure.

Meanwhile, we will respect the professional work of our police forces. Politicians should never order the police to do anything. We have confidence in their system and we sincerely believe in the separation of powers that is part of our democracy.

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Conservative

Karen Vecchio Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON

Mr. Speaker, the government failed to protect Marylène Levesque from a murderer who had a history of violence against women. The Parole Board has reluctantly undertaken an internal investigation, but no one trusts it to investigate itself. Canada's correctional investigator is calling for an independent investigation into this case to be certain that all facts are known and to make sure that this never happens again.

Will the Prime Minister commit today to opening an independent investigation so that Canadians know that the government will not cut corners on protecting women?

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, we extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Marylène Levesque. It is a tragic loss for any family to have to face. The individual has been arrested and is facing charges.

We know people have difficult questions to ask, and that is why Correctional Service Canada and the Parole Board are launching a board of investigation into the circumstances that led to this tragic case. I will emphasize that the review includes two external vice-chairs. The findings of course will be made public.

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Conservative

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

Mr. Speaker, what happened was a terrible tragedy. That is why the family wants answers and everyone wants answers. Yesterday, Canada's correctional investigator clearly said that the internal investigation requested by the government was problematic and that there must be an external investigation.

Will the Prime Minister ask the Parole Board of Canada and Correctional Service Canada for an external investigation?

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, we extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Marylène Levesque. It is a tragic loss for any family to have to face.

The individual has been arrested and is facing charges. We know people are asking difficult questions. That is why Correctional Service Canada and the Parole Board of Canada are launching a board of investigation to examine the circumstances that led to this tragic case. The investigation includes two external vice-chairs. The findings will be made public, of course.

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Conservative

Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are more aware than ever that this country is being run by a neglectful government. This government is abdicating its responsibilities for the national crisis that is plaguing the country, on top of its financial responsibilities for job creation in this country. Ever since the Liberals took office, the energy sector has been paying the price. Canada's energy sector has shed 200,000 jobs so far. That means 200,000 families have been directly affected by this government's poor decisions. The Financial Post recently reported that $150 billion in investments have evaporated due to this government's bad policies.

Does the Prime Minister realize how costly his anti-energy policy is for all Canadians?

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, over the past few years, Canadians have created over one million new jobs, and over one million Canadians have been lifted out of poverty. We know that Albertans are having an especially tough time right now. That is why we are investing in infrastructure, seeking to help them through innovation and new solutions. We are going to keep working with them, because making the changes that need to be made to fight climate change will require innovation and leadership from Albertans and from all Canadians, so that we can find solutions for the future.

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON

Mr. Speaker, what we saw moments ago was disgusting. The Prime Minister specifically blamed Alberta, not its government, nor its leaders, but Alberta, for his government's refusal to approve the Teck Frontier mine, costing 7,000 jobs. Add that to the 200,000 people who have already lost their jobs. Add that to the $150 billion that has fled the western economy as a result of his policies. History does indeed repeat itself.

Does the Prime Minister realize that when his father tried to cause a recession in Alberta, he caused one right across Canada?

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, I know the member opposite has respect for the House, with his long career in politics. He knows he should not be misleading the House deliberately. It may have been an accident, so I will give him the opportunity to withdraw his statement.

He indicated that this government refused the project. We did not. The Teck Frontier project was withdrawn by the company in question. I know he does not want to mislead the House deliberately. I give him an opportunity to correct the record and correct his statement.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

NDP

Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC

Mr. Speaker, with no real plan to fight the climate crisis or create jobs, the Liberals are failing at both. A climate plan that leaves workers behind is no plan at all. We cannot attract businesses and jobs if the government is not serious about climate change. We need investments in new infrastructure, renewable energy, public transit and in helping people to retrofit their homes.

There are lots of things we can do to help fight the climate crisis, so why are the Liberals not doing any of them?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to rise in the House to explain what we have been doing.

We have put a price on pollution right across the country. We have protected historic amounts of our land and coastlines. We are moving forward with a plan to phase out plastics. We are going to move forward, as promised in our election campaign, with a plan for home retrofits. We are moving forward on a broad range of things that demonstrate we understand that fighting climate and protecting the environment need to go hand in hand with creating good jobs and supporting families.

That is what we are doing. That is what we will continue to do.

Indigenous AffairsOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

NDP

Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC

Mr. Speaker, despite all of the emotional words, the government has failed to take any meaningful action to fight the discrimination that indigenous people face in Canada's legal system.

Yesterday, I met with Colten Boushie's family. They are still waiting for answers, and they are waiting for action.

Will the Prime Minister support first nations, Métis and Inuit people and accept their call to invite the UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous people to Canada so she can investigate the systemic racism in our justice system?

Indigenous AffairsOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, I was honoured to sit down with family and friends of Colten Boushie last night to talk about exactly this and to remind them that we too continue to share their grief in the tragedy that their family underwent.

We have committed to advancing reconciliation and addressing the systemic issues involving indigenous peoples within the criminal justice system. We abolished peremptory challenges for both the Crown and the defence, which gave each party the ability to veto a selected juror without having to give any reasons. This addresses long-standing concerns that racialized Canadians were being unfairly excluded in the jury selection process.

We recognize there is more to do and we will do it.

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Liberal

Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey—Newton, BC

Mr. Speaker, young Canadians face bullying daily both in and out of school. An increasing amount of time is spent online, which means that people cannot escape harassment by simply walking away. This makes it even more important to stop the culture of bullying before it can spread.

Could the Prime Minister update Canadians on what our government is doing to combat bullying and harassment?

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend from Surrey—Newton for his hard work and for his support for youth in his community.

We are combatting online hate, harassment and other forms of discrimination to ensure that all Canadians, regardless of age, culture, gender and sexual orientation, feel safe. We have an obligation to create diverse and welcoming communities so the young and the most vulnerable feel valued and included.

This Wednesday, I congratulate all colleagues who are wearing pink on Pink Shirt Day. We will continue to take a stand against bullying.

Indigenous AffairsOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Conservative

Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC

Mr. Speaker, last week the Premier of Nunavut said he would not support any new marine protected and conservation areas until a devolution deal can be reached. The premier said:

The creation of any new conservation and protected areas in Nunavut would have a significant impact on our ability to manage our lands and resources and carry out negotiations for decision-making, leading to potentially very serious consequences.

Will the Prime Minister listen to the premier and people of Nunavut and not close any further lands or any marine protected areas without a devolution agreement in place, yes or no?

Indigenous AffairsOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, allow me to take this opportunity to thank Premier Savikataaq for his hard work on advancing the cause of protection of our vulnerable ecosystems in the north and for creating economic opportunity for people of Nunavut and indeed people across the Arctic. This is an extremely important issue on which I have worked closely with the premier and all northern premiers.

We will continue to work together to ensure economic opportunity and development that makes sense for the people of the north, while at the same time protecting and preserving these fragile Arctic ecosystems for future generations. This is the kind of partnership we will continue to work on together.