Debates of Feb. 7th, 2020

Public Services and Procurement

[Louise Chabot, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Madam Speaker, yesterday in an interview, the President of the Treasury Board spoke about compensating the victims of Phoenix who had to take money out of their RRSPs or who lost interest on their investments. However, we are not just talking about money. The damage this caused to people's personal and professional lives is troubling. We are talking about bankruptcy, divorce and suicide. We understand why RCMP employees would not want to experience that.

Can the President of the Treasury Board provide evidence that Phoenix is stable and reliable before making—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

Order. The hon. President of the Treasury Board.

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Madam Speaker, this gives me a chance to add that these serious personal and professional setbacks have had a significant impact on workers and their families in the past few years, and this has also interfered with the operation of the public service. We have heard too many stories of people being afraid to take leave, accept promotions and grow as members of the Government of Canada's fantastic public service.

It is absolutely essential that we stabilize this system and move swiftly to a system that works properly, the next-generation system.

CBC/Radio-Canada

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Speaker, recently a Liberal-appointed panel recommended amending the government-run CBC/Radio-Canada mandate to include indigenous content. However, the report failed to acknowledge one key point: that APTN, an indigenous-owned, indigenous-run private network is exclusively devoted to doing just that.

Why is the government formally recommending that it can do a better job of delivering indigenous content than indigenous people?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Madam Speaker, our government thanked the panel for the ambitious work it has undertaken and for delivering the final report. We are looking at the recommendation in this report and plan to take action as swiftly as possible.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Speaker, I do not think that the minister realizes how incredibly paternalistic the comment that he just made was.

The fact is that this report failed to acknowledge an indigenous-owned and run network, and then said that the Canadian state could do a better job of delivering indigenous content. Then he said he was just going to implement this recommendation right away and sat down. It is crazy. Will he apologize?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Madam Speaker, I do wonder if the member opposite has actually read the report, because one of her colleagues welcomed the report and said that he would be happy to work with us for its implementation.

My department officials would be happy to organize a briefing for any members of the Conservative Party who would like to better understand this report.

Justice

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Madam Speaker, Cody Legebokoff viciously murdered Natasha Montgomery, Jill Stuchenko, Cynthia Maas and 15-year-old Loren Leslie. In 2014, he was sentenced to life with no parole.

Last January, the victims' families found out through media reports that he had been reclassified and transferred from maximum security to medium security, despite the fact that he has never admitted any guilt. He has shown no remorse and he refuses to disclose the location of Natasha Montgomery's remains.

When will the minister finally do the right thing and put this animal back where he belongs?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Madam Speaker, our thoughts and prayers are with the victim's family. This is the kind of tragedy that should never happen in this country.

In such cases, we need to trust the Parole Board and the independent work it does.

Tourism Industry

[Martin Shields, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

Madam Speaker, we recently learned that Destination Canada spent $550,000 on 550 stock photos. That is $1,000 a photo. I am all for promoting travel to our great country, but this seems a little ridiculous. They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, but $1,000?

Does the government believe that this was the taxpayers' money well spent or is it just another example of Liberal government spending waste?

[Élisabeth Brière, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

The tourism sector has been neglected for too long. Our government believes in the two million people who work in tourism, and it believes in their potential.

That is why we have invested over $65 million in our new federal tourism growth strategy. We are going to create 50,000 new jobs for the middle class and increase revenues by more than 25%. We are serious about tourism, and we know the future is bright for Canada's tourism workers.

International Development

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister's trip across the globe to try for a Security Council seat is likely much too little, much too late. While other countries vying for a seat have invested in people and committed to meeting international development assistance targets, the Prime Minister has the worst record in Canadian history. Even compared to Conservatives, he has driven us backwards on international aid, peacekeeping and climate change targets.

How can the Prime Minister ask for the world's support without providing support of our own?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of International Development]

Madam Speaker, Canada is very proud of our role in the world. We have committed to ambitious climate change targets and ambitious climate change financing. We have committed to a feminist international assistance policy that is making real differences in the lives of women all across this world.

I was recently in the Democratic Republic of Congo where I saw first-hand the work that we are doing when it comes to women's rights, peacekeeping and climate change. We can be very proud of the work that Canada is doing around the world, and the world recognizes it.

Public Safety

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Madam Speaker, the Liberals propped up the Conservatives' draconian Bill C-51, which essentially included economic disruption as a form of domestic terrorism. The Prime Minister ran and was elected to amend Bill C-51 and protect Canada's civil liberties, but he broke that promise. Indigenous communities, environmentalists, workers and anybody standing up for social justice are still the target of anti-terrorism protocols.

Will the Prime Minister acknowledge that people peacefully protesting in Canada are not in fact terrorists?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Madam Speaker, I think that many of my colleagues, like millions of Canadians, shared the same feelings of outrage when we saw the Conservative government bring in their Bill C-51 at the time.

That is why we have added certain mechanisms, including a parliamentary committee that oversees the activities of our security and intelligence agencies. It is a given that we, on this side of the House, will always defend the right to peaceful demonstration and freedom of expression in this country.

International Development

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Orléans, ON]

Madam Speaker, this year we are celebrating the 30th anniversary of International Development Week, which gives organizations across the country the opportunity to showcase their work.

Can the Minister of International Development provide some more details about this week? How can Canadians help in achieving the goals of the UN's sustainable development program?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of International Development]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Orléans for the question and her support for international development organizations.

I also want to thank members from all parties for taking part in activities to celebrate the 30th anniversary of International Development Week. It is an opportunity to acknowledge the excellent work done by Canadians around the world to help achieve the goals of sustainable development and build a better world. I also want to encourage all parliamentarians to learn more about the work being done by international development organizations in their communities.

Carbon Pricing

[Jeremy Patzer, Conservative, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Madam Speaker, this Liberal carbon tax is making life more expensive for rural Canadians. The carbon tax is a tax on everything: food, gas, home heating. These are not luxuries, they are basic necessities. The people of rural Canada should not have to pay more because the government does not understand where we live or the way that we live. When will the Liberals do the right thing, and get rid of the carbon tax?

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Madam Speaker, in 2015, we put forward a promise to put a price on carbon pollution in this country. We know it is one of the most effective ways of reducing our GHG emissions. We put forward a promise to say that more money would be put in the pockets of families than they would have to pay in the carbon price. The PBO report just came out, showing that is indeed the case. We delivered on our promise. We are going to continue to take climate action. We know it is the best thing to do for our kids and grandkids.

[Terry Dowdall, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Madam Speaker, a new report shows that the Liberal carbon tax will reduce farm incomes by 8% this year and 12% by 2022. No, the little rebate cheque will not cover the cost of this tax grab. One farmer told me that since the tax has been imposed, his increase has been $1,200 a month.

Our farmers are left with two choices: number one, take the pay cut; or number two, raise prices on Canadians who are already starting to struggle. Can the Liberals please tell the farmers which choice they prefer?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Madam Speaker, we are well aware of what is going on in the agricultural sector this year.

Last year was awful, both weather-wise and on the international trade front. That is why I am working closely with our provincial colleagues and industry representatives to find the best solutions and mechanisms that will help agricultural producers across the country deal with this difficult situation.

We need to look toward the future and make the kinds of choices and investments that will ensure the sustainability of our agricultural system.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

Madam Speaker, in 2019, Manitoba chicken producers saw a 42% increase on their heating bills due to the carbon tax. With an escalating carbon tax, Manitoba chicken producers expect to see a 100% increase on their heating bills by 2022, resulting in millions of dollars of lost revenue and no proven benefits to our environment.

First it was the grain farmers, then it was the dairy farmers and now it is the chicken farmers. Why does the government continue to fail and neglect our farm families?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Madam Speaker, we definitely do not neglect our farmers. We care for them, and we really care for them. This is why we are working so closely to find the best solution to support them, for sustainable agriculture.

We have taken measures concerning the price on pollution because we know that the rural community and farmers do have to pay differently. We have given them exemptions on gas on farms, and Cardlock for their use of gas on farms.

We understand their special challenges and we are working to improve other programs as well.

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Madam Speaker, we now know why the agriculture minister wants to stand shoulder to shoulder with our farmers. It is so that she can reach even further into their pockets and take more for a carbon tax.

Saskatchewan farmers can expect to lose over 12% of their income to the carbon tax once it hits $50 per tonne. When will the agriculture minister stop bankrupting farm families, cancel the income-killing carbon tax and return the money that has already been taken from our producers?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Madam Speaker, I can assure you that we are working closely with producers, their representatives and our provincial colleagues to get the right mechanisms in place so our farmers can farm sustainably.

We have already made adjustments and created exemptions to the pollution tax for fuel used by farmers on farms. We are still looking at various mechanisms, but everyone understands that we also need a long-term vision for our planet, and that is what we are developing with them. We know 2019 was an extremely difficult year for producers, and that is why we are helping them.