House of Commons Hansard #17 of the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was rcmp.
Christine Normandin Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
Madam Speaker, as I was saying, the Liberal member for Beaches—East York said that if the government were truly committed to net zero and to science, cabinet should have no trouble saying no to Teck Frontier.
I agree with the member for Beaches—East York. Does the government agree with him too?
Peter Schiefke LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her question.
In both 2015 and 2019, we put forward a plan to address climate change and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. We came up with 50 different measures to achieve that, measures that will help us meet and even exceed our Paris targets. Our plan will also make Canada carbon neutral by 2050. We know we need to do this not only for ourselves, but also for our children and grandchildren. We will succeed.
Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC
Madam Speaker, we learned this week that the government plans to hide the massive total cost of the construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline. The private sector walked away from this pipeline, and the company already admits to growing construction costs of $13 billion.
The Liberals paid $1 billion more than market value for TMX. Total costs are now nearly $20 billion, making this the biggest fossil fuel subsidy in Canadian history. The government cannot be a climate leader while splurging money on pipelines.
Why is the government trying to hide the massive cost to Canadians?
Mona Fortier LiberalMinister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance
Madam Speaker, the Trans Mountain expansion project is an investment in Canada's future. At a time when 99% of our energy exports go only to the United States, Canadians understand that more than ever we need to diversify our market. Construction on the project is under way with thousands of Canadians hard at work in Alberta and British Columbia.
Every dollar the federal government earns from the project will be invested in Canada's clean energy transition funding, the clean energy projects that will power our homes, businesses and communities for years to come.
Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC
Madam Speaker, the problem is that it is already a waste of money.
The Liberals are prepared to pay millions of dollars to subsidize fossil fuels instead of helping people who need pharmacare, for instance. Buying a $4.5 billion pipeline and spending $13 billion on construction costs instead of creating a universal pharmacare program is completely irresponsible.
Will the government finally do the right thing and invest in a universal pharmacare program instead of throwing money at pipelines?
Mona Fortier LiberalMinister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance
Madam Speaker, as I said earlier, the Trans Mountain expansion project is an investment in Canada's future. Construction on the project is under way. Thousands of Canadians are hard at work in Alberta and British Columbia.
Every dollar the federal government earns from the project will be invested in Canada's clean energy transition funding. By moving forward with the Trans Mountain expansion project, we are protecting and creating thousands of jobs, diversifying markets and accelerating the clean energy transition, all while creating new opportunities for prosperity—
Natural ResourcesOral Questions
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
The member for Langley—Aldergrove.
Tako Van Popta Conservative Langley—Aldergrove, BC
Madam Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Public Safety misled the House when he said the Conservatives would do nothing about gun violence. That is not true. We would tackle the real issues.
It is gang members who are committing gun violence, not the law-abiding citizens in my riding who go to the Langley Rod and Gun Club and the Langley shooting range. These law-abiding citizens are telling us we need to put gang members behind bars, not simply duplicate laws that have been on the books for decades.
What do the Liberals not understand about that?
Joël Lightbound LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Madam Speaker, Canadians from across the country told us that they want stricter restrictions on military-style assault weapons. I know this better than most, because we experienced the devastating consequences of these weapons in my riding. This is where the government needs to act.
It is obvious that—
Public SafetyOral Questions
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
Order. We need to hear the answers.
The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.
Joël Lightbound Liberal Louis-Hébert, QC
Madam Speaker, I always find it puzzling to hear the Conservatives go on about law and order when they made cuts to border services. We know that many weapons cross the border illegally, but the Conservatives made cuts to the RCMP and correctional services. They can talk all they want. We have taken action to protect communities across this country.
Pierre Paul-Hus Conservative Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC
Madam Speaker, clearly there needs to be a debate about gun buybacks. The government wants to buy back the guns of honest citizens, people who have licences and who purchased their guns legally. The real crime is the illegal guns. Last year in Toronto, there were 500 shootings, all with illegal guns.
Why does the government not want to debate this in the House?
Joël Lightbound LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Madam Speaker, these are surprising comments coming from a member from Quebec. We know that following the Polytechnique shooting, half a million Canadians asked for a prohibition of military-style assault weapons. In Sainte-Foy, a young man with a firearms licence went to the Quebec City mosque with a VZ58, a military-style assault rifle. That is one message we heard.
We are not going after law-abiding citizens. Our objective is to make communities safer by prohibiting military-style assault weapons.
They cut $400 million from the Border Services Agency and 1,000 full-time jobs. How does that make our border safer? They can talk all they want, but they did not take action.
Pierre Paul-Hus Conservative Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC
Madam Speaker, the events at Polytechnique and the attack on the Quebec City mosque are two very strong arguments from the Liberals. I understand that these two tragedies never should have happened. However, we are talking about more than two million law-abiding Canadians who have guns for sport shooting and hunting. The debate should not always come back to these two events. In Canada, illegal arms cause hundreds of deaths in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. That is what needs to be addressed.
The government wants to settle this by passing an order in council instead of introducing a bill that would be debated in the House; why?
Joël Lightbound LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Madam Speaker, this is a promise we made during the election that was clear to Canadians. A ban on military-style assault rifles is what PolySeSouvient, groups across the country and Canadians are asking for.
This type of question from the hon. member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, who appeared in a photo with gun lobbyists this summer, does not surprise me in the least.
Dan Albas Conservative Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC
Madam Speaker, when asked about Canada's policy in the South China Sea, our ambassador to China drew a blank. When asked about a Canadian in prison in China for 15 years, he did not seem to know the basic details. He had to be corrected by the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan.
First impressions matter, and Canadians' first impression of the Liberal-appointed ambassador was weak at best. How many times will we have to step in and cover for the ambassador's mistakes?
François-Philippe Champagne LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Madam Speaker, I am so proud to see you in the chair.
I would like to say to my hon. colleague that he will not have to do that. We are very proud of Ambassador Barton's work. He brings a wealth of experience, and he is the type of Canadian we like to attract into the public service.
He is representing Canada, bringing his wealth of experience and defending Canadian interests in China at a time when we need someone strong who understands the deep nature of the relationship we have with China. We are very proud of his work and will support him every step of the way.
Dan Albas Conservative Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC
Madam Speaker, that member there had to correct the ambassador. Speaking of his deep knowledge, this is not just an ambassador who has expressed a lack of awareness, but one who begs serious questions. He ran a company that worked with Chinese state-owned enterprises and held a retreat next door to a Uighur Muslim concentration camp. He has publicly stated, and I quote, that he “drank the Kool-Aid” on China.
How can Canadians believe that someone with such strong ties to China would be looking out for our country's national interests?
François-Philippe Champagne LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Madam Speaker, I have the utmost respect for my hon. colleague. At a time where we have a health emergency, this House should really be behind our public service and behind Ambassador Barton. We are trying to make sure we provide all the consular services to our Canadians in China who need our assistance.
We will be behind Ambassador Barton every step of the way. I would urge this House to be behind our public service at a time where we need everyone to look in the same direction.
Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Madam Speaker, the illegal UNIFOR blockades at Regina's Co-op Refinery and fuel terminals, and the intimidation tactics, such as paintballing people's homes, have gone too far.
It is well within the rights of Canadians to engage in labour action, but in no uncertain terms should illegal actions be condoned. Due to these illegal blockades, the Virden Co-op and many more in Manitoba and the Prairies will be out of fuel by Monday.
Will the government act to defend the rule of law and ensure these communities will be getting a reliable fuel supply by early next week?
Anthony Housefather LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labour
Madam Speaker, let me be very clear. This dispute is a provincial issue. We are aware of the dispute at the refinery. Our government has faith in and believes in the collective bargaining process. We encourage both parties to work together to resolve the dispute. The Government of Saskatchewan announced its intention to assist the parties, but again, this is a provincial issue.
Julie Vignola Bloc Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Madam Speaker, yesterday, the government launched a claims process for people who experienced severe losses because of Phoenix. The system has not been working for four years. It is beyond repair, as is the harm done.
Meanwhile, the President of the Treasury Board wants to throw 3,900 RCMP employees into this hellhole.
Can he commit to not forcing more public servants into this hellhole when there are so many problems and so many victims that need to be compensated? Phoenix deserves to be tossed in the trash. People deserve better.
Jean-Yves Duclos LiberalPresident of the Treasury Board
Madam Speaker, it is completely unacceptable for any employee of the public service of Canada to not be paid accurately and on time. That is why, out of respect for employees, we have been working very hard for months and even years to make this system work and to eventually replace it with a new system that will pay our public servants properly.
It is the same thing when it comes to the RCMP. RCMP employees will not be transferred to the new system if there is a risk that they will be negatively impacted.
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—