Debates of Dec. 7th, 2021

Opposition Motion—Special Committee on Afghanistan

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

It being 6:15 p.m., it is my duty to interrupt the proceedings and put forthwith every question necessary to dispose of the business of supply.

The question is on the amendment.

If a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes to request a recorded division or that the amendment be adopted on division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.

The hon. member for Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman.

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

Madam Speaker, we request a recorded division.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Pursuant to order made on Thursday, November 25, the recorded division stands deferred until Wednesday, December 8 at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Speaker, on the basis of the discussion I just had with members of the official opposition, I suggest that if you were to canvass the House at this point in time, you would find unanimous consent to call it 6:30 p.m., with the understanding that we will wait for the appropriate minister to come before us.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Do we have unanimous consent of the House to see the clock at 6:30?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I just need a couple more minutes to make sure the House is set up. Because of COVID, it takes a little longer to set things up, so I apologize for the delay.

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Madam Speaker, on a point of order, I think it is customary at moments like these to begin right away. I wonder if perhaps you might offer some clarification for the House as to the technical problems the clerks are trying to solve.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I am waiting for a piece of equipment that will help me to better judge the time. If members can give me a couple of minutes, we are hoping to get everything in order. This will not take away from the time allowed for the debate.

The hon. member for Elmwood—Transcona.

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Madam Speaker, if the issue is keeping time, I am sure some of us would be very happy to lend our phones to the Chair so that you can begin keeping time. Some of us are quite anxious to start. We have been looking forward to this all day and are just trying to better understand the delay. Perhaps you might enlighten us as to the piece of equipment you require to begin the proceedings.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Speaker, on the same point of order, we are ready, and as soon as you get the mechanism that you are waiting for, we can move forward. Hopefully that will appease the member for Elmwood—Transcona.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

At this point, we are ready to start.

Pursuant to order made Thursday, November 25, the House will now resolve itself into committee of the whole to study all votes in the supplementary estimate (B) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022.

I do now leave the chair for the House to go into committee of the whole.

[For continuation of proceedings, see part B]

[Continuation of proceedings from part A]

(Consideration in committee of the whole of all votes in the supplementary estimates (B), Mrs. Carol Hughes in the chair)

Supplementary Estimates (B), 2021-22

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Today's debate is a general one on all votes tabled before the House on Friday, November 26, 2021. The first round will begin with the official opposition, followed by the government, the Bloc Québécois and the New Democratic Party. After that we will follow the usual proportional rotation.

Pursuant to order made on Thursday, November 25, each member will be allocated 15 minutes at a time, which may be used for both debate or for posing questions. Members wishing to use this time to make a speech have a maximum of 10 minutes, which leaves at least five minutes for questions to the minister. When a member is recognized, he or she should indicate to the Chair how the 15-minute period will be used, meaning how much time will be spent on the speech and how much time will be used for questions and answers.

Also, pursuant to order made earlier today, members who wish to share their time with another member shall indicate this to the Chair. When the time is to be used for questions and comments, the Chair will expect the minister's response to reflect approximately the time taken by the question, since this time will be counted in the time originally allotted to the members.

Pursuant to order made earlier today, the time provided for the debate tonight may be extended beyond four hours, as needed, to include a minimum of 16 periods of 15 minutes each.

I also wish to indicate that in committee of the whole, comments should be addressed to the Chair. I ask for everyone's co-operation in upholding all established standards of decorum, parliamentary language and behaviour.

We will now begin tonight's session.

The House in committee of the whole, pursuant to order made Thursday, November 25, 2021, consideration in committee of the whole of all votes in the supplementary estimates (B) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022.

The hon. member for Wellington—Halton Hills.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Madam Chair, I will be splitting my time with the member for Calgary Forest Lawn.

My first question is on Afghanistan. Many Afghans are trying to flee the country. The state of Qatar has a unique and special relationship with the Taliban. Has the government had a démarche with the state of Qatar to request that it intervene with the Taliban to allow persecuted minorities and Afghans who assisted Canadian soldiers to leave the country?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Madam Chair, obviously we want to make sure that we are able to resettle 40,000 Afghan refugees. My deputy had the chance to go to the region, including to Qatar, Kuwait and Pakistan, to find ways to partner with these countries to resettle the 40,000 refugees I just mentioned.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Madam Chair, I have a question on Ukraine. Russia has amassed some 90,000 troops at the Ukraine border. Bloomberg News reported today that President Biden will call the leaders of France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany to talk about the situation in Ukraine. Bloomberg News also reports that the president is going to call Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.

Canada has troops in Ukraine under Operation Unifier. Has a call been scheduled between the Prime Minister and President Biden on this issue?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Madam Chair, obviously what is happening right now in Ukraine is very important. We know there is a Russian military buildup on the border of Ukraine, and that is why I raised this very issue with my colleagues at NATO and the OSCE, including Ukraine's foreign affairs minister, my counterpart in the U.S. and my Russian counterpart. We take allegations very seriously and want to make sure that we deter Russia from acting.

It is very important that Canada plays a role. Not only that, but as my colleague mentioned, we are already in Ukraine through Operation Unifier.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Madam Chair, I have a couple of questions on our bilateral relationship with the United States.

The Great Lakes Fishery Commission issue has been unresolved for six years. Thirteen U.S. senators and members of the House of Representatives have written twice to the Canadian government on this issue. The finance committee, under former MP Wayne Easter, issued two reports two years in a row recommending that the issue be resolved.

The Prime Minister was asked about this in his meeting with the congressional delegation organized by Senator Schumer and Speaker Pelosi. When is the government going to address this issue?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Madam Chair, my colleague is right that this issue was raised by congresswomen and congressmen in the U.S., and I had the chance to have a conversation with the Prime Minister directly about it. I know it is very important. It is dear to me as well, and we are working on solutions.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Madam Chair, President Biden has said in recent weeks that the U.S. needs more oil. In fact, he has called on OPEC on several occasions to pump more oil, even threatening consequences if it does not. He has recently authorized the release of 50 million barrels from the strategic reserves in the United States, and has coordinated with Japan, the United Kingdom, South Korea, India and even China to see those countries release more of their reserves.

In light of the fact that Canada is the fourth-largest oil producer in the world, did the Prime Minister or the government raise this issue when they met with the White House two weeks ago?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Madam Chair, every time we meet our colleagues and friends in the U.S., we mention our national interests, and obviously we raised the question of Line 5, which is key to ensuring we can get our product to markets, including in the U.S.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Madam Chair, I believe two weeks ago today, the most powerful senator, in my view, in Washington, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, called on the President to reverse his decision on Keystone XL in light of the President's desire to see more oil enter the United States.

Has any member of the government contacted Senator Manchin to discuss his statement on this issue two weeks ago and his desire to see Keystone XL completed?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Madam Chair, we know that workers in Alberta, Saskatchewan and across Canada will have our support when it comes to our natural resources sector, including the oil and gas sector, and it is always a priority for the government when talking with our friends, the Americans.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Madam Chair, I will move to questions on China. The government has started to use the term “Indo-Pacific” recently. It is reported that the government is coming forward with a new policy on China.

Could the minister tell the House when that new policy will be forthcoming?