Debates of March 24th, 2021

National Defence

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, when the ombudsperson came forward to the minister with allegations, the minister quite rightly directed him to the appropriate independent authorities. That is the role the politicians need to take. In my career as leader, as we have encountered allegations of sexual assault and harassment, we have always forwarded those to appropriate authorities for proper investigation. That is what needs to happen in this situation and in every situation. We know we need to continue to work to ensure that there are resources and recourse available for anyone who comes forward, and we need to put an end to the culture that permits this.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve better.

According to an email from the Prime Minister's former national security advisor, allegations about General Vance were never brought to his attention. The person in the PMO in charge of opening an investigation was not aware of the situation. Why has the Prime Minister done nothing about this situation in the past three years?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, our government has always acknowledged that we must protect and provide resources to those who come forward with allegations. That is exactly what we did in this situation.

The Minister of National Defence directed the ombudsman to the authorities having the ability to conduct an independent and rigorous investigation. That is the process that must be followed. We will continue to work to improve the process. No woman serving in our armed forces should be subjected to that. They must have recourse.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the crab fishing season starts in a few days, but around 40% of the port in Cap-aux-Meules is no longer accessible to fishers. It is one crisis after another, and the people of the Magdalen Islands are often the ones who suffer.

I would like a yes or no response from the Prime Minister. These people will be listening. Will the government either immediately repair the equipment or financially compensate the Magdalen Island fishers for their losses?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we were concerned to learn about the issues at the port facilities in Cap-aux-Meules.

We are in touch with local authorities. We are looking into what we can do not only to make sure that fishers and everyone who uses these facilities are safe but also to ensure that the fishing season can proceed.

I know how important the fisheries are to the people of the Magdalen Islands. They can count on the federal government.

Rail Transportation

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we have already lost 35 seconds that could have been spent looking for a solution.

The Mauricie region has been working for quite some time on a project involving a high-frequency train that would go to Quebec City from Windsor. It was a Liberal election promise in 2015 and again in 2019. However, nothing has been done.

I recall comparing it to the Sasquatch. It is a mirage in a public transit desert.

We must answer the people of Mauricie with a yes or no. Will the high-frequency train be in the budget?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to be able to point out to my hon. colleague that the budget will be tabled on April 19. He will have all his answers at that time.

I can confirm, however, that when I was in Trois-Rivières this week, I had a very good conversation with the mayor of Trois-Rivières, in which I emphasized our continued commitment, as well as the tens of millions of dollars that we have already invested in high-frequency rail, a project that is close to the hearts of not only the people of Trois-Rivières, but also all Quebeckers and Canadians.

Seniors

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the pandemic exposed the worst conditions of care for our seniors in for-profit long-term care homes.

There were more infections and deaths, but despite all the evidence, the Liberals, the Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois voted against our motion to remove profit from long-term care.

Why did the Prime Minister choose profits over caring for our seniors?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I understand that the hon. NDP leader began his career in provincial politics and that he might be a little confused about where he is now.

We are in Ottawa. This is the federal government, and we are working in partnership with the provinces. We respect provincial jurisdiction. However, we know we need to work together to better protect the lives and dignity of seniors across the country.

We will keep working with the provinces, and we will keep respecting their jurisdiction.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, real leadership is about finding solutions, not finding excuses. With this approach, we would never have had universal health care in our country. It took leadership.

The proof is overwhelmingly clear: for-profit long-term care homes were the sites of the worst conditions of care in this pandemic. We saw the military go in and find that, in for-profit long-term care homes, syringes were being reused. We saw expired medication used. Despite all the evidence, the Liberals, the Bloc and the Conservatives voted against our motion to remove profit from long-term care.

Why does the Prime Minister choose profits over care and the lives of our seniors?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I can always respect someone who does not forget his roots, but I need to point out to the hon. leader of the NDP that he is no longer at Queen's Park. He is now in the federal House of Commons where we respect provincial jurisdictions when it comes to delivering health care.

We will, however, continually work in partnership with the provinces to improve outcomes for our seniors. We have seen far too many seniors who are vulnerable because of the long-term care situations they are in, in both profit and not-for-profit models. We need to make sure that we are protecting all seniors across the country. That is exactly what this federal government will do.

National Defence

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when I began my career in politics, I was a member of the Standing Committee on National Defence and we talked a lot about Operation Honour.

The purpose of this operation was to enable women to proudly serve in the Canadian Armed Forces in an inclusive and respectful work environment. Obviously, the operation was a failure.

Here is what I want to know. When was the Prime Minister made aware of the allegations against General Vance?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, in our government, all allegations are taken seriously, and we ensure that they are followed up on by the appropriate independent authorities.

That is exactly what happened in this case. When the National Defence ombudsperson received a complaint, the minister directed him to the appropriate independent authorities so that they could conduct an investigation.

We know that there is still a lot of work to do, despite everything that has already been done. We need to move faster and that is exactly what we will do together.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this government is not being transparent. We never get any real answers. Enough with the cover-ups.

The question is very clear. When was the Prime Minister made aware of the allegations against General Vance?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I have been answering this question during the press scrums for months. Here, in the House of Commons, we always take such allegations seriously.

My office was made aware of the fact that the Minister of National Defence directed the ombudsperson to the appropriate authorities for follow-up. I only learned of the nature of these allegations in media reports in recent months.

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, under the Prime Minister, sexual misconduct at the highest levels of our Canadian Armed Forces continues unchecked. Serious allegations are ignored, investigations are shut down, critical evidence is lost and charges are dropped. Those who are complicit through their actions or their silence remain in senior positions. The government’s consistent failure to act begins and ends with the Prime Minister.

What did the Prime Minister know and when did he know it?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I have answered that question a number of times, but we have demonstrated since forming government that we take extraordinarily seriously the responsibility to make sure that people are protected in their places of work, in their service to their country, and we have brought forward mechanisms and measures that continue to protect them.

We recognize that there need to be more resources. We recognize there needs to be more work to end a culture that tolerates inappropriate behaviour far too often. We will continue to move faster and stronger on exactly this issue.

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is defiant that he has consistently got it right for the men and women in uniform, but he failed to have General Vance suspended or allegations against him investigated. Worse still, he approved a salary increase of $50,000 for him. He approved a replacement chief of the defence staff who also stands accused of sexual misconduct, and he continues to support a defence minister who has failed in his sworn duties.

When will the Prime Minister hold senior officers accountable, starting with the defence minister?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have no tolerance for any form of sexual misconduct. When such allegations are brought forward, we always take them seriously and forward them to the appropriate authorities. That is exactly what happened in this situation. The Canadian Armed Forces have launched an independent investigation of this matter.

With regard to the pay increases, decisions on salary increases are made entirely by professional public servants, and we respond to the recommendations of those public servants.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's cover-up continues, so let us look at the Prime Minister's actions. One the one hand, the Prime Minister very publicly speculated about and directed the RCMP to charge Vice-Admiral Mark Norman in March 2018, but, on the other hand, the Prime Minister claims he could not politically interfere in starting an investigation into the allegations against General Vance, also in March 2018. Yesterday, the former military ombudsman called this flimsy excuse about political interference both “bizarre” and “weak”.

Why did the Prime Minister cover up these allegations?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said, we always take all allegations of sexual misconduct extremely seriously. No one should ever feel unsafe at work. We will continue to work to change the culture in the Canadian Armed Forces so that no one ever feels like they cannot come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct.

Since forming government, we have taken action to address and eliminate sexual harassment, not only in the Canadian Armed Forces, but across government. It is clear, though, that the measures we have taken have not gone far enough and we will do more and faster.

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

Mr. Speaker, some would call that a failure.

Whether it is Vice-Admiral Norman, SNC-Lavalin, the WE scandal or General Vance, the Liberal playbook is so predictable: first, cover up the issue and pretend to be shocked when it becomes public; then throw money at the problem, in this case, a big, fat raise for the general accused of sexual misconduct; and, finally, when all else fails, blame the Conservatives because that defines real Liberal leadership.

When will the Prime Minister admit he turned his back on our troops by failing to direct his national security adviser to investigate General Vance three years ago?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, allegations of sexual misconduct or inappropriate behaviour need to be followed up by the appropriate authorities, and that is exactly what happened in this case. The ombudsperson was directed toward the right people in terms of following up on an investigation. The ombudsperson was not able to share further information with the investigators and, therefore, the investigation did not move forward.

We will continue to take very seriously any allegations that come forward, as we always have. We will continue to work to ensure that there is a change in the culture and better systems in place.

Pensions

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister keeps missing the net in the shootout. We will try again with a yes-or-no question. Everyone will be listening.

Let us take a specific example. Say that Antoine Tremblay from Rimouski is 67 years old and wants to know whether the budget will include an increase in the old age pension that does not discriminate based on age. He does not want to have to wait until he is 75 to get that increase. Will the pensions for seniors between the ages of 65 and 75 increase, yes or no?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the political games that the leader of the Bloc Québécois is playing are disappointing, because he knows full well that we cannot talk about what is in the budget before we table it in the House of Commons.

I encourage seniors in Rimouski and across Quebec and Canada to take comfort in the fact that we committed to increasing old age security for seniors when they turn 75 and that we are committed to supporting seniors with record investments during this pandemic. We even increased the guaranteed income supplement by 10% as soon as we took office. We will continue to support our seniors across the country.