Debates of April 14th, 2021

National Defence

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, to take action, you need all of the facts and everyone who has something to say must be able to speak.

This is not the first time at the Liberal members and their buddies in the Bloc Québécois have joined forces to prevent parliamentarians from doing their jobs. Last year, the Bloc and the Liberal Party joined forces to prevent the Ethics Commissioner from testifying about his report, the “Trudeau II Report”, on the SNC-Lavalin scandal. These parties are once again buddy-buddy to stop us from getting to the bottom of things.

What do the Bloc Québécois and the Liberal Party have to hide?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, once again, committees are independent and make their decisions based on the important work that they do.

The Conservatives' frustrations always seem connected to partisanship and result in attacks. The Liberal committee members and other committee members want to be able to move forward. They want to see action, and that is exactly what the committee decided to do last week.

[Some hon. member]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I remind members that if they wish to speak, they can get closer, as long as they stay two metres apart. That is allowed.

It is not civil to yell from one side of the House to the other.

I simply wanted to remind members.

The hon. member for Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals, with support from the Bloc, have shut down the investigation into abuse of power and sexual misconduct at the highest levels in the Canadian Armed Forces. Key witnesses have not appeared, critical information has not been provided and we still do not know how a CDS could remain in his position for three years with unresolved allegations of sexual misconduct against him. The Prime Minister may not care, but this matters to Canadians.

Will the Prime Minister admit he has failed women in the military?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite well knows that committees are independent and they do important work. That is why the Minister of National Defence worked with the national defence committee on this matter extensively. He appeared for more than six hours on this study alone.

As we have stated, our government will not stand for any form of sexual misconduct. The time for patience is over; the time for action is now.

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

Mr. Speaker, so the Prime Minister maintains there has been no wrongdoing by his government as the military failed to eradicate sexual misconduct in its ranks. After being made aware of the allegations against General Vance in 2018, the Clerk of the Privy Council gave the Prime Minister a plan to replace him before the last election. Instead, the Prime Minister chose to reward him and make him the longest-serving chief of the defence staff ever.

Will the Prime Minister admit that he failed women in the military?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, anyone who serves in the Canadian Armed Forces deserves a safe work environment and deserves to be able to have supports and resources when they come forward with serious allegations. We know there is still much work to do in reforming the culture at the Canadian Armed Forces.

We have taken significant steps over the past years, but it is clear that not enough has been done. We have more to do, and that is exactly what we are continuing to work on. We know we need to make significant improvements in many of our institutions, and that is something we are all working on together.

Taxation

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it has been five years since the Panama papers came to light, and we know that Revenu Québec recovered $21.2 million that was hidden in tax havens. That is not a lot, but it is more than the federal government was able to recover for all of Canada.

That brings me to the single tax return. The Liberals are saying that they are against it because Revenu Québec would not be able to fight tax evasion abroad. Now that we know that Revenu Québec is already doing a better job of that than Ottawa is, will the Prime Minister support the single tax return and will he agree to transfer tax information from abroad to Quebec?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, for many months now, the Canada Revenue Agency has been very present and has been meeting the expectations of Canadians, and particularly Quebeckers, in a very direct, measurable and significant way with CERB and assistance for families and youth. We have seen how important it is to have a federal government that is present and engaged to support people in tough times. This is not the time to lose jobs in Quebec or to play sovereignty games. It is the time to work together, as we are doing now.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the National Assembly passed a unanimous motion. Quebec wants this, and we see the contempt of the Prime Minister for the will of the Quebec nation.

The Prime Minister is doing nothing about tax havens. It is embarrassing that Quebec has recovered more money than all of Canada thanks to the Panama papers and without access to foreign tax information. It is even more embarrassing when we compare Canada to other sovereign nations. Canada has recovered 15 times less money than the top countries such as the United Kingdom and five times less than Colombia. In times of ballooning deficits, what is the Prime Minister waiting for to take the fight against tax havens seriously?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the opposite is true. From the start of our first term, we have invested record amounts in the Canada Revenue Agency to fight tax evasion and avoidance. We have seen important changes and improvements in the system because it is important to ensure that everyone pays taxes. That principle has guided our government from the very beginning and will continue to guide us.

Foreign Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, it has come to light that the government threatened to cancel future funding for the Halifax security forum if it awarded the John McCain Prize to Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen. The government’s attempt to silence those critical of China is shameful and it plays right into China's desire to silence its critics abroad.

Will the Prime Minister admit this was a mistake and commit to continuing to fund the Halifax International Security Forum even if it awards the John McCain Prize to Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the minister has already addressed this issue, including at committee yesterday.

The government has supported and provided funding to the Halifax security forum throughout our time in office, and the minister has participated every year and will continue to.

On Taiwan, I have always supported Taiwan's meaningful participation in multilateral international forums, and Canada continues to have strong and growing trade and people-to-people relations with Taiwan.

Health

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

Mr. Speaker, determining the origin of the coronavirus is essential for preventing the next pandemic. However, we still do not know the exact origins of COVID-19, because Chinese leadership obstructed the investigation by the World Health Organization, the WHO.

Will the Prime Minister publicly acknowledge that the WHO caved to pressure from China, and will he work with our allies in calling for an overhaul of that organization?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is committed to working with the WHO and international experts to get a better understanding of the origins of the pandemic.

We have some shared concerns regarding the recent WHO-convened study in China. We support a transparent and independent analysis of the origins of the pandemic.

We will continue to work with our partners and allies toward the development of an independent process for international evaluations of diseases of unknown origin in the future.

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

Mr. Speaker, Taiwan's handling of the pandemic has been one of the world's most successful. With a population of only 23 million, it has had only 1,000 coronavirus cases and 10 deaths. Next month, countries will be participating in WHO's annual meeting, but Taiwan has not been invited, even though it had observer status until 2017.

On Monday in the House, the foreign affairs minister referred to Taiwan as a country. In light of that position, does the government support Taiwan's participation at next month's meeting?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as a government, we have always been consistent in supporting Taiwan's meaningful participation in international forums.

Taiwan's role as an observer in the World Health Assembly's meetings is in the interest of global health. We welcome the participation from the entire international community to work together to promote global health.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our government pledged to protect and support our farmers and to provide full and fair compensation to supply-managed sectors for losses arising from recent free trade agreements.

In fact, the second compensation payment for dairy producers went out last week for a total of $460 million. Yesterday, our government announced the details of new programs for Canada's 4,800 chicken, turkey and egg producers.

Would the Prime Minister tell us more about this great news for our egg and poultry producers?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell for his ongoing support for farmers.

Poultry and egg producers will be entitled to financial assistance that they can invest in their business. Under this $630-million program, our government will contribute up to 70%, or up to 80% in the case of projects put forward by producers 35 years of age or under. Another $61 million will be allocated to a market development program for turkey and chicken.

I want to thank all Canadian farmers, who have been so resilient throughout this pandemic.

Fisheries and Oceans

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Mr. Speaker, we have another east coast lobster dispute. The fisheries minister has said that moderate livelihood lobster fishing by indigenous communities will follow existing DFO seasons, regulations and enforcement rules. However, the Liberal MP for Sydney—Victoria has said that this is wrong, that the minister's announcement is only for this year, an interim measure, and that first nations will be allowed to set their own seasons and rules.

Are Liberals mistaking voters for lobsters heading to the traps and the dinner tables?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, reconciliation is about recognizing rights that are not to be granted by governments but that are recognized as having been decided, in many cases, decades ago.

We are working closely both with commercial fishermen and with Mi'kmaq fishers to ensure that we are moving forward in a way that is both scientifically sustainable and respects the existing rights that Mi'kmaq have towards a moderate livelihood.

We know there is a path forward, and we look forward to continuing to work in constructive ways to resolve this challenge in the spirit of reconciliation and for a better future for everyone.

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Mr. Speaker, in fact, no one is disputing those rights at all. What we are questioning here are the various stories we are getting from the government. I have discovered that the fisheries minister flip-flopped and admitted to CBC Radio that the Liberal government's lobster announcement for fishing is “the plan for this season, or for this year”. The lobster is out of the pot. This is not what maritime Liberal MPs are telling voters down east.

Would the PM like to confirm his government is not being straight with maritime fishing families?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, every step of the way we have worked to respect people's rights, to respect people's livelihoods and to move forward in a way that ensures a strong and growing economy with opportunities for everyone, in the spirit of reconciliation. It is not an easy thing, but it is an important thing. That is why we are taking it seriously and working step by step to advance in a way that is acceptable to everyone. We will continue to do the right work the right way to move this country forward.

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the government and the Prime Minister are not being clear with Canadians. It sounds like this is nothing but a pre-election campaign gimmick to protect Liberal candidates with a policy of deception to secure votes, and the fisheries minister's plan will change the day after the next election, if the government is re-elected.

Does voting Liberal down east mean a vote to allow separate indigenous lobster fisheries outside existing DFO seasons, regulations and enforcement rules? Can the Prime Minister confirm which message is correct: what the fisheries minister tells Ottawa, or what the fisheries minister is telling voters down east?