Debates of May 31st, 2021

Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development—Main Estimates, 2021-22

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Madam Chair, in my questioning earlier today on forced labour measures on products from Xinjiang, the minister said that measures are still being operationalized. I wonder if the minister can explain what this means. Are they not in place yet?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Madam Chair, we are working to operationalize the forced labour ban, and we are doing that by engaging a whole-of-government approach with our colleagues in labour and the CBSA. We will continue to stand up—

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Kelowna—Lake Country.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Madam Chair, how many shipments have been stopped by the government's forced labour measures?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Madam Chair, we continue to work on this very important issue. We will always advocate for human rights around the world, and we expect that our companies operating around the world operate at the highest standards.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Madam Chair, I am looking for a number. Exactly how many shipments have been stopped by the government's forced labour measures?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Madam Chair, as I said earlier, our government is actively working to operationalize the forced labour ban with my colleagues in both labour and the CBSA, and we will continue to do this work together with our international partners to ensure that Canadian businesses operating here and—

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Kelowna—Lake Country.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Madam Chair, looking at the taxpayer dollars going into the Invest in Canada Hub, how many taxpayer dollars have gone into this organization since its inception?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Madam Chair, that is a very specific question on the numbers, so perhaps I could get that information and get it back to her in another answer. I will get it from my officials.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Madam Chair, the Invest in Canada Hub was created as a corporation in 2018. What is its mandate and how does this work into what the current measures and benchmarks are for this organization?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Madam Chair, the Invest in Canada Hub is a single-window service for high-impact investors who wish to make investment into Canada for our terrific businesses here and to create great jobs in Canada. I am very proud of its work—

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Kelowna—Lake Country.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Madam Chair, let us pick one important way of measuring that does fit into its mandate. How many new companies has this taxpayer investment brought into Canada?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Madam Chair, I would like to highlight a couple of really terrific success stories. One is with Sanofi Pasteur just very recently, where we attracted investment of $415 million to support building an influenza vaccine manufacturing—

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The member for Kelowna—Lake Country.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Madam Chair, was Mastercard a beneficiary of services from Invest in Canada?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Madam Chair, Mastercard, indeed, has opened up operations, even during this pandemic, in Vancouver to expand its operations into Canada and—

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Kelowna—Lake Country.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Madam Chair, Mastercard Incorporated's earning release for their first quarter in 2021 financial results had a net income of $1.8 billion. How can the minister justify spending taxpayer dollars on a massively profitable company such as this?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Madam Chair, I would highlight another terrific company called HCL Technologies, which is based in India. It is a multinational technology firm that has invested in Canada, because it sees the talent and opportunities here are immense and it wants—

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Kelowna—Lake Country.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Madam Chair, does the Invest in Canada Hub promote foreign direct investments in Canada and facilitate that investment from foreign state-owned enterprises?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Madam Chair, Invest in Canada conducts its work in the interests of and in response to Canadian trade policy—

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The member for Kelowna—Lake Country.