Debates of June 23rd, 2021

Ethics

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I note how far he has fallen. In 2015 he said Conservatives were his neighbours and friends. In 2019 more Canadians voted for the Conservative Party than anyone else, but of course nobody is listening to the Conservatives. It sounds like the Prime Minister is not listening to Canadians, but if there is an ethics law that has been broken, the Prime Minister probably had his hand in it, and if there was a contract to be had, he gave it to a Liberal. If Liberal insiders need a bailout, members had better believe they are going to get it from the Prime Minister.

Conservatives are ready to clean up Ottawa and bring back good, ethical governance. Will the Prime Minister get out of the way and let Conservatives finally secure accountability in Ottawa?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I was waiting for him to say “drain the swamp,” but I know that would have been in the next sentence, if we had only had a few more seconds.

While Conservative politicians opt for baseless partisan attacks, our steadfast focus is on delivering for Canadians by getting progressive bills passed. We are getting supports in the budget for Canadians. We are reaching net-zero by 2050. We are banning conversion therapy, which half the Conservative caucus voted against banning, and we are making sure web giants pay their fair share and support Canadian creators. Unfortunately, the Conservative Party is more interested in partisan attacks and misinformation than on getting the job done for Canadians.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I would just like to remind hon. members in the chamber that I would like to hear the responses and the questions. It is getting a little noisy and I am having a hard time hearing. Out of respect for everyone who does want to hear, I just ask everyone to maybe talk more quietly among themselves.

The hon. member for Salaberry—Suroît.

Employment Insurance

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister appealed to opposition parties to be progressive and pass his bills. The opposition has enabled the passage of nine bills since June 1, including Bill C‑10, which would have died without the Bloc Québécois. Now it is the government's turn.

Sick people often need up to 50 weeks of special EI benefits. That is what our Bill C‑265 provides for. In order for it to pass, the Prime Minister has to give it a royal recommendation. Now I am appealing to his progressive nature as well as to his sense of compassion.

Will the Prime Minister grant a royal recommendation?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we know that many Canadians suffering from a prolonged illness need more support than the 15 weeks they currently have access to through EI. That is why we made a promise during the campaign and in the throne speech to extend that support for struggling Canadians.

In budget 2021, we announced that we would extend that support for Canadians from 15 weeks to 26 weeks. We are proud to be there for people who are struggling, and we will keep working to give them all the help they need.

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Mr. Speaker, at the end of her life, Émilie Sansfaçon was fighting two battles, one for her life, against cancer, and one so that sick people could have up to 50 weeks of EI sickness benefits.

The Prime Minister met Émilie. He knows very well what she went through. Émilie lost her first battle. Today, the Prime Minister could make it so she wins the second one.

I appeal to the Prime Minister's compassion. Will he increase EI sickness benefits for people with a serious illness to 50 weeks?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it was an honour for me to be able to sit down with Émilie Sansfaçon to listen to her plea and understand the extent to which she was passionate not only about helping people like herself, but also about getting more help for people all across Canada.

That is why we introduced a bill to extend EI sickness benefits from 15 weeks to 26 weeks for the people who need it. I know there is still more to do and we will continue to work on it, but this is a big step forward, which was important for me and for all Canadians who suffer from various illnesses.

Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, there is another major development in the Winnipeg lab story, once again about the individual who was fired and escorted out by the RCMP.

This morning, the National Post reported that this person had collaborated with the Chinese government on two inventions, noting that her name was listed as an inventor on two patents. Canadian law states that an individual collaborating with a foreign country must directly inform the government and seek authorization.

My question for the Prime Minister is very simple. Did his government authorize this researcher to collaborate with China, yes or no?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I also saw that troubling news this morning, so I asked the minister to follow up and figure out exactly what happened.

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

Mr. Speaker, I will be a good sport and acknowledge that the government finally did the right thing.

Does the Prime Minister not realize that, in doing so, he is clearly acknowledging that what happened in Winnipeg is outrageous and that Canadians who, like him, read the National Post this morning found this whole thing unacceptable? Appropriately enough, 38 million Canadians think what happened is unacceptable.

The best way to get to the bottom of things is for the government to produce the documents that the House of Commons ordered it to produce.

Why did he violate the order from the House of Commons?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, all of those unredacted documents have been provided to parliamentarians through the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, and we are currently working with the other parties to find a way to ensure both the protection of national security as well as access to information and answers to these questions.

We are very open to continuing to work with the other parties to ensure that they can do their important work.

I look forward to this matter being resolved.

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

Mr. Speaker, we also look forward to this being resolved.

The problem is that the government is not listening. The Prime Minister struck that committee, and he is the one who has the final say on what is and is not made public. That is not what I would call real parliamentary work.

Real parliamentary work involves respecting the orders that are issued here in the House, which the Prime Minister has failed to do four times.

Why should Canadians obey the laws passed in this House when the Prime Minister ignores the orders issued in this House? Has the Prime Minister thought of that?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I know very well that the hon. member opposite takes the responsibility to protect our national security very seriously. I also know that this member would never want to see our national security systems or the people working to protect Canada in high-risk jobs, sometimes around the world, put at risk.

That is why we must always ensure, by sharing and allowing parliamentarians to do their job, that we protect national security at the same time. We proposed several ways of doing these two things while ensuring transparency for parliamentarians and protecting national security.

Official Languages

[Yves Robillard, Liberal, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as Quebeckers prepare to celebrate their national holiday tomorrow, we can be proud of a federal government that protects and promotes the French language.

I am proud that our government has introduced Bill C‑32, which will modernize the Official Languages Act and bring it into the 21st century.

Could the Prime Minister tell the House how this bill will establish true equality between our two official languages?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Marc‑Aurèle‑Fortin for that excellent question. I also want to wish all Quebeckers a very happy national holiday.

Our Bill C‑32 would ensure real equality between our two official languages. Whether we are talking about strengthening French in our federal institutions, helping francophones receive services in French or ensuring that Supreme Court justices are bilingual, we are doing our part to promote French across the country, including in Quebec, while protecting language minority communities across Canada.

Ethics

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

Mr. Speaker, an illegal trip to a billionaire's island, the SNC-Lavalin scandal, a million dollars to friends at the WE charity, a three-year cover-up of sexual misconduct allegations in the Canadian Armed Forces, and now stories about hundreds of thousands of dollars of contracts to one of the Prime Minister's closest personal friends. Under his leadership, ethics investigations have to be numbered. The day the Prime Minister's third judgment came out, Bill Morneau's second came out.

Leadership starts at the top so I want to ask, leader to leader: Does the Prime Minister feel that his personal ethical conduct sets a bad example for the members of Parliament on his team?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that in the midst of a global pandemic, in the midst of challenges Canadians are facing, whether it is climate change, which the Conservative Party continues to deny; whether it is systemic racism, which the Conservative Party continues to deny, or supports for Canadians, which I think the Conservatives are going to be voting against in the upcoming budget vote, they have been focused more on political partisan attacks and personal attacks than they have on supporting Canadians.

Leadership is about being there for Canadians and that is something that we have done from the very beginning. We said that we would have Canadians' backs through this pandemic. That is exactly what we have had. We will have their backs as we move forward and beyond this pandemic to build back better.

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

Mr. Speaker, personal attacks? All I am asking is for the Prime Minister of Canada to follow the law. Is it too much now, after six years, that I ask the leader of this country to simply obey the laws of this country? The only backs he has had consistently as Prime Minister are those of friends of his family, close insiders and connected lobbyists. There is one lineup for the friends of the Prime Minister on the Liberalist and there is another lineup for everyday Canadians who are struggling.

It is time to restore accountability. Will the Prime Minister commit to never again break the law?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, once again, we see what Conservatives are focused on. We see they are focused on personal attacks, on partisan attacks, on spreading mud as broadly as they can to try to see what sticks, while we, on this side of the House, stay focused on supports for Canadians, on delivering the necessary supports for students, for seniors, for workers, on being there for small businesses with the CEBA, the wage subsidy and on making sure Canadians are properly supported through this pandemic and into the recovery. At the same time, Conservatives kept screaming at us every step of the way that we were spending too—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is sad when the Prime Minister refers to three reports, investigations issued by the Ethics Commissioner of this country, as throwing mud. Those were investigations into the conduct of the Prime Minister. He has failed time after time on an ethical standard. Canadians want leadership; they want accountability. He is now forcing his MPs to pay his friend's company. He is now putting his unethical conduct at the core of the Liberal government. Canadians deserve accountability, transparency and ethics. That is what they will get from a Conservative government.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians want politicians to be focused on them, on their needs, and that is what we have done every step of the way. The Conservative Party never looks further than an opportunity to attack, to break down, to undermine and to spread baseless allegations.

We instead will do as we have always done, which is to roll up our sleeves and do the hard work of being there for Canadians, of getting through this historic pandemic and building back better so everyone has a real and fair chance to succeed. Let him continue to focus on me. I will continue to focus on Canadians.

Government Priorities

[Julie Dzerowicz, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am so proud. In this Parliament alone, we have brought forward legislation to end the harmful practice of anti-LGBTQ2 conversion therapy, reach net-zero emissions by 2050, support Canadian content creators, address systemic racism in our justice system and provide Canadians record supports during the pandemic.

Time and time again, the Conservative Party has shown its true colours and chosen partisan delay tactics over progress for Canadians.

Can the Prime Minister please provide an update on the important legislation passed in this House?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Davenport for her tremendously strong work in her community.

The member is absolutely correct. We have been moving forward progressive legislation to support Canadians and build a greener, more inclusive Canada. Just yesterday, this House passed legislation to ban conversion therapy. Unfortunately, over half the Conservative caucus refused to support the LGBT community and voted against it. Late last night, we passed historic legislation in the fight against climate change and all of the Conservative Party members voted against that.

On this side of the House, we will keep fighting for Canadians.

Seniors

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the fact that seniors and our loved ones in long-term care bore the brunt of this pandemic is a national shame. People are outraged at the conditions in long-term care, but not surprised because these conditions were there long before the pandemic. The pandemic simply exposed those horrible conditions. The Prime Minister said that this is an important issue, but has not done anything to make people's lives better.

Why has the Prime Minister not acted on this vital issue to protect seniors by removing profit from long-term care, by establishing national standards of best practices? Why has he not acted?