House of Commons Hansard #59 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was budget.

Topics

EthicsOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

EthicsOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Chris d'Entremont

Order. Please, let us respect the process here of asking a question and having an answer. We will try our best to do that.

The Right Hon. Prime Minister.

EthicsOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Liberal

Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC

Mr. Speaker, what Canadians watching question period see today is a Conservative Party flailing about, desperate to bring up issues that were dealt with years ago and desperate to try to distract from the fact that they have nothing to offer Canadians. They have no solutions on the housing crisis that Canadians are facing. They cannot even criticize us for the solutions we put forward two weeks ago in the budget.

We continue to stay focused on Canadians, while they stay focused on me.

EthicsOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

EthicsOral Questions

3 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Chris d'Entremont

I am going to wait a second. I am hearing a lot back there. If the member wants to be on the list to ask a question, I am sure he can talk to his folks and get on the list.

The hon. member for Charlesbourg—Haute‑Saint‑Charles.

EthicsOral Questions

3 p.m.

Conservative

Pierre Paul-Hus Conservative Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister sees all of our questions as personal attacks.

In fact, we are asking questions of the person who is meant to represent moral authority. The title “right honourable” comes with certain responsibilities.

In the House yesterday, the Prime Minister admitted to the one thing that the RCMP was unable to establish in order to charge him with fraud.

Will the Prime Minister proactively share that information with the RCMP? If not, is it because he is afraid of being charged with fraud?

EthicsOral Questions

3 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, we tabled an historic budget that will help Canadians buy a new home, that will help fight climate change by creating a greener economy, and that will invest in indigenous communities and their economic empowerment.

The Conservative Party has nothing to say. It has no questions, no criticism, no counter-proposals. Instead, the Conservatives want to bring up an issue that was thoroughly dealt with years ago. We will continue to stay focused on our work for Canadians.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

3 p.m.

Bloc

Monique Pauzé Bloc Repentigny, QC

Mr. Speaker, the federal government is not prepared for the green transition. The environment commissioner released a report yesterday that said there was no federal implementation plan, formal governance structure, or monitoring and reporting system in place to support a just transition.

The commissioner also said that the government is not prepared to provide appropriate support to more than 50 communities and 170,000 workers in the fossil fuels sector.

We must transition away from oil. Why has the Prime Minister done nothing for these workers?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

3 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, our government has a clear plan for a just transition.

We have a comprehensive action plan that includes legislation. We are in talks with workers, unions, indigenous groups, stakeholders, and the provinces and territories to find the best way forward.

We are making strategic investments in skills and training. Regional strategies and projects across Canada will help create sustainable jobs. By planning together, we can ensure that Canadians have sustainable jobs that will help them tomorrow and in the future. That is exactly what we are doing.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

3 p.m.

Bloc

Monique Pauzé Bloc Repentigny, QC

Mr. Speaker, the environment commissioner disagrees.

He says that the Prime Minister has not done anything to help workers in the oil and gas sector make the green transition. That is not to say that the Prime Minister has done nothing at all. On the contrary, he has done quite a bit when it comes to oil. He bought Trans Mountain, and he just approved Bay du Nord, a project that will produce one billion additional barrels of oil.

The question is this: If the environment commissioner thinks that the federal government is not ready for the green transition, is it simply because the Prime Minister never had any intention of starting this transition in the first place?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

3 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, we thank the environment commissioner for his latest reports. His work shows how far we have come and how much more we can do.

After a decade of inaction under the former Conservative government, we have made tremendous progress, whether it is building the green economy of the future, putting a price on pollution across Canada, or protecting an unprecedented amount of our lands and waters.

We are ready to do even more to keep our air clean, create jobs for the middle class and grow a strong economy.

Public SafetyOral Questions

3 p.m.

Conservative

Raquel Dancho Conservative Kildonan—St. Paul, MB

Mr. Speaker, it is important to remember that the Ambassador Bridge and the Coutts, Alberta crossings were cleared before the Emergencies Act was invoked. The act was not needed to clear the border blockades, and police were well equipped to take care of this with all the existing laws and powers.

What, then, was the national security threat that met the extraordinarily high threshold needed to invoke this act? Is there something they are not telling us, or was the Prime Minister trying to cover up for his incompetent management of the protest?

Public SafetyOral Questions

3 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, when illegal blockades hurt workers and endangered public safety, police were clear that they needed tools not held by any federal, provincial or territorial law. It was only after we got advice from law enforcement that we invoked the Emergencies Act. The Canadian Police Association and the Canadian and Ontario associations of chiefs of police all agreed that this was how the legislation should be used: for emergencies.

We have now announced the independent inquiry to examine the circumstances that led to the declaration and the measures taken in response, and we all look forward to Justice Rouleau's work.

Public SafetyOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Conservative

Raquel Dancho Conservative Kildonan—St. Paul, MB

Mr. Speaker, the protest organizers are being held accountable in courts as we speak, but this inquiry is to ensure the government is being held accountable. Invoking an act with the power to override charter rights is dangerous, so the purpose of the inquiry is to tell the public whether the threshold needed to invoke the act was in fact met.

The Liberal government has not made a convincing argument. Whether it met the threshold remains in serious doubt, so either it is hiding something or it is covering up for incompetence.

Will the Prime Minister waive cabinet confidence and let Canadians know the true story?

Public SafetyOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, when we invoked the Emergencies Act in a restrained and limited way, we also committed to the full transparency that goes with the invocation of these powers, whether it is a parliamentary committee that has been examining the issue or whether it is a full public inquiry that will be transparent and have the power to understand the circumstances and the use of the Emergencies Act.

That is the kind of thing everyone should look forward to. Unfortunately, Conservatives are made uneasy by the fact that they were standing against hard-working Canadians by standing with people who were illegally blockading our economy.

Public SafetyOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Conservative

Glen Motz Conservative Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, I think the Prime Minister's definition of transparency is different from Canadians' definition.

The Emergencies Act stipulates that the special joint committee and the inquiry are responsible for holding the actions of the government to account, and not that of Canadian citizens.

At last night’s committee meeting, the Minister of Public Safety and the Minister of Justice continued to hide behind cabinet confidences and lawyer-client privilege.

Will the Prime Minister be transparent and accountable to Canadians and release the documents the government relied upon to justify the invocation of the Emergencies Act?

Public SafetyOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, an integral part of invoking acts like the Emergencies Act, unutilized to this point, is a level of transparency and accountability that comes through a parliamentary committee created to look into exactly that, and a transparent public inquiry headed by Justice Rouleau, who will be able to examine all these questions around the circumstances that led up to the invocation and the use of the act itself.

That is what Canadians expect, but that is exactly what makes Conservatives uncomfortable, because of their support of those convoys.

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Liberal

Yvan Baker Liberal Etobicoke Centre, ON

Mr. Speaker, we continue to be dismayed at the images coming out of Bucha, Mariupol and other towns and villages throughout Ukraine where the atrocities committed by Russian forces are coming to light.

Canada has supported Ukraine every step of the way, both before and after the Russian invasion, but Ukrainians still need our help. Could the Prime Minister tell the House and Canadians about the measures this government has taken to hold President Putin and his accomplices accountable?

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Etobicoke Centre for his solidarity with the Ukrainian people and his personal leadership.

This morning, we announced sanctions against 11 senior officials and 192 other members of the people's councils of the so‑called Luhansk and Donetsk people's republics.

Today's measures apply further pressure on President Putin and those complicit in the horrific events occurring in Ukraine. We will continue to stand with Ukraine and its people.

Public SafetyOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Conservative

Dane Lloyd Conservative Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB

Mr. Speaker, the Emergencies Act is crystal clear. The independent public inquiry must look into the circumstances leading up to and the measures used by the government under the Emergencies Act. It is completely inappropriate for the Prime Minister to try to direct the scope of this inquiry by predetermining what the commissioner must investigate. This is political interference. It is up to the commissioner, based upon the Emergencies Act, to determine what is relevant, not the Prime Minister.

Will the Prime Minister immediately amend the order in council to remove any political interference from this inquiry, yes or no?

Public SafetyOral Questions

3:10 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, when our government invoked the Emergencies Act, we committed to Canadians that we would be up front and transparent about it. We have kept that commitment. The commission, an independent public inquiry, is further evidence of that as it looks into the circumstances that led up to the invocation of the Emergencies Act and the use by the government of the Emergencies Act. As we have made clear, we will work directly with the commission to make sure that it is able to fully complete that work.

Public SafetyOral Questions

3:10 p.m.

Conservative

Dane Lloyd Conservative Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB

Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve to know the full truth and nothing but the truth on how the Liberal government came to its decision that the threshold had been met to invoke the Emergencies Act. Key evidence considered by cabinet would include a complete legal and constitutional analysis on the legality of this decision. Without this information, the inquiry will not be able to perform its legislated mandate to determine if the government acted appropriately.

Will the Prime Minister commit today to being open by default and make this internal analysis available to the commissioner immediately, yes or no?

Public SafetyOral Questions

3:10 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, in the member's second question, he confirmed that the mandate of the commission is to look into the circumstances that led to the invocation of the act and the use of that act and if it is responsible. That is exactly the issue.

Unfortunately, Conservative politicians seem a little uncomfortable that the inquiry might find that their supporting blockaders and folks who tried to shut down the Canadian economy and overthrow the government were maybe on the wrong side of the issue. That is what Conservative politicians seem to be so worried about.

EthicsOral Questions

April 27th, 2022 / 3:10 p.m.

Conservative

Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister cannot help himself. He just has to be the centre of attention.

He was the subject of an RCMP investigation. We know that he accepted a gift even though he did not authorize himself to do so. He is the first sitting prime minister to have been found guilty of multiple ethical violations.

Let us see if he also gave himself the right to break other laws. His aides have had time to look into this. Did he or did he not declare his trip as a taxable benefit on his tax return? That is an easy question.

EthicsOral Questions

3:10 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives are flailing about in a desperate attempt to avoid talking about the day-to-day issues that matter to Canadians, from the housing crisis, which we are addressing with an extremely strong plan to help Canadians in our latest budget, to the green transition, in which we have invested billions of dollars to ensure jobs for generations to come as we fight climate change.

These are issues the Conservatives do not want to talk about. They want to focus on me, but we will stay focused on Canadians.