House of Commons Hansard #55 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was redistribution.

Topics

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

North Vancouver B.C.

Liberal

Jonathan Wilkinson LiberalMinister of Natural Resources

Mr. Speaker, certainly Canada is moving forward with the development of a critical minerals strategy. As the hon. member knows, we released a list of critical minerals some time ago. I think we will see, as the hon. member indicated, that we intend to resource the critical minerals strategy. It is a critical element of driving the economy going forward, all the way from extraction to processing to battery production and electrical vehicle production. It is certainly part of the growth agenda for this government.

Agriculture and Agri-FoodOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

Shannon Stubbs Conservative Lakeland, AB

Mr. Speaker, farmers feed Canadians and the world, but in Lakeland three straight years of ag disasters have hurt crops and forced farmers to sell livestock early. It is not over yet and the damage will happen for years. The NDP-Liberal plan to cut fertilizer use will slash yields even more. It risks Canada’s food supply and security. Farmers pay a quarter of their bills in carbon tax. Fertilizer and fuel costs have doubled. Liberal inflation makes everything more expensive.

Why are the NDP-Liberals making it so that farmers cannot feed their fellow Canadians or their cattle?

Agriculture and Agri-FoodOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Compton—Stanstead Québec

Liberal

Marie-Claude Bibeau LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Mr. Speaker, I can tell members that our government is there to support farmers. We have been there working collaboratively with my colleagues, the provincial ministers in the Prairies, to make sure that ranchers are able to get feed for their cattle. We have provided hundreds of thousands of dollars through the AgriRecovery programs. We have supported CFA through the Hay West program. We are there with support.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

NDP

Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON

Mr. Speaker, the environment minister confirms he used modelling from the Canada Energy Regulator to develop his climate plan, but the modelling shows that the per-barrel output in 2050 will be the same as it is today. So much for saving the planet. Meanwhile, he has signed on to a massive oil expansion and is going to give billions to carbon capture schemes.

We have a narrow window to develop a clean energy economy, so enough with the “drill, baby, drill” stuff. When is the minister going to stop dancing to the tune of big oil?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Laurier—Sainte-Marie Québec

Liberal

Steven Guilbeault LiberalMinister of Environment and Climate Change

Mr. Speaker, when we reformed environmental impact assessments under Bill C-69, we made a commitment that we were going to depoliticize the process of environmental projects in Canada. Our government has accepted the environmental impact assessment done by the agency, which conducted a rigorous, robust and transparent process that lasted almost four years. This project will include requirements for net-zero emissions by 2050 and 137 other environmental protection measures. The project aligns with the government's ambitious emissions reduction plan and will need to fit under the emission cap for the oil and gas sector.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

NDP

Heather McPherson NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB

Mr. Speaker, Alberta families want to do their part to help Canada meet its emissions targets, and they deserve good-paying jobs in the new economy, yet the government continues to abandon them. Instead of diversifying our economy, the government gave billions of dollars to big oil companies on vague promises to reduce emissions. Guess what? Those billions resulted in almost no reductions.

In today's budget, will the government finally invest in Alberta workers and families?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

North Vancouver B.C.

Liberal

Jonathan Wilkinson LiberalMinister of Natural Resources

Mr. Speaker, certainly, economic diversification of all economies to ensure that we are on a growth trajectory as we move toward a lower-carbon future is very important. I will tell members that Canada is extremely well situated to take advantage of the opportunities that will arise. In Alberta, those opportunities certainly involve carbon capture and sequestration, hydrogen, biofuels, critical minerals and a range of other things. We are working with the Government of Alberta, and we will be launching a process over the coming months to work toward economic diversification not just in Alberta, but in every province and territory in this country.

Northern AffairsOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Liberal

Brendan Hanley Liberal Yukon, YT

Mr. Speaker, making post-secondary education more accessible is critical for improving the quality of life for all Canadians, including in the north and Arctic. That is why our government has invested over $47 million toward the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning and a new science building at Yukon University, and toward transforming Aurora College into a polytechnic university. One of my priorities is to ensure northerners and indigenous peoples have greater access to post-secondary education in the north.

Can the Minister of Northern Affairs provide an update on how our government is working to close existing gaps?

Northern AffairsOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Saint Boniface—Saint Vital Manitoba

Liberal

Dan Vandal LiberalMinister of Northern Affairs

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Yukon for his commitment to improving educational outcomes and for joining me last week when we accepted the much-anticipated final report from the task force on northern post-secondary education. I thank all members of the task force for their hard work and their commitment to education. Their comprehensive calls to action provide a road map for all orders of government, indigenous partners and institutions to improve education in the north and the Arctic. I look forward to working with partners to move their recommendations forward.

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Chong Conservative Wellington—Halton Hills, ON

Mr. Speaker, Russia is committing war crimes. Reports from Bucha of civilians shot with hands tied behind their backs and of others dumped in makeshift pits have shocked the world. In response, allies have expelled some 400 Russian diplomats, and President Zelenskyy has pleaded with the Prime Minister for Harpoon systems so that Ukraine can defend itself in the future against these types of massacres.

Why has the government not expelled Russian diplomats? Why has it not provided the Harpoon systems? Why is Canada offside with some of its closest allies?

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Oakville Ontario

Liberal

Anita Anand LiberalMinister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that we are leaving no stone unturned in our aid to Ukraine. I have announced six tranches of military aid, totalling over $110 million. That aid has included hand grenades, rocket launchers, ammunition, sniper rifles, Carl Gustaf weapon systems and fragmentation vests, among other things. We will continue to explore every opportunity to deliver aid to Ukraine.

I spoke with my counterpart, Minister Reznikov, this morning for the second time this week to ensure that we are collaborating with our allies and with Ukraine to deliver as much aid as possible as soon as possible.

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Chong Conservative Wellington—Halton Hills, ON

Mr. Speaker, there are reports that some 300 civilian men were massacred last week in Mali by Malian and Russian forces. Only a few short years ago, for a brief moment in time, the government sent hundreds of Canadian troops to Mali and over a hundred million dollars in aid, and then it lost interest.

Does the government have any plans to stop future atrocities in Mali seeing that it was once the government's foreign policy priority?

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Don Valley West Ontario

Liberal

Rob Oliphant LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs

Mr. Speaker, this government is extremely concerned about human rights atrocities taking place in Mali. That is why we have been meeting with our like-minded allies about this issue from day one. That is why we have raised concerns about Wagner mercenaries, who are probably working with the understanding of Russia. That is why we will continue to stand with the people of Mali as we make sure that Mali is not isolated further in world.

Public Services and ProcurementOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Conservative

James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB

Mr. Speaker, at the most recent G7 meeting, the Prime Minister and the Liberal government committed to eradicating forced labour from international supply chains. However, the Liberals still entered into a $222-million contract with Supermax, which has been linked to egregious acts of forced labour, and they signed a $250-million contract with Sinopharm, a communist state-owned company controlled by Beijing that is committing gross human rights violations against Uighurs, Tibetans and Falun Gong practitioners.

How can the Prime Minister justify these contracts, which are directly funding gross human rights violators?

Public Services and ProcurementOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas Ontario

Liberal

Filomena Tassi LiberalMinister of Public Services and Procurement

Mr. Speaker, we remain committed to ensuring the highest ethical standards for government procurement and preventing human rights abuses, including forced labour in our supply chains.

With respect to Supermax, following allegations of forced labour from the supplier, we terminated all contracts with the supplier. In fact, as soon as we heard these allegations, we stopped shipments from entering Canada.

We are going to continue to monitor our supply chains closely and continue to work to ensure we are following the rigorous standards that Canadians expect.

International DevelopmentOral Questions

April 7th, 2022 / 2:55 p.m.

Conservative

Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB

Mr. Speaker, the fact is the government has been way behind on supply chain slavery and has done nothing effective. We need to see a new framework very soon.

When it comes to international human rights, holding perpetrators of sexual exploitation and violence accountable should be central to a feminist foreign policy, but allegations of exploitation and violence at the World Health Organization in Congo and also at UNRWA remain unaddressed.

When will the Minister of International Development take action to ensure that employees of Canadian-funded international organizations are held accountable and face consequences for sexual violence?

International DevelopmentOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Vancouver South B.C.

Liberal

Harjit S. Sajjan LiberalMinister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada

Mr. Speaker, at my first meeting with the head of the WHO, we raised these concerns and they assured me that they are working on this. In fact, anytime I speak with any head of a UN organization, the one thing we focus on is making sure that all humanitarian aid focuses on the protection of all human rights.

Diversity and InclusionOral Questions

3 p.m.

Bloc

Maxime Blanchette-Joncas Bloc Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Bloc Québécois presented a motion stating that excluding some candidates from holding university research chairs was not the right way to foster inclusion and diversity in our institutions. The motion was rejected.

In principle, this decision is debatable. However, by imposing the same quota for university research chairs in Quebec as in other parts of Canada, the government is completely ignoring the regional realities of Quebec and of its university network. Could we at least agree that a French-language university in Rimouski does not have the same diverse candidate pool as a university in Toronto?

Diversity and InclusionOral Questions

3 p.m.

Halifax Nova Scotia

Liberal

Andy Fillmore LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation

Mr. Speaker, our government has been firm in its support for all scientists and researchers. Over the past seven years, we have helped rebuild Canada's world-class science and research sector.

We will continue to support our robust science and research ecosystem, which reflects Canada's strengths and advances Canadian interests, because we know that it is not just the right thing to do, it is also the smart thing to do.

Diversity and InclusionOral Questions

3 p.m.

Bloc

Maxime Blanchette-Joncas Bloc Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC

Mr. Speaker, it is one thing for the government to oppose any proposal from the Bloc Québécois and to accuse us of bad intentions, but can it keep ignoring the fact that many members, including some Liberals, have said they are not comfortable with using exclusion as a way to be more inclusive?

That is exactly what the member for Louis-Hébert did yesterday when he called for changes to the federal rules on research chairs to prevent these kinds of situations. Will the government at least listen to reason from its own member?

Diversity and InclusionOral Questions

3 p.m.

Halifax Nova Scotia

Liberal

Andy Fillmore LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation

Mr. Speaker, I proudly stand behind our government's record on supporting science and research from coast to coast.

Our government has made science a priority after years of neglect. Not only is science back, but the scientific community now better reflects the Canada of today.

Institutions are taking measures to integrate diversity and inclusion in their hiring practices. We will always support Canadian scientists and researchers.

FinanceOral Questions

3 p.m.

Conservative

James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB

Mr. Speaker, the budget is about to be tabled and holds market information that will impact the portfolios of average Canadians. That is why it is released after the markets close. However, the NDP leader revealed at a press conference this week that he was given an advance screening, and he shared this information with other members of the NDP elite. This could be considered important intel for insider trading.

Did the finance minister inform NDP members privy to the budget of their responsibilities to the Ethics Commissioner, or did she give them time to adjust their stock portfolios first?

FinanceOral Questions

3 p.m.

Edmonton Centre Alberta

Liberal

Randy Boissonnault LiberalMinister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, the Deputy Prime Minister will be sharing the budget with Canadians in just a couple of hours, and I can assure all members of the House that all budget secrecy and all respect for this chamber was respected in the course of budget 2022.

This is an opportunity for me to share the exact economic fundamentals with which we head into this budget: 3.4 million jobs recovered, 6.7% GDP growth and the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7. The economy is growing. Canadians love it, even if the Conservatives do not.

FinanceOral Questions

3 p.m.

Conservative

Kelly Block Conservative Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned that the NDP leader and members of the NDP elite were given insight into the upcoming budget. Meanwhile—

FinanceOral Questions

3 p.m.

Some hon. members

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