Debates of April 18th, 2023

Democratic Institutions

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's name still appears in the Trudeau Foundation's annual report. Alexandre Trudeau wrote a book that talked about his family's fascination with China. It is hard to deny the influence that the regime in Beijing has had and continues to have on the Prime Minister. Not only is the Beijing regime using the foundation to increase its influence over the Prime Minister, but it is doing so illegally, with complete impunity, and without being challenged by the Canada Revenue Agency.

Will the Prime Minister support a motion calling on Alexandre Trudeau to appear before a parliamentary committee, yes or no?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, at the foundation of the question being asked is whether this government would ever allow a foreign government to dictate or influence our decision. The answer to that is a categorical no.

Secondly, embedded within that is a question, I would say, of the loyalty of members of Parliament to their country. They can call it sanctimony. I call it my entire life, and I know that other members on the other side do as well. They have fought for our democracy every day of their lives. They fought to get here to be members of Parliament. To have their patriotism questioned is unacceptable.

Ethics

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in this latest episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, the Prime Minister and his family vacation at the private Caribbean estate of a billionaire family friend and Trudeau foundation donor.

The Prime Minister cannot help himself from helping himself. Whether it is flying to the Aga Khan's island, the $6,000-a-night hotels in London or his latest family luxury vacation, the Prime Minister keeps showing us just how out of touch he is with everyday Canadians.

When will the Prime Minister stop working for the billionaires and start working for the working-class Canadians of this country?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I am deeply proud of the government and the Prime Minister, which have, over the last number of years, fought to make sure that Canada is a leader in the world, both economically and on tackling poverty, by making sure we are there in the budget and through other measures.

Yes, the Prime Minister did take a vacation with his family with family friends over Christmas. Yes, there were security costs that were involved with that. If a prime minister is to take a vacation, those costs are inevitable. They cannot be avoided.

I think that we as a House have to ask if we believe that a prime minister should be able to take a vacation with his family. I believe he should be able to.

The Environment

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the government's joint environmental review process and oil sands monitoring program is a failure. It is causing a public health crisis in indigenous communities. First nations and Métis people are dealing with millions of litres of toxic sludge in their communities. The Alberta Energy Regulator, the UCP, Imperial Oil and the federal government are to blame.

Now the Liberal government is suggesting a working group. It is not good enough. When will the government meaningfully deal with the toxic tailings ponds?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, since we have been made aware of the seepage incident at the Kearl oil sand mine, we have been working to get to the bottom of it, support indigenous communities and collaborate on improving the reporting system of these kinds of incidents.

Last week, I sent letters to indigenous leaders about the new notification and monitoring working group which, in collaboration with them, will improve the notification process in cases of future environmental emergencies.

Health

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, April is Daffodil Month. We recognize that cancer is a health issue that impacts nearly all Canadians, whether through a personal diagnosis or that of a loved one. I wear this pin in remembrance of my late husband, Arnold Chan.

Today, Canadian Cancer Society representatives will meet on the Hill to discuss the importance of working to improve the lives of those affected by cancer through world-class research, transformative advocacy and compassionate support. Could the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions please update the House on the current efforts our government is making to fight cancer?

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Scarborough—Agincourt for her heartfelt advocacy.

We support the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, which brings together all jurisdictions, organizations, community partners and patients to achieve a common goal of equitable cancer care prevention, treatment and support for those living with cancer. The government has invested over $1 billion in cancer research in the last five years.

I want to personally thank all of the advocates doing the important work, today on the Hill and every day in their communities.

Democratic Institutions

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the costly coalition is also a cover-up coalition. Yesterday at committee, the NDP voted with the Liberals to shut down debate on our motion to investigate the Trudeau Foundation. This family foundation has been bankrolled by taxpayers and the Communist regime in Beijing. It said the money had been returned to the Communist regime. That turned out not to be true. Why is the costly cover-up coalition currently covering up corrupt conduct clearly concocted and conducted contrary to Canada's national interests? When will these hearings take place?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I just want to say that there are opportunities to talk about any number of issues, and I am happy to talk again about the Trudeau Foundation. As the Prime Minister has made clear, he has not had involvement with the Trudeau Foundation over the last 10 years.

What I find disturbing is this: Whether it is with respect to the CBC, which Conservatives are now attacking as a partisan organization, or a myriad of different organizations, their partisan attacks seem to have no bounds because their interest is in fact partisan.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, if there is nothing to hide, then why will the cover-up coalition not allow these hearings to take place? The fact is the Prime Minister is a member of the foundation. His name is on its annual report. Why is he still a member of the foundation? We would like to know. We would like to know why, after $125 million of taxpayers' money was given to this foundation, a foundation defined in statute as a government institution, it said the money was returned when in fact it was not.

Will this cover-up coalition end the cover-up and allow committee hearings into what happened at the Trudeau Foundation?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I do not believe the definition of a cover-up is me not agreeing to follow every conspiracy theory the member opposite has. I think that, in fact, the House of Commons has an obligation to do the business of the nation. The business of the nation right now is the concern about the global impacts of inflation. I just spent two weeks, as I am sure the member did, talking to constituents. People are looking forward to getting a grocery rebate so they can get help to deal with the global costs of inflation. They are anxious to see that their health care system is protected; we have been negotiating with the provinces to make sure that it is prepared and protected for future generations. I think that is what they want us to be studying.

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

Mr. Speaker, the embarrassing proximity between the Trudeau Foundation and the communist government of Beijing affects all Canadians. That is why we have an obligation, here in Parliament, to get to the bottom of things. Yesterday, in parliamentary committee, the Liberals, with the complicity of the NDP, decided not to hold meetings to hear from the directors of the Trudeau Foundation.

I have a very simple question. Could the non-minister government member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, that proud social-democrat, rise in this House and explain why he is being complicit in this Liberal cover-up?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Before giving the floor to the Leader of the Government, I would like to remind members that they have to direct their questions to the government, not the other opposition parties. I would also like to remind people that it is not nice to make fun of one another.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, more games. This serves the parties across the way. It is partisanship. It is obvious. They keep asking questions on things that have nothing to do with reality.

That is the case for CBC. Attacking the independence of the CBC is totally unacceptable. It is an attack on an independent institution that is very important for our country.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the minister on the quality of his French, but just because he is speaking French does not mean his words make more sense. Here is the situation. There is a foundation, the Trudeau Foundation, which is not just any foundation.

Let us remember that, when the foundation was founded at the turn of the century, the federal government gave it $125 million in public funds. Morally, this foundation needs to be accountable to all Canadians. The best way to do that is through a parliamentary committee.

Why not allow its directors to testify before committee?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I have already answered the question my colleague just asked.

However, I have a question for my colleague opposite. What does he think about the attack on the CBC? What does he think about the position of his party's leader, who is attacking the CBC's independence? What is the position of the member opposite on that issue?

Foreign Affairs

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, members will recall that the World Cup of soccer was held in Qatar this past fall. We debated whether it was acceptable to organize major sports events in countries that violate human rights. The Bloc Québécois had demanded a diplomatic boycott, but the government still sent a minister to Qatar. Believe it or not, The Globe and Mail revealed that this minister was mandated by the Department of Foreign Affairs to promote the sale of Canadian arms.

Was it acceptable to send the Minister of International Development to sell tanks to Qatar?

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development]

Mr. Speaker, human rights will always be at the centre of all the work that we do. We will always hold the highest standards. The minister is regularly briefed and given advice by our officials. The talking points provided were not mentioned during this particular meeting. When it comes to contracts, exports or programs of any sort, particularly defence exports, Canada has one of the strictest export control systems, which is based on careful review.

Human rights will always be protected, and that is exactly what we aim to do.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague just reiterated that the government sent people to Qatar to talk about human rights. Come on.

The minister's briefing note proves that the Department of Foreign Affairs tasked him with promoting the sale of armoured vehicles. It was even in the key messages of his briefing note. Armoured vehicles are tanks. I have a news flash for everyone: Qatar is not going to use tanks to promote human rights.

How could this government have asked the Minister of International Development, and I want to repeat that it was the Minister of International Development, to sell tanks to Qatar?

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development]

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, those particular talking points were not mentioned during that particular meeting.

What we do know, absolutely, is that the minister, when he was there, on numerous occasions, raised human rights with his counterparts. In fact, he took the opportunity of the visit specifically to raise things like labour rights and other human rights issues, as we always do.

Carbon Pricing

[Scot Davidson, Conservative, York—Simcoe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, “Sorry, kids, Disneyland is cancelled” is what too many Canadian parents are having to tell their children. Sixty per cent are scaling back their summer vacations because of inflation.

However, that has not stopped the Prime Minister from jetting off to Jamaica, costing taxpayers $160,000. It is unbelievable. While our Prime Minister catches some rays with his Trudeau Foundation cronies, Canadians just cannot catch a break.

Instead of cancelling Canadians' vacations, will the Liberals stop the hypocrisy and cancel the carbon tax?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, the hypocrisy is coming from the other side. Conservatives say that they care about Canadians and the affordability challenges they are facing, but when they have an opportunity to actually support Canadians, what do they do? They vote against them.

Conservatives have another opportunity coming up to support budget 2023, which is going to support Canadians through health care, access to the dentist and the grocery rebate. Unfortunately, I know that they are already going to be voting against Canadians, because they declared that right from the outset. However, Conservatives still have a chance to make a difference.

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I am actually going to answer a question for the Liberals.

Earlier in question period, the Prime Minister asked if we know what friendship is. The answer is yes, but in Saskatchewan, when we have a friend, we share a case of Pilsner, not a private island, with them.

This champagne-and-caviar trip cost the taxpayers $162,000. It is amazing. This high-flying carbon hypocrite flies all around the world and then comes back home and charges a single mother triple the carbon tax to heat her home and feed her kids.

Will the Prime Minister cancel his out-of-touch carbon tax?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, since the opposition likes to quote the PBO report on the issue of climate change, let me quote the PBO. He said, “I am concerned at times about looking at just one aspect of the report”. I continue quoting the PBO, who said, “Doing nothing would also have costs.”

In fact, if the Conservatives were interested in climate change, they would look at the PBO report, which shows that it already cost Canadians $20 billion in 2021 for the impacts of climate change. What is their response? It is that climate change is a hoax.