Debates of April 19th, 2023

Ethics

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, these are family friends. My father was godfather to one of their children. Their father was godfather to one of my brothers. These are family friends we have had for many decades, close to 50 years. Over those 50 years, I have been to that vacation spot many times with my family, including with my father when he was still alive.

Of course, we worked with the Ethics Commissioner to make sure all rules were followed, and we followed all the practices in regard to prime ministerial travel, including, unfortunately, having security along with us, which is a requirement for all prime ministers of any party.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, we all agree the Prime Minister should have security. We have no problem with him having friends.

My friends might buy me a cup of coffee or a beer, but not an $80,000 gifted vacation that obviously comes with an IOU. This came from wealthy Trudeau Foundation donors who live in Bermuda, a long way away for his friends. Now these people will have inordinate influence on him. The Prime Minister works for them rather than working for the Canadian people.

Will the Prime Minister get rid of this IOU and clear his conscience by paying for his own vacation?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I do not think Canadians are worried about the Leader of the Opposition's friends who buy him a cup of coffee.

Canadians are worried about his billionaire friends that he is using to attack local news for Canadians right across the country. His issues with the CBC have brought him to involve American tech giants to try to attack the local news, the local culture and the francophone news that Canadians rely on from coast to coast to coast.

Yes, we have our disagreements in this place, but when the Leader of the Opposition goes running to his billionaire tech giant friends to try to attack Canadian institutions, Canadians should be asking tough questions of this leader.

Democratic Institutions

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it has now been established that the Chinese regime is behind the million-dollar donation that a businessman, also Chinese, wanted to give to the Université de Montréal. Unfortunately, it is also clear that, when speaking with Le Devoir about it, the university official had some doubts. It is also clear that the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation solicited funds from the Chinese Communist Party for its own activities and for a statue of Trudeau senior. We are talking about $250,000 out of the $1 million.

Is it not also clear to the Prime Minister that he does not have the distance needed to impose his choices when it comes to an independent public inquiry?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is attacking the wrong Trudeau, as it has done for many years now. The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation was the one who made those decisions. For the past decade, I myself have not had any direct or indirect involvement with the foundation and the decisions that it makes.

Ethics

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, how do we define the right Trudeau? The Prime Minister claimed he knew nothing about how the Trudeau Foundation was being run. I find it hard to believe that he was unaware of the donation by the Green family. In fact, I am sure he knew about it. Even if he was unaware of it, he should have at least looked into it. If not, he is not doing his job. Why does he not tell us how much the Green family donated to the Trudeau Foundation before he joined them on vacation?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, when I say that I have had no direct or indirect involvement with the Trudeau Foundation for over a decade, that is because I have had none. No, I was not aware of the donation by the Green family. It does not surprise me because they are long-time friends who are interested in the same things we are, but I was unaware of it. I do not have the details. The opposition will have to accept that. I am telling the truth. I have not had any involvement with the Trudeau Foundation for a decade.

Labour

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, New Democrats are extremely disappointed that the Liberal government did not arrive at a negotiated agreement with the Public Service Alliance of Canada.

These are the workers who delivered unprecedented help during the challenging times of the pandemic. They deserve our respect. They do not deserve groans from the Conservatives. They deserve respect. These workers work hard, and now the government has to step up. The government often talks a good game about collective bargaining but ends up doing very much the same as the Conservatives.

Will the Prime Minister commit to not bringing in back-to-work legislation and instead commit to negotiating a fair deal for these workers?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, government negotiators are, as we speak, at the table with the unions, bargaining in good faith toward getting to the right solution that will continue to deliver the services that Canadians rely on and that they were able to rely on through the pandemic from our extraordinary public service, but also making sure we are moving forward in responsible ways.

This is something that we have always stood for. We will continue to support unions and collective bargaining. This is the first day of labour disruptions. We continue to be very optimistic that we are going to be able to see this resolved where it needs to, at the bargaining table.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government talks a good game about workers' rights, but it often ends up doing very much the same as the Conservatives.

Public servants worked hard during the pandemic and they deserve respect.

Will the Prime Minister commit to not bringing in special back-to-work legislation, yes or no?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as my NDP colleagues are well aware, we are actively involved in negotiations right now.

Our negotiators are at the table with the unions. They are putting forward responsible proposals that recognize the hard work that the public service has done over these past few extremely difficult years. That will also guarantee that we can continue to provide Canadians with much-needed services in a responsible manner.

Ethics

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, we now know from intercepted phone calls that the Chinese consulate sought to influence this Prime Minister by making a $140,000 donation to the Trudeau Foundation, that was arranged and signed off on by the Prime Minister's own brother. This was for the specific purpose of influencing the Prime Minister's decisions as Liberal leader and eventually as Prime Minister. Does the Prime Minister really expect us to believe he has never discussed the Trudeau Foundation with his brother since that donation?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said, I have had no engagement, direct or indirect, with the Trudeau Foundation in close to 10 years. That includes not knowing what donations are taken, what decisions they are making or what my brother is doing on the foundation. I made that decision 10 years ago to not engage with the foundation and that is what we have all been consistent with.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, he has no direct or indirect involvement with the Trudeau Foundation. Really? The annual report for 2021-22 lists him as an inactive member and says that he has only withdrawn from the affairs of the foundation for the duration of his involvement in federal politics, meaning he can go back to that big pile of cash when he leaves office: cash that was contributed to the foundation by the regime in Beijing. Why does the Prime Minister keep making statements of falsehood about his involvement with his family foundation?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I believe the Leader of the Opposition needs to look in a dictionary for the definition of “inactive”. It goes exactly to what I have said. I have had no involvement, direct or indirect, with the Trudeau Foundation for 10 years. I am completely inactive in that sense, because I am active delivering benefits for Canadians, delivering growth throughout the middle class, delivering dental benefits that the member voted against, delivering child benefits and delivering child care that have made a huge difference for Canadians. That is what I am active doing, and not any of that other stuff.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I did look up the word “inactive” and do they know what it does not include? It does not include getting the donors of the Trudeau Foundation to pay for their vacation. It does not include getting members of the Trudeau Foundation to be appointed as the election interference watchdog. It does not include appointing a rapporteur to look into that same interference who was an active member of the Trudeau Foundation, and it does it not include having a brother who facilitated the donation from a foreign dictatorship. How does the Prime Minister reconcile his inactive involvement with all of those activities?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, viewers watching at home may be surprised to see the extent to which the leader of the official opposition is choosing to focus on me, when they are worried about affordability, they are worried about growth, they are worried about health care, and when we are moving forward with a budget that would deliver a grocery rebate to Canadians, that would deliver health care, that would deliver dental care, that would deliver a plan for great jobs for the middle class for the coming years. That member and his party will be voting tonight against that budget that would help Canadians. Shame on them. We should be helping Canadians here; that is not what he is doing.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, what the Prime Minister is doing is helping himself to Trudeau Foundation donor money. He is helping himself by using the influence his office gives to indirectly generate donations to the Trudeau Foundation. Speaking of that, his brother was the one who orchestrated the donation from the Beijing dictatorship to the Trudeau Foundation. He personally attended the announcement of the donation, and it is his name that signed the agreement for the donation.

Has the Prime Minister discussed the Trudeau Foundation with his brother since that donation was received?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I have already said “no” to that question. “No” is the answer, but at the same as he tries to focus on me and spinning all sorts of different conspiracy theories, we will continue to stay focused on Canadians and on delivering on our commitments in budget 2023 with affordability, including the grocery rebate, cracking down on hidden junk fees and predatory lending, and introducing auto-filing for taxes for low-income Canadians. We are there to support Canadians during this difficult time.

The Leader of the Opposition is going to be voting against that tonight. He will be voting against the support for Canadians we are going to continue to deliver, despite his attacks.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, there is no attack. We are simply asking him to do what every other Canadian would normally do: The average Canadian pays for their own camping trip and pays for their own family vacation. He gets his vacations funded by Trudeau Foundation donors. We are not asking for him to pay for the security or even for the private jet. We are simply asking for him to pay back the $80,000 gift he got from his wealthy friends in Bermuda, who are donors to the Trudeau Foundation.

Will he get this IOU out of his pocket and pay the money back?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, while the Leader of the Opposition continues to focus on me, we will continue to focus on Canadians, including by moving forward on strengthening health care. We are in the process of signing historic deals with all the provinces to deliver more family doctors, to deliver better mental health care, to deliver better supports for our frontline workers and a reduction of backlogs, and to deliver better data collection right across the country, so we can make sure Canadians are getting the best possible health care from coast to coast to coast. On top of that, we are moving forward with a dental care plan that is going to deliver dental care for Canadians right across the country, and he voted against that.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister really expects us to believe that he has not discussed this donation that the dictatorship in Beijing directed to the Trudeau Foundation, even though it was his brother who signed off on the donation, orchestrated the transaction and signed the agreement to bring the money home.

If he really expects us to believe that, then I have a very simple question: Will he agree to have his brother come before a parliamentary committee to testify about foreign interference in our country?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I believe you, perhaps, can rule on this. There is a convention in Parliament that assumes and that accepts that members are telling the truth, so I do not know how many times I have to say “no” to his question he is asking. I do not know why it is so hard for people in the Conservative Party of Canada to accept that “no” means “no”, but we will continue to answer these questions in full truthfulness, and we will continue, despite the member's mudslinging and his personal attacks, to focus on delivering things for Canada. The member opposite and everyone in this House has an opportunity to accelerate the grocery rebate. Will they accept the unanimous consent motion that would do that?

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister says we have the wrong Trudeau. He is going to be thoroughly confused now, because I am adding a third one to the mix. Alexandre Trudeau allegedly signed a deal, one that was improper at best, with two major Chinese donors who used a company as a front for the transaction. This might interest the Minister of National Revenue.

Has the Prime Minister spoken with his brother, and is his brother directly or indirectly connected with the foundation?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, I have had no engagement, direct or indirect, with the Trudeau Foundation in 10 years. That includes not speaking with my brother about the foundation's operations.

I have plenty of responsibilities, including investing for Canada's middle class and protecting Canada's French language and culture from Conservatives who want to attack it.

While the Bloc continues to spin conspiracy theories, I will continue to deliver for Canadians every day, because that is what Quebeckers and Canadians expect from our government.