Guy Caron

[Indigenous Affairs, September 25th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, there is rhetoric, like the minister's response, and there are also the facts.

Ultimately, we have before us two parties that want the Trans Mountain project to continue at any cost. Both want to either do the bare minimum in response to the Federal Court of Appeal's ruling, or do away with consultations of indigenous communities, which is even worse.

Neither one intends to hold meaningful consultations to address those who may have to live with a pipeline in their backyard and the risk of spills for the rest of their lives.

What will it take for the government to understand that indigenous peoples have rights over their lands?

[Indigenous Affairs, September 25th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, for the Prime Minister, “enough is enough”. That was the message being delivered to the government from the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs. It is calling on the Prime Minister to cancel his directive to redo his failed process on the Trans Mountain expansion.

Doubling down on getting through the same flawed process to obtain the court's fair minimum standard does not qualify as a meaningful consultation. Do Liberals understand that it takes much more to meaningfully consult with indigenous peoples?

[Indigenous Affairs, September 24th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, there is a big difference between what the government is saying and what it is doing.

Over the weekend, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard acknowledged that the government had failed to adequately consult indigenous communities that would be affected by the pipeline. I congratulate him on finally reaching the same conclusion as the Federal Court of Appeal.

The problem is that without the court's intervention, the government would not have respected either the voice or the will of indigenous communities. The government says it is going to hold consultations, but in reality, it has already made the decision to force through the Trans Mountain expansion.

Is the government going to keep plowing ahead with total disregard for its responsibilities to indigenous communities?

[Indigenous Affairs, September 24th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, discussion is a two-way street. Testimony given by members of indigenous communities about the Trans Mountain expansion project show that the discussion was not a true dialogue, but rather a monologue in front of a row of officials. Discussing means sharing. It does not just mean sitting down and taking notes while yearning for the meeting to be over.

Does the government realize that it has a constitutional duty to meaningfully consult indigenous peoples?

[Infrastructure, September 20th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, that story might be interesting if it were the issue. However, the fact is that the infrastructure bank's CEO actually said it might take up to 18 months before it started any other project.

All the bank did in this case was to take $1.28 billion in government money and give it to the Caisse de dépôt et placement. That is it.

Last month the Parliamentary Budget Officer said that close to $4 billion in budgeted infrastructure investments would be delayed to later years. Communities need funding now, not years from now.

What are the Liberals waiting for?

[Infrastructure, September 20th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, so far the Liberals so-called infrastructure bank is turning out to be a complete mess.

In the last year the bank spent over $11 million on its operations and all it did was lend money to one project, the light rail train in Montreal, a loan that was announced even before the bank was created. What are these millions being used for? Travel? Fancy offices? Bonuses?

Canadians are waiting for infrastructure projects that are years overdue and the Liberals are not delivering.

Could the Prime Minister at least tell us what these millions were spent on?

[International Trade, September 19th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the key word is “fully”, and he still refuses to say it.

Canadian dairy farmers are here on the Hill today. They are worried that the government is still using them as a bargaining chip in the NAFTA negotiations. When I meet with dairy farmers in my riding, they tell me that the supply management system allows them to stabilize production costs on their farms. However, the government sacrifices our farmers at every turn. One concession, two concessions, three concessions and the system starts to fall apart.

Can the Prime Minister stand up right now and tell Canada's dairy farmers that he will protect supply management in its entirety?

[International Trade, September 19th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, dairy farmers are worried.

In Manitoba, David and his brother are third generation dairy farmers who are committed to providing the highest quality milk for Canadians. However, with each trade deal, Canadian dairy farmers like them are asked by Liberal and Conservative governments to give away a little bit, and a little bit more. Basically, they are being asked to accept death by 1,000 cuts.

Enough is enough. When will the Prime Minister do as he promised and commit to fully protect supply management?

[International Trade, September 18th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, I was in Saint-Mathieu-de-Rioux visiting a family farm owned by Charles, who has been a dairy farmer for 31 years. He works around the clock, without a break, and he figures he earns about $5.50 per hour.

Charles told me that his family's financial situation is shaky because of what the Conservatives and Liberals gave away when they negotiated CETA and the TPP.

In 2015, the Prime Minister promised he would not touch supply management. Will he keep that promise once and for all and stop leaving everyone hanging?

[International Trade, September 18th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, in October 2015, the Prime Minister condemned the fact that the trans-Pacific partnership was negotiated in secret. In October 2015, the Prime Minister declared that he would never touch supply management and that there would be no concessions.

Dairy farmers in my region and across Canada depend on supply management and are telling me how important it is to the survival of family farms.

Can the Prime Minister tell us what has changed between 2015 and now?

Can he promise to keep supply management intact?