Justin Trudeau

[Ethics, April 10th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, Groundhog Day is February 2. We are a long way past that, yet the Conservatives seem to be desperate to reach back into any old thing they can to avoid talking about the fact that they have no plan for the economy, no plan to fight climate change and no plan to continue to grow an economy that works for Canadians in a way that is inclusive and positive.

These are the things that we have been working on over the past four years, and they are working for Canadians. All they can do is try to sling mud and bring up old issues that quite frankly are not what Canadians care about.

[Ethics, April 10th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, the RCMP works diligently to meet its responsibilities under the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act and to be transparent with Canadians. We respect its independence, and as always, I will not discuss security-related matters.

[Ethics, April 10th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, speaking of misleading Canadians, the very first thing we did was lower taxes on the middle class and raise taxes on the wealthiest 1%. We then delivered a Canada child benefit that lifted 300,000 kids out of poverty. The Conservatives voted against both of those measures.

How is our economy doing? It has among the best in growth in the G7 and the lowest unemployment rate in 40 years, and Canadians have created over 900,000 new jobs.

No wonder the Conservatives can only sling mud instead of talking about any plan for growing the economy. It is because they have none.

[Government Priorities, April 10th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad the member opposite is giving me a chance to talk about our investments in public transit. We have made historic investments worth over $28 billion in public transit systems across Canada. This gives Canadians more time to spend with their families.

More than 7,000 new buses have been purchased or upgraded. Nearly 15,000 bus stops or shelters have been built or updated. We are working with our partners, including the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. We will continue to invest in our communities because that creates economic growth and opportunities for Canadians.

[Intergovernmental Relations, April 10th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for St. Catharines for his hard work.

I highlight that for 10 years, Stephen Harper was unable to do what we just did in budget 2019. We removed the only remaining federal barrier to trade of Canadian wine, beer and spirits within Canada. It is now up to provinces to change their regulations to allow for direct-to-consumer alcohol sales across Canada.

We did what Stephen Harper and the Conservatives could not. We freed the beer.

[Intergovernmental Relations, April 10th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for St. Catharines for his hard work—

[Government Priorities, April 10th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, we on this side of the House understand that the fight against climate change requires action on many fronts. The government has a lot to do. The Conservatives and Canadians need to do their part, and the private sector needs to contribute, too.

We have programs aimed at supporting the fight against climate change. These programs are open to private sector businesses across Canada. We are going to keep making sure that we are all working together to fight climate change, not just paying lip service.

[Indigenous Affairs, April 10th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, no relationship is more important than that between this government and indigenous peoples, and that is why we have made historic strides forward on reconciliation with indigenous peoples. It involves tangible things like ending boil water advisories and creating more housing and schools on reserves, but also moving forward on rights recognition frameworks and self-government agreements.

However, all of these are done in partnership and with respect for indigenous peoples. We are not the ones determining the path forward for them. We are working with them to determine that path forward. We will always do it in respect of their views, not impose ours.

[Justice, April 10th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, what Canadians want is a government with an economic plan and a plan to fight climate change, and that is exactly what we are doing.

The Conservatives are continuing to mislead Canadians about our economic plan and our plan to fight climate change.

I know that all Quebeckers and all Canadians are concerned about the fact that the Conservatives do not have a plan to fight climate change. The Leader of the Opposition promised to present a plan 346 days ago, but he has still not done so.

When will he tackle climate change?

[Justice, April 10th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition continues to mislead Canadians. This shows that the Conservatives are still following Stephen Harper's playbook.

We put him on notice because he and his party have a history of making false and defamatory statements. That is what he did in December against the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. He was forced to swallow his false words and retract his statements. We will not stand by while he continues to mislead Canadians.