Justin Trudeau

[Finance, February 4th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, in 2015, Canadians had a simple choice to make. The Conservatives wanted to create economic growth by giving the very wealthy all kinds of goodies, but we wanted to create economic growth by investing in the middle class and our communities. Once again, Canadians chose well.

Over the past three years, we have seen economic growth thanks to our investments in the middle class, to the help we have given families, which has raised 300,000 children out of poverty, and to investments in infrastructure—

[Member for Spadina—Fort York, February 4th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, the parliamentary secretary has apologized for his tweet. It is important that we all remember that there can be strong disagreements over policy, over questions of substance, but we need to remain civil and keep away from the personal accusations and the personal invective whenever we have political debates.

[Member for Spadina—Fort York, February 4th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is well aware the member in question has apologized for his tweet. It is important that we have civil debates in the House and elsewhere when we engage in disagreements over public policy.

[Member for Spadina—Fort York, February 4th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I will address the member's question shortly.

Michael Ferguson devoted his life to public service, both in his home province of New Brunswick and across the country. We will remember him for his tireless dedication to promote a transparent, open government that is accountable to Canadians.

His work as Auditor General over the past seven years helped strengthen our democracy and maintain the integrity of our public institutions. We are all greatly saddened by his passing.

I offer my deepest condolences to Mr. Ferguson's family, friends and colleagues.

[Official Languages, January 30th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Constitution defends the rights of official language minorities in Canada. We will continue to defend the Constitution.

Despite what the Bloc is trying to say, we will respect the Constitution and defend both of our official languages across the country.

[Health, January 30th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, we have made some of the largest investments in Canadian history for mental health services, with $5 billion in budget 2017.

Of course, there is much more to do. That is why I am happy to confirm that this spring we will be moving forward with the plan to fight PTSD that the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness will put forward.

[Status of Women, January 30th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, no one should be subject to acts of violence, period. Incidents of sexual assault on school campuses remain one of the most often reported types of violence since #MeToo. Nearly half of sexual assaults reported in Canada are committed against women aged 15 to 24. That is why our government is working with an advisory committee of survivors, students and partners that will create a national framework to end gender-based violence on campuses.

No students should experience violence in this important part of their lives, and we are taking action.

[Indigenous Affairs, January 30th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, we have demonstrated consistently that no relationship is more important than that with indigenous peoples. That is why we have moved forward in partnership to both respond to the services needed in indigenous communities, from drinking water to housing to a broad range of educational and community investments, and restore a better relationship in terms of rights, in terms of recognition, in terms of reconciliation. This is what we are focusing on and it is an all-of-cabinet approach.

The entire government is—

[Natural Resources, January 30th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, we recognize that to move forward on energy projects in this country, we need to do it the right way—that is, in partnership with indigenous peoples and respecting the concerns of Canadians, including environmental concerns. We know that, for 10 years, the Harper Conservatives failed to do just that. They did not understand that we have to stand up for the environment, that we have to work with indigenous peoples. That is exactly what we are doing.

The Federal Court of Appeal's judgment laid out a blueprint for doing this in the right way, and that is exactly the blueprint we are following. We know getting our resources to new markets is a priority.

[Seniors, January 30th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Marc-Aurèle-Fortin for his question.

Our government began working for seniors as soon as we were elected. We restored the age of eligibility for the old age security and guaranteed income supplement benefits to 65, keeping 10,000 seniors out of poverty. We increased the guaranteed income supplement for our most vulnerable seniors, helping 900,000 seniors in Canada. We also invested $6 billion in home care and palliative care.

We are investing in our seniors and we are helping them.