Justin Trudeau

[Rail Transportation, May 23rd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Alfred-Pellan for his question.

It is one that has been on the minds of all Quebeckers and all Canadians. For nearly five years now, the people of Lac-Mégantic have worked very hard to recover, rebuild their town, and create a better future for their community.

On May 11, the Minister of Finance and I announced that we have signed an agreement in principle with the Government of Quebec to jointly fund the rail bypass project.

We know that some wounds will never heal, but we sincerely hope this bypass will mark a new beginning for the people of Lac-Mégantic.

[Democratic Reform, May 23rd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, this is in fact the fourth day of debate on the elections bill, and we are looking forward to sending it to committee so that the member opposite and all members will be able to weigh in and make their concrete recommendations to improve this piece of legislation. Yes, we know that Elections Canada rules need to be improved after the Conservatives broke them. That is why we look forward to having robust discussions at committee, so the work can actually get done and delivered in time for Canadians in the next election.

[Democratic Reform, May 23rd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, we look forward to debating this bill in committee. We know that there are many witnesses and members who want to make suggestions regarding this bill in committee. That is an important step in the process.

We look forward to sending this bill to committee so that the NDP, the Conservative Party, and others can share their opinions on this important bill. That is why we are very happy to soon send it to committee so that we can all do the work together.

[Natural Resources, May 23rd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, if one actually listens to the Conservative members, one realizes they are actually hinging an awful lot of their political survival on our not getting the pipeline built. We are going to get that pipeline built, and I look forward to seeing what the Conservatives have to say once construction season starts, once shovels are in the ground, and once we deliver on this pipeline to new markets, which they were unable to do. Would they be happy then, or would they be miserable that it was our government that got it done—

[Natural Resources, May 23rd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of failure by Stephen Harper to get even one kilometre of new pipeline built to new markets, we are getting it done. We have approved the Kinder Morgan TMX pipeline expansion under a strengthened process that brings in indigenous communities, that respects science, that gets the social licence that so completely evaded the previous government because Canadians did not trust them. Canadians did not believe they had the best interests of Canada and Canadians at heart.

What that means is that we are growing the economy and protecting the environment as well.

[Natural Resources, May 23rd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I find it funny that Stephen Harper's Conservatives are still talking about leadership on natural resources. For 10 years, they talked up Alberta's oil economy every chance they got, but they never got anything done. They were not able to get a single kilometre of pipeline toward new markets built. They could not make it happen because they did not know, did not understand, and still refuse to understand that growing the economy goes hand in hand with protecting the environment. Because they were unable to protect the environment, they could not grow the economy the way it needed to be done. We are going to do things differently.

[Natural Resources, May 23rd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, our plan is to get that pipeline built because it is in the national interest, because it is part of both growing the economy and protecting the environment together. As the members know, we are working right now in financial discussions with the proponent. We are ensuring that we will be able to move forward in a responsible way. That is exactly what we are going to do. We are going to do what is in the national interest. The national interest is to build that pipeline so we can get our resources responsibly and sustainably to new markets across the Pacific.

[Marijuana, May 23rd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, we are legalizing and regulating cannabis sales because we know that we need to better protect our kids and protect our communities from the impact of organized crime. That is why we are doing this. We recognize that under the current prohibition the medical-marijuana system actually purveys an awful lot of recreational cannabis to users. This situation will shift significantly once we have a legalized regime in place, and we are going to be working with the medical marijuana community to ensure that those who use marijuana as medications do not suffer undue extra penalties. That is something we have committed to doing. We are going to work responsibly toward that.

[Marijuana, May 23rd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, we are legalizing cannabis to better protect young people and our communities from the effects of cannabis and the black market. Right now, the medical-marijuana system actually purveys a lot of recreational cannabis to users. We know that this will all change once we have a regulated system in place, and we will work with stakeholders in the medical industry to ensure that medical marijuana is still—

[Government Spending, May 23rd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, obviously we are working with the mayor of Quebec City and the authorities to ensure that everything goes smoothly.

We acknowledge that it is important for citizens to be able to express themselves, whether they agree or disagree with the events, but we must ensure that this is done in accordance with the law and in an orderly fashion. That is why we are working with the local police, with the Sûreté du Québec, and with the RCMP to ensure that the public, the store owners, and everyone else are safe during this magnificent G7 meeting being held in Charlevoix and during other events being held in Quebec City.