House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2021, with 50% of the vote.
The Budget February 28th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, with respect to the Davie shipyard, we know what great work Davie workers have been doing for a long time. That is why we are happy to be in talks for the new icebreakers the Canadian Coast Guard needs.
With respect to Internet giants, we will not make taxpayers pay more tax no matter what the opposition wants. We will keep making sure that we are helping middle-class Quebeckers and Canadians because that is what we said we would do. That was our election promise to Canadians.
Prime Minister’s Trip to India February 28th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives seem to think it is a problem that the headline is “Prime Minister stands by his officials”. This is something that we need to understand.
On this side of the House our government will always stand by the professional public servants who work hard, regardless of the government stripe of the day, to serve Canadians, to keep Canadians safe, and to give us the information and the understanding of the world that we need to have.
We will always stand by our non-partisan professional public service. It is a shame that they do not.
Employment Insurance February 28th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, too often working mothers pull double duty, working a full-time job during the day, then going home and doing the bulk of parenting duties at night. Moving away from this second shift will take time, and it begins by helping parents share the work of raising their children more equally with the new parental sharing benefit.
Greater gender equality is the smart thing to do for the economy and the right thing to do for Canadians.
The Budget February 28th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, with our investments in the Canada child benefit, the Canada workers benefit, and our national housing strategy, we are keeping our promises in Quebec and across the country. As for tax evasion, we invested over $1 billion within the first two years, and there are now more than 1,000 offshore audits and more than 40 criminal investigations with links to offshore transactions under way. To date, we have imposed $44 million in penalties on individuals promoting tax avoidance schemes, and yesterday we announced more than $90 million over five years—
Prime Minister’s Trip to India February 28th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand and defend the integrity of our public servants who accomplish incredible work. Canadians rejected the Conservatives' approach of disrespecting and bashing the hard-working men and women of our non-partisan public service.
Since the member opposite has used the name of Daniel Jean, it is important to remind them all that Daniel is a distinguished public servant who has served governments, regardless of their political stripe, for over 35 years. In fact, I remind the member opposite that the previous Conservative government so valued Mr. Jean's service that it chose him to represent Canada when he addressed the UN General Assembly—
Status of Women February 28th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Shefford for his question. We know that the middle class cannot grow without the full involvement of women in the labour market. We announced an apprenticeship incentive grant for women. This five-year pilot project will provide a maximum of $6,000 over two years to women who choose a male-dominated Red Seal trade. Through measures like this, we will continue to move forward, help women, and grow our economy.
Prime Minister’s Trip to India February 28th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, Canada and India have a long tradition of bilateral relations, built on the traditions of democracy, pluralism, and strong people-to-people ties. Indo Canadians, including those of the Sikh faith, have made immense contributions to Canada.
We believe that freedom of speech and expression are at the core of democracy, both at home in Canada and around the world. These rights are universal. We will work and collaborate with people all around the world to advance those rights.
On this side of the House we take that very seriously.
Prime Minister’s Trip to India February 28th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, it is troubling to hear how much the members opposite do not trust or believe in the professionality and non-partisan nature of our public service. Our professional public servants, particularly in the security and information areas, work very hard to keep Canadians safe. To hear members opposite trying to score cheap political points by politicizing them is really disappointing.
We take the responsibility of working with partners around the world very seriously to keep Canadians safe, and that is what we will continue to do.
Prime Minister’s Trip to India February 28th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, I have already answered those questions.
What the opposition does not understand is that it should be focusing on Canadians. That is what Liberal MPs did when they told us we needed to help workers in seasonal industries. We listened, and we are delivering.
For those working in seasonal industries, we announced $10 million in immediate income support, and over $200 million over the next two years through federal-provincial labour market development agreements.
This is what we can accomplish when we focus on the middle class and people working hard to join it.
Public Services and Procurement February 28th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, we are determined to do what is necessary to fix the problem. We announced more than $430 million over six years to continue addressing existing pay problems. We will increase the number of employees working on pay issues and hire more HR advisers within departments. We have a plan to stabilize the pay system. We will also work with experts, unions, and technology providers in anticipation of a new pay system.