Justin Trudeau

[Prime Minister's Trip to India, February 28th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for his question and I thank him for his service, as I do all men and women who serve in uniform to keep our communities and our country safe.

As I have said a number of times, the invitation never should have been extended to this individual. As soon as we found out about it, we rescinded the invitation. The MP responsible for it has apologized, and we will continue to work to stand against violent extremism and terrorism wherever it rears its head around the world.

[Public Safety, February 27th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, this individual never should have been invited. As soon as we found out that he was, that invitation was rescinded. The member responsible for the invitation has taken full responsibility, and I will be following up with that member later this afternoon.

[Public Safety, February 27th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, as I have been saying, this invitation never should have been sent. As soon as it came to our attention, it was withdrawn.

Canada's national security agencies and police services are non-partisan and both highly competent and effective. We trust them to promote and protect Canadian security. They continue to do an excellent job in serving and protecting the interests of Canadians.

[Taxation, February 27th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, as we have said many times, we are not going to raise taxes on Canadians, even though the NDP is asking us to do so. We are not going to raise taxes on taxpayers. That is a promise that we made and that we are going to keep. Canadians are already paying enough taxes, so we are not going to raise them. It is the NDP that wants to raise taxes. We are not going to do that.

[Taxation, February 27th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, we are combatting tax evasion and investing nearly $1 billion to give the CRA the tools it needs.

The CRA now has a team in charge of dealing with offshore non-compliance. We adopted the global standard for the automatic exchange of information in order to automatically exchange information held by non-residents with OECD partners.

As far as offshore compliance is concerned, as of December 31, 2017, the CRA had audited more than 1,000 taxpayers and launched investigations into more than 40 cases.

[Public Safety, February 27th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, in this country we take very seriously the responsibility of keeping Canadians safe, of countering violent extremism, and of fighting against terrorism. I can assure the member opposite, and indeed all Canadians, that our national security agencies and our police agencies do everything necessary to keep all Canadians safe at all times.

[Public Safety, February 27th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I can understand where the opposition finds this difficult. For 10 years it used the professional public service for partisan ends. It torqued the public service every possible way it could. It does not understand that our professional, non-partisan public service does high-quality work. When one of our top diplomats and security officials says something to Canadians, it is because they know it to be true.

[Public Safety, February 27th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the previous government, we respect the non-partisan nature of the public service, especially those who serve in our national security agencies. We trust and listen to the advice and actions that they take, that they will be in the national interest, and that they will be impartial.

All Canadians can be proud, and should be proud, of the non-partisan work our national security agencies carry out on a daily basis.

[Public Safety, February 27th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, it is disappointing that the opposition does not recognize the importance of the Canada-India relationship.

India's growing economy offers significant opportunities to strengthen Canada's middle class. We welcomed over $1 billion in investments between Canadian and Indian companies, which will lead to the creation of more than 5,800 good, well-paying middle-class jobs for Canadians.

These investments will grow Canada's economy, encourage innovation and entrepreneurship, and increase collaboration. We know that it is the deep ties that unite Canada and India that help create these high-quality—

[Public Safety, February 27th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, as we have already said, this invitation should never have been sent. As soon as we realized that it had, the invitation was withdrawn.

Canada's national security and law enforcement agencies are non-partisan, highly competent, and very effective. We have faith in them to protect Canada and Canadians. They continue to work very hard to serve and protect the interests of Canadians.