Justin Trudeau

[Disaster Assistance, May 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government is there now to support the emergency situation that so many communities are facing, with neighbours, volunteers, first responders, and now Canadian Armed Forces there to pitch in to try to protect homes, cherished memories, lives. This is something we take very seriously, and yes, the federal government will be there in the coming weeks and months to work with communities facing cleanup, facing rebuilds. This is what Canadians do. We are there for each other in times of trouble.

[Disaster Assistance, May 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, when I visited Terrasse-Vaudreuil, it was an honour for me to see how members of the community have come together. Neighbours and strangers pitched in and filled sandbags to prevent houses from being completely destroyed. It was a proud moment.

To date, we have sent 1,650 Canadian Forces members to help. We are sending sandbags, and we will also be there to help clean up and provide assistance in the days to come.

[National Defence, May 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, there have been six different inquiries of different sorts into this issue, including one that is still ongoing.

We will always focus our efforts on demonstrating that Canada takes the treatment of detainees very seriously. We will continue to work with those involved to ensure that Canada fulfills all its responsibilities and that it knows what happened and what we can do to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.

[National Defence, May 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the issue of treatment of prisoners is one that all members of the House take extremely seriously. That is why we are pleased that over the years there have been six different inquiries of different sorts into the Afghan detainee issue, including one ongoing right now.

Indeed, there was one inquiry that required one of our former colleagues, Stéphane Dion, to spend an entire summer poring through 40,000 different documents to analyze what had happened. That was an opportunity also given to members of the NDP. They chose not to participate. Apparently it was not a priority for them. It is a priority for us, and will continue to be.

[Infrastructure, May 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the approach we have put forward over the past year and a half on infrastructure is in direct contrast to the approach of the previous government. We believe in collaboration. We believe in working with people. That is why we have been consulting with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, with unions and work groups, with private investors, but also with chambers of commerce to talk about the kinds of investments in infrastructure that are going to lead to good jobs for Canadians now and growth that is going to help Canadian workers, Canadian families, and Canadians, as we move forward in the coming years and even decades.

[Infrastructure, May 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, we all know a significant level of underinvestment has happened over years and, indeed, decades in Canada in our infrastructure. We got elected on a commitment to invest in Canada's communities, invest in our infrastructure, which is why we put forward a plan for $180 billion of investments in infrastructure that is going to make a difference in Canadians' lives.

We also know there are greater needs even than that. Drawing in on different sources of capital so people can get to work and home on time, so people can get their goods to markets, and creating good middle-class jobs is a priority for us.

[National Defence, May 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence has an exceptional record of service to his country, whether it is as a police officer, as a decorated army veteran or, indeed, now as Minister of National Defence and MP. He continues to work very hard day in and day out to give to our troops the tools and the capacity they need to succeed.

We continue to ensure we look at what our military needs. After 10 years of underinvestments by the previous government, we are about to give the valorous women and men who serve the tools and the support they need.

[National Defence, May 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I still have full confidence in the Minister of National Defence. He has an exceptional record of service to his country, whether it is as a police officer, a soldier, a member, or a minister. I am very proud of the work he is doing to address the fact that, for 10 years, the Conservative government underinvested in our armed forces. Unfortunately, the armed forces did not have the equipment and support they needed to do their work. We plan to fix that.

[Public Safety, May 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her question.

I want to say that our thoughts are of course with all Canadians affected by the flooding. We thank the first responders, as well as the volunteers who have been helping their neighbours and their communities for the past several days.

The Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness has spoken to his counterparts in Quebec and Ontario, and officials continue to speak with authorities in New Brunswick and British Columbia, and, indeed, across the country.

I can confirm that approximately 1,650 Canadian Forces members were deployed and Ontario has also requested help with 250,000 sandbags, which are on their way.

[The Environment, May 3rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is proud of its commitments under the Paris agreement. We continue to lead the way, not only in having ambitious targets but in ensuring we have a plan to meet those targets.

That is what is important, particularly important among Arctic nations. As the hon. member pointed out, Arctic populations and ecosystems are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change than just about anywhere else in the world.

That is why we are working very strongly with all our friends and allies to ensure leadership on the environment that goes beyond our nation's borders and that demonstrates our true commitment to protecting both the economy and the environment for generations to come.