Justin Trudeau

[Standing Orders of the House of Commons, April 12th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to hear the member's passion for reforming our democracy and I am excited to get all input from members of this House on how we can improve and modernize the functioning of this House.

That is exactly what we are looking forward to: engaging with all members in this House in a substantive conversation on how to better serve our constituents and all Canadians, with rigorous debate that allows the opposition to hold the government to account and allows government to continue to fulfill the ambitious election promises that we made.

[Standing Orders of the House of Commons, April 12th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the abuse of omnibus legislation under the previous government was egregious and something on which we committed to take action. That is why in the legislation we put forward, including in the budget legislation we put forward, everything is related to the budget. Everything is thematically linked.

On top of that, what we are proposing in terms of changes to the Standing Orders will allow you, Mr. Speaker, to group into thematic groupings any piece of legislation to allow different committees to be able to study it better.

That is one of the ways in which we could make the House work better, if we worked—

[Ethics, April 12th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, I am happy to work with the Ethics Commissioner on an ongoing basis to answer any questions she may have.

Again, this government remains focused on the things Canadians are talking to us about every day, right across the country: whether it is how we will secure retirement for their aging parents, we talk about strengthening the CPP and increasing the GIS; whether it is giving opportunities to young people, we talk about increasing the Canada student grant by 50% and giving young people better access to post-secondary education.

We put $2 billion into research and university research facilities to ensure we are innovating for the future.

[Ethics, April 12th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, this was a family vacation to visit an old time friend. As I have said, we are working with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to answer any of these questions. It is important that we do just that, and that is what we are doing.

[Fisheries and Oceans, April 12th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the fish and seafood sector is integral to the economic and social fabric of thousands of coastal and indigenous communities in Canada, generating over $2.3 billion a year for the Canadian economy.

Our government is reflecting on future opportunities for this sector and taking the necessary steps to transform it and support innovation to help it achieve even greater success. That is why we recently announced a $325-million investment in the new Atlantic fisheries fund.

Investments under the Atlantic fisheries fund will increase employment opportunities for middle-class Canadians in coastal communities.

[Steel Industry, April 12th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I can go one better. I was in China last year and actually brought it up directly with the Chinese leadership.

The issue of Canadian steel and the prevalence and the dumping of Chinese steel is one that has concerned this government for a long time. That is why we have taken tangible, concrete steps in engaging with the Chinese at the highest level and why we continue to work with our American partners to ensure North American steel is supported and protected.

[Marijuana, April 12th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, we are moving forward on legalizing marijuana for two reasons. One is that the current regime is failing our kids. Right now, under-age kids have easier access to marijuana than those in any country around the world. There is higher per capita use by under-age Canadians than kids in any other country.

We want to make it more difficult for kids to access marijuana. That is why we are going to legalize and control marijuana. We also want to remove the billions of dollars from criminal organizations and street gangs that they use to commit more crimes.

[Public Safety, April 12th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, all members of the House want to make sure that Canadians are safe. That is why we are working together every day to ensure that our police and intelligence services are doing everything they need to do to protect Canadians.

I am very pleased to know that a committee made up of parliamentarians from all parties will be overseeing the actions of our police and national security agencies to ensure that everyone's rights and freedoms are respected and, more importantly, that Canadians are always safe in airports and in their communities.

[Public Safety, April 12th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the safety and security of Canadians and indeed all travellers are extremely important to this government. That is why we work every day to ensure that we are doing everything we can to keep Canadians safe. Our security agencies and police agencies work carefully every day to ensure that people are safe as they travel through our airports and elsewhere. That is why we are also moving forward on a committee of parliamentarians that will have oversight over our national security agencies and police agencies, to ensure that our charter rights are protected and that all our agencies are doing everything they can to keep Canadians safe at all times, which they are.

[Public Safety, April 12th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, as Canadians know, we take the security of Canadians and of all air travellers extremely seriously. That is why we work with our police and security agencies, with our international partners, and with our airlines to determine how best to keep air travellers safe. I can reassure Canadians that we always do everything necessary to ensure that Canadians are safe, while at the same time protecting their charter rights and freedoms. That is what we will continue to do every step of the way.