Justin Trudeau

[The Economy, February 22nd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, this government has remained focused on the middle class, and those working hard to join it. We lowered taxes on the middle class by raising them on the wealthiest 1%.

We brought in a Canada child benefit that gives more money to nine out of 10 Canadian families, which will help them with the costs of groceries, school supplies, and raising their kids, and by not helping millionaire families with child benefits like the previous government did.

On top of that, we will be reducing child poverty by 40% with the CCB. This is the kind of focus we have on creating jobs and opportunity, help for the middle class, and those working hard to join it.

[Justice, February 22nd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, our government supports the work of our judges and judiciary. As a government we know that we need to make sure that we are protecting the safety of our citizens, getting justice for victims, and indeed respecting our Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

That is exactly what our Minister of Justice is committed to doing as we look over the Criminal Code, and make improvements to make sure we are protecting victims, protecting Canadians, and respecting our charter.

[Justice, February 22nd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the responsibility of any government is to protect citizens, get justice for victims, and respect the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

That is exactly what I asked our Minister of Justice to do by reviewing and examining our Criminal Code, and that is exactly what we are going to do while making sure, of course, that our justice system is independent.

[Health Care, February 22nd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the government continues to be open to investments that create middle-class jobs, economic growth, and long-term prosperity for Canadians. Cedar Tree has confirmed a strong commitment to the ongoing quality of operations of Canadian retirement residences and to its health care workers.

It will remain subject to provincial oversight on seniors care facilities, ensuring the rules for the care of seniors will continue to be followed, and will keep the current number of full and part-time jobs.

[Health Care, February 22nd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is a trading nation that relies on engagement with countries around the world to create good jobs in Canada and to create economic growth.

We have a policy that allows us to draw in global investments to create jobs and opportunities for Canadians while at the same time ensuring that they are in Canadians' interests, and to the benefit of our country as we move forward in a thoughtful and responsible way. That is exactly what we did in this case.

[Canada-U.S. Relation, February 21st, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to concrete action, we are working with the U.S. authorities to ensure that jobs in Canada, economic growth, and the security of our borders continue to benefit small businesses, Canadian workers, and economic growth for the middle class and those working hard to join it.

We will always speak loud and clear for Canadian values, and we will continue to always work constructively with Americans.

[Canada-U.S. Relation, February 21st, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect their government to do two things: to stand up for Canadian values and continue to talk about the openness and the strength with which we engage with the world and also to have a strong working relationship with the American government and officials. That is what we are focusing very much on doing, because there are millions of jobs on both sides of the border that depend on us working well together, but we will always stand up for our values and our strengths.

[Canada-U.S. Relation, February 21st, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is an open and welcoming country, and one of the reasons we are able to continue to be open and welcoming is that Canadians have confidence in the integrity of our borders and the integrity of our immigration system. We will continue to ensure that laws are enforced and followed and that we remain demonstrating the strength and integrity of our immigration system. We will be welcoming, but we need to make sure that it is done properly at the same time by all officials in Canada.

[Canada-U.S. Relation, February 21st, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is an open and generous country. Last year, we welcomed tens of thousands of refugees. We will continue to welcome refugees.

One of the reasons why Canada remains an open country is that Canadians have confidence in our immigration system, the integrity of our borders, and the help we provide people who are seeking relief and a better life.

We will continue to strike a balance between having a rigorous system and accepting those who are in need.

[Taxation, February 21st, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, the first thing we did was lower taxes on the middle class and raise them on the wealthiest 1%. The Conservatives voted against that, by the way.

The fact is that we also brought in the Canada child benefit to give more money to families who need it and reduce or eliminate benefits for millionaire families. That will reduce child poverty in Canada by 40%.

We are focusing on the middle class and those working hard to join it.