Linda Lapointe

[Business of Supply, January 29th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I listened closely to my colleague from Barrie—Innisfil, whose speech was very interesting.

I would like to know what they would promise voters. I would also like to know if my hon. colleague is aware that his constituents received 11,610 tax-free Canada child benefit payments, which helped 20,870 children. At an average of $7,080 per family, those payments are among the highest in Ontario.

Supposing the Conservatives were to be in office in 2020, would my hon. colleague scrap the Canada child benefit?

[Business of Supply, January 29th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I always listen closely to what my colleague from St. Albert—Edmonton has to say.

Does he know that families in his riding have received 11,910 tax-free child benefit payments for 22,430 children? That is an average of $6,840 a year. Our hon. colleague voted against that.

I would like to know what the Conservatives' plan is. What are they going to cut? Are they going to promise to balance the budget in 2020? I would love to hear what they have to say.

[Business of Supply, January 29th, 2019]

Madam Speaker, I always enjoy listening to my colleague from New Westminster—Burnaby. He is very eloquent.

In 2015, the NDP promised an austerity budget. I would like my hon. colleague to tell me which of the measures we have introduced he would cut. Would he get rid of the tax cut for small businesses, which lowered their rate from 11% to 9%? Would he get rid of the Canada child benefit? Would he raise the retirement age back up to 67? We lowered it to 65. Would he cancel tax cuts for the middle class?

I just listened to him talk about a fair tax system. Do my colleagues opposite regret having promised voters an austerity budget in 2015?

[Federal Sustainable Development Act, January 28th, 2019]

Madam Speaker, I thank my honourable colleague. I see that he is not very well rested after spending six weeks in his riding. I find him to be a little off.

Quebeckers believe that we must fight climate change and put a price on pollution. My colleague is from Quebec and has known for a long time that we are already environmentally conscious and that we want to go further, just like British Columbia.

I know he cannot answer this question, but I would like to know whether the Conservative Party has a plan to fight climate change. I have not seen one yet and there is nothing forthcoming. I am thinking of my children and my granddaughter.

I would like to hear what my colleague has to say, but he cannot ask me any more questions.

[Federal Sustainable Development Act, January 28th, 2019]

Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague. I am glad to see he was really listening.

The reason we do not need to go further is that it is already included in the procurement harmonization.

[Federal Sustainable Development Act, January 28th, 2019]

Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her question.

I am sure she knows that I am from Quebec. The price on pollution in Quebec is widely accepted and has been in place for a long time now. People do not understand why we are not going even further in that respect.

I am back in the House after spending six weeks in my riding. The environment is probably the biggest issue people are talking about. What can we do to go even further, to help our children and grandchildren? The member surely knows that I used to be a member of the Standing Committee on International Trade. We held consultations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The number one concern for people in the Far North is the fact that climate change is already happening. We really need to do even more.

[Federal Sustainable Development Act, January 28th, 2019]

Madam Speaker, hon. colleagues, I am delighted to be back in the House of Commons. I am especially pleased to have the privilege of speaking in this new chamber.

I rise today to speak to the Senate's amendments to Bill C-57, an act to amend the Federal Sustainable Development Act. I want to thank the hon. senators for their time and efforts in reviewing this bill.

I would like to take this opportunity to provide a brief overview of how this bill aligns with the government’s commitments around delivering real results, pursuing goals with a renewed sense of collaboration, and setting a higher bar for transparency. I will continue with a discussion of the amendments adopted by the Senate.

This bill is a reflection of the Government of Canada’s commitment to sustainable development and safeguarding the interests of future generations. We all want a sustainable future for Canada, for our children and for our grandchildren. This bill clearly shows that sustainable development and the environment are at the forefront of government decision making.

This bill ensures that federal organizations bound by the act contribute to the development of federal sustainable development strategies and progress reports. In developing sustainable development strategies, federal organizations are to consider a number of principles, including the principle of intergenerational equity.

The bill indicates that targets must be measurable and include a time frame. That and the inclusion of the principle of results and delivery will help MPs, senators and the general public to keep track of the government's progress in meeting the goals and targets set out in each strategy every three years. This would incorporate the government’s strong focus on results into legislation.

The federal sustainable development strategy and its progress reports are a collaborative effort involving many departments and agencies. Bill C-57 would contribute to an integrated, whole-of-government view of activities supporting environmental sustainability. One way in which this would be achieved is by extending the Federal Sustainable Development Act’s coverage to over 90 federal organizations and enable further expansion of coverage over time.

The sustainable development strategies developed by these federal organizations will support the Federal Sustainable Development Act’s commitment to make environmental decision-making more transparent and accountable to Parliament.

Going forward, parliamentarians and relevant standing committees in both houses would have a greater ability to hold the government accountable for these sustainable development goals and targets. This would give committees a comprehensive view of what government organizations are doing with respect to sustainable development and the results achieved.

This bill received strong support from all parties of the House of Commons, where it was unanimously passed, and I hope that it will continue to be fully supported in the message we will send to the Senate.

I would now like to talk about the Senate's amendments.

First, the Senate agreed to some consequential amendments to bring the Auditor General Act in line with the changes made to the Federal Sustainable Development Act in Bill C-57. This reaffirms the commissioner's role under the Federal Sustainable Development Act and is supported by the government.

A second amendment was made to broaden the mandate of the Sustainable Development Advisory Council and not limit its advice on sustainable development matters to issues referred to it by the Minister of the Environment. Prior to this amendment, the bill stated that council members were to advise the minister on any matter related to sustainable development that is referred to the council by the minister. It is standard practice for ministerial advisory councils to provide advice on issues referred to them by the minister in charge. Defining the mandate of the Sustainable Development Advisory Council within the bill was meant to set clear parameters of its work. Although this amendment goes beyond our original intent, the government can accept it.

The third amendment would reinsert a section of the act that was removed. The current wording of the act stipulates that performance-based contracts with the Government of Canada must include provisions for meeting the applicable goals and targets referred to in the federal sustainable development strategy and the departmental sustainable development strategies.

It is the government's view that this section pertains to procurement. The alignment of procurement to environmental objectives is already included in the Treasury Board’s policy on green procurement, and that is why the government decided to repeal that section.

Also, Bill C-57 introduces section 10.1, which states that the Treasury Board may establish policies or issue directives applicable to designated entities governed by the Federal Sustainable Development Act in relation to the sustainable development impact of their operations. This explicitly recognizes the Treasury Board's role with respect to the impact of government operations on sustainable development.

On top of the fact that it is not appropriate to reinsert this section as written, the amendment further specifies that performance-based contracts include employment contracts and that they should include provisions for meeting the applicable goals and targets referred to in the federal sustainable development strategy as well as any applicable strategy developed under section 11.

The government does not support this amendment as this bill is not the appropriate legislation to prescribe what should be in employment contracts. Employment contracts are not easily defined, given their broad and wide-ranging nature. Moreover, this change is beyond the policy intent of a bill whose purpose is to make decision-making related to sustainable development more transparent and subject to accountability to Parliament.

Given all the provisions in the bill that strengthen other accountability measures, including identifying a minister responsible for each target in the federal sustainable development strategy, and explicitly indicating that the Treasury Board Secretariat may establish policies or issue directives applicable to one or more departments in relation to the sustainable development impact of their operations, the government does not see the benefit of this amendment.

The additional transparency and oversight measures included in this bill will provide enhanced accountability measures for the results achieved. That is why I agree with the minister and I support sending a message to the Senate agreeing with two amendments and disagreeing with the change to clause 8.

Madam Speaker, I welcome the debate on this amendment and your decision.

[EMD Construction—Batimo, December 13th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for me to rise today. We have come to the last members' statements, so it is a pleasure to be here in the House.

In November, a very exciting company in my riding called EMD Construction—Batimo received two prizes at the most recent gala for the prestigious U.S.A. & Americas Property Awards. These awards are part of the renowned International Property Awards, which recognize outstanding architecture and design in real estate projects and highlight the success of property management companies around the world.

EMD—Batimo was awarded best Canadian residential development for the Chartwell L'Envol project in Cap-Rouge, in the Quebec City area. It is the first Canadian developer to receive a prestigious honour for a retirement residence. These are people from my riding of Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, so I am incredibly proud. Congratulations to the team at EMD Construction—Batimo. It is a thriving company.

I also want to take a moment to wish all my colleagues in the House and everyone patiently watching us on TV a merry Christmas and a very happy new year. I wish everyone peace and good health, and I hope everyone gets to spend some quality time with their family and friends.

[Elections Modernization Act, December 13th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I listened to my colleague very closely.

I am privileged to be a member of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, where we studied Bill C-76, a bill to modernize elections administration by making the electoral process more transparent, accessible and secure. The study took a long time because there was a lot of obstruction.

Although I completely disagree with my colleague opposite, I would like to hear what he has to say about the following facts. From now on, it will be easier for Canadians abroad—be they members of the armed forces, public servants with Global Affairs Canada, or RCMP officers—to participate in the voting process via mail-in ballot. That means one million voters will now have the opportunity to exercise their right to vote, a fundamental right enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I would like my colleague to comment on that.

[Marie-Ève Dicaire, December 7th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, on December 1, an athlete from my riding won a world boxing championship. Marie-Ève Dicaire, a 32-year-old native of Saint-Eustache, took on a Uruguayan boxer in a fight at the Montreal casino.

Her coaches said the fight was one of her best ever, and she took home her first world boxing championship title. She is actually the first Quebec woman to win such a title.

Before she took up boxing, her first athletic pursuit was karate, which she started learning at the age of six. She is now a 5th dan black belt and a world champion in that discipline.

Marie-Ève is an inspiration to girls and young women in our region and across Canada. The energy she puts into promoting her sport is admirable. I am proud to have an athlete like her and a rising star in the world of boxing in my riding.

Congratulations, Marie-Ève, and happy holidays to my colleagues.