Matt DeCourcey

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, October 26th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague from Nepean and all Canadians can expect good news on November 1. It is clear that the hon. member understands that a strong immigration plan is key to driving economic growth and creating good middle-class jobs for Canadians.

That is why our government will continue to recruit top global talent, why we will resettle the world's most vulnerable, and why we will reunite families again, cleaning up the backlog left to us by the Harper Conservatives. We will build upon the record $30 billion contributed to Canada by international visitors and students last year alone.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, October 19th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, our government understands full well that our economic success as a country is dependent on welcoming newcomers into our communities and providing them avenues to contribute to their local economies. We know equally well that the diversity of newcomers adds to the richness of Canada. We are reinvesting in economic immigration streams and in welcoming refugees.

I remind the member opposite that under this government, we saw a historic effort to resettle 56,000 Syrian refugees in this country. We are equally reinvesting in our department and our officials so that they can provide the type of immigration services that newcomers to our country expect and that Canadians expect as well.

[Foreign Affairs, October 17th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, we will continue the hard diplomatic work of standing up for human rights around the world in each and every forum we have the opportunity to do so. It is far too easy for the Conservatives to stand up and grandstand on issues, to cherry-pick issues and have their critics, their leading voices within the party, outside the chamber saying that when we stand up and defend human rights and women's rights, we are giving Canada “a bad reputation”.

On this side of the floor, Canadians can expect a principled and firm stand in defence of human rights, the rights of LGBTQ2 communities around the world, the rights of vulnerable refugees when they find hardship and, certainly and strikingly, the rights of women and girls in Saudi Arabia and everywhere around the world.

[Foreign Affairs, October 17th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, let us be clear that under our government, the promotion and protection of human rights, which certainly include women's rights, is a fundamental and foundational part of our foreign policy. We advocate for the rights of women across all conversations around the world, and that includes in our conversations with Saudi Arabia.

I am glad to hear the member opposite, his party's junior critic, on this file agreeing with us in principle that human rights and women's rights are important to advocate for. It was not too long ago that his party was opposing that principle and, quite frankly, we are still unclear about his party's position as it relates to support for the human rights of women around the world.

His party's senior critic, the member for Durham, said that my party has advocated too much for women's rights in Saudi Arabia, saying that we have caused a “disconnect” by doing so. I can talk about another senior voice within the Conservative Party and his views on our advocacy of women's rights in Saudi Arabia. Maybe the member opposite can clarify whether John Baird's words to the effect that our advocacy and defence of women's rights is “giving Canada a bad reputation” is still the policy of the Conservative Party of Canada.

On this side of the House, we do not just believe in defending human rights but in defending the human rights of any and all individuals, especially when it is difficult to do so, and we do not believe that gives Canada a bad reputation. Quite frankly, we believe doing so shines a light on Canada as a beacon in the world, and the world knows that Canada will be there to defend the human rights of all vulnerable people and women.

There is a certain irony in the position taken by the member today. On one hand, he wants a public condemnation of the past membership of a UN body; on the other hand, it is his party that argues that we should not use public comments as “a substitute for proper diplomacy”. Again, that is a direct quote from his party's senior critic for foreign affairs.

Our government will continue to call on the Government of Saudi Arabia to ensure the full protection of human rights, including women's rights, as well as respect for peaceful expressions of dissent and to ensure fairness in judicial proceedings. We will never hesitate to promote these values and we believe that dialogue is critical when we engage in international diplomacy. While Canada was not a member of the UN Economic and Social Council until recently and therefore had no influence over who was elected to its membership in 2017, we will use this forum to spur action by other countries on women's rights.

Of course, the Commission on the Status of Women's diverse membership sometimes presents challenges. Not all governments are willing to move as quickly and progressively on the protection and promotion of women's rights as Canada is, but if its membership were composed solely of countries already taking a strong view on the protection of human rights, its ability to make change would be much less significant.

Let me reiterate that we are committed to the full protection of all human rights, including vulnerable populations around the world, and in Saudi Arabia we are committed to the protection of the human rights of women.

[Government Spending, October 17th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, perhaps it bears repeating that the compensation policies for affected local businesses are the same as the ones in place under Mr. Harper's Conservative government when it hosted the G8 in 2010. When they organized the G8 summit in 2010, the Conservatives were still analyzing more than $11 million worth of compensation claims. Thus, we do not need to take any lessons from them.

The G7 summit was a major event that greatly benefited the region and Canada as a whole. The residents of Charlevoix and all Canadians should be proud.

[Government Spending, October 17th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to remind the House what a tremendous success the G7 summit in Charlevoix was. During the summit, we were able to see just how proud the people of Charlevoix were to welcome representatives from around the world and show them how beautiful their region is and how it is a source of Canadian pride.

Our government actively communicated with local representatives before this global event. In May, the Prime Minister went to Charlevoix to meet with the community and local leaders.

I would also like to add that this summit generated economic spinoffs for the region that will continue to be felt long after this world event. For example, the investments we made in local infrastructure will directly benefit the community. We invested $15 million in modernizing the cellular network. That was a very important legacy of the G7 summit. In that regard, I would like to quote the reeve of the Charlevoix-Est RCM and mayor of Saint-Siméon, Sylvain Tremblay, who said, and I quote:

We would likely not have seen investments like that for decades, and that is no exaggeration. This is a very important legacy. We expected investments to be made, but this means that we have entered the 21st century with the same tools as everyone else.

My colleague expressed her concerns about compensation for local businesses. I would like to immediately reassure her: the compensation policies for local businesses affected are the same ones that were in effect under the Harper Conservatives in 2010. We have a program to compensate commercial businesses, non-profits and individuals affected by extraordinary security measures, which was the case during this summit. We received the applications and we are currently evaluating them.

With regard to compensation, my colleague seems to have a short memory. In 2012, two years after the 2010 G8 summit, the Harper government was still processing $11 million in claims for compensation. It was even said at the time that big companies were paid before small ones.

[IBM, October 16th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, as Canada's oldest, largest and most important technology company, IBM has driven economic growth and innovation in Canada for over 100 years.

IBM is Canada's largest investor in research and development in the ICT sector. It contributes over $13 billion annually to Canada's economy and creates thousands of jobs for middle-class Canadians. In Fredericton alone, over 250 people work with IBM in cybersecurity.

At the Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity, students from the University of New Brunswick partner with IBM to combat global cyber threats using the company's iconic Watson cognitive technology. UNB is one of three universities in Canada chosen by IBM to analyze massive amounts of cyber data. IBM supports thousands of girls and young women in the STEM disciplines and provides $4.6 million annually in charitable giving.

I welcome IBM Canada's employees from across the country to Parliament Hill today and thank them for their leadership in our communities.

[International Trade, October 3rd, 2018]

Madam Speaker, we can be most proud of the work done by our negotiators to secure this United States-Mexico-Canada agreement. It is a deal that is good for Canada's economy. It is good for Canadian workers and Canadian families, and it is good for Canada's middle class.

Many Canadians agree with that sentiment. For example, Jerry Dias, from Unifor, said that he is “pleased...with what we were able to accomplish at the bargaining table”, adding that “the auto industry in Canada is alive and well and will be thriving for generations to come” because of this new agreement. As we have said all along to our workers, this government has their backs.

[International Trade, October 3rd, 2018]

Madam Speaker, when the member rose in the House in May, she raised the issue of uncertainty among Canadian businesses and individuals due to the NAFTA negotiations that were ongoing at that time. She need not worry anymore, and I hope she will join me in celebrating the announcement that took place at the beginning of this week that we have a new United States-Mexico-Canada agreement.

The conclusion of this deal will bring certainty and stability that contribute to the continued prosperity of our economy. Not only that, this deal is going to make Canadians' lives better, and it will be profoundly beneficial for our economy, for Canadian families and for the middle class.

The rules of origins for autos are revised to require higher levels of North American content, which will incentivize production and sourcing in North America, plus, we have a new labour value content provision that requires a certain amount of the making of cars to be done by high-paid workers. This is a tangible and real boon to our auto workers and will ensure that Canadian auto production is secure for years to come.

I am glad to hear my colleague across the way laud the provisions that secure good labour standards and good economic opportunities in the auto sector in Canada.

We have also secured an exemption from any future use of Section 232 measures. First, if Section 232 measures are to be implemented against any sector, we will now have 60 days to negotiate a better outcome for Canadians. Second, if there are Section 232 tariffs on autos, we have an exemption for up to 2.6 million vehicles, not including light trucks. For auto parts, that exemption is worth $32.4 billion U.S. These are levels that far exceed current Canadian exports, and they mean security and stability for our auto workers.

It has been especially gratifying to hear from auto workers about this deal and what it means to them. For example, a CBC article from yesterday quoted Lino LoMedico, a team leader at the Chrysler assembly plant in Windsor, saying that Monday “was a new day” for workers.

As we know, the steel and aluminum tariffs from the U.S. remain in place, but our response on that issue is as firm as ever. Our strong dollar-for-dollar retaliation measures against the U.S. remain in force. We put them in place because we have to stand up for our workers and we have to defend our economy. Actions that threaten our prosperity cannot, and under this government will not, go unmet.

We are providing help and support to businesses and workers affected by tariffs, including by making up to $2 billion available to defend and protect their interests.

As our negotiation of the USMCA shows, our government is there for Canadians. We know that their jobs, their retirement savings, their investments and their well-being depend on their government fighting for their interests, and that is exactly what we have done.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, October 3rd, 2018]

Madam Speaker, I am glad my colleague mentioned the testimony delivered yesterday at committee, because every single witness at that committee stressed that it was in fact not a crisis that we are seeing in Canada right now. We are undertaking a significant study on migration trends in the 21st century, and our colleague across the way knows there are many contributing factors that lead to asylum seekers showing up irregularly in Canada.

I want to reiterate that the record of humanitarian leadership under this government, is a record that I know Canadians are proud of and that the world has lauded Canada for.

There have been 56,000 Syrian refugees welcomed to Canada, and 1,400 survivors of the brutality of Daesh, many of whom are Yazidi women and girls. We have an additional commitment to resettle 1,000 vulnerable women and girls. There has been a doubling of our refugee levels to 27,000 in 2018. There has been a tripling of the privately sponsored refugee stream to match the generosity of Canadians.

We are proud of that record, and I believe Canadians are as well.