House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2019, with 58% of the vote.
Natural Resources February 3rd, 2020
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Vimy for her question.
Our government has always been there for Quebec's aluminum workers and, since 2018, we have been investing in our aluminum smelters, thereby supporting nearly 2,500 good jobs in Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean, in Deschambault and in Sept-Îles.
This will help guarantee good, long-term jobs in an industry that is innovative and more sustainable.
Natural Resources December 13th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite well knows that, with respect to investments in Alberta, we have seen the production and advancement of the TMX file, which created 2,200 good, well-paying jobs that have already started. Also, I want to highlight the fact that we have made significant investments in Inter Pipeline and the CKPC, which is a $100-million investment that will help create 400 jobs and establish 4,000 new construction jobs as well. These are the types of investments we continue to make while the opposition talks down the economy.
Foreign Investment December 13th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, again, we understand this is very difficult and challenging for the seniors and we want to make sure that their well-being is of the utmost priority. However, with respect to health care, the rigorous standards are applied by the provincial government. It is overseeing the operator and will make sure those obligations are met.
With respect to jobs and the footprint with regard to Cedar Tree, those are legal obligations under the Investment Canada Act, and we will make sure that it follows through on those obligations.
Foreign Investment December 13th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, this is obviously a very important issue and the safety and well-being of seniors is of the utmost priority. As the member knows, the provincial government in British Columbia is responsible for health care, and it has put forward a rigorous standard of care on all operators.
With respect to the Investment Canada Act, which I am responsible for, we are monitoring and making sure that those obligations are met and we will take swift actions if those obligations are not met.
Ethics December 13th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, the leader of the NDP is asking about our government's agenda. It is focused on the middle class. Since 2015, we have seen over one million jobs created and that is because we are building partnerships with the private sector to bring in foreign direct investment.
That is why we are also addressing the concerns of middle-class Canadians by investing in measures like the Canada child benefit. It has helped lift 300,000 kids out of poverty and overall we have seen a reduction and 900,000 individuals have lifted themselves out of poverty. That is our track record.
International Trade December 12th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, we have always supported the auto workers and the auto sector. Investments by this government of $440 million have leveraged over $6 billion of investments in the automotive sector since 2015. In the first three years of our mandate, we have seen the creation of 10,000 new jobs in the automotive sector because we turned the corner, as opposed to the Conservative government. In its first three years, it lost 20,000 jobs before the recession even hit.
With respect to the new NAFTA, the rules of origin will provide more opportunities for the Canadian supply chain, because more of those parts will be sourced locally.
Telecommunications December 6th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, that is a very thoughtful question on an issue that we campaigned on. We were very clear that we are going to reduce cellphone bills by 25%, and this is above and beyond the actions we have taken to help consumers. We brought forward a policy directive that makes it very clear to CRTC to make affordability front and centre. We have also dealt with consumer-related issues when it comes to high-pressure sales tactics, which has led to a new wireless code of conduct, as well as an Internet code of conduct.
We are going to remain committed to making sure that we use spectrum in a strategic way to help consumers.
Customs Tariff June 10th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, I thank the parliamentary secretary for his question.
It is absolutely essential to invest across Canada, particularly in the regions. I remember my visit to Saint-Martin-de-Beauce. We invested a lot of money in that region.
I also want to take this opportunity to note that we have made significant investments not only in Quebec, but right across the country, particularly in Fort Saskatchewan, where 2,000 jobs were secured and 175 new jobs were created through a $49-million strategic innovation fund investment. It allowed us to invest in the heartland petrochemical complex, which was an Inter Pipeline investment.
We are making investments in Quebec, Alberta and across the country.
We will continue to invest in communities and ensure they have the capacity, the tools and the ability to maintain a sustainable business model for years to come.
Customs Tariff June 10th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, again, I respectfully disagree with my colleague. We have been working very closely with workers, unions, industry and with parliamentarians in committee and in the House of Commons. This is not a new issue, as the member has highlighted. We have been collaborating with our colleagues across party lines.
We have said that it is important for the Canadian economy and that we must work together. We have to find a way forward. We need to demonstrate very clearly that we have the tools necessary to deal with challenges regarding surges in steel imports into Canada that may come up. How do we protect capacity in Canada? How do we provide predictability for businesses? How do we ensure we continue to have a strong integrated North American market with our American and Mexican counterparts?
We took measures with the $2-billion support package, which I highlighted. We also brought in safeguards that ultimately went to the CITT. Two of them were for surges and the other five were not.
We are in a position that we need the legislation to allow us the ability to protect our work. That is exactly what we have done, and it is exactly what we will continue to do.
Customs Tariff June 10th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, the fundamental issue is that as a government, we have been very clear when it comes to trade. We negotiated and finalized the free trade agreement with Europe. We renegotiated a new NAFTA with our American and Mexican counterparts. We also finalized CPTPP. That gives Canadian businesses, particularly smaller businesses, access to 1.5 billion consumers.
In order to keep that trade regime moving forward, we also need to have tools to deal with any potential measures taken by other jurisdictions to somehow impact our industry and our workers in a negative fashion. That is why we are moving forward with the legislation. It would allow us that flexibility. It is a temporary measure, but it is one more tool in our tool box to demonstrate very clearly to business leaders and to workers that we have their backs.