Ruth Ellen Brosseau

[International Trade, April 11th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the dean of Dalhousie University's faculty of management made it very clear that, if the Liberals really want to help the dairy industry deal with the breach they created with CETA, they must grant tariff quotas to Canadian processors.

Industry stakeholders have been waiting for months for an answer, but the Liberals have left them in limbo. CETA takes effect in less than three months.

Can the Liberals confirm today that they will grant tariff quotas to Canadian processors, yes or no?

[Petitions, April 7th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to present petition e-513 along with the paper version.

The five drafters of the petition are in the House today. They are Suzan Sidwell, Nicholas Fortier, and François Boubert of Quebec, Peter Bond of New Brunswick, Richard Cripps of Alberta, and Johanne Couture of Ontario.

In all, 6,258 people signed this important petition calling on the House to recognize truckers as road professionals. The petitioners are also calling for standards to apply from sea to sea, taking into account economic disparities, as regards salary, protection from American taxation, benefits, health and safety, and the quality of life for drivers and owner-operators.

I am proud to have sponsored this petition, and I thank all of the petitioners who signed it.

[Justice, April 7th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, although I congratulate the government for its investments to help women who are victims of sexual assault, unfortunately the Prime Minister did not answer my question.

By supporting the NDP motion to refer the bill to a committee, the government agreed to support the spirit of the bill. Thus, I hope it agrees with the principle that this training is absolutely necessary.

I do not understand why the Prime Minister cannot answer a simple question.

If the government has concerns about the bill, could he explain them and perhaps propose amendments to the bill?

[Justice, April 7th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, the NDP secured all-party support to fast-track Bill C-337, put forward by the hon. member for Sturgeon River—Parkland, regarding sexual assault training for judges. Women rarely report sexual assault, and, when they do, sadly the justice system often fails to handle these cases properly.

Unfortunately, the Minister of Status of Women does not appear to support this idea, and it sounds like she is washing her hands of this important piece of legislation.

Could the government please tell the House whether it supports this important bill?

[International Trade, April 5th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, Brian Mulroney, who is pushing for the government to put an end to our supply management system, is going to advise the Liberal cabinet on the renegotiation of NAFTA. When it comes to international trade and the protection of our supply management system, the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party are really just one and the same.

At least the compensation provided for by the Conservatives to producers and processors would have been more substantial once the Canada-Europe free trade agreement took effect.

Can the Liberal Party and the Prime Minister confirm to us today that they will grant tariff quotas to Canadian processors?

[International Trade, March 23rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, not only is there nothing in the budget for the dairy industry, but also there is still no news on granting tariff quotas under CETA.

We now hear talk about a proposal to resolve the softwood lumber issue by sacrificing our supply management system. That is completely unacceptable. The Liberals already hurt our industry during the negotiations and have yet to come up with fair and equitable compensation. My question is simple:

Can the government confirm today that it will not sacrifice our supply management system or our forestry industry?

[Food and Drugs Act, March 10th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I sincerely thank my colleague from Sherbrooke for all his work, his bill, and his fight to ensure that there will one day be transparency in Canada's consumer labelling.

Canada has approved the sale of genetically modified salmon, but the salmon at the grocery store all look the same. That is why it is important to have mandatory labelling in Canada for genetically modified products, especially when we know that 80% of Canadians are calling for more transparency.

Can my colleague explain how this works in the United States? Some states require mandatory labelling of genetically modified products.

[National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act, March 10th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her speech.

In 2014, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, and nine other ministers voted for Bill C-622, a bill that would have established an oversight committee with unfettered access and subpoena powers.

Is the member disappointed? Why is the government trying to take tools away from the committee that Bill C-22 would establish?

[Aeronautics Act, March 8th, 2017]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-341, An Act to amend the Aeronautics Act (aerodromes).

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to thank my colleague from Trois-Rivières for seconding this bill on aeronautics and, more specifically, aerodromes. It seeks to improve the assessment process for aerodrome projects.

In Saint-Cuthbert, in my riding, we have a project, but the current process is extremely flawed. The opinions of elected municipal officials, elected members of the Quebec National Assembly, environmental groups, and the UPA are not taken into account. We therefore want to improve the process to make social licence a condition and ensure that projects are in the public interest.

I would also like to thank all the people who took action on this issue and acknowledge their work. We will not give up. I am thinking of the people of Neuville, Terrebonne, and Mascouche. We have work to do, and I hope that the minister will take this bill into account and act quickly to improve the aerodrome project assessment process.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[International Women's Day, March 6th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, this Wednesday, March 8, is International Women's Day, so I am rising in the House today to remind everyone that gender equality is a challenge we face every day.

We have made a lot of progress toward achieving equity and equality, but we still have a long way to go. Even now, too many women have to fight to have their rights respected. Just think of indigenous women and the #webelieveyou campaign.

Even now, too many women have to fight for their place in male-dominated fields such as agriculture and politics.

I am taking this opportunity to encourage men and women across Canada to get involved in this cause and take action to defend our values of justice, equality, and equity.

Let us celebrate universal equality this week and every day of the year.