Most toxic speeches
Mr. Speaker, she should never have been there.Canadians who follow the rules and pay their taxes find the Panama papers scandal disgusting. This week we learned that a former senior Revenue Canada official left the agency and went to work for KPMG when the firm was being investigated by Revenue Canada for using tax havens.Will the Prime Minister finally conduct an investigation and lock the revolving door at Revenue Canada?
Mr. Speaker, the trade committee is finally hitting the road next week to study the TPP, yet it still has no impact study to guide its work. The Liberals promised a full, public consultation, but now they are trying to pass off the committee's work as their own.When it comes to what Joseph Stiglitz called, the worst trade deal ever, that just does not cut it. Why is the government refusing to live up to its promise of full, public consultation for all Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, clearly the communications specialists working for the Liberal Party have taken over the budget. When there is no content, they simply step up the rhetoric and press repeat. The truth behind the empty rhetoric is that they have no plan and are incapable of creating one.Small businesses have been betrayed by this government, which has repeatedly broken its promise to reduce the corporate tax rate. In my region, the president of the chamber of commerce is publicly asking whether the government realizes that small business is crucial to economic recovery.Will the Minister of Economic Development stop the broken record and finally give a real answer?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve a straight answer from the Liberals. The Prime Minister creates instability and uncertainty in the energy sector. He appointed the justice minister who has opposed pipeline projects. His senior advisors are against Alberta's responsibly developed oil sands. He ignores Albertans who just want to get back to work.A strong Alberta means a strong Canada. Will the Prime Minister finally support Canadian energy through crucial infrastructure projects like trans mountain and energy east?
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite has worked hard in his community to advocate for the mental health needs in that community. I agree with him that it is completely unacceptable in a country as rich in resources as Canada that young people should get to the point that their lives seem worthless and that they would want to end them. We must respond to this. I have already indicated what we are doing so far. I will be working with my colleagues across the country to ensure that mental health services are included and improved, and ensure that we get that mental health care to the people who need it.
Mr. Speaker, as I explained and as all members opposite who participated on the aboriginal affairs committee in the last Parliament would know, the First Nations Financial Management Board is an exemplary organization, with a proven track record, that maximizes a small amount of money such that first nations from coast to coast to coast have access to capital for much needed infrastructure. For heaven's sake, I wish the other side would stop this. This kind of stuff is really disruptive.
Mr. Speaker, it is no secret the Prime Minister surrounds himself with anti-oil activists, people like Zoe Caron who believes fossil fuels must stay in the ground, or his principal secretary who compares supporting oil to encouraging children to smoke.Well, the Liberals have their way. Alberta investment is down 62%. In fact, oil is staying in the ground and the entire country is suffering because of it.Is the Prime Minister ready to abandon his anti-pipeline advice and stand up publicly for Canadian oil and gas?
Mr. Speaker, the cute phrases and the play on words do not change the basic facts. All members of the House of Commons raise money according to law. All members on this side of the House respect the Canada Elections Act and the appropriate fundraising rules that apply. It is something that my colleague's party has had considerable trouble doing in the past. They, in fact, pleaded guilty and had to pay a $250,000 fine for a pay-to-play scheme to launder money in and out of riding associations. We have never done that on this side of the House.
Mr. Speaker, the only part of that question with which we agree is the incredible mandate that the Minister of Justice has been given by the Prime Minister: to reform our justice system and to clean up a number of messes left to this government by the previous government in terms of justice law and justice policy.As I said, this fundraiser was done entirely according to the rules. All of the applicable Conflict of Interest Code ethical obligations and Canada Elections Act measures were followed. We will continue to do that. The hon. member is trying to create a scandal where none exists.
Mr. Speaker, the government wants to fight climate change, but not at the expense of western oil companies. It wants to believe in the rule of law, but it changes the law to accommodate Air Canada. It wants to stand up for social justice, but it will not deprive its friends on Bay Street of their tax haven in Barbados. It wants to defend human rights, as long as that does not affect its business dealings with Saudi Arabia.At what price does this government sell out its principles?
Mr. Speaker, under the Liberals' job-killing budget, they are raising taxes on small businesses and their workers. They reversed the Conservative tax cut for small businesses, raised payroll taxes, and now the top tax bracket in over half of our provinces will be more than 50%. When will the Liberals stop raising taxes on workers and job creators?
Mr. Speaker, we have a Minister of Justice attending a sketchy fundraiser, a Minister of Finance with companies registered in tax havens like the Bahamas, and a Minister of National Revenue who is defending sweetheart deals for millionaire tax cheats. The Liberals swore they would be different, but they keep finding novel ways of being the Liberals.Will the Prime Minister show he is serious about cracking down on tax havens by ordering an investigation into KPMG's secret deal? He just talked about what is in the budget. Let us see some action now.
Mr. Speaker, we now know that the Liberal government is going to borrow $30 billion, money that will be paid back by Canadians who are not yet born.During the last election campaign, at a photo op in a crane, the Prime Minister promised a lot of money for infrastructure. In this budget, very little money will go to roads, highways, or public transit. How can the Prime Minister say that he will run a $30-billion deficit on infrastructure, when there is only $2.9 billion in new money for infrastructure in this budget?
Mr. Speaker, let us bring this back to what Canadians are seeing and what they are saying. They see $20 million going to an organization that the Minister of Justice used to chair. They see the minister's husband lobbying the Liberals on behalf of the organization for funding. This has nothing to do with the FNFA and first nations. Canadians see this as unethical, yet the minister continues to deny any wrongdoing.When will the Prime Minister hold his ministers accountable for their unethical behaviour?
Mr. Speaker, the people in Alberta are looking for a government that will proudly stand up for Canadian oil and gas, not act coy and shy when it becomes convenient for it. If that is not bad enough, the Minister of Environment says that over time they are going to block development in the oil sands. In other words, that is the end of the oil and gas industry in Canada. How can the oil patch expect investment when one of the Liberal's most prominent ministers is suggesting that the government has a plan to shut them down?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice and all ministers in the government have, at all times, followed our obligations under the ethics code and under the Conflict of Interest Act. The Liberal Party respects the Canada Elections Act. All of this fundraising was done according to law. All of the donations are transparent and disclosed, according to law. It is something that every member of this House has done in order to win a seat in this House, and continues to do.Ministers in the previous government also raised money for the Conservative Party and used to brag about it one day not so long ago.
Mr. Speaker, the youth suicide crisis has shocked the world and people are asking how a country as rich as Canada can leave so many children and young people behind. What the people in Attawapiskat are facing is the same systemic negligence that is robbing the hopes of young people in communities like La Loche, Cross Lake and Neskantaga. Yet there were no new mental health dollars in the budget to help indigenous children.Enough with the band-aids and the emergency flights. Will the minister commit to a total overhaul to ensure that every child in our country has the mental health supports he or she needs to have hope and a positive future?
Mr. Speaker, unlike the NDP that condemns this deal without even reading it, we are keeping our election promise. We promised to consult, and we are.I would also like to point out that we learned something interesting about the New Democrats on Sunday. We learned they want to shut down our natural resource industry and we learned they want to say no to Canada trading in the world.That is not good for Canada's middle class, including the union members the hon. member claims to represent.
Mr. Speaker, one of the most important responsibilities of the Minister of Justice is to recommend the appointments to the superior courts because Canadians deserve to have access to timely judicial proceedings.We have been hearing alarming reports of continuing and increasing vacancies in our courts. It is not enough to be fundraising. What is the problem with appointing judges? We all want to know that.
Mr. Speaker, the opposition party keeps repeating the same arguments that clearly failed to convince Canadians last fall.The Conservatives are talking about their investments in the Canadian economy, but Canadians got nothing out of them. On the contrary, the Conservatives kept giving the benefits to those at the top, rather than helping the middle class and those working hard to join it and investing in the infrastructure that would help them in their communities. That is what we are doing and what we will continue to do.
Mr. Speaker, our budget demonstrates in real terms how we support workers who are suffering from low commodity prices. This is true in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador. We also understand that Canada is poised to become an international leader in green technology, which is why the budget invests many millions of dollars on the next wave of energy development in Canada, while we understand that we will move fossil fuels to market sustainably.
Mr. Speaker, the only thing that hurts the credibility of members of the House is that kind of feigned indignation where a member tries to create a scandal where none exists. On this side of the House, we are extremely proud to serve with the Minister of Justice. We are proud of her record of public service, her ethics, and her integrity. We will always stand with her.
Mr. Speaker, first the Prime Minister refused to give the parliamentary budget officer the information that he needs to do his work. Since then, we have seen a former deputy minister of finance conclude that this budget has no transparency. Even the CBC, believe it or not, declared that the numbers do not add up and called it a shell game. We have made-up numbers, hidden numbers, and numbers pulled from thin air, so why should Canadians trust the Prime Minister to run our economy?
Mr. Speaker, today, the Government of Quebec and dairy producers and processors stood shoulder to shoulder on the diafiltered milk issue.The Liberal government has been saying for months that it is working on this issue, but it has not done anything yet. The industry has had enough. Farmers are losing thousands of dollars a week. However, there is nothing complicated about this. All the government has to do is enforce the cheese compositional standards.What is the Prime Minister waiting for? When will he keep his election promise to solve the diafiltered milk problem here in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, the previous government might have been looking at privatizing search and rescue, but I can assure the member that this government is not, because the Canadian Armed Forces play a critical role in search and rescue.
Mr. Speaker, after years of ethically challenged Conservative rule, the Liberals promised to do things differently.The Minister of Justice is doing certain things differently. When Conservative minister Shelly Glover was caught holding a dodgy fundraiser in 2013, she promptly gave the money back, but this minister refuses to do the same. Will the Prime Minister ask his Minister of Justice to simply give the money back?
Mr. Speaker, industry has said that investment in Alberta's oil sands will be down more than $60 billion over the past two years, a 63% decrease since 2014. Hundreds of thousands of Albertans have lost their jobs, and they are losing their homes. The Prime Minister has told Albertans that they should hang in there and they should be thankful that things are not worse.We cannot wait for things to get worse. When is the Liberal government finally going to make an investment in Canada's national energy program?
Mr. Speaker, $440 million to the Canada Revenue Agency, in terms of going after tax evasion and avoidance, is significant action.We have committed to make sure that nobody gets to avoid taxes by paying a little money on the side. We need to make sure that we have an open, fair, responsible system of taxation that is properly enforced. That is what Canadians expect of their government. That is the kind of openness, transparency, and rigour that this government is delivering.
Mr. Speaker, after years of ethically challenged Conservative rule, the Liberals promised to do things differently.
Mr. Speaker, troubling reports out of the United Kingdom indicate that a Canadian terror suspect is being pursued with respect to possible risks to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge travelling in India.I ask that the Minister of Public Safety update the House and confirm that CSIS and all of our security agencies are providing co-operation in this international investigation.
We have now learned that the Liberal government is looking at privatizing search and rescue as part of the defence review. This was an idea that was first raised by the Conservatives five years ago, and finally abandoned only after a public outcry. At that time, the current Minister of Public Services said she was appalled by the government's notice to companies that the government would be exploring the privatization of search-and-rescue operations.Privatizing search and rescue would clearly put Canadian lives at risk. Will the government do the right thing and abandon this plan?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals claimed to consult with businesses and workers, but as we saw in the budget, they broke that promise too. The Liberals even ignored their own members on the finance committee by raising taxes on small businesses. This should come as no surprise after the Minister of International Trade said Amen to raising taxes.How can Canadians trust the tax-and-spend Liberals when they break promises to their own members?
Mr. Speaker, ours is a principled government. With respect to the issues he mentioned, I would like to remind my colleague that our amendment to the Air Canada Public Participation Act will result in the creation of maintenance jobs in Quebec, Manitoba, and Ontario. Air Canada will also help establish two centres of excellence in Quebec and Manitoba. I would like to add that Bombardier will purchase 45 to 75 planes and that maintenance of these planes will be done in Quebec for 20 years.
Mr. Speaker, I have had the pleasure of representing Canada at a number of international meetings and to talk with those who are looking at investments in the energy sector. They all agree that Canada has been and will continue to be a very important international market for energy. It is our goal as the government to develop these energy sources, particularly in Alberta and Saskatchewan, which will make Canada, after these low commodity prices pass, again a major place of investment and confidence internationally.
Mr. Speaker, we have a regulatory strategy. Our government wants to work with the provinces and territories to reduce carbon pollution no matter what the energy system looks like in the different jurisdictions. This is about reducing carbon pollution, which is fuelling climate change, and not about closing or keeping anything in the ground, as some are suggesting. We have a transition process for all projects, and we will look at every project individually to be sure that it is something that makes sense for the environment and
Mr. Speaker, there was a discussion at committee this morning. There were two motions before the committee, and the meeting had to adjourn before the second one was completely discussed. I would make a point that one of our members on committee suggested that most all of this activity happened under the previous government in terms of the way that it operated. This minister does not hold responsibility for those discussions, but the committee would consider bringing this minister before the committee after we hold the initial hearings on KPMG and CRA.
Mr. Speaker, if we cannot trust the numbers, how can we trust that the economy is in good hands?In Alberta, the Prime Minister told oil and gas workers that they should be pleased they were not harder hit, when all they needed to hear was a commitment to build pipelines. Will the Prime Minister finally tell the 100,000 unemployed oil and gas workers today that if the Trans Mountain pipeline and the energy east pipeline are approved, he will also approve them?
Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of the kind of secrecy, of number-twisting, of obfuscation that Canadians got all too used to under the previous government, we put forward an open and transparent budget that actually talks about investing in the kind of growth and opportunities for Canadians that Canadians voted for and that Canadians need. We are establishing investments in infrastructure. We are establishing a strategy for innovation that is going to demonstrate the kind of opportunities that Canadians can innovate and create in the coming years. This is exactly the kind of budget that Canadians were asking for with their ballot box choices last year.
Mr. Speaker, experts agree on three things: the Liberals are borrowing way more money than they promised, they are already raising taxes, and none of the spending will create the jobs and growth that they promised. In addition, this budget is the least transparent budget in 15 years. Now we also know that the budget numbers do not add up. Let me repeat that: the federal budget numbers do not add up. When the numbers do not add up, how can Canadians trust them with their jobs?
Mr. Speaker, indeed, after 10 years of ethical failings on behalf of the government, the Liberal Party got elected to government on a platform of openness and transparency and promises that we are keeping.We have always followed all the rules around fundraising. We have always demonstrated openness and transparency and accountability. Union and corporate donations are banned. There are very strict limits on donations to the parties.We are following all rules, unlike the previous government.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect that no one should be able to avoid paying their fair share of taxes by giving money or doing favours. For that reason, our budget includes a $440-million investment so that the Canada Revenue Agency can recover money lost as a result of tax avoidance and evasion. The reality is that we must support the Canada Revenue Agency as it works to ensure that everyone pays their fair share of taxes.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice claimed that the focus of the pay-to-play fundraiser was in her role as an MP, this after the event was advertised as an opportunity for attendees to engage the minister on matters that pertained directly to the minister's responsibilities. Yesterday the minister admitted that she attended as Minister of Justice after all.Will the minister end the charade, take responsibility, and return the pay-to-play cash?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to reassure the House.All Canadian taxpayers are treated fairly. Regardless of income, our $440-million announcement in the latest budget is proof of that. I would like to be clear about KPMG. The fact is that the Canada Revenue Agency exposed the scheme. The agency audited taxpayers and took legal action. Yesterday's announcement confirms our commitment to preventing entities from promoting such schemes.
Mr. Speaker, according to anonymous sources, the Prime Minister is supposedly now in favour of building certain pipelines. Really? In reality, the Liberals are standing in the way of proponents who are trying to develop the economy. That is not surprising since the Prime Minister's entourage is full of activists who want to block energy sector projects.Will the Prime Minister rise in the House and say that he supports the workers and families who depend on the energy sector?
Mr. Speaker, today at the Standing Committee on Finance, the Liberals rejected the NDP motion to call the Minister of National Revenue to testify about the KPMG affair. We know that the Liberals promised Canadians a responsible, accountable, transparent government, but they looked like a bunch of Conservatives in committee today. Canadians are angry about the KPMG affair and the Panama papers, and the Minister of National Revenue owes them an explanation. Why is the minister refusing to step up and explain to Canadians and the committee the difference between her statements in the House and the KPMG affair and the facts that have been revealed?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the House the member for Grande PrairieMackenzie urged the government to approve a pipeline project before it even had been registered with the regulator. He asked the government to approve a pipeline project before one community had been consulted, before one indigenous leader had been phoned.This is not the way to get projects approved. This is why we will do it a different way. We will not take for granted that people agree with us before we even ask them.
Mr. Speaker, I would encourage the member opposite to read our budget. If she goes back to January, when I believe she was in the House, she will see that we lowered taxes on nine million Canadians. What she will find is that this year small business taxes actually have gone down. What the member will also find is that the nine out of ten families with children who will get the Canada child benefit will have an average of $2,300 more. This will help small businesses. This is a budget that will help Canadians and Canadian businesses to be more successful.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite has raised an important question and I thank him for his advocacy on this incredibly important matter.The conditions that first nations and Inuit communities are facing are absolutely unacceptable. The mental health of young people in particular in these communities is devastating. Our department and our government are ensuring that all the necessary services and programs are in place. We are currently investing over $300 million per year in mental wellness programs in these communities. We will continue to work with indigenous leaders. I will continue to work with the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs to ensure all appropriate resources are available.
Mr. Speaker, Liberals in Edmonton campaigned on deficits and told us Don't worry, we got this, and it will only cost you $10 billion a year. It is now three times that much. They also told Albertans Don't worry; we know what's best for your region. Edmonton's economy has been seriously impacted and we were completely left out of the EI expansion. We are told that we should be thankful and pleased at the work of the Prime Minister. Honestly, how can the Liberals be so out of touch with what is happening in western Canada?
Mr. Speaker, that is not what we want to know. We want to know whether she will appear before the Standing Committee on Finance. My question is for the chair of the finance committee. This morning, the Liberal members of the committee voted down my motion to have the Minister of National Revenue appear to answer questions regarding the amnesty given to tax cheats in the KPMG affair. She said in the House on March 10 that there is no such amnesty, and we believe that she has to explain herself.Could the chair of the finance committee confirm that there are currently no plans to have the minister appear on this very important issue to Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, we delivered the largest infrastructure plan in Canadian history on two separate occasions. We increased and doubled investments while still balancing the budget, not borrowing from the future. The money that will be invested this year is money from the program we put in place, because we respect provincial jurisdictions. As for the funding announced for public transit and social housing, I will come back to that later. However, those are exclusively under provincial jurisdiction. The parliamentary budget officer said that he was missing some information that prevented him from completing and having accurate figures on the economy. How can the Prime Minister claim that he is being transparent, when he is not providing all the information
Mr. Speaker, this evening, we are going to debate how we can put an end to the crisis in Attawapiskat.The community had been trying for months to alert the federal government before it finally received emergency mental health services.However, other communities, such as Cross Lake, Manitoba, are also facing similar crises, and my thoughts are with the young people in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, who are also having a very difficult time. I think everyone will agree that this is a national concern.Can the minister tell us what the government plans to do to finally put an end to this tragedy once and for all?
The Liberal budget showed a complete neglect for Canadian agriculture, and it is a slap in the face to the 2.2 million Canadians who rely on the industry. However, there is one thing the government can do to help Canadian farmers and farm families: ratify the trans-Pacific partnership. Farmers support it. Small businesses support it. The energy sector supports it. The only one we do not know about is the Liberal government. Can the minister stand in her place today and commit to bringing the TPP to this House for ratification?
Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, we promised to invest $60 billion over 10 years in infrastructure, and that is exactly what we are doing.Last week, I was in Montreal to announce that $775 million will be going directly to public transit in order to provide better service for Montrealers. We are doing this across the country. Canadians want a government that has confidence in them and is prepared to invest in their future. That is exactly what we are doing because the other party dropped the ball for the past 10 years.
Mr. Speaker, on March 22, when the finance minister tabled the various budget documents associated with his budget, he failed to table the January Fiscal Monitor, which shows a Conservative surplus left to the Liberals. They did not like December and they did not like November. Maybe they will like January. Could I get unanimous consent to table this document?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has said that there is no contradiction between building wind turbines and pipelines. He has said it is a principal responsibility of the Government of Canada to move our natural resources to market sustainably. That is why we are following a process that will consult with Canadians and give people the chance to understand that in this day and age we develop the economy sustainably, with one eye on the environment and the other on job creation. That is the way we will move forward sustainably.
Mr. Speaker, first I would like to extend my thoughts and prayers to the people of Bay de Verde in light of yesterday's fire at the Quinlan Brothers fish processing facility. Our hearts are with the workers and the community today.The Newfoundland and Labrador throne speech confirmed what many in our home province have been worried about. The recent downturn in oil prices has decreased revenue at a time when unemployment is on the rise.Will the Minister of Finance provide an update to the House about what our government is doing to help the people of Newfoundland and Labrador during these difficult times?
Mr. Speaker, obviously I would not comment on any specific operational matter, but I can also confirm what the hon. gentleman implied in his question, that in circumstances where international co-operation is required, most certainly CSIS, the RCMP, the CBSA, and every agency under the authority of the Government of Canada, co-operate fully with our international partners.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change has lost her battle: her colleague, the Minister of Finance, has convinced the Prime Minister to move forward with the energy east pipeline. The Prime Minister has given up on refereeing. He has asked for a strategy, a plan, I imagine, to impose this pipeline on Quebec. Never mind social licence, never mind the Paris commitments, never mind the green shift.Is that the kind of influence the 40 members from Quebec have within this government?
Mr. Speaker, as the daughter of a farmer, I am proud of the support by our government for farmers. That has been manifested in our success with getting the discriminatory COOL legislation repealed, which is something that the previous government opposite failed to do. Our commitment to free trade is manifested in our hard work on CETA, which legal scrub we have completed. Again, that is something the party opposite failed to do. We are consulting on TPP, and that is the right thing to do as well.
A little money on the side, Mr. Speaker?The government used complex mathematical formulas to deprive thousands of people of their employment insurance. Saskatchewan's unemployment rate has increased by 40% in the past year, whereas in SaguenayLac-Saint-Jean the number of unemployed has increased by 7,000. Even with the budget, 800,000 unemployed workers are not eligible for employment insurance.Will the Prime Minister keep his promise and help all unemployed workers in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, the independence of the Minister of Justice has been compromised and her credibility is in tatters as she tries to justify her attendance at the pay-to-play fundraiser. If everything is above board and the minister has nothing to hide, will she release the list of attendees, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, budget 2016 puts forward significant, real help by putting money into the pockets of the middle class and by helping grow the economy in ways that, quite frankly, we have not had for 10 years. The reality is that by investing in public transit, in social infrastructure, in green infrastructure, in university and research infrastructure, we are creating the kinds of good jobs now, the growth for tomorrow, and the long-term prosperity that Canadians right across this country need. That is what budget 2016 is all about, and that is a promise delivered.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Avalon, his caucus colleagues from Newfoundland and Labrador and the Minister of Public Services and Procurement for their tireless work on behalf of Newfoundland and Labrador.When that province came to us with a fiscal stabilization request, I directed the Department of Finance officials to move forward expeditiously on this request.I am pleased to say that we have moved forward with an advance payment of $32 million of fiscal stabilization for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in these difficult times.
Mr. Speaker, the justice minister claimed she attended the high-priced pay-to-play fundraiser in Toronto as a regular MP. Later she said she was there as the Minister of Justice. The invitation to the event highlighted her new role and extraordinary mandate. It also told attendees this would be the minister's first private event in Toronto.Was she there as the justice minister or as a regular MP? If she wants to be a regular MP, it is simple. All she has to do is resign as the justice minister.
Mr. Speaker, I have good news for my friend opposite.The Ethics Commissioner advises ministers in both their roles as minister and as member of Parliament. That has always been the case. The minister spoke to the commissioner about both roles.Furthermore, she complied with all the relevant rules. My colleague opposite wants to repeat the same accusations, hoping to create a scandal, but there is no scandal on this side of the House. We will always abide by the law when it comes to election financing.
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years the previous government did everything it could to try and shout those pipelines into being. What that resulted in was delivering no pipelines to tidewater. One of the fundamental responsibilities of any prime minister is to get our resources to market. However, in the 21st century, getting those resources to market means doing it responsibly for communities, for indigenous peoples, and for the environment. That is why we are combining both environment and economy as we build for a stronger future, and basing our decisions on evidence.
Mr. Speaker, let us start with understanding that we had more pre-budget consultations than in the history of the country will ever have.Let us move forward with a very clear understanding that we reduced taxes on nine million Canadians. Let us move forward one more step by understanding that we helped small businesses across the country by helping their customers and clients.This is a budget that will help Canadians, families and businesses. It will grow our economy over the long run.
Mr. Speaker, scientific research plays an important role in growing a clean economy. I see that every day in my riding through the work done by the researchers, professors, and students at the Longueuil campus of the Université de Sherbrooke.Can the Minister of Science tell the House about the initiatives proposed in the budget to promote research and innovation?
Mr. Speaker, we understand that the natural resource sector in Canada accounts for 20% of the GDP. We know that Canada's economic future depends on a healthy energy sector. We also understand that in order to ensure that our natural resources move to markets sustainably, we need a regulatory process that has the confidence of Canadians. That is why we have established a set of principles that we are confident will much more likely get us to that place than what happened with the previous government.
Mr. Speaker, there are reports that the minister has yet to hire a judicial affairs adviser. However, she has hired a director of political operations. According to Treasury Board guidelines, a director of political operations requires the written concurrence of both the Prime Minister and the President of the Treasury Board. Did the Prime Minister provide written concurrence to his Minister of Justice for hiring a director of political operations? I know this might help with fundraisers, but what is the problem with hiring a judicial affairs adviser?
Mr. Speaker, I think my colleague is fully aware that I met many stakeholders in the agricultural sector, including supply management and the dairy industry in particular.This issue was inherited from the previous government, and we are working with the industry to resolve the issue.
Mr. Speaker, we are moving forward with appointments, not only to the superior courts across the country but certainly, in the impending retirement of an honoured justice out of the Supreme Court of Canada, moving forward with the process to appoint a new Supreme Court of Canada justice.We are looking at this process and renovating the process to ensure that it is open and transparent. We will engage with members of the House in ensuring that the appointments are based on merit and that the appointments are diversified in terms of reflecting a judiciary that has the face of this great and diversified country.
Mr. Speaker, a partner at Torys LLP was registered to lobby the justice minister. Conveniently, the night before the pay-to-play fundraiser that his law firm was hosting, he deregistered as a lobbyist. The justice minister was told by the Prime Minister not to target departmental stakeholders while soliciting political contributions. Would the minister explain how attending a private fundraiser with high-priced Toronto lawyers who have been registered to lobby her department is consistent with anybody's ethical code?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question.We have a plan that will work very well for Canadians and small businesses.We have a budget and we encourage members opposite to read the budget. They can make hand gestures all they want, but we know that we have a plan. Canadians know that we have a plan, and that is what they elected us to do. Our government is making very important investments directly in helping small businesses.
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that we are hardly not relating to the situation in Edmonton. As I was previously involved in the geological sciences, I know exactly what many people are facing. In fact, the folks in Edmonton are going to benefit from the over $2-billion investment that we made in supports for all workers in all regions, including Edmonton, Quebec, and Newfoundland. There are many benefits that will help those in Edmonton.
Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, we promised to improve the employment insurance system so that people who need EI have better access to it, and that is what we have done. We have reduced the waiting period from two weeks to one. We have made sure that there are better employment programs for those receiving employment insurance in order to encourage people to succeed. We promised to improve the employment insurance system and that is what we are doing across the country.
Mr. Speaker, last month I had the opportunity to announce $4.84 million for the Bioenterprise Corporation in Guelph. Could the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development please inform the House about this exciting new investment?
Mr. Speaker, leaving aside the fundraising, the judiciaries appointments are fundamentally important and we are moving forward with a new process, renovating the process, ensuring that the appointment of Superior Court judges across the country is not only based on merit but that it is based on diversity, and that we will be open and transparent. I have had the opportunity to speak to many of the justices across the country and we will be advancing appointments in the very near future.
If they would like to listen, I can give them some details that they are welcome to read as well. Five hundred
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. The government is committed to supporting discovery-based science.Budget 2016 provides $95 million per year to the granting councils to support discovery research, which is the largest investment in more than a decade. According to the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, these investments demonstrate the government's commitment to making Canada a leader in knowledge production and innovation.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, in the House, the Minister of Justice confirmed that she went to Toronto to attend a fundraising activity simply as the member for Vancouver Granville.She also said that she cleared it with the Ethics Commissioner to ensure that she complied with all the rules.Did the member seek this clarification in her role as Minister of Justice or as member of Parliament for Vancouver Granville? How can she dissociate herself from these two roles, as she sees fit, when she is in a law firm?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Guelph for his question and his continued effort to raise the business needs of his riding.Guelph and the surrounding region is a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship, and this investment of $4.84 million to Bioenterprise is a prime example of our commitment to cultivating and encouraging creativity, invention, and collaboration.I am proud to say that budget 2016 focuses on expanding our start-ups and strengthening our innovation clusters to help create opportunities for long-term development and sustainable economic growth. It is about growing the economy and creating jobs.
Mr. Speaker, she should never have been there.Canadians who follow the rules and pay their taxes find the Panama papers scandal disgusting. This week we learned that a former senior Revenue Canada official left the agency and went to work for KPMG when the firm was being investigated by Revenue Canada for using tax havens.Will the Prime Minister finally conduct an investigation and lock the revolving door at Revenue Canada?
Mr. Speaker, the trade committee is finally hitting the road next week to study the TPP, yet it still has no impact study to guide its work. The Liberals promised a full, public consultation, but now they are trying to pass off the committee's work as their own.When it comes to what Joseph Stiglitz called, the worst trade deal ever, that just does not cut it. Why is the government refusing to live up to its promise of full, public consultation for all Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, clearly the communications specialists working for the Liberal Party have taken over the budget. When there is no content, they simply step up the rhetoric and press repeat. The truth behind the empty rhetoric is that they have no plan and are incapable of creating one.Small businesses have been betrayed by this government, which has repeatedly broken its promise to reduce the corporate tax rate. In my region, the president of the chamber of commerce is publicly asking whether the government realizes that small business is crucial to economic recovery.Will the Minister of Economic Development stop the broken record and finally give a real answer?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve a straight answer from the Liberals. The Prime Minister creates instability and uncertainty in the energy sector. He appointed the justice minister who has opposed pipeline projects. His senior advisors are against Alberta's responsibly developed oil sands. He ignores Albertans who just want to get back to work.A strong Alberta means a strong Canada. Will the Prime Minister finally support Canadian energy through crucial infrastructure projects like trans mountain and energy east?
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite has worked hard in his community to advocate for the mental health needs in that community. I agree with him that it is completely unacceptable in a country as rich in resources as Canada that young people should get to the point that their lives seem worthless and that they would want to end them. We must respond to this. I have already indicated what we are doing so far. I will be working with my colleagues across the country to ensure that mental health services are included and improved, and ensure that we get that mental health care to the people who need it.
Mr. Speaker, as I explained and as all members opposite who participated on the aboriginal affairs committee in the last Parliament would know, the First Nations Financial Management Board is an exemplary organization, with a proven track record, that maximizes a small amount of money such that first nations from coast to coast to coast have access to capital for much needed infrastructure. For heaven's sake, I wish the other side would stop this. This kind of stuff is really disruptive.
Mr. Speaker, it is no secret the Prime Minister surrounds himself with anti-oil activists, people like Zoe Caron who believes fossil fuels must stay in the ground, or his principal secretary who compares supporting oil to encouraging children to smoke.Well, the Liberals have their way. Alberta investment is down 62%. In fact, oil is staying in the ground and the entire country is suffering because of it.Is the Prime Minister ready to abandon his anti-pipeline advice and stand up publicly for Canadian oil and gas?
Mr. Speaker, the cute phrases and the play on words do not change the basic facts. All members of the House of Commons raise money according to law. All members on this side of the House respect the Canada Elections Act and the appropriate fundraising rules that apply. It is something that my colleague's party has had considerable trouble doing in the past. They, in fact, pleaded guilty and had to pay a $250,000 fine for a pay-to-play scheme to launder money in and out of riding associations. We have never done that on this side of the House.
Mr. Speaker, the only part of that question with which we agree is the incredible mandate that the Minister of Justice has been given by the Prime Minister: to reform our justice system and to clean up a number of messes left to this government by the previous government in terms of justice law and justice policy.As I said, this fundraiser was done entirely according to the rules. All of the applicable Conflict of Interest Code ethical obligations and Canada Elections Act measures were followed. We will continue to do that. The hon. member is trying to create a scandal where none exists.
Mr. Speaker, the government wants to fight climate change, but not at the expense of western oil companies. It wants to believe in the rule of law, but it changes the law to accommodate Air Canada. It wants to stand up for social justice, but it will not deprive its friends on Bay Street of their tax haven in Barbados. It wants to defend human rights, as long as that does not affect its business dealings with Saudi Arabia.At what price does this government sell out its principles?
Mr. Speaker, under the Liberals' job-killing budget, they are raising taxes on small businesses and their workers. They reversed the Conservative tax cut for small businesses, raised payroll taxes, and now the top tax bracket in over half of our provinces will be more than 50%. When will the Liberals stop raising taxes on workers and job creators?
Mr. Speaker, we have a Minister of Justice attending a sketchy fundraiser, a Minister of Finance with companies registered in tax havens like the Bahamas, and a Minister of National Revenue who is defending sweetheart deals for millionaire tax cheats. The Liberals swore they would be different, but they keep finding novel ways of being the Liberals.Will the Prime Minister show he is serious about cracking down on tax havens by ordering an investigation into KPMG's secret deal? He just talked about what is in the budget. Let us see some action now.
Mr. Speaker, we now know that the Liberal government is going to borrow $30 billion, money that will be paid back by Canadians who are not yet born.During the last election campaign, at a photo op in a crane, the Prime Minister promised a lot of money for infrastructure. In this budget, very little money will go to roads, highways, or public transit. How can the Prime Minister say that he will run a $30-billion deficit on infrastructure, when there is only $2.9 billion in new money for infrastructure in this budget?
Mr. Speaker, let us bring this back to what Canadians are seeing and what they are saying. They see $20 million going to an organization that the Minister of Justice used to chair. They see the minister's husband lobbying the Liberals on behalf of the organization for funding. This has nothing to do with the FNFA and first nations. Canadians see this as unethical, yet the minister continues to deny any wrongdoing.When will the Prime Minister hold his ministers accountable for their unethical behaviour?
Mr. Speaker, the people in Alberta are looking for a government that will proudly stand up for Canadian oil and gas, not act coy and shy when it becomes convenient for it. If that is not bad enough, the Minister of Environment says that over time they are going to block development in the oil sands. In other words, that is the end of the oil and gas industry in Canada. How can the oil patch expect investment when one of the Liberal's most prominent ministers is suggesting that the government has a plan to shut them down?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice and all ministers in the government have, at all times, followed our obligations under the ethics code and under the Conflict of Interest Act. The Liberal Party respects the Canada Elections Act. All of this fundraising was done according to law. All of the donations are transparent and disclosed, according to law. It is something that every member of this House has done in order to win a seat in this House, and continues to do.Ministers in the previous government also raised money for the Conservative Party and used to brag about it one day not so long ago.
Mr. Speaker, the youth suicide crisis has shocked the world and people are asking how a country as rich as Canada can leave so many children and young people behind. What the people in Attawapiskat are facing is the same systemic negligence that is robbing the hopes of young people in communities like La Loche, Cross Lake and Neskantaga. Yet there were no new mental health dollars in the budget to help indigenous children.Enough with the band-aids and the emergency flights. Will the minister commit to a total overhaul to ensure that every child in our country has the mental health supports he or she needs to have hope and a positive future?
Mr. Speaker, unlike the NDP that condemns this deal without even reading it, we are keeping our election promise. We promised to consult, and we are.I would also like to point out that we learned something interesting about the New Democrats on Sunday. We learned they want to shut down our natural resource industry and we learned they want to say no to Canada trading in the world.That is not good for Canada's middle class, including the union members the hon. member claims to represent.
Mr. Speaker, one of the most important responsibilities of the Minister of Justice is to recommend the appointments to the superior courts because Canadians deserve to have access to timely judicial proceedings.We have been hearing alarming reports of continuing and increasing vacancies in our courts. It is not enough to be fundraising. What is the problem with appointing judges? We all want to know that.
Mr. Speaker, the opposition party keeps repeating the same arguments that clearly failed to convince Canadians last fall.The Conservatives are talking about their investments in the Canadian economy, but Canadians got nothing out of them. On the contrary, the Conservatives kept giving the benefits to those at the top, rather than helping the middle class and those working hard to join it and investing in the infrastructure that would help them in their communities. That is what we are doing and what we will continue to do.
Mr. Speaker, our budget demonstrates in real terms how we support workers who are suffering from low commodity prices. This is true in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador. We also understand that Canada is poised to become an international leader in green technology, which is why the budget invests many millions of dollars on the next wave of energy development in Canada, while we understand that we will move fossil fuels to market sustainably.
Mr. Speaker, the only thing that hurts the credibility of members of the House is that kind of feigned indignation where a member tries to create a scandal where none exists. On this side of the House, we are extremely proud to serve with the Minister of Justice. We are proud of her record of public service, her ethics, and her integrity. We will always stand with her.
Mr. Speaker, first the Prime Minister refused to give the parliamentary budget officer the information that he needs to do his work. Since then, we have seen a former deputy minister of finance conclude that this budget has no transparency. Even the CBC, believe it or not, declared that the numbers do not add up and called it a shell game. We have made-up numbers, hidden numbers, and numbers pulled from thin air, so why should Canadians trust the Prime Minister to run our economy?
Mr. Speaker, today, the Government of Quebec and dairy producers and processors stood shoulder to shoulder on the diafiltered milk issue.The Liberal government has been saying for months that it is working on this issue, but it has not done anything yet. The industry has had enough. Farmers are losing thousands of dollars a week. However, there is nothing complicated about this. All the government has to do is enforce the cheese compositional standards.What is the Prime Minister waiting for? When will he keep his election promise to solve the diafiltered milk problem here in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, the previous government might have been looking at privatizing search and rescue, but I can assure the member that this government is not, because the Canadian Armed Forces play a critical role in search and rescue.
Mr. Speaker, after years of ethically challenged Conservative rule, the Liberals promised to do things differently.The Minister of Justice is doing certain things differently. When Conservative minister Shelly Glover was caught holding a dodgy fundraiser in 2013, she promptly gave the money back, but this minister refuses to do the same. Will the Prime Minister ask his Minister of Justice to simply give the money back?
Mr. Speaker, industry has said that investment in Alberta's oil sands will be down more than $60 billion over the past two years, a 63% decrease since 2014. Hundreds of thousands of Albertans have lost their jobs, and they are losing their homes. The Prime Minister has told Albertans that they should hang in there and they should be thankful that things are not worse.We cannot wait for things to get worse. When is the Liberal government finally going to make an investment in Canada's national energy program?
Mr. Speaker, $440 million to the Canada Revenue Agency, in terms of going after tax evasion and avoidance, is significant action.We have committed to make sure that nobody gets to avoid taxes by paying a little money on the side. We need to make sure that we have an open, fair, responsible system of taxation that is properly enforced. That is what Canadians expect of their government. That is the kind of openness, transparency, and rigour that this government is delivering.
Mr. Speaker, after years of ethically challenged Conservative rule, the Liberals promised to do things differently.
Mr. Speaker, troubling reports out of the United Kingdom indicate that a Canadian terror suspect is being pursued with respect to possible risks to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge travelling in India.I ask that the Minister of Public Safety update the House and confirm that CSIS and all of our security agencies are providing co-operation in this international investigation.
We have now learned that the Liberal government is looking at privatizing search and rescue as part of the defence review. This was an idea that was first raised by the Conservatives five years ago, and finally abandoned only after a public outcry. At that time, the current Minister of Public Services said she was appalled by the government's notice to companies that the government would be exploring the privatization of search-and-rescue operations.Privatizing search and rescue would clearly put Canadian lives at risk. Will the government do the right thing and abandon this plan?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals claimed to consult with businesses and workers, but as we saw in the budget, they broke that promise too. The Liberals even ignored their own members on the finance committee by raising taxes on small businesses. This should come as no surprise after the Minister of International Trade said Amen to raising taxes.How can Canadians trust the tax-and-spend Liberals when they break promises to their own members?
Mr. Speaker, ours is a principled government. With respect to the issues he mentioned, I would like to remind my colleague that our amendment to the Air Canada Public Participation Act will result in the creation of maintenance jobs in Quebec, Manitoba, and Ontario. Air Canada will also help establish two centres of excellence in Quebec and Manitoba. I would like to add that Bombardier will purchase 45 to 75 planes and that maintenance of these planes will be done in Quebec for 20 years.
Mr. Speaker, I have had the pleasure of representing Canada at a number of international meetings and to talk with those who are looking at investments in the energy sector. They all agree that Canada has been and will continue to be a very important international market for energy. It is our goal as the government to develop these energy sources, particularly in Alberta and Saskatchewan, which will make Canada, after these low commodity prices pass, again a major place of investment and confidence internationally.
Mr. Speaker, we have a regulatory strategy. Our government wants to work with the provinces and territories to reduce carbon pollution no matter what the energy system looks like in the different jurisdictions. This is about reducing carbon pollution, which is fuelling climate change, and not about closing or keeping anything in the ground, as some are suggesting. We have a transition process for all projects, and we will look at every project individually to be sure that it is something that makes sense for the environment and
Mr. Speaker, there was a discussion at committee this morning. There were two motions before the committee, and the meeting had to adjourn before the second one was completely discussed. I would make a point that one of our members on committee suggested that most all of this activity happened under the previous government in terms of the way that it operated. This minister does not hold responsibility for those discussions, but the committee would consider bringing this minister before the committee after we hold the initial hearings on KPMG and CRA.
Mr. Speaker, if we cannot trust the numbers, how can we trust that the economy is in good hands?In Alberta, the Prime Minister told oil and gas workers that they should be pleased they were not harder hit, when all they needed to hear was a commitment to build pipelines. Will the Prime Minister finally tell the 100,000 unemployed oil and gas workers today that if the Trans Mountain pipeline and the energy east pipeline are approved, he will also approve them?
Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of the kind of secrecy, of number-twisting, of obfuscation that Canadians got all too used to under the previous government, we put forward an open and transparent budget that actually talks about investing in the kind of growth and opportunities for Canadians that Canadians voted for and that Canadians need. We are establishing investments in infrastructure. We are establishing a strategy for innovation that is going to demonstrate the kind of opportunities that Canadians can innovate and create in the coming years. This is exactly the kind of budget that Canadians were asking for with their ballot box choices last year.
Mr. Speaker, experts agree on three things: the Liberals are borrowing way more money than they promised, they are already raising taxes, and none of the spending will create the jobs and growth that they promised. In addition, this budget is the least transparent budget in 15 years. Now we also know that the budget numbers do not add up. Let me repeat that: the federal budget numbers do not add up. When the numbers do not add up, how can Canadians trust them with their jobs?
Mr. Speaker, indeed, after 10 years of ethical failings on behalf of the government, the Liberal Party got elected to government on a platform of openness and transparency and promises that we are keeping.We have always followed all the rules around fundraising. We have always demonstrated openness and transparency and accountability. Union and corporate donations are banned. There are very strict limits on donations to the parties.We are following all rules, unlike the previous government.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect that no one should be able to avoid paying their fair share of taxes by giving money or doing favours. For that reason, our budget includes a $440-million investment so that the Canada Revenue Agency can recover money lost as a result of tax avoidance and evasion. The reality is that we must support the Canada Revenue Agency as it works to ensure that everyone pays their fair share of taxes.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice claimed that the focus of the pay-to-play fundraiser was in her role as an MP, this after the event was advertised as an opportunity for attendees to engage the minister on matters that pertained directly to the minister's responsibilities. Yesterday the minister admitted that she attended as Minister of Justice after all.Will the minister end the charade, take responsibility, and return the pay-to-play cash?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to reassure the House.All Canadian taxpayers are treated fairly. Regardless of income, our $440-million announcement in the latest budget is proof of that. I would like to be clear about KPMG. The fact is that the Canada Revenue Agency exposed the scheme. The agency audited taxpayers and took legal action. Yesterday's announcement confirms our commitment to preventing entities from promoting such schemes.
Mr. Speaker, according to anonymous sources, the Prime Minister is supposedly now in favour of building certain pipelines. Really? In reality, the Liberals are standing in the way of proponents who are trying to develop the economy. That is not surprising since the Prime Minister's entourage is full of activists who want to block energy sector projects.Will the Prime Minister rise in the House and say that he supports the workers and families who depend on the energy sector?
Mr. Speaker, today at the Standing Committee on Finance, the Liberals rejected the NDP motion to call the Minister of National Revenue to testify about the KPMG affair. We know that the Liberals promised Canadians a responsible, accountable, transparent government, but they looked like a bunch of Conservatives in committee today. Canadians are angry about the KPMG affair and the Panama papers, and the Minister of National Revenue owes them an explanation. Why is the minister refusing to step up and explain to Canadians and the committee the difference between her statements in the House and the KPMG affair and the facts that have been revealed?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the House the member for Grande PrairieMackenzie urged the government to approve a pipeline project before it even had been registered with the regulator. He asked the government to approve a pipeline project before one community had been consulted, before one indigenous leader had been phoned.This is not the way to get projects approved. This is why we will do it a different way. We will not take for granted that people agree with us before we even ask them.
Mr. Speaker, I would encourage the member opposite to read our budget. If she goes back to January, when I believe she was in the House, she will see that we lowered taxes on nine million Canadians. What she will find is that this year small business taxes actually have gone down. What the member will also find is that the nine out of ten families with children who will get the Canada child benefit will have an average of $2,300 more. This will help small businesses. This is a budget that will help Canadians and Canadian businesses to be more successful.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite has raised an important question and I thank him for his advocacy on this incredibly important matter.The conditions that first nations and Inuit communities are facing are absolutely unacceptable. The mental health of young people in particular in these communities is devastating. Our department and our government are ensuring that all the necessary services and programs are in place. We are currently investing over $300 million per year in mental wellness programs in these communities. We will continue to work with indigenous leaders. I will continue to work with the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs to ensure all appropriate resources are available.
Mr. Speaker, Liberals in Edmonton campaigned on deficits and told us Don't worry, we got this, and it will only cost you $10 billion a year. It is now three times that much. They also told Albertans Don't worry; we know what's best for your region. Edmonton's economy has been seriously impacted and we were completely left out of the EI expansion. We are told that we should be thankful and pleased at the work of the Prime Minister. Honestly, how can the Liberals be so out of touch with what is happening in western Canada?
Mr. Speaker, that is not what we want to know. We want to know whether she will appear before the Standing Committee on Finance. My question is for the chair of the finance committee. This morning, the Liberal members of the committee voted down my motion to have the Minister of National Revenue appear to answer questions regarding the amnesty given to tax cheats in the KPMG affair. She said in the House on March 10 that there is no such amnesty, and we believe that she has to explain herself.Could the chair of the finance committee confirm that there are currently no plans to have the minister appear on this very important issue to Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, we delivered the largest infrastructure plan in Canadian history on two separate occasions. We increased and doubled investments while still balancing the budget, not borrowing from the future. The money that will be invested this year is money from the program we put in place, because we respect provincial jurisdictions. As for the funding announced for public transit and social housing, I will come back to that later. However, those are exclusively under provincial jurisdiction. The parliamentary budget officer said that he was missing some information that prevented him from completing and having accurate figures on the economy. How can the Prime Minister claim that he is being transparent, when he is not providing all the information
Mr. Speaker, this evening, we are going to debate how we can put an end to the crisis in Attawapiskat.The community had been trying for months to alert the federal government before it finally received emergency mental health services.However, other communities, such as Cross Lake, Manitoba, are also facing similar crises, and my thoughts are with the young people in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, who are also having a very difficult time. I think everyone will agree that this is a national concern.Can the minister tell us what the government plans to do to finally put an end to this tragedy once and for all?
The Liberal budget showed a complete neglect for Canadian agriculture, and it is a slap in the face to the 2.2 million Canadians who rely on the industry. However, there is one thing the government can do to help Canadian farmers and farm families: ratify the trans-Pacific partnership. Farmers support it. Small businesses support it. The energy sector supports it. The only one we do not know about is the Liberal government. Can the minister stand in her place today and commit to bringing the TPP to this House for ratification?
Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, we promised to invest $60 billion over 10 years in infrastructure, and that is exactly what we are doing.Last week, I was in Montreal to announce that $775 million will be going directly to public transit in order to provide better service for Montrealers. We are doing this across the country. Canadians want a government that has confidence in them and is prepared to invest in their future. That is exactly what we are doing because the other party dropped the ball for the past 10 years.
Mr. Speaker, on March 22, when the finance minister tabled the various budget documents associated with his budget, he failed to table the January Fiscal Monitor, which shows a Conservative surplus left to the Liberals. They did not like December and they did not like November. Maybe they will like January. Could I get unanimous consent to table this document?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has said that there is no contradiction between building wind turbines and pipelines. He has said it is a principal responsibility of the Government of Canada to move our natural resources to market sustainably. That is why we are following a process that will consult with Canadians and give people the chance to understand that in this day and age we develop the economy sustainably, with one eye on the environment and the other on job creation. That is the way we will move forward sustainably.
Mr. Speaker, first I would like to extend my thoughts and prayers to the people of Bay de Verde in light of yesterday's fire at the Quinlan Brothers fish processing facility. Our hearts are with the workers and the community today.The Newfoundland and Labrador throne speech confirmed what many in our home province have been worried about. The recent downturn in oil prices has decreased revenue at a time when unemployment is on the rise.Will the Minister of Finance provide an update to the House about what our government is doing to help the people of Newfoundland and Labrador during these difficult times?
Mr. Speaker, obviously I would not comment on any specific operational matter, but I can also confirm what the hon. gentleman implied in his question, that in circumstances where international co-operation is required, most certainly CSIS, the RCMP, the CBSA, and every agency under the authority of the Government of Canada, co-operate fully with our international partners.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change has lost her battle: her colleague, the Minister of Finance, has convinced the Prime Minister to move forward with the energy east pipeline. The Prime Minister has given up on refereeing. He has asked for a strategy, a plan, I imagine, to impose this pipeline on Quebec. Never mind social licence, never mind the Paris commitments, never mind the green shift.Is that the kind of influence the 40 members from Quebec have within this government?
Mr. Speaker, as the daughter of a farmer, I am proud of the support by our government for farmers. That has been manifested in our success with getting the discriminatory COOL legislation repealed, which is something that the previous government opposite failed to do. Our commitment to free trade is manifested in our hard work on CETA, which legal scrub we have completed. Again, that is something the party opposite failed to do. We are consulting on TPP, and that is the right thing to do as well.
A little money on the side, Mr. Speaker?The government used complex mathematical formulas to deprive thousands of people of their employment insurance. Saskatchewan's unemployment rate has increased by 40% in the past year, whereas in SaguenayLac-Saint-Jean the number of unemployed has increased by 7,000. Even with the budget, 800,000 unemployed workers are not eligible for employment insurance.Will the Prime Minister keep his promise and help all unemployed workers in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, the independence of the Minister of Justice has been compromised and her credibility is in tatters as she tries to justify her attendance at the pay-to-play fundraiser. If everything is above board and the minister has nothing to hide, will she release the list of attendees, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, budget 2016 puts forward significant, real help by putting money into the pockets of the middle class and by helping grow the economy in ways that, quite frankly, we have not had for 10 years. The reality is that by investing in public transit, in social infrastructure, in green infrastructure, in university and research infrastructure, we are creating the kinds of good jobs now, the growth for tomorrow, and the long-term prosperity that Canadians right across this country need. That is what budget 2016 is all about, and that is a promise delivered.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Avalon, his caucus colleagues from Newfoundland and Labrador and the Minister of Public Services and Procurement for their tireless work on behalf of Newfoundland and Labrador.When that province came to us with a fiscal stabilization request, I directed the Department of Finance officials to move forward expeditiously on this request.I am pleased to say that we have moved forward with an advance payment of $32 million of fiscal stabilization for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in these difficult times.
Mr. Speaker, the justice minister claimed she attended the high-priced pay-to-play fundraiser in Toronto as a regular MP. Later she said she was there as the Minister of Justice. The invitation to the event highlighted her new role and extraordinary mandate. It also told attendees this would be the minister's first private event in Toronto.Was she there as the justice minister or as a regular MP? If she wants to be a regular MP, it is simple. All she has to do is resign as the justice minister.
Mr. Speaker, I have good news for my friend opposite.The Ethics Commissioner advises ministers in both their roles as minister and as member of Parliament. That has always been the case. The minister spoke to the commissioner about both roles.Furthermore, she complied with all the relevant rules. My colleague opposite wants to repeat the same accusations, hoping to create a scandal, but there is no scandal on this side of the House. We will always abide by the law when it comes to election financing.
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years the previous government did everything it could to try and shout those pipelines into being. What that resulted in was delivering no pipelines to tidewater. One of the fundamental responsibilities of any prime minister is to get our resources to market. However, in the 21st century, getting those resources to market means doing it responsibly for communities, for indigenous peoples, and for the environment. That is why we are combining both environment and economy as we build for a stronger future, and basing our decisions on evidence.
Mr. Speaker, let us start with understanding that we had more pre-budget consultations than in the history of the country will ever have.Let us move forward with a very clear understanding that we reduced taxes on nine million Canadians. Let us move forward one more step by understanding that we helped small businesses across the country by helping their customers and clients.This is a budget that will help Canadians, families and businesses. It will grow our economy over the long run.
Mr. Speaker, scientific research plays an important role in growing a clean economy. I see that every day in my riding through the work done by the researchers, professors, and students at the Longueuil campus of the Université de Sherbrooke.Can the Minister of Science tell the House about the initiatives proposed in the budget to promote research and innovation?
Mr. Speaker, we understand that the natural resource sector in Canada accounts for 20% of the GDP. We know that Canada's economic future depends on a healthy energy sector. We also understand that in order to ensure that our natural resources move to markets sustainably, we need a regulatory process that has the confidence of Canadians. That is why we have established a set of principles that we are confident will much more likely get us to that place than what happened with the previous government.
Mr. Speaker, there are reports that the minister has yet to hire a judicial affairs adviser. However, she has hired a director of political operations. According to Treasury Board guidelines, a director of political operations requires the written concurrence of both the Prime Minister and the President of the Treasury Board. Did the Prime Minister provide written concurrence to his Minister of Justice for hiring a director of political operations? I know this might help with fundraisers, but what is the problem with hiring a judicial affairs adviser?
Mr. Speaker, I think my colleague is fully aware that I met many stakeholders in the agricultural sector, including supply management and the dairy industry in particular.This issue was inherited from the previous government, and we are working with the industry to resolve the issue.
Mr. Speaker, we are moving forward with appointments, not only to the superior courts across the country but certainly, in the impending retirement of an honoured justice out of the Supreme Court of Canada, moving forward with the process to appoint a new Supreme Court of Canada justice.We are looking at this process and renovating the process to ensure that it is open and transparent. We will engage with members of the House in ensuring that the appointments are based on merit and that the appointments are diversified in terms of reflecting a judiciary that has the face of this great and diversified country.
Mr. Speaker, a partner at Torys LLP was registered to lobby the justice minister. Conveniently, the night before the pay-to-play fundraiser that his law firm was hosting, he deregistered as a lobbyist. The justice minister was told by the Prime Minister not to target departmental stakeholders while soliciting political contributions. Would the minister explain how attending a private fundraiser with high-priced Toronto lawyers who have been registered to lobby her department is consistent with anybody's ethical code?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question.We have a plan that will work very well for Canadians and small businesses.We have a budget and we encourage members opposite to read the budget. They can make hand gestures all they want, but we know that we have a plan. Canadians know that we have a plan, and that is what they elected us to do. Our government is making very important investments directly in helping small businesses.
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that we are hardly not relating to the situation in Edmonton. As I was previously involved in the geological sciences, I know exactly what many people are facing. In fact, the folks in Edmonton are going to benefit from the over $2-billion investment that we made in supports for all workers in all regions, including Edmonton, Quebec, and Newfoundland. There are many benefits that will help those in Edmonton.
Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, we promised to improve the employment insurance system so that people who need EI have better access to it, and that is what we have done. We have reduced the waiting period from two weeks to one. We have made sure that there are better employment programs for those receiving employment insurance in order to encourage people to succeed. We promised to improve the employment insurance system and that is what we are doing across the country.
Mr. Speaker, last month I had the opportunity to announce $4.84 million for the Bioenterprise Corporation in Guelph. Could the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development please inform the House about this exciting new investment?
Mr. Speaker, leaving aside the fundraising, the judiciaries appointments are fundamentally important and we are moving forward with a new process, renovating the process, ensuring that the appointment of Superior Court judges across the country is not only based on merit but that it is based on diversity, and that we will be open and transparent. I have had the opportunity to speak to many of the justices across the country and we will be advancing appointments in the very near future.
If they would like to listen, I can give them some details that they are welcome to read as well. Five hundred
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. The government is committed to supporting discovery-based science.Budget 2016 provides $95 million per year to the granting councils to support discovery research, which is the largest investment in more than a decade. According to the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, these investments demonstrate the government's commitment to making Canada a leader in knowledge production and innovation.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, in the House, the Minister of Justice confirmed that she went to Toronto to attend a fundraising activity simply as the member for Vancouver Granville.She also said that she cleared it with the Ethics Commissioner to ensure that she complied with all the rules.Did the member seek this clarification in her role as Minister of Justice or as member of Parliament for Vancouver Granville? How can she dissociate herself from these two roles, as she sees fit, when she is in a law firm?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Guelph for his question and his continued effort to raise the business needs of his riding.Guelph and the surrounding region is a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship, and this investment of $4.84 million to Bioenterprise is a prime example of our commitment to cultivating and encouraging creativity, invention, and collaboration.I am proud to say that budget 2016 focuses on expanding our start-ups and strengthening our innovation clusters to help create opportunities for long-term development and sustainable economic growth. It is about growing the economy and creating jobs.
Most negative speeches
Mr. Speaker, today, the Government of Quebec and dairy producers and processors stood shoulder to shoulder on the diafiltered milk issue.The Liberal government has been saying for months that it is working on this issue, but it has not done anything yet. The industry has had enough. Farmers are losing thousands of dollars a week. However, there is nothing complicated about this. All the government has to do is enforce the cheese compositional standards.What is the Prime Minister waiting for? When will he keep his election promise to solve the diafiltered milk problem here in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, she should never have been there.Canadians who follow the rules and pay their taxes find the Panama papers scandal disgusting. This week we learned that a former senior Revenue Canada official left the agency and went to work for KPMG when the firm was being investigated by Revenue Canada for using tax havens.Will the Prime Minister finally conduct an investigation and lock the revolving door at Revenue Canada?
A little money on the side, Mr. Speaker?The government used complex mathematical formulas to deprive thousands of people of their employment insurance. Saskatchewan's unemployment rate has increased by 40% in the past year, whereas in SaguenayLac-Saint-Jean the number of unemployed has increased by 7,000. Even with the budget, 800,000 unemployed workers are not eligible for employment insurance.Will the Prime Minister keep his promise and help all unemployed workers in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, on March 22, when the finance minister tabled the various budget documents associated with his budget, he failed to table the January Fiscal Monitor, which shows a Conservative surplus left to the Liberals. They did not like December and they did not like November. Maybe they will like January. Could I get unanimous consent to table this document?
Mr. Speaker, we have a Minister of Justice attending a sketchy fundraiser, a Minister of Finance with companies registered in tax havens like the Bahamas, and a Minister of National Revenue who is defending sweetheart deals for millionaire tax cheats. The Liberals swore they would be different, but they keep finding novel ways of being the Liberals.Will the Prime Minister show he is serious about cracking down on tax havens by ordering an investigation into KPMG's secret deal? He just talked about what is in the budget. Let us see some action now.
Mr. Speaker, today at the Standing Committee on Finance, the Liberals rejected the NDP motion to call the Minister of National Revenue to testify about the KPMG affair. We know that the Liberals promised Canadians a responsible, accountable, transparent government, but they looked like a bunch of Conservatives in committee today. Canadians are angry about the KPMG affair and the Panama papers, and the Minister of National Revenue owes them an explanation. Why is the minister refusing to step up and explain to Canadians and the committee the difference between her statements in the House and the KPMG affair and the facts that have been revealed?
Mr. Speaker, first the Prime Minister refused to give the parliamentary budget officer the information that he needs to do his work. Since then, we have seen a former deputy minister of finance conclude that this budget has no transparency. Even the CBC, believe it or not, declared that the numbers do not add up and called it a shell game. We have made-up numbers, hidden numbers, and numbers pulled from thin air, so why should Canadians trust the Prime Minister to run our economy?
Mr. Speaker, this evening, we are going to debate how we can put an end to the crisis in Attawapiskat.The community had been trying for months to alert the federal government before it finally received emergency mental health services.However, other communities, such as Cross Lake, Manitoba, are also facing similar crises, and my thoughts are with the young people in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, who are also having a very difficult time. I think everyone will agree that this is a national concern.Can the minister tell us what the government plans to do to finally put an end to this tragedy once and for all?
Mr. Speaker, the previous government might have been looking at privatizing search and rescue, but I can assure the member that this government is not, because the Canadian Armed Forces play a critical role in search and rescue.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite has worked hard in his community to advocate for the mental health needs in that community. I agree with him that it is completely unacceptable in a country as rich in resources as Canada that young people should get to the point that their lives seem worthless and that they would want to end them. We must respond to this. I have already indicated what we are doing so far. I will be working with my colleagues across the country to ensure that mental health services are included and improved, and ensure that we get that mental health care to the people who need it.
Mr. Speaker, industry has said that investment in Alberta's oil sands will be down more than $60 billion over the past two years, a 63% decrease since 2014. Hundreds of thousands of Albertans have lost their jobs, and they are losing their homes. The Prime Minister has told Albertans that they should hang in there and they should be thankful that things are not worse.We cannot wait for things to get worse. When is the Liberal government finally going to make an investment in Canada's national energy program?
Mr. Speaker, clearly the communications specialists working for the Liberal Party have taken over the budget. When there is no content, they simply step up the rhetoric and press repeat. The truth behind the empty rhetoric is that they have no plan and are incapable of creating one.Small businesses have been betrayed by this government, which has repeatedly broken its promise to reduce the corporate tax rate. In my region, the president of the chamber of commerce is publicly asking whether the government realizes that small business is crucial to economic recovery.Will the Minister of Economic Development stop the broken record and finally give a real answer?
Mr. Speaker, the independence of the Minister of Justice has been compromised and her credibility is in tatters as she tries to justify her attendance at the pay-to-play fundraiser. If everything is above board and the minister has nothing to hide, will she release the list of attendees, yes or no?
The Liberal budget showed a complete neglect for Canadian agriculture, and it is a slap in the face to the 2.2 million Canadians who rely on the industry. However, there is one thing the government can do to help Canadian farmers and farm families: ratify the trans-Pacific partnership. Farmers support it. Small businesses support it. The energy sector supports it. The only one we do not know about is the Liberal government. Can the minister stand in her place today and commit to bringing the TPP to this House for ratification?
Mr. Speaker, the opposition party keeps repeating the same arguments that clearly failed to convince Canadians last fall.The Conservatives are talking about their investments in the Canadian economy, but Canadians got nothing out of them. On the contrary, the Conservatives kept giving the benefits to those at the top, rather than helping the middle class and those working hard to join it and investing in the infrastructure that would help them in their communities. That is what we are doing and what we will continue to do.
Mr. Speaker, the trade committee is finally hitting the road next week to study the TPP, yet it still has no impact study to guide its work. The Liberals promised a full, public consultation, but now they are trying to pass off the committee's work as their own.When it comes to what Joseph Stiglitz called, the worst trade deal ever, that just does not cut it. Why is the government refusing to live up to its promise of full, public consultation for all Canadians?
We have now learned that the Liberal government is looking at privatizing search and rescue as part of the defence review. This was an idea that was first raised by the Conservatives five years ago, and finally abandoned only after a public outcry. At that time, the current Minister of Public Services said she was appalled by the government's notice to companies that the government would be exploring the privatization of search-and-rescue operations.Privatizing search and rescue would clearly put Canadian lives at risk. Will the government do the right thing and abandon this plan?
Mr. Speaker, we now know that the Liberal government is going to borrow $30 billion, money that will be paid back by Canadians who are not yet born.During the last election campaign, at a photo op in a crane, the Prime Minister promised a lot of money for infrastructure. In this budget, very little money will go to roads, highways, or public transit. How can the Prime Minister say that he will run a $30-billion deficit on infrastructure, when there is only $2.9 billion in new money for infrastructure in this budget?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has said that there is no contradiction between building wind turbines and pipelines. He has said it is a principal responsibility of the Government of Canada to move our natural resources to market sustainably. That is why we are following a process that will consult with Canadians and give people the chance to understand that in this day and age we develop the economy sustainably, with one eye on the environment and the other on job creation. That is the way we will move forward sustainably.
Mr. Speaker, the youth suicide crisis has shocked the world and people are asking how a country as rich as Canada can leave so many children and young people behind. What the people in Attawapiskat are facing is the same systemic negligence that is robbing the hopes of young people in communities like La Loche, Cross Lake and Neskantaga. Yet there were no new mental health dollars in the budget to help indigenous children.Enough with the band-aids and the emergency flights. Will the minister commit to a total overhaul to ensure that every child in our country has the mental health supports he or she needs to have hope and a positive future?
Mr. Speaker, there are reports that the minister has yet to hire a judicial affairs adviser. However, she has hired a director of political operations. According to Treasury Board guidelines, a director of political operations requires the written concurrence of both the Prime Minister and the President of the Treasury Board. Did the Prime Minister provide written concurrence to his Minister of Justice for hiring a director of political operations? I know this might help with fundraisers, but what is the problem with hiring a judicial affairs adviser?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Avalon, his caucus colleagues from Newfoundland and Labrador and the Minister of Public Services and Procurement for their tireless work on behalf of Newfoundland and Labrador.When that province came to us with a fiscal stabilization request, I directed the Department of Finance officials to move forward expeditiously on this request.I am pleased to say that we have moved forward with an advance payment of $32 million of fiscal stabilization for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in these difficult times.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the House the member for Grande PrairieMackenzie urged the government to approve a pipeline project before it even had been registered with the regulator. He asked the government to approve a pipeline project before one community had been consulted, before one indigenous leader had been phoned.This is not the way to get projects approved. This is why we will do it a different way. We will not take for granted that people agree with us before we even ask them.
Mr. Speaker, troubling reports out of the United Kingdom indicate that a Canadian terror suspect is being pursued with respect to possible risks to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge travelling in India.I ask that the Minister of Public Safety update the House and confirm that CSIS and all of our security agencies are providing co-operation in this international investigation.
Mr. Speaker, ours is a principled government. With respect to the issues he mentioned, I would like to remind my colleague that our amendment to the Air Canada Public Participation Act will result in the creation of maintenance jobs in Quebec, Manitoba, and Ontario. Air Canada will also help establish two centres of excellence in Quebec and Manitoba. I would like to add that Bombardier will purchase 45 to 75 planes and that maintenance of these planes will be done in Quebec for 20 years.
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years the previous government did everything it could to try and shout those pipelines into being. What that resulted in was delivering no pipelines to tidewater. One of the fundamental responsibilities of any prime minister is to get our resources to market. However, in the 21st century, getting those resources to market means doing it responsibly for communities, for indigenous peoples, and for the environment. That is why we are combining both environment and economy as we build for a stronger future, and basing our decisions on evidence.
Mr. Speaker, we delivered the largest infrastructure plan in Canadian history on two separate occasions. We increased and doubled investments while still balancing the budget, not borrowing from the future. The money that will be invested this year is money from the program we put in place, because we respect provincial jurisdictions. As for the funding announced for public transit and social housing, I will come back to that later. However, those are exclusively under provincial jurisdiction. The parliamentary budget officer said that he was missing some information that prevented him from completing and having accurate figures on the economy. How can the Prime Minister claim that he is being transparent, when he is not providing all the information
Mr. Speaker, unlike the NDP that condemns this deal without even reading it, we are keeping our election promise. We promised to consult, and we are.I would also like to point out that we learned something interesting about the New Democrats on Sunday. We learned they want to shut down our natural resource industry and we learned they want to say no to Canada trading in the world.That is not good for Canada's middle class, including the union members the hon. member claims to represent.
Mr. Speaker, indeed, after 10 years of ethical failings on behalf of the government, the Liberal Party got elected to government on a platform of openness and transparency and promises that we are keeping.We have always followed all the rules around fundraising. We have always demonstrated openness and transparency and accountability. Union and corporate donations are banned. There are very strict limits on donations to the parties.We are following all rules, unlike the previous government.
Mr. Speaker, a partner at Torys LLP was registered to lobby the justice minister. Conveniently, the night before the pay-to-play fundraiser that his law firm was hosting, he deregistered as a lobbyist. The justice minister was told by the Prime Minister not to target departmental stakeholders while soliciting political contributions. Would the minister explain how attending a private fundraiser with high-priced Toronto lawyers who have been registered to lobby her department is consistent with anybody's ethical code?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question.We have a plan that will work very well for Canadians and small businesses.We have a budget and we encourage members opposite to read the budget. They can make hand gestures all they want, but we know that we have a plan. Canadians know that we have a plan, and that is what they elected us to do. Our government is making very important investments directly in helping small businesses.
Mr. Speaker, after years of ethically challenged Conservative rule, the Liberals promised to do things differently.The Minister of Justice is doing certain things differently. When Conservative minister Shelly Glover was caught holding a dodgy fundraiser in 2013, she promptly gave the money back, but this minister refuses to do the same. Will the Prime Minister ask his Minister of Justice to simply give the money back?
Mr. Speaker, under the Liberals' job-killing budget, they are raising taxes on small businesses and their workers. They reversed the Conservative tax cut for small businesses, raised payroll taxes, and now the top tax bracket in over half of our provinces will be more than 50%. When will the Liberals stop raising taxes on workers and job creators?
Mr. Speaker, the cute phrases and the play on words do not change the basic facts. All members of the House of Commons raise money according to law. All members on this side of the House respect the Canada Elections Act and the appropriate fundraising rules that apply. It is something that my colleague's party has had considerable trouble doing in the past. They, in fact, pleaded guilty and had to pay a $250,000 fine for a pay-to-play scheme to launder money in and out of riding associations. We have never done that on this side of the House.
Mr. Speaker, as the daughter of a farmer, I am proud of the support by our government for farmers. That has been manifested in our success with getting the discriminatory COOL legislation repealed, which is something that the previous government opposite failed to do. Our commitment to free trade is manifested in our hard work on CETA, which legal scrub we have completed. Again, that is something the party opposite failed to do. We are consulting on TPP, and that is the right thing to do as well.
Mr. Speaker, it is no secret the Prime Minister surrounds himself with anti-oil activists, people like Zoe Caron who believes fossil fuels must stay in the ground, or his principal secretary who compares supporting oil to encouraging children to smoke.Well, the Liberals have their way. Alberta investment is down 62%. In fact, oil is staying in the ground and the entire country is suffering because of it.Is the Prime Minister ready to abandon his anti-pipeline advice and stand up publicly for Canadian oil and gas?
Mr. Speaker, I would encourage the member opposite to read our budget. If she goes back to January, when I believe she was in the House, she will see that we lowered taxes on nine million Canadians. What she will find is that this year small business taxes actually have gone down. What the member will also find is that the nine out of ten families with children who will get the Canada child benefit will have an average of $2,300 more. This will help small businesses. This is a budget that will help Canadians and Canadian businesses to be more successful.
Mr. Speaker, there was a discussion at committee this morning. There were two motions before the committee, and the meeting had to adjourn before the second one was completely discussed. I would make a point that one of our members on committee suggested that most all of this activity happened under the previous government in terms of the way that it operated. This minister does not hold responsibility for those discussions, but the committee would consider bringing this minister before the committee after we hold the initial hearings on KPMG and CRA.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite has raised an important question and I thank him for his advocacy on this incredibly important matter.The conditions that first nations and Inuit communities are facing are absolutely unacceptable. The mental health of young people in particular in these communities is devastating. Our department and our government are ensuring that all the necessary services and programs are in place. We are currently investing over $300 million per year in mental wellness programs in these communities. We will continue to work with indigenous leaders. I will continue to work with the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs to ensure all appropriate resources are available.
Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, we promised to invest $60 billion over 10 years in infrastructure, and that is exactly what we are doing.Last week, I was in Montreal to announce that $775 million will be going directly to public transit in order to provide better service for Montrealers. We are doing this across the country. Canadians want a government that has confidence in them and is prepared to invest in their future. That is exactly what we are doing because the other party dropped the ball for the past 10 years.
Mr. Speaker, that is not what we want to know. We want to know whether she will appear before the Standing Committee on Finance. My question is for the chair of the finance committee. This morning, the Liberal members of the committee voted down my motion to have the Minister of National Revenue appear to answer questions regarding the amnesty given to tax cheats in the KPMG affair. She said in the House on March 10 that there is no such amnesty, and we believe that she has to explain herself.Could the chair of the finance committee confirm that there are currently no plans to have the minister appear on this very important issue to Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the justice minister claimed she attended the high-priced pay-to-play fundraiser in Toronto as a regular MP. Later she said she was there as the Minister of Justice. The invitation to the event highlighted her new role and extraordinary mandate. It also told attendees this would be the minister's first private event in Toronto.Was she there as the justice minister or as a regular MP? If she wants to be a regular MP, it is simple. All she has to do is resign as the justice minister.
Mr. Speaker, first I would like to extend my thoughts and prayers to the people of Bay de Verde in light of yesterday's fire at the Quinlan Brothers fish processing facility. Our hearts are with the workers and the community today.The Newfoundland and Labrador throne speech confirmed what many in our home province have been worried about. The recent downturn in oil prices has decreased revenue at a time when unemployment is on the rise.Will the Minister of Finance provide an update to the House about what our government is doing to help the people of Newfoundland and Labrador during these difficult times?
Mr. Speaker, the government wants to fight climate change, but not at the expense of western oil companies. It wants to believe in the rule of law, but it changes the law to accommodate Air Canada. It wants to stand up for social justice, but it will not deprive its friends on Bay Street of their tax haven in Barbados. It wants to defend human rights, as long as that does not affect its business dealings with Saudi Arabia.At what price does this government sell out its principles?
Mr. Speaker, experts agree on three things: the Liberals are borrowing way more money than they promised, they are already raising taxes, and none of the spending will create the jobs and growth that they promised. In addition, this budget is the least transparent budget in 15 years. Now we also know that the budget numbers do not add up. Let me repeat that: the federal budget numbers do not add up. When the numbers do not add up, how can Canadians trust them with their jobs?
Mr. Speaker, after years of ethically challenged Conservative rule, the Liberals promised to do things differently.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice claimed that the focus of the pay-to-play fundraiser was in her role as an MP, this after the event was advertised as an opportunity for attendees to engage the minister on matters that pertained directly to the minister's responsibilities. Yesterday the minister admitted that she attended as Minister of Justice after all.Will the minister end the charade, take responsibility, and return the pay-to-play cash?
Mr. Speaker, as I explained and as all members opposite who participated on the aboriginal affairs committee in the last Parliament would know, the First Nations Financial Management Board is an exemplary organization, with a proven track record, that maximizes a small amount of money such that first nations from coast to coast to coast have access to capital for much needed infrastructure. For heaven's sake, I wish the other side would stop this. This kind of stuff is really disruptive.
Mr. Speaker, according to anonymous sources, the Prime Minister is supposedly now in favour of building certain pipelines. Really? In reality, the Liberals are standing in the way of proponents who are trying to develop the economy. That is not surprising since the Prime Minister's entourage is full of activists who want to block energy sector projects.Will the Prime Minister rise in the House and say that he supports the workers and families who depend on the energy sector?
Mr. Speaker, I have had the pleasure of representing Canada at a number of international meetings and to talk with those who are looking at investments in the energy sector. They all agree that Canada has been and will continue to be a very important international market for energy. It is our goal as the government to develop these energy sources, particularly in Alberta and Saskatchewan, which will make Canada, after these low commodity prices pass, again a major place of investment and confidence internationally.
Mr. Speaker, obviously I would not comment on any specific operational matter, but I can also confirm what the hon. gentleman implied in his question, that in circumstances where international co-operation is required, most certainly CSIS, the RCMP, the CBSA, and every agency under the authority of the Government of Canada, co-operate fully with our international partners.
Mr. Speaker, our budget demonstrates in real terms how we support workers who are suffering from low commodity prices. This is true in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador. We also understand that Canada is poised to become an international leader in green technology, which is why the budget invests many millions of dollars on the next wave of energy development in Canada, while we understand that we will move fossil fuels to market sustainably.
Mr. Speaker, let us bring this back to what Canadians are seeing and what they are saying. They see $20 million going to an organization that the Minister of Justice used to chair. They see the minister's husband lobbying the Liberals on behalf of the organization for funding. This has nothing to do with the FNFA and first nations. Canadians see this as unethical, yet the minister continues to deny any wrongdoing.When will the Prime Minister hold his ministers accountable for their unethical behaviour?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change has lost her battle: her colleague, the Minister of Finance, has convinced the Prime Minister to move forward with the energy east pipeline. The Prime Minister has given up on refereeing. He has asked for a strategy, a plan, I imagine, to impose this pipeline on Quebec. Never mind social licence, never mind the Paris commitments, never mind the green shift.Is that the kind of influence the 40 members from Quebec have within this government?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, in the House, the Minister of Justice confirmed that she went to Toronto to attend a fundraising activity simply as the member for Vancouver Granville.She also said that she cleared it with the Ethics Commissioner to ensure that she complied with all the rules.Did the member seek this clarification in her role as Minister of Justice or as member of Parliament for Vancouver Granville? How can she dissociate herself from these two roles, as she sees fit, when she is in a law firm?
Mr. Speaker, last month I had the opportunity to announce $4.84 million for the Bioenterprise Corporation in Guelph. Could the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development please inform the House about this exciting new investment?
Mr. Speaker, let us start with understanding that we had more pre-budget consultations than in the history of the country will ever have.Let us move forward with a very clear understanding that we reduced taxes on nine million Canadians. Let us move forward one more step by understanding that we helped small businesses across the country by helping their customers and clients.This is a budget that will help Canadians, families and businesses. It will grow our economy over the long run.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve a straight answer from the Liberals. The Prime Minister creates instability and uncertainty in the energy sector. He appointed the justice minister who has opposed pipeline projects. His senior advisors are against Alberta's responsibly developed oil sands. He ignores Albertans who just want to get back to work.A strong Alberta means a strong Canada. Will the Prime Minister finally support Canadian energy through crucial infrastructure projects like trans mountain and energy east?
Mr. Speaker, the people in Alberta are looking for a government that will proudly stand up for Canadian oil and gas, not act coy and shy when it becomes convenient for it. If that is not bad enough, the Minister of Environment says that over time they are going to block development in the oil sands. In other words, that is the end of the oil and gas industry in Canada. How can the oil patch expect investment when one of the Liberal's most prominent ministers is suggesting that the government has a plan to shut them down?
Mr. Speaker, budget 2016 puts forward significant, real help by putting money into the pockets of the middle class and by helping grow the economy in ways that, quite frankly, we have not had for 10 years. The reality is that by investing in public transit, in social infrastructure, in green infrastructure, in university and research infrastructure, we are creating the kinds of good jobs now, the growth for tomorrow, and the long-term prosperity that Canadians right across this country need. That is what budget 2016 is all about, and that is a promise delivered.
Mr. Speaker, the only part of that question with which we agree is the incredible mandate that the Minister of Justice has been given by the Prime Minister: to reform our justice system and to clean up a number of messes left to this government by the previous government in terms of justice law and justice policy.As I said, this fundraiser was done entirely according to the rules. All of the applicable Conflict of Interest Code ethical obligations and Canada Elections Act measures were followed. We will continue to do that. The hon. member is trying to create a scandal where none exists.
Mr. Speaker, we understand that the natural resource sector in Canada accounts for 20% of the GDP. We know that Canada's economic future depends on a healthy energy sector. We also understand that in order to ensure that our natural resources move to markets sustainably, we need a regulatory process that has the confidence of Canadians. That is why we have established a set of principles that we are confident will much more likely get us to that place than what happened with the previous government.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice and all ministers in the government have, at all times, followed our obligations under the ethics code and under the Conflict of Interest Act. The Liberal Party respects the Canada Elections Act. All of this fundraising was done according to law. All of the donations are transparent and disclosed, according to law. It is something that every member of this House has done in order to win a seat in this House, and continues to do.Ministers in the previous government also raised money for the Conservative Party and used to brag about it one day not so long ago.
Mr. Speaker, I think my colleague is fully aware that I met many stakeholders in the agricultural sector, including supply management and the dairy industry in particular.This issue was inherited from the previous government, and we are working with the industry to resolve the issue.
Mr. Speaker, leaving aside the fundraising, the judiciaries appointments are fundamentally important and we are moving forward with a new process, renovating the process, ensuring that the appointment of Superior Court judges across the country is not only based on merit but that it is based on diversity, and that we will be open and transparent. I have had the opportunity to speak to many of the justices across the country and we will be advancing appointments in the very near future.
Mr. Speaker, we have a regulatory strategy. Our government wants to work with the provinces and territories to reduce carbon pollution no matter what the energy system looks like in the different jurisdictions. This is about reducing carbon pollution, which is fuelling climate change, and not about closing or keeping anything in the ground, as some are suggesting. We have a transition process for all projects, and we will look at every project individually to be sure that it is something that makes sense for the environment and
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals claimed to consult with businesses and workers, but as we saw in the budget, they broke that promise too. The Liberals even ignored their own members on the finance committee by raising taxes on small businesses. This should come as no surprise after the Minister of International Trade said Amen to raising taxes.How can Canadians trust the tax-and-spend Liberals when they break promises to their own members?
Mr. Speaker, Liberals in Edmonton campaigned on deficits and told us Don't worry, we got this, and it will only cost you $10 billion a year. It is now three times that much. They also told Albertans Don't worry; we know what's best for your region. Edmonton's economy has been seriously impacted and we were completely left out of the EI expansion. We are told that we should be thankful and pleased at the work of the Prime Minister. Honestly, how can the Liberals be so out of touch with what is happening in western Canada?
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that we are hardly not relating to the situation in Edmonton. As I was previously involved in the geological sciences, I know exactly what many people are facing. In fact, the folks in Edmonton are going to benefit from the over $2-billion investment that we made in supports for all workers in all regions, including Edmonton, Quebec, and Newfoundland. There are many benefits that will help those in Edmonton.
Mr. Speaker, I have good news for my friend opposite.The Ethics Commissioner advises ministers in both their roles as minister and as member of Parliament. That has always been the case. The minister spoke to the commissioner about both roles.Furthermore, she complied with all the relevant rules. My colleague opposite wants to repeat the same accusations, hoping to create a scandal, but there is no scandal on this side of the House. We will always abide by the law when it comes to election financing.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. The government is committed to supporting discovery-based science.Budget 2016 provides $95 million per year to the granting councils to support discovery research, which is the largest investment in more than a decade. According to the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, these investments demonstrate the government's commitment to making Canada a leader in knowledge production and innovation.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to reassure the House.All Canadian taxpayers are treated fairly. Regardless of income, our $440-million announcement in the latest budget is proof of that. I would like to be clear about KPMG. The fact is that the Canada Revenue Agency exposed the scheme. The agency audited taxpayers and took legal action. Yesterday's announcement confirms our commitment to preventing entities from promoting such schemes.
Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of the kind of secrecy, of number-twisting, of obfuscation that Canadians got all too used to under the previous government, we put forward an open and transparent budget that actually talks about investing in the kind of growth and opportunities for Canadians that Canadians voted for and that Canadians need. We are establishing investments in infrastructure. We are establishing a strategy for innovation that is going to demonstrate the kind of opportunities that Canadians can innovate and create in the coming years. This is exactly the kind of budget that Canadians were asking for with their ballot box choices last year.
Mr. Speaker, $440 million to the Canada Revenue Agency, in terms of going after tax evasion and avoidance, is significant action.We have committed to make sure that nobody gets to avoid taxes by paying a little money on the side. We need to make sure that we have an open, fair, responsible system of taxation that is properly enforced. That is what Canadians expect of their government. That is the kind of openness, transparency, and rigour that this government is delivering.
Mr. Speaker, one of the most important responsibilities of the Minister of Justice is to recommend the appointments to the superior courts because Canadians deserve to have access to timely judicial proceedings.We have been hearing alarming reports of continuing and increasing vacancies in our courts. It is not enough to be fundraising. What is the problem with appointing judges? We all want to know that.
Mr. Speaker, we are moving forward with appointments, not only to the superior courts across the country but certainly, in the impending retirement of an honoured justice out of the Supreme Court of Canada, moving forward with the process to appoint a new Supreme Court of Canada justice.We are looking at this process and renovating the process to ensure that it is open and transparent. We will engage with members of the House in ensuring that the appointments are based on merit and that the appointments are diversified in terms of reflecting a judiciary that has the face of this great and diversified country.
Mr. Speaker, if we cannot trust the numbers, how can we trust that the economy is in good hands?In Alberta, the Prime Minister told oil and gas workers that they should be pleased they were not harder hit, when all they needed to hear was a commitment to build pipelines. Will the Prime Minister finally tell the 100,000 unemployed oil and gas workers today that if the Trans Mountain pipeline and the energy east pipeline are approved, he will also approve them?
Mr. Speaker, the only thing that hurts the credibility of members of the House is that kind of feigned indignation where a member tries to create a scandal where none exists. On this side of the House, we are extremely proud to serve with the Minister of Justice. We are proud of her record of public service, her ethics, and her integrity. We will always stand with her.
Mr. Speaker, scientific research plays an important role in growing a clean economy. I see that every day in my riding through the work done by the researchers, professors, and students at the Longueuil campus of the Université de Sherbrooke.Can the Minister of Science tell the House about the initiatives proposed in the budget to promote research and innovation?
Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, we promised to improve the employment insurance system so that people who need EI have better access to it, and that is what we have done. We have reduced the waiting period from two weeks to one. We have made sure that there are better employment programs for those receiving employment insurance in order to encourage people to succeed. We promised to improve the employment insurance system and that is what we are doing across the country.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Guelph for his question and his continued effort to raise the business needs of his riding.Guelph and the surrounding region is a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship, and this investment of $4.84 million to Bioenterprise is a prime example of our commitment to cultivating and encouraging creativity, invention, and collaboration.I am proud to say that budget 2016 focuses on expanding our start-ups and strengthening our innovation clusters to help create opportunities for long-term development and sustainable economic growth. It is about growing the economy and creating jobs.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect that no one should be able to avoid paying their fair share of taxes by giving money or doing favours. For that reason, our budget includes a $440-million investment so that the Canada Revenue Agency can recover money lost as a result of tax avoidance and evasion. The reality is that we must support the Canada Revenue Agency as it works to ensure that everyone pays their fair share of taxes.
If they would like to listen, I can give them some details that they are welcome to read as well. Five hundred
Mr. Speaker, today, the Government of Quebec and dairy producers and processors stood shoulder to shoulder on the diafiltered milk issue.The Liberal government has been saying for months that it is working on this issue, but it has not done anything yet. The industry has had enough. Farmers are losing thousands of dollars a week. However, there is nothing complicated about this. All the government has to do is enforce the cheese compositional standards.What is the Prime Minister waiting for? When will he keep his election promise to solve the diafiltered milk problem here in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, she should never have been there.Canadians who follow the rules and pay their taxes find the Panama papers scandal disgusting. This week we learned that a former senior Revenue Canada official left the agency and went to work for KPMG when the firm was being investigated by Revenue Canada for using tax havens.Will the Prime Minister finally conduct an investigation and lock the revolving door at Revenue Canada?
A little money on the side, Mr. Speaker?The government used complex mathematical formulas to deprive thousands of people of their employment insurance. Saskatchewan's unemployment rate has increased by 40% in the past year, whereas in SaguenayLac-Saint-Jean the number of unemployed has increased by 7,000. Even with the budget, 800,000 unemployed workers are not eligible for employment insurance.Will the Prime Minister keep his promise and help all unemployed workers in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, on March 22, when the finance minister tabled the various budget documents associated with his budget, he failed to table the January Fiscal Monitor, which shows a Conservative surplus left to the Liberals. They did not like December and they did not like November. Maybe they will like January. Could I get unanimous consent to table this document?
Mr. Speaker, we have a Minister of Justice attending a sketchy fundraiser, a Minister of Finance with companies registered in tax havens like the Bahamas, and a Minister of National Revenue who is defending sweetheart deals for millionaire tax cheats. The Liberals swore they would be different, but they keep finding novel ways of being the Liberals.Will the Prime Minister show he is serious about cracking down on tax havens by ordering an investigation into KPMG's secret deal? He just talked about what is in the budget. Let us see some action now.
Mr. Speaker, today at the Standing Committee on Finance, the Liberals rejected the NDP motion to call the Minister of National Revenue to testify about the KPMG affair. We know that the Liberals promised Canadians a responsible, accountable, transparent government, but they looked like a bunch of Conservatives in committee today. Canadians are angry about the KPMG affair and the Panama papers, and the Minister of National Revenue owes them an explanation. Why is the minister refusing to step up and explain to Canadians and the committee the difference between her statements in the House and the KPMG affair and the facts that have been revealed?
Mr. Speaker, first the Prime Minister refused to give the parliamentary budget officer the information that he needs to do his work. Since then, we have seen a former deputy minister of finance conclude that this budget has no transparency. Even the CBC, believe it or not, declared that the numbers do not add up and called it a shell game. We have made-up numbers, hidden numbers, and numbers pulled from thin air, so why should Canadians trust the Prime Minister to run our economy?
Mr. Speaker, this evening, we are going to debate how we can put an end to the crisis in Attawapiskat.The community had been trying for months to alert the federal government before it finally received emergency mental health services.However, other communities, such as Cross Lake, Manitoba, are also facing similar crises, and my thoughts are with the young people in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, who are also having a very difficult time. I think everyone will agree that this is a national concern.Can the minister tell us what the government plans to do to finally put an end to this tragedy once and for all?
Mr. Speaker, the previous government might have been looking at privatizing search and rescue, but I can assure the member that this government is not, because the Canadian Armed Forces play a critical role in search and rescue.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite has worked hard in his community to advocate for the mental health needs in that community. I agree with him that it is completely unacceptable in a country as rich in resources as Canada that young people should get to the point that their lives seem worthless and that they would want to end them. We must respond to this. I have already indicated what we are doing so far. I will be working with my colleagues across the country to ensure that mental health services are included and improved, and ensure that we get that mental health care to the people who need it.
Mr. Speaker, industry has said that investment in Alberta's oil sands will be down more than $60 billion over the past two years, a 63% decrease since 2014. Hundreds of thousands of Albertans have lost their jobs, and they are losing their homes. The Prime Minister has told Albertans that they should hang in there and they should be thankful that things are not worse.We cannot wait for things to get worse. When is the Liberal government finally going to make an investment in Canada's national energy program?
Mr. Speaker, clearly the communications specialists working for the Liberal Party have taken over the budget. When there is no content, they simply step up the rhetoric and press repeat. The truth behind the empty rhetoric is that they have no plan and are incapable of creating one.Small businesses have been betrayed by this government, which has repeatedly broken its promise to reduce the corporate tax rate. In my region, the president of the chamber of commerce is publicly asking whether the government realizes that small business is crucial to economic recovery.Will the Minister of Economic Development stop the broken record and finally give a real answer?
Mr. Speaker, the independence of the Minister of Justice has been compromised and her credibility is in tatters as she tries to justify her attendance at the pay-to-play fundraiser. If everything is above board and the minister has nothing to hide, will she release the list of attendees, yes or no?
The Liberal budget showed a complete neglect for Canadian agriculture, and it is a slap in the face to the 2.2 million Canadians who rely on the industry. However, there is one thing the government can do to help Canadian farmers and farm families: ratify the trans-Pacific partnership. Farmers support it. Small businesses support it. The energy sector supports it. The only one we do not know about is the Liberal government. Can the minister stand in her place today and commit to bringing the TPP to this House for ratification?
Mr. Speaker, the opposition party keeps repeating the same arguments that clearly failed to convince Canadians last fall.The Conservatives are talking about their investments in the Canadian economy, but Canadians got nothing out of them. On the contrary, the Conservatives kept giving the benefits to those at the top, rather than helping the middle class and those working hard to join it and investing in the infrastructure that would help them in their communities. That is what we are doing and what we will continue to do.
Mr. Speaker, the trade committee is finally hitting the road next week to study the TPP, yet it still has no impact study to guide its work. The Liberals promised a full, public consultation, but now they are trying to pass off the committee's work as their own.When it comes to what Joseph Stiglitz called, the worst trade deal ever, that just does not cut it. Why is the government refusing to live up to its promise of full, public consultation for all Canadians?
We have now learned that the Liberal government is looking at privatizing search and rescue as part of the defence review. This was an idea that was first raised by the Conservatives five years ago, and finally abandoned only after a public outcry. At that time, the current Minister of Public Services said she was appalled by the government's notice to companies that the government would be exploring the privatization of search-and-rescue operations.Privatizing search and rescue would clearly put Canadian lives at risk. Will the government do the right thing and abandon this plan?
Mr. Speaker, we now know that the Liberal government is going to borrow $30 billion, money that will be paid back by Canadians who are not yet born.During the last election campaign, at a photo op in a crane, the Prime Minister promised a lot of money for infrastructure. In this budget, very little money will go to roads, highways, or public transit. How can the Prime Minister say that he will run a $30-billion deficit on infrastructure, when there is only $2.9 billion in new money for infrastructure in this budget?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has said that there is no contradiction between building wind turbines and pipelines. He has said it is a principal responsibility of the Government of Canada to move our natural resources to market sustainably. That is why we are following a process that will consult with Canadians and give people the chance to understand that in this day and age we develop the economy sustainably, with one eye on the environment and the other on job creation. That is the way we will move forward sustainably.
Mr. Speaker, the youth suicide crisis has shocked the world and people are asking how a country as rich as Canada can leave so many children and young people behind. What the people in Attawapiskat are facing is the same systemic negligence that is robbing the hopes of young people in communities like La Loche, Cross Lake and Neskantaga. Yet there were no new mental health dollars in the budget to help indigenous children.Enough with the band-aids and the emergency flights. Will the minister commit to a total overhaul to ensure that every child in our country has the mental health supports he or she needs to have hope and a positive future?
Mr. Speaker, there are reports that the minister has yet to hire a judicial affairs adviser. However, she has hired a director of political operations. According to Treasury Board guidelines, a director of political operations requires the written concurrence of both the Prime Minister and the President of the Treasury Board. Did the Prime Minister provide written concurrence to his Minister of Justice for hiring a director of political operations? I know this might help with fundraisers, but what is the problem with hiring a judicial affairs adviser?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Avalon, his caucus colleagues from Newfoundland and Labrador and the Minister of Public Services and Procurement for their tireless work on behalf of Newfoundland and Labrador.When that province came to us with a fiscal stabilization request, I directed the Department of Finance officials to move forward expeditiously on this request.I am pleased to say that we have moved forward with an advance payment of $32 million of fiscal stabilization for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in these difficult times.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the House the member for Grande PrairieMackenzie urged the government to approve a pipeline project before it even had been registered with the regulator. He asked the government to approve a pipeline project before one community had been consulted, before one indigenous leader had been phoned.This is not the way to get projects approved. This is why we will do it a different way. We will not take for granted that people agree with us before we even ask them.
Mr. Speaker, troubling reports out of the United Kingdom indicate that a Canadian terror suspect is being pursued with respect to possible risks to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge travelling in India.I ask that the Minister of Public Safety update the House and confirm that CSIS and all of our security agencies are providing co-operation in this international investigation.
Mr. Speaker, ours is a principled government. With respect to the issues he mentioned, I would like to remind my colleague that our amendment to the Air Canada Public Participation Act will result in the creation of maintenance jobs in Quebec, Manitoba, and Ontario. Air Canada will also help establish two centres of excellence in Quebec and Manitoba. I would like to add that Bombardier will purchase 45 to 75 planes and that maintenance of these planes will be done in Quebec for 20 years.
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years the previous government did everything it could to try and shout those pipelines into being. What that resulted in was delivering no pipelines to tidewater. One of the fundamental responsibilities of any prime minister is to get our resources to market. However, in the 21st century, getting those resources to market means doing it responsibly for communities, for indigenous peoples, and for the environment. That is why we are combining both environment and economy as we build for a stronger future, and basing our decisions on evidence.
Mr. Speaker, we delivered the largest infrastructure plan in Canadian history on two separate occasions. We increased and doubled investments while still balancing the budget, not borrowing from the future. The money that will be invested this year is money from the program we put in place, because we respect provincial jurisdictions. As for the funding announced for public transit and social housing, I will come back to that later. However, those are exclusively under provincial jurisdiction. The parliamentary budget officer said that he was missing some information that prevented him from completing and having accurate figures on the economy. How can the Prime Minister claim that he is being transparent, when he is not providing all the information
Mr. Speaker, unlike the NDP that condemns this deal without even reading it, we are keeping our election promise. We promised to consult, and we are.I would also like to point out that we learned something interesting about the New Democrats on Sunday. We learned they want to shut down our natural resource industry and we learned they want to say no to Canada trading in the world.That is not good for Canada's middle class, including the union members the hon. member claims to represent.
Mr. Speaker, indeed, after 10 years of ethical failings on behalf of the government, the Liberal Party got elected to government on a platform of openness and transparency and promises that we are keeping.We have always followed all the rules around fundraising. We have always demonstrated openness and transparency and accountability. Union and corporate donations are banned. There are very strict limits on donations to the parties.We are following all rules, unlike the previous government.
Mr. Speaker, a partner at Torys LLP was registered to lobby the justice minister. Conveniently, the night before the pay-to-play fundraiser that his law firm was hosting, he deregistered as a lobbyist. The justice minister was told by the Prime Minister not to target departmental stakeholders while soliciting political contributions. Would the minister explain how attending a private fundraiser with high-priced Toronto lawyers who have been registered to lobby her department is consistent with anybody's ethical code?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question.We have a plan that will work very well for Canadians and small businesses.We have a budget and we encourage members opposite to read the budget. They can make hand gestures all they want, but we know that we have a plan. Canadians know that we have a plan, and that is what they elected us to do. Our government is making very important investments directly in helping small businesses.
Mr. Speaker, after years of ethically challenged Conservative rule, the Liberals promised to do things differently.The Minister of Justice is doing certain things differently. When Conservative minister Shelly Glover was caught holding a dodgy fundraiser in 2013, she promptly gave the money back, but this minister refuses to do the same. Will the Prime Minister ask his Minister of Justice to simply give the money back?
Mr. Speaker, under the Liberals' job-killing budget, they are raising taxes on small businesses and their workers. They reversed the Conservative tax cut for small businesses, raised payroll taxes, and now the top tax bracket in over half of our provinces will be more than 50%. When will the Liberals stop raising taxes on workers and job creators?
Mr. Speaker, the cute phrases and the play on words do not change the basic facts. All members of the House of Commons raise money according to law. All members on this side of the House respect the Canada Elections Act and the appropriate fundraising rules that apply. It is something that my colleague's party has had considerable trouble doing in the past. They, in fact, pleaded guilty and had to pay a $250,000 fine for a pay-to-play scheme to launder money in and out of riding associations. We have never done that on this side of the House.
Mr. Speaker, as the daughter of a farmer, I am proud of the support by our government for farmers. That has been manifested in our success with getting the discriminatory COOL legislation repealed, which is something that the previous government opposite failed to do. Our commitment to free trade is manifested in our hard work on CETA, which legal scrub we have completed. Again, that is something the party opposite failed to do. We are consulting on TPP, and that is the right thing to do as well.
Mr. Speaker, it is no secret the Prime Minister surrounds himself with anti-oil activists, people like Zoe Caron who believes fossil fuels must stay in the ground, or his principal secretary who compares supporting oil to encouraging children to smoke.Well, the Liberals have their way. Alberta investment is down 62%. In fact, oil is staying in the ground and the entire country is suffering because of it.Is the Prime Minister ready to abandon his anti-pipeline advice and stand up publicly for Canadian oil and gas?
Mr. Speaker, I would encourage the member opposite to read our budget. If she goes back to January, when I believe she was in the House, she will see that we lowered taxes on nine million Canadians. What she will find is that this year small business taxes actually have gone down. What the member will also find is that the nine out of ten families with children who will get the Canada child benefit will have an average of $2,300 more. This will help small businesses. This is a budget that will help Canadians and Canadian businesses to be more successful.
Mr. Speaker, there was a discussion at committee this morning. There were two motions before the committee, and the meeting had to adjourn before the second one was completely discussed. I would make a point that one of our members on committee suggested that most all of this activity happened under the previous government in terms of the way that it operated. This minister does not hold responsibility for those discussions, but the committee would consider bringing this minister before the committee after we hold the initial hearings on KPMG and CRA.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite has raised an important question and I thank him for his advocacy on this incredibly important matter.The conditions that first nations and Inuit communities are facing are absolutely unacceptable. The mental health of young people in particular in these communities is devastating. Our department and our government are ensuring that all the necessary services and programs are in place. We are currently investing over $300 million per year in mental wellness programs in these communities. We will continue to work with indigenous leaders. I will continue to work with the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs to ensure all appropriate resources are available.
Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, we promised to invest $60 billion over 10 years in infrastructure, and that is exactly what we are doing.Last week, I was in Montreal to announce that $775 million will be going directly to public transit in order to provide better service for Montrealers. We are doing this across the country. Canadians want a government that has confidence in them and is prepared to invest in their future. That is exactly what we are doing because the other party dropped the ball for the past 10 years.
Mr. Speaker, that is not what we want to know. We want to know whether she will appear before the Standing Committee on Finance. My question is for the chair of the finance committee. This morning, the Liberal members of the committee voted down my motion to have the Minister of National Revenue appear to answer questions regarding the amnesty given to tax cheats in the KPMG affair. She said in the House on March 10 that there is no such amnesty, and we believe that she has to explain herself.Could the chair of the finance committee confirm that there are currently no plans to have the minister appear on this very important issue to Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the justice minister claimed she attended the high-priced pay-to-play fundraiser in Toronto as a regular MP. Later she said she was there as the Minister of Justice. The invitation to the event highlighted her new role and extraordinary mandate. It also told attendees this would be the minister's first private event in Toronto.Was she there as the justice minister or as a regular MP? If she wants to be a regular MP, it is simple. All she has to do is resign as the justice minister.
Mr. Speaker, first I would like to extend my thoughts and prayers to the people of Bay de Verde in light of yesterday's fire at the Quinlan Brothers fish processing facility. Our hearts are with the workers and the community today.The Newfoundland and Labrador throne speech confirmed what many in our home province have been worried about. The recent downturn in oil prices has decreased revenue at a time when unemployment is on the rise.Will the Minister of Finance provide an update to the House about what our government is doing to help the people of Newfoundland and Labrador during these difficult times?
Mr. Speaker, the government wants to fight climate change, but not at the expense of western oil companies. It wants to believe in the rule of law, but it changes the law to accommodate Air Canada. It wants to stand up for social justice, but it will not deprive its friends on Bay Street of their tax haven in Barbados. It wants to defend human rights, as long as that does not affect its business dealings with Saudi Arabia.At what price does this government sell out its principles?
Mr. Speaker, experts agree on three things: the Liberals are borrowing way more money than they promised, they are already raising taxes, and none of the spending will create the jobs and growth that they promised. In addition, this budget is the least transparent budget in 15 years. Now we also know that the budget numbers do not add up. Let me repeat that: the federal budget numbers do not add up. When the numbers do not add up, how can Canadians trust them with their jobs?
Mr. Speaker, after years of ethically challenged Conservative rule, the Liberals promised to do things differently.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice claimed that the focus of the pay-to-play fundraiser was in her role as an MP, this after the event was advertised as an opportunity for attendees to engage the minister on matters that pertained directly to the minister's responsibilities. Yesterday the minister admitted that she attended as Minister of Justice after all.Will the minister end the charade, take responsibility, and return the pay-to-play cash?
Mr. Speaker, as I explained and as all members opposite who participated on the aboriginal affairs committee in the last Parliament would know, the First Nations Financial Management Board is an exemplary organization, with a proven track record, that maximizes a small amount of money such that first nations from coast to coast to coast have access to capital for much needed infrastructure. For heaven's sake, I wish the other side would stop this. This kind of stuff is really disruptive.
Mr. Speaker, according to anonymous sources, the Prime Minister is supposedly now in favour of building certain pipelines. Really? In reality, the Liberals are standing in the way of proponents who are trying to develop the economy. That is not surprising since the Prime Minister's entourage is full of activists who want to block energy sector projects.Will the Prime Minister rise in the House and say that he supports the workers and families who depend on the energy sector?
Mr. Speaker, I have had the pleasure of representing Canada at a number of international meetings and to talk with those who are looking at investments in the energy sector. They all agree that Canada has been and will continue to be a very important international market for energy. It is our goal as the government to develop these energy sources, particularly in Alberta and Saskatchewan, which will make Canada, after these low commodity prices pass, again a major place of investment and confidence internationally.
Mr. Speaker, obviously I would not comment on any specific operational matter, but I can also confirm what the hon. gentleman implied in his question, that in circumstances where international co-operation is required, most certainly CSIS, the RCMP, the CBSA, and every agency under the authority of the Government of Canada, co-operate fully with our international partners.
Mr. Speaker, our budget demonstrates in real terms how we support workers who are suffering from low commodity prices. This is true in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador. We also understand that Canada is poised to become an international leader in green technology, which is why the budget invests many millions of dollars on the next wave of energy development in Canada, while we understand that we will move fossil fuels to market sustainably.
Mr. Speaker, let us bring this back to what Canadians are seeing and what they are saying. They see $20 million going to an organization that the Minister of Justice used to chair. They see the minister's husband lobbying the Liberals on behalf of the organization for funding. This has nothing to do with the FNFA and first nations. Canadians see this as unethical, yet the minister continues to deny any wrongdoing.When will the Prime Minister hold his ministers accountable for their unethical behaviour?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change has lost her battle: her colleague, the Minister of Finance, has convinced the Prime Minister to move forward with the energy east pipeline. The Prime Minister has given up on refereeing. He has asked for a strategy, a plan, I imagine, to impose this pipeline on Quebec. Never mind social licence, never mind the Paris commitments, never mind the green shift.Is that the kind of influence the 40 members from Quebec have within this government?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, in the House, the Minister of Justice confirmed that she went to Toronto to attend a fundraising activity simply as the member for Vancouver Granville.She also said that she cleared it with the Ethics Commissioner to ensure that she complied with all the rules.Did the member seek this clarification in her role as Minister of Justice or as member of Parliament for Vancouver Granville? How can she dissociate herself from these two roles, as she sees fit, when she is in a law firm?
Mr. Speaker, last month I had the opportunity to announce $4.84 million for the Bioenterprise Corporation in Guelph. Could the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development please inform the House about this exciting new investment?
Mr. Speaker, let us start with understanding that we had more pre-budget consultations than in the history of the country will ever have.Let us move forward with a very clear understanding that we reduced taxes on nine million Canadians. Let us move forward one more step by understanding that we helped small businesses across the country by helping their customers and clients.This is a budget that will help Canadians, families and businesses. It will grow our economy over the long run.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve a straight answer from the Liberals. The Prime Minister creates instability and uncertainty in the energy sector. He appointed the justice minister who has opposed pipeline projects. His senior advisors are against Alberta's responsibly developed oil sands. He ignores Albertans who just want to get back to work.A strong Alberta means a strong Canada. Will the Prime Minister finally support Canadian energy through crucial infrastructure projects like trans mountain and energy east?
Mr. Speaker, the people in Alberta are looking for a government that will proudly stand up for Canadian oil and gas, not act coy and shy when it becomes convenient for it. If that is not bad enough, the Minister of Environment says that over time they are going to block development in the oil sands. In other words, that is the end of the oil and gas industry in Canada. How can the oil patch expect investment when one of the Liberal's most prominent ministers is suggesting that the government has a plan to shut them down?
Mr. Speaker, budget 2016 puts forward significant, real help by putting money into the pockets of the middle class and by helping grow the economy in ways that, quite frankly, we have not had for 10 years. The reality is that by investing in public transit, in social infrastructure, in green infrastructure, in university and research infrastructure, we are creating the kinds of good jobs now, the growth for tomorrow, and the long-term prosperity that Canadians right across this country need. That is what budget 2016 is all about, and that is a promise delivered.
Mr. Speaker, the only part of that question with which we agree is the incredible mandate that the Minister of Justice has been given by the Prime Minister: to reform our justice system and to clean up a number of messes left to this government by the previous government in terms of justice law and justice policy.As I said, this fundraiser was done entirely according to the rules. All of the applicable Conflict of Interest Code ethical obligations and Canada Elections Act measures were followed. We will continue to do that. The hon. member is trying to create a scandal where none exists.
Mr. Speaker, we understand that the natural resource sector in Canada accounts for 20% of the GDP. We know that Canada's economic future depends on a healthy energy sector. We also understand that in order to ensure that our natural resources move to markets sustainably, we need a regulatory process that has the confidence of Canadians. That is why we have established a set of principles that we are confident will much more likely get us to that place than what happened with the previous government.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice and all ministers in the government have, at all times, followed our obligations under the ethics code and under the Conflict of Interest Act. The Liberal Party respects the Canada Elections Act. All of this fundraising was done according to law. All of the donations are transparent and disclosed, according to law. It is something that every member of this House has done in order to win a seat in this House, and continues to do.Ministers in the previous government also raised money for the Conservative Party and used to brag about it one day not so long ago.
Mr. Speaker, I think my colleague is fully aware that I met many stakeholders in the agricultural sector, including supply management and the dairy industry in particular.This issue was inherited from the previous government, and we are working with the industry to resolve the issue.
Mr. Speaker, leaving aside the fundraising, the judiciaries appointments are fundamentally important and we are moving forward with a new process, renovating the process, ensuring that the appointment of Superior Court judges across the country is not only based on merit but that it is based on diversity, and that we will be open and transparent. I have had the opportunity to speak to many of the justices across the country and we will be advancing appointments in the very near future.
Mr. Speaker, we have a regulatory strategy. Our government wants to work with the provinces and territories to reduce carbon pollution no matter what the energy system looks like in the different jurisdictions. This is about reducing carbon pollution, which is fuelling climate change, and not about closing or keeping anything in the ground, as some are suggesting. We have a transition process for all projects, and we will look at every project individually to be sure that it is something that makes sense for the environment and
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals claimed to consult with businesses and workers, but as we saw in the budget, they broke that promise too. The Liberals even ignored their own members on the finance committee by raising taxes on small businesses. This should come as no surprise after the Minister of International Trade said Amen to raising taxes.How can Canadians trust the tax-and-spend Liberals when they break promises to their own members?
Mr. Speaker, Liberals in Edmonton campaigned on deficits and told us Don't worry, we got this, and it will only cost you $10 billion a year. It is now three times that much. They also told Albertans Don't worry; we know what's best for your region. Edmonton's economy has been seriously impacted and we were completely left out of the EI expansion. We are told that we should be thankful and pleased at the work of the Prime Minister. Honestly, how can the Liberals be so out of touch with what is happening in western Canada?
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that we are hardly not relating to the situation in Edmonton. As I was previously involved in the geological sciences, I know exactly what many people are facing. In fact, the folks in Edmonton are going to benefit from the over $2-billion investment that we made in supports for all workers in all regions, including Edmonton, Quebec, and Newfoundland. There are many benefits that will help those in Edmonton.
Mr. Speaker, I have good news for my friend opposite.The Ethics Commissioner advises ministers in both their roles as minister and as member of Parliament. That has always been the case. The minister spoke to the commissioner about both roles.Furthermore, she complied with all the relevant rules. My colleague opposite wants to repeat the same accusations, hoping to create a scandal, but there is no scandal on this side of the House. We will always abide by the law when it comes to election financing.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. The government is committed to supporting discovery-based science.Budget 2016 provides $95 million per year to the granting councils to support discovery research, which is the largest investment in more than a decade. According to the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, these investments demonstrate the government's commitment to making Canada a leader in knowledge production and innovation.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to reassure the House.All Canadian taxpayers are treated fairly. Regardless of income, our $440-million announcement in the latest budget is proof of that. I would like to be clear about KPMG. The fact is that the Canada Revenue Agency exposed the scheme. The agency audited taxpayers and took legal action. Yesterday's announcement confirms our commitment to preventing entities from promoting such schemes.
Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of the kind of secrecy, of number-twisting, of obfuscation that Canadians got all too used to under the previous government, we put forward an open and transparent budget that actually talks about investing in the kind of growth and opportunities for Canadians that Canadians voted for and that Canadians need. We are establishing investments in infrastructure. We are establishing a strategy for innovation that is going to demonstrate the kind of opportunities that Canadians can innovate and create in the coming years. This is exactly the kind of budget that Canadians were asking for with their ballot box choices last year.
Mr. Speaker, $440 million to the Canada Revenue Agency, in terms of going after tax evasion and avoidance, is significant action.We have committed to make sure that nobody gets to avoid taxes by paying a little money on the side. We need to make sure that we have an open, fair, responsible system of taxation that is properly enforced. That is what Canadians expect of their government. That is the kind of openness, transparency, and rigour that this government is delivering.
Mr. Speaker, one of the most important responsibilities of the Minister of Justice is to recommend the appointments to the superior courts because Canadians deserve to have access to timely judicial proceedings.We have been hearing alarming reports of continuing and increasing vacancies in our courts. It is not enough to be fundraising. What is the problem with appointing judges? We all want to know that.
Mr. Speaker, we are moving forward with appointments, not only to the superior courts across the country but certainly, in the impending retirement of an honoured justice out of the Supreme Court of Canada, moving forward with the process to appoint a new Supreme Court of Canada justice.We are looking at this process and renovating the process to ensure that it is open and transparent. We will engage with members of the House in ensuring that the appointments are based on merit and that the appointments are diversified in terms of reflecting a judiciary that has the face of this great and diversified country.
Mr. Speaker, if we cannot trust the numbers, how can we trust that the economy is in good hands?In Alberta, the Prime Minister told oil and gas workers that they should be pleased they were not harder hit, when all they needed to hear was a commitment to build pipelines. Will the Prime Minister finally tell the 100,000 unemployed oil and gas workers today that if the Trans Mountain pipeline and the energy east pipeline are approved, he will also approve them?
Mr. Speaker, the only thing that hurts the credibility of members of the House is that kind of feigned indignation where a member tries to create a scandal where none exists. On this side of the House, we are extremely proud to serve with the Minister of Justice. We are proud of her record of public service, her ethics, and her integrity. We will always stand with her.
Mr. Speaker, scientific research plays an important role in growing a clean economy. I see that every day in my riding through the work done by the researchers, professors, and students at the Longueuil campus of the Université de Sherbrooke.Can the Minister of Science tell the House about the initiatives proposed in the budget to promote research and innovation?
Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, we promised to improve the employment insurance system so that people who need EI have better access to it, and that is what we have done. We have reduced the waiting period from two weeks to one. We have made sure that there are better employment programs for those receiving employment insurance in order to encourage people to succeed. We promised to improve the employment insurance system and that is what we are doing across the country.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Guelph for his question and his continued effort to raise the business needs of his riding.Guelph and the surrounding region is a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship, and this investment of $4.84 million to Bioenterprise is a prime example of our commitment to cultivating and encouraging creativity, invention, and collaboration.I am proud to say that budget 2016 focuses on expanding our start-ups and strengthening our innovation clusters to help create opportunities for long-term development and sustainable economic growth. It is about growing the economy and creating jobs.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect that no one should be able to avoid paying their fair share of taxes by giving money or doing favours. For that reason, our budget includes a $440-million investment so that the Canada Revenue Agency can recover money lost as a result of tax avoidance and evasion. The reality is that we must support the Canada Revenue Agency as it works to ensure that everyone pays their fair share of taxes.
If they would like to listen, I can give them some details that they are welcome to read as well. Five hundred
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If they would like to listen, I can give them some details that they are welcome to read as well. Five hundred
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect that no one should be able to avoid paying their fair share of taxes by giving money or doing favours. For that reason, our budget includes a $440-million investment so that the Canada Revenue Agency can recover money lost as a result of tax avoidance and evasion. The reality is that we must support the Canada Revenue Agency as it works to ensure that everyone pays their fair share of taxes.
Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, we promised to improve the employment insurance system so that people who need EI have better access to it, and that is what we have done. We have reduced the waiting period from two weeks to one. We have made sure that there are better employment programs for those receiving employment insurance in order to encourage people to succeed. We promised to improve the employment insurance system and that is what we are doing across the country.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Guelph for his question and his continued effort to raise the business needs of his riding.Guelph and the surrounding region is a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship, and this investment of $4.84 million to Bioenterprise is a prime example of our commitment to cultivating and encouraging creativity, invention, and collaboration.I am proud to say that budget 2016 focuses on expanding our start-ups and strengthening our innovation clusters to help create opportunities for long-term development and sustainable economic growth. It is about growing the economy and creating jobs.
Mr. Speaker, scientific research plays an important role in growing a clean economy. I see that every day in my riding through the work done by the researchers, professors, and students at the Longueuil campus of the Université de Sherbrooke.Can the Minister of Science tell the House about the initiatives proposed in the budget to promote research and innovation?
Mr. Speaker, the only thing that hurts the credibility of members of the House is that kind of feigned indignation where a member tries to create a scandal where none exists. On this side of the House, we are extremely proud to serve with the Minister of Justice. We are proud of her record of public service, her ethics, and her integrity. We will always stand with her.
Mr. Speaker, if we cannot trust the numbers, how can we trust that the economy is in good hands?In Alberta, the Prime Minister told oil and gas workers that they should be pleased they were not harder hit, when all they needed to hear was a commitment to build pipelines. Will the Prime Minister finally tell the 100,000 unemployed oil and gas workers today that if the Trans Mountain pipeline and the energy east pipeline are approved, he will also approve them?
Mr. Speaker, we are moving forward with appointments, not only to the superior courts across the country but certainly, in the impending retirement of an honoured justice out of the Supreme Court of Canada, moving forward with the process to appoint a new Supreme Court of Canada justice.We are looking at this process and renovating the process to ensure that it is open and transparent. We will engage with members of the House in ensuring that the appointments are based on merit and that the appointments are diversified in terms of reflecting a judiciary that has the face of this great and diversified country.
Mr. Speaker, one of the most important responsibilities of the Minister of Justice is to recommend the appointments to the superior courts because Canadians deserve to have access to timely judicial proceedings.We have been hearing alarming reports of continuing and increasing vacancies in our courts. It is not enough to be fundraising. What is the problem with appointing judges? We all want to know that.
Mr. Speaker, $440 million to the Canada Revenue Agency, in terms of going after tax evasion and avoidance, is significant action.We have committed to make sure that nobody gets to avoid taxes by paying a little money on the side. We need to make sure that we have an open, fair, responsible system of taxation that is properly enforced. That is what Canadians expect of their government. That is the kind of openness, transparency, and rigour that this government is delivering.
Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of the kind of secrecy, of number-twisting, of obfuscation that Canadians got all too used to under the previous government, we put forward an open and transparent budget that actually talks about investing in the kind of growth and opportunities for Canadians that Canadians voted for and that Canadians need. We are establishing investments in infrastructure. We are establishing a strategy for innovation that is going to demonstrate the kind of opportunities that Canadians can innovate and create in the coming years. This is exactly the kind of budget that Canadians were asking for with their ballot box choices last year.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to reassure the House.All Canadian taxpayers are treated fairly. Regardless of income, our $440-million announcement in the latest budget is proof of that. I would like to be clear about KPMG. The fact is that the Canada Revenue Agency exposed the scheme. The agency audited taxpayers and took legal action. Yesterday's announcement confirms our commitment to preventing entities from promoting such schemes.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. The government is committed to supporting discovery-based science.Budget 2016 provides $95 million per year to the granting councils to support discovery research, which is the largest investment in more than a decade. According to the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, these investments demonstrate the government's commitment to making Canada a leader in knowledge production and innovation.
Mr. Speaker, I have good news for my friend opposite.The Ethics Commissioner advises ministers in both their roles as minister and as member of Parliament. That has always been the case. The minister spoke to the commissioner about both roles.Furthermore, she complied with all the relevant rules. My colleague opposite wants to repeat the same accusations, hoping to create a scandal, but there is no scandal on this side of the House. We will always abide by the law when it comes to election financing.
Mr. Speaker, Liberals in Edmonton campaigned on deficits and told us Don't worry, we got this, and it will only cost you $10 billion a year. It is now three times that much. They also told Albertans Don't worry; we know what's best for your region. Edmonton's economy has been seriously impacted and we were completely left out of the EI expansion. We are told that we should be thankful and pleased at the work of the Prime Minister. Honestly, how can the Liberals be so out of touch with what is happening in western Canada?
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that we are hardly not relating to the situation in Edmonton. As I was previously involved in the geological sciences, I know exactly what many people are facing. In fact, the folks in Edmonton are going to benefit from the over $2-billion investment that we made in supports for all workers in all regions, including Edmonton, Quebec, and Newfoundland. There are many benefits that will help those in Edmonton.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals claimed to consult with businesses and workers, but as we saw in the budget, they broke that promise too. The Liberals even ignored their own members on the finance committee by raising taxes on small businesses. This should come as no surprise after the Minister of International Trade said Amen to raising taxes.How can Canadians trust the tax-and-spend Liberals when they break promises to their own members?
Mr. Speaker, we have a regulatory strategy. Our government wants to work with the provinces and territories to reduce carbon pollution no matter what the energy system looks like in the different jurisdictions. This is about reducing carbon pollution, which is fuelling climate change, and not about closing or keeping anything in the ground, as some are suggesting. We have a transition process for all projects, and we will look at every project individually to be sure that it is something that makes sense for the environment and
Mr. Speaker, leaving aside the fundraising, the judiciaries appointments are fundamentally important and we are moving forward with a new process, renovating the process, ensuring that the appointment of Superior Court judges across the country is not only based on merit but that it is based on diversity, and that we will be open and transparent. I have had the opportunity to speak to many of the justices across the country and we will be advancing appointments in the very near future.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice and all ministers in the government have, at all times, followed our obligations under the ethics code and under the Conflict of Interest Act. The Liberal Party respects the Canada Elections Act. All of this fundraising was done according to law. All of the donations are transparent and disclosed, according to law. It is something that every member of this House has done in order to win a seat in this House, and continues to do.Ministers in the previous government also raised money for the Conservative Party and used to brag about it one day not so long ago.
Mr. Speaker, I think my colleague is fully aware that I met many stakeholders in the agricultural sector, including supply management and the dairy industry in particular.This issue was inherited from the previous government, and we are working with the industry to resolve the issue.
Mr. Speaker, we understand that the natural resource sector in Canada accounts for 20% of the GDP. We know that Canada's economic future depends on a healthy energy sector. We also understand that in order to ensure that our natural resources move to markets sustainably, we need a regulatory process that has the confidence of Canadians. That is why we have established a set of principles that we are confident will much more likely get us to that place than what happened with the previous government.
Mr. Speaker, the only part of that question with which we agree is the incredible mandate that the Minister of Justice has been given by the Prime Minister: to reform our justice system and to clean up a number of messes left to this government by the previous government in terms of justice law and justice policy.As I said, this fundraiser was done entirely according to the rules. All of the applicable Conflict of Interest Code ethical obligations and Canada Elections Act measures were followed. We will continue to do that. The hon. member is trying to create a scandal where none exists.
Mr. Speaker, budget 2016 puts forward significant, real help by putting money into the pockets of the middle class and by helping grow the economy in ways that, quite frankly, we have not had for 10 years. The reality is that by investing in public transit, in social infrastructure, in green infrastructure, in university and research infrastructure, we are creating the kinds of good jobs now, the growth for tomorrow, and the long-term prosperity that Canadians right across this country need. That is what budget 2016 is all about, and that is a promise delivered.
Mr. Speaker, the people in Alberta are looking for a government that will proudly stand up for Canadian oil and gas, not act coy and shy when it becomes convenient for it. If that is not bad enough, the Minister of Environment says that over time they are going to block development in the oil sands. In other words, that is the end of the oil and gas industry in Canada. How can the oil patch expect investment when one of the Liberal's most prominent ministers is suggesting that the government has a plan to shut them down?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve a straight answer from the Liberals. The Prime Minister creates instability and uncertainty in the energy sector. He appointed the justice minister who has opposed pipeline projects. His senior advisors are against Alberta's responsibly developed oil sands. He ignores Albertans who just want to get back to work.A strong Alberta means a strong Canada. Will the Prime Minister finally support Canadian energy through crucial infrastructure projects like trans mountain and energy east?
Mr. Speaker, let us start with understanding that we had more pre-budget consultations than in the history of the country will ever have.Let us move forward with a very clear understanding that we reduced taxes on nine million Canadians. Let us move forward one more step by understanding that we helped small businesses across the country by helping their customers and clients.This is a budget that will help Canadians, families and businesses. It will grow our economy over the long run.
Mr. Speaker, last month I had the opportunity to announce $4.84 million for the Bioenterprise Corporation in Guelph. Could the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development please inform the House about this exciting new investment?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, in the House, the Minister of Justice confirmed that she went to Toronto to attend a fundraising activity simply as the member for Vancouver Granville.She also said that she cleared it with the Ethics Commissioner to ensure that she complied with all the rules.Did the member seek this clarification in her role as Minister of Justice or as member of Parliament for Vancouver Granville? How can she dissociate herself from these two roles, as she sees fit, when she is in a law firm?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change has lost her battle: her colleague, the Minister of Finance, has convinced the Prime Minister to move forward with the energy east pipeline. The Prime Minister has given up on refereeing. He has asked for a strategy, a plan, I imagine, to impose this pipeline on Quebec. Never mind social licence, never mind the Paris commitments, never mind the green shift.Is that the kind of influence the 40 members from Quebec have within this government?
Mr. Speaker, let us bring this back to what Canadians are seeing and what they are saying. They see $20 million going to an organization that the Minister of Justice used to chair. They see the minister's husband lobbying the Liberals on behalf of the organization for funding. This has nothing to do with the FNFA and first nations. Canadians see this as unethical, yet the minister continues to deny any wrongdoing.When will the Prime Minister hold his ministers accountable for their unethical behaviour?
Mr. Speaker, our budget demonstrates in real terms how we support workers who are suffering from low commodity prices. This is true in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador. We also understand that Canada is poised to become an international leader in green technology, which is why the budget invests many millions of dollars on the next wave of energy development in Canada, while we understand that we will move fossil fuels to market sustainably.
Mr. Speaker, obviously I would not comment on any specific operational matter, but I can also confirm what the hon. gentleman implied in his question, that in circumstances where international co-operation is required, most certainly CSIS, the RCMP, the CBSA, and every agency under the authority of the Government of Canada, co-operate fully with our international partners.
Mr. Speaker, I have had the pleasure of representing Canada at a number of international meetings and to talk with those who are looking at investments in the energy sector. They all agree that Canada has been and will continue to be a very important international market for energy. It is our goal as the government to develop these energy sources, particularly in Alberta and Saskatchewan, which will make Canada, after these low commodity prices pass, again a major place of investment and confidence internationally.
Mr. Speaker, according to anonymous sources, the Prime Minister is supposedly now in favour of building certain pipelines. Really? In reality, the Liberals are standing in the way of proponents who are trying to develop the economy. That is not surprising since the Prime Minister's entourage is full of activists who want to block energy sector projects.Will the Prime Minister rise in the House and say that he supports the workers and families who depend on the energy sector?
Mr. Speaker, as I explained and as all members opposite who participated on the aboriginal affairs committee in the last Parliament would know, the First Nations Financial Management Board is an exemplary organization, with a proven track record, that maximizes a small amount of money such that first nations from coast to coast to coast have access to capital for much needed infrastructure. For heaven's sake, I wish the other side would stop this. This kind of stuff is really disruptive.
Mr. Speaker, experts agree on three things: the Liberals are borrowing way more money than they promised, they are already raising taxes, and none of the spending will create the jobs and growth that they promised. In addition, this budget is the least transparent budget in 15 years. Now we also know that the budget numbers do not add up. Let me repeat that: the federal budget numbers do not add up. When the numbers do not add up, how can Canadians trust them with their jobs?
Mr. Speaker, after years of ethically challenged Conservative rule, the Liberals promised to do things differently.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice claimed that the focus of the pay-to-play fundraiser was in her role as an MP, this after the event was advertised as an opportunity for attendees to engage the minister on matters that pertained directly to the minister's responsibilities. Yesterday the minister admitted that she attended as Minister of Justice after all.Will the minister end the charade, take responsibility, and return the pay-to-play cash?
Mr. Speaker, the government wants to fight climate change, but not at the expense of western oil companies. It wants to believe in the rule of law, but it changes the law to accommodate Air Canada. It wants to stand up for social justice, but it will not deprive its friends on Bay Street of their tax haven in Barbados. It wants to defend human rights, as long as that does not affect its business dealings with Saudi Arabia.At what price does this government sell out its principles?
Mr. Speaker, first I would like to extend my thoughts and prayers to the people of Bay de Verde in light of yesterday's fire at the Quinlan Brothers fish processing facility. Our hearts are with the workers and the community today.The Newfoundland and Labrador throne speech confirmed what many in our home province have been worried about. The recent downturn in oil prices has decreased revenue at a time when unemployment is on the rise.Will the Minister of Finance provide an update to the House about what our government is doing to help the people of Newfoundland and Labrador during these difficult times?
Mr. Speaker, the justice minister claimed she attended the high-priced pay-to-play fundraiser in Toronto as a regular MP. Later she said she was there as the Minister of Justice. The invitation to the event highlighted her new role and extraordinary mandate. It also told attendees this would be the minister's first private event in Toronto.Was she there as the justice minister or as a regular MP? If she wants to be a regular MP, it is simple. All she has to do is resign as the justice minister.
Mr. Speaker, that is not what we want to know. We want to know whether she will appear before the Standing Committee on Finance. My question is for the chair of the finance committee. This morning, the Liberal members of the committee voted down my motion to have the Minister of National Revenue appear to answer questions regarding the amnesty given to tax cheats in the KPMG affair. She said in the House on March 10 that there is no such amnesty, and we believe that she has to explain herself.Could the chair of the finance committee confirm that there are currently no plans to have the minister appear on this very important issue to Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, we promised to invest $60 billion over 10 years in infrastructure, and that is exactly what we are doing.Last week, I was in Montreal to announce that $775 million will be going directly to public transit in order to provide better service for Montrealers. We are doing this across the country. Canadians want a government that has confidence in them and is prepared to invest in their future. That is exactly what we are doing because the other party dropped the ball for the past 10 years.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite has raised an important question and I thank him for his advocacy on this incredibly important matter.The conditions that first nations and Inuit communities are facing are absolutely unacceptable. The mental health of young people in particular in these communities is devastating. Our department and our government are ensuring that all the necessary services and programs are in place. We are currently investing over $300 million per year in mental wellness programs in these communities. We will continue to work with indigenous leaders. I will continue to work with the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs to ensure all appropriate resources are available.
Mr. Speaker, there was a discussion at committee this morning. There were two motions before the committee, and the meeting had to adjourn before the second one was completely discussed. I would make a point that one of our members on committee suggested that most all of this activity happened under the previous government in terms of the way that it operated. This minister does not hold responsibility for those discussions, but the committee would consider bringing this minister before the committee after we hold the initial hearings on KPMG and CRA.
Mr. Speaker, I would encourage the member opposite to read our budget. If she goes back to January, when I believe she was in the House, she will see that we lowered taxes on nine million Canadians. What she will find is that this year small business taxes actually have gone down. What the member will also find is that the nine out of ten families with children who will get the Canada child benefit will have an average of $2,300 more. This will help small businesses. This is a budget that will help Canadians and Canadian businesses to be more successful.
Mr. Speaker, it is no secret the Prime Minister surrounds himself with anti-oil activists, people like Zoe Caron who believes fossil fuels must stay in the ground, or his principal secretary who compares supporting oil to encouraging children to smoke.Well, the Liberals have their way. Alberta investment is down 62%. In fact, oil is staying in the ground and the entire country is suffering because of it.Is the Prime Minister ready to abandon his anti-pipeline advice and stand up publicly for Canadian oil and gas?
Mr. Speaker, as the daughter of a farmer, I am proud of the support by our government for farmers. That has been manifested in our success with getting the discriminatory COOL legislation repealed, which is something that the previous government opposite failed to do. Our commitment to free trade is manifested in our hard work on CETA, which legal scrub we have completed. Again, that is something the party opposite failed to do. We are consulting on TPP, and that is the right thing to do as well.
Mr. Speaker, the cute phrases and the play on words do not change the basic facts. All members of the House of Commons raise money according to law. All members on this side of the House respect the Canada Elections Act and the appropriate fundraising rules that apply. It is something that my colleague's party has had considerable trouble doing in the past. They, in fact, pleaded guilty and had to pay a $250,000 fine for a pay-to-play scheme to launder money in and out of riding associations. We have never done that on this side of the House.
Mr. Speaker, under the Liberals' job-killing budget, they are raising taxes on small businesses and their workers. They reversed the Conservative tax cut for small businesses, raised payroll taxes, and now the top tax bracket in over half of our provinces will be more than 50%. When will the Liberals stop raising taxes on workers and job creators?
Mr. Speaker, after years of ethically challenged Conservative rule, the Liberals promised to do things differently.The Minister of Justice is doing certain things differently. When Conservative minister Shelly Glover was caught holding a dodgy fundraiser in 2013, she promptly gave the money back, but this minister refuses to do the same. Will the Prime Minister ask his Minister of Justice to simply give the money back?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question.We have a plan that will work very well for Canadians and small businesses.We have a budget and we encourage members opposite to read the budget. They can make hand gestures all they want, but we know that we have a plan. Canadians know that we have a plan, and that is what they elected us to do. Our government is making very important investments directly in helping small businesses.
Mr. Speaker, a partner at Torys LLP was registered to lobby the justice minister. Conveniently, the night before the pay-to-play fundraiser that his law firm was hosting, he deregistered as a lobbyist. The justice minister was told by the Prime Minister not to target departmental stakeholders while soliciting political contributions. Would the minister explain how attending a private fundraiser with high-priced Toronto lawyers who have been registered to lobby her department is consistent with anybody's ethical code?
Mr. Speaker, indeed, after 10 years of ethical failings on behalf of the government, the Liberal Party got elected to government on a platform of openness and transparency and promises that we are keeping.We have always followed all the rules around fundraising. We have always demonstrated openness and transparency and accountability. Union and corporate donations are banned. There are very strict limits on donations to the parties.We are following all rules, unlike the previous government.
Mr. Speaker, unlike the NDP that condemns this deal without even reading it, we are keeping our election promise. We promised to consult, and we are.I would also like to point out that we learned something interesting about the New Democrats on Sunday. We learned they want to shut down our natural resource industry and we learned they want to say no to Canada trading in the world.That is not good for Canada's middle class, including the union members the hon. member claims to represent.
Mr. Speaker, we delivered the largest infrastructure plan in Canadian history on two separate occasions. We increased and doubled investments while still balancing the budget, not borrowing from the future. The money that will be invested this year is money from the program we put in place, because we respect provincial jurisdictions. As for the funding announced for public transit and social housing, I will come back to that later. However, those are exclusively under provincial jurisdiction. The parliamentary budget officer said that he was missing some information that prevented him from completing and having accurate figures on the economy. How can the Prime Minister claim that he is being transparent, when he is not providing all the information
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years the previous government did everything it could to try and shout those pipelines into being. What that resulted in was delivering no pipelines to tidewater. One of the fundamental responsibilities of any prime minister is to get our resources to market. However, in the 21st century, getting those resources to market means doing it responsibly for communities, for indigenous peoples, and for the environment. That is why we are combining both environment and economy as we build for a stronger future, and basing our decisions on evidence.
Mr. Speaker, there are reports that the minister has yet to hire a judicial affairs adviser. However, she has hired a director of political operations. According to Treasury Board guidelines, a director of political operations requires the written concurrence of both the Prime Minister and the President of the Treasury Board. Did the Prime Minister provide written concurrence to his Minister of Justice for hiring a director of political operations? I know this might help with fundraisers, but what is the problem with hiring a judicial affairs adviser?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Avalon, his caucus colleagues from Newfoundland and Labrador and the Minister of Public Services and Procurement for their tireless work on behalf of Newfoundland and Labrador.When that province came to us with a fiscal stabilization request, I directed the Department of Finance officials to move forward expeditiously on this request.I am pleased to say that we have moved forward with an advance payment of $32 million of fiscal stabilization for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in these difficult times.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the House the member for Grande PrairieMackenzie urged the government to approve a pipeline project before it even had been registered with the regulator. He asked the government to approve a pipeline project before one community had been consulted, before one indigenous leader had been phoned.This is not the way to get projects approved. This is why we will do it a different way. We will not take for granted that people agree with us before we even ask them.
Mr. Speaker, troubling reports out of the United Kingdom indicate that a Canadian terror suspect is being pursued with respect to possible risks to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge travelling in India.I ask that the Minister of Public Safety update the House and confirm that CSIS and all of our security agencies are providing co-operation in this international investigation.
Mr. Speaker, ours is a principled government. With respect to the issues he mentioned, I would like to remind my colleague that our amendment to the Air Canada Public Participation Act will result in the creation of maintenance jobs in Quebec, Manitoba, and Ontario. Air Canada will also help establish two centres of excellence in Quebec and Manitoba. I would like to add that Bombardier will purchase 45 to 75 planes and that maintenance of these planes will be done in Quebec for 20 years.
Mr. Speaker, the youth suicide crisis has shocked the world and people are asking how a country as rich as Canada can leave so many children and young people behind. What the people in Attawapiskat are facing is the same systemic negligence that is robbing the hopes of young people in communities like La Loche, Cross Lake and Neskantaga. Yet there were no new mental health dollars in the budget to help indigenous children.Enough with the band-aids and the emergency flights. Will the minister commit to a total overhaul to ensure that every child in our country has the mental health supports he or she needs to have hope and a positive future?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has said that there is no contradiction between building wind turbines and pipelines. He has said it is a principal responsibility of the Government of Canada to move our natural resources to market sustainably. That is why we are following a process that will consult with Canadians and give people the chance to understand that in this day and age we develop the economy sustainably, with one eye on the environment and the other on job creation. That is the way we will move forward sustainably.
Mr. Speaker, we now know that the Liberal government is going to borrow $30 billion, money that will be paid back by Canadians who are not yet born.During the last election campaign, at a photo op in a crane, the Prime Minister promised a lot of money for infrastructure. In this budget, very little money will go to roads, highways, or public transit. How can the Prime Minister say that he will run a $30-billion deficit on infrastructure, when there is only $2.9 billion in new money for infrastructure in this budget?
We have now learned that the Liberal government is looking at privatizing search and rescue as part of the defence review. This was an idea that was first raised by the Conservatives five years ago, and finally abandoned only after a public outcry. At that time, the current Minister of Public Services said she was appalled by the government's notice to companies that the government would be exploring the privatization of search-and-rescue operations.Privatizing search and rescue would clearly put Canadian lives at risk. Will the government do the right thing and abandon this plan?
Mr. Speaker, the trade committee is finally hitting the road next week to study the TPP, yet it still has no impact study to guide its work. The Liberals promised a full, public consultation, but now they are trying to pass off the committee's work as their own.When it comes to what Joseph Stiglitz called, the worst trade deal ever, that just does not cut it. Why is the government refusing to live up to its promise of full, public consultation for all Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the opposition party keeps repeating the same arguments that clearly failed to convince Canadians last fall.The Conservatives are talking about their investments in the Canadian economy, but Canadians got nothing out of them. On the contrary, the Conservatives kept giving the benefits to those at the top, rather than helping the middle class and those working hard to join it and investing in the infrastructure that would help them in their communities. That is what we are doing and what we will continue to do.
Mr. Speaker, the independence of the Minister of Justice has been compromised and her credibility is in tatters as she tries to justify her attendance at the pay-to-play fundraiser. If everything is above board and the minister has nothing to hide, will she release the list of attendees, yes or no?
The Liberal budget showed a complete neglect for Canadian agriculture, and it is a slap in the face to the 2.2 million Canadians who rely on the industry. However, there is one thing the government can do to help Canadian farmers and farm families: ratify the trans-Pacific partnership. Farmers support it. Small businesses support it. The energy sector supports it. The only one we do not know about is the Liberal government. Can the minister stand in her place today and commit to bringing the TPP to this House for ratification?
Mr. Speaker, clearly the communications specialists working for the Liberal Party have taken over the budget. When there is no content, they simply step up the rhetoric and press repeat. The truth behind the empty rhetoric is that they have no plan and are incapable of creating one.Small businesses have been betrayed by this government, which has repeatedly broken its promise to reduce the corporate tax rate. In my region, the president of the chamber of commerce is publicly asking whether the government realizes that small business is crucial to economic recovery.Will the Minister of Economic Development stop the broken record and finally give a real answer?
Mr. Speaker, industry has said that investment in Alberta's oil sands will be down more than $60 billion over the past two years, a 63% decrease since 2014. Hundreds of thousands of Albertans have lost their jobs, and they are losing their homes. The Prime Minister has told Albertans that they should hang in there and they should be thankful that things are not worse.We cannot wait for things to get worse. When is the Liberal government finally going to make an investment in Canada's national energy program?
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite has worked hard in his community to advocate for the mental health needs in that community. I agree with him that it is completely unacceptable in a country as rich in resources as Canada that young people should get to the point that their lives seem worthless and that they would want to end them. We must respond to this. I have already indicated what we are doing so far. I will be working with my colleagues across the country to ensure that mental health services are included and improved, and ensure that we get that mental health care to the people who need it.
Mr. Speaker, the previous government might have been looking at privatizing search and rescue, but I can assure the member that this government is not, because the Canadian Armed Forces play a critical role in search and rescue.
Mr. Speaker, this evening, we are going to debate how we can put an end to the crisis in Attawapiskat.The community had been trying for months to alert the federal government before it finally received emergency mental health services.However, other communities, such as Cross Lake, Manitoba, are also facing similar crises, and my thoughts are with the young people in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, who are also having a very difficult time. I think everyone will agree that this is a national concern.Can the minister tell us what the government plans to do to finally put an end to this tragedy once and for all?
Mr. Speaker, first the Prime Minister refused to give the parliamentary budget officer the information that he needs to do his work. Since then, we have seen a former deputy minister of finance conclude that this budget has no transparency. Even the CBC, believe it or not, declared that the numbers do not add up and called it a shell game. We have made-up numbers, hidden numbers, and numbers pulled from thin air, so why should Canadians trust the Prime Minister to run our economy?
Mr. Speaker, today at the Standing Committee on Finance, the Liberals rejected the NDP motion to call the Minister of National Revenue to testify about the KPMG affair. We know that the Liberals promised Canadians a responsible, accountable, transparent government, but they looked like a bunch of Conservatives in committee today. Canadians are angry about the KPMG affair and the Panama papers, and the Minister of National Revenue owes them an explanation. Why is the minister refusing to step up and explain to Canadians and the committee the difference between her statements in the House and the KPMG affair and the facts that have been revealed?
Mr. Speaker, we have a Minister of Justice attending a sketchy fundraiser, a Minister of Finance with companies registered in tax havens like the Bahamas, and a Minister of National Revenue who is defending sweetheart deals for millionaire tax cheats. The Liberals swore they would be different, but they keep finding novel ways of being the Liberals.Will the Prime Minister show he is serious about cracking down on tax havens by ordering an investigation into KPMG's secret deal? He just talked about what is in the budget. Let us see some action now.
Mr. Speaker, on March 22, when the finance minister tabled the various budget documents associated with his budget, he failed to table the January Fiscal Monitor, which shows a Conservative surplus left to the Liberals. They did not like December and they did not like November. Maybe they will like January. Could I get unanimous consent to table this document?
A little money on the side, Mr. Speaker?The government used complex mathematical formulas to deprive thousands of people of their employment insurance. Saskatchewan's unemployment rate has increased by 40% in the past year, whereas in SaguenayLac-Saint-Jean the number of unemployed has increased by 7,000. Even with the budget, 800,000 unemployed workers are not eligible for employment insurance.Will the Prime Minister keep his promise and help all unemployed workers in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, she should never have been there.Canadians who follow the rules and pay their taxes find the Panama papers scandal disgusting. This week we learned that a former senior Revenue Canada official left the agency and went to work for KPMG when the firm was being investigated by Revenue Canada for using tax havens.Will the Prime Minister finally conduct an investigation and lock the revolving door at Revenue Canada?
Mr. Speaker, today, the Government of Quebec and dairy producers and processors stood shoulder to shoulder on the diafiltered milk issue.The Liberal government has been saying for months that it is working on this issue, but it has not done anything yet. The industry has had enough. Farmers are losing thousands of dollars a week. However, there is nothing complicated about this. All the government has to do is enforce the cheese compositional standards.What is the Prime Minister waiting for? When will he keep his election promise to solve the diafiltered milk problem here in Canada?
If they would like to listen, I can give them some details that they are welcome to read as well. Five hundred
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect that no one should be able to avoid paying their fair share of taxes by giving money or doing favours. For that reason, our budget includes a $440-million investment so that the Canada Revenue Agency can recover money lost as a result of tax avoidance and evasion. The reality is that we must support the Canada Revenue Agency as it works to ensure that everyone pays their fair share of taxes.
Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, we promised to improve the employment insurance system so that people who need EI have better access to it, and that is what we have done. We have reduced the waiting period from two weeks to one. We have made sure that there are better employment programs for those receiving employment insurance in order to encourage people to succeed. We promised to improve the employment insurance system and that is what we are doing across the country.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Guelph for his question and his continued effort to raise the business needs of his riding.Guelph and the surrounding region is a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship, and this investment of $4.84 million to Bioenterprise is a prime example of our commitment to cultivating and encouraging creativity, invention, and collaboration.I am proud to say that budget 2016 focuses on expanding our start-ups and strengthening our innovation clusters to help create opportunities for long-term development and sustainable economic growth. It is about growing the economy and creating jobs.
Mr. Speaker, scientific research plays an important role in growing a clean economy. I see that every day in my riding through the work done by the researchers, professors, and students at the Longueuil campus of the Université de Sherbrooke.Can the Minister of Science tell the House about the initiatives proposed in the budget to promote research and innovation?
Mr. Speaker, the only thing that hurts the credibility of members of the House is that kind of feigned indignation where a member tries to create a scandal where none exists. On this side of the House, we are extremely proud to serve with the Minister of Justice. We are proud of her record of public service, her ethics, and her integrity. We will always stand with her.
Mr. Speaker, if we cannot trust the numbers, how can we trust that the economy is in good hands?In Alberta, the Prime Minister told oil and gas workers that they should be pleased they were not harder hit, when all they needed to hear was a commitment to build pipelines. Will the Prime Minister finally tell the 100,000 unemployed oil and gas workers today that if the Trans Mountain pipeline and the energy east pipeline are approved, he will also approve them?
Mr. Speaker, we are moving forward with appointments, not only to the superior courts across the country but certainly, in the impending retirement of an honoured justice out of the Supreme Court of Canada, moving forward with the process to appoint a new Supreme Court of Canada justice.We are looking at this process and renovating the process to ensure that it is open and transparent. We will engage with members of the House in ensuring that the appointments are based on merit and that the appointments are diversified in terms of reflecting a judiciary that has the face of this great and diversified country.
Mr. Speaker, one of the most important responsibilities of the Minister of Justice is to recommend the appointments to the superior courts because Canadians deserve to have access to timely judicial proceedings.We have been hearing alarming reports of continuing and increasing vacancies in our courts. It is not enough to be fundraising. What is the problem with appointing judges? We all want to know that.
Mr. Speaker, $440 million to the Canada Revenue Agency, in terms of going after tax evasion and avoidance, is significant action.We have committed to make sure that nobody gets to avoid taxes by paying a little money on the side. We need to make sure that we have an open, fair, responsible system of taxation that is properly enforced. That is what Canadians expect of their government. That is the kind of openness, transparency, and rigour that this government is delivering.
Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of the kind of secrecy, of number-twisting, of obfuscation that Canadians got all too used to under the previous government, we put forward an open and transparent budget that actually talks about investing in the kind of growth and opportunities for Canadians that Canadians voted for and that Canadians need. We are establishing investments in infrastructure. We are establishing a strategy for innovation that is going to demonstrate the kind of opportunities that Canadians can innovate and create in the coming years. This is exactly the kind of budget that Canadians were asking for with their ballot box choices last year.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to reassure the House.All Canadian taxpayers are treated fairly. Regardless of income, our $440-million announcement in the latest budget is proof of that. I would like to be clear about KPMG. The fact is that the Canada Revenue Agency exposed the scheme. The agency audited taxpayers and took legal action. Yesterday's announcement confirms our commitment to preventing entities from promoting such schemes.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. The government is committed to supporting discovery-based science.Budget 2016 provides $95 million per year to the granting councils to support discovery research, which is the largest investment in more than a decade. According to the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, these investments demonstrate the government's commitment to making Canada a leader in knowledge production and innovation.
Mr. Speaker, I have good news for my friend opposite.The Ethics Commissioner advises ministers in both their roles as minister and as member of Parliament. That has always been the case. The minister spoke to the commissioner about both roles.Furthermore, she complied with all the relevant rules. My colleague opposite wants to repeat the same accusations, hoping to create a scandal, but there is no scandal on this side of the House. We will always abide by the law when it comes to election financing.
Mr. Speaker, Liberals in Edmonton campaigned on deficits and told us Don't worry, we got this, and it will only cost you $10 billion a year. It is now three times that much. They also told Albertans Don't worry; we know what's best for your region. Edmonton's economy has been seriously impacted and we were completely left out of the EI expansion. We are told that we should be thankful and pleased at the work of the Prime Minister. Honestly, how can the Liberals be so out of touch with what is happening in western Canada?
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that we are hardly not relating to the situation in Edmonton. As I was previously involved in the geological sciences, I know exactly what many people are facing. In fact, the folks in Edmonton are going to benefit from the over $2-billion investment that we made in supports for all workers in all regions, including Edmonton, Quebec, and Newfoundland. There are many benefits that will help those in Edmonton.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals claimed to consult with businesses and workers, but as we saw in the budget, they broke that promise too. The Liberals even ignored their own members on the finance committee by raising taxes on small businesses. This should come as no surprise after the Minister of International Trade said Amen to raising taxes.How can Canadians trust the tax-and-spend Liberals when they break promises to their own members?
Mr. Speaker, we have a regulatory strategy. Our government wants to work with the provinces and territories to reduce carbon pollution no matter what the energy system looks like in the different jurisdictions. This is about reducing carbon pollution, which is fuelling climate change, and not about closing or keeping anything in the ground, as some are suggesting. We have a transition process for all projects, and we will look at every project individually to be sure that it is something that makes sense for the environment and
Mr. Speaker, leaving aside the fundraising, the judiciaries appointments are fundamentally important and we are moving forward with a new process, renovating the process, ensuring that the appointment of Superior Court judges across the country is not only based on merit but that it is based on diversity, and that we will be open and transparent. I have had the opportunity to speak to many of the justices across the country and we will be advancing appointments in the very near future.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice and all ministers in the government have, at all times, followed our obligations under the ethics code and under the Conflict of Interest Act. The Liberal Party respects the Canada Elections Act. All of this fundraising was done according to law. All of the donations are transparent and disclosed, according to law. It is something that every member of this House has done in order to win a seat in this House, and continues to do.Ministers in the previous government also raised money for the Conservative Party and used to brag about it one day not so long ago.
Mr. Speaker, I think my colleague is fully aware that I met many stakeholders in the agricultural sector, including supply management and the dairy industry in particular.This issue was inherited from the previous government, and we are working with the industry to resolve the issue.
Mr. Speaker, we understand that the natural resource sector in Canada accounts for 20% of the GDP. We know that Canada's economic future depends on a healthy energy sector. We also understand that in order to ensure that our natural resources move to markets sustainably, we need a regulatory process that has the confidence of Canadians. That is why we have established a set of principles that we are confident will much more likely get us to that place than what happened with the previous government.
Mr. Speaker, the only part of that question with which we agree is the incredible mandate that the Minister of Justice has been given by the Prime Minister: to reform our justice system and to clean up a number of messes left to this government by the previous government in terms of justice law and justice policy.As I said, this fundraiser was done entirely according to the rules. All of the applicable Conflict of Interest Code ethical obligations and Canada Elections Act measures were followed. We will continue to do that. The hon. member is trying to create a scandal where none exists.
Mr. Speaker, budget 2016 puts forward significant, real help by putting money into the pockets of the middle class and by helping grow the economy in ways that, quite frankly, we have not had for 10 years. The reality is that by investing in public transit, in social infrastructure, in green infrastructure, in university and research infrastructure, we are creating the kinds of good jobs now, the growth for tomorrow, and the long-term prosperity that Canadians right across this country need. That is what budget 2016 is all about, and that is a promise delivered.
Mr. Speaker, the people in Alberta are looking for a government that will proudly stand up for Canadian oil and gas, not act coy and shy when it becomes convenient for it. If that is not bad enough, the Minister of Environment says that over time they are going to block development in the oil sands. In other words, that is the end of the oil and gas industry in Canada. How can the oil patch expect investment when one of the Liberal's most prominent ministers is suggesting that the government has a plan to shut them down?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve a straight answer from the Liberals. The Prime Minister creates instability and uncertainty in the energy sector. He appointed the justice minister who has opposed pipeline projects. His senior advisors are against Alberta's responsibly developed oil sands. He ignores Albertans who just want to get back to work.A strong Alberta means a strong Canada. Will the Prime Minister finally support Canadian energy through crucial infrastructure projects like trans mountain and energy east?
Mr. Speaker, let us start with understanding that we had more pre-budget consultations than in the history of the country will ever have.Let us move forward with a very clear understanding that we reduced taxes on nine million Canadians. Let us move forward one more step by understanding that we helped small businesses across the country by helping their customers and clients.This is a budget that will help Canadians, families and businesses. It will grow our economy over the long run.
Mr. Speaker, last month I had the opportunity to announce $4.84 million for the Bioenterprise Corporation in Guelph. Could the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development please inform the House about this exciting new investment?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, in the House, the Minister of Justice confirmed that she went to Toronto to attend a fundraising activity simply as the member for Vancouver Granville.She also said that she cleared it with the Ethics Commissioner to ensure that she complied with all the rules.Did the member seek this clarification in her role as Minister of Justice or as member of Parliament for Vancouver Granville? How can she dissociate herself from these two roles, as she sees fit, when she is in a law firm?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change has lost her battle: her colleague, the Minister of Finance, has convinced the Prime Minister to move forward with the energy east pipeline. The Prime Minister has given up on refereeing. He has asked for a strategy, a plan, I imagine, to impose this pipeline on Quebec. Never mind social licence, never mind the Paris commitments, never mind the green shift.Is that the kind of influence the 40 members from Quebec have within this government?
Mr. Speaker, let us bring this back to what Canadians are seeing and what they are saying. They see $20 million going to an organization that the Minister of Justice used to chair. They see the minister's husband lobbying the Liberals on behalf of the organization for funding. This has nothing to do with the FNFA and first nations. Canadians see this as unethical, yet the minister continues to deny any wrongdoing.When will the Prime Minister hold his ministers accountable for their unethical behaviour?
Mr. Speaker, our budget demonstrates in real terms how we support workers who are suffering from low commodity prices. This is true in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador. We also understand that Canada is poised to become an international leader in green technology, which is why the budget invests many millions of dollars on the next wave of energy development in Canada, while we understand that we will move fossil fuels to market sustainably.
Mr. Speaker, obviously I would not comment on any specific operational matter, but I can also confirm what the hon. gentleman implied in his question, that in circumstances where international co-operation is required, most certainly CSIS, the RCMP, the CBSA, and every agency under the authority of the Government of Canada, co-operate fully with our international partners.
Mr. Speaker, I have had the pleasure of representing Canada at a number of international meetings and to talk with those who are looking at investments in the energy sector. They all agree that Canada has been and will continue to be a very important international market for energy. It is our goal as the government to develop these energy sources, particularly in Alberta and Saskatchewan, which will make Canada, after these low commodity prices pass, again a major place of investment and confidence internationally.
Mr. Speaker, according to anonymous sources, the Prime Minister is supposedly now in favour of building certain pipelines. Really? In reality, the Liberals are standing in the way of proponents who are trying to develop the economy. That is not surprising since the Prime Minister's entourage is full of activists who want to block energy sector projects.Will the Prime Minister rise in the House and say that he supports the workers and families who depend on the energy sector?
Mr. Speaker, as I explained and as all members opposite who participated on the aboriginal affairs committee in the last Parliament would know, the First Nations Financial Management Board is an exemplary organization, with a proven track record, that maximizes a small amount of money such that first nations from coast to coast to coast have access to capital for much needed infrastructure. For heaven's sake, I wish the other side would stop this. This kind of stuff is really disruptive.
Mr. Speaker, experts agree on three things: the Liberals are borrowing way more money than they promised, they are already raising taxes, and none of the spending will create the jobs and growth that they promised. In addition, this budget is the least transparent budget in 15 years. Now we also know that the budget numbers do not add up. Let me repeat that: the federal budget numbers do not add up. When the numbers do not add up, how can Canadians trust them with their jobs?
Mr. Speaker, after years of ethically challenged Conservative rule, the Liberals promised to do things differently.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice claimed that the focus of the pay-to-play fundraiser was in her role as an MP, this after the event was advertised as an opportunity for attendees to engage the minister on matters that pertained directly to the minister's responsibilities. Yesterday the minister admitted that she attended as Minister of Justice after all.Will the minister end the charade, take responsibility, and return the pay-to-play cash?
Mr. Speaker, the government wants to fight climate change, but not at the expense of western oil companies. It wants to believe in the rule of law, but it changes the law to accommodate Air Canada. It wants to stand up for social justice, but it will not deprive its friends on Bay Street of their tax haven in Barbados. It wants to defend human rights, as long as that does not affect its business dealings with Saudi Arabia.At what price does this government sell out its principles?
Mr. Speaker, first I would like to extend my thoughts and prayers to the people of Bay de Verde in light of yesterday's fire at the Quinlan Brothers fish processing facility. Our hearts are with the workers and the community today.The Newfoundland and Labrador throne speech confirmed what many in our home province have been worried about. The recent downturn in oil prices has decreased revenue at a time when unemployment is on the rise.Will the Minister of Finance provide an update to the House about what our government is doing to help the people of Newfoundland and Labrador during these difficult times?
Mr. Speaker, the justice minister claimed she attended the high-priced pay-to-play fundraiser in Toronto as a regular MP. Later she said she was there as the Minister of Justice. The invitation to the event highlighted her new role and extraordinary mandate. It also told attendees this would be the minister's first private event in Toronto.Was she there as the justice minister or as a regular MP? If she wants to be a regular MP, it is simple. All she has to do is resign as the justice minister.
Mr. Speaker, that is not what we want to know. We want to know whether she will appear before the Standing Committee on Finance. My question is for the chair of the finance committee. This morning, the Liberal members of the committee voted down my motion to have the Minister of National Revenue appear to answer questions regarding the amnesty given to tax cheats in the KPMG affair. She said in the House on March 10 that there is no such amnesty, and we believe that she has to explain herself.Could the chair of the finance committee confirm that there are currently no plans to have the minister appear on this very important issue to Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, we promised to invest $60 billion over 10 years in infrastructure, and that is exactly what we are doing.Last week, I was in Montreal to announce that $775 million will be going directly to public transit in order to provide better service for Montrealers. We are doing this across the country. Canadians want a government that has confidence in them and is prepared to invest in their future. That is exactly what we are doing because the other party dropped the ball for the past 10 years.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite has raised an important question and I thank him for his advocacy on this incredibly important matter.The conditions that first nations and Inuit communities are facing are absolutely unacceptable. The mental health of young people in particular in these communities is devastating. Our department and our government are ensuring that all the necessary services and programs are in place. We are currently investing over $300 million per year in mental wellness programs in these communities. We will continue to work with indigenous leaders. I will continue to work with the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs to ensure all appropriate resources are available.
Mr. Speaker, there was a discussion at committee this morning. There were two motions before the committee, and the meeting had to adjourn before the second one was completely discussed. I would make a point that one of our members on committee suggested that most all of this activity happened under the previous government in terms of the way that it operated. This minister does not hold responsibility for those discussions, but the committee would consider bringing this minister before the committee after we hold the initial hearings on KPMG and CRA.
Mr. Speaker, I would encourage the member opposite to read our budget. If she goes back to January, when I believe she was in the House, she will see that we lowered taxes on nine million Canadians. What she will find is that this year small business taxes actually have gone down. What the member will also find is that the nine out of ten families with children who will get the Canada child benefit will have an average of $2,300 more. This will help small businesses. This is a budget that will help Canadians and Canadian businesses to be more successful.
Mr. Speaker, it is no secret the Prime Minister surrounds himself with anti-oil activists, people like Zoe Caron who believes fossil fuels must stay in the ground, or his principal secretary who compares supporting oil to encouraging children to smoke.Well, the Liberals have their way. Alberta investment is down 62%. In fact, oil is staying in the ground and the entire country is suffering because of it.Is the Prime Minister ready to abandon his anti-pipeline advice and stand up publicly for Canadian oil and gas?
Mr. Speaker, as the daughter of a farmer, I am proud of the support by our government for farmers. That has been manifested in our success with getting the discriminatory COOL legislation repealed, which is something that the previous government opposite failed to do. Our commitment to free trade is manifested in our hard work on CETA, which legal scrub we have completed. Again, that is something the party opposite failed to do. We are consulting on TPP, and that is the right thing to do as well.
Mr. Speaker, the cute phrases and the play on words do not change the basic facts. All members of the House of Commons raise money according to law. All members on this side of the House respect the Canada Elections Act and the appropriate fundraising rules that apply. It is something that my colleague's party has had considerable trouble doing in the past. They, in fact, pleaded guilty and had to pay a $250,000 fine for a pay-to-play scheme to launder money in and out of riding associations. We have never done that on this side of the House.
Mr. Speaker, under the Liberals' job-killing budget, they are raising taxes on small businesses and their workers. They reversed the Conservative tax cut for small businesses, raised payroll taxes, and now the top tax bracket in over half of our provinces will be more than 50%. When will the Liberals stop raising taxes on workers and job creators?
Mr. Speaker, after years of ethically challenged Conservative rule, the Liberals promised to do things differently.The Minister of Justice is doing certain things differently. When Conservative minister Shelly Glover was caught holding a dodgy fundraiser in 2013, she promptly gave the money back, but this minister refuses to do the same. Will the Prime Minister ask his Minister of Justice to simply give the money back?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question.We have a plan that will work very well for Canadians and small businesses.We have a budget and we encourage members opposite to read the budget. They can make hand gestures all they want, but we know that we have a plan. Canadians know that we have a plan, and that is what they elected us to do. Our government is making very important investments directly in helping small businesses.
Mr. Speaker, a partner at Torys LLP was registered to lobby the justice minister. Conveniently, the night before the pay-to-play fundraiser that his law firm was hosting, he deregistered as a lobbyist. The justice minister was told by the Prime Minister not to target departmental stakeholders while soliciting political contributions. Would the minister explain how attending a private fundraiser with high-priced Toronto lawyers who have been registered to lobby her department is consistent with anybody's ethical code?
Mr. Speaker, indeed, after 10 years of ethical failings on behalf of the government, the Liberal Party got elected to government on a platform of openness and transparency and promises that we are keeping.We have always followed all the rules around fundraising. We have always demonstrated openness and transparency and accountability. Union and corporate donations are banned. There are very strict limits on donations to the parties.We are following all rules, unlike the previous government.
Mr. Speaker, unlike the NDP that condemns this deal without even reading it, we are keeping our election promise. We promised to consult, and we are.I would also like to point out that we learned something interesting about the New Democrats on Sunday. We learned they want to shut down our natural resource industry and we learned they want to say no to Canada trading in the world.That is not good for Canada's middle class, including the union members the hon. member claims to represent.
Mr. Speaker, we delivered the largest infrastructure plan in Canadian history on two separate occasions. We increased and doubled investments while still balancing the budget, not borrowing from the future. The money that will be invested this year is money from the program we put in place, because we respect provincial jurisdictions. As for the funding announced for public transit and social housing, I will come back to that later. However, those are exclusively under provincial jurisdiction. The parliamentary budget officer said that he was missing some information that prevented him from completing and having accurate figures on the economy. How can the Prime Minister claim that he is being transparent, when he is not providing all the information
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years the previous government did everything it could to try and shout those pipelines into being. What that resulted in was delivering no pipelines to tidewater. One of the fundamental responsibilities of any prime minister is to get our resources to market. However, in the 21st century, getting those resources to market means doing it responsibly for communities, for indigenous peoples, and for the environment. That is why we are combining both environment and economy as we build for a stronger future, and basing our decisions on evidence.
Mr. Speaker, there are reports that the minister has yet to hire a judicial affairs adviser. However, she has hired a director of political operations. According to Treasury Board guidelines, a director of political operations requires the written concurrence of both the Prime Minister and the President of the Treasury Board. Did the Prime Minister provide written concurrence to his Minister of Justice for hiring a director of political operations? I know this might help with fundraisers, but what is the problem with hiring a judicial affairs adviser?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Avalon, his caucus colleagues from Newfoundland and Labrador and the Minister of Public Services and Procurement for their tireless work on behalf of Newfoundland and Labrador.When that province came to us with a fiscal stabilization request, I directed the Department of Finance officials to move forward expeditiously on this request.I am pleased to say that we have moved forward with an advance payment of $32 million of fiscal stabilization for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in these difficult times.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the House the member for Grande PrairieMackenzie urged the government to approve a pipeline project before it even had been registered with the regulator. He asked the government to approve a pipeline project before one community had been consulted, before one indigenous leader had been phoned.This is not the way to get projects approved. This is why we will do it a different way. We will not take for granted that people agree with us before we even ask them.
Mr. Speaker, troubling reports out of the United Kingdom indicate that a Canadian terror suspect is being pursued with respect to possible risks to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge travelling in India.I ask that the Minister of Public Safety update the House and confirm that CSIS and all of our security agencies are providing co-operation in this international investigation.
Mr. Speaker, ours is a principled government. With respect to the issues he mentioned, I would like to remind my colleague that our amendment to the Air Canada Public Participation Act will result in the creation of maintenance jobs in Quebec, Manitoba, and Ontario. Air Canada will also help establish two centres of excellence in Quebec and Manitoba. I would like to add that Bombardier will purchase 45 to 75 planes and that maintenance of these planes will be done in Quebec for 20 years.
Mr. Speaker, the youth suicide crisis has shocked the world and people are asking how a country as rich as Canada can leave so many children and young people behind. What the people in Attawapiskat are facing is the same systemic negligence that is robbing the hopes of young people in communities like La Loche, Cross Lake and Neskantaga. Yet there were no new mental health dollars in the budget to help indigenous children.Enough with the band-aids and the emergency flights. Will the minister commit to a total overhaul to ensure that every child in our country has the mental health supports he or she needs to have hope and a positive future?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has said that there is no contradiction between building wind turbines and pipelines. He has said it is a principal responsibility of the Government of Canada to move our natural resources to market sustainably. That is why we are following a process that will consult with Canadians and give people the chance to understand that in this day and age we develop the economy sustainably, with one eye on the environment and the other on job creation. That is the way we will move forward sustainably.
Mr. Speaker, we now know that the Liberal government is going to borrow $30 billion, money that will be paid back by Canadians who are not yet born.During the last election campaign, at a photo op in a crane, the Prime Minister promised a lot of money for infrastructure. In this budget, very little money will go to roads, highways, or public transit. How can the Prime Minister say that he will run a $30-billion deficit on infrastructure, when there is only $2.9 billion in new money for infrastructure in this budget?
We have now learned that the Liberal government is looking at privatizing search and rescue as part of the defence review. This was an idea that was first raised by the Conservatives five years ago, and finally abandoned only after a public outcry. At that time, the current Minister of Public Services said she was appalled by the government's notice to companies that the government would be exploring the privatization of search-and-rescue operations.Privatizing search and rescue would clearly put Canadian lives at risk. Will the government do the right thing and abandon this plan?
Mr. Speaker, the trade committee is finally hitting the road next week to study the TPP, yet it still has no impact study to guide its work. The Liberals promised a full, public consultation, but now they are trying to pass off the committee's work as their own.When it comes to what Joseph Stiglitz called, the worst trade deal ever, that just does not cut it. Why is the government refusing to live up to its promise of full, public consultation for all Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the opposition party keeps repeating the same arguments that clearly failed to convince Canadians last fall.The Conservatives are talking about their investments in the Canadian economy, but Canadians got nothing out of them. On the contrary, the Conservatives kept giving the benefits to those at the top, rather than helping the middle class and those working hard to join it and investing in the infrastructure that would help them in their communities. That is what we are doing and what we will continue to do.
Mr. Speaker, the independence of the Minister of Justice has been compromised and her credibility is in tatters as she tries to justify her attendance at the pay-to-play fundraiser. If everything is above board and the minister has nothing to hide, will she release the list of attendees, yes or no?
The Liberal budget showed a complete neglect for Canadian agriculture, and it is a slap in the face to the 2.2 million Canadians who rely on the industry. However, there is one thing the government can do to help Canadian farmers and farm families: ratify the trans-Pacific partnership. Farmers support it. Small businesses support it. The energy sector supports it. The only one we do not know about is the Liberal government. Can the minister stand in her place today and commit to bringing the TPP to this House for ratification?
Mr. Speaker, clearly the communications specialists working for the Liberal Party have taken over the budget. When there is no content, they simply step up the rhetoric and press repeat. The truth behind the empty rhetoric is that they have no plan and are incapable of creating one.Small businesses have been betrayed by this government, which has repeatedly broken its promise to reduce the corporate tax rate. In my region, the president of the chamber of commerce is publicly asking whether the government realizes that small business is crucial to economic recovery.Will the Minister of Economic Development stop the broken record and finally give a real answer?
Mr. Speaker, industry has said that investment in Alberta's oil sands will be down more than $60 billion over the past two years, a 63% decrease since 2014. Hundreds of thousands of Albertans have lost their jobs, and they are losing their homes. The Prime Minister has told Albertans that they should hang in there and they should be thankful that things are not worse.We cannot wait for things to get worse. When is the Liberal government finally going to make an investment in Canada's national energy program?
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite has worked hard in his community to advocate for the mental health needs in that community. I agree with him that it is completely unacceptable in a country as rich in resources as Canada that young people should get to the point that their lives seem worthless and that they would want to end them. We must respond to this. I have already indicated what we are doing so far. I will be working with my colleagues across the country to ensure that mental health services are included and improved, and ensure that we get that mental health care to the people who need it.
Mr. Speaker, the previous government might have been looking at privatizing search and rescue, but I can assure the member that this government is not, because the Canadian Armed Forces play a critical role in search and rescue.
Mr. Speaker, this evening, we are going to debate how we can put an end to the crisis in Attawapiskat.The community had been trying for months to alert the federal government before it finally received emergency mental health services.However, other communities, such as Cross Lake, Manitoba, are also facing similar crises, and my thoughts are with the young people in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, who are also having a very difficult time. I think everyone will agree that this is a national concern.Can the minister tell us what the government plans to do to finally put an end to this tragedy once and for all?
Mr. Speaker, first the Prime Minister refused to give the parliamentary budget officer the information that he needs to do his work. Since then, we have seen a former deputy minister of finance conclude that this budget has no transparency. Even the CBC, believe it or not, declared that the numbers do not add up and called it a shell game. We have made-up numbers, hidden numbers, and numbers pulled from thin air, so why should Canadians trust the Prime Minister to run our economy?
Mr. Speaker, today at the Standing Committee on Finance, the Liberals rejected the NDP motion to call the Minister of National Revenue to testify about the KPMG affair. We know that the Liberals promised Canadians a responsible, accountable, transparent government, but they looked like a bunch of Conservatives in committee today. Canadians are angry about the KPMG affair and the Panama papers, and the Minister of National Revenue owes them an explanation. Why is the minister refusing to step up and explain to Canadians and the committee the difference between her statements in the House and the KPMG affair and the facts that have been revealed?
Mr. Speaker, we have a Minister of Justice attending a sketchy fundraiser, a Minister of Finance with companies registered in tax havens like the Bahamas, and a Minister of National Revenue who is defending sweetheart deals for millionaire tax cheats. The Liberals swore they would be different, but they keep finding novel ways of being the Liberals.Will the Prime Minister show he is serious about cracking down on tax havens by ordering an investigation into KPMG's secret deal? He just talked about what is in the budget. Let us see some action now.
Mr. Speaker, on March 22, when the finance minister tabled the various budget documents associated with his budget, he failed to table the January Fiscal Monitor, which shows a Conservative surplus left to the Liberals. They did not like December and they did not like November. Maybe they will like January. Could I get unanimous consent to table this document?
A little money on the side, Mr. Speaker?The government used complex mathematical formulas to deprive thousands of people of their employment insurance. Saskatchewan's unemployment rate has increased by 40% in the past year, whereas in SaguenayLac-Saint-Jean the number of unemployed has increased by 7,000. Even with the budget, 800,000 unemployed workers are not eligible for employment insurance.Will the Prime Minister keep his promise and help all unemployed workers in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, she should never have been there.Canadians who follow the rules and pay their taxes find the Panama papers scandal disgusting. This week we learned that a former senior Revenue Canada official left the agency and went to work for KPMG when the firm was being investigated by Revenue Canada for using tax havens.Will the Prime Minister finally conduct an investigation and lock the revolving door at Revenue Canada?
Mr. Speaker, today, the Government of Quebec and dairy producers and processors stood shoulder to shoulder on the diafiltered milk issue.The Liberal government has been saying for months that it is working on this issue, but it has not done anything yet. The industry has had enough. Farmers are losing thousands of dollars a week. However, there is nothing complicated about this. All the government has to do is enforce the cheese compositional standards.What is the Prime Minister waiting for? When will he keep his election promise to solve the diafiltered milk problem here in Canada?