Most toxic speeches
Mr. Speaker, as Conservatives host Iran Accountability Week on the Hill, we recognize that Iran is widely considered the world's pre-eminent sponsor of state terrorism through its support of groups, including Hezbollah and Hamas. The Iranian regime has been correctly listed by Canada as a state sponsor of terrorism. This listing has enabled terror victims to sue Iran in Canadian courts and hold the regime accountable.Will the Liberals do the right thing and commit to keeping Iran designated as a state sponsor of terror?
Mr. Speaker, we need look no farther than Iran's supreme leader and official state media to get a clear and obvious handle on Iran's terrorist agenda. The regime boasts about its financial support of its terrorist proxies, its rogue missile program, and regularly proclaims the destruction of Israel a regime priority. Iran's state television this month is calling for young men to volunteer to fight in Syria, to position to invade Israel. How can the Liberals, even for an instant, consider delisting Iran as a state sponsor of terror?
Mr. Speaker, selling armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia is immoral and contrary to the ethics of responsibility. The Minister of Foreign Affairs knows that.The United Nations confirmed that the Saudi army is targeting schools and civilians in Yemen. PBS showed that Saudi Arabia was using its armoured vehicles against political dissidents. Even so, the minister insists on honouring contracts, and he is using every intellectual trick in the book to justify his decision even though the armoured vehicles are being used for ill. He calls it responsible conviction.When will the minister stop being an accomplice and stop the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have abandoned regulations that would require generic drugs to have tamper-resistant properties. This decision has put the health and safety of Canadians at risk. Not only does the decision allow for drug tampering and misuse to continue, but doctors themselves are now hesitating to prescribe these drugs to those who need them, fearing the drugs will end up on the illicit market.Will the Minister of Health listen to physicians on the ground and reintroduce tamper-resistant regulations?
Mr. Speaker, previously in the House, I have quoted Dr. Atul Gawande, who talks about the fact that people want not only a good death, but they want a good life to the very end. For that reason, I am so committed to palliative care, and so much more work needs to be done. When Canadians face the end of their lives and when they face suffering, they want dignity, independence, and they prefer, if possible, to die at home. For that reason our government will be investing $3 billion to increase access to home care.I will work with the provinces and territories to ensure we increase access to high-quality palliative care for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, we have no current plans to remove Iran from the list of state supporters of terrorism under the State Immunity Act. The inclusion or exclusion in the future will be based on the actions of the Iranian government. I am sure it was the purpose to improve human rights to protect the people of Iran, and it is very clear that it needs to make a lot of progress. Its record regarding human rights and the relationship with our allies, including Israel, is a problem.
Mr. Speaker, the Human Rights Tribunal has made it clear that it is fed up with the government's inaction on dealing with the issue of racial discrimination against indigenous children. It points out that the Liberal budget failed children in the area of child welfare. The government continues to deny medical services to children and fights their families in court. The tribunal has effectively put indigenous affairs under third party management because it simply does not trust the government. To the Prime Minister, as the minister of youth, will he respect this ruling and if so, what are the immediate steps the government will take to end the systemic discrimination against indigenous children in this country?
Mr. Speaker, I am obliged to repeat, which I am pleased to do. We have no current plans to remove Iran from the list of state supporters of terrorism under the state Immunity act. The inclusion or exclusion in the future will be based on the actions of the Iranian government. I think it was the purpose of this motion and it is why we will respect it. We want to see improvement in Iran. It is why we are engaging this country: to help all of the people of Iran who want more human rights.
Mr. Speaker, British Columbia's north coast is an incredibly beautiful place, famous for the power of its people. The Prime Minister and his transport minister, twice, joined with us and the people of British Columbia to ban all oil supertankers off that coast. Asked about the threat posed by Enbridge northern gateway, he said, I will not be approving this pipeline.Will he now stand in his place and finally tell British Columbians when he will finally introduce a legislated tanker ban off our beautiful coast?
Mr. Speaker, small businesses are the job creators of our country. We thought the Liberals understood this when they campaigned to lower small business taxes, but Liberals have clearly broken that promise.New documents obtained by the parliamentary budget office show the Liberal plan will take $2.1 billion out of the pockets of small business. Why are the Liberals taking billions from small business, and why are they hiding this cash grab in an omnibus budget bill?
Mr. Speaker, in a few days the Liberal government will be shutting down the Comox MCTS station. The minister keeps claiming there is no risk. However, just last weekend a massive communications failure in Prince Rupert meant that the entire west coast of Vancouver Island was left with no marine safety communications. This put the lives of mariners in danger. Will the minister now reverse the Conservative decision to close the Comox station?
Mr. Speaker, it is bad enough that he squandered the surplus, but the Minister of Finance does not have to keep squandering his credibility while he does it.For months, the Minister of Finance has ignored the independent analysis of the PBO, private sector economists, and his own Department of Finance. Instead, he has decided to rely on his own magic to build a reckless budget.Why does the Minister of Finance think that his mismanaging of the public purse is a gain?
Mr. Speaker, I am absolutely pleased to tell the hon. member that I am sleeping well at night, knowing that what we are doing is making my children and grandchildren better off. We are making them better off by making investments in the economy. We are investing in infrastructure that will make their lives better, that will allow them to have better lives in the future. We are investing in an innovative economy that can actually increase the productive capacity of our country.Canadians made the right choice on October 19. They made the choice to invest.
Mr. Speaker, it must be frustrating for the Minister of Finance that the facts keep getting in the way of his rhetoric. Once again, he has been completely contradicted by his own department, which reported that he inherited a $7.5 billion Conservative surplus. Will the Minister of Finance at least try to salvage some credibility and finally admit that the Conservatives left him a surplus, and his own reckless spending squandered it?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are clearly choosing to ignore the evidence here. During the campaign, the Prime Minister promised Canadians they would reopen the Kitsilano Coast Guard station. Once in power, the minister assured Canadians it would be operational 24/7, 365. Now it appears that is not the case. The base will only reopen on a part-time basis. Why did the minister mislead Canadians about this commitment?
Mr. Speaker, our government celebrates Canadian diversity as a tremendous source of strength, and the Jewish community in Canada is an integral part of that. We will always stand firm against intolerance and hate, as we continue to build an open, inclusive society.With respect to the admissibility of a particular individual, border security officers make those determinations on the basis of the facts at ports of entry in accordance to Canadian law.I would point out that past criminality is a factor that is certainly taken into account.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals were indeed left $7.5 billion in surplus. That being said, their plan is to plunge us into billions and billions of dollars of debt. Interestingly enough, the Minister of Finance wrote a book. In his book he said that debt prevents you from doing things, such as sleeping well at night.My question for the Minister of Finance is this. How is he sleeping at night?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for giving me an opportunity to repeat my answer once again. The contract was signed by the previous government, and it was signed in full. During the election campaign, both the Liberal Party and the NDP pledged to honour the contract. That meant the export permits would land on the Minister of Foreign Affairs' desk. I will block those permits if the military equipment is ever used to violate human rights or against the interests of Canada and its allies.
Mr. Speaker, how long does it exactly take to just say no?The government has refused, again, to give us any timeline whatsoever, and offered only more confusion. Just a few days ago, I visited the central coast and Haida Gwaii. The people there, the first nations there, are particularly shocked and saddened by the government's unwillingness to be clear, and perhaps willingness to betray that sacred promise.The Prime Minister also stood on Haida Gwaii and promised to the people, promised to the Haida, promised to British Columbians, that he would be an ally and he would bring this tanker ban forward.When exactly are we going to see it?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are ignoring the facts and the truth. We now have confirmation that the Conservatives left a significant surplus.Will the Prime Minister now admit that we left a surplus and that he is the only one responsible for our current financial mess?
Mr. Speaker, this is just a little recap from our constituency week.Last week, Finance Canada announced that the federal government had a $7.5 billion surplus. It is the fourth time that officials at Finance Canada have actually confirmed that we left them with a surplus, and that is because of our strong fiscal management and the fact that we are prudent on balanced budgets.When the finance minister was asked about this, he waved away the report and said, quite frankly, he is not focusing on that.I think Canadians want him to focus on the numbers. My question for the finance minister is, when will you stop misleading Canadians on what the actual fiscal situation is?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Prime Minister's own Department of Finance has confirmed thatdrum roll, pleaseConservatives left a healthy surplus for Canadians. It is undeniable fact, but, sadly, instead of following our lead of low taxes, balanced budgets, and job creation, the Prime Minister is raising taxes, spending recklessly, and has no plan to create jobs.If the Prime Minister will not admit basic facts, how can we trust him to run our economy?
Mr. Speaker, I just want to say, thank goodness for Canadians that they made the right choice on October 19.Clearly, the members from other side are still stuck in this whole balanced budget thing. They really
Mr. Speaker, I would like to raise another very important subject. Yesterday, I joined 4,000 people at a rally in Saint-Félicien in support of the forestry industry.The industry is active across Canada, but for years, it has been subjected to vicious attacks by a number of environmental groups that are spreading misinformation about forestry practices in Canada.Can the government confirm that it will support Canada's forestry industry, which employs people from coast to coast?
Mr. Speaker, an appropriate response to the problem of problematic drug use and prescription drug abuse needs to be comprehensive. There is no single strategy that will solve the problem, and there is no single drug that needs to be addressed.The problem of tamper-resistant opioids, if it is applied only to a single drug, will not solve the problem. People will only go to another drug. We will continue with our comprehensive approach that will include increasing education and minimizing harm.
Mr. Speaker, officials at the Department of Finance told me that we would be in a deficit position for 2015-16. The annual financial report will be ready in September.This means that we will now take action to grow the economy. That is how we plan to help improve the lives of middle-class Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the Treasury Board's guidelines require ministers to disclose their travel and hospitality costs quarterly. For the past eight months the Minister of Finance has been travelling all over Europe, Asia and Canada, but has only disclosed the costs of one trip. The minister is in charge of Canada's finances, but will not even obey the law when it comes to his own travel. Why is the Minister of Finance hiding his own spending from Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the greatest opportunity to get the TPP ratified is before the next U.S. president takes office. Former Obama defense secretary Leon Panetta says there is a low probability of its passing Congress if it is not passed before the end of this presidential term. Yet the Liberals are engaging in endless consultations here and the minister says it is not her job to promote the TPP. When will the minister spend more time on trade promotion and less time on vanity trips to L.A.?
Mr. Speaker, on Friday, when the finance minister was asked about the surplus that he clearly inherited from Conservatives, he said, We dont want to focus on this issue. Of course he does not want to, when his own department, the independent parliamentary budget officer, and economists are telling him that now he is solely responsible for any deficit that Canadians will have to pay back.How can Canadians trust the government to run the economy when its own finance minister will not admit basic facts?
Mr. Speaker, in the coming days, controversial French comic Dieudonné is supposed to start a tour in Quebec. A number of politicians, including the mayor of Montreal, do not want him to come, and on the weekend, the Minister of Canadian Heritage implied that the border services officer on duty would be the one to determine Dieudonné's fate.Can the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness tell us what criteria the border services officers will use to decide whether or not to allow this comic into the country?
Mr. Speaker, we know the minister rescheduled her personal vanity trip to California from October to November, after she was appointed to cabinet. Emails released through access to information indicate her staff was left in the dark until the final days of her L.A. departure. Apparently, no one but the minister knew she was going to L.A. to spend some time with Bill Maher. When is the minister going to be honest with Canadians and admit the trip was about her and not about her job as the trade minister?
Mr. Speaker, that was not a clear or specific answer.This government shows no interest in supporting aerospace workers and their families. It would rather give Air Canada carte blanche with Bill C-10, which sacrifices the jobs and quality of life of 2,600 families. The government does not even have the courage to let us have an in-depth debate on this issue in Parliament.Is the Prime Minister not ashamed of abandoning the workers like this, especially after he joined them in their protest?
Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to the Minister of Finance, and to put it mildly, we are becoming accustomed to his lack of transparency, which has been an issue from the beginning. The tax changes were supposed to be revenue neutral, and yet there is a deficit of $1.4 billion. The changes to the Canada child tax benefit were supposed to be revenue neutral, and yet there is a deficit of $1.4 billion. My question for the minister is clear. Will he commit to releasing the study done by his department on the cost of the Liberal promises?
Mr. Speaker, as I have already said, the numbers are in the budget. It outlines the exact measures and what they will cost. It is open and transparent for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, in the previous report that the commissioner released, he said that a CSE official proactively provided the information to them, which allowed them to conduct a thorough investigation.I also want to remind the hon. member that CSE plays a critical role in protecting against cyber-threats, foreign espionage, and foreign-based terrorist threats as well.
Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House we do understand small business.One of the things I would like all my colleagues to realize is our bizpal program. Entrepreneurs have made it clear to us that navigating through permits and licences, through all levels of government, is confusing, frustrating, and, most important, time consuming.We are proud of our bizpal program. It is one of the many ways we align our efforts with provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to support and respond to what all entrepreneurs and small businesses are asking of us.They want to succeed. They want to create jobs and drive
Mr. Speaker, there was a full round of consultations last spring when we were still in government as it led up to the TPP. On April 20, Canada's lead negotiator for the TPP is quoted in The Hill Times, so it must be accurate, saying that this coming year is looking exciting. She will be assisting the international trade minister in ratifying the TPP deal that she worked so hard on, and we agree with that. Now that we have confirmed the Liberals have already made up their mind, will the minister bring the TPP to the House for ratification and start spending more time on trade promotion instead of costly self-promotion?
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Finance informed me that we will be in a deficit position for the year 2015-16. The annual financial report will be out in the month of September. We are focusing on things that really matter for Canadians. Rather than focusing on balancing the budget at all cost, we are investing in Canada; we are investing in Canadians. We started with a tax break, and we will move forward with a budget that is going to help Canadians to live better lives, what they asked us to do on October 19.
Mr. Speaker, this morning La Presse is reporting that, once again, the Liberal government is hiding important information from Canadians, and once again, it has to do with the Department of Finance.The Department of Finance analyzed the cost of the Liberal promises. The document that was released to the public was heavily censored by the minister, obviously because he knows very well that his promises are going to cost Canadians a fortune.Why is the minister hiding information that is so important to Canadians' pocketbooks?
Mr. Speaker, a number of seniors in Brampton South have asked me about access to better palliative care and home care options.Our government was elected with a mandate to provide more and better home care services, including palliative care. On this National Hospice Palliative Care Week, could the Minister of Health update the House about her work to improve home and palliative care for all Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, what I mean is that we now know we will be in a deficit position for 2015-16. The report will be ready in September. Now we have a plan to grow the economy. That is what we need to do because growth was very slow over the past decade.
Mr. Speaker, the trade minister's own officials were not told of the L.A. junket until November 17, two days before she arrived. The department's director of communications did not even know what the minister was doing in L.A. besides the Bill Maher show. Her department scrambled to find events so she could bill the vanity trip to the taxpayers of Canada. When will the trade minister pay for this personal trip so Canadian taxpayers do not have to?
Mr. Speaker, I just want to make it clear for the hon. member that the Communications Security Establishment has no oversight over CSIS.To answer her question, CSE has proactively worked with the commissioner on all aspects. They do have a good working relationship, because CSE abides by Canadian law, including the Privacy Act.
Mr. Speaker, more than 26,000 Quebeckers, including Christian Tremblay, in my riding, will be penalized for selling their businesses to family, because Ottawa does not allow them a deduction for capital gains. Quebec does allow this deduction.Instead of using Quebec as a model, the government claims that the system is working and that the situation is fair. That is what we hear from the member for Saint-MauriceChamplain.When will a Liberal from Quebec stand up for Quebec businesses?
Mr. Speaker, we are moving forward with a plan that is going to make a real difference for Canadians. It starts by helping middle-class Canadians to have better lives. It started with tax cuts and a move forward with the Canada child benefit that will really improve Canadians' lives. Cheques will be starting this July. Then we are going to move forward with investments that will make a real, long-term difference in the productivity and the strength of our economy so that in the future we will be much better off than we were in the last decade under the last government.
Mr. Speaker, I rarely agree with the Minister of Finance, but this time, he is right. They will be in a deficit position. We had a surplus. I agree with him. The Department of Finance's Fiscal Monitor reported a surplus of $7.5 billion at the end of February, but the government is still announcing a huge deficit. Will the government be posting a $13-billion deficit just for March? I would like the Minister of Finance to respond.
Mr. Speaker, as members know, the governments of Quebec and Manitoba have indicated that they intend to drop their lawsuit against Air Canada, which allows us to clarify the Air Canada Public Participation Act. That is what we are doing in order to avoid more litigation in the future.However, I would like to remind my colleague that jobs will be created in Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba.
Mr. Speaker, we know that the Minister of International Trade spent public money to appear on a Hollywood talk show and neglected her ministerial duties.Can the minister explain how she was defending Canada's trade interests by rushing to Los Angeles to be interviewed by Bill Maher, with taxpayers footing the $20,000 bill?
Mr. Speaker, there are two things.One, a fiscal year has 12 months. Two, Canadians hired us to invest in the economy. They hired us to invest in the future growth of this country, and that is exactly what we intend on doing.
Mr. Speaker, our government does not apologize for promoting Canadian business interests abroad. When the Minister of International Trade was in California, as I and she have mentioned before, she had a series of meetings with business leaders and with officials in the government of California. We think promoting Canada on critical issues like our support, for example, for Syrian refugees is an important part of every member of Parliament's work. We are proud of our Minister of International Trade.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Richmond Hill for his efforts in supporting good data collection.I am proud to say that my first official act was to reinstate the mandatory long-form census. Today, census letters and packages are being sent to all Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Canadians will have access to high-quality data that truly reflects the needs of our communities and businesses. After 10 years, evidence-based decision-making is back.
Mr. Speaker, science and data are the cornerstone of good public policy. Canadians expect us to make informed decisions based on reliable data. This is the role Statistics Canada has been fulfilling for many years with its census program. The data collected through the census survey helps policy-makers and planners make decisions on everything from public health to transit to housing. Could the government tell the House what we can expect with the return of the mandatory census program this year?
Mr. Speaker, as everyone knows, I was mandated to establish a formal moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic on the north coast of British Columbia. I am doing this in concert with my colleagues, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard; the Minister of Environment; and the Minister of Natural Resources. We are proceeding with consultations with first nations, with environmental groups, and with the shipping industry. We are doing our homework.When we have something to say, we will say it.
Mr. Speaker, the Canada-European Union comprehensive economic and trade agreement is a major priority for our government, since Canadian companies and business owners will be able to take advantage of the many benefits this agreement offers.We want all sectors of our economy to be able to move forward once this agreement is ratified.Can the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food talk to us about what he is doing to ensure that Canada's dairy industry can continue to grow within a constantly evolving global marketplace?
Mr. Speaker, Communications Security Establishment Canada, which by the way oversees CSIS, is responsible for reporting serious privacy breaches to the commissioner. However, instead, it is hiding them. The Privacy Commissioner stated that CSE does not give the Office of the Privacy Commissioner enough information. Does the government agree with the NDP that withholding information about serious privacy breaches is simply wrong?
Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the temporary outage that happened in Prince Rupert. I want to assure all members, including the member herself, that the outage had nothing to do with the modernization of our MCTS systems. The outage was caused by a third-party landline. By the way, Comox has virtually no overlapping coverage in this sector, and it was not a factor in the situation at all.
Mr. Speaker, I do not know what the hon. member has against consultation. I do not know what the hon. member has against the hard work by the members of the Standing Committee on International Trade. Our minister, our parliamentary secretary, and our government are committed to fulfilling our promise to consult Canadians. We are working very hard on these consultations and I invite the hon. member and his colleagues to participate in these consultations.
Mr. Speaker, one group of people who were not in the dark about the minister's trip to California was the business leaders, the academic leaders, and the government leaders that she met with when she was in California to promote Canadian trade.Forty billion dollars a year in bilateral trade is something we think is important. If the member does not think so, then he has a different view from this side of the House.
Mr. Speaker, when the minister found out that the Church did not fulfill its obligation to contribute $25 million to fund programs for victims of residential schools, she said she was powerless and there was nothing she could do. However, that sum is in the court-approved settlement. What is more, it was her department that authorized the agreement that let the Church off the hook.When will the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs compel the Church to fulfill its obligations to the victims of residential schools?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to be clear about what the parliamentary budget officer did say most recently. He said that budget 2016 would in fact help to grow the economy, which is exactly what we put forward to Canadians. We expect that the measures we put in budget 2016 will actually grow the economy by about half a per cent this year and about a whole per cent next year, with 43,000 jobs this year and 100,000 next year. We are pleased with what we put forward and we know that it will be much better for Canadians for the future.
Mr. Speaker, I can only say it again. The professionals in the Department of Finance tell us that we will be in a deficit in fiscal year 2015-16, which has not yet been concluded. When the reports come in September, we will see the results. In the interim, we are focusing on what Canadians really care about, and that is to make investments so that we can make their lives better, which is exactly what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows very well that I always give him my full co-operation. However, it is common knowledge that we prefer to engage rather than to withdraw or retreat. It was a mistake for Canada to sever ties with Iran. The human rights situation in Iran is no better for it. Israel's situation has also not improved. We are not in a position to help our allies or to help Canadian interests, Canadian families and Iranian Canadians because of the previous government's empty-chair and withdrawal policy.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Foreign Affairs told the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development that Canada was taking the necessary steps to engage with Iran and to eventually open an embassy in Tehran.Will the Minister commit today to consult with Iranian Canadians before a final decision is made and to be transparent and provide the opposition critics the risk assessment for a Canadian delegation in Tehran?
Mr. Speaker, we are absolutely going to fulfill our obligations under the tribunal ruling, including the new definition and broader definition of Jordan's principle. It is extraordinary. I had a very good meeting this morning with Dr. Blackstock and the AFN. We are going to work with the provinces and territories to get this done.
Mr. Speaker, we understand that this is an important issue for some families.We believe that the existing system works and that it is fair to all taxpayers. We are listening. We continue to focus on economic growth, and we will listen to Canadians to make sure that things are working.
That is odd, Mr. Speaker, because that is not what the commissioner said. Clearly the government is not taking privacy protection seriously. Today we learn that the Communications Security Establishment is refusing to report privacy breaches to the Privacy Commissioner. However, it shares data on Canadians with its foreign partners.Will the government keep its promises of transparency and force the CSE to co-operate?
Mr. Speaker, documents released through access to information indicate the Minister of International Trade left her officials in the dark about her vanity trip to California and there are significant factual inconsistencies with the answers the minister has provided about her California dream trip. She billed the taxpayer-funded junket to L.A. around her late night TV appearance. Does the minister believe that her ministry is just an extension of her so-called celebrity journalism career?
Mr. Speaker, I can assure my hon. colleague and the House that our government is fully committed to the Canadian dairy industry and the supply management sector. That is why we have announced today that the government will be sitting down with the dairy industry in the coming weeks to get its views on the mitigation package as part of the CETA trade deal.Together, our government will help the industry adjust. We will reach the best possible outcome for our dairy industry, and ensure Canadian agriculture is safer, stronger, and more innovative.
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian government made a commitment to consult Canadians before taking a decision on ratification. That is exactly what we have been doing since taking office. The government has consulted on this agreement on over 250 separate occasions and will continue to do so. I am also very glad that the House of Commons trade committee has invited Canadians to share their opinions with it in public hearings. Perhaps this is something the previous government is not accustomed to, but this is something we have promised Canadians and we are fulfilling this promise.
Mr. Speaker, we are following the ruling of your predecessor. As you will know, prior to that ruling, independent MPs could not propose amendments at committees.We are trying to ensure that members of Parliament from non-recognized parties in this House have an opportunity to play a constructive role in the legislative process at the committee stage, and we are giving MPs from non-recognized parties a bigger role in those committees.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to repeat that our government is committed to consulting Canadians on the TPP. The House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade is conducting a study on the TPP. Therefore, I invite all members of the House to participate in this consultation. We are looking forward to a meaningful discussion.
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the hon. government House leader.We all know that in this place, in theory, all members of Parliament are equal, but sometimes large majority parties will use their power, and I think it is an abuse of power, to reduce the rights of smaller party MPs, such as in the fall 2013, where every single committee was told to pass a motion to take away the rights of smaller party MPs at report stage.I am very distressed to find that the same motion is now being asked to be passed in every committee by the Liberal majority.Will the hon. government House leader please reflect on his letter of mandate and reconsider?
Mr. Speaker, while the previous government left no room for legal recourse, this government continues to work with the Catholic entities. It is very important that they play their part in the reconciliation process and that they fulfill their commitments, regardless of their obligations under the legislation.
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, my mandate letter requires me to establish a formal moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic on the north coast of British Columbia. I am doing this in concert with my colleagues, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and the Minister of Natural Resources. We are working on that right now.We are also consulting with first nations, environmental groups, and the shipping industry. When we have something to say, we will say it.
Mr. Speaker, this weekend, the Prime Minister was proud to say that Quebec's voice is being heard in Ottawa. However, when it comes to assistance for Bombardier, the government has been feeding us the same old lines for months.The Liberals did not present any kind of plan to support the aerospace industry during the election campaign, nor have they done so since taking office. We are talking about an industry that provides direct employment for 76,000 Canadians, and over half of those jobs are in Quebec.Will the Prime Minister finally recognize how important this sector is to our economy and present a clear plan for the aerospace industry?
Mr. Speaker, last December, I announced that we would be reopening Kitsilano. I am proud to say that yesterday we kept that commitment and the base became operational. We are continuing our phase-in capacity at the base. By the May long weekend, the same number of search and rescue crew will be on site at the facility as was previously.
Mr. Speaker, it is clear from the Minister of International Trade's actions that she was not in Los Angeles to negotiate trade agreements in the interest of Canadians.That said, can her government confirm that it will support the trans-Pacific partnership which, let us recall, is good for beef, pork, maple syrup and blueberry producers?
Mr. Speaker, our government understands the importance of the aerospace sector. We understand that it creates 180,000 jobs from coast to coast to coast. We understand that it contributes $29 billion to our economy as well. It is also about supporting the supplier base. That is why we are engaged with the company. We are engaged in a meaningful dialogue with the company to ensure we set it up for success in the long term, because we want to have a thriving and growing aerospace sector in this country.
Mr. Speaker, openness and transparency within the Department of Finance are extremely important to me and to our department.In this case, the department responded to a question in accordance with all the applicable rules. It was independent of me, and that is good.What I want to point out now is that the figures are in budget 2016, and Canadians can see exactly what we did.
Mr. Speaker, Canada's forest industry is important to our economy and to communities across the country. Budget 2016 provides $1 billion over four years, starting in 2017-18, to support clean technology in the forestry, fisheries, mining, energy, and agriculture sectors, as part of the Government of Canada's commitment to innovation.
Mr. Speaker, we as a government are committed to the proactive disclosure of ministers' expenses. In fact, it was a previous Liberal government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Martin, that first introduced proactive disclosure of ministers' expenses. It was our prime minister in opposition that for the first time ever members of Parliament proactively disclosed their expenses. We are committed to proactive disclosure, and we will continue to be as a government.
Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, the minister was defending Canada's economic interests when she met with California's business leaders and with elected and public officials.We believe that a $40-billion-a-year trade relationship is important. The minister signed important agreements during her visit to California.
Mr. Speaker, the minister visited Los Angeles to reinforce the important economic relationship between California and Canada. California and Canada conduct over $40 billion in annual bilateral trade.The minister has made it clear that all the rules appropriate were followed with this trip. In addition to round tables with the business community and creative industries during the Los Angeles trade mission, the minister was proud to promote Canada to an American audience, including Canada's leadership on the Syrian refugee file.
Mr. Speaker, as Conservatives host Iran Accountability Week on the Hill, we recognize that Iran is widely considered the world's pre-eminent sponsor of state terrorism through its support of groups, including Hezbollah and Hamas. The Iranian regime has been correctly listed by Canada as a state sponsor of terrorism. This listing has enabled terror victims to sue Iran in Canadian courts and hold the regime accountable.Will the Liberals do the right thing and commit to keeping Iran designated as a state sponsor of terror?
Mr. Speaker, we need look no farther than Iran's supreme leader and official state media to get a clear and obvious handle on Iran's terrorist agenda. The regime boasts about its financial support of its terrorist proxies, its rogue missile program, and regularly proclaims the destruction of Israel a regime priority. Iran's state television this month is calling for young men to volunteer to fight in Syria, to position to invade Israel. How can the Liberals, even for an instant, consider delisting Iran as a state sponsor of terror?
Mr. Speaker, selling armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia is immoral and contrary to the ethics of responsibility. The Minister of Foreign Affairs knows that.The United Nations confirmed that the Saudi army is targeting schools and civilians in Yemen. PBS showed that Saudi Arabia was using its armoured vehicles against political dissidents. Even so, the minister insists on honouring contracts, and he is using every intellectual trick in the book to justify his decision even though the armoured vehicles are being used for ill. He calls it responsible conviction.When will the minister stop being an accomplice and stop the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have abandoned regulations that would require generic drugs to have tamper-resistant properties. This decision has put the health and safety of Canadians at risk. Not only does the decision allow for drug tampering and misuse to continue, but doctors themselves are now hesitating to prescribe these drugs to those who need them, fearing the drugs will end up on the illicit market.Will the Minister of Health listen to physicians on the ground and reintroduce tamper-resistant regulations?
Mr. Speaker, previously in the House, I have quoted Dr. Atul Gawande, who talks about the fact that people want not only a good death, but they want a good life to the very end. For that reason, I am so committed to palliative care, and so much more work needs to be done. When Canadians face the end of their lives and when they face suffering, they want dignity, independence, and they prefer, if possible, to die at home. For that reason our government will be investing $3 billion to increase access to home care.I will work with the provinces and territories to ensure we increase access to high-quality palliative care for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, we have no current plans to remove Iran from the list of state supporters of terrorism under the State Immunity Act. The inclusion or exclusion in the future will be based on the actions of the Iranian government. I am sure it was the purpose to improve human rights to protect the people of Iran, and it is very clear that it needs to make a lot of progress. Its record regarding human rights and the relationship with our allies, including Israel, is a problem.
Mr. Speaker, the Human Rights Tribunal has made it clear that it is fed up with the government's inaction on dealing with the issue of racial discrimination against indigenous children. It points out that the Liberal budget failed children in the area of child welfare. The government continues to deny medical services to children and fights their families in court. The tribunal has effectively put indigenous affairs under third party management because it simply does not trust the government. To the Prime Minister, as the minister of youth, will he respect this ruling and if so, what are the immediate steps the government will take to end the systemic discrimination against indigenous children in this country?
Mr. Speaker, I am obliged to repeat, which I am pleased to do. We have no current plans to remove Iran from the list of state supporters of terrorism under the state Immunity act. The inclusion or exclusion in the future will be based on the actions of the Iranian government. I think it was the purpose of this motion and it is why we will respect it. We want to see improvement in Iran. It is why we are engaging this country: to help all of the people of Iran who want more human rights.
Mr. Speaker, British Columbia's north coast is an incredibly beautiful place, famous for the power of its people. The Prime Minister and his transport minister, twice, joined with us and the people of British Columbia to ban all oil supertankers off that coast. Asked about the threat posed by Enbridge northern gateway, he said, I will not be approving this pipeline.Will he now stand in his place and finally tell British Columbians when he will finally introduce a legislated tanker ban off our beautiful coast?
Mr. Speaker, small businesses are the job creators of our country. We thought the Liberals understood this when they campaigned to lower small business taxes, but Liberals have clearly broken that promise.New documents obtained by the parliamentary budget office show the Liberal plan will take $2.1 billion out of the pockets of small business. Why are the Liberals taking billions from small business, and why are they hiding this cash grab in an omnibus budget bill?
Mr. Speaker, in a few days the Liberal government will be shutting down the Comox MCTS station. The minister keeps claiming there is no risk. However, just last weekend a massive communications failure in Prince Rupert meant that the entire west coast of Vancouver Island was left with no marine safety communications. This put the lives of mariners in danger. Will the minister now reverse the Conservative decision to close the Comox station?
Mr. Speaker, it is bad enough that he squandered the surplus, but the Minister of Finance does not have to keep squandering his credibility while he does it.For months, the Minister of Finance has ignored the independent analysis of the PBO, private sector economists, and his own Department of Finance. Instead, he has decided to rely on his own magic to build a reckless budget.Why does the Minister of Finance think that his mismanaging of the public purse is a gain?
Mr. Speaker, I am absolutely pleased to tell the hon. member that I am sleeping well at night, knowing that what we are doing is making my children and grandchildren better off. We are making them better off by making investments in the economy. We are investing in infrastructure that will make their lives better, that will allow them to have better lives in the future. We are investing in an innovative economy that can actually increase the productive capacity of our country.Canadians made the right choice on October 19. They made the choice to invest.
Mr. Speaker, it must be frustrating for the Minister of Finance that the facts keep getting in the way of his rhetoric. Once again, he has been completely contradicted by his own department, which reported that he inherited a $7.5 billion Conservative surplus. Will the Minister of Finance at least try to salvage some credibility and finally admit that the Conservatives left him a surplus, and his own reckless spending squandered it?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are clearly choosing to ignore the evidence here. During the campaign, the Prime Minister promised Canadians they would reopen the Kitsilano Coast Guard station. Once in power, the minister assured Canadians it would be operational 24/7, 365. Now it appears that is not the case. The base will only reopen on a part-time basis. Why did the minister mislead Canadians about this commitment?
Mr. Speaker, our government celebrates Canadian diversity as a tremendous source of strength, and the Jewish community in Canada is an integral part of that. We will always stand firm against intolerance and hate, as we continue to build an open, inclusive society.With respect to the admissibility of a particular individual, border security officers make those determinations on the basis of the facts at ports of entry in accordance to Canadian law.I would point out that past criminality is a factor that is certainly taken into account.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals were indeed left $7.5 billion in surplus. That being said, their plan is to plunge us into billions and billions of dollars of debt. Interestingly enough, the Minister of Finance wrote a book. In his book he said that debt prevents you from doing things, such as sleeping well at night.My question for the Minister of Finance is this. How is he sleeping at night?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for giving me an opportunity to repeat my answer once again. The contract was signed by the previous government, and it was signed in full. During the election campaign, both the Liberal Party and the NDP pledged to honour the contract. That meant the export permits would land on the Minister of Foreign Affairs' desk. I will block those permits if the military equipment is ever used to violate human rights or against the interests of Canada and its allies.
Mr. Speaker, how long does it exactly take to just say no?The government has refused, again, to give us any timeline whatsoever, and offered only more confusion. Just a few days ago, I visited the central coast and Haida Gwaii. The people there, the first nations there, are particularly shocked and saddened by the government's unwillingness to be clear, and perhaps willingness to betray that sacred promise.The Prime Minister also stood on Haida Gwaii and promised to the people, promised to the Haida, promised to British Columbians, that he would be an ally and he would bring this tanker ban forward.When exactly are we going to see it?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are ignoring the facts and the truth. We now have confirmation that the Conservatives left a significant surplus.Will the Prime Minister now admit that we left a surplus and that he is the only one responsible for our current financial mess?
Mr. Speaker, this is just a little recap from our constituency week.Last week, Finance Canada announced that the federal government had a $7.5 billion surplus. It is the fourth time that officials at Finance Canada have actually confirmed that we left them with a surplus, and that is because of our strong fiscal management and the fact that we are prudent on balanced budgets.When the finance minister was asked about this, he waved away the report and said, quite frankly, he is not focusing on that.I think Canadians want him to focus on the numbers. My question for the finance minister is, when will you stop misleading Canadians on what the actual fiscal situation is?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Prime Minister's own Department of Finance has confirmed thatdrum roll, pleaseConservatives left a healthy surplus for Canadians. It is undeniable fact, but, sadly, instead of following our lead of low taxes, balanced budgets, and job creation, the Prime Minister is raising taxes, spending recklessly, and has no plan to create jobs.If the Prime Minister will not admit basic facts, how can we trust him to run our economy?
Mr. Speaker, I just want to say, thank goodness for Canadians that they made the right choice on October 19.Clearly, the members from other side are still stuck in this whole balanced budget thing. They really
Mr. Speaker, I would like to raise another very important subject. Yesterday, I joined 4,000 people at a rally in Saint-Félicien in support of the forestry industry.The industry is active across Canada, but for years, it has been subjected to vicious attacks by a number of environmental groups that are spreading misinformation about forestry practices in Canada.Can the government confirm that it will support Canada's forestry industry, which employs people from coast to coast?
Mr. Speaker, an appropriate response to the problem of problematic drug use and prescription drug abuse needs to be comprehensive. There is no single strategy that will solve the problem, and there is no single drug that needs to be addressed.The problem of tamper-resistant opioids, if it is applied only to a single drug, will not solve the problem. People will only go to another drug. We will continue with our comprehensive approach that will include increasing education and minimizing harm.
Mr. Speaker, officials at the Department of Finance told me that we would be in a deficit position for 2015-16. The annual financial report will be ready in September.This means that we will now take action to grow the economy. That is how we plan to help improve the lives of middle-class Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the Treasury Board's guidelines require ministers to disclose their travel and hospitality costs quarterly. For the past eight months the Minister of Finance has been travelling all over Europe, Asia and Canada, but has only disclosed the costs of one trip. The minister is in charge of Canada's finances, but will not even obey the law when it comes to his own travel. Why is the Minister of Finance hiding his own spending from Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the greatest opportunity to get the TPP ratified is before the next U.S. president takes office. Former Obama defense secretary Leon Panetta says there is a low probability of its passing Congress if it is not passed before the end of this presidential term. Yet the Liberals are engaging in endless consultations here and the minister says it is not her job to promote the TPP. When will the minister spend more time on trade promotion and less time on vanity trips to L.A.?
Mr. Speaker, on Friday, when the finance minister was asked about the surplus that he clearly inherited from Conservatives, he said, We dont want to focus on this issue. Of course he does not want to, when his own department, the independent parliamentary budget officer, and economists are telling him that now he is solely responsible for any deficit that Canadians will have to pay back.How can Canadians trust the government to run the economy when its own finance minister will not admit basic facts?
Mr. Speaker, in the coming days, controversial French comic Dieudonné is supposed to start a tour in Quebec. A number of politicians, including the mayor of Montreal, do not want him to come, and on the weekend, the Minister of Canadian Heritage implied that the border services officer on duty would be the one to determine Dieudonné's fate.Can the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness tell us what criteria the border services officers will use to decide whether or not to allow this comic into the country?
Mr. Speaker, we know the minister rescheduled her personal vanity trip to California from October to November, after she was appointed to cabinet. Emails released through access to information indicate her staff was left in the dark until the final days of her L.A. departure. Apparently, no one but the minister knew she was going to L.A. to spend some time with Bill Maher. When is the minister going to be honest with Canadians and admit the trip was about her and not about her job as the trade minister?
Mr. Speaker, that was not a clear or specific answer.This government shows no interest in supporting aerospace workers and their families. It would rather give Air Canada carte blanche with Bill C-10, which sacrifices the jobs and quality of life of 2,600 families. The government does not even have the courage to let us have an in-depth debate on this issue in Parliament.Is the Prime Minister not ashamed of abandoning the workers like this, especially after he joined them in their protest?
Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to the Minister of Finance, and to put it mildly, we are becoming accustomed to his lack of transparency, which has been an issue from the beginning. The tax changes were supposed to be revenue neutral, and yet there is a deficit of $1.4 billion. The changes to the Canada child tax benefit were supposed to be revenue neutral, and yet there is a deficit of $1.4 billion. My question for the minister is clear. Will he commit to releasing the study done by his department on the cost of the Liberal promises?
Mr. Speaker, as I have already said, the numbers are in the budget. It outlines the exact measures and what they will cost. It is open and transparent for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, in the previous report that the commissioner released, he said that a CSE official proactively provided the information to them, which allowed them to conduct a thorough investigation.I also want to remind the hon. member that CSE plays a critical role in protecting against cyber-threats, foreign espionage, and foreign-based terrorist threats as well.
Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House we do understand small business.One of the things I would like all my colleagues to realize is our bizpal program. Entrepreneurs have made it clear to us that navigating through permits and licences, through all levels of government, is confusing, frustrating, and, most important, time consuming.We are proud of our bizpal program. It is one of the many ways we align our efforts with provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to support and respond to what all entrepreneurs and small businesses are asking of us.They want to succeed. They want to create jobs and drive
Mr. Speaker, there was a full round of consultations last spring when we were still in government as it led up to the TPP. On April 20, Canada's lead negotiator for the TPP is quoted in The Hill Times, so it must be accurate, saying that this coming year is looking exciting. She will be assisting the international trade minister in ratifying the TPP deal that she worked so hard on, and we agree with that. Now that we have confirmed the Liberals have already made up their mind, will the minister bring the TPP to the House for ratification and start spending more time on trade promotion instead of costly self-promotion?
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Finance informed me that we will be in a deficit position for the year 2015-16. The annual financial report will be out in the month of September. We are focusing on things that really matter for Canadians. Rather than focusing on balancing the budget at all cost, we are investing in Canada; we are investing in Canadians. We started with a tax break, and we will move forward with a budget that is going to help Canadians to live better lives, what they asked us to do on October 19.
Mr. Speaker, this morning La Presse is reporting that, once again, the Liberal government is hiding important information from Canadians, and once again, it has to do with the Department of Finance.The Department of Finance analyzed the cost of the Liberal promises. The document that was released to the public was heavily censored by the minister, obviously because he knows very well that his promises are going to cost Canadians a fortune.Why is the minister hiding information that is so important to Canadians' pocketbooks?
Mr. Speaker, a number of seniors in Brampton South have asked me about access to better palliative care and home care options.Our government was elected with a mandate to provide more and better home care services, including palliative care. On this National Hospice Palliative Care Week, could the Minister of Health update the House about her work to improve home and palliative care for all Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, what I mean is that we now know we will be in a deficit position for 2015-16. The report will be ready in September. Now we have a plan to grow the economy. That is what we need to do because growth was very slow over the past decade.
Mr. Speaker, the trade minister's own officials were not told of the L.A. junket until November 17, two days before she arrived. The department's director of communications did not even know what the minister was doing in L.A. besides the Bill Maher show. Her department scrambled to find events so she could bill the vanity trip to the taxpayers of Canada. When will the trade minister pay for this personal trip so Canadian taxpayers do not have to?
Mr. Speaker, I just want to make it clear for the hon. member that the Communications Security Establishment has no oversight over CSIS.To answer her question, CSE has proactively worked with the commissioner on all aspects. They do have a good working relationship, because CSE abides by Canadian law, including the Privacy Act.
Mr. Speaker, more than 26,000 Quebeckers, including Christian Tremblay, in my riding, will be penalized for selling their businesses to family, because Ottawa does not allow them a deduction for capital gains. Quebec does allow this deduction.Instead of using Quebec as a model, the government claims that the system is working and that the situation is fair. That is what we hear from the member for Saint-MauriceChamplain.When will a Liberal from Quebec stand up for Quebec businesses?
Mr. Speaker, we are moving forward with a plan that is going to make a real difference for Canadians. It starts by helping middle-class Canadians to have better lives. It started with tax cuts and a move forward with the Canada child benefit that will really improve Canadians' lives. Cheques will be starting this July. Then we are going to move forward with investments that will make a real, long-term difference in the productivity and the strength of our economy so that in the future we will be much better off than we were in the last decade under the last government.
Mr. Speaker, I rarely agree with the Minister of Finance, but this time, he is right. They will be in a deficit position. We had a surplus. I agree with him. The Department of Finance's Fiscal Monitor reported a surplus of $7.5 billion at the end of February, but the government is still announcing a huge deficit. Will the government be posting a $13-billion deficit just for March? I would like the Minister of Finance to respond.
Mr. Speaker, as members know, the governments of Quebec and Manitoba have indicated that they intend to drop their lawsuit against Air Canada, which allows us to clarify the Air Canada Public Participation Act. That is what we are doing in order to avoid more litigation in the future.However, I would like to remind my colleague that jobs will be created in Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba.
Mr. Speaker, we know that the Minister of International Trade spent public money to appear on a Hollywood talk show and neglected her ministerial duties.Can the minister explain how she was defending Canada's trade interests by rushing to Los Angeles to be interviewed by Bill Maher, with taxpayers footing the $20,000 bill?
Mr. Speaker, there are two things.One, a fiscal year has 12 months. Two, Canadians hired us to invest in the economy. They hired us to invest in the future growth of this country, and that is exactly what we intend on doing.
Mr. Speaker, our government does not apologize for promoting Canadian business interests abroad. When the Minister of International Trade was in California, as I and she have mentioned before, she had a series of meetings with business leaders and with officials in the government of California. We think promoting Canada on critical issues like our support, for example, for Syrian refugees is an important part of every member of Parliament's work. We are proud of our Minister of International Trade.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Richmond Hill for his efforts in supporting good data collection.I am proud to say that my first official act was to reinstate the mandatory long-form census. Today, census letters and packages are being sent to all Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Canadians will have access to high-quality data that truly reflects the needs of our communities and businesses. After 10 years, evidence-based decision-making is back.
Mr. Speaker, science and data are the cornerstone of good public policy. Canadians expect us to make informed decisions based on reliable data. This is the role Statistics Canada has been fulfilling for many years with its census program. The data collected through the census survey helps policy-makers and planners make decisions on everything from public health to transit to housing. Could the government tell the House what we can expect with the return of the mandatory census program this year?
Mr. Speaker, as everyone knows, I was mandated to establish a formal moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic on the north coast of British Columbia. I am doing this in concert with my colleagues, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard; the Minister of Environment; and the Minister of Natural Resources. We are proceeding with consultations with first nations, with environmental groups, and with the shipping industry. We are doing our homework.When we have something to say, we will say it.
Mr. Speaker, the Canada-European Union comprehensive economic and trade agreement is a major priority for our government, since Canadian companies and business owners will be able to take advantage of the many benefits this agreement offers.We want all sectors of our economy to be able to move forward once this agreement is ratified.Can the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food talk to us about what he is doing to ensure that Canada's dairy industry can continue to grow within a constantly evolving global marketplace?
Mr. Speaker, Communications Security Establishment Canada, which by the way oversees CSIS, is responsible for reporting serious privacy breaches to the commissioner. However, instead, it is hiding them. The Privacy Commissioner stated that CSE does not give the Office of the Privacy Commissioner enough information. Does the government agree with the NDP that withholding information about serious privacy breaches is simply wrong?
Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the temporary outage that happened in Prince Rupert. I want to assure all members, including the member herself, that the outage had nothing to do with the modernization of our MCTS systems. The outage was caused by a third-party landline. By the way, Comox has virtually no overlapping coverage in this sector, and it was not a factor in the situation at all.
Mr. Speaker, I do not know what the hon. member has against consultation. I do not know what the hon. member has against the hard work by the members of the Standing Committee on International Trade. Our minister, our parliamentary secretary, and our government are committed to fulfilling our promise to consult Canadians. We are working very hard on these consultations and I invite the hon. member and his colleagues to participate in these consultations.
Mr. Speaker, one group of people who were not in the dark about the minister's trip to California was the business leaders, the academic leaders, and the government leaders that she met with when she was in California to promote Canadian trade.Forty billion dollars a year in bilateral trade is something we think is important. If the member does not think so, then he has a different view from this side of the House.
Mr. Speaker, when the minister found out that the Church did not fulfill its obligation to contribute $25 million to fund programs for victims of residential schools, she said she was powerless and there was nothing she could do. However, that sum is in the court-approved settlement. What is more, it was her department that authorized the agreement that let the Church off the hook.When will the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs compel the Church to fulfill its obligations to the victims of residential schools?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to be clear about what the parliamentary budget officer did say most recently. He said that budget 2016 would in fact help to grow the economy, which is exactly what we put forward to Canadians. We expect that the measures we put in budget 2016 will actually grow the economy by about half a per cent this year and about a whole per cent next year, with 43,000 jobs this year and 100,000 next year. We are pleased with what we put forward and we know that it will be much better for Canadians for the future.
Mr. Speaker, I can only say it again. The professionals in the Department of Finance tell us that we will be in a deficit in fiscal year 2015-16, which has not yet been concluded. When the reports come in September, we will see the results. In the interim, we are focusing on what Canadians really care about, and that is to make investments so that we can make their lives better, which is exactly what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows very well that I always give him my full co-operation. However, it is common knowledge that we prefer to engage rather than to withdraw or retreat. It was a mistake for Canada to sever ties with Iran. The human rights situation in Iran is no better for it. Israel's situation has also not improved. We are not in a position to help our allies or to help Canadian interests, Canadian families and Iranian Canadians because of the previous government's empty-chair and withdrawal policy.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Foreign Affairs told the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development that Canada was taking the necessary steps to engage with Iran and to eventually open an embassy in Tehran.Will the Minister commit today to consult with Iranian Canadians before a final decision is made and to be transparent and provide the opposition critics the risk assessment for a Canadian delegation in Tehran?
Mr. Speaker, we are absolutely going to fulfill our obligations under the tribunal ruling, including the new definition and broader definition of Jordan's principle. It is extraordinary. I had a very good meeting this morning with Dr. Blackstock and the AFN. We are going to work with the provinces and territories to get this done.
Mr. Speaker, we understand that this is an important issue for some families.We believe that the existing system works and that it is fair to all taxpayers. We are listening. We continue to focus on economic growth, and we will listen to Canadians to make sure that things are working.
That is odd, Mr. Speaker, because that is not what the commissioner said. Clearly the government is not taking privacy protection seriously. Today we learn that the Communications Security Establishment is refusing to report privacy breaches to the Privacy Commissioner. However, it shares data on Canadians with its foreign partners.Will the government keep its promises of transparency and force the CSE to co-operate?
Mr. Speaker, documents released through access to information indicate the Minister of International Trade left her officials in the dark about her vanity trip to California and there are significant factual inconsistencies with the answers the minister has provided about her California dream trip. She billed the taxpayer-funded junket to L.A. around her late night TV appearance. Does the minister believe that her ministry is just an extension of her so-called celebrity journalism career?
Mr. Speaker, I can assure my hon. colleague and the House that our government is fully committed to the Canadian dairy industry and the supply management sector. That is why we have announced today that the government will be sitting down with the dairy industry in the coming weeks to get its views on the mitigation package as part of the CETA trade deal.Together, our government will help the industry adjust. We will reach the best possible outcome for our dairy industry, and ensure Canadian agriculture is safer, stronger, and more innovative.
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian government made a commitment to consult Canadians before taking a decision on ratification. That is exactly what we have been doing since taking office. The government has consulted on this agreement on over 250 separate occasions and will continue to do so. I am also very glad that the House of Commons trade committee has invited Canadians to share their opinions with it in public hearings. Perhaps this is something the previous government is not accustomed to, but this is something we have promised Canadians and we are fulfilling this promise.
Mr. Speaker, we are following the ruling of your predecessor. As you will know, prior to that ruling, independent MPs could not propose amendments at committees.We are trying to ensure that members of Parliament from non-recognized parties in this House have an opportunity to play a constructive role in the legislative process at the committee stage, and we are giving MPs from non-recognized parties a bigger role in those committees.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to repeat that our government is committed to consulting Canadians on the TPP. The House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade is conducting a study on the TPP. Therefore, I invite all members of the House to participate in this consultation. We are looking forward to a meaningful discussion.
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the hon. government House leader.We all know that in this place, in theory, all members of Parliament are equal, but sometimes large majority parties will use their power, and I think it is an abuse of power, to reduce the rights of smaller party MPs, such as in the fall 2013, where every single committee was told to pass a motion to take away the rights of smaller party MPs at report stage.I am very distressed to find that the same motion is now being asked to be passed in every committee by the Liberal majority.Will the hon. government House leader please reflect on his letter of mandate and reconsider?
Mr. Speaker, while the previous government left no room for legal recourse, this government continues to work with the Catholic entities. It is very important that they play their part in the reconciliation process and that they fulfill their commitments, regardless of their obligations under the legislation.
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, my mandate letter requires me to establish a formal moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic on the north coast of British Columbia. I am doing this in concert with my colleagues, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and the Minister of Natural Resources. We are working on that right now.We are also consulting with first nations, environmental groups, and the shipping industry. When we have something to say, we will say it.
Mr. Speaker, this weekend, the Prime Minister was proud to say that Quebec's voice is being heard in Ottawa. However, when it comes to assistance for Bombardier, the government has been feeding us the same old lines for months.The Liberals did not present any kind of plan to support the aerospace industry during the election campaign, nor have they done so since taking office. We are talking about an industry that provides direct employment for 76,000 Canadians, and over half of those jobs are in Quebec.Will the Prime Minister finally recognize how important this sector is to our economy and present a clear plan for the aerospace industry?
Mr. Speaker, last December, I announced that we would be reopening Kitsilano. I am proud to say that yesterday we kept that commitment and the base became operational. We are continuing our phase-in capacity at the base. By the May long weekend, the same number of search and rescue crew will be on site at the facility as was previously.
Mr. Speaker, it is clear from the Minister of International Trade's actions that she was not in Los Angeles to negotiate trade agreements in the interest of Canadians.That said, can her government confirm that it will support the trans-Pacific partnership which, let us recall, is good for beef, pork, maple syrup and blueberry producers?
Mr. Speaker, our government understands the importance of the aerospace sector. We understand that it creates 180,000 jobs from coast to coast to coast. We understand that it contributes $29 billion to our economy as well. It is also about supporting the supplier base. That is why we are engaged with the company. We are engaged in a meaningful dialogue with the company to ensure we set it up for success in the long term, because we want to have a thriving and growing aerospace sector in this country.
Mr. Speaker, openness and transparency within the Department of Finance are extremely important to me and to our department.In this case, the department responded to a question in accordance with all the applicable rules. It was independent of me, and that is good.What I want to point out now is that the figures are in budget 2016, and Canadians can see exactly what we did.
Mr. Speaker, Canada's forest industry is important to our economy and to communities across the country. Budget 2016 provides $1 billion over four years, starting in 2017-18, to support clean technology in the forestry, fisheries, mining, energy, and agriculture sectors, as part of the Government of Canada's commitment to innovation.
Mr. Speaker, we as a government are committed to the proactive disclosure of ministers' expenses. In fact, it was a previous Liberal government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Martin, that first introduced proactive disclosure of ministers' expenses. It was our prime minister in opposition that for the first time ever members of Parliament proactively disclosed their expenses. We are committed to proactive disclosure, and we will continue to be as a government.
Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, the minister was defending Canada's economic interests when she met with California's business leaders and with elected and public officials.We believe that a $40-billion-a-year trade relationship is important. The minister signed important agreements during her visit to California.
Mr. Speaker, the minister visited Los Angeles to reinforce the important economic relationship between California and Canada. California and Canada conduct over $40 billion in annual bilateral trade.The minister has made it clear that all the rules appropriate were followed with this trip. In addition to round tables with the business community and creative industries during the Los Angeles trade mission, the minister was proud to promote Canada to an American audience, including Canada's leadership on the Syrian refugee file.
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Mr. Speaker, small businesses are the job creators of our country. We thought the Liberals understood this when they campaigned to lower small business taxes, but Liberals have clearly broken that promise.New documents obtained by the parliamentary budget office show the Liberal plan will take $2.1 billion out of the pockets of small business. Why are the Liberals taking billions from small business, and why are they hiding this cash grab in an omnibus budget bill?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are clearly choosing to ignore the evidence here. During the campaign, the Prime Minister promised Canadians they would reopen the Kitsilano Coast Guard station. Once in power, the minister assured Canadians it would be operational 24/7, 365. Now it appears that is not the case. The base will only reopen on a part-time basis. Why did the minister mislead Canadians about this commitment?
Mr. Speaker, I do not know what the hon. member has against consultation. I do not know what the hon. member has against the hard work by the members of the Standing Committee on International Trade. Our minister, our parliamentary secretary, and our government are committed to fulfilling our promise to consult Canadians. We are working very hard on these consultations and I invite the hon. member and his colleagues to participate in these consultations.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to raise another very important subject. Yesterday, I joined 4,000 people at a rally in Saint-Félicien in support of the forestry industry.The industry is active across Canada, but for years, it has been subjected to vicious attacks by a number of environmental groups that are spreading misinformation about forestry practices in Canada.Can the government confirm that it will support Canada's forestry industry, which employs people from coast to coast?
Mr. Speaker, Communications Security Establishment Canada, which by the way oversees CSIS, is responsible for reporting serious privacy breaches to the commissioner. However, instead, it is hiding them. The Privacy Commissioner stated that CSE does not give the Office of the Privacy Commissioner enough information. Does the government agree with the NDP that withholding information about serious privacy breaches is simply wrong?
Mr. Speaker, what I mean is that we now know we will be in a deficit position for 2015-16. The report will be ready in September. Now we have a plan to grow the economy. That is what we need to do because growth was very slow over the past decade.
Mr. Speaker, last December, I announced that we would be reopening Kitsilano. I am proud to say that yesterday we kept that commitment and the base became operational. We are continuing our phase-in capacity at the base. By the May long weekend, the same number of search and rescue crew will be on site at the facility as was previously.
That is odd, Mr. Speaker, because that is not what the commissioner said. Clearly the government is not taking privacy protection seriously. Today we learn that the Communications Security Establishment is refusing to report privacy breaches to the Privacy Commissioner. However, it shares data on Canadians with its foreign partners.Will the government keep its promises of transparency and force the CSE to co-operate?
Mr. Speaker, in the previous report that the commissioner released, he said that a CSE official proactively provided the information to them, which allowed them to conduct a thorough investigation.I also want to remind the hon. member that CSE plays a critical role in protecting against cyber-threats, foreign espionage, and foreign-based terrorist threats as well.
Mr. Speaker, in a few days the Liberal government will be shutting down the Comox MCTS station. The minister keeps claiming there is no risk. However, just last weekend a massive communications failure in Prince Rupert meant that the entire west coast of Vancouver Island was left with no marine safety communications. This put the lives of mariners in danger. Will the minister now reverse the Conservative decision to close the Comox station?
Mr. Speaker, as everyone knows, I was mandated to establish a formal moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic on the north coast of British Columbia. I am doing this in concert with my colleagues, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard; the Minister of Environment; and the Minister of Natural Resources. We are proceeding with consultations with first nations, with environmental groups, and with the shipping industry. We are doing our homework.When we have something to say, we will say it.
Mr. Speaker, our government celebrates Canadian diversity as a tremendous source of strength, and the Jewish community in Canada is an integral part of that. We will always stand firm against intolerance and hate, as we continue to build an open, inclusive society.With respect to the admissibility of a particular individual, border security officers make those determinations on the basis of the facts at ports of entry in accordance to Canadian law.I would point out that past criminality is a factor that is certainly taken into account.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Foreign Affairs told the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development that Canada was taking the necessary steps to engage with Iran and to eventually open an embassy in Tehran.Will the Minister commit today to consult with Iranian Canadians before a final decision is made and to be transparent and provide the opposition critics the risk assessment for a Canadian delegation in Tehran?
Mr. Speaker, we know that the Minister of International Trade spent public money to appear on a Hollywood talk show and neglected her ministerial duties.Can the minister explain how she was defending Canada's trade interests by rushing to Los Angeles to be interviewed by Bill Maher, with taxpayers footing the $20,000 bill?
Mr. Speaker, documents released through access to information indicate the Minister of International Trade left her officials in the dark about her vanity trip to California and there are significant factual inconsistencies with the answers the minister has provided about her California dream trip. She billed the taxpayer-funded junket to L.A. around her late night TV appearance. Does the minister believe that her ministry is just an extension of her so-called celebrity journalism career?
Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows very well that I always give him my full co-operation. However, it is common knowledge that we prefer to engage rather than to withdraw or retreat. It was a mistake for Canada to sever ties with Iran. The human rights situation in Iran is no better for it. Israel's situation has also not improved. We are not in a position to help our allies or to help Canadian interests, Canadian families and Iranian Canadians because of the previous government's empty-chair and withdrawal policy.
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, my mandate letter requires me to establish a formal moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic on the north coast of British Columbia. I am doing this in concert with my colleagues, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and the Minister of Natural Resources. We are working on that right now.We are also consulting with first nations, environmental groups, and the shipping industry. When we have something to say, we will say it.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for giving me an opportunity to repeat my answer once again. The contract was signed by the previous government, and it was signed in full. During the election campaign, both the Liberal Party and the NDP pledged to honour the contract. That meant the export permits would land on the Minister of Foreign Affairs' desk. I will block those permits if the military equipment is ever used to violate human rights or against the interests of Canada and its allies.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals were indeed left $7.5 billion in surplus. That being said, their plan is to plunge us into billions and billions of dollars of debt. Interestingly enough, the Minister of Finance wrote a book. In his book he said that debt prevents you from doing things, such as sleeping well at night.My question for the Minister of Finance is this. How is he sleeping at night?
Mr. Speaker, when the minister found out that the Church did not fulfill its obligation to contribute $25 million to fund programs for victims of residential schools, she said she was powerless and there was nothing she could do. However, that sum is in the court-approved settlement. What is more, it was her department that authorized the agreement that let the Church off the hook.When will the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs compel the Church to fulfill its obligations to the victims of residential schools?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have abandoned regulations that would require generic drugs to have tamper-resistant properties. This decision has put the health and safety of Canadians at risk. Not only does the decision allow for drug tampering and misuse to continue, but doctors themselves are now hesitating to prescribe these drugs to those who need them, fearing the drugs will end up on the illicit market.Will the Minister of Health listen to physicians on the ground and reintroduce tamper-resistant regulations?
Mr. Speaker, we are following the ruling of your predecessor. As you will know, prior to that ruling, independent MPs could not propose amendments at committees.We are trying to ensure that members of Parliament from non-recognized parties in this House have an opportunity to play a constructive role in the legislative process at the committee stage, and we are giving MPs from non-recognized parties a bigger role in those committees.
Mr. Speaker, the Human Rights Tribunal has made it clear that it is fed up with the government's inaction on dealing with the issue of racial discrimination against indigenous children. It points out that the Liberal budget failed children in the area of child welfare. The government continues to deny medical services to children and fights their families in court. The tribunal has effectively put indigenous affairs under third party management because it simply does not trust the government. To the Prime Minister, as the minister of youth, will he respect this ruling and if so, what are the immediate steps the government will take to end the systemic discrimination against indigenous children in this country?
Mr. Speaker, we need look no farther than Iran's supreme leader and official state media to get a clear and obvious handle on Iran's terrorist agenda. The regime boasts about its financial support of its terrorist proxies, its rogue missile program, and regularly proclaims the destruction of Israel a regime priority. Iran's state television this month is calling for young men to volunteer to fight in Syria, to position to invade Israel. How can the Liberals, even for an instant, consider delisting Iran as a state sponsor of terror?
Mr. Speaker, how long does it exactly take to just say no?The government has refused, again, to give us any timeline whatsoever, and offered only more confusion. Just a few days ago, I visited the central coast and Haida Gwaii. The people there, the first nations there, are particularly shocked and saddened by the government's unwillingness to be clear, and perhaps willingness to betray that sacred promise.The Prime Minister also stood on Haida Gwaii and promised to the people, promised to the Haida, promised to British Columbians, that he would be an ally and he would bring this tanker ban forward.When exactly are we going to see it?
Mr. Speaker, our government understands the importance of the aerospace sector. We understand that it creates 180,000 jobs from coast to coast to coast. We understand that it contributes $29 billion to our economy as well. It is also about supporting the supplier base. That is why we are engaged with the company. We are engaged in a meaningful dialogue with the company to ensure we set it up for success in the long term, because we want to have a thriving and growing aerospace sector in this country.
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the hon. government House leader.We all know that in this place, in theory, all members of Parliament are equal, but sometimes large majority parties will use their power, and I think it is an abuse of power, to reduce the rights of smaller party MPs, such as in the fall 2013, where every single committee was told to pass a motion to take away the rights of smaller party MPs at report stage.I am very distressed to find that the same motion is now being asked to be passed in every committee by the Liberal majority.Will the hon. government House leader please reflect on his letter of mandate and reconsider?
Mr. Speaker, selling armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia is immoral and contrary to the ethics of responsibility. The Minister of Foreign Affairs knows that.The United Nations confirmed that the Saudi army is targeting schools and civilians in Yemen. PBS showed that Saudi Arabia was using its armoured vehicles against political dissidents. Even so, the minister insists on honouring contracts, and he is using every intellectual trick in the book to justify his decision even though the armoured vehicles are being used for ill. He calls it responsible conviction.When will the minister stop being an accomplice and stop the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are ignoring the facts and the truth. We now have confirmation that the Conservatives left a significant surplus.Will the Prime Minister now admit that we left a surplus and that he is the only one responsible for our current financial mess?
Mr. Speaker, that was not a clear or specific answer.This government shows no interest in supporting aerospace workers and their families. It would rather give Air Canada carte blanche with Bill C-10, which sacrifices the jobs and quality of life of 2,600 families. The government does not even have the courage to let us have an in-depth debate on this issue in Parliament.Is the Prime Minister not ashamed of abandoning the workers like this, especially after he joined them in their protest?
Mr. Speaker, one group of people who were not in the dark about the minister's trip to California was the business leaders, the academic leaders, and the government leaders that she met with when she was in California to promote Canadian trade.Forty billion dollars a year in bilateral trade is something we think is important. If the member does not think so, then he has a different view from this side of the House.
Mr. Speaker, we know the minister rescheduled her personal vanity trip to California from October to November, after she was appointed to cabinet. Emails released through access to information indicate her staff was left in the dark until the final days of her L.A. departure. Apparently, no one but the minister knew she was going to L.A. to spend some time with Bill Maher. When is the minister going to be honest with Canadians and admit the trip was about her and not about her job as the trade minister?
Mr. Speaker, an appropriate response to the problem of problematic drug use and prescription drug abuse needs to be comprehensive. There is no single strategy that will solve the problem, and there is no single drug that needs to be addressed.The problem of tamper-resistant opioids, if it is applied only to a single drug, will not solve the problem. People will only go to another drug. We will continue with our comprehensive approach that will include increasing education and minimizing harm.
Mr. Speaker, it must be frustrating for the Minister of Finance that the facts keep getting in the way of his rhetoric. Once again, he has been completely contradicted by his own department, which reported that he inherited a $7.5 billion Conservative surplus. Will the Minister of Finance at least try to salvage some credibility and finally admit that the Conservatives left him a surplus, and his own reckless spending squandered it?
Mr. Speaker, as Conservatives host Iran Accountability Week on the Hill, we recognize that Iran is widely considered the world's pre-eminent sponsor of state terrorism through its support of groups, including Hezbollah and Hamas. The Iranian regime has been correctly listed by Canada as a state sponsor of terrorism. This listing has enabled terror victims to sue Iran in Canadian courts and hold the regime accountable.Will the Liberals do the right thing and commit to keeping Iran designated as a state sponsor of terror?
Mr. Speaker, officials at the Department of Finance told me that we would be in a deficit position for 2015-16. The annual financial report will be ready in September.This means that we will now take action to grow the economy. That is how we plan to help improve the lives of middle-class Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, we have no current plans to remove Iran from the list of state supporters of terrorism under the State Immunity Act. The inclusion or exclusion in the future will be based on the actions of the Iranian government. I am sure it was the purpose to improve human rights to protect the people of Iran, and it is very clear that it needs to make a lot of progress. Its record regarding human rights and the relationship with our allies, including Israel, is a problem.
Mr. Speaker, this is just a little recap from our constituency week.Last week, Finance Canada announced that the federal government had a $7.5 billion surplus. It is the fourth time that officials at Finance Canada have actually confirmed that we left them with a surplus, and that is because of our strong fiscal management and the fact that we are prudent on balanced budgets.When the finance minister was asked about this, he waved away the report and said, quite frankly, he is not focusing on that.I think Canadians want him to focus on the numbers. My question for the finance minister is, when will you stop misleading Canadians on what the actual fiscal situation is?
Mr. Speaker, while the previous government left no room for legal recourse, this government continues to work with the Catholic entities. It is very important that they play their part in the reconciliation process and that they fulfill their commitments, regardless of their obligations under the legislation.
Mr. Speaker, we as a government are committed to the proactive disclosure of ministers' expenses. In fact, it was a previous Liberal government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Martin, that first introduced proactive disclosure of ministers' expenses. It was our prime minister in opposition that for the first time ever members of Parliament proactively disclosed their expenses. We are committed to proactive disclosure, and we will continue to be as a government.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to say, thank goodness for Canadians that they made the right choice on October 19.Clearly, the members from other side are still stuck in this whole balanced budget thing. They really
Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House we do understand small business.One of the things I would like all my colleagues to realize is our bizpal program. Entrepreneurs have made it clear to us that navigating through permits and licences, through all levels of government, is confusing, frustrating, and, most important, time consuming.We are proud of our bizpal program. It is one of the many ways we align our efforts with provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to support and respond to what all entrepreneurs and small businesses are asking of us.They want to succeed. They want to create jobs and drive
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Prime Minister's own Department of Finance has confirmed thatdrum roll, pleaseConservatives left a healthy surplus for Canadians. It is undeniable fact, but, sadly, instead of following our lead of low taxes, balanced budgets, and job creation, the Prime Minister is raising taxes, spending recklessly, and has no plan to create jobs.If the Prime Minister will not admit basic facts, how can we trust him to run our economy?
Mr. Speaker, there are two things.One, a fiscal year has 12 months. Two, Canadians hired us to invest in the economy. They hired us to invest in the future growth of this country, and that is exactly what we intend on doing.
Mr. Speaker, it is bad enough that he squandered the surplus, but the Minister of Finance does not have to keep squandering his credibility while he does it.For months, the Minister of Finance has ignored the independent analysis of the PBO, private sector economists, and his own Department of Finance. Instead, he has decided to rely on his own magic to build a reckless budget.Why does the Minister of Finance think that his mismanaging of the public purse is a gain?
Mr. Speaker, as I have already said, the numbers are in the budget. It outlines the exact measures and what they will cost. It is open and transparent for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, this morning La Presse is reporting that, once again, the Liberal government is hiding important information from Canadians, and once again, it has to do with the Department of Finance.The Department of Finance analyzed the cost of the Liberal promises. The document that was released to the public was heavily censored by the minister, obviously because he knows very well that his promises are going to cost Canadians a fortune.Why is the minister hiding information that is so important to Canadians' pocketbooks?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to be clear about what the parliamentary budget officer did say most recently. He said that budget 2016 would in fact help to grow the economy, which is exactly what we put forward to Canadians. We expect that the measures we put in budget 2016 will actually grow the economy by about half a per cent this year and about a whole per cent next year, with 43,000 jobs this year and 100,000 next year. We are pleased with what we put forward and we know that it will be much better for Canadians for the future.
Mr. Speaker, there was a full round of consultations last spring when we were still in government as it led up to the TPP. On April 20, Canada's lead negotiator for the TPP is quoted in The Hill Times, so it must be accurate, saying that this coming year is looking exciting. She will be assisting the international trade minister in ratifying the TPP deal that she worked so hard on, and we agree with that. Now that we have confirmed the Liberals have already made up their mind, will the minister bring the TPP to the House for ratification and start spending more time on trade promotion instead of costly self-promotion?
Mr. Speaker, this weekend, the Prime Minister was proud to say that Quebec's voice is being heard in Ottawa. However, when it comes to assistance for Bombardier, the government has been feeding us the same old lines for months.The Liberals did not present any kind of plan to support the aerospace industry during the election campaign, nor have they done so since taking office. We are talking about an industry that provides direct employment for 76,000 Canadians, and over half of those jobs are in Quebec.Will the Prime Minister finally recognize how important this sector is to our economy and present a clear plan for the aerospace industry?
Mr. Speaker, we are moving forward with a plan that is going to make a real difference for Canadians. It starts by helping middle-class Canadians to have better lives. It started with tax cuts and a move forward with the Canada child benefit that will really improve Canadians' lives. Cheques will be starting this July. Then we are going to move forward with investments that will make a real, long-term difference in the productivity and the strength of our economy so that in the future we will be much better off than we were in the last decade under the last government.
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian government made a commitment to consult Canadians before taking a decision on ratification. That is exactly what we have been doing since taking office. The government has consulted on this agreement on over 250 separate occasions and will continue to do so. I am also very glad that the House of Commons trade committee has invited Canadians to share their opinions with it in public hearings. Perhaps this is something the previous government is not accustomed to, but this is something we have promised Canadians and we are fulfilling this promise.
Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to the Minister of Finance, and to put it mildly, we are becoming accustomed to his lack of transparency, which has been an issue from the beginning. The tax changes were supposed to be revenue neutral, and yet there is a deficit of $1.4 billion. The changes to the Canada child tax benefit were supposed to be revenue neutral, and yet there is a deficit of $1.4 billion. My question for the minister is clear. Will he commit to releasing the study done by his department on the cost of the Liberal promises?
Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, the minister was defending Canada's economic interests when she met with California's business leaders and with elected and public officials.We believe that a $40-billion-a-year trade relationship is important. The minister signed important agreements during her visit to California.
Mr. Speaker, the greatest opportunity to get the TPP ratified is before the next U.S. president takes office. Former Obama defense secretary Leon Panetta says there is a low probability of its passing Congress if it is not passed before the end of this presidential term. Yet the Liberals are engaging in endless consultations here and the minister says it is not her job to promote the TPP. When will the minister spend more time on trade promotion and less time on vanity trips to L.A.?
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Finance informed me that we will be in a deficit position for the year 2015-16. The annual financial report will be out in the month of September. We are focusing on things that really matter for Canadians. Rather than focusing on balancing the budget at all cost, we are investing in Canada; we are investing in Canadians. We started with a tax break, and we will move forward with a budget that is going to help Canadians to live better lives, what they asked us to do on October 19.
Mr. Speaker, in the coming days, controversial French comic Dieudonné is supposed to start a tour in Quebec. A number of politicians, including the mayor of Montreal, do not want him to come, and on the weekend, the Minister of Canadian Heritage implied that the border services officer on duty would be the one to determine Dieudonné's fate.Can the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness tell us what criteria the border services officers will use to decide whether or not to allow this comic into the country?
Mr. Speaker, openness and transparency within the Department of Finance are extremely important to me and to our department.In this case, the department responded to a question in accordance with all the applicable rules. It was independent of me, and that is good.What I want to point out now is that the figures are in budget 2016, and Canadians can see exactly what we did.
Mr. Speaker, I am obliged to repeat, which I am pleased to do. We have no current plans to remove Iran from the list of state supporters of terrorism under the state Immunity act. The inclusion or exclusion in the future will be based on the actions of the Iranian government. I think it was the purpose of this motion and it is why we will respect it. We want to see improvement in Iran. It is why we are engaging this country: to help all of the people of Iran who want more human rights.
Mr. Speaker, I can only say it again. The professionals in the Department of Finance tell us that we will be in a deficit in fiscal year 2015-16, which has not yet been concluded. When the reports come in September, we will see the results. In the interim, we are focusing on what Canadians really care about, and that is to make investments so that we can make their lives better, which is exactly what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, the Treasury Board's guidelines require ministers to disclose their travel and hospitality costs quarterly. For the past eight months the Minister of Finance has been travelling all over Europe, Asia and Canada, but has only disclosed the costs of one trip. The minister is in charge of Canada's finances, but will not even obey the law when it comes to his own travel. Why is the Minister of Finance hiding his own spending from Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, our government does not apologize for promoting Canadian business interests abroad. When the Minister of International Trade was in California, as I and she have mentioned before, she had a series of meetings with business leaders and with officials in the government of California. We think promoting Canada on critical issues like our support, for example, for Syrian refugees is an important part of every member of Parliament's work. We are proud of our Minister of International Trade.
Mr. Speaker, on Friday, when the finance minister was asked about the surplus that he clearly inherited from Conservatives, he said, We dont want to focus on this issue. Of course he does not want to, when his own department, the independent parliamentary budget officer, and economists are telling him that now he is solely responsible for any deficit that Canadians will have to pay back.How can Canadians trust the government to run the economy when its own finance minister will not admit basic facts?
Mr. Speaker, as members know, the governments of Quebec and Manitoba have indicated that they intend to drop their lawsuit against Air Canada, which allows us to clarify the Air Canada Public Participation Act. That is what we are doing in order to avoid more litigation in the future.However, I would like to remind my colleague that jobs will be created in Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to repeat that our government is committed to consulting Canadians on the TPP. The House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade is conducting a study on the TPP. Therefore, I invite all members of the House to participate in this consultation. We are looking forward to a meaningful discussion.
Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the temporary outage that happened in Prince Rupert. I want to assure all members, including the member herself, that the outage had nothing to do with the modernization of our MCTS systems. The outage was caused by a third-party landline. By the way, Comox has virtually no overlapping coverage in this sector, and it was not a factor in the situation at all.
Mr. Speaker, the Canada-European Union comprehensive economic and trade agreement is a major priority for our government, since Canadian companies and business owners will be able to take advantage of the many benefits this agreement offers.We want all sectors of our economy to be able to move forward once this agreement is ratified.Can the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food talk to us about what he is doing to ensure that Canada's dairy industry can continue to grow within a constantly evolving global marketplace?
Mr. Speaker, Canada's forest industry is important to our economy and to communities across the country. Budget 2016 provides $1 billion over four years, starting in 2017-18, to support clean technology in the forestry, fisheries, mining, energy, and agriculture sectors, as part of the Government of Canada's commitment to innovation.
Mr. Speaker, it is clear from the Minister of International Trade's actions that she was not in Los Angeles to negotiate trade agreements in the interest of Canadians.That said, can her government confirm that it will support the trans-Pacific partnership which, let us recall, is good for beef, pork, maple syrup and blueberry producers?
Mr. Speaker, British Columbia's north coast is an incredibly beautiful place, famous for the power of its people. The Prime Minister and his transport minister, twice, joined with us and the people of British Columbia to ban all oil supertankers off that coast. Asked about the threat posed by Enbridge northern gateway, he said, I will not be approving this pipeline.Will he now stand in his place and finally tell British Columbians when he will finally introduce a legislated tanker ban off our beautiful coast?
Mr. Speaker, previously in the House, I have quoted Dr. Atul Gawande, who talks about the fact that people want not only a good death, but they want a good life to the very end. For that reason, I am so committed to palliative care, and so much more work needs to be done. When Canadians face the end of their lives and when they face suffering, they want dignity, independence, and they prefer, if possible, to die at home. For that reason our government will be investing $3 billion to increase access to home care.I will work with the provinces and territories to ensure we increase access to high-quality palliative care for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the minister visited Los Angeles to reinforce the important economic relationship between California and Canada. California and Canada conduct over $40 billion in annual bilateral trade.The minister has made it clear that all the rules appropriate were followed with this trip. In addition to round tables with the business community and creative industries during the Los Angeles trade mission, the minister was proud to promote Canada to an American audience, including Canada's leadership on the Syrian refugee file.
Mr. Speaker, science and data are the cornerstone of good public policy. Canadians expect us to make informed decisions based on reliable data. This is the role Statistics Canada has been fulfilling for many years with its census program. The data collected through the census survey helps policy-makers and planners make decisions on everything from public health to transit to housing. Could the government tell the House what we can expect with the return of the mandatory census program this year?
Mr. Speaker, the trade minister's own officials were not told of the L.A. junket until November 17, two days before she arrived. The department's director of communications did not even know what the minister was doing in L.A. besides the Bill Maher show. Her department scrambled to find events so she could bill the vanity trip to the taxpayers of Canada. When will the trade minister pay for this personal trip so Canadian taxpayers do not have to?
Mr. Speaker, I rarely agree with the Minister of Finance, but this time, he is right. They will be in a deficit position. We had a surplus. I agree with him. The Department of Finance's Fiscal Monitor reported a surplus of $7.5 billion at the end of February, but the government is still announcing a huge deficit. Will the government be posting a $13-billion deficit just for March? I would like the Minister of Finance to respond.
Mr. Speaker, I am absolutely pleased to tell the hon. member that I am sleeping well at night, knowing that what we are doing is making my children and grandchildren better off. We are making them better off by making investments in the economy. We are investing in infrastructure that will make their lives better, that will allow them to have better lives in the future. We are investing in an innovative economy that can actually increase the productive capacity of our country.Canadians made the right choice on October 19. They made the choice to invest.
Mr. Speaker, I can assure my hon. colleague and the House that our government is fully committed to the Canadian dairy industry and the supply management sector. That is why we have announced today that the government will be sitting down with the dairy industry in the coming weeks to get its views on the mitigation package as part of the CETA trade deal.Together, our government will help the industry adjust. We will reach the best possible outcome for our dairy industry, and ensure Canadian agriculture is safer, stronger, and more innovative.
Mr. Speaker, we are absolutely going to fulfill our obligations under the tribunal ruling, including the new definition and broader definition of Jordan's principle. It is extraordinary. I had a very good meeting this morning with Dr. Blackstock and the AFN. We are going to work with the provinces and territories to get this done.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to make it clear for the hon. member that the Communications Security Establishment has no oversight over CSIS.To answer her question, CSE has proactively worked with the commissioner on all aspects. They do have a good working relationship, because CSE abides by Canadian law, including the Privacy Act.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Richmond Hill for his efforts in supporting good data collection.I am proud to say that my first official act was to reinstate the mandatory long-form census. Today, census letters and packages are being sent to all Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Canadians will have access to high-quality data that truly reflects the needs of our communities and businesses. After 10 years, evidence-based decision-making is back.
Mr. Speaker, more than 26,000 Quebeckers, including Christian Tremblay, in my riding, will be penalized for selling their businesses to family, because Ottawa does not allow them a deduction for capital gains. Quebec does allow this deduction.Instead of using Quebec as a model, the government claims that the system is working and that the situation is fair. That is what we hear from the member for Saint-MauriceChamplain.When will a Liberal from Quebec stand up for Quebec businesses?
Mr. Speaker, we understand that this is an important issue for some families.We believe that the existing system works and that it is fair to all taxpayers. We are listening. We continue to focus on economic growth, and we will listen to Canadians to make sure that things are working.
Mr. Speaker, a number of seniors in Brampton South have asked me about access to better palliative care and home care options.Our government was elected with a mandate to provide more and better home care services, including palliative care. On this National Hospice Palliative Care Week, could the Minister of Health update the House about her work to improve home and palliative care for all Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, small businesses are the job creators of our country. We thought the Liberals understood this when they campaigned to lower small business taxes, but Liberals have clearly broken that promise.New documents obtained by the parliamentary budget office show the Liberal plan will take $2.1 billion out of the pockets of small business. Why are the Liberals taking billions from small business, and why are they hiding this cash grab in an omnibus budget bill?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are clearly choosing to ignore the evidence here. During the campaign, the Prime Minister promised Canadians they would reopen the Kitsilano Coast Guard station. Once in power, the minister assured Canadians it would be operational 24/7, 365. Now it appears that is not the case. The base will only reopen on a part-time basis. Why did the minister mislead Canadians about this commitment?
Mr. Speaker, I do not know what the hon. member has against consultation. I do not know what the hon. member has against the hard work by the members of the Standing Committee on International Trade. Our minister, our parliamentary secretary, and our government are committed to fulfilling our promise to consult Canadians. We are working very hard on these consultations and I invite the hon. member and his colleagues to participate in these consultations.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to raise another very important subject. Yesterday, I joined 4,000 people at a rally in Saint-Félicien in support of the forestry industry.The industry is active across Canada, but for years, it has been subjected to vicious attacks by a number of environmental groups that are spreading misinformation about forestry practices in Canada.Can the government confirm that it will support Canada's forestry industry, which employs people from coast to coast?
Mr. Speaker, Communications Security Establishment Canada, which by the way oversees CSIS, is responsible for reporting serious privacy breaches to the commissioner. However, instead, it is hiding them. The Privacy Commissioner stated that CSE does not give the Office of the Privacy Commissioner enough information. Does the government agree with the NDP that withholding information about serious privacy breaches is simply wrong?
Mr. Speaker, what I mean is that we now know we will be in a deficit position for 2015-16. The report will be ready in September. Now we have a plan to grow the economy. That is what we need to do because growth was very slow over the past decade.
Mr. Speaker, last December, I announced that we would be reopening Kitsilano. I am proud to say that yesterday we kept that commitment and the base became operational. We are continuing our phase-in capacity at the base. By the May long weekend, the same number of search and rescue crew will be on site at the facility as was previously.
That is odd, Mr. Speaker, because that is not what the commissioner said. Clearly the government is not taking privacy protection seriously. Today we learn that the Communications Security Establishment is refusing to report privacy breaches to the Privacy Commissioner. However, it shares data on Canadians with its foreign partners.Will the government keep its promises of transparency and force the CSE to co-operate?
Mr. Speaker, in the previous report that the commissioner released, he said that a CSE official proactively provided the information to them, which allowed them to conduct a thorough investigation.I also want to remind the hon. member that CSE plays a critical role in protecting against cyber-threats, foreign espionage, and foreign-based terrorist threats as well.
Mr. Speaker, in a few days the Liberal government will be shutting down the Comox MCTS station. The minister keeps claiming there is no risk. However, just last weekend a massive communications failure in Prince Rupert meant that the entire west coast of Vancouver Island was left with no marine safety communications. This put the lives of mariners in danger. Will the minister now reverse the Conservative decision to close the Comox station?
Mr. Speaker, as everyone knows, I was mandated to establish a formal moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic on the north coast of British Columbia. I am doing this in concert with my colleagues, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard; the Minister of Environment; and the Minister of Natural Resources. We are proceeding with consultations with first nations, with environmental groups, and with the shipping industry. We are doing our homework.When we have something to say, we will say it.
Mr. Speaker, our government celebrates Canadian diversity as a tremendous source of strength, and the Jewish community in Canada is an integral part of that. We will always stand firm against intolerance and hate, as we continue to build an open, inclusive society.With respect to the admissibility of a particular individual, border security officers make those determinations on the basis of the facts at ports of entry in accordance to Canadian law.I would point out that past criminality is a factor that is certainly taken into account.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Foreign Affairs told the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development that Canada was taking the necessary steps to engage with Iran and to eventually open an embassy in Tehran.Will the Minister commit today to consult with Iranian Canadians before a final decision is made and to be transparent and provide the opposition critics the risk assessment for a Canadian delegation in Tehran?
Mr. Speaker, we know that the Minister of International Trade spent public money to appear on a Hollywood talk show and neglected her ministerial duties.Can the minister explain how she was defending Canada's trade interests by rushing to Los Angeles to be interviewed by Bill Maher, with taxpayers footing the $20,000 bill?
Mr. Speaker, documents released through access to information indicate the Minister of International Trade left her officials in the dark about her vanity trip to California and there are significant factual inconsistencies with the answers the minister has provided about her California dream trip. She billed the taxpayer-funded junket to L.A. around her late night TV appearance. Does the minister believe that her ministry is just an extension of her so-called celebrity journalism career?
Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows very well that I always give him my full co-operation. However, it is common knowledge that we prefer to engage rather than to withdraw or retreat. It was a mistake for Canada to sever ties with Iran. The human rights situation in Iran is no better for it. Israel's situation has also not improved. We are not in a position to help our allies or to help Canadian interests, Canadian families and Iranian Canadians because of the previous government's empty-chair and withdrawal policy.
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, my mandate letter requires me to establish a formal moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic on the north coast of British Columbia. I am doing this in concert with my colleagues, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and the Minister of Natural Resources. We are working on that right now.We are also consulting with first nations, environmental groups, and the shipping industry. When we have something to say, we will say it.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for giving me an opportunity to repeat my answer once again. The contract was signed by the previous government, and it was signed in full. During the election campaign, both the Liberal Party and the NDP pledged to honour the contract. That meant the export permits would land on the Minister of Foreign Affairs' desk. I will block those permits if the military equipment is ever used to violate human rights or against the interests of Canada and its allies.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals were indeed left $7.5 billion in surplus. That being said, their plan is to plunge us into billions and billions of dollars of debt. Interestingly enough, the Minister of Finance wrote a book. In his book he said that debt prevents you from doing things, such as sleeping well at night.My question for the Minister of Finance is this. How is he sleeping at night?
Mr. Speaker, when the minister found out that the Church did not fulfill its obligation to contribute $25 million to fund programs for victims of residential schools, she said she was powerless and there was nothing she could do. However, that sum is in the court-approved settlement. What is more, it was her department that authorized the agreement that let the Church off the hook.When will the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs compel the Church to fulfill its obligations to the victims of residential schools?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have abandoned regulations that would require generic drugs to have tamper-resistant properties. This decision has put the health and safety of Canadians at risk. Not only does the decision allow for drug tampering and misuse to continue, but doctors themselves are now hesitating to prescribe these drugs to those who need them, fearing the drugs will end up on the illicit market.Will the Minister of Health listen to physicians on the ground and reintroduce tamper-resistant regulations?
Mr. Speaker, we are following the ruling of your predecessor. As you will know, prior to that ruling, independent MPs could not propose amendments at committees.We are trying to ensure that members of Parliament from non-recognized parties in this House have an opportunity to play a constructive role in the legislative process at the committee stage, and we are giving MPs from non-recognized parties a bigger role in those committees.
Mr. Speaker, the Human Rights Tribunal has made it clear that it is fed up with the government's inaction on dealing with the issue of racial discrimination against indigenous children. It points out that the Liberal budget failed children in the area of child welfare. The government continues to deny medical services to children and fights their families in court. The tribunal has effectively put indigenous affairs under third party management because it simply does not trust the government. To the Prime Minister, as the minister of youth, will he respect this ruling and if so, what are the immediate steps the government will take to end the systemic discrimination against indigenous children in this country?
Mr. Speaker, we need look no farther than Iran's supreme leader and official state media to get a clear and obvious handle on Iran's terrorist agenda. The regime boasts about its financial support of its terrorist proxies, its rogue missile program, and regularly proclaims the destruction of Israel a regime priority. Iran's state television this month is calling for young men to volunteer to fight in Syria, to position to invade Israel. How can the Liberals, even for an instant, consider delisting Iran as a state sponsor of terror?
Mr. Speaker, how long does it exactly take to just say no?The government has refused, again, to give us any timeline whatsoever, and offered only more confusion. Just a few days ago, I visited the central coast and Haida Gwaii. The people there, the first nations there, are particularly shocked and saddened by the government's unwillingness to be clear, and perhaps willingness to betray that sacred promise.The Prime Minister also stood on Haida Gwaii and promised to the people, promised to the Haida, promised to British Columbians, that he would be an ally and he would bring this tanker ban forward.When exactly are we going to see it?
Mr. Speaker, our government understands the importance of the aerospace sector. We understand that it creates 180,000 jobs from coast to coast to coast. We understand that it contributes $29 billion to our economy as well. It is also about supporting the supplier base. That is why we are engaged with the company. We are engaged in a meaningful dialogue with the company to ensure we set it up for success in the long term, because we want to have a thriving and growing aerospace sector in this country.
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the hon. government House leader.We all know that in this place, in theory, all members of Parliament are equal, but sometimes large majority parties will use their power, and I think it is an abuse of power, to reduce the rights of smaller party MPs, such as in the fall 2013, where every single committee was told to pass a motion to take away the rights of smaller party MPs at report stage.I am very distressed to find that the same motion is now being asked to be passed in every committee by the Liberal majority.Will the hon. government House leader please reflect on his letter of mandate and reconsider?
Mr. Speaker, selling armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia is immoral and contrary to the ethics of responsibility. The Minister of Foreign Affairs knows that.The United Nations confirmed that the Saudi army is targeting schools and civilians in Yemen. PBS showed that Saudi Arabia was using its armoured vehicles against political dissidents. Even so, the minister insists on honouring contracts, and he is using every intellectual trick in the book to justify his decision even though the armoured vehicles are being used for ill. He calls it responsible conviction.When will the minister stop being an accomplice and stop the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are ignoring the facts and the truth. We now have confirmation that the Conservatives left a significant surplus.Will the Prime Minister now admit that we left a surplus and that he is the only one responsible for our current financial mess?
Mr. Speaker, that was not a clear or specific answer.This government shows no interest in supporting aerospace workers and their families. It would rather give Air Canada carte blanche with Bill C-10, which sacrifices the jobs and quality of life of 2,600 families. The government does not even have the courage to let us have an in-depth debate on this issue in Parliament.Is the Prime Minister not ashamed of abandoning the workers like this, especially after he joined them in their protest?
Mr. Speaker, one group of people who were not in the dark about the minister's trip to California was the business leaders, the academic leaders, and the government leaders that she met with when she was in California to promote Canadian trade.Forty billion dollars a year in bilateral trade is something we think is important. If the member does not think so, then he has a different view from this side of the House.
Mr. Speaker, we know the minister rescheduled her personal vanity trip to California from October to November, after she was appointed to cabinet. Emails released through access to information indicate her staff was left in the dark until the final days of her L.A. departure. Apparently, no one but the minister knew she was going to L.A. to spend some time with Bill Maher. When is the minister going to be honest with Canadians and admit the trip was about her and not about her job as the trade minister?
Mr. Speaker, an appropriate response to the problem of problematic drug use and prescription drug abuse needs to be comprehensive. There is no single strategy that will solve the problem, and there is no single drug that needs to be addressed.The problem of tamper-resistant opioids, if it is applied only to a single drug, will not solve the problem. People will only go to another drug. We will continue with our comprehensive approach that will include increasing education and minimizing harm.
Mr. Speaker, it must be frustrating for the Minister of Finance that the facts keep getting in the way of his rhetoric. Once again, he has been completely contradicted by his own department, which reported that he inherited a $7.5 billion Conservative surplus. Will the Minister of Finance at least try to salvage some credibility and finally admit that the Conservatives left him a surplus, and his own reckless spending squandered it?
Mr. Speaker, as Conservatives host Iran Accountability Week on the Hill, we recognize that Iran is widely considered the world's pre-eminent sponsor of state terrorism through its support of groups, including Hezbollah and Hamas. The Iranian regime has been correctly listed by Canada as a state sponsor of terrorism. This listing has enabled terror victims to sue Iran in Canadian courts and hold the regime accountable.Will the Liberals do the right thing and commit to keeping Iran designated as a state sponsor of terror?
Mr. Speaker, officials at the Department of Finance told me that we would be in a deficit position for 2015-16. The annual financial report will be ready in September.This means that we will now take action to grow the economy. That is how we plan to help improve the lives of middle-class Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, we have no current plans to remove Iran from the list of state supporters of terrorism under the State Immunity Act. The inclusion or exclusion in the future will be based on the actions of the Iranian government. I am sure it was the purpose to improve human rights to protect the people of Iran, and it is very clear that it needs to make a lot of progress. Its record regarding human rights and the relationship with our allies, including Israel, is a problem.
Mr. Speaker, this is just a little recap from our constituency week.Last week, Finance Canada announced that the federal government had a $7.5 billion surplus. It is the fourth time that officials at Finance Canada have actually confirmed that we left them with a surplus, and that is because of our strong fiscal management and the fact that we are prudent on balanced budgets.When the finance minister was asked about this, he waved away the report and said, quite frankly, he is not focusing on that.I think Canadians want him to focus on the numbers. My question for the finance minister is, when will you stop misleading Canadians on what the actual fiscal situation is?
Mr. Speaker, while the previous government left no room for legal recourse, this government continues to work with the Catholic entities. It is very important that they play their part in the reconciliation process and that they fulfill their commitments, regardless of their obligations under the legislation.
Mr. Speaker, we as a government are committed to the proactive disclosure of ministers' expenses. In fact, it was a previous Liberal government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Martin, that first introduced proactive disclosure of ministers' expenses. It was our prime minister in opposition that for the first time ever members of Parliament proactively disclosed their expenses. We are committed to proactive disclosure, and we will continue to be as a government.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to say, thank goodness for Canadians that they made the right choice on October 19.Clearly, the members from other side are still stuck in this whole balanced budget thing. They really
Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House we do understand small business.One of the things I would like all my colleagues to realize is our bizpal program. Entrepreneurs have made it clear to us that navigating through permits and licences, through all levels of government, is confusing, frustrating, and, most important, time consuming.We are proud of our bizpal program. It is one of the many ways we align our efforts with provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to support and respond to what all entrepreneurs and small businesses are asking of us.They want to succeed. They want to create jobs and drive
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Prime Minister's own Department of Finance has confirmed thatdrum roll, pleaseConservatives left a healthy surplus for Canadians. It is undeniable fact, but, sadly, instead of following our lead of low taxes, balanced budgets, and job creation, the Prime Minister is raising taxes, spending recklessly, and has no plan to create jobs.If the Prime Minister will not admit basic facts, how can we trust him to run our economy?
Mr. Speaker, there are two things.One, a fiscal year has 12 months. Two, Canadians hired us to invest in the economy. They hired us to invest in the future growth of this country, and that is exactly what we intend on doing.
Mr. Speaker, it is bad enough that he squandered the surplus, but the Minister of Finance does not have to keep squandering his credibility while he does it.For months, the Minister of Finance has ignored the independent analysis of the PBO, private sector economists, and his own Department of Finance. Instead, he has decided to rely on his own magic to build a reckless budget.Why does the Minister of Finance think that his mismanaging of the public purse is a gain?
Mr. Speaker, as I have already said, the numbers are in the budget. It outlines the exact measures and what they will cost. It is open and transparent for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, this morning La Presse is reporting that, once again, the Liberal government is hiding important information from Canadians, and once again, it has to do with the Department of Finance.The Department of Finance analyzed the cost of the Liberal promises. The document that was released to the public was heavily censored by the minister, obviously because he knows very well that his promises are going to cost Canadians a fortune.Why is the minister hiding information that is so important to Canadians' pocketbooks?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to be clear about what the parliamentary budget officer did say most recently. He said that budget 2016 would in fact help to grow the economy, which is exactly what we put forward to Canadians. We expect that the measures we put in budget 2016 will actually grow the economy by about half a per cent this year and about a whole per cent next year, with 43,000 jobs this year and 100,000 next year. We are pleased with what we put forward and we know that it will be much better for Canadians for the future.
Mr. Speaker, there was a full round of consultations last spring when we were still in government as it led up to the TPP. On April 20, Canada's lead negotiator for the TPP is quoted in The Hill Times, so it must be accurate, saying that this coming year is looking exciting. She will be assisting the international trade minister in ratifying the TPP deal that she worked so hard on, and we agree with that. Now that we have confirmed the Liberals have already made up their mind, will the minister bring the TPP to the House for ratification and start spending more time on trade promotion instead of costly self-promotion?
Mr. Speaker, this weekend, the Prime Minister was proud to say that Quebec's voice is being heard in Ottawa. However, when it comes to assistance for Bombardier, the government has been feeding us the same old lines for months.The Liberals did not present any kind of plan to support the aerospace industry during the election campaign, nor have they done so since taking office. We are talking about an industry that provides direct employment for 76,000 Canadians, and over half of those jobs are in Quebec.Will the Prime Minister finally recognize how important this sector is to our economy and present a clear plan for the aerospace industry?
Mr. Speaker, we are moving forward with a plan that is going to make a real difference for Canadians. It starts by helping middle-class Canadians to have better lives. It started with tax cuts and a move forward with the Canada child benefit that will really improve Canadians' lives. Cheques will be starting this July. Then we are going to move forward with investments that will make a real, long-term difference in the productivity and the strength of our economy so that in the future we will be much better off than we were in the last decade under the last government.
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian government made a commitment to consult Canadians before taking a decision on ratification. That is exactly what we have been doing since taking office. The government has consulted on this agreement on over 250 separate occasions and will continue to do so. I am also very glad that the House of Commons trade committee has invited Canadians to share their opinions with it in public hearings. Perhaps this is something the previous government is not accustomed to, but this is something we have promised Canadians and we are fulfilling this promise.
Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to the Minister of Finance, and to put it mildly, we are becoming accustomed to his lack of transparency, which has been an issue from the beginning. The tax changes were supposed to be revenue neutral, and yet there is a deficit of $1.4 billion. The changes to the Canada child tax benefit were supposed to be revenue neutral, and yet there is a deficit of $1.4 billion. My question for the minister is clear. Will he commit to releasing the study done by his department on the cost of the Liberal promises?
Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, the minister was defending Canada's economic interests when she met with California's business leaders and with elected and public officials.We believe that a $40-billion-a-year trade relationship is important. The minister signed important agreements during her visit to California.
Mr. Speaker, the greatest opportunity to get the TPP ratified is before the next U.S. president takes office. Former Obama defense secretary Leon Panetta says there is a low probability of its passing Congress if it is not passed before the end of this presidential term. Yet the Liberals are engaging in endless consultations here and the minister says it is not her job to promote the TPP. When will the minister spend more time on trade promotion and less time on vanity trips to L.A.?
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Finance informed me that we will be in a deficit position for the year 2015-16. The annual financial report will be out in the month of September. We are focusing on things that really matter for Canadians. Rather than focusing on balancing the budget at all cost, we are investing in Canada; we are investing in Canadians. We started with a tax break, and we will move forward with a budget that is going to help Canadians to live better lives, what they asked us to do on October 19.
Mr. Speaker, in the coming days, controversial French comic Dieudonné is supposed to start a tour in Quebec. A number of politicians, including the mayor of Montreal, do not want him to come, and on the weekend, the Minister of Canadian Heritage implied that the border services officer on duty would be the one to determine Dieudonné's fate.Can the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness tell us what criteria the border services officers will use to decide whether or not to allow this comic into the country?
Mr. Speaker, openness and transparency within the Department of Finance are extremely important to me and to our department.In this case, the department responded to a question in accordance with all the applicable rules. It was independent of me, and that is good.What I want to point out now is that the figures are in budget 2016, and Canadians can see exactly what we did.
Mr. Speaker, I am obliged to repeat, which I am pleased to do. We have no current plans to remove Iran from the list of state supporters of terrorism under the state Immunity act. The inclusion or exclusion in the future will be based on the actions of the Iranian government. I think it was the purpose of this motion and it is why we will respect it. We want to see improvement in Iran. It is why we are engaging this country: to help all of the people of Iran who want more human rights.
Mr. Speaker, I can only say it again. The professionals in the Department of Finance tell us that we will be in a deficit in fiscal year 2015-16, which has not yet been concluded. When the reports come in September, we will see the results. In the interim, we are focusing on what Canadians really care about, and that is to make investments so that we can make their lives better, which is exactly what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, the Treasury Board's guidelines require ministers to disclose their travel and hospitality costs quarterly. For the past eight months the Minister of Finance has been travelling all over Europe, Asia and Canada, but has only disclosed the costs of one trip. The minister is in charge of Canada's finances, but will not even obey the law when it comes to his own travel. Why is the Minister of Finance hiding his own spending from Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, our government does not apologize for promoting Canadian business interests abroad. When the Minister of International Trade was in California, as I and she have mentioned before, she had a series of meetings with business leaders and with officials in the government of California. We think promoting Canada on critical issues like our support, for example, for Syrian refugees is an important part of every member of Parliament's work. We are proud of our Minister of International Trade.
Mr. Speaker, on Friday, when the finance minister was asked about the surplus that he clearly inherited from Conservatives, he said, We dont want to focus on this issue. Of course he does not want to, when his own department, the independent parliamentary budget officer, and economists are telling him that now he is solely responsible for any deficit that Canadians will have to pay back.How can Canadians trust the government to run the economy when its own finance minister will not admit basic facts?
Mr. Speaker, as members know, the governments of Quebec and Manitoba have indicated that they intend to drop their lawsuit against Air Canada, which allows us to clarify the Air Canada Public Participation Act. That is what we are doing in order to avoid more litigation in the future.However, I would like to remind my colleague that jobs will be created in Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to repeat that our government is committed to consulting Canadians on the TPP. The House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade is conducting a study on the TPP. Therefore, I invite all members of the House to participate in this consultation. We are looking forward to a meaningful discussion.
Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the temporary outage that happened in Prince Rupert. I want to assure all members, including the member herself, that the outage had nothing to do with the modernization of our MCTS systems. The outage was caused by a third-party landline. By the way, Comox has virtually no overlapping coverage in this sector, and it was not a factor in the situation at all.
Mr. Speaker, the Canada-European Union comprehensive economic and trade agreement is a major priority for our government, since Canadian companies and business owners will be able to take advantage of the many benefits this agreement offers.We want all sectors of our economy to be able to move forward once this agreement is ratified.Can the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food talk to us about what he is doing to ensure that Canada's dairy industry can continue to grow within a constantly evolving global marketplace?
Mr. Speaker, Canada's forest industry is important to our economy and to communities across the country. Budget 2016 provides $1 billion over four years, starting in 2017-18, to support clean technology in the forestry, fisheries, mining, energy, and agriculture sectors, as part of the Government of Canada's commitment to innovation.
Mr. Speaker, it is clear from the Minister of International Trade's actions that she was not in Los Angeles to negotiate trade agreements in the interest of Canadians.That said, can her government confirm that it will support the trans-Pacific partnership which, let us recall, is good for beef, pork, maple syrup and blueberry producers?
Mr. Speaker, British Columbia's north coast is an incredibly beautiful place, famous for the power of its people. The Prime Minister and his transport minister, twice, joined with us and the people of British Columbia to ban all oil supertankers off that coast. Asked about the threat posed by Enbridge northern gateway, he said, I will not be approving this pipeline.Will he now stand in his place and finally tell British Columbians when he will finally introduce a legislated tanker ban off our beautiful coast?
Mr. Speaker, previously in the House, I have quoted Dr. Atul Gawande, who talks about the fact that people want not only a good death, but they want a good life to the very end. For that reason, I am so committed to palliative care, and so much more work needs to be done. When Canadians face the end of their lives and when they face suffering, they want dignity, independence, and they prefer, if possible, to die at home. For that reason our government will be investing $3 billion to increase access to home care.I will work with the provinces and territories to ensure we increase access to high-quality palliative care for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the minister visited Los Angeles to reinforce the important economic relationship between California and Canada. California and Canada conduct over $40 billion in annual bilateral trade.The minister has made it clear that all the rules appropriate were followed with this trip. In addition to round tables with the business community and creative industries during the Los Angeles trade mission, the minister was proud to promote Canada to an American audience, including Canada's leadership on the Syrian refugee file.
Mr. Speaker, science and data are the cornerstone of good public policy. Canadians expect us to make informed decisions based on reliable data. This is the role Statistics Canada has been fulfilling for many years with its census program. The data collected through the census survey helps policy-makers and planners make decisions on everything from public health to transit to housing. Could the government tell the House what we can expect with the return of the mandatory census program this year?
Mr. Speaker, the trade minister's own officials were not told of the L.A. junket until November 17, two days before she arrived. The department's director of communications did not even know what the minister was doing in L.A. besides the Bill Maher show. Her department scrambled to find events so she could bill the vanity trip to the taxpayers of Canada. When will the trade minister pay for this personal trip so Canadian taxpayers do not have to?
Mr. Speaker, I rarely agree with the Minister of Finance, but this time, he is right. They will be in a deficit position. We had a surplus. I agree with him. The Department of Finance's Fiscal Monitor reported a surplus of $7.5 billion at the end of February, but the government is still announcing a huge deficit. Will the government be posting a $13-billion deficit just for March? I would like the Minister of Finance to respond.
Mr. Speaker, I am absolutely pleased to tell the hon. member that I am sleeping well at night, knowing that what we are doing is making my children and grandchildren better off. We are making them better off by making investments in the economy. We are investing in infrastructure that will make their lives better, that will allow them to have better lives in the future. We are investing in an innovative economy that can actually increase the productive capacity of our country.Canadians made the right choice on October 19. They made the choice to invest.
Mr. Speaker, I can assure my hon. colleague and the House that our government is fully committed to the Canadian dairy industry and the supply management sector. That is why we have announced today that the government will be sitting down with the dairy industry in the coming weeks to get its views on the mitigation package as part of the CETA trade deal.Together, our government will help the industry adjust. We will reach the best possible outcome for our dairy industry, and ensure Canadian agriculture is safer, stronger, and more innovative.
Mr. Speaker, we are absolutely going to fulfill our obligations under the tribunal ruling, including the new definition and broader definition of Jordan's principle. It is extraordinary. I had a very good meeting this morning with Dr. Blackstock and the AFN. We are going to work with the provinces and territories to get this done.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to make it clear for the hon. member that the Communications Security Establishment has no oversight over CSIS.To answer her question, CSE has proactively worked with the commissioner on all aspects. They do have a good working relationship, because CSE abides by Canadian law, including the Privacy Act.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Richmond Hill for his efforts in supporting good data collection.I am proud to say that my first official act was to reinstate the mandatory long-form census. Today, census letters and packages are being sent to all Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Canadians will have access to high-quality data that truly reflects the needs of our communities and businesses. After 10 years, evidence-based decision-making is back.
Mr. Speaker, more than 26,000 Quebeckers, including Christian Tremblay, in my riding, will be penalized for selling their businesses to family, because Ottawa does not allow them a deduction for capital gains. Quebec does allow this deduction.Instead of using Quebec as a model, the government claims that the system is working and that the situation is fair. That is what we hear from the member for Saint-MauriceChamplain.When will a Liberal from Quebec stand up for Quebec businesses?
Mr. Speaker, we understand that this is an important issue for some families.We believe that the existing system works and that it is fair to all taxpayers. We are listening. We continue to focus on economic growth, and we will listen to Canadians to make sure that things are working.
Mr. Speaker, a number of seniors in Brampton South have asked me about access to better palliative care and home care options.Our government was elected with a mandate to provide more and better home care services, including palliative care. On this National Hospice Palliative Care Week, could the Minister of Health update the House about her work to improve home and palliative care for all Canadians?
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Mr. Speaker, a number of seniors in Brampton South have asked me about access to better palliative care and home care options.Our government was elected with a mandate to provide more and better home care services, including palliative care. On this National Hospice Palliative Care Week, could the Minister of Health update the House about her work to improve home and palliative care for all Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, we understand that this is an important issue for some families.We believe that the existing system works and that it is fair to all taxpayers. We are listening. We continue to focus on economic growth, and we will listen to Canadians to make sure that things are working.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to make it clear for the hon. member that the Communications Security Establishment has no oversight over CSIS.To answer her question, CSE has proactively worked with the commissioner on all aspects. They do have a good working relationship, because CSE abides by Canadian law, including the Privacy Act.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Richmond Hill for his efforts in supporting good data collection.I am proud to say that my first official act was to reinstate the mandatory long-form census. Today, census letters and packages are being sent to all Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Canadians will have access to high-quality data that truly reflects the needs of our communities and businesses. After 10 years, evidence-based decision-making is back.
Mr. Speaker, more than 26,000 Quebeckers, including Christian Tremblay, in my riding, will be penalized for selling their businesses to family, because Ottawa does not allow them a deduction for capital gains. Quebec does allow this deduction.Instead of using Quebec as a model, the government claims that the system is working and that the situation is fair. That is what we hear from the member for Saint-MauriceChamplain.When will a Liberal from Quebec stand up for Quebec businesses?
Mr. Speaker, we are absolutely going to fulfill our obligations under the tribunal ruling, including the new definition and broader definition of Jordan's principle. It is extraordinary. I had a very good meeting this morning with Dr. Blackstock and the AFN. We are going to work with the provinces and territories to get this done.
Mr. Speaker, I can assure my hon. colleague and the House that our government is fully committed to the Canadian dairy industry and the supply management sector. That is why we have announced today that the government will be sitting down with the dairy industry in the coming weeks to get its views on the mitigation package as part of the CETA trade deal.Together, our government will help the industry adjust. We will reach the best possible outcome for our dairy industry, and ensure Canadian agriculture is safer, stronger, and more innovative.
Mr. Speaker, I am absolutely pleased to tell the hon. member that I am sleeping well at night, knowing that what we are doing is making my children and grandchildren better off. We are making them better off by making investments in the economy. We are investing in infrastructure that will make their lives better, that will allow them to have better lives in the future. We are investing in an innovative economy that can actually increase the productive capacity of our country.Canadians made the right choice on October 19. They made the choice to invest.
Mr. Speaker, I rarely agree with the Minister of Finance, but this time, he is right. They will be in a deficit position. We had a surplus. I agree with him. The Department of Finance's Fiscal Monitor reported a surplus of $7.5 billion at the end of February, but the government is still announcing a huge deficit. Will the government be posting a $13-billion deficit just for March? I would like the Minister of Finance to respond.
Mr. Speaker, science and data are the cornerstone of good public policy. Canadians expect us to make informed decisions based on reliable data. This is the role Statistics Canada has been fulfilling for many years with its census program. The data collected through the census survey helps policy-makers and planners make decisions on everything from public health to transit to housing. Could the government tell the House what we can expect with the return of the mandatory census program this year?
Mr. Speaker, the trade minister's own officials were not told of the L.A. junket until November 17, two days before she arrived. The department's director of communications did not even know what the minister was doing in L.A. besides the Bill Maher show. Her department scrambled to find events so she could bill the vanity trip to the taxpayers of Canada. When will the trade minister pay for this personal trip so Canadian taxpayers do not have to?
Mr. Speaker, the minister visited Los Angeles to reinforce the important economic relationship between California and Canada. California and Canada conduct over $40 billion in annual bilateral trade.The minister has made it clear that all the rules appropriate were followed with this trip. In addition to round tables with the business community and creative industries during the Los Angeles trade mission, the minister was proud to promote Canada to an American audience, including Canada's leadership on the Syrian refugee file.
Mr. Speaker, previously in the House, I have quoted Dr. Atul Gawande, who talks about the fact that people want not only a good death, but they want a good life to the very end. For that reason, I am so committed to palliative care, and so much more work needs to be done. When Canadians face the end of their lives and when they face suffering, they want dignity, independence, and they prefer, if possible, to die at home. For that reason our government will be investing $3 billion to increase access to home care.I will work with the provinces and territories to ensure we increase access to high-quality palliative care for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, British Columbia's north coast is an incredibly beautiful place, famous for the power of its people. The Prime Minister and his transport minister, twice, joined with us and the people of British Columbia to ban all oil supertankers off that coast. Asked about the threat posed by Enbridge northern gateway, he said, I will not be approving this pipeline.Will he now stand in his place and finally tell British Columbians when he will finally introduce a legislated tanker ban off our beautiful coast?
Mr. Speaker, it is clear from the Minister of International Trade's actions that she was not in Los Angeles to negotiate trade agreements in the interest of Canadians.That said, can her government confirm that it will support the trans-Pacific partnership which, let us recall, is good for beef, pork, maple syrup and blueberry producers?
Mr. Speaker, Canada's forest industry is important to our economy and to communities across the country. Budget 2016 provides $1 billion over four years, starting in 2017-18, to support clean technology in the forestry, fisheries, mining, energy, and agriculture sectors, as part of the Government of Canada's commitment to innovation.
Mr. Speaker, the Canada-European Union comprehensive economic and trade agreement is a major priority for our government, since Canadian companies and business owners will be able to take advantage of the many benefits this agreement offers.We want all sectors of our economy to be able to move forward once this agreement is ratified.Can the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food talk to us about what he is doing to ensure that Canada's dairy industry can continue to grow within a constantly evolving global marketplace?
Mr. Speaker, on Friday, when the finance minister was asked about the surplus that he clearly inherited from Conservatives, he said, We dont want to focus on this issue. Of course he does not want to, when his own department, the independent parliamentary budget officer, and economists are telling him that now he is solely responsible for any deficit that Canadians will have to pay back.How can Canadians trust the government to run the economy when its own finance minister will not admit basic facts?
Mr. Speaker, as members know, the governments of Quebec and Manitoba have indicated that they intend to drop their lawsuit against Air Canada, which allows us to clarify the Air Canada Public Participation Act. That is what we are doing in order to avoid more litigation in the future.However, I would like to remind my colleague that jobs will be created in Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to repeat that our government is committed to consulting Canadians on the TPP. The House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade is conducting a study on the TPP. Therefore, I invite all members of the House to participate in this consultation. We are looking forward to a meaningful discussion.
Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the temporary outage that happened in Prince Rupert. I want to assure all members, including the member herself, that the outage had nothing to do with the modernization of our MCTS systems. The outage was caused by a third-party landline. By the way, Comox has virtually no overlapping coverage in this sector, and it was not a factor in the situation at all.
Mr. Speaker, our government does not apologize for promoting Canadian business interests abroad. When the Minister of International Trade was in California, as I and she have mentioned before, she had a series of meetings with business leaders and with officials in the government of California. We think promoting Canada on critical issues like our support, for example, for Syrian refugees is an important part of every member of Parliament's work. We are proud of our Minister of International Trade.
Mr. Speaker, I can only say it again. The professionals in the Department of Finance tell us that we will be in a deficit in fiscal year 2015-16, which has not yet been concluded. When the reports come in September, we will see the results. In the interim, we are focusing on what Canadians really care about, and that is to make investments so that we can make their lives better, which is exactly what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, the Treasury Board's guidelines require ministers to disclose their travel and hospitality costs quarterly. For the past eight months the Minister of Finance has been travelling all over Europe, Asia and Canada, but has only disclosed the costs of one trip. The minister is in charge of Canada's finances, but will not even obey the law when it comes to his own travel. Why is the Minister of Finance hiding his own spending from Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, I am obliged to repeat, which I am pleased to do. We have no current plans to remove Iran from the list of state supporters of terrorism under the state Immunity act. The inclusion or exclusion in the future will be based on the actions of the Iranian government. I think it was the purpose of this motion and it is why we will respect it. We want to see improvement in Iran. It is why we are engaging this country: to help all of the people of Iran who want more human rights.
Mr. Speaker, openness and transparency within the Department of Finance are extremely important to me and to our department.In this case, the department responded to a question in accordance with all the applicable rules. It was independent of me, and that is good.What I want to point out now is that the figures are in budget 2016, and Canadians can see exactly what we did.
Mr. Speaker, in the coming days, controversial French comic Dieudonné is supposed to start a tour in Quebec. A number of politicians, including the mayor of Montreal, do not want him to come, and on the weekend, the Minister of Canadian Heritage implied that the border services officer on duty would be the one to determine Dieudonné's fate.Can the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness tell us what criteria the border services officers will use to decide whether or not to allow this comic into the country?
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Finance informed me that we will be in a deficit position for the year 2015-16. The annual financial report will be out in the month of September. We are focusing on things that really matter for Canadians. Rather than focusing on balancing the budget at all cost, we are investing in Canada; we are investing in Canadians. We started with a tax break, and we will move forward with a budget that is going to help Canadians to live better lives, what they asked us to do on October 19.
Mr. Speaker, the greatest opportunity to get the TPP ratified is before the next U.S. president takes office. Former Obama defense secretary Leon Panetta says there is a low probability of its passing Congress if it is not passed before the end of this presidential term. Yet the Liberals are engaging in endless consultations here and the minister says it is not her job to promote the TPP. When will the minister spend more time on trade promotion and less time on vanity trips to L.A.?
Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, the minister was defending Canada's economic interests when she met with California's business leaders and with elected and public officials.We believe that a $40-billion-a-year trade relationship is important. The minister signed important agreements during her visit to California.
Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to the Minister of Finance, and to put it mildly, we are becoming accustomed to his lack of transparency, which has been an issue from the beginning. The tax changes were supposed to be revenue neutral, and yet there is a deficit of $1.4 billion. The changes to the Canada child tax benefit were supposed to be revenue neutral, and yet there is a deficit of $1.4 billion. My question for the minister is clear. Will he commit to releasing the study done by his department on the cost of the Liberal promises?
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian government made a commitment to consult Canadians before taking a decision on ratification. That is exactly what we have been doing since taking office. The government has consulted on this agreement on over 250 separate occasions and will continue to do so. I am also very glad that the House of Commons trade committee has invited Canadians to share their opinions with it in public hearings. Perhaps this is something the previous government is not accustomed to, but this is something we have promised Canadians and we are fulfilling this promise.
Mr. Speaker, we are moving forward with a plan that is going to make a real difference for Canadians. It starts by helping middle-class Canadians to have better lives. It started with tax cuts and a move forward with the Canada child benefit that will really improve Canadians' lives. Cheques will be starting this July. Then we are going to move forward with investments that will make a real, long-term difference in the productivity and the strength of our economy so that in the future we will be much better off than we were in the last decade under the last government.
Mr. Speaker, this weekend, the Prime Minister was proud to say that Quebec's voice is being heard in Ottawa. However, when it comes to assistance for Bombardier, the government has been feeding us the same old lines for months.The Liberals did not present any kind of plan to support the aerospace industry during the election campaign, nor have they done so since taking office. We are talking about an industry that provides direct employment for 76,000 Canadians, and over half of those jobs are in Quebec.Will the Prime Minister finally recognize how important this sector is to our economy and present a clear plan for the aerospace industry?
Mr. Speaker, there was a full round of consultations last spring when we were still in government as it led up to the TPP. On April 20, Canada's lead negotiator for the TPP is quoted in The Hill Times, so it must be accurate, saying that this coming year is looking exciting. She will be assisting the international trade minister in ratifying the TPP deal that she worked so hard on, and we agree with that. Now that we have confirmed the Liberals have already made up their mind, will the minister bring the TPP to the House for ratification and start spending more time on trade promotion instead of costly self-promotion?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to be clear about what the parliamentary budget officer did say most recently. He said that budget 2016 would in fact help to grow the economy, which is exactly what we put forward to Canadians. We expect that the measures we put in budget 2016 will actually grow the economy by about half a per cent this year and about a whole per cent next year, with 43,000 jobs this year and 100,000 next year. We are pleased with what we put forward and we know that it will be much better for Canadians for the future.
Mr. Speaker, this morning La Presse is reporting that, once again, the Liberal government is hiding important information from Canadians, and once again, it has to do with the Department of Finance.The Department of Finance analyzed the cost of the Liberal promises. The document that was released to the public was heavily censored by the minister, obviously because he knows very well that his promises are going to cost Canadians a fortune.Why is the minister hiding information that is so important to Canadians' pocketbooks?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Prime Minister's own Department of Finance has confirmed thatdrum roll, pleaseConservatives left a healthy surplus for Canadians. It is undeniable fact, but, sadly, instead of following our lead of low taxes, balanced budgets, and job creation, the Prime Minister is raising taxes, spending recklessly, and has no plan to create jobs.If the Prime Minister will not admit basic facts, how can we trust him to run our economy?
Mr. Speaker, there are two things.One, a fiscal year has 12 months. Two, Canadians hired us to invest in the economy. They hired us to invest in the future growth of this country, and that is exactly what we intend on doing.
Mr. Speaker, it is bad enough that he squandered the surplus, but the Minister of Finance does not have to keep squandering his credibility while he does it.For months, the Minister of Finance has ignored the independent analysis of the PBO, private sector economists, and his own Department of Finance. Instead, he has decided to rely on his own magic to build a reckless budget.Why does the Minister of Finance think that his mismanaging of the public purse is a gain?
Mr. Speaker, as I have already said, the numbers are in the budget. It outlines the exact measures and what they will cost. It is open and transparent for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House we do understand small business.One of the things I would like all my colleagues to realize is our bizpal program. Entrepreneurs have made it clear to us that navigating through permits and licences, through all levels of government, is confusing, frustrating, and, most important, time consuming.We are proud of our bizpal program. It is one of the many ways we align our efforts with provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to support and respond to what all entrepreneurs and small businesses are asking of us.They want to succeed. They want to create jobs and drive
Mr. Speaker, I just want to say, thank goodness for Canadians that they made the right choice on October 19.Clearly, the members from other side are still stuck in this whole balanced budget thing. They really
Mr. Speaker, we as a government are committed to the proactive disclosure of ministers' expenses. In fact, it was a previous Liberal government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Martin, that first introduced proactive disclosure of ministers' expenses. It was our prime minister in opposition that for the first time ever members of Parliament proactively disclosed their expenses. We are committed to proactive disclosure, and we will continue to be as a government.
Mr. Speaker, while the previous government left no room for legal recourse, this government continues to work with the Catholic entities. It is very important that they play their part in the reconciliation process and that they fulfill their commitments, regardless of their obligations under the legislation.
Mr. Speaker, this is just a little recap from our constituency week.Last week, Finance Canada announced that the federal government had a $7.5 billion surplus. It is the fourth time that officials at Finance Canada have actually confirmed that we left them with a surplus, and that is because of our strong fiscal management and the fact that we are prudent on balanced budgets.When the finance minister was asked about this, he waved away the report and said, quite frankly, he is not focusing on that.I think Canadians want him to focus on the numbers. My question for the finance minister is, when will you stop misleading Canadians on what the actual fiscal situation is?
Mr. Speaker, we have no current plans to remove Iran from the list of state supporters of terrorism under the State Immunity Act. The inclusion or exclusion in the future will be based on the actions of the Iranian government. I am sure it was the purpose to improve human rights to protect the people of Iran, and it is very clear that it needs to make a lot of progress. Its record regarding human rights and the relationship with our allies, including Israel, is a problem.
Mr. Speaker, officials at the Department of Finance told me that we would be in a deficit position for 2015-16. The annual financial report will be ready in September.This means that we will now take action to grow the economy. That is how we plan to help improve the lives of middle-class Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, as Conservatives host Iran Accountability Week on the Hill, we recognize that Iran is widely considered the world's pre-eminent sponsor of state terrorism through its support of groups, including Hezbollah and Hamas. The Iranian regime has been correctly listed by Canada as a state sponsor of terrorism. This listing has enabled terror victims to sue Iran in Canadian courts and hold the regime accountable.Will the Liberals do the right thing and commit to keeping Iran designated as a state sponsor of terror?
Mr. Speaker, it must be frustrating for the Minister of Finance that the facts keep getting in the way of his rhetoric. Once again, he has been completely contradicted by his own department, which reported that he inherited a $7.5 billion Conservative surplus. Will the Minister of Finance at least try to salvage some credibility and finally admit that the Conservatives left him a surplus, and his own reckless spending squandered it?
Mr. Speaker, an appropriate response to the problem of problematic drug use and prescription drug abuse needs to be comprehensive. There is no single strategy that will solve the problem, and there is no single drug that needs to be addressed.The problem of tamper-resistant opioids, if it is applied only to a single drug, will not solve the problem. People will only go to another drug. We will continue with our comprehensive approach that will include increasing education and minimizing harm.
Mr. Speaker, we know the minister rescheduled her personal vanity trip to California from October to November, after she was appointed to cabinet. Emails released through access to information indicate her staff was left in the dark until the final days of her L.A. departure. Apparently, no one but the minister knew she was going to L.A. to spend some time with Bill Maher. When is the minister going to be honest with Canadians and admit the trip was about her and not about her job as the trade minister?
Mr. Speaker, one group of people who were not in the dark about the minister's trip to California was the business leaders, the academic leaders, and the government leaders that she met with when she was in California to promote Canadian trade.Forty billion dollars a year in bilateral trade is something we think is important. If the member does not think so, then he has a different view from this side of the House.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are ignoring the facts and the truth. We now have confirmation that the Conservatives left a significant surplus.Will the Prime Minister now admit that we left a surplus and that he is the only one responsible for our current financial mess?
Mr. Speaker, that was not a clear or specific answer.This government shows no interest in supporting aerospace workers and their families. It would rather give Air Canada carte blanche with Bill C-10, which sacrifices the jobs and quality of life of 2,600 families. The government does not even have the courage to let us have an in-depth debate on this issue in Parliament.Is the Prime Minister not ashamed of abandoning the workers like this, especially after he joined them in their protest?
Mr. Speaker, selling armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia is immoral and contrary to the ethics of responsibility. The Minister of Foreign Affairs knows that.The United Nations confirmed that the Saudi army is targeting schools and civilians in Yemen. PBS showed that Saudi Arabia was using its armoured vehicles against political dissidents. Even so, the minister insists on honouring contracts, and he is using every intellectual trick in the book to justify his decision even though the armoured vehicles are being used for ill. He calls it responsible conviction.When will the minister stop being an accomplice and stop the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia?
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the hon. government House leader.We all know that in this place, in theory, all members of Parliament are equal, but sometimes large majority parties will use their power, and I think it is an abuse of power, to reduce the rights of smaller party MPs, such as in the fall 2013, where every single committee was told to pass a motion to take away the rights of smaller party MPs at report stage.I am very distressed to find that the same motion is now being asked to be passed in every committee by the Liberal majority.Will the hon. government House leader please reflect on his letter of mandate and reconsider?
Mr. Speaker, our government understands the importance of the aerospace sector. We understand that it creates 180,000 jobs from coast to coast to coast. We understand that it contributes $29 billion to our economy as well. It is also about supporting the supplier base. That is why we are engaged with the company. We are engaged in a meaningful dialogue with the company to ensure we set it up for success in the long term, because we want to have a thriving and growing aerospace sector in this country.
Mr. Speaker, how long does it exactly take to just say no?The government has refused, again, to give us any timeline whatsoever, and offered only more confusion. Just a few days ago, I visited the central coast and Haida Gwaii. The people there, the first nations there, are particularly shocked and saddened by the government's unwillingness to be clear, and perhaps willingness to betray that sacred promise.The Prime Minister also stood on Haida Gwaii and promised to the people, promised to the Haida, promised to British Columbians, that he would be an ally and he would bring this tanker ban forward.When exactly are we going to see it?
Mr. Speaker, we need look no farther than Iran's supreme leader and official state media to get a clear and obvious handle on Iran's terrorist agenda. The regime boasts about its financial support of its terrorist proxies, its rogue missile program, and regularly proclaims the destruction of Israel a regime priority. Iran's state television this month is calling for young men to volunteer to fight in Syria, to position to invade Israel. How can the Liberals, even for an instant, consider delisting Iran as a state sponsor of terror?
Mr. Speaker, the Human Rights Tribunal has made it clear that it is fed up with the government's inaction on dealing with the issue of racial discrimination against indigenous children. It points out that the Liberal budget failed children in the area of child welfare. The government continues to deny medical services to children and fights their families in court. The tribunal has effectively put indigenous affairs under third party management because it simply does not trust the government. To the Prime Minister, as the minister of youth, will he respect this ruling and if so, what are the immediate steps the government will take to end the systemic discrimination against indigenous children in this country?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals were indeed left $7.5 billion in surplus. That being said, their plan is to plunge us into billions and billions of dollars of debt. Interestingly enough, the Minister of Finance wrote a book. In his book he said that debt prevents you from doing things, such as sleeping well at night.My question for the Minister of Finance is this. How is he sleeping at night?
Mr. Speaker, when the minister found out that the Church did not fulfill its obligation to contribute $25 million to fund programs for victims of residential schools, she said she was powerless and there was nothing she could do. However, that sum is in the court-approved settlement. What is more, it was her department that authorized the agreement that let the Church off the hook.When will the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs compel the Church to fulfill its obligations to the victims of residential schools?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have abandoned regulations that would require generic drugs to have tamper-resistant properties. This decision has put the health and safety of Canadians at risk. Not only does the decision allow for drug tampering and misuse to continue, but doctors themselves are now hesitating to prescribe these drugs to those who need them, fearing the drugs will end up on the illicit market.Will the Minister of Health listen to physicians on the ground and reintroduce tamper-resistant regulations?
Mr. Speaker, we are following the ruling of your predecessor. As you will know, prior to that ruling, independent MPs could not propose amendments at committees.We are trying to ensure that members of Parliament from non-recognized parties in this House have an opportunity to play a constructive role in the legislative process at the committee stage, and we are giving MPs from non-recognized parties a bigger role in those committees.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for giving me an opportunity to repeat my answer once again. The contract was signed by the previous government, and it was signed in full. During the election campaign, both the Liberal Party and the NDP pledged to honour the contract. That meant the export permits would land on the Minister of Foreign Affairs' desk. I will block those permits if the military equipment is ever used to violate human rights or against the interests of Canada and its allies.
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, my mandate letter requires me to establish a formal moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic on the north coast of British Columbia. I am doing this in concert with my colleagues, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and the Minister of Natural Resources. We are working on that right now.We are also consulting with first nations, environmental groups, and the shipping industry. When we have something to say, we will say it.
Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows very well that I always give him my full co-operation. However, it is common knowledge that we prefer to engage rather than to withdraw or retreat. It was a mistake for Canada to sever ties with Iran. The human rights situation in Iran is no better for it. Israel's situation has also not improved. We are not in a position to help our allies or to help Canadian interests, Canadian families and Iranian Canadians because of the previous government's empty-chair and withdrawal policy.
Mr. Speaker, documents released through access to information indicate the Minister of International Trade left her officials in the dark about her vanity trip to California and there are significant factual inconsistencies with the answers the minister has provided about her California dream trip. She billed the taxpayer-funded junket to L.A. around her late night TV appearance. Does the minister believe that her ministry is just an extension of her so-called celebrity journalism career?
Mr. Speaker, we know that the Minister of International Trade spent public money to appear on a Hollywood talk show and neglected her ministerial duties.Can the minister explain how she was defending Canada's trade interests by rushing to Los Angeles to be interviewed by Bill Maher, with taxpayers footing the $20,000 bill?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Foreign Affairs told the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development that Canada was taking the necessary steps to engage with Iran and to eventually open an embassy in Tehran.Will the Minister commit today to consult with Iranian Canadians before a final decision is made and to be transparent and provide the opposition critics the risk assessment for a Canadian delegation in Tehran?
Mr. Speaker, our government celebrates Canadian diversity as a tremendous source of strength, and the Jewish community in Canada is an integral part of that. We will always stand firm against intolerance and hate, as we continue to build an open, inclusive society.With respect to the admissibility of a particular individual, border security officers make those determinations on the basis of the facts at ports of entry in accordance to Canadian law.I would point out that past criminality is a factor that is certainly taken into account.
Mr. Speaker, as everyone knows, I was mandated to establish a formal moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic on the north coast of British Columbia. I am doing this in concert with my colleagues, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard; the Minister of Environment; and the Minister of Natural Resources. We are proceeding with consultations with first nations, with environmental groups, and with the shipping industry. We are doing our homework.When we have something to say, we will say it.
Mr. Speaker, in a few days the Liberal government will be shutting down the Comox MCTS station. The minister keeps claiming there is no risk. However, just last weekend a massive communications failure in Prince Rupert meant that the entire west coast of Vancouver Island was left with no marine safety communications. This put the lives of mariners in danger. Will the minister now reverse the Conservative decision to close the Comox station?
Mr. Speaker, in the previous report that the commissioner released, he said that a CSE official proactively provided the information to them, which allowed them to conduct a thorough investigation.I also want to remind the hon. member that CSE plays a critical role in protecting against cyber-threats, foreign espionage, and foreign-based terrorist threats as well.
That is odd, Mr. Speaker, because that is not what the commissioner said. Clearly the government is not taking privacy protection seriously. Today we learn that the Communications Security Establishment is refusing to report privacy breaches to the Privacy Commissioner. However, it shares data on Canadians with its foreign partners.Will the government keep its promises of transparency and force the CSE to co-operate?
Mr. Speaker, last December, I announced that we would be reopening Kitsilano. I am proud to say that yesterday we kept that commitment and the base became operational. We are continuing our phase-in capacity at the base. By the May long weekend, the same number of search and rescue crew will be on site at the facility as was previously.
Mr. Speaker, what I mean is that we now know we will be in a deficit position for 2015-16. The report will be ready in September. Now we have a plan to grow the economy. That is what we need to do because growth was very slow over the past decade.
Mr. Speaker, Communications Security Establishment Canada, which by the way oversees CSIS, is responsible for reporting serious privacy breaches to the commissioner. However, instead, it is hiding them. The Privacy Commissioner stated that CSE does not give the Office of the Privacy Commissioner enough information. Does the government agree with the NDP that withholding information about serious privacy breaches is simply wrong?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to raise another very important subject. Yesterday, I joined 4,000 people at a rally in Saint-Félicien in support of the forestry industry.The industry is active across Canada, but for years, it has been subjected to vicious attacks by a number of environmental groups that are spreading misinformation about forestry practices in Canada.Can the government confirm that it will support Canada's forestry industry, which employs people from coast to coast?
Mr. Speaker, I do not know what the hon. member has against consultation. I do not know what the hon. member has against the hard work by the members of the Standing Committee on International Trade. Our minister, our parliamentary secretary, and our government are committed to fulfilling our promise to consult Canadians. We are working very hard on these consultations and I invite the hon. member and his colleagues to participate in these consultations.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are clearly choosing to ignore the evidence here. During the campaign, the Prime Minister promised Canadians they would reopen the Kitsilano Coast Guard station. Once in power, the minister assured Canadians it would be operational 24/7, 365. Now it appears that is not the case. The base will only reopen on a part-time basis. Why did the minister mislead Canadians about this commitment?
Mr. Speaker, small businesses are the job creators of our country. We thought the Liberals understood this when they campaigned to lower small business taxes, but Liberals have clearly broken that promise.New documents obtained by the parliamentary budget office show the Liberal plan will take $2.1 billion out of the pockets of small business. Why are the Liberals taking billions from small business, and why are they hiding this cash grab in an omnibus budget bill?
Mr. Speaker, a number of seniors in Brampton South have asked me about access to better palliative care and home care options.Our government was elected with a mandate to provide more and better home care services, including palliative care. On this National Hospice Palliative Care Week, could the Minister of Health update the House about her work to improve home and palliative care for all Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, we understand that this is an important issue for some families.We believe that the existing system works and that it is fair to all taxpayers. We are listening. We continue to focus on economic growth, and we will listen to Canadians to make sure that things are working.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to make it clear for the hon. member that the Communications Security Establishment has no oversight over CSIS.To answer her question, CSE has proactively worked with the commissioner on all aspects. They do have a good working relationship, because CSE abides by Canadian law, including the Privacy Act.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Richmond Hill for his efforts in supporting good data collection.I am proud to say that my first official act was to reinstate the mandatory long-form census. Today, census letters and packages are being sent to all Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Canadians will have access to high-quality data that truly reflects the needs of our communities and businesses. After 10 years, evidence-based decision-making is back.
Mr. Speaker, more than 26,000 Quebeckers, including Christian Tremblay, in my riding, will be penalized for selling their businesses to family, because Ottawa does not allow them a deduction for capital gains. Quebec does allow this deduction.Instead of using Quebec as a model, the government claims that the system is working and that the situation is fair. That is what we hear from the member for Saint-MauriceChamplain.When will a Liberal from Quebec stand up for Quebec businesses?
Mr. Speaker, we are absolutely going to fulfill our obligations under the tribunal ruling, including the new definition and broader definition of Jordan's principle. It is extraordinary. I had a very good meeting this morning with Dr. Blackstock and the AFN. We are going to work with the provinces and territories to get this done.
Mr. Speaker, I can assure my hon. colleague and the House that our government is fully committed to the Canadian dairy industry and the supply management sector. That is why we have announced today that the government will be sitting down with the dairy industry in the coming weeks to get its views on the mitigation package as part of the CETA trade deal.Together, our government will help the industry adjust. We will reach the best possible outcome for our dairy industry, and ensure Canadian agriculture is safer, stronger, and more innovative.
Mr. Speaker, I am absolutely pleased to tell the hon. member that I am sleeping well at night, knowing that what we are doing is making my children and grandchildren better off. We are making them better off by making investments in the economy. We are investing in infrastructure that will make their lives better, that will allow them to have better lives in the future. We are investing in an innovative economy that can actually increase the productive capacity of our country.Canadians made the right choice on October 19. They made the choice to invest.
Mr. Speaker, I rarely agree with the Minister of Finance, but this time, he is right. They will be in a deficit position. We had a surplus. I agree with him. The Department of Finance's Fiscal Monitor reported a surplus of $7.5 billion at the end of February, but the government is still announcing a huge deficit. Will the government be posting a $13-billion deficit just for March? I would like the Minister of Finance to respond.
Mr. Speaker, science and data are the cornerstone of good public policy. Canadians expect us to make informed decisions based on reliable data. This is the role Statistics Canada has been fulfilling for many years with its census program. The data collected through the census survey helps policy-makers and planners make decisions on everything from public health to transit to housing. Could the government tell the House what we can expect with the return of the mandatory census program this year?
Mr. Speaker, the trade minister's own officials were not told of the L.A. junket until November 17, two days before she arrived. The department's director of communications did not even know what the minister was doing in L.A. besides the Bill Maher show. Her department scrambled to find events so she could bill the vanity trip to the taxpayers of Canada. When will the trade minister pay for this personal trip so Canadian taxpayers do not have to?
Mr. Speaker, the minister visited Los Angeles to reinforce the important economic relationship between California and Canada. California and Canada conduct over $40 billion in annual bilateral trade.The minister has made it clear that all the rules appropriate were followed with this trip. In addition to round tables with the business community and creative industries during the Los Angeles trade mission, the minister was proud to promote Canada to an American audience, including Canada's leadership on the Syrian refugee file.
Mr. Speaker, previously in the House, I have quoted Dr. Atul Gawande, who talks about the fact that people want not only a good death, but they want a good life to the very end. For that reason, I am so committed to palliative care, and so much more work needs to be done. When Canadians face the end of their lives and when they face suffering, they want dignity, independence, and they prefer, if possible, to die at home. For that reason our government will be investing $3 billion to increase access to home care.I will work with the provinces and territories to ensure we increase access to high-quality palliative care for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, British Columbia's north coast is an incredibly beautiful place, famous for the power of its people. The Prime Minister and his transport minister, twice, joined with us and the people of British Columbia to ban all oil supertankers off that coast. Asked about the threat posed by Enbridge northern gateway, he said, I will not be approving this pipeline.Will he now stand in his place and finally tell British Columbians when he will finally introduce a legislated tanker ban off our beautiful coast?
Mr. Speaker, it is clear from the Minister of International Trade's actions that she was not in Los Angeles to negotiate trade agreements in the interest of Canadians.That said, can her government confirm that it will support the trans-Pacific partnership which, let us recall, is good for beef, pork, maple syrup and blueberry producers?
Mr. Speaker, Canada's forest industry is important to our economy and to communities across the country. Budget 2016 provides $1 billion over four years, starting in 2017-18, to support clean technology in the forestry, fisheries, mining, energy, and agriculture sectors, as part of the Government of Canada's commitment to innovation.
Mr. Speaker, the Canada-European Union comprehensive economic and trade agreement is a major priority for our government, since Canadian companies and business owners will be able to take advantage of the many benefits this agreement offers.We want all sectors of our economy to be able to move forward once this agreement is ratified.Can the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food talk to us about what he is doing to ensure that Canada's dairy industry can continue to grow within a constantly evolving global marketplace?
Mr. Speaker, on Friday, when the finance minister was asked about the surplus that he clearly inherited from Conservatives, he said, We dont want to focus on this issue. Of course he does not want to, when his own department, the independent parliamentary budget officer, and economists are telling him that now he is solely responsible for any deficit that Canadians will have to pay back.How can Canadians trust the government to run the economy when its own finance minister will not admit basic facts?
Mr. Speaker, as members know, the governments of Quebec and Manitoba have indicated that they intend to drop their lawsuit against Air Canada, which allows us to clarify the Air Canada Public Participation Act. That is what we are doing in order to avoid more litigation in the future.However, I would like to remind my colleague that jobs will be created in Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to repeat that our government is committed to consulting Canadians on the TPP. The House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade is conducting a study on the TPP. Therefore, I invite all members of the House to participate in this consultation. We are looking forward to a meaningful discussion.
Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the temporary outage that happened in Prince Rupert. I want to assure all members, including the member herself, that the outage had nothing to do with the modernization of our MCTS systems. The outage was caused by a third-party landline. By the way, Comox has virtually no overlapping coverage in this sector, and it was not a factor in the situation at all.
Mr. Speaker, our government does not apologize for promoting Canadian business interests abroad. When the Minister of International Trade was in California, as I and she have mentioned before, she had a series of meetings with business leaders and with officials in the government of California. We think promoting Canada on critical issues like our support, for example, for Syrian refugees is an important part of every member of Parliament's work. We are proud of our Minister of International Trade.
Mr. Speaker, I can only say it again. The professionals in the Department of Finance tell us that we will be in a deficit in fiscal year 2015-16, which has not yet been concluded. When the reports come in September, we will see the results. In the interim, we are focusing on what Canadians really care about, and that is to make investments so that we can make their lives better, which is exactly what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, the Treasury Board's guidelines require ministers to disclose their travel and hospitality costs quarterly. For the past eight months the Minister of Finance has been travelling all over Europe, Asia and Canada, but has only disclosed the costs of one trip. The minister is in charge of Canada's finances, but will not even obey the law when it comes to his own travel. Why is the Minister of Finance hiding his own spending from Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, I am obliged to repeat, which I am pleased to do. We have no current plans to remove Iran from the list of state supporters of terrorism under the state Immunity act. The inclusion or exclusion in the future will be based on the actions of the Iranian government. I think it was the purpose of this motion and it is why we will respect it. We want to see improvement in Iran. It is why we are engaging this country: to help all of the people of Iran who want more human rights.
Mr. Speaker, openness and transparency within the Department of Finance are extremely important to me and to our department.In this case, the department responded to a question in accordance with all the applicable rules. It was independent of me, and that is good.What I want to point out now is that the figures are in budget 2016, and Canadians can see exactly what we did.
Mr. Speaker, in the coming days, controversial French comic Dieudonné is supposed to start a tour in Quebec. A number of politicians, including the mayor of Montreal, do not want him to come, and on the weekend, the Minister of Canadian Heritage implied that the border services officer on duty would be the one to determine Dieudonné's fate.Can the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness tell us what criteria the border services officers will use to decide whether or not to allow this comic into the country?
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Finance informed me that we will be in a deficit position for the year 2015-16. The annual financial report will be out in the month of September. We are focusing on things that really matter for Canadians. Rather than focusing on balancing the budget at all cost, we are investing in Canada; we are investing in Canadians. We started with a tax break, and we will move forward with a budget that is going to help Canadians to live better lives, what they asked us to do on October 19.
Mr. Speaker, the greatest opportunity to get the TPP ratified is before the next U.S. president takes office. Former Obama defense secretary Leon Panetta says there is a low probability of its passing Congress if it is not passed before the end of this presidential term. Yet the Liberals are engaging in endless consultations here and the minister says it is not her job to promote the TPP. When will the minister spend more time on trade promotion and less time on vanity trips to L.A.?
Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, the minister was defending Canada's economic interests when she met with California's business leaders and with elected and public officials.We believe that a $40-billion-a-year trade relationship is important. The minister signed important agreements during her visit to California.
Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to the Minister of Finance, and to put it mildly, we are becoming accustomed to his lack of transparency, which has been an issue from the beginning. The tax changes were supposed to be revenue neutral, and yet there is a deficit of $1.4 billion. The changes to the Canada child tax benefit were supposed to be revenue neutral, and yet there is a deficit of $1.4 billion. My question for the minister is clear. Will he commit to releasing the study done by his department on the cost of the Liberal promises?
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian government made a commitment to consult Canadians before taking a decision on ratification. That is exactly what we have been doing since taking office. The government has consulted on this agreement on over 250 separate occasions and will continue to do so. I am also very glad that the House of Commons trade committee has invited Canadians to share their opinions with it in public hearings. Perhaps this is something the previous government is not accustomed to, but this is something we have promised Canadians and we are fulfilling this promise.
Mr. Speaker, we are moving forward with a plan that is going to make a real difference for Canadians. It starts by helping middle-class Canadians to have better lives. It started with tax cuts and a move forward with the Canada child benefit that will really improve Canadians' lives. Cheques will be starting this July. Then we are going to move forward with investments that will make a real, long-term difference in the productivity and the strength of our economy so that in the future we will be much better off than we were in the last decade under the last government.
Mr. Speaker, this weekend, the Prime Minister was proud to say that Quebec's voice is being heard in Ottawa. However, when it comes to assistance for Bombardier, the government has been feeding us the same old lines for months.The Liberals did not present any kind of plan to support the aerospace industry during the election campaign, nor have they done so since taking office. We are talking about an industry that provides direct employment for 76,000 Canadians, and over half of those jobs are in Quebec.Will the Prime Minister finally recognize how important this sector is to our economy and present a clear plan for the aerospace industry?
Mr. Speaker, there was a full round of consultations last spring when we were still in government as it led up to the TPP. On April 20, Canada's lead negotiator for the TPP is quoted in The Hill Times, so it must be accurate, saying that this coming year is looking exciting. She will be assisting the international trade minister in ratifying the TPP deal that she worked so hard on, and we agree with that. Now that we have confirmed the Liberals have already made up their mind, will the minister bring the TPP to the House for ratification and start spending more time on trade promotion instead of costly self-promotion?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to be clear about what the parliamentary budget officer did say most recently. He said that budget 2016 would in fact help to grow the economy, which is exactly what we put forward to Canadians. We expect that the measures we put in budget 2016 will actually grow the economy by about half a per cent this year and about a whole per cent next year, with 43,000 jobs this year and 100,000 next year. We are pleased with what we put forward and we know that it will be much better for Canadians for the future.
Mr. Speaker, this morning La Presse is reporting that, once again, the Liberal government is hiding important information from Canadians, and once again, it has to do with the Department of Finance.The Department of Finance analyzed the cost of the Liberal promises. The document that was released to the public was heavily censored by the minister, obviously because he knows very well that his promises are going to cost Canadians a fortune.Why is the minister hiding information that is so important to Canadians' pocketbooks?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Prime Minister's own Department of Finance has confirmed thatdrum roll, pleaseConservatives left a healthy surplus for Canadians. It is undeniable fact, but, sadly, instead of following our lead of low taxes, balanced budgets, and job creation, the Prime Minister is raising taxes, spending recklessly, and has no plan to create jobs.If the Prime Minister will not admit basic facts, how can we trust him to run our economy?
Mr. Speaker, there are two things.One, a fiscal year has 12 months. Two, Canadians hired us to invest in the economy. They hired us to invest in the future growth of this country, and that is exactly what we intend on doing.
Mr. Speaker, it is bad enough that he squandered the surplus, but the Minister of Finance does not have to keep squandering his credibility while he does it.For months, the Minister of Finance has ignored the independent analysis of the PBO, private sector economists, and his own Department of Finance. Instead, he has decided to rely on his own magic to build a reckless budget.Why does the Minister of Finance think that his mismanaging of the public purse is a gain?
Mr. Speaker, as I have already said, the numbers are in the budget. It outlines the exact measures and what they will cost. It is open and transparent for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House we do understand small business.One of the things I would like all my colleagues to realize is our bizpal program. Entrepreneurs have made it clear to us that navigating through permits and licences, through all levels of government, is confusing, frustrating, and, most important, time consuming.We are proud of our bizpal program. It is one of the many ways we align our efforts with provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to support and respond to what all entrepreneurs and small businesses are asking of us.They want to succeed. They want to create jobs and drive
Mr. Speaker, I just want to say, thank goodness for Canadians that they made the right choice on October 19.Clearly, the members from other side are still stuck in this whole balanced budget thing. They really
Mr. Speaker, we as a government are committed to the proactive disclosure of ministers' expenses. In fact, it was a previous Liberal government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Martin, that first introduced proactive disclosure of ministers' expenses. It was our prime minister in opposition that for the first time ever members of Parliament proactively disclosed their expenses. We are committed to proactive disclosure, and we will continue to be as a government.
Mr. Speaker, while the previous government left no room for legal recourse, this government continues to work with the Catholic entities. It is very important that they play their part in the reconciliation process and that they fulfill their commitments, regardless of their obligations under the legislation.
Mr. Speaker, this is just a little recap from our constituency week.Last week, Finance Canada announced that the federal government had a $7.5 billion surplus. It is the fourth time that officials at Finance Canada have actually confirmed that we left them with a surplus, and that is because of our strong fiscal management and the fact that we are prudent on balanced budgets.When the finance minister was asked about this, he waved away the report and said, quite frankly, he is not focusing on that.I think Canadians want him to focus on the numbers. My question for the finance minister is, when will you stop misleading Canadians on what the actual fiscal situation is?
Mr. Speaker, we have no current plans to remove Iran from the list of state supporters of terrorism under the State Immunity Act. The inclusion or exclusion in the future will be based on the actions of the Iranian government. I am sure it was the purpose to improve human rights to protect the people of Iran, and it is very clear that it needs to make a lot of progress. Its record regarding human rights and the relationship with our allies, including Israel, is a problem.
Mr. Speaker, officials at the Department of Finance told me that we would be in a deficit position for 2015-16. The annual financial report will be ready in September.This means that we will now take action to grow the economy. That is how we plan to help improve the lives of middle-class Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, as Conservatives host Iran Accountability Week on the Hill, we recognize that Iran is widely considered the world's pre-eminent sponsor of state terrorism through its support of groups, including Hezbollah and Hamas. The Iranian regime has been correctly listed by Canada as a state sponsor of terrorism. This listing has enabled terror victims to sue Iran in Canadian courts and hold the regime accountable.Will the Liberals do the right thing and commit to keeping Iran designated as a state sponsor of terror?
Mr. Speaker, it must be frustrating for the Minister of Finance that the facts keep getting in the way of his rhetoric. Once again, he has been completely contradicted by his own department, which reported that he inherited a $7.5 billion Conservative surplus. Will the Minister of Finance at least try to salvage some credibility and finally admit that the Conservatives left him a surplus, and his own reckless spending squandered it?
Mr. Speaker, an appropriate response to the problem of problematic drug use and prescription drug abuse needs to be comprehensive. There is no single strategy that will solve the problem, and there is no single drug that needs to be addressed.The problem of tamper-resistant opioids, if it is applied only to a single drug, will not solve the problem. People will only go to another drug. We will continue with our comprehensive approach that will include increasing education and minimizing harm.
Mr. Speaker, we know the minister rescheduled her personal vanity trip to California from October to November, after she was appointed to cabinet. Emails released through access to information indicate her staff was left in the dark until the final days of her L.A. departure. Apparently, no one but the minister knew she was going to L.A. to spend some time with Bill Maher. When is the minister going to be honest with Canadians and admit the trip was about her and not about her job as the trade minister?
Mr. Speaker, one group of people who were not in the dark about the minister's trip to California was the business leaders, the academic leaders, and the government leaders that she met with when she was in California to promote Canadian trade.Forty billion dollars a year in bilateral trade is something we think is important. If the member does not think so, then he has a different view from this side of the House.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are ignoring the facts and the truth. We now have confirmation that the Conservatives left a significant surplus.Will the Prime Minister now admit that we left a surplus and that he is the only one responsible for our current financial mess?
Mr. Speaker, that was not a clear or specific answer.This government shows no interest in supporting aerospace workers and their families. It would rather give Air Canada carte blanche with Bill C-10, which sacrifices the jobs and quality of life of 2,600 families. The government does not even have the courage to let us have an in-depth debate on this issue in Parliament.Is the Prime Minister not ashamed of abandoning the workers like this, especially after he joined them in their protest?
Mr. Speaker, selling armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia is immoral and contrary to the ethics of responsibility. The Minister of Foreign Affairs knows that.The United Nations confirmed that the Saudi army is targeting schools and civilians in Yemen. PBS showed that Saudi Arabia was using its armoured vehicles against political dissidents. Even so, the minister insists on honouring contracts, and he is using every intellectual trick in the book to justify his decision even though the armoured vehicles are being used for ill. He calls it responsible conviction.When will the minister stop being an accomplice and stop the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia?
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the hon. government House leader.We all know that in this place, in theory, all members of Parliament are equal, but sometimes large majority parties will use their power, and I think it is an abuse of power, to reduce the rights of smaller party MPs, such as in the fall 2013, where every single committee was told to pass a motion to take away the rights of smaller party MPs at report stage.I am very distressed to find that the same motion is now being asked to be passed in every committee by the Liberal majority.Will the hon. government House leader please reflect on his letter of mandate and reconsider?
Mr. Speaker, our government understands the importance of the aerospace sector. We understand that it creates 180,000 jobs from coast to coast to coast. We understand that it contributes $29 billion to our economy as well. It is also about supporting the supplier base. That is why we are engaged with the company. We are engaged in a meaningful dialogue with the company to ensure we set it up for success in the long term, because we want to have a thriving and growing aerospace sector in this country.
Mr. Speaker, how long does it exactly take to just say no?The government has refused, again, to give us any timeline whatsoever, and offered only more confusion. Just a few days ago, I visited the central coast and Haida Gwaii. The people there, the first nations there, are particularly shocked and saddened by the government's unwillingness to be clear, and perhaps willingness to betray that sacred promise.The Prime Minister also stood on Haida Gwaii and promised to the people, promised to the Haida, promised to British Columbians, that he would be an ally and he would bring this tanker ban forward.When exactly are we going to see it?
Mr. Speaker, we need look no farther than Iran's supreme leader and official state media to get a clear and obvious handle on Iran's terrorist agenda. The regime boasts about its financial support of its terrorist proxies, its rogue missile program, and regularly proclaims the destruction of Israel a regime priority. Iran's state television this month is calling for young men to volunteer to fight in Syria, to position to invade Israel. How can the Liberals, even for an instant, consider delisting Iran as a state sponsor of terror?
Mr. Speaker, the Human Rights Tribunal has made it clear that it is fed up with the government's inaction on dealing with the issue of racial discrimination against indigenous children. It points out that the Liberal budget failed children in the area of child welfare. The government continues to deny medical services to children and fights their families in court. The tribunal has effectively put indigenous affairs under third party management because it simply does not trust the government. To the Prime Minister, as the minister of youth, will he respect this ruling and if so, what are the immediate steps the government will take to end the systemic discrimination against indigenous children in this country?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals were indeed left $7.5 billion in surplus. That being said, their plan is to plunge us into billions and billions of dollars of debt. Interestingly enough, the Minister of Finance wrote a book. In his book he said that debt prevents you from doing things, such as sleeping well at night.My question for the Minister of Finance is this. How is he sleeping at night?
Mr. Speaker, when the minister found out that the Church did not fulfill its obligation to contribute $25 million to fund programs for victims of residential schools, she said she was powerless and there was nothing she could do. However, that sum is in the court-approved settlement. What is more, it was her department that authorized the agreement that let the Church off the hook.When will the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs compel the Church to fulfill its obligations to the victims of residential schools?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have abandoned regulations that would require generic drugs to have tamper-resistant properties. This decision has put the health and safety of Canadians at risk. Not only does the decision allow for drug tampering and misuse to continue, but doctors themselves are now hesitating to prescribe these drugs to those who need them, fearing the drugs will end up on the illicit market.Will the Minister of Health listen to physicians on the ground and reintroduce tamper-resistant regulations?
Mr. Speaker, we are following the ruling of your predecessor. As you will know, prior to that ruling, independent MPs could not propose amendments at committees.We are trying to ensure that members of Parliament from non-recognized parties in this House have an opportunity to play a constructive role in the legislative process at the committee stage, and we are giving MPs from non-recognized parties a bigger role in those committees.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for giving me an opportunity to repeat my answer once again. The contract was signed by the previous government, and it was signed in full. During the election campaign, both the Liberal Party and the NDP pledged to honour the contract. That meant the export permits would land on the Minister of Foreign Affairs' desk. I will block those permits if the military equipment is ever used to violate human rights or against the interests of Canada and its allies.
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, my mandate letter requires me to establish a formal moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic on the north coast of British Columbia. I am doing this in concert with my colleagues, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and the Minister of Natural Resources. We are working on that right now.We are also consulting with first nations, environmental groups, and the shipping industry. When we have something to say, we will say it.
Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows very well that I always give him my full co-operation. However, it is common knowledge that we prefer to engage rather than to withdraw or retreat. It was a mistake for Canada to sever ties with Iran. The human rights situation in Iran is no better for it. Israel's situation has also not improved. We are not in a position to help our allies or to help Canadian interests, Canadian families and Iranian Canadians because of the previous government's empty-chair and withdrawal policy.
Mr. Speaker, documents released through access to information indicate the Minister of International Trade left her officials in the dark about her vanity trip to California and there are significant factual inconsistencies with the answers the minister has provided about her California dream trip. She billed the taxpayer-funded junket to L.A. around her late night TV appearance. Does the minister believe that her ministry is just an extension of her so-called celebrity journalism career?
Mr. Speaker, we know that the Minister of International Trade spent public money to appear on a Hollywood talk show and neglected her ministerial duties.Can the minister explain how she was defending Canada's trade interests by rushing to Los Angeles to be interviewed by Bill Maher, with taxpayers footing the $20,000 bill?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Foreign Affairs told the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development that Canada was taking the necessary steps to engage with Iran and to eventually open an embassy in Tehran.Will the Minister commit today to consult with Iranian Canadians before a final decision is made and to be transparent and provide the opposition critics the risk assessment for a Canadian delegation in Tehran?
Mr. Speaker, our government celebrates Canadian diversity as a tremendous source of strength, and the Jewish community in Canada is an integral part of that. We will always stand firm against intolerance and hate, as we continue to build an open, inclusive society.With respect to the admissibility of a particular individual, border security officers make those determinations on the basis of the facts at ports of entry in accordance to Canadian law.I would point out that past criminality is a factor that is certainly taken into account.
Mr. Speaker, as everyone knows, I was mandated to establish a formal moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic on the north coast of British Columbia. I am doing this in concert with my colleagues, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard; the Minister of Environment; and the Minister of Natural Resources. We are proceeding with consultations with first nations, with environmental groups, and with the shipping industry. We are doing our homework.When we have something to say, we will say it.
Mr. Speaker, in a few days the Liberal government will be shutting down the Comox MCTS station. The minister keeps claiming there is no risk. However, just last weekend a massive communications failure in Prince Rupert meant that the entire west coast of Vancouver Island was left with no marine safety communications. This put the lives of mariners in danger. Will the minister now reverse the Conservative decision to close the Comox station?
Mr. Speaker, in the previous report that the commissioner released, he said that a CSE official proactively provided the information to them, which allowed them to conduct a thorough investigation.I also want to remind the hon. member that CSE plays a critical role in protecting against cyber-threats, foreign espionage, and foreign-based terrorist threats as well.
That is odd, Mr. Speaker, because that is not what the commissioner said. Clearly the government is not taking privacy protection seriously. Today we learn that the Communications Security Establishment is refusing to report privacy breaches to the Privacy Commissioner. However, it shares data on Canadians with its foreign partners.Will the government keep its promises of transparency and force the CSE to co-operate?
Mr. Speaker, last December, I announced that we would be reopening Kitsilano. I am proud to say that yesterday we kept that commitment and the base became operational. We are continuing our phase-in capacity at the base. By the May long weekend, the same number of search and rescue crew will be on site at the facility as was previously.
Mr. Speaker, what I mean is that we now know we will be in a deficit position for 2015-16. The report will be ready in September. Now we have a plan to grow the economy. That is what we need to do because growth was very slow over the past decade.
Mr. Speaker, Communications Security Establishment Canada, which by the way oversees CSIS, is responsible for reporting serious privacy breaches to the commissioner. However, instead, it is hiding them. The Privacy Commissioner stated that CSE does not give the Office of the Privacy Commissioner enough information. Does the government agree with the NDP that withholding information about serious privacy breaches is simply wrong?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to raise another very important subject. Yesterday, I joined 4,000 people at a rally in Saint-Félicien in support of the forestry industry.The industry is active across Canada, but for years, it has been subjected to vicious attacks by a number of environmental groups that are spreading misinformation about forestry practices in Canada.Can the government confirm that it will support Canada's forestry industry, which employs people from coast to coast?
Mr. Speaker, I do not know what the hon. member has against consultation. I do not know what the hon. member has against the hard work by the members of the Standing Committee on International Trade. Our minister, our parliamentary secretary, and our government are committed to fulfilling our promise to consult Canadians. We are working very hard on these consultations and I invite the hon. member and his colleagues to participate in these consultations.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are clearly choosing to ignore the evidence here. During the campaign, the Prime Minister promised Canadians they would reopen the Kitsilano Coast Guard station. Once in power, the minister assured Canadians it would be operational 24/7, 365. Now it appears that is not the case. The base will only reopen on a part-time basis. Why did the minister mislead Canadians about this commitment?
Mr. Speaker, small businesses are the job creators of our country. We thought the Liberals understood this when they campaigned to lower small business taxes, but Liberals have clearly broken that promise.New documents obtained by the parliamentary budget office show the Liberal plan will take $2.1 billion out of the pockets of small business. Why are the Liberals taking billions from small business, and why are they hiding this cash grab in an omnibus budget bill?