2016-11-04

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister and the minister said that stopping extremist groups from shooting at each other was not the priority, but to me, that is a prerequisite for peace.The government is about to send our soldiers to Mali to play social worker and talk to extremists. We know how jihadis think. They want to kill all foreign soldiers and infidels. Will the government send our soldiers on this mission like lambs to the slaughter?

Mr. Speaker, last week the foreign affairs minister and two of his Liberal colleagues held a private round table on appeasing Iran. Two attendees said it was unfairly balanced toward supporters of Iran, stacked in favour of those who want to cozy up to this serial human rights abuser. Missing were critics of Iran's human rights abuses, such as that country's religious minorities: Baha'is, Baluch, and Iranian Kurds.My question is for the foreign affairs minister. Is this what the Prime Minister means by Canada is back, rewards of embassies for despots, tyrants, and serial human rights abusers?

Mr. Speaker, when asked about his defence minister's comments that Canada will find the root causes of the problems in Africa, the Prime Minister said, “Canada has an awful lot to offer other than just stopping people from shooting at each other”.The Liberals will be sending our soldiers to some of the most dangerous parts of the world in Africa. When radicalized terrorists start shooting at civilians or at our troops, will they be able to defend themselves, or are they expected to just talk to the jihadists about their feelings or the root causes of the conflict?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the minister said all staff at the Vegreville immigration centre will be “guaranteed jobs in Edmonton”. However, officials say more than half will not be covered to move, some will not even get an offer at all, and others cannot afford to commute. The minister's answers keep changing and contradicting officials and others. He has no clue. He is killing hundreds of jobs and ripping apart this community. Does he not care about rural Albertans? Will he not stop this edict immediately?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Federal Court ruled that CSIS has been illegally storing sensitive personal information on untold numbers of Canadians—Canadians who the spy agency itself has determined pose no threat. This is a gross abuse of power and an unjustifiable intrusion into the privacy of Canadians. The minister just admitted that he was told of this abuse of powers. Does he really believe it is enough to just advise the review committee? Why were Canadians not told immediately?

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to protecting the health of Canadian families and animal health. To honour that commitment, we have launched an investigation into this matter.We are acutely aware of the issues facing ranchers who are dealing with bovine tuberculosis. Many of them would probably have sold the affected animals, so they are now coping with unexpected financial constraints. We will make sure that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency does its work as quickly as possible.We take all of the issues related to disease prevention very seriously, and we hope the disease can be eradicated from our herds.

Mr. Speaker, the Alberta families who have been impacted by the bovine tuberculosis quarantine need some answers. They are in very real danger of missing their one payday of the year. Their family farms are at stake. One of the ranchers affected, Brad Osadczuk, said they are in a lot of trouble. He said, “There’s people’s livelihoods, health and families that are hanging in the balance”.Can the health minister tell Albertans if all CFIA inspectors available have been deployed to Alberta to help solve this potential disaster?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' big spending plan is failing. There has not been a single full-time job created. What is worse, the Liberals are borrowing an extra $32 billion to finance their out-of-control spending. This is not just a little deficit. This is serious, long-term debt that we are handing our children and grandchildren.When will the Liberals stop their out-of-control spending and start listening to the concerns of Canadians who need jobs today, full-time jobs?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government is cutting critical funding from the fight against HIV/AIDS across rural communities, including my riding of Kootenay—Columbia. This will result in service reductions to HIV prevention and education programs. One organization in my riding, ANKORS, will be forced to lay off experienced staff, and other organizations will lose important resources in the midst of an opioid crisis.Why is the Minister of Health proceeding with these dangerous cuts, and why are the Liberals walking away from the fight against HIV/AIDS in the B.C. interior?

Mr. Speaker, actually the PBO's report on jobs showed precisely the opposite, that Canada is performing below the trend line in every single area, and nowhere worse than with males. In fact, 70,000 fewer men are working full-time today than a year ago. The number of unemployed men is up to 7.1%. That means dads with nowhere to go in the morning and no paycheque to bring home at the end of the month. That is because of the big losses in energy and manufacturing sectors, two sectors that will be hardest hit by payroll and carbon taxes. Knowing that, will the government announce today its plans to cancel future tax increases on manufacturing and energy jobs in this country?

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that this government is borrowing huge amounts of money and running up colossal deficits. We are talking about deficits totalling nearly $150 billion over its term. That is unacceptable.It is funny, because those folks are borrowing billions of dollars as though money grew on trees, which it makes no sense, but when it comes time to ask Canadians to invest in their mortgage, the Liberals are making things harder for young families, for those who are starting out in life, and for Canadian workers.Why is the government borrowing billions of dollars on the one hand, while on the other hand asking Canadians to show some restraint when it comes time to borrow?“Do as I say, not as I do”. Is that the Liberals' policy?

Mr. Speaker, the government is throwing another $3 billion into the bottomless pit that is Muskrat Falls: 22 cents per kilowatt hour is a slippery slope. To date, almost $10 billion of taxpayer money has been invested in a project that should never have been started and that will never make a profit.Meanwhile, the government is not offering a cent to Bombardier, the largest exporter in the manufacturing industry and Quebec's aeronautics flagship, which is developing the best technology project in the history of Quebec and Canada.How can the government justify investing $10 billion in the Muskrat Falls project, while refusing to give Bombardier a red cent?

Mr. Speaker, I actually resent that question. We will always send our troops with the appropriate equipment and rules of engagement to be able to defend themselves. Our troops have done this with the utmost honour. However, we also need to look at conflict when we send our troops. We need to look at smart power. We need to be able to send our troops in a manner that they can reduce conflict, and our troops have demonstrated this.Militaries around the world are looking at conflict. They are looking at the root causes, because our troops, while they are ready for the threat, can also help reduce the threat as well.

Mr. Speaker, our government is very committed to promoting human rights around the world. Our government has never shied away from raising human rights issues at the highest level. Our Minister of Foreign Affairs is embarking on a trip to Africa to make sure that we raise, obviously, the interests of Canadians but also human rights and our consular cases. I do not understand why the previous Conservative government wanted to stand on the sidelines and not raise these issues.

Mr. Speaker, this morning's jobs numbers do not bode well for the coming year for Canadians who want to work. Apparently, 23,000 full-time jobs were lost. It is bigger than a snapshot. This is a reality. My colleague from Cape Breton—Canso said this is just a snapshot. This is a reality.Meanwhile, the government keeps borrowing and will grow the deficit by $32 billion over the next five years. When will the government see that its plan is not working and will be disastrous for Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, for weeks, the Liberals have repeated the same talking points about their elite and exclusive cash for access fundraising schemes. Canadians do not believe the Liberals' excuses. Just a year ago, the Prime Minister ordered his ministers to obey his own “Open and Accountable Government” rules, but the finance minister, the innovation minister, the trade minister, the natural resources minister, and even the Prime Minister have completely ignored them.Will the Prime Minister stop using government positions to fill the Liberal Party coffers?

Mr. Speaker, stakeholders from the agriculture sector were clear: as long as there is a labour shortage, there will be problems. Our farmers are losing millions of dollars with every harvest, but that was to be expected.Instead of taking concrete action on this, the Liberal government holds endless consultations. In the meantime, 14 foreign workers were arrested in Victoriaville on Wednesday and the farmers are facing criminal charges.When will the Liberal government do something about the labour shortage in the agriculture sector?

Mr. Speaker, CSIS, the spy agency, set up the illegal program a decade ago and hid it from the court.It is clearer now than ever that we need a parliamentary watchdog with real teeth. The government's bill, with its censored, after-the-fact review committee, just will not cut it.The NDP has proposed concrete, balanced amendments to ensure the committee can provide real oversight and get access to all the documents it needs to do the job. Will the government accept our amendments to create real parliamentary oversight of Canada's spy agency?

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are not buying that. They are also not buying the government's not guilty plea on their cash for access fundraising schemes.Canadians are expected to obey laws and follow the rules, but they know that what the Prime Minister and his cabinet ministers are doing is wrong.Canadians want to know, why do the Liberals always think they can get away with breaking the rules? Why does it always seem that there is one standard for Liberals and their friends, and then a completely higher one for everyone else?

Well, Mr. Speaker, there is one project with shovels in the ground.The Liberals' economic plan has failed. The deficit has gone north of $30 billion, job growth has gone south of the border, they have decimated oil and gas jobs in the west and ignored opportunities to create jobs in the east. The unemployment rate in my riding is now at an all-time high, and actual infrastructure implementation is at an all-time low. The Liberals' moral compass is broken, along with their promises, so why can the government not see that real change is lost in space?

Mr. Speaker, Alberta is about to face another test. Harsh weather conditions have left hundreds of thousands of acres still to be harvested and Alberta farmers are bracing for the worst. The agriculture minister needs to understand this is a catastrophe for farmers and farm families and they need help.Will the minister consider flexibility within the advance payment program and the fast-tracking of unharvested crop claims through crop insurance programs?

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question.Our Prime Minister appointed not only a gender-balanced cabinet, but he also appointed a minister dedicated solely to the status of women, a first in the history of Canada. Our government has taken positive steps toward achieving gender equality.A gender-based violence strategy, an inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women, gender-based analysis of our policies and all of our future budgets, pay equity legislation, over 3,000 shelter spaces, the Canada child benefit, a framework for early education and child care, and a national poverty reduction strategy.We are just getting started.

Mr. Speaker, over half of the strategic investment funding for post-secondary institutions has been announced. There is a 2018 deadline on the money but not a dime has been committed to Manitoba. The Conservative government in Manitoba does not get the importance of investing in post-secondary education for students, for construction workers, or for employers.The question is this. Are Manitoba's Liberal MPs just going to sit there and watch as a short-sighted government on Broadway passes up funding of up to $100 million for Manitoba? Or are they going to commit to working with Manitoba's post-secondary institutions to make sure that Manitoba gets its fair share of the money before the clock runs out?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Natural Resources stated that he had informed his Quebec counterpart of Ottawa's decision to increase by $2.9 billion the loan guarantee for Newfoundland and Labrador out of courtesy.I will define the word “courtesy”. Courtesy means not being complicit in unfair competition with Hydro-Québec. Courtesy means not using Quebeckers' money to undermine Quebec's interests. Courtesy means respecting the unanimous will of the National Assembly.How can government members from Quebec accept this direct attack on the interests of their own nation?

Mr. Speaker, HIV and hepatitis C are serious but preventable diseases. The funding that the Public Health Agency of Canada provides to community-based organizations across the country to combat HIV and hepatitis C is staying steady at $26.4 million. There are a number of new organizations that have been invited to submit full proposals. This is part of an open, evidence-based, and transparent process and decisions were made by a committee of technical experts.

Mr. Speaker, over 10 years after the Gomery Commission exposed for all Canadians to see the culture of corruption that pervaded the Liberal government of the day, a central figure in the sponsorship scandal and close friend of the Liberal Party has been found guilty of influence peddling, forgery, and money laundering.Will the government learn from the past and finally follow the ethics rules imposed by its own Prime Minister when it comes to fundraising?

Mr. Speaker, the situation in Vegreville is not one of job loss, but of job maintenance, and in fact job creation. The individuals in Vegreville will have their positions secured in Edmonton. In addition, in moving the processing centre to Edmonton we will increase efficiencies, reduce processing times, and make that centre more able to employ more Albertans.What we are doing for the people of Vegreville is reaching out to the member opposite and the mayor the town to facilitate that transition, and we continue to look forward to executing that in the coming days and months ahead.

Mr. Speaker, the Commissioner of Lobbying repeatedly said that she is looking into cash for access fundraising involving lobbyists and Liberal cabinet ministers. She said that when a lobbyist organizes a fundraiser, a sense of obligation is created.It is time for the government House leader to stop reciting irrelevant talking points. Why does she defend cash for access when the practice is clearly under investigation?

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of International Development said that “Ethiopia has managed to be a sea of stability in a hostile region”. However, Feyisa Lilesa, the Olympic silver medallist from Ethiopia, could not return home after he crossed his arms at the finish line to protest the Ethiopian regime.Does the minister believe that a government that imprisons, tortures, and kills its own citizens is actually a good government?

Mr. Speaker, wherever we send our troops, we will send them with the appropriate equipment, appropriate training, and robust rules of engagement. When it comes to the root cause, every nation who is looking at conflict right now is talking about the root cause, because we cannot just send our soldiers into harm's way all the time. We need to start preventing conflict to reduce these things so that we do not have to send our troops into harm's way and eventually have to send these tragic messages to families that their soldiers have been hurt. We will look at all aspects of this, and we will take a whole-of-government approach to conflict.

Mr. Speaker, today's Statistics Canada report on jobs brought more bad news. There are now 23,000 fewer Canadians working full-time from September to October; 25,000 fewer manufacturing jobs today than a year ago when the Liberal Party took government; and 25,000 fewer young people are employed full-time as work has become more scarce and precarious.The Liberals promised deficits and jobs. We have the deficits, where are the jobs?

Mr. Speaker, veterans are talking about the lackadaisical approach by the Minister of Veterans Affairs. The minister is way behind schedule on the 23 or so priorities promised in his mandate letter. So far, only two of the promises have been implemented after a year in office. The minister and government's inaction is hurting veterans who have sacrificed so much for all Canadians.It looks like veterans were only a priority for the Liberals at election time. When will the minister get the job done?

Mr. Speaker, our government believes very strongly in the importance of corporate social responsibility and the absolute duty of all Canadian companies to respect human rights and their corporate social responsibility when they are working abroad. In fact, our government has a policy that companies found not respecting corporate social responsibility outside of Canada can have the withdrawal of the services of the trade commissioner. This is an issue that we are seized of.

Happy anniversary. Mr. Speaker, it is time for all feet on deck over there. Yesterday the Canadian network on corporate accountability recommended establishing a human rights ombudsperson to oversee international mining operations. Reports document hundreds of incidents of violence associated with Canadian resources extraction companies abroad. New Democrats have long called for an ombudsperson to provide much needed oversight in this sector. Will the minister admit the current system is broken and support this recommendation to protect human rights?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised Canadians that borrowing billions of dollars would create jobs for Canadians, but we just learned this morning that 23,000 full-time jobs were lost in October.Will the Prime Minister finally get a plan to create jobs, not just deficits?

Mr. Speaker, the environment minister has failed to respond to requests by the Mikisew Cree First Nation and the McMurray Métis for a federal environmental assessment of an experimental project to extract bitumen. These communities have raised serious concerns about how the chemicals involved could impact their ground and surface waters and fisheries.Prime Minister Harper excluded these kinds of projects from federal laws, which the Liberals have yet to reverse. The government claims to respect the rights and interests of first nations and Métis. So, why has the minister not used her overriding power to order this environmental review?

Mr. Speaker, one thing I can assure everyone is that we will continue to invest. We will continue investing in Canadians, and we will continue investing in the economy. I am very proud of the fall economic statement. This is great news for Canadians. We decided to invest in creating jobs in this country and to improving the quality of life of Canadians. That goes to infrastructure, that goes to attracting investment in our country, that goes to attracting global skills in this country. That is how to grow an economy. I will point out that even Madam Lagarde of the IMF said that she hopes what we are doing goes viral in the world. We will continue.

Mr. Speaker, real change is really on this side of the aisle. It is really clear that real change is about investing in Canadians. That is what confident and ambitious countries are doing. We are in 2016. Ambitious countries invest in their population. They invest to create jobs and invest in the future to improve the quality of life. That is why we have announced more than $180 billion in infrastructure spending to bring back jobs in the country, to invest in our future in public transit and green infrastructure, and to invest in our cities and social housing. That is what Canadians expect in 2016. That is what we are delivering.

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that the Conservative Party chose to name people like Irving Gerstein to the Senate and charge them with the responsibility of fundraising for the Conservative Party of Canada. We have a very different approach to the Senate and fundraising. That is what Canadians expect, and that is exactly what we are delivering.

Mr. Speaker, at last Thursday's ethics committee meeting, I asked the Commissioner of Lobbying what she thought of cash for access fundraising involving lobbyists. Her answer was pretty clear. She said: ...I think we're seeing in the media and so on that this is an issue that's potentially creating real or apparent conflicts of interest, which is why I'm looking into it. If cash for access fundraising with lobbyists does not break any rules, then why is the Commissioner of Lobbying investigating them?

Mr. Speaker, recent years have been tough on farmers in my riding of Yellowhead, especially in Brazeau County. In July of last year, the county declared an agricultural state of disaster due to drought. Earlier this week, constant rain forced Brazeau County to declare another state of agricultural disaster. Up to 75% of local crops remain on the ground.What is the government planning to provide in income disaster assistance to this vital sector?

Mr. Speaker, there have been 29 deaths by suicide in Nunavut this year. In June, the Prime Minister announced $69 million in funding for immediate action on addressing our suicide crisis; $800,000 has been earmarked for this fiscal year. The Government of Nunavut has submitted a proposal that is yet to be funded. I believe that this is a result of no clear guidelines or criteria.Could the Minister of Health designate an individual to meet with the Nunavut government to ensure that this much-needed funding can be utilized before it expires?

Mr. Speaker, doing a better job of looking after our veterans is right at the top of our list. We understand the abuse and the neglect that they suffered over the last 10 years, and making some of these changes is going to take time. We have hired new people. We have opened new offices. We have new conversations. We are going to get this mandate letter done and we are going to do it on time.

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals campaigned to end legal proceedings against veterans, but the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Prime Minister resumed a court case that was halted by the previous government. It was halted because the previous minister of veterans affairs and current member for Durham told the former prime minister that it was wrong and the court case against veterans needed to stop.Why will the minister not stop listening to the bureaucrats, show leadership, and tell his Prime Minister to stop fighting veterans in court?

Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign last year, the Prime Minister sugar-coated the pill for everyone by talking about infrastructure investments that would justify a deficit. Once again, we are going to get another list of the many things that went wrong. In October, Canada lost 23,000 full-time jobs because of the government's decisions.What is their plan? Are they going to do the same thing hoping for different results, or will they present us with a more realistic plan that actually works?

Mr. Speaker, when we were in office, we implemented the two largest infrastructure plans in the country while balancing the budget. On April 1, 2014, we launched a $70-billion project. It takes two to three years to get infrastructure projects started. We are the ones who did the groundwork for the projects that the Liberals are announcing. It is easy for them brag about that today. That being said, they are going to fund their infrastructure investments with a multi-billion dollar deficit. We never did that.They are creating deficits for the future and they are borrowing money, but no actual work is being done. What is more, winter is on the way. I look forward to seeing whether they can actually convince anyone to start digging in January.

Mr. Speaker, the issue was first raised in the report of the Security Intelligence Review Committee for the 2014-15 calendar year. It relates to a period long before this government came into office. That report was tabled in Parliament on January 28. That is the time when the public was alerted to the issue.Thereafter, CSIS worked with the Department of Justice to better inform the court. Obviously the court's decision was rendered yesterday. We are not appealing. We accept that judgment, absolutely.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to stand today on the first anniversary of our government. We are working very hard to rebuild trust in our environmental assessment process. We announced transitional principles that govern how our government is going to approach environmental assessments, which includes respecting our obligations to consult and accommodate indigenous people. We have also launched a review of environmental assessments. I certainly encourage the member opposite and all members to feed into this review, because we need to get environmental assessments right.

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to ensuring that all federal procurement processes are carried out in an ethical manner that protects the interests of Canadians.We need to ensure that all procurement processes are open and accountable. That is what our government promised, and that is what we are going to do.

Mr. Speaker, for several days now, the NDP has been asking exactly how many journalists the RCMP and CSIS are spying on. When questioned about the Federal Court's decision on the collection of personal information, the director of CSIS said that he could not comment on operational details. Journalists across the country want an answer to this question.This is an opportunity for the minister to give the people a clear answer. How many journalists are being spied on?

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs.The government has committed to improving food security in the north. However, the nutrition north program continues to fail us. The rate of food insecurity in Nunavut is more than four times the national average. The government has stated that the program will be “more transparent, cost effective, and culturally appropriate”.When will Nunavummiut see these changes? Would the minister be willing to consider pilot projects to help her address these program issues?

Mr. Speaker, as I said to my hon. colleague, we have been making investments. In talking about growing the economy, I spoke with a number of men today from the construction sector, who like the investments we have been making in infrastructure. We are putting tradespeople back to work with the investments we are making in infrastructure. Having seen the downturn in commodity prices, they are happy that our government is making those targeted investments in infrastructure so we can get tradespeople back to work.

Mr. Speaker, the only acceptable answer is “zero”.However, neither the minister nor the Prime Minister can tell the people that no journalists are being spied on. When questioned about this, both the Minister of Public Safety and the Prime Minister replied that safeguards to protect freedom of the press are in place.What are those safeguards?

Mr. Speaker, for more than a decade the Liberals and the Conservatives have done nothing about the renewal of the icebreaker fleet. This is now jeopardizing the St. Lawrence Seaway and the prosperity of the regions that depend on it. It is not just local stakeholders who are worried and asking for the government to intervene. A confidential internal report by Fisheries and Oceans Canada deems the situation to be critical.What will the minister do to quickly resolve this situation and guarantee that the Seaway remains open during the winter?

Mr. Speaker, as you can see, we were so eager to answer the question, we all rose at the same time to explain to the member for Louis-Saint-Laurent, for whom we have enormous respect, how our plan is going. Let me remind him of a few things, because sometimes he tends to forget these things, but let me say what we have done in our budget. We promised to help seniors: we did help seniors. We promised to help students: we did help students. We promised to help families: we did help families. And now we are continuing investing in infrastructure, attracting investment in Canada, and investing in talent. That is what confident and ambitious countries are doing, and we will continue to do just that.

Mr. Speaker, the government is open and has met with individuals with a range of views and beliefs, including members of the Baha'i community. We are committed to step-by-step re-engagement with Iran. Engagement does not mean agreement, but it does give a platform to raise Canadian values, like human rights and the rule of law, as well as consular cases.The Conservatives seem to want Canada to stand alone, which helps no one, not Canadians, not our allies, and not the Iranian people. We are committed to engagement with our eyes wide open.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for King—Vaughan and the chair of the House of Commons environment committee for her great question.I am extremely proud that on the anniversary of our government, the Paris agreement has come into force. The signs of climate change are clear. Climate change is real, it is man made, and the world is taking action now to address it.We are working hard at home and abroad to tackle climate change and to grow a clean economy.

Mr. Speaker, to correct the record so it is very clear, both the director of CSIS and the commissioner of the RCMP have said clearly the answer is “none”. In terms of the review of the safeguards that are in place, the ministerial directives are very clear and we have already indicated, long before this controversy arose, that we are reviewing all of those directives to make sure that they safeguard the rights and interests and freedoms of Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to correct something I said.I did not mean to mislead my colleagues of the House of Commons, but when I feel passionate about something, I sometimes muddle my words.In my response, I meant to say that it was not a question of whether we would help Bombardier, but rather how we are going to do it.

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party chose to name people like Irving Gerstein to the Senate, and charge them with the responsibility of fundraising for the Conservative Party.We have a different approach to the Senate. We have a different approach to actually following the rules. I will repeat, the rules are some of the strongest in the nation.

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to remind Canadians that, at the federal level, we have some of the strictest rules around fundraising of any level of government.The fact is that the Conservative Party chose to name people like Irving Gerstein to the Senate and charge them with the responsibility—

Mr. Speaker, my colleague would agree that northerners need to have a voice in transforming nutrition north. That is why we have been in consultations with more than 20 communities across the north. We will complete those consultations by November.We want to look at how we can better support this program to make food more accessible and more affordable. We want to look at better support for hunters and improve access to country foods. We are interested in looking at all options, whether that is a pilot project or some other program that would benefit people in the north.

Mr. Speaker, since we were elected, we have introduced the most ambitious infrastructure plan in Canada's history. We are talking about total investments of $187 billion, with $81 billion invested over the next few years. More importantly, since taking office we have approved more than 950 projects; 750 are part of the first phase, and 65% of these are currently under construction. There will be better transportation systems and cleaner water for our children.Conservatives like to talk. They like to talk and talk and talk. We prefer to act.

Mr. Speaker, the member knows very well that this government engages and speaks to Canadians and that we welcome any perspectives because, as our Prime Minister says, we are here to serve Canadians and to ensure that this government is working hard for middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join it. All members of Parliament, in all parties, fundraise and all abide by the exact same rules. When the rules are followed, no conflicts of interest can exist.We know how the Conservatives fundraise. We will not follow their directives, that is for sure.

Mr. Speaker, the amount provided to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is a commercial loan. Like the Province of Quebec, we recognize the importance of clean energy in the fight against climate change. We are pleased to work with the provinces on energy files.

Mr. Speaker, I would remind all members of the House that when it comes to the rules and fundraising, the rules are some of the strictest across the country. Indeed, it is true that federal politics is subject to some of the strictest political financing legislation and regulations in the country. When it comes to accepting donations from trade associations, or businesses, or anything else, we cannot do that federally. The Conservatives do have a very different approach when it comes to fundraising, because they chose to appoint people like Irving Gerstein to the Senate to do their fundraising. We will not do that because we support the independence of the Senate. We will reform the Senate, and we will—

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector needs reliable access to labour.In many regions, temporary foreign workers make up a significant part of the workforce for some industries.Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is working with its federal partners to ensure that the policies and programs pertaining to the labour force take those needs into account.

Mr. Speaker, obviously the job survey that came out today is a snapshot of time. On the numbers for October, there were some positive aspects in there. There have been increases in employment, and the participation rate has gone up as well. Of the jobs created, two-thirds of them were in the private sector. There were 24,000 well-paying construction jobs created. I would think that has something to do with the investments that have been made in infrastructure. They will continue to grow. We know that the economy—

Mr. Speaker, today the Paris agreement comes into force, far earlier than expected. A year ago, 195 countries came together to tackle climate change. Can the Minister of Environment and Climate Change please update the House on how this historic agreement will support our economy and the environment?

Mr. Speaker, let me assure the hon. member that this government is working very closely, not only with its provincial counterparts but certainly with the great delegation of Manitoba MPs on the government side to make sure that there are going to be some wonderful investments to come into the post-secondary institutions of Manitoba. I ask the hon. member and I ask the House to stay tuned.

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary. I thank my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent for his question. If the opposition could do as we say, everything would be fine.What we are saying is that we have tightened the rules around the mortgage market because we know that, for Canadian families, buying a home is probably the largest investment they will make in their lifetimes. That is why the Minister of Finance's first responsibility is to ensure long-term stability in the housing market in Canada.That is exactly what we did in December. That is exactly what we did with the new rules we announced. Canadian families understand this, because it is in their—

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to remind Canadians that at the federal level, we have some of the strictest rules and principles around fundraising at any level.The Conservatives talk about doing fundraising differently. They did. They chose to appoint people—

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the director of CSIS was very clear, and the day before that the commissioner of the RCMP was very clear, in terms of the troubling issues that are being reported upon in Quebec in the last number of days. Both the commissioner and the director have said that is not happening at the federal level.

Mr. Speaker, I am glad that my colleague from Lac-Saint-Jean asked me that question. If he would like to see work being done, I invite him to come to Montreal.I would like to remind my colleague of something that he is well aware of. I am proud of this government's 2016 fall economic statement. It is the next step in our plan. The first step was to invest in Canadian families. That is why we were elected.We announced historic investments, things that the Conservatives were unable to accomplish. We will invest over $180 billion in infrastructure. We are going to create an investment agency in Canada and attract talent. That is how we are going to grow—

Mr. Speaker, as I said before, certainly the investments we are making are starting to show that kind of increase in jobs. Among young Canadians, we have seen an increase of about 26,000 jobs. What we know is that back in October 2015, Statistics Canada started publishing trend lines, and what we have seen over the last four months is job opportunities trending up in this country. The investments this government is making are starting to pay dividends.

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague just said, the Government of Canada is offering Newfoundland and Labrador a commercial loan.The Government of Canada stands with Quebec. We are making investments in every community.With regard to the aerospace industry, our government is working closely with Bombardier. We are still holding discussions with the company. As the minister said, we are definitely going to help Bombardier. It is just a matter of time. We are going to stand with the aerospace industry.

Mr. Speaker, in June, our government announced $69 million in immediate and targeted mental wellness support for first nations and Inuit. Of this, $3.8 million has been allocated to Nunavut over the next three years.Funding decisions for the three new mobile mental wellness teams were determined in partnership and by consensus with the Government of Nunavut and the Inuit representative body in Nunavut. Senior officials from our department continue to be in regular contact with Nunavut government officials, including on the implementation of this new funding.

Mr. Speaker, in the committee, we have already indicated that we are willing to consider all constructive ideas and amendments.However, I would point out that the powers presently drafted in Bill C-22 do provide the committee of parliamentarians with the authority to examine current operations.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by reassuring the marine industry, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, and all users of the Seaway that the Coast Guard takes icebreaking operations very seriously and provides exemplary service.The Coast Guard meticulously maintains its fleet of icebreakers, and we are going to invest in modernizing and extending the lifespan of this fleet in order to ensure that they service the Seaway until new vessels are built.The Coast Guard and stakeholders in the Seaway have an excellent working relationship. We are investing in our fleet so that vessels operate longer during peak periods and to meet the needs of our economy.

Mr. Speaker, as I already mentioned, there is a lot of work under way in order to improve the services and support we are giving our veterans. It is unfortunate that this group of veterans felt that it had to take the previous government to court in order to do that. It is regrettable that the veterans felt they needed to stay that course, but the thing we need to remember is that it is their absolute right to do so. We are working hard to solve the issues that were brought up and we are going to get them solved.

Mr. Speaker, as a grain farmer myself, I understand how important it is for farmers to harvest the fruits of their labour.We are working on developing the next agricultural policy framework. We have engaged with the provinces and territories to ensure that Canada's agriculture and agrifood sector remains a leader, and we are making progress. Our priorities include business risk management, environmental sustainability, science, research, and innovation.

Mr. Speaker, that is an excellent question. It gives me the opportunity to point out that we announced $81 billion in new funding for infrastructure, including $25.3 billion for public transit, $21.9 billion for social infrastructure, and $21.9 billion for green infrastructure. We are adding two categories: $10.1 billion for trade and transport and $2 billion for rural communities. This means more highways, more buses on the roads, better housing for those who need it, and direct support to our rural communities.

Mr. Speaker, one year ago today, our Prime Minister made a commitment to gender equality by appointing the first gender-balanced cabinet and the first ever full Minister of Status of Women.Can the parliamentary secretary for Status of Women please inform this House of the accomplishments of our government over the past year on gender equality?

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, the Minister of Finance delivered his economic update in which he announced the next part of our historic infrastructure plan.Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities explain to us how this additional money will be allocated across the various categories?

Mr. Speaker, we have already consulted with hundreds of stakeholders, farmers, and Canadians from across the country. Their contributions have been vital to the development of a new framework. On July 22, 2016, my provincial and territorial colleagues and I issued the Calgary statement. That document outlines the overarching themes and priorities for the next framework and is based on input from stakeholders.The Government of Canada will continue working with its provincial and territorial partners and consulting with stakeholders on the key elements that will define the next framework.

Mr. Speaker, Alberta is about to face another test. Harsh weather conditions have left hundreds of thousands of acres still to be harvested and Alberta farmers are bracing for the worst. The agriculture minister needs to understand this is a catastrophe for farmers and farm families and they need help.Will the minister consider flexibility within the advance payment program and the fast-tracking of unharvested crop claims through crop insurance programs?

Mr. Speaker, the Commissioner of Lobbying repeatedly said that she is looking into cash for access fundraising involving lobbyists and Liberal cabinet ministers. She said that when a lobbyist organizes a fundraiser, a sense of obligation is created.It is time for the government House leader to stop reciting irrelevant talking points. Why does she defend cash for access when the practice is clearly under investigation?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' big spending plan is failing. There has not been a single full-time job created. What is worse, the Liberals are borrowing an extra $32 billion to finance their out-of-control spending. This is not just a little deficit. This is serious, long-term debt that we are handing our children and grandchildren.When will the Liberals stop their out-of-control spending and start listening to the concerns of Canadians who need jobs today, full-time jobs?

Mr. Speaker, this morning's jobs numbers do not bode well for the coming year for Canadians who want to work. Apparently, 23,000 full-time jobs were lost. It is bigger than a snapshot. This is a reality. My colleague from Cape Breton—Canso said this is just a snapshot. This is a reality.Meanwhile, the government keeps borrowing and will grow the deficit by $32 billion over the next five years. When will the government see that its plan is not working and will be disastrous for Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, when asked about his defence minister's comments that Canada will find the root causes of the problems in Africa, the Prime Minister said, “Canada has an awful lot to offer other than just stopping people from shooting at each other”.The Liberals will be sending our soldiers to some of the most dangerous parts of the world in Africa. When radicalized terrorists start shooting at civilians or at our troops, will they be able to defend themselves, or are they expected to just talk to the jihadists about their feelings or the root causes of the conflict?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals campaigned to end legal proceedings against veterans, but the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Prime Minister resumed a court case that was halted by the previous government. It was halted because the previous minister of veterans affairs and current member for Durham told the former prime minister that it was wrong and the court case against veterans needed to stop.Why will the minister not stop listening to the bureaucrats, show leadership, and tell his Prime Minister to stop fighting veterans in court?

Mr. Speaker, last week the foreign affairs minister and two of his Liberal colleagues held a private round table on appeasing Iran. Two attendees said it was unfairly balanced toward supporters of Iran, stacked in favour of those who want to cozy up to this serial human rights abuser. Missing were critics of Iran's human rights abuses, such as that country's religious minorities: Baha'is, Baluch, and Iranian Kurds.My question is for the foreign affairs minister. Is this what the Prime Minister means by Canada is back, rewards of embassies for despots, tyrants, and serial human rights abusers?

Mr. Speaker, as I already mentioned, there is a lot of work under way in order to improve the services and support we are giving our veterans. It is unfortunate that this group of veterans felt that it had to take the previous government to court in order to do that. It is regrettable that the veterans felt they needed to stay that course, but the thing we need to remember is that it is their absolute right to do so. We are working hard to solve the issues that were brought up and we are going to get them solved.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister and the minister said that stopping extremist groups from shooting at each other was not the priority, but to me, that is a prerequisite for peace.The government is about to send our soldiers to Mali to play social worker and talk to extremists. We know how jihadis think. They want to kill all foreign soldiers and infidels. Will the government send our soldiers on this mission like lambs to the slaughter?

Mr. Speaker, recent years have been tough on farmers in my riding of Yellowhead, especially in Brazeau County. In July of last year, the county declared an agricultural state of disaster due to drought. Earlier this week, constant rain forced Brazeau County to declare another state of agricultural disaster. Up to 75% of local crops remain on the ground.What is the government planning to provide in income disaster assistance to this vital sector?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government is cutting critical funding from the fight against HIV/AIDS across rural communities, including my riding of Kootenay—Columbia. This will result in service reductions to HIV prevention and education programs. One organization in my riding, ANKORS, will be forced to lay off experienced staff, and other organizations will lose important resources in the midst of an opioid crisis.Why is the Minister of Health proceeding with these dangerous cuts, and why are the Liberals walking away from the fight against HIV/AIDS in the B.C. interior?

Mr. Speaker, stakeholders from the agriculture sector were clear: as long as there is a labour shortage, there will be problems. Our farmers are losing millions of dollars with every harvest, but that was to be expected.Instead of taking concrete action on this, the Liberal government holds endless consultations. In the meantime, 14 foreign workers were arrested in Victoriaville on Wednesday and the farmers are facing criminal charges.When will the Liberal government do something about the labour shortage in the agriculture sector?

Mr. Speaker, the environment minister has failed to respond to requests by the Mikisew Cree First Nation and the McMurray Métis for a federal environmental assessment of an experimental project to extract bitumen. These communities have raised serious concerns about how the chemicals involved could impact their ground and surface waters and fisheries.Prime Minister Harper excluded these kinds of projects from federal laws, which the Liberals have yet to reverse. The government claims to respect the rights and interests of first nations and Métis. So, why has the minister not used her overriding power to order this environmental review?

Well, Mr. Speaker, there is one project with shovels in the ground.The Liberals' economic plan has failed. The deficit has gone north of $30 billion, job growth has gone south of the border, they have decimated oil and gas jobs in the west and ignored opportunities to create jobs in the east. The unemployment rate in my riding is now at an all-time high, and actual infrastructure implementation is at an all-time low. The Liberals' moral compass is broken, along with their promises, so why can the government not see that real change is lost in space?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Federal Court ruled that CSIS has been illegally storing sensitive personal information on untold numbers of Canadians—Canadians who the spy agency itself has determined pose no threat. This is a gross abuse of power and an unjustifiable intrusion into the privacy of Canadians. The minister just admitted that he was told of this abuse of powers. Does he really believe it is enough to just advise the review committee? Why were Canadians not told immediately?

Mr. Speaker, over 10 years after the Gomery Commission exposed for all Canadians to see the culture of corruption that pervaded the Liberal government of the day, a central figure in the sponsorship scandal and close friend of the Liberal Party has been found guilty of influence peddling, forgery, and money laundering.Will the government learn from the past and finally follow the ethics rules imposed by its own Prime Minister when it comes to fundraising?

Mr. Speaker, veterans are talking about the lackadaisical approach by the Minister of Veterans Affairs. The minister is way behind schedule on the 23 or so priorities promised in his mandate letter. So far, only two of the promises have been implemented after a year in office. The minister and government's inaction is hurting veterans who have sacrificed so much for all Canadians.It looks like veterans were only a priority for the Liberals at election time. When will the minister get the job done?

Mr. Speaker, actually the PBO's report on jobs showed precisely the opposite, that Canada is performing below the trend line in every single area, and nowhere worse than with males. In fact, 70,000 fewer men are working full-time today than a year ago. The number of unemployed men is up to 7.1%. That means dads with nowhere to go in the morning and no paycheque to bring home at the end of the month. That is because of the big losses in energy and manufacturing sectors, two sectors that will be hardest hit by payroll and carbon taxes. Knowing that, will the government announce today its plans to cancel future tax increases on manufacturing and energy jobs in this country?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised Canadians that borrowing billions of dollars would create jobs for Canadians, but we just learned this morning that 23,000 full-time jobs were lost in October.Will the Prime Minister finally get a plan to create jobs, not just deficits?

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party chose to name people like Irving Gerstein to the Senate, and charge them with the responsibility of fundraising for the Conservative Party.We have a different approach to the Senate. We have a different approach to actually following the rules. I will repeat, the rules are some of the strongest in the nation.

Mr. Speaker, the only acceptable answer is “zero”.However, neither the minister nor the Prime Minister can tell the people that no journalists are being spied on. When questioned about this, both the Minister of Public Safety and the Prime Minister replied that safeguards to protect freedom of the press are in place.What are those safeguards?

Mr. Speaker, today the Paris agreement comes into force, far earlier than expected. A year ago, 195 countries came together to tackle climate change. Can the Minister of Environment and Climate Change please update the House on how this historic agreement will support our economy and the environment?

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague just said, the Government of Canada is offering Newfoundland and Labrador a commercial loan.The Government of Canada stands with Quebec. We are making investments in every community.With regard to the aerospace industry, our government is working closely with Bombardier. We are still holding discussions with the company. As the minister said, we are definitely going to help Bombardier. It is just a matter of time. We are going to stand with the aerospace industry.

Mr. Speaker, the government is open and has met with individuals with a range of views and beliefs, including members of the Baha'i community. We are committed to step-by-step re-engagement with Iran. Engagement does not mean agreement, but it does give a platform to raise Canadian values, like human rights and the rule of law, as well as consular cases.The Conservatives seem to want Canada to stand alone, which helps no one, not Canadians, not our allies, and not the Iranian people. We are committed to engagement with our eyes wide open.

Mr. Speaker, there have been 29 deaths by suicide in Nunavut this year. In June, the Prime Minister announced $69 million in funding for immediate action on addressing our suicide crisis; $800,000 has been earmarked for this fiscal year. The Government of Nunavut has submitted a proposal that is yet to be funded. I believe that this is a result of no clear guidelines or criteria.Could the Minister of Health designate an individual to meet with the Nunavut government to ensure that this much-needed funding can be utilized before it expires?

Mr. Speaker, HIV and hepatitis C are serious but preventable diseases. The funding that the Public Health Agency of Canada provides to community-based organizations across the country to combat HIV and hepatitis C is staying steady at $26.4 million. There are a number of new organizations that have been invited to submit full proposals. This is part of an open, evidence-based, and transparent process and decisions were made by a committee of technical experts.

Mr. Speaker, I would remind all members of the House that when it comes to the rules and fundraising, the rules are some of the strictest across the country. Indeed, it is true that federal politics is subject to some of the strictest political financing legislation and regulations in the country. When it comes to accepting donations from trade associations, or businesses, or anything else, we cannot do that federally. The Conservatives do have a very different approach when it comes to fundraising, because they chose to appoint people like Irving Gerstein to the Senate to do their fundraising. We will not do that because we support the independence of the Senate. We will reform the Senate, and we will—

Mr. Speaker, in June, our government announced $69 million in immediate and targeted mental wellness support for first nations and Inuit. Of this, $3.8 million has been allocated to Nunavut over the next three years.Funding decisions for the three new mobile mental wellness teams were determined in partnership and by consensus with the Government of Nunavut and the Inuit representative body in Nunavut. Senior officials from our department continue to be in regular contact with Nunavut government officials, including on the implementation of this new funding.

Mr. Speaker, we have already consulted with hundreds of stakeholders, farmers, and Canadians from across the country. Their contributions have been vital to the development of a new framework. On July 22, 2016, my provincial and territorial colleagues and I issued the Calgary statement. That document outlines the overarching themes and priorities for the next framework and is based on input from stakeholders.The Government of Canada will continue working with its provincial and territorial partners and consulting with stakeholders on the key elements that will define the next framework.

Mr. Speaker, CSIS, the spy agency, set up the illegal program a decade ago and hid it from the court.It is clearer now than ever that we need a parliamentary watchdog with real teeth. The government's bill, with its censored, after-the-fact review committee, just will not cut it.The NDP has proposed concrete, balanced amendments to ensure the committee can provide real oversight and get access to all the documents it needs to do the job. Will the government accept our amendments to create real parliamentary oversight of Canada's spy agency?

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, the Minister of Finance delivered his economic update in which he announced the next part of our historic infrastructure plan.Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities explain to us how this additional money will be allocated across the various categories?

Mr. Speaker, our government is very committed to promoting human rights around the world. Our government has never shied away from raising human rights issues at the highest level. Our Minister of Foreign Affairs is embarking on a trip to Africa to make sure that we raise, obviously, the interests of Canadians but also human rights and our consular cases. I do not understand why the previous Conservative government wanted to stand on the sidelines and not raise these issues.

Mr. Speaker, the Alberta families who have been impacted by the bovine tuberculosis quarantine need some answers. They are in very real danger of missing their one payday of the year. Their family farms are at stake. One of the ranchers affected, Brad Osadczuk, said they are in a lot of trouble. He said, “There’s people’s livelihoods, health and families that are hanging in the balance”.Can the health minister tell Albertans if all CFIA inspectors available have been deployed to Alberta to help solve this potential disaster?

Mr. Speaker, I would like to correct something I said.I did not mean to mislead my colleagues of the House of Commons, but when I feel passionate about something, I sometimes muddle my words.In my response, I meant to say that it was not a question of whether we would help Bombardier, but rather how we are going to do it.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question.Our Prime Minister appointed not only a gender-balanced cabinet, but he also appointed a minister dedicated solely to the status of women, a first in the history of Canada. Our government has taken positive steps toward achieving gender equality.A gender-based violence strategy, an inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women, gender-based analysis of our policies and all of our future budgets, pay equity legislation, over 3,000 shelter spaces, the Canada child benefit, a framework for early education and child care, and a national poverty reduction strategy.We are just getting started.

Happy anniversary. Mr. Speaker, it is time for all feet on deck over there. Yesterday the Canadian network on corporate accountability recommended establishing a human rights ombudsperson to oversee international mining operations. Reports document hundreds of incidents of violence associated with Canadian resources extraction companies abroad. New Democrats have long called for an ombudsperson to provide much needed oversight in this sector. Will the minister admit the current system is broken and support this recommendation to protect human rights?

Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign last year, the Prime Minister sugar-coated the pill for everyone by talking about infrastructure investments that would justify a deficit. Once again, we are going to get another list of the many things that went wrong. In October, Canada lost 23,000 full-time jobs because of the government's decisions.What is their plan? Are they going to do the same thing hoping for different results, or will they present us with a more realistic plan that actually works?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Natural Resources stated that he had informed his Quebec counterpart of Ottawa's decision to increase by $2.9 billion the loan guarantee for Newfoundland and Labrador out of courtesy.I will define the word “courtesy”. Courtesy means not being complicit in unfair competition with Hydro-Québec. Courtesy means not using Quebeckers' money to undermine Quebec's interests. Courtesy means respecting the unanimous will of the National Assembly.How can government members from Quebec accept this direct attack on the interests of their own nation?

Mr. Speaker, obviously the job survey that came out today is a snapshot of time. On the numbers for October, there were some positive aspects in there. There have been increases in employment, and the participation rate has gone up as well. Of the jobs created, two-thirds of them were in the private sector. There were 24,000 well-paying construction jobs created. I would think that has something to do with the investments that have been made in infrastructure. They will continue to grow. We know that the economy—

Mr. Speaker, in the committee, we have already indicated that we are willing to consider all constructive ideas and amendments.However, I would point out that the powers presently drafted in Bill C-22 do provide the committee of parliamentarians with the authority to examine current operations.

Mr. Speaker, at last Thursday's ethics committee meeting, I asked the Commissioner of Lobbying what she thought of cash for access fundraising involving lobbyists. Her answer was pretty clear. She said: ...I think we're seeing in the media and so on that this is an issue that's potentially creating real or apparent conflicts of interest, which is why I'm looking into it. If cash for access fundraising with lobbyists does not break any rules, then why is the Commissioner of Lobbying investigating them?

Mr. Speaker, our government believes very strongly in the importance of corporate social responsibility and the absolute duty of all Canadian companies to respect human rights and their corporate social responsibility when they are working abroad. In fact, our government has a policy that companies found not respecting corporate social responsibility outside of Canada can have the withdrawal of the services of the trade commissioner. This is an issue that we are seized of.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the director of CSIS was very clear, and the day before that the commissioner of the RCMP was very clear, in terms of the troubling issues that are being reported upon in Quebec in the last number of days. Both the commissioner and the director have said that is not happening at the federal level.

Mr. Speaker, the issue was first raised in the report of the Security Intelligence Review Committee for the 2014-15 calendar year. It relates to a period long before this government came into office. That report was tabled in Parliament on January 28. That is the time when the public was alerted to the issue.Thereafter, CSIS worked with the Department of Justice to better inform the court. Obviously the court's decision was rendered yesterday. We are not appealing. We accept that judgment, absolutely.

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are not buying that. They are also not buying the government's not guilty plea on their cash for access fundraising schemes.Canadians are expected to obey laws and follow the rules, but they know that what the Prime Minister and his cabinet ministers are doing is wrong.Canadians want to know, why do the Liberals always think they can get away with breaking the rules? Why does it always seem that there is one standard for Liberals and their friends, and then a completely higher one for everyone else?

Mr. Speaker, today's Statistics Canada report on jobs brought more bad news. There are now 23,000 fewer Canadians working full-time from September to October; 25,000 fewer manufacturing jobs today than a year ago when the Liberal Party took government; and 25,000 fewer young people are employed full-time as work has become more scarce and precarious.The Liberals promised deficits and jobs. We have the deficits, where are the jobs?

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to ensuring that all federal procurement processes are carried out in an ethical manner that protects the interests of Canadians.We need to ensure that all procurement processes are open and accountable. That is what our government promised, and that is what we are going to do.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the minister said all staff at the Vegreville immigration centre will be “guaranteed jobs in Edmonton”. However, officials say more than half will not be covered to move, some will not even get an offer at all, and others cannot afford to commute. The minister's answers keep changing and contradicting officials and others. He has no clue. He is killing hundreds of jobs and ripping apart this community. Does he not care about rural Albertans? Will he not stop this edict immediately?

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that this government is borrowing huge amounts of money and running up colossal deficits. We are talking about deficits totalling nearly $150 billion over its term. That is unacceptable.It is funny, because those folks are borrowing billions of dollars as though money grew on trees, which it makes no sense, but when it comes time to ask Canadians to invest in their mortgage, the Liberals are making things harder for young families, for those who are starting out in life, and for Canadian workers.Why is the government borrowing billions of dollars on the one hand, while on the other hand asking Canadians to show some restraint when it comes time to borrow?“Do as I say, not as I do”. Is that the Liberals' policy?

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that the Conservative Party chose to name people like Irving Gerstein to the Senate and charge them with the responsibility of fundraising for the Conservative Party of Canada. We have a very different approach to the Senate and fundraising. That is what Canadians expect, and that is exactly what we are delivering.

Mr. Speaker, as I said before, certainly the investments we are making are starting to show that kind of increase in jobs. Among young Canadians, we have seen an increase of about 26,000 jobs. What we know is that back in October 2015, Statistics Canada started publishing trend lines, and what we have seen over the last four months is job opportunities trending up in this country. The investments this government is making are starting to pay dividends.

Mr. Speaker, wherever we send our troops, we will send them with the appropriate equipment, appropriate training, and robust rules of engagement. When it comes to the root cause, every nation who is looking at conflict right now is talking about the root cause, because we cannot just send our soldiers into harm's way all the time. We need to start preventing conflict to reduce these things so that we do not have to send our troops into harm's way and eventually have to send these tragic messages to families that their soldiers have been hurt. We will look at all aspects of this, and we will take a whole-of-government approach to conflict.

Mr. Speaker, real change is really on this side of the aisle. It is really clear that real change is about investing in Canadians. That is what confident and ambitious countries are doing. We are in 2016. Ambitious countries invest in their population. They invest to create jobs and invest in the future to improve the quality of life. That is why we have announced more than $180 billion in infrastructure spending to bring back jobs in the country, to invest in our future in public transit and green infrastructure, and to invest in our cities and social housing. That is what Canadians expect in 2016. That is what we are delivering.

Mr. Speaker, one year ago today, our Prime Minister made a commitment to gender equality by appointing the first gender-balanced cabinet and the first ever full Minister of Status of Women.Can the parliamentary secretary for Status of Women please inform this House of the accomplishments of our government over the past year on gender equality?

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to protecting the health of Canadian families and animal health. To honour that commitment, we have launched an investigation into this matter.We are acutely aware of the issues facing ranchers who are dealing with bovine tuberculosis. Many of them would probably have sold the affected animals, so they are now coping with unexpected financial constraints. We will make sure that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency does its work as quickly as possible.We take all of the issues related to disease prevention very seriously, and we hope the disease can be eradicated from our herds.

Mr. Speaker, for weeks, the Liberals have repeated the same talking points about their elite and exclusive cash for access fundraising schemes. Canadians do not believe the Liberals' excuses. Just a year ago, the Prime Minister ordered his ministers to obey his own “Open and Accountable Government” rules, but the finance minister, the innovation minister, the trade minister, the natural resources minister, and even the Prime Minister have completely ignored them.Will the Prime Minister stop using government positions to fill the Liberal Party coffers?

Mr. Speaker, to correct the record so it is very clear, both the director of CSIS and the commissioner of the RCMP have said clearly the answer is “none”. In terms of the review of the safeguards that are in place, the ministerial directives are very clear and we have already indicated, long before this controversy arose, that we are reviewing all of those directives to make sure that they safeguard the rights and interests and freedoms of Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, for more than a decade the Liberals and the Conservatives have done nothing about the renewal of the icebreaker fleet. This is now jeopardizing the St. Lawrence Seaway and the prosperity of the regions that depend on it. It is not just local stakeholders who are worried and asking for the government to intervene. A confidential internal report by Fisheries and Oceans Canada deems the situation to be critical.What will the minister do to quickly resolve this situation and guarantee that the Seaway remains open during the winter?

Mr. Speaker, the member knows very well that this government engages and speaks to Canadians and that we welcome any perspectives because, as our Prime Minister says, we are here to serve Canadians and to ensure that this government is working hard for middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join it. All members of Parliament, in all parties, fundraise and all abide by the exact same rules. When the rules are followed, no conflicts of interest can exist.We know how the Conservatives fundraise. We will not follow their directives, that is for sure.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to stand today on the first anniversary of our government. We are working very hard to rebuild trust in our environmental assessment process. We announced transitional principles that govern how our government is going to approach environmental assessments, which includes respecting our obligations to consult and accommodate indigenous people. We have also launched a review of environmental assessments. I certainly encourage the member opposite and all members to feed into this review, because we need to get environmental assessments right.

Mr. Speaker, when we were in office, we implemented the two largest infrastructure plans in the country while balancing the budget. On April 1, 2014, we launched a $70-billion project. It takes two to three years to get infrastructure projects started. We are the ones who did the groundwork for the projects that the Liberals are announcing. It is easy for them brag about that today. That being said, they are going to fund their infrastructure investments with a multi-billion dollar deficit. We never did that.They are creating deficits for the future and they are borrowing money, but no actual work is being done. What is more, winter is on the way. I look forward to seeing whether they can actually convince anyone to start digging in January.

Mr. Speaker, I am glad that my colleague from Lac-Saint-Jean asked me that question. If he would like to see work being done, I invite him to come to Montreal.I would like to remind my colleague of something that he is well aware of. I am proud of this government's 2016 fall economic statement. It is the next step in our plan. The first step was to invest in Canadian families. That is why we were elected.We announced historic investments, things that the Conservatives were unable to accomplish. We will invest over $180 billion in infrastructure. We are going to create an investment agency in Canada and attract talent. That is how we are going to grow—

Mr. Speaker, as you can see, we were so eager to answer the question, we all rose at the same time to explain to the member for Louis-Saint-Laurent, for whom we have enormous respect, how our plan is going. Let me remind him of a few things, because sometimes he tends to forget these things, but let me say what we have done in our budget. We promised to help seniors: we did help seniors. We promised to help students: we did help students. We promised to help families: we did help families. And now we are continuing investing in infrastructure, attracting investment in Canada, and investing in talent. That is what confident and ambitious countries are doing, and we will continue to do just that.

Mr. Speaker, as a grain farmer myself, I understand how important it is for farmers to harvest the fruits of their labour.We are working on developing the next agricultural policy framework. We have engaged with the provinces and territories to ensure that Canada's agriculture and agrifood sector remains a leader, and we are making progress. Our priorities include business risk management, environmental sustainability, science, research, and innovation.

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary. I thank my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent for his question. If the opposition could do as we say, everything would be fine.What we are saying is that we have tightened the rules around the mortgage market because we know that, for Canadian families, buying a home is probably the largest investment they will make in their lifetimes. That is why the Minister of Finance's first responsibility is to ensure long-term stability in the housing market in Canada.That is exactly what we did in December. That is exactly what we did with the new rules we announced. Canadian families understand this, because it is in their—

Mr. Speaker, for several days now, the NDP has been asking exactly how many journalists the RCMP and CSIS are spying on. When questioned about the Federal Court's decision on the collection of personal information, the director of CSIS said that he could not comment on operational details. Journalists across the country want an answer to this question.This is an opportunity for the minister to give the people a clear answer. How many journalists are being spied on?

Mr. Speaker, that is an excellent question. It gives me the opportunity to point out that we announced $81 billion in new funding for infrastructure, including $25.3 billion for public transit, $21.9 billion for social infrastructure, and $21.9 billion for green infrastructure. We are adding two categories: $10.1 billion for trade and transport and $2 billion for rural communities. This means more highways, more buses on the roads, better housing for those who need it, and direct support to our rural communities.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by reassuring the marine industry, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, and all users of the Seaway that the Coast Guard takes icebreaking operations very seriously and provides exemplary service.The Coast Guard meticulously maintains its fleet of icebreakers, and we are going to invest in modernizing and extending the lifespan of this fleet in order to ensure that they service the Seaway until new vessels are built.The Coast Guard and stakeholders in the Seaway have an excellent working relationship. We are investing in our fleet so that vessels operate longer during peak periods and to meet the needs of our economy.

Mr. Speaker, doing a better job of looking after our veterans is right at the top of our list. We understand the abuse and the neglect that they suffered over the last 10 years, and making some of these changes is going to take time. We have hired new people. We have opened new offices. We have new conversations. We are going to get this mandate letter done and we are going to do it on time.

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs.The government has committed to improving food security in the north. However, the nutrition north program continues to fail us. The rate of food insecurity in Nunavut is more than four times the national average. The government has stated that the program will be “more transparent, cost effective, and culturally appropriate”.When will Nunavummiut see these changes? Would the minister be willing to consider pilot projects to help her address these program issues?

Mr. Speaker, since we were elected, we have introduced the most ambitious infrastructure plan in Canada's history. We are talking about total investments of $187 billion, with $81 billion invested over the next few years. More importantly, since taking office we have approved more than 950 projects; 750 are part of the first phase, and 65% of these are currently under construction. There will be better transportation systems and cleaner water for our children.Conservatives like to talk. They like to talk and talk and talk. We prefer to act.

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector needs reliable access to labour.In many regions, temporary foreign workers make up a significant part of the workforce for some industries.Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is working with its federal partners to ensure that the policies and programs pertaining to the labour force take those needs into account.

Mr. Speaker, as I said to my hon. colleague, we have been making investments. In talking about growing the economy, I spoke with a number of men today from the construction sector, who like the investments we have been making in infrastructure. We are putting tradespeople back to work with the investments we are making in infrastructure. Having seen the downturn in commodity prices, they are happy that our government is making those targeted investments in infrastructure so we can get tradespeople back to work.

Mr. Speaker, the amount provided to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is a commercial loan. Like the Province of Quebec, we recognize the importance of clean energy in the fight against climate change. We are pleased to work with the provinces on energy files.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for King—Vaughan and the chair of the House of Commons environment committee for her great question.I am extremely proud that on the anniversary of our government, the Paris agreement has come into force. The signs of climate change are clear. Climate change is real, it is man made, and the world is taking action now to address it.We are working hard at home and abroad to tackle climate change and to grow a clean economy.

Mr. Speaker, I actually resent that question. We will always send our troops with the appropriate equipment and rules of engagement to be able to defend themselves. Our troops have done this with the utmost honour. However, we also need to look at conflict when we send our troops. We need to look at smart power. We need to be able to send our troops in a manner that they can reduce conflict, and our troops have demonstrated this.Militaries around the world are looking at conflict. They are looking at the root causes, because our troops, while they are ready for the threat, can also help reduce the threat as well.

Mr. Speaker, over half of the strategic investment funding for post-secondary institutions has been announced. There is a 2018 deadline on the money but not a dime has been committed to Manitoba. The Conservative government in Manitoba does not get the importance of investing in post-secondary education for students, for construction workers, or for employers.The question is this. Are Manitoba's Liberal MPs just going to sit there and watch as a short-sighted government on Broadway passes up funding of up to $100 million for Manitoba? Or are they going to commit to working with Manitoba's post-secondary institutions to make sure that Manitoba gets its fair share of the money before the clock runs out?

Mr. Speaker, my colleague would agree that northerners need to have a voice in transforming nutrition north. That is why we have been in consultations with more than 20 communities across the north. We will complete those consultations by November.We want to look at how we can better support this program to make food more accessible and more affordable. We want to look at better support for hunters and improve access to country foods. We are interested in looking at all options, whether that is a pilot project or some other program that would benefit people in the north.

Mr. Speaker, the situation in Vegreville is not one of job loss, but of job maintenance, and in fact job creation. The individuals in Vegreville will have their positions secured in Edmonton. In addition, in moving the processing centre to Edmonton we will increase efficiencies, reduce processing times, and make that centre more able to employ more Albertans.What we are doing for the people of Vegreville is reaching out to the member opposite and the mayor the town to facilitate that transition, and we continue to look forward to executing that in the coming days and months ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to remind Canadians that at the federal level, we have some of the strictest rules and principles around fundraising at any level.The Conservatives talk about doing fundraising differently. They did. They chose to appoint people—

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of International Development said that “Ethiopia has managed to be a sea of stability in a hostile region”. However, Feyisa Lilesa, the Olympic silver medallist from Ethiopia, could not return home after he crossed his arms at the finish line to protest the Ethiopian regime.Does the minister believe that a government that imprisons, tortures, and kills its own citizens is actually a good government?

Mr. Speaker, let me assure the hon. member that this government is working very closely, not only with its provincial counterparts but certainly with the great delegation of Manitoba MPs on the government side to make sure that there are going to be some wonderful investments to come into the post-secondary institutions of Manitoba. I ask the hon. member and I ask the House to stay tuned.

Mr. Speaker, one thing I can assure everyone is that we will continue to invest. We will continue investing in Canadians, and we will continue investing in the economy. I am very proud of the fall economic statement. This is great news for Canadians. We decided to invest in creating jobs in this country and to improving the quality of life of Canadians. That goes to infrastructure, that goes to attracting investment in our country, that goes to attracting global skills in this country. That is how to grow an economy. I will point out that even Madam Lagarde of the IMF said that she hopes what we are doing goes viral in the world. We will continue.

Mr. Speaker, the government is throwing another $3 billion into the bottomless pit that is Muskrat Falls: 22 cents per kilowatt hour is a slippery slope. To date, almost $10 billion of taxpayer money has been invested in a project that should never have been started and that will never make a profit.Meanwhile, the government is not offering a cent to Bombardier, the largest exporter in the manufacturing industry and Quebec's aeronautics flagship, which is developing the best technology project in the history of Quebec and Canada.How can the government justify investing $10 billion in the Muskrat Falls project, while refusing to give Bombardier a red cent?

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to remind Canadians that, at the federal level, we have some of the strictest rules around fundraising of any level of government.The fact is that the Conservative Party chose to name people like Irving Gerstein to the Senate and charge them with the responsibility—

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to remind Canadians that, at the federal level, we have some of the strictest rules around fundraising of any level of government.The fact is that the Conservative Party chose to name people like Irving Gerstein to the Senate and charge them with the responsibility—

Mr. Speaker, one thing I can assure everyone is that we will continue to invest. We will continue investing in Canadians, and we will continue investing in the economy. I am very proud of the fall economic statement. This is great news for Canadians. We decided to invest in creating jobs in this country and to improving the quality of life of Canadians. That goes to infrastructure, that goes to attracting investment in our country, that goes to attracting global skills in this country. That is how to grow an economy. I will point out that even Madam Lagarde of the IMF said that she hopes what we are doing goes viral in the world. We will continue.

Mr. Speaker, the government is throwing another $3 billion into the bottomless pit that is Muskrat Falls: 22 cents per kilowatt hour is a slippery slope. To date, almost $10 billion of taxpayer money has been invested in a project that should never have been started and that will never make a profit.Meanwhile, the government is not offering a cent to Bombardier, the largest exporter in the manufacturing industry and Quebec's aeronautics flagship, which is developing the best technology project in the history of Quebec and Canada.How can the government justify investing $10 billion in the Muskrat Falls project, while refusing to give Bombardier a red cent?

Mr. Speaker, let me assure the hon. member that this government is working very closely, not only with its provincial counterparts but certainly with the great delegation of Manitoba MPs on the government side to make sure that there are going to be some wonderful investments to come into the post-secondary institutions of Manitoba. I ask the hon. member and I ask the House to stay tuned.

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of International Development said that “Ethiopia has managed to be a sea of stability in a hostile region”. However, Feyisa Lilesa, the Olympic silver medallist from Ethiopia, could not return home after he crossed his arms at the finish line to protest the Ethiopian regime.Does the minister believe that a government that imprisons, tortures, and kills its own citizens is actually a good government?

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to remind Canadians that at the federal level, we have some of the strictest rules and principles around fundraising at any level.The Conservatives talk about doing fundraising differently. They did. They chose to appoint people—

Mr. Speaker, the situation in Vegreville is not one of job loss, but of job maintenance, and in fact job creation. The individuals in Vegreville will have their positions secured in Edmonton. In addition, in moving the processing centre to Edmonton we will increase efficiencies, reduce processing times, and make that centre more able to employ more Albertans.What we are doing for the people of Vegreville is reaching out to the member opposite and the mayor the town to facilitate that transition, and we continue to look forward to executing that in the coming days and months ahead.

Mr. Speaker, over half of the strategic investment funding for post-secondary institutions has been announced. There is a 2018 deadline on the money but not a dime has been committed to Manitoba. The Conservative government in Manitoba does not get the importance of investing in post-secondary education for students, for construction workers, or for employers.The question is this. Are Manitoba's Liberal MPs just going to sit there and watch as a short-sighted government on Broadway passes up funding of up to $100 million for Manitoba? Or are they going to commit to working with Manitoba's post-secondary institutions to make sure that Manitoba gets its fair share of the money before the clock runs out?

Mr. Speaker, my colleague would agree that northerners need to have a voice in transforming nutrition north. That is why we have been in consultations with more than 20 communities across the north. We will complete those consultations by November.We want to look at how we can better support this program to make food more accessible and more affordable. We want to look at better support for hunters and improve access to country foods. We are interested in looking at all options, whether that is a pilot project or some other program that would benefit people in the north.

Mr. Speaker, I actually resent that question. We will always send our troops with the appropriate equipment and rules of engagement to be able to defend themselves. Our troops have done this with the utmost honour. However, we also need to look at conflict when we send our troops. We need to look at smart power. We need to be able to send our troops in a manner that they can reduce conflict, and our troops have demonstrated this.Militaries around the world are looking at conflict. They are looking at the root causes, because our troops, while they are ready for the threat, can also help reduce the threat as well.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for King—Vaughan and the chair of the House of Commons environment committee for her great question.I am extremely proud that on the anniversary of our government, the Paris agreement has come into force. The signs of climate change are clear. Climate change is real, it is man made, and the world is taking action now to address it.We are working hard at home and abroad to tackle climate change and to grow a clean economy.

Mr. Speaker, the amount provided to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is a commercial loan. Like the Province of Quebec, we recognize the importance of clean energy in the fight against climate change. We are pleased to work with the provinces on energy files.

Mr. Speaker, as I said to my hon. colleague, we have been making investments. In talking about growing the economy, I spoke with a number of men today from the construction sector, who like the investments we have been making in infrastructure. We are putting tradespeople back to work with the investments we are making in infrastructure. Having seen the downturn in commodity prices, they are happy that our government is making those targeted investments in infrastructure so we can get tradespeople back to work.

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector needs reliable access to labour.In many regions, temporary foreign workers make up a significant part of the workforce for some industries.Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is working with its federal partners to ensure that the policies and programs pertaining to the labour force take those needs into account.

Mr. Speaker, since we were elected, we have introduced the most ambitious infrastructure plan in Canada's history. We are talking about total investments of $187 billion, with $81 billion invested over the next few years. More importantly, since taking office we have approved more than 950 projects; 750 are part of the first phase, and 65% of these are currently under construction. There will be better transportation systems and cleaner water for our children.Conservatives like to talk. They like to talk and talk and talk. We prefer to act.

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs.The government has committed to improving food security in the north. However, the nutrition north program continues to fail us. The rate of food insecurity in Nunavut is more than four times the national average. The government has stated that the program will be “more transparent, cost effective, and culturally appropriate”.When will Nunavummiut see these changes? Would the minister be willing to consider pilot projects to help her address these program issues?

Mr. Speaker, doing a better job of looking after our veterans is right at the top of our list. We understand the abuse and the neglect that they suffered over the last 10 years, and making some of these changes is going to take time. We have hired new people. We have opened new offices. We have new conversations. We are going to get this mandate letter done and we are going to do it on time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by reassuring the marine industry, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, and all users of the Seaway that the Coast Guard takes icebreaking operations very seriously and provides exemplary service.The Coast Guard meticulously maintains its fleet of icebreakers, and we are going to invest in modernizing and extending the lifespan of this fleet in order to ensure that they service the Seaway until new vessels are built.The Coast Guard and stakeholders in the Seaway have an excellent working relationship. We are investing in our fleet so that vessels operate longer during peak periods and to meet the needs of our economy.

Mr. Speaker, that is an excellent question. It gives me the opportunity to point out that we announced $81 billion in new funding for infrastructure, including $25.3 billion for public transit, $21.9 billion for social infrastructure, and $21.9 billion for green infrastructure. We are adding two categories: $10.1 billion for trade and transport and $2 billion for rural communities. This means more highways, more buses on the roads, better housing for those who need it, and direct support to our rural communities.

Mr. Speaker, for several days now, the NDP has been asking exactly how many journalists the RCMP and CSIS are spying on. When questioned about the Federal Court's decision on the collection of personal information, the director of CSIS said that he could not comment on operational details. Journalists across the country want an answer to this question.This is an opportunity for the minister to give the people a clear answer. How many journalists are being spied on?

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary. I thank my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent for his question. If the opposition could do as we say, everything would be fine.What we are saying is that we have tightened the rules around the mortgage market because we know that, for Canadian families, buying a home is probably the largest investment they will make in their lifetimes. That is why the Minister of Finance's first responsibility is to ensure long-term stability in the housing market in Canada.That is exactly what we did in December. That is exactly what we did with the new rules we announced. Canadian families understand this, because it is in their—

Mr. Speaker, as a grain farmer myself, I understand how important it is for farmers to harvest the fruits of their labour.We are working on developing the next agricultural policy framework. We have engaged with the provinces and territories to ensure that Canada's agriculture and agrifood sector remains a leader, and we are making progress. Our priorities include business risk management, environmental sustainability, science, research, and innovation.

Mr. Speaker, as you can see, we were so eager to answer the question, we all rose at the same time to explain to the member for Louis-Saint-Laurent, for whom we have enormous respect, how our plan is going. Let me remind him of a few things, because sometimes he tends to forget these things, but let me say what we have done in our budget. We promised to help seniors: we did help seniors. We promised to help students: we did help students. We promised to help families: we did help families. And now we are continuing investing in infrastructure, attracting investment in Canada, and investing in talent. That is what confident and ambitious countries are doing, and we will continue to do just that.

Mr. Speaker, I am glad that my colleague from Lac-Saint-Jean asked me that question. If he would like to see work being done, I invite him to come to Montreal.I would like to remind my colleague of something that he is well aware of. I am proud of this government's 2016 fall economic statement. It is the next step in our plan. The first step was to invest in Canadian families. That is why we were elected.We announced historic investments, things that the Conservatives were unable to accomplish. We will invest over $180 billion in infrastructure. We are going to create an investment agency in Canada and attract talent. That is how we are going to grow—

Mr. Speaker, when we were in office, we implemented the two largest infrastructure plans in the country while balancing the budget. On April 1, 2014, we launched a $70-billion project. It takes two to three years to get infrastructure projects started. We are the ones who did the groundwork for the projects that the Liberals are announcing. It is easy for them brag about that today. That being said, they are going to fund their infrastructure investments with a multi-billion dollar deficit. We never did that.They are creating deficits for the future and they are borrowing money, but no actual work is being done. What is more, winter is on the way. I look forward to seeing whether they can actually convince anyone to start digging in January.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to stand today on the first anniversary of our government. We are working very hard to rebuild trust in our environmental assessment process. We announced transitional principles that govern how our government is going to approach environmental assessments, which includes respecting our obligations to consult and accommodate indigenous people. We have also launched a review of environmental assessments. I certainly encourage the member opposite and all members to feed into this review, because we need to get environmental assessments right.

Mr. Speaker, for more than a decade the Liberals and the Conservatives have done nothing about the renewal of the icebreaker fleet. This is now jeopardizing the St. Lawrence Seaway and the prosperity of the regions that depend on it. It is not just local stakeholders who are worried and asking for the government to intervene. A confidential internal report by Fisheries and Oceans Canada deems the situation to be critical.What will the minister do to quickly resolve this situation and guarantee that the Seaway remains open during the winter?

Mr. Speaker, the member knows very well that this government engages and speaks to Canadians and that we welcome any perspectives because, as our Prime Minister says, we are here to serve Canadians and to ensure that this government is working hard for middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join it. All members of Parliament, in all parties, fundraise and all abide by the exact same rules. When the rules are followed, no conflicts of interest can exist.We know how the Conservatives fundraise. We will not follow their directives, that is for sure.

Mr. Speaker, to correct the record so it is very clear, both the director of CSIS and the commissioner of the RCMP have said clearly the answer is “none”. In terms of the review of the safeguards that are in place, the ministerial directives are very clear and we have already indicated, long before this controversy arose, that we are reviewing all of those directives to make sure that they safeguard the rights and interests and freedoms of Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, for weeks, the Liberals have repeated the same talking points about their elite and exclusive cash for access fundraising schemes. Canadians do not believe the Liberals' excuses. Just a year ago, the Prime Minister ordered his ministers to obey his own “Open and Accountable Government” rules, but the finance minister, the innovation minister, the trade minister, the natural resources minister, and even the Prime Minister have completely ignored them.Will the Prime Minister stop using government positions to fill the Liberal Party coffers?

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to protecting the health of Canadian families and animal health. To honour that commitment, we have launched an investigation into this matter.We are acutely aware of the issues facing ranchers who are dealing with bovine tuberculosis. Many of them would probably have sold the affected animals, so they are now coping with unexpected financial constraints. We will make sure that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency does its work as quickly as possible.We take all of the issues related to disease prevention very seriously, and we hope the disease can be eradicated from our herds.

Mr. Speaker, one year ago today, our Prime Minister made a commitment to gender equality by appointing the first gender-balanced cabinet and the first ever full Minister of Status of Women.Can the parliamentary secretary for Status of Women please inform this House of the accomplishments of our government over the past year on gender equality?

Mr. Speaker, real change is really on this side of the aisle. It is really clear that real change is about investing in Canadians. That is what confident and ambitious countries are doing. We are in 2016. Ambitious countries invest in their population. They invest to create jobs and invest in the future to improve the quality of life. That is why we have announced more than $180 billion in infrastructure spending to bring back jobs in the country, to invest in our future in public transit and green infrastructure, and to invest in our cities and social housing. That is what Canadians expect in 2016. That is what we are delivering.

Mr. Speaker, wherever we send our troops, we will send them with the appropriate equipment, appropriate training, and robust rules of engagement. When it comes to the root cause, every nation who is looking at conflict right now is talking about the root cause, because we cannot just send our soldiers into harm's way all the time. We need to start preventing conflict to reduce these things so that we do not have to send our troops into harm's way and eventually have to send these tragic messages to families that their soldiers have been hurt. We will look at all aspects of this, and we will take a whole-of-government approach to conflict.

Mr. Speaker, as I said before, certainly the investments we are making are starting to show that kind of increase in jobs. Among young Canadians, we have seen an increase of about 26,000 jobs. What we know is that back in October 2015, Statistics Canada started publishing trend lines, and what we have seen over the last four months is job opportunities trending up in this country. The investments this government is making are starting to pay dividends.

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that the Conservative Party chose to name people like Irving Gerstein to the Senate and charge them with the responsibility of fundraising for the Conservative Party of Canada. We have a very different approach to the Senate and fundraising. That is what Canadians expect, and that is exactly what we are delivering.

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that this government is borrowing huge amounts of money and running up colossal deficits. We are talking about deficits totalling nearly $150 billion over its term. That is unacceptable.It is funny, because those folks are borrowing billions of dollars as though money grew on trees, which it makes no sense, but when it comes time to ask Canadians to invest in their mortgage, the Liberals are making things harder for young families, for those who are starting out in life, and for Canadian workers.Why is the government borrowing billions of dollars on the one hand, while on the other hand asking Canadians to show some restraint when it comes time to borrow?“Do as I say, not as I do”. Is that the Liberals' policy?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the minister said all staff at the Vegreville immigration centre will be “guaranteed jobs in Edmonton”. However, officials say more than half will not be covered to move, some will not even get an offer at all, and others cannot afford to commute. The minister's answers keep changing and contradicting officials and others. He has no clue. He is killing hundreds of jobs and ripping apart this community. Does he not care about rural Albertans? Will he not stop this edict immediately?

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are not buying that. They are also not buying the government's not guilty plea on their cash for access fundraising schemes.Canadians are expected to obey laws and follow the rules, but they know that what the Prime Minister and his cabinet ministers are doing is wrong.Canadians want to know, why do the Liberals always think they can get away with breaking the rules? Why does it always seem that there is one standard for Liberals and their friends, and then a completely higher one for everyone else?

Mr. Speaker, today's Statistics Canada report on jobs brought more bad news. There are now 23,000 fewer Canadians working full-time from September to October; 25,000 fewer manufacturing jobs today than a year ago when the Liberal Party took government; and 25,000 fewer young people are employed full-time as work has become more scarce and precarious.The Liberals promised deficits and jobs. We have the deficits, where are the jobs?

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to ensuring that all federal procurement processes are carried out in an ethical manner that protects the interests of Canadians.We need to ensure that all procurement processes are open and accountable. That is what our government promised, and that is what we are going to do.

Mr. Speaker, the issue was first raised in the report of the Security Intelligence Review Committee for the 2014-15 calendar year. It relates to a period long before this government came into office. That report was tabled in Parliament on January 28. That is the time when the public was alerted to the issue.Thereafter, CSIS worked with the Department of Justice to better inform the court. Obviously the court's decision was rendered yesterday. We are not appealing. We accept that judgment, absolutely.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the director of CSIS was very clear, and the day before that the commissioner of the RCMP was very clear, in terms of the troubling issues that are being reported upon in Quebec in the last number of days. Both the commissioner and the director have said that is not happening at the federal level.

Mr. Speaker, our government believes very strongly in the importance of corporate social responsibility and the absolute duty of all Canadian companies to respect human rights and their corporate social responsibility when they are working abroad. In fact, our government has a policy that companies found not respecting corporate social responsibility outside of Canada can have the withdrawal of the services of the trade commissioner. This is an issue that we are seized of.

Mr. Speaker, at last Thursday's ethics committee meeting, I asked the Commissioner of Lobbying what she thought of cash for access fundraising involving lobbyists. Her answer was pretty clear. She said: ...I think we're seeing in the media and so on that this is an issue that's potentially creating real or apparent conflicts of interest, which is why I'm looking into it. If cash for access fundraising with lobbyists does not break any rules, then why is the Commissioner of Lobbying investigating them?

Mr. Speaker, in the committee, we have already indicated that we are willing to consider all constructive ideas and amendments.However, I would point out that the powers presently drafted in Bill C-22 do provide the committee of parliamentarians with the authority to examine current operations.

Mr. Speaker, obviously the job survey that came out today is a snapshot of time. On the numbers for October, there were some positive aspects in there. There have been increases in employment, and the participation rate has gone up as well. Of the jobs created, two-thirds of them were in the private sector. There were 24,000 well-paying construction jobs created. I would think that has something to do with the investments that have been made in infrastructure. They will continue to grow. We know that the economy—

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Natural Resources stated that he had informed his Quebec counterpart of Ottawa's decision to increase by $2.9 billion the loan guarantee for Newfoundland and Labrador out of courtesy.I will define the word “courtesy”. Courtesy means not being complicit in unfair competition with Hydro-Québec. Courtesy means not using Quebeckers' money to undermine Quebec's interests. Courtesy means respecting the unanimous will of the National Assembly.How can government members from Quebec accept this direct attack on the interests of their own nation?

Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign last year, the Prime Minister sugar-coated the pill for everyone by talking about infrastructure investments that would justify a deficit. Once again, we are going to get another list of the many things that went wrong. In October, Canada lost 23,000 full-time jobs because of the government's decisions.What is their plan? Are they going to do the same thing hoping for different results, or will they present us with a more realistic plan that actually works?

Happy anniversary. Mr. Speaker, it is time for all feet on deck over there. Yesterday the Canadian network on corporate accountability recommended establishing a human rights ombudsperson to oversee international mining operations. Reports document hundreds of incidents of violence associated with Canadian resources extraction companies abroad. New Democrats have long called for an ombudsperson to provide much needed oversight in this sector. Will the minister admit the current system is broken and support this recommendation to protect human rights?

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question.Our Prime Minister appointed not only a gender-balanced cabinet, but he also appointed a minister dedicated solely to the status of women, a first in the history of Canada. Our government has taken positive steps toward achieving gender equality.A gender-based violence strategy, an inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women, gender-based analysis of our policies and all of our future budgets, pay equity legislation, over 3,000 shelter spaces, the Canada child benefit, a framework for early education and child care, and a national poverty reduction strategy.We are just getting started.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to correct something I said.I did not mean to mislead my colleagues of the House of Commons, but when I feel passionate about something, I sometimes muddle my words.In my response, I meant to say that it was not a question of whether we would help Bombardier, but rather how we are going to do it.

Mr. Speaker, the Alberta families who have been impacted by the bovine tuberculosis quarantine need some answers. They are in very real danger of missing their one payday of the year. Their family farms are at stake. One of the ranchers affected, Brad Osadczuk, said they are in a lot of trouble. He said, “There’s people’s livelihoods, health and families that are hanging in the balance”.Can the health minister tell Albertans if all CFIA inspectors available have been deployed to Alberta to help solve this potential disaster?

Mr. Speaker, our government is very committed to promoting human rights around the world. Our government has never shied away from raising human rights issues at the highest level. Our Minister of Foreign Affairs is embarking on a trip to Africa to make sure that we raise, obviously, the interests of Canadians but also human rights and our consular cases. I do not understand why the previous Conservative government wanted to stand on the sidelines and not raise these issues.

Mr. Speaker, CSIS, the spy agency, set up the illegal program a decade ago and hid it from the court.It is clearer now than ever that we need a parliamentary watchdog with real teeth. The government's bill, with its censored, after-the-fact review committee, just will not cut it.The NDP has proposed concrete, balanced amendments to ensure the committee can provide real oversight and get access to all the documents it needs to do the job. Will the government accept our amendments to create real parliamentary oversight of Canada's spy agency?

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, the Minister of Finance delivered his economic update in which he announced the next part of our historic infrastructure plan.Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities explain to us how this additional money will be allocated across the various categories?

Mr. Speaker, we have already consulted with hundreds of stakeholders, farmers, and Canadians from across the country. Their contributions have been vital to the development of a new framework. On July 22, 2016, my provincial and territorial colleagues and I issued the Calgary statement. That document outlines the overarching themes and priorities for the next framework and is based on input from stakeholders.The Government of Canada will continue working with its provincial and territorial partners and consulting with stakeholders on the key elements that will define the next framework.

Mr. Speaker, in June, our government announced $69 million in immediate and targeted mental wellness support for first nations and Inuit. Of this, $3.8 million has been allocated to Nunavut over the next three years.Funding decisions for the three new mobile mental wellness teams were determined in partnership and by consensus with the Government of Nunavut and the Inuit representative body in Nunavut. Senior officials from our department continue to be in regular contact with Nunavut government officials, including on the implementation of this new funding.

Mr. Speaker, I would remind all members of the House that when it comes to the rules and fundraising, the rules are some of the strictest across the country. Indeed, it is true that federal politics is subject to some of the strictest political financing legislation and regulations in the country. When it comes to accepting donations from trade associations, or businesses, or anything else, we cannot do that federally. The Conservatives do have a very different approach when it comes to fundraising, because they chose to appoint people like Irving Gerstein to the Senate to do their fundraising. We will not do that because we support the independence of the Senate. We will reform the Senate, and we will—

Mr. Speaker, HIV and hepatitis C are serious but preventable diseases. The funding that the Public Health Agency of Canada provides to community-based organizations across the country to combat HIV and hepatitis C is staying steady at $26.4 million. There are a number of new organizations that have been invited to submit full proposals. This is part of an open, evidence-based, and transparent process and decisions were made by a committee of technical experts.

Mr. Speaker, there have been 29 deaths by suicide in Nunavut this year. In June, the Prime Minister announced $69 million in funding for immediate action on addressing our suicide crisis; $800,000 has been earmarked for this fiscal year. The Government of Nunavut has submitted a proposal that is yet to be funded. I believe that this is a result of no clear guidelines or criteria.Could the Minister of Health designate an individual to meet with the Nunavut government to ensure that this much-needed funding can be utilized before it expires?

Mr. Speaker, the government is open and has met with individuals with a range of views and beliefs, including members of the Baha'i community. We are committed to step-by-step re-engagement with Iran. Engagement does not mean agreement, but it does give a platform to raise Canadian values, like human rights and the rule of law, as well as consular cases.The Conservatives seem to want Canada to stand alone, which helps no one, not Canadians, not our allies, and not the Iranian people. We are committed to engagement with our eyes wide open.

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised Canadians that borrowing billions of dollars would create jobs for Canadians, but we just learned this morning that 23,000 full-time jobs were lost in October.Will the Prime Minister finally get a plan to create jobs, not just deficits?

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party chose to name people like Irving Gerstein to the Senate, and charge them with the responsibility of fundraising for the Conservative Party.We have a different approach to the Senate. We have a different approach to actually following the rules. I will repeat, the rules are some of the strongest in the nation.

Mr. Speaker, the only acceptable answer is “zero”.However, neither the minister nor the Prime Minister can tell the people that no journalists are being spied on. When questioned about this, both the Minister of Public Safety and the Prime Minister replied that safeguards to protect freedom of the press are in place.What are those safeguards?

Mr. Speaker, today the Paris agreement comes into force, far earlier than expected. A year ago, 195 countries came together to tackle climate change. Can the Minister of Environment and Climate Change please update the House on how this historic agreement will support our economy and the environment?

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague just said, the Government of Canada is offering Newfoundland and Labrador a commercial loan.The Government of Canada stands with Quebec. We are making investments in every community.With regard to the aerospace industry, our government is working closely with Bombardier. We are still holding discussions with the company. As the minister said, we are definitely going to help Bombardier. It is just a matter of time. We are going to stand with the aerospace industry.

Mr. Speaker, actually the PBO's report on jobs showed precisely the opposite, that Canada is performing below the trend line in every single area, and nowhere worse than with males. In fact, 70,000 fewer men are working full-time today than a year ago. The number of unemployed men is up to 7.1%. That means dads with nowhere to go in the morning and no paycheque to bring home at the end of the month. That is because of the big losses in energy and manufacturing sectors, two sectors that will be hardest hit by payroll and carbon taxes. Knowing that, will the government announce today its plans to cancel future tax increases on manufacturing and energy jobs in this country?

Mr. Speaker, veterans are talking about the lackadaisical approach by the Minister of Veterans Affairs. The minister is way behind schedule on the 23 or so priorities promised in his mandate letter. So far, only two of the promises have been implemented after a year in office. The minister and government's inaction is hurting veterans who have sacrificed so much for all Canadians.It looks like veterans were only a priority for the Liberals at election time. When will the minister get the job done?

Mr. Speaker, over 10 years after the Gomery Commission exposed for all Canadians to see the culture of corruption that pervaded the Liberal government of the day, a central figure in the sponsorship scandal and close friend of the Liberal Party has been found guilty of influence peddling, forgery, and money laundering.Will the government learn from the past and finally follow the ethics rules imposed by its own Prime Minister when it comes to fundraising?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Federal Court ruled that CSIS has been illegally storing sensitive personal information on untold numbers of Canadians—Canadians who the spy agency itself has determined pose no threat. This is a gross abuse of power and an unjustifiable intrusion into the privacy of Canadians. The minister just admitted that he was told of this abuse of powers. Does he really believe it is enough to just advise the review committee? Why were Canadians not told immediately?

Well, Mr. Speaker, there is one project with shovels in the ground.The Liberals' economic plan has failed. The deficit has gone north of $30 billion, job growth has gone south of the border, they have decimated oil and gas jobs in the west and ignored opportunities to create jobs in the east. The unemployment rate in my riding is now at an all-time high, and actual infrastructure implementation is at an all-time low. The Liberals' moral compass is broken, along with their promises, so why can the government not see that real change is lost in space?

Mr. Speaker, the environment minister has failed to respond to requests by the Mikisew Cree First Nation and the McMurray Métis for a federal environmental assessment of an experimental project to extract bitumen. These communities have raised serious concerns about how the chemicals involved could impact their ground and surface waters and fisheries.Prime Minister Harper excluded these kinds of projects from federal laws, which the Liberals have yet to reverse. The government claims to respect the rights and interests of first nations and Métis. So, why has the minister not used her overriding power to order this environmental review?

Mr. Speaker, stakeholders from the agriculture sector were clear: as long as there is a labour shortage, there will be problems. Our farmers are losing millions of dollars with every harvest, but that was to be expected.Instead of taking concrete action on this, the Liberal government holds endless consultations. In the meantime, 14 foreign workers were arrested in Victoriaville on Wednesday and the farmers are facing criminal charges.When will the Liberal government do something about the labour shortage in the agriculture sector?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government is cutting critical funding from the fight against HIV/AIDS across rural communities, including my riding of Kootenay—Columbia. This will result in service reductions to HIV prevention and education programs. One organization in my riding, ANKORS, will be forced to lay off experienced staff, and other organizations will lose important resources in the midst of an opioid crisis.Why is the Minister of Health proceeding with these dangerous cuts, and why are the Liberals walking away from the fight against HIV/AIDS in the B.C. interior?

Mr. Speaker, recent years have been tough on farmers in my riding of Yellowhead, especially in Brazeau County. In July of last year, the county declared an agricultural state of disaster due to drought. Earlier this week, constant rain forced Brazeau County to declare another state of agricultural disaster. Up to 75% of local crops remain on the ground.What is the government planning to provide in income disaster assistance to this vital sector?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister and the minister said that stopping extremist groups from shooting at each other was not the priority, but to me, that is a prerequisite for peace.The government is about to send our soldiers to Mali to play social worker and talk to extremists. We know how jihadis think. They want to kill all foreign soldiers and infidels. Will the government send our soldiers on this mission like lambs to the slaughter?

Mr. Speaker, as I already mentioned, there is a lot of work under way in order to improve the services and support we are giving our veterans. It is unfortunate that this group of veterans felt that it had to take the previous government to court in order to do that. It is regrettable that the veterans felt they needed to stay that course, but the thing we need to remember is that it is their absolute right to do so. We are working hard to solve the issues that were brought up and we are going to get them solved.

Mr. Speaker, last week the foreign affairs minister and two of his Liberal colleagues held a private round table on appeasing Iran. Two attendees said it was unfairly balanced toward supporters of Iran, stacked in favour of those who want to cozy up to this serial human rights abuser. Missing were critics of Iran's human rights abuses, such as that country's religious minorities: Baha'is, Baluch, and Iranian Kurds.My question is for the foreign affairs minister. Is this what the Prime Minister means by Canada is back, rewards of embassies for despots, tyrants, and serial human rights abusers?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals campaigned to end legal proceedings against veterans, but the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Prime Minister resumed a court case that was halted by the previous government. It was halted because the previous minister of veterans affairs and current member for Durham told the former prime minister that it was wrong and the court case against veterans needed to stop.Why will the minister not stop listening to the bureaucrats, show leadership, and tell his Prime Minister to stop fighting veterans in court?

Mr. Speaker, when asked about his defence minister's comments that Canada will find the root causes of the problems in Africa, the Prime Minister said, “Canada has an awful lot to offer other than just stopping people from shooting at each other”.The Liberals will be sending our soldiers to some of the most dangerous parts of the world in Africa. When radicalized terrorists start shooting at civilians or at our troops, will they be able to defend themselves, or are they expected to just talk to the jihadists about their feelings or the root causes of the conflict?

Mr. Speaker, this morning's jobs numbers do not bode well for the coming year for Canadians who want to work. Apparently, 23,000 full-time jobs were lost. It is bigger than a snapshot. This is a reality. My colleague from Cape Breton—Canso said this is just a snapshot. This is a reality.Meanwhile, the government keeps borrowing and will grow the deficit by $32 billion over the next five years. When will the government see that its plan is not working and will be disastrous for Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' big spending plan is failing. There has not been a single full-time job created. What is worse, the Liberals are borrowing an extra $32 billion to finance their out-of-control spending. This is not just a little deficit. This is serious, long-term debt that we are handing our children and grandchildren.When will the Liberals stop their out-of-control spending and start listening to the concerns of Canadians who need jobs today, full-time jobs?

Mr. Speaker, the Commissioner of Lobbying repeatedly said that she is looking into cash for access fundraising involving lobbyists and Liberal cabinet ministers. She said that when a lobbyist organizes a fundraiser, a sense of obligation is created.It is time for the government House leader to stop reciting irrelevant talking points. Why does she defend cash for access when the practice is clearly under investigation?

Mr. Speaker, Alberta is about to face another test. Harsh weather conditions have left hundreds of thousands of acres still to be harvested and Alberta farmers are bracing for the worst. The agriculture minister needs to understand this is a catastrophe for farmers and farm families and they need help.Will the minister consider flexibility within the advance payment program and the fast-tracking of unharvested crop claims through crop insurance programs?