Most toxic speeches
Mr. Speaker, here in Canada and around the world, human traffickers physically and sexually exploit women and girls. It is a brutal and disgusting crime that deserves to be punished harshly, but when the Liberals introduced their human trafficking law, they weakened the punishments that could be handed out to these criminals. They crafted Bill C-38 to deliberately get rid of back-to-back sentencing for those convicted of multiple crimes of human trafficking.Why is the Prime Minister unwilling to get tough on human traffickers and will he protect vulnerable women and girls by returning back-to-back sentencing to Canada's human trafficking laws?
Mr. Speaker, with this government, it seems that everything is for sale.We all know that women do not have equal rights in Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, Canada continues to export weapons to that country and to others, such as Libya, that have very questionable human rights records. Canada is now the second-largest exporter of arms to the Middle East.Does the Minister of Foreign Affairs believe that Canada should export military equipment to countries that violate women's rights? Are we now a nation of feminists
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister refuses to answer questions about his own ethical breaches. The innovation minister was forced to admit that he misled Canadians about the people to whom he is selling seniors care facilities.Canadians do not want to hear any lies or see such a total lack of transparency.When will the Prime Minister start acting like a leader and clean up his act?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Innovation claims to have done a review of the sell-off of seniors care facilities in B.C., but is not capable of telling Canadians who owns Anbang Insurance. Not even Wall Street firms will do business with Anbang because of the murky ownership structure, dominated by the who's who of the Chinese Communist Party. In the minister's pandering to Beijing, Canadians deserve to know who is pulling the strings and deciding the fate of our seniors. The question is simple. Who owns Anbang Insurance?
Mr. Speaker, research has revealed that when a woman or girl is raped in our country, her chances of being believed or being able to pursue justice are highly inadequate. I volunteered at a rape crisis centre and one of the most difficult decisions that a woman makes is whether or not to go to the police. We need to make that decision much easier. Will the Prime Minister commit to ensuring that RCMP front-line officers have the training they need to give these women and girls confidence to pursue justice?
Mr. Speaker, families of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls feel they are being left in the dark when in fact they should be properly informed and involved in every step of the inquiry. Worse, northern families do not have access to proper information due to unreliable Internet and other crucial services. How will the Prime Minister ensure the commitments made to all indigenous families affected by these tragedies are involved and feel like true progress is being made?
Mr. Speaker, I asked the Prime Minister a direct question and he refused to answer it. That kind of arrogant, condescending non-answer is what is giving the Liberals a lot of problems, from their carbon tax cover-up to misleading B.C. seniors, and a prime minister under multiple investigations. We know he is heading off today to have a private meeting with BlackRock executives. When is he going to start giving Canadians straightforward answers, or does he only meet with people who are lining his party's pockets?
Mr. Speaker, on International Women's Day, it is an honour to rise and be part of a government that speaks up for women's rights, and speaks up for women's sexual and reproductive rights. Access to birth control is of fundamental importance to the women and families of Canada, to be able to control their bodies, to be able to control their reproductive rights. We will make sure that medication in our country is affordable, accessible, and appropriately prescribed. That includes access to birth control.
Mr. Speaker, over a year ago, the Minister of Status of Women received an application from Justice alternative du Suroît for support to a project that would enable three large regions of Quebec to develop safety nets for sexually exploited girls and young women. Out of 4,000 runaways at youth centres in Quebec, 76% are girls, and 30% of them have been sexually exploited or exposed to prostitution. The project could prevent hundreds of women from suffering sexual abuse.When will the minister sign it and give this project the green light?
Mr. Speaker, Shelly Wynn is the widow of Constable David Wynn, who needlessly died because the justice system failed to protect him. His death was preventable. Shelly is in Ottawa today helping us fight to protect others. The Liberals have an opportunity to show Shelly that this will never happen again. We implore those on the other side to see the good that they will do if they vote for this bill.Will the Prime Minister close this loophole that will save lives and vote in support of Wynn's law today?
Mr. Speaker, once again, no answer from the Prime Minister.Let us try this again. The Canadian government is missing out on $9 billion in lost tax revenue every single year. Imagine what the government could properly fund with that money. We heard from women this morning about their priorities, pharmacare, child care. These could be realities, and all because the richest would simply be forced to pay their fair share.I have two very clear questions for the Prime Minister. Will he vote in favour of the NDP motion on tax fairness? Will the Prime Minister end all penalty-free amnesty deals for tax evaders?
Mr. Speaker, I did not ask if the program was expensive and had out of control costs, I asked if it got results. What the minister has failed to say is how many of these refugees have actually found jobs. We have a huge influx of refugees coming across the American border right now. We will see an influx of refugees coming in with the government's decision to lift the Mexican visa requirement.My question is very simple. How much will the government pay in Canadian taxpayers' dollars to support its ill-fated refugee plan?
Mr. Speaker, our allies in Australia, Britain, the U.S., and Germany have all responded to the cries of their veterans regarding the severe impact that mefloquine is having on their lives. On Monday, Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire testified that he has experienced the devastating effects of this drug. When he was asked if more studies should be done, he interrupted and said, No, just get rid of it.When will the Liberal government listen to the heart-wrenching testimony of veterans like General Roméo Dallaire and get rid of this harmful drug?
Mr. Speaker, we take fiscal avoidance and tax dodging very seriously. This is why we put $444 million in last year's budget, so that the Canada Revenue Agency could go after tax frauds and tax cheats.We continue to understand that this is a priority for Canadians. It is a priority for us. Everyone needs to pay their fair share of taxes. That is exactly what we are ensuring happens.
Mr. Speaker, 25 years ago I worked at the Sexual Assault Center of the McGill Students' Society and I know first-hand how devastating sexual assault can be. We need to do much more, even 25 years later, to make sure that we are fighting against it, that we are reducing it, and that we are creating a justice system and a system of policing that actually enable survivors of sexual assault to come forward and get justice. We still have much more work to do, but we are committed to doing that.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister claims to be a feminist, but on International Women's Day, he is content to merely re-announce old promises. If equality truly matters to the government, it should fund women's reproductive health. The best way is to ensure all women have access to birth control. Such access reduces unintended pregnancy, abortion, is cost saving, and a cornerstone to women's human rights.Will the government take a stand for women and support my motion to make birth control free for women in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, last week, a Halifax taxi driver was acquitted of sexual assault charges. The circumstances are disturbing, and incredibly, the judge ruled, Clearly, a drunk can consent. Countless legal experts have pointed out the mistakes in this judgment. I have introduced a very common sense bill to make sure that judges are not making basic errors or, even worse, painful comments that make victims think twice of ever pursuing justice.Will the Prime Minister support moving my bill to committee this week and help restore confidence in our justice system for victims of sexual assault?
Mr. Speaker, it is clear the Liberals do not care if they break the rules. First the Prime Minister traded cash for access against the ethics rules. Then he broke the law when he boarded a private helicopter for a winter vacation. He is in trouble with the Ethics Commissioner, the Commissioner of Lobbying, and the Commissioner of Official Languages. His ministers are now taking their cue from him. Now we see the innovation minister misleading Canadians about Anbang Insurance. Will the Prime Minister start following the rules and call on his ministers to do the same?
Mr. Speaker, the Conseil des Montréalaises recently issued an opinion on homelessness among women. In Montreal and across Canada, homelessness among women is on the rise, but it remains hidden. This is something that affects indigenous and immigrant women more frequently, and homeless women are much more vulnerable to physical and sexual violence.The minister announced the creation of an advisory committee to overhaul the homelessness partnering strategy, or HPS. Will a gender-based analysis be done? Will the government invest the sums needed to prevent and eradicate this scourge?
Mr. Speaker, for months the Liberals have been quietly preparing to sell off Canada's airports and have refused to answer questions, but they have hired Credit Suisse to study the idea. Tonight, the Prime Minister is having an exclusive meeting with BlackRock, a meeting that media has been banned from attending.It is clear that these Liberals have spent the credit card to the limit and are now selling off the furniture. Will the transport minister admit that he is selling our airports and tell us to whom he is selling them?
Mr. Speaker, 2016 was a difficult year for our small business owners. Their hiring credit was axed, their payroll taxes were increased, and they did not get the tax cut the Liberals promised. Small businesses are being targeted by the Liberals for being too small and the Prime Minister accused small businesses of existing solely to avoid tax.Will the Prime Minister finally listen to our entrepreneurs and cut their taxes in the upcoming budget?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect the Prime Minister and the ministers to act with integrity.The Prime Minister continues to break his own rules, the rules on ethics and contact with lobbyists.Will the Prime Minister start leading this country with integrity and tell cabinet members and the people in his office to do the same?
Mr. Speaker, our men and women on the ground and in the air serving in Operation Impact are still in the dark when it comes to whether or not the Liberals plan to pay or cut their danger pay. The deadline is fast approaching, and 300 more members of the Canadian Armed Forces may have their pay completely cut by this minister.On multiple occasions, the previous Conservative ministers in this role reversed bureaucratic decisions that looked similar to this. Will the minister commit here and now to follow our example, and ensure that full pay is given to our brave men and women in uniform?
Mr. Speaker, all survivors of sexual assault must be treated with compassion and respect, particularly when they are seeking justice before the courts. It is very important to do everything we can to protect and encourage these women, and sometimes men, to seek justice for the violence they have suffered. I am therefore very happy that this bill will give us an opportunity to discuss this important issue.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Rivière-des-Mille-Îles for the opportunity to inform the House that the Prime Minister and I made a very important announcement this morning: we will invest $650 million over three years in sexual and reproductive health in developing countries and fragile states.This investment will support the sexuality education of girls and boys, family planning, access to contraceptives, access to legal abortion, and the defence of women's rights because women's rights are human rights.
Mr. Speaker, we take tax evasion and tax avoidance very seriously. That is why, in the last budget, we invested $444 million in the Canada Revenue Agency so that it could go after tax cheats and better combat tax evasion. That is what Canadians expect and that is exactly what we are going to do: continue working hard in order to achieve our objective.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect the government to work very hard for them. They are the ones that we work hard for every day.That is why we lowered taxes for the middle class and made historic investments in infrastructure. We are going to keep working for Canadians every day, and I encourage the member to work with us so that we can get more done together.
Mr. Speaker, by not answering the question, the Liberals are just trying to hide the fact that the finance minister will put a big for sale sign on Canada's largest and most important airports. The Liberals' propensity for spending money they do not have is forcing them to have exclusive meetings with BlackRock to organize a shotgun sale of Canada's airports before the ink of the budget is even dry. Will the minister commit to maintaining Canadian ownership of these strategic economic assets, or are the Liberals just that desperate for money?
Mr. Speaker, one of the strongest commitments our government made was to launch an inquiry into the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, and we certainly have done that. We have set up an independent commission that is carrying out that process. However, we know we cannot wait for the commission's recommendations before we act on the real root causes of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in Canada. That is why we have invested $8.4 billion, historic investments, in women, in shelters, in housing, in children's education on first nations, and in indigenous communities.
Mr. Speaker, the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association says the Alberta government is breaking its agreement to flow $300 million of building Canada funds to local municipal projects. Instead, it is going to pay down the Alberta NDP's out-of-control debt. The infrastructure minister keeps falsely repeating that this money is building infrastructure and creating jobs. Municipalities need infrastructure now.When will the minister tell the premier this is not a slush fund and when will he finally stand up for communities in Alberta?
Mr. Speaker, seniors in my riding are writing and phoning my office every day. They simply want to know who is responsible for these facilities. If families and patients have complaints, they are lost in an accountability fog. Either the government does not know the answer, or it knows the answer and it is not willing to tell us. If he will not stand in the House and tell us who owns the homes, will he table the documents that were done with respect to that due diligence around the ownership of Anbang Insurance?
Mr. Speaker, New Democrats know it is the federal government's job to eliminate gender inequality. Words are not enough. Women want concrete action, and we have waited far too long.Pay equity is a fundamental human right. Countries like Iceland not only made pay equity the law, but they are now demanding that corporations prove that they are not paying women less than men.Can the Prime Minister explain to the women of this country how much longer they will have to wait before you enact pay equity legislation?
Mr. Speaker, every single minister and the Prime Minister work very hard for Canadians every single day. Every single member of Parliament, at least on this side of the House, work hard for their constituents every single day. I encourage every member to do the work he or she was elected to do. I know we can work better together. When it comes to the question the hon. members poses, she knows very well that the Prime Minister will answer any questions the commissioner has.
Mr. Speaker, I am surprised again why the Conservative Party, and particularly that member, is opposing global investment into Canada. We understand that we want investments into Canada to grow the economy, to create opportunities for Canadians, and to create jobs. This investment and this transaction was following the Investment Canada Act. We did our due diligence. We followed the process and we determined it was an overall net economic benefit. That is the decision we made, and that is why the British Columbia government and the health minister also provided the operating licences for these retirement care facilities, which are managed and operated by Canadians for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to increasing the representation of women in STEM fields.In a competitive, globalized economy, Canada cannot afford to leave half its talent on the sidelines. I am delighted to launch a digital campaign to encourage young women to #ChooseScience.As a former scientist and as Minister of Science, I consider it part of my responsibility to encourage young women to enter careers in STEM. Science needs women. We need their voices. We need their insights.
Mr. Speaker, the international community has consistently praised Canada for its compassionate, responsible, and generous refugee program. We will take no lessons from the previous government on issues around refugees and immigrants.In fact, by lifting the Mexican visa requirement, we have gone a long way to rebuild, and strengthen our bilateral relationship with Mexico that was damaged considerably by the previous government.We addressed those associated with the Mexican visa lift. We worked closely with Mexican officials. Tourism has gone up and other economic benefits have gone up. We will continue to work to make sure the visa lift is a success.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister goes on and on about being a proud feminist. He even voted in favour of a motion stating that pay equity is a basic right. Unfortunately, the government wants Canadian women to wait yet another year. Canadian women have waited long enough for the respect they deserve. The working group on pay equity released its report 12 years ago.Why is the Prime Minister refusing to recognize that basic right by demanding pay equity now?
Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, the Liberals promised to run a modest deficit of only $10 billion. That was one promise they broke immediately. They also promised that they would not eliminate income splitting for seniors. We all know that the Liberals alway break the promises they make to Canadians. Will the Minister of Finance tell us today that he will not eliminate income splitting for seniors?
Mr. Speaker, I did not hear him say that he will be supporting our motion that calls for pay equity immediately.As we all know, action is much more important than good intentions. My question is quite simple: can the Prime Minister tell us when he intends to present his plan to put an end to penalty-free amnesty deals and renegotiate tax treaties with countries that are known tax havens?
Mr. Speaker, this government is extremely serious about cracking down on human trafficking while protecting women and girls from exploitation, from assault. These are things that we take very seriously. We will continue to work very hard to ensure that more women and girls are protected. We also are the party of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and we will always stand up to defend charter rights.
Mr. Speaker, it is important that survivors of sexual assault be treated with respect and compassion, particularly before the justice system when they are seeking justice. We need to make sure that we are doing a much better job than we are right now. That is why I look forward to parliamentarians having an opportunity to discuss ways in which we are going to be able to improve it, including with the member's bill as it goes to committee.
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased and grateful to have the opportunity to mention two other measures that we have implemented in recent months.We increased the guaranteed income supplement by up to $1,000 per senior per year. This will benefit 900,000 seniors in Canada and will lift 13,000 seniors out of poverty. We also transferred $200 million for seniors' housing in order to help a good many of them escape the appalling housing conditions in which they find themselves. These measures will make our society better.
Mr. Speaker, we take the health of our Canadian Armed Forces members extremely seriously. We make every effort to protect our members from disease through immunization and other preventive measures.At the request of the Chief of the Defence Staff, the Surgeon General is now looking into the use of mefloquine and will report back imminently. The military member's decision on malaria prevention is made with close consultation with their health care provider based on comprehensive medical screening and education.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her question.On June 17, 2016, this government tabled the Arms Trade Treaty in the House of Commons, something that the previous Conservative government failed to do. We are delivering on our commitment to Canadians to promote responsibility, transparency, and accountability. It is the right thing to do, and we will soon be making legislative changes.
Mr. Speaker, I recently introduced a bill on sexual assault law that will help restore confidence in the justice system. The bill seeks to provide training to future judges, among other things. It will also require written reasons to be provided in a greater number of decisions.Does the Prime Minister agree that we should all work together to expedite passage of this bill?
Mr. Speaker, in addition to this being International Women's Day, it is also a deadline for the Minister of Health for comments on the federal framework on Lyme disease.This has been brought into play by the bill I submitted in the 41st Parliament, unanimously supported in the House and the Senate, and continues to be strongly supported by members on all sides of this House. Unfortunately, the draft framework is inadequate. It needs a serious overhaul.Could the Prime Minister assure us that the time, if it is necessary, will be taken to improve this framework?
Mr. Speaker, under the previous Conservative government, we introduced a low-tax plan for seniors that removed almost 400,000 of them from the tax rolls. As part of this plan, we increased the age amount tax credit by $2,000 for low- and fixed-income seniors.The Minister of Finance has indicated that everything is on the table to bring in more revenue for the government to waste. Will the Minister of Finance commit to not slash the age amount tax credit, and instead protect our seniors?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Liberals voted against releasing information regarding how much their carbon tax will cost Canadian households. As well, they have not included any information on what sectors will be exempted from the carbon tax. Can the minister tell the House who will be exempted, and will the government guarantee its national carbon tax will actually be revenue neutral?
Mr. Speaker, I want to reassure my colleague that what is most important for us is improving service to the air passenger. That is why we are working very hard to lower their costs, to give them more choices, more competition, to reduce the time it takes for them to go through security or through customs. We will even be giving them a bill of rights. That is what is motivating us when we talk about our airports and our airlines.
Mr. Speaker, again, our primary motivation is to give air passengers better choices. That is what motivates us most. We are working very hard to lower costs, give travellers more choices, and reduce the time it takes for them to go through security or customs. We want to acknowledge that passengers have rights. Improving passenger service is what motivates us when we talk about our airports and our airlines.
Mr. Speaker, today is International Women's Day, a day to recognize women's achievements and acknowledge the challenges we continue to face.As an immigrant, I know how difficult it can be for minority women to integrate fully into Canadian society. While men are the first to go to work and attend language training, women are often isolated, staying at home to care for children without the language skills to venture outside. Could the Minister of Status of Women tell us what the government is doing to help these isolated women fully join that Canadian family?
Mr. Speaker, we know that the funding to help many Syrian refugees resettle runs out this month. We also know that fewer than half of them have found jobs.Does the government know how much the provinces will have to pay out in social assistance because the Liberals did not come up with a plan to help these refugees fully integrate into the Canadian economy?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday when asked a serious question about his ethical lapses, the Prime Minister said that he will, continue to demonstrate the kind of openness and transparency Canadians expect. Let us see if there is even an ounce of truth in that statement because I am going to ask a very direct, straightforward question for the Prime Minister. Let us see if he answers. Has the Prime Minister met with the Ethics Commissioner on the current investigation that she is conducting? If so, how many times?
Mr. Speaker, after discussing the deal at a cash for access fundraiser, the Prime Minister agreed to sell B.C. care facilities to a Chinese company with questionable ownership. Yesterday, a Chinese-language media asked if our concern was about state-owned enterprises, to which we responded that we did not know to whom he sold these homes. Is it Chinese billionaires? Is it the Chinese government. Is it simply a friend?Therefore, again, whatever the answer is, it is unacceptable that the Prime Minister is not sharing it with Canadians. Who owns their homes?
Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased that Ms. MacInnis-Wynn was able to sit down with the justice minister and have a very constructive conversation on how we can improve our system of bail to do justice in this country. It is important that we keep our communities and families safe. It is important that we protect victims. It is important as well that we uphold the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. That is what we remain committed to and we are going to continue to work hard on that.
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to stand up on International Women's Day as the first woman elected in Ottawa Centre.Women across Canada are strongly supportive of climate action. They understand it is necessary to tackle climate change for their children and grandchildren, and also because it will mean good jobs for them in the future.We are committed to taking climate action. We will continue to move forward because it is the right thing to do, and I would encourage the party opposite to join us.
Mr. Speaker, I first want to thank and congratulate my colleague on her continued efforts on the issue of homelessness, particularly among women. I know she is aware that, in the last budget, back in March 2016, we announced a $100-million investment to build shelters that serve victims of family violence.Given that she has advised us in the past, and again I thank her for that, she also knows that we are developing a national housing strategy that will have a significant impact on the living conditions of our Canadian families, especially those who are most vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, the DisAbled Women's Network notes the rates of sexual, physical, and verbal violence across Canada are at least three times higher for young women and girls living with disabilities, and violence prevention agencies are simply not given the proper resources. Women with disabilities have been completely forgotten. On this International Women's Day, will the government commit to taking leadership to address the enormous gaps in violence prevention policy and program delivery for this vulnerable population?
Mr. Speaker, Canada is very aware of progress on the pay equity front and the work we are doing to help women succeed in the labour market. We know there is still a lot of work to do, and I congratulate all of the groups and organizations that continue to demand more measures. We will keep working hard to ensure that, in Canada, all women have the same opportunities as men.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to rise in this House, especially on International Women's Day. I wish everyone the best on this day, especially our women entrepreneurs. This government has committed to making more opportunities for under-represented groups. We are working better with entrepreneurs, we are listening and engaging with small business owners, we are speaking to their customers so that we can create the opportunities they need. The solutions that our small businesses owners have are not only good for Canada, but they are amazing for export markets. We will continue to open up those markets so that we can encourage our small business owners to export, as well.
Mr. Speaker, I want to wish everyone a happy International Women's Day. I thank my colleague from Scarborough Centre for her question.On International Women's Day, we are reminded that gender equality benefits our society and our economy. We know that a barrier to gender equality is access to child care services. That is why we have introduced the Canada child benefit plan. That is why we are developing a framework for early learning and child care. That is why we are increasing funding for services like child minding, to ensure refugee women can settle and integrate into our communities.
Mr. Speaker, February 11 was International Day for Women and Girls in Science when we celebrated scientists like Dr. Roberta Bondar, Dr. Victoria Kaspi, and Dr. Barbara Sherwood Lollar from my riding who was named Companion to the Order of Canada for her contributions to geochemistry.That day I attended an event with the Minister of Science, the Minister of Status of Women, the CEO of Actua, and women scientists who discussed the importance of getting young girls engaged in science, and how to keep women in STEM.Can the Minister of Science tell the House what our government is doing to encourage women to study science?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to making sure our men and women have all the right benefits. I have directed the Chief of the Defence Staff to look into this matter. I would also like to correct the member in terms of the previous government's actions on this. It actually sent troops into Kuwait without the tax-free allowance, something we had taken up. There were rules that were placed in 2014 that resulted in some of the inequities that we see right now.That is the reason why we are looking into this matter, so we can solve this issue.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her advocacy on behalf of women and girls in her communities and across Canada.Status of Women Canada is committed to empowering organizations across the country to empower women and girls in their communities, and to include men and boys. That is why last year we funded about 300 projects across the country to do that work. We will be introducing a gender-based violence strategy, the first federal strategy of its kind, to address the challenges that too many women and girls in our communities face.
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to full pay equity.We know that there are many things that we need to do as a society to improve outcomes for women and girls in our society. That is why we have moved forward on many different measures that will put more money in the pockets of women and families, and by making sure that our most vulnerable seniors, two-thirds of whom are women, will be able to be helped with an increase to the GIS.We continue to work very hard to empower women and girls to succeed in all areas of success. We know we have much more work to do, and we will do that.
Mr. Speaker, I am very grateful for this opportunity to remind all members of this House of the important agenda that this government has followed in order to help vulnerable seniors, and all seniors in fact. We have decreased the age of eligibility for old age security from 67 years old to 65 years old, which means that 100,000 vulnerable seniors will not need to enter into severe poverty. We have also enhanced the Canada pension plan so that future generations of seniors will also be able to live decently and adequately.
Mr. Speaker, our approach has been very straightforward. Our approach is about the economy and about jobs. We care about our economy. We know that is the number one priority Canadians have expressed to us. Part of that challenge is making sure we attract investments to Canada. We believe in global investment. We believe in the opportunities it presents to our businesses. Any decision under the Investment Canada Act is taken very seriously. We do our due diligence. We do our homework. We make sure we follow the process. Under the Investment Canada Act, this transaction was in the overall net economic benefit. That is why we approved the project.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate once again the opportunity to rise in this House and to remind Canadians exactly what this government has been doing. This government has been responding to the very real challenges that Canadians are facing, and we will continue to advance and do that work, including historic investments on infrastructure to help provinces, territories, and municipalities create the opportunities and growth that they would like to create; and working better with families with children through the Canada child benefit. When it comes to the member's question, the member knows very well that the Prime Minister will answer any questions that the commissioner has.
Mr. Speaker, in terms of concrete measures, I am sure my colleague heard the fact that we made the decision last November to increase the international ownership in our airlines from 25% to 49% in order to increase competition. I also announced at that time a bill of rights or a rights regime to make sure that air travellers' rights would be taken into consideration. We are already beginning to see more competition. The prices are coming down. We are very glad that we are offering more service to our passengers. That is our intention and we are going to continue to do that.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for her tireless advocacy on behalf of Canadians with disabilities.I would also like to thank the DisAbled Women's Network for its advocacy, for pointing out that the majority of people living with disabilities are women and that among women in Canada, women with disabilities live with the highest rates of violence, the lowest incomes, and the highest rates of unemployment. That is why I am very proud of the work done by the current and former ministers of Status of Women on gender-based violence, drawing upon the work of DAWN. I am also very proud of the accessibility legislation we are developing to make sure every Canadian with a disability is included in society.
Mr. Speaker, this evening, in honour of International Women's Day, the Prime Minister will be in Toronto attending a private dinner with members of the board of directors of BlackRock.BlackRock currently has $5 trillion in assets under management around the world and is interested in the Liberals' plan to privatize our public infrastructure. Can the Prime Minister stand up and explain to us why, of all the possible activities on this International Women's Day, he chose to spend the evening with members of the board of directors of an investment fund? Can he tell us what is on the agenda for this meeting?
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear that we follow the process. We do our due diligence. Under the Investment Canada Act, there are clear criteria to determine that any transaction has to be of an overall net economic benefit for us to proceed. We made that determination based on the facts. The facts are that this transaction will provide additional resources to Retirement Concepts so it can expand and provide better services to seniors, so it can expand and create more jobs. This is good for the health care sector. This is good for the economy. This is good for British Columbia.
Mr. Speaker, today is a historic day in the House of Commons: 338 women took these seats, and who was available to them? The Prime Minister. The Prime Minister spoke to every single woman
Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform the hon. member that federal infrastructure dollars can only be used for infrastructure projects. We have approved 127 projects for Alberta; 125 of those projects are in municipalities of all sizes, such as Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, Grand Prairie, and Lethbridge. All those projects are creating jobs and opportunities throughout the country, including in Alberta's communities.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and our government have shown leadership when it comes to the economy. We understand that every decision we make must focus on growth and jobs. We need to attract global investment if we are to succeed globally and if we are to create the opportunities for Canadians, for women in particular, and for the youth going forward. That is why we are open to investment. In regard to this transaction, we followed the process. We made sure the Retirement Concept deal that was put forward was done in a manner that was in the overall net economic benefit for British Columbians and for Canadians. It is good for the economy and it is good for jobs.
Mr. Speaker, on March 2, the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie said, Sexual and reproductive health and rights are human rights. All women have the right to choose whether and when they want to have children, and how many. Since today is the 40th International Women's Day, can the minister tell the House about the commitment the government made today to promote gender equality and advance an international feminist agenda?
Mr. Speaker, this year we are providing $900 million in settlement and resettlement funding to support refugee integration and settlement services, $664 million of that are for settlement services, and $76 million more outside of Quebec than in previous years.We are committed to supporting refugees as they arrive in Canada, and making sure we provide them with language programs, job supports, and other integration programming as we move forward. We take that commitment seriously, and we have the track record to prove that.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for SaanichGulf Islands for her fantastic work on this very important topic, and indeed members from all parties who have been advocating on behalf of people who have been victims of Lyme disease.I look forward to continuing to work with the member on making sure that we have a strong framework which recognizes the federal role in this, and that includes building national surveillance and annual reporting. It includes making sure there is adequate research. It includes improving the guidelines for prevention and treatment of Lyme disease, and making sure that we raise awareness and education on how to prevent Lyme disease. I thank the member for her work.
Mr. Speaker, here in Canada and around the world, human traffickers physically and sexually exploit women and girls. It is a brutal and disgusting crime that deserves to be punished harshly, but when the Liberals introduced their human trafficking law, they weakened the punishments that could be handed out to these criminals. They crafted Bill C-38 to deliberately get rid of back-to-back sentencing for those convicted of multiple crimes of human trafficking.Why is the Prime Minister unwilling to get tough on human traffickers and will he protect vulnerable women and girls by returning back-to-back sentencing to Canada's human trafficking laws?
Mr. Speaker, with this government, it seems that everything is for sale.We all know that women do not have equal rights in Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, Canada continues to export weapons to that country and to others, such as Libya, that have very questionable human rights records. Canada is now the second-largest exporter of arms to the Middle East.Does the Minister of Foreign Affairs believe that Canada should export military equipment to countries that violate women's rights? Are we now a nation of feminists
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister refuses to answer questions about his own ethical breaches. The innovation minister was forced to admit that he misled Canadians about the people to whom he is selling seniors care facilities.Canadians do not want to hear any lies or see such a total lack of transparency.When will the Prime Minister start acting like a leader and clean up his act?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Innovation claims to have done a review of the sell-off of seniors care facilities in B.C., but is not capable of telling Canadians who owns Anbang Insurance. Not even Wall Street firms will do business with Anbang because of the murky ownership structure, dominated by the who's who of the Chinese Communist Party. In the minister's pandering to Beijing, Canadians deserve to know who is pulling the strings and deciding the fate of our seniors. The question is simple. Who owns Anbang Insurance?
Mr. Speaker, research has revealed that when a woman or girl is raped in our country, her chances of being believed or being able to pursue justice are highly inadequate. I volunteered at a rape crisis centre and one of the most difficult decisions that a woman makes is whether or not to go to the police. We need to make that decision much easier. Will the Prime Minister commit to ensuring that RCMP front-line officers have the training they need to give these women and girls confidence to pursue justice?
Mr. Speaker, families of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls feel they are being left in the dark when in fact they should be properly informed and involved in every step of the inquiry. Worse, northern families do not have access to proper information due to unreliable Internet and other crucial services. How will the Prime Minister ensure the commitments made to all indigenous families affected by these tragedies are involved and feel like true progress is being made?
Mr. Speaker, I asked the Prime Minister a direct question and he refused to answer it. That kind of arrogant, condescending non-answer is what is giving the Liberals a lot of problems, from their carbon tax cover-up to misleading B.C. seniors, and a prime minister under multiple investigations. We know he is heading off today to have a private meeting with BlackRock executives. When is he going to start giving Canadians straightforward answers, or does he only meet with people who are lining his party's pockets?
Mr. Speaker, on International Women's Day, it is an honour to rise and be part of a government that speaks up for women's rights, and speaks up for women's sexual and reproductive rights. Access to birth control is of fundamental importance to the women and families of Canada, to be able to control their bodies, to be able to control their reproductive rights. We will make sure that medication in our country is affordable, accessible, and appropriately prescribed. That includes access to birth control.
Mr. Speaker, over a year ago, the Minister of Status of Women received an application from Justice alternative du Suroît for support to a project that would enable three large regions of Quebec to develop safety nets for sexually exploited girls and young women. Out of 4,000 runaways at youth centres in Quebec, 76% are girls, and 30% of them have been sexually exploited or exposed to prostitution. The project could prevent hundreds of women from suffering sexual abuse.When will the minister sign it and give this project the green light?
Mr. Speaker, Shelly Wynn is the widow of Constable David Wynn, who needlessly died because the justice system failed to protect him. His death was preventable. Shelly is in Ottawa today helping us fight to protect others. The Liberals have an opportunity to show Shelly that this will never happen again. We implore those on the other side to see the good that they will do if they vote for this bill.Will the Prime Minister close this loophole that will save lives and vote in support of Wynn's law today?
Mr. Speaker, once again, no answer from the Prime Minister.Let us try this again. The Canadian government is missing out on $9 billion in lost tax revenue every single year. Imagine what the government could properly fund with that money. We heard from women this morning about their priorities, pharmacare, child care. These could be realities, and all because the richest would simply be forced to pay their fair share.I have two very clear questions for the Prime Minister. Will he vote in favour of the NDP motion on tax fairness? Will the Prime Minister end all penalty-free amnesty deals for tax evaders?
Mr. Speaker, I did not ask if the program was expensive and had out of control costs, I asked if it got results. What the minister has failed to say is how many of these refugees have actually found jobs. We have a huge influx of refugees coming across the American border right now. We will see an influx of refugees coming in with the government's decision to lift the Mexican visa requirement.My question is very simple. How much will the government pay in Canadian taxpayers' dollars to support its ill-fated refugee plan?
Mr. Speaker, our allies in Australia, Britain, the U.S., and Germany have all responded to the cries of their veterans regarding the severe impact that mefloquine is having on their lives. On Monday, Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire testified that he has experienced the devastating effects of this drug. When he was asked if more studies should be done, he interrupted and said, No, just get rid of it.When will the Liberal government listen to the heart-wrenching testimony of veterans like General Roméo Dallaire and get rid of this harmful drug?
Mr. Speaker, we take fiscal avoidance and tax dodging very seriously. This is why we put $444 million in last year's budget, so that the Canada Revenue Agency could go after tax frauds and tax cheats.We continue to understand that this is a priority for Canadians. It is a priority for us. Everyone needs to pay their fair share of taxes. That is exactly what we are ensuring happens.
Mr. Speaker, 25 years ago I worked at the Sexual Assault Center of the McGill Students' Society and I know first-hand how devastating sexual assault can be. We need to do much more, even 25 years later, to make sure that we are fighting against it, that we are reducing it, and that we are creating a justice system and a system of policing that actually enable survivors of sexual assault to come forward and get justice. We still have much more work to do, but we are committed to doing that.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister claims to be a feminist, but on International Women's Day, he is content to merely re-announce old promises. If equality truly matters to the government, it should fund women's reproductive health. The best way is to ensure all women have access to birth control. Such access reduces unintended pregnancy, abortion, is cost saving, and a cornerstone to women's human rights.Will the government take a stand for women and support my motion to make birth control free for women in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, last week, a Halifax taxi driver was acquitted of sexual assault charges. The circumstances are disturbing, and incredibly, the judge ruled, Clearly, a drunk can consent. Countless legal experts have pointed out the mistakes in this judgment. I have introduced a very common sense bill to make sure that judges are not making basic errors or, even worse, painful comments that make victims think twice of ever pursuing justice.Will the Prime Minister support moving my bill to committee this week and help restore confidence in our justice system for victims of sexual assault?
Mr. Speaker, it is clear the Liberals do not care if they break the rules. First the Prime Minister traded cash for access against the ethics rules. Then he broke the law when he boarded a private helicopter for a winter vacation. He is in trouble with the Ethics Commissioner, the Commissioner of Lobbying, and the Commissioner of Official Languages. His ministers are now taking their cue from him. Now we see the innovation minister misleading Canadians about Anbang Insurance. Will the Prime Minister start following the rules and call on his ministers to do the same?
Mr. Speaker, the Conseil des Montréalaises recently issued an opinion on homelessness among women. In Montreal and across Canada, homelessness among women is on the rise, but it remains hidden. This is something that affects indigenous and immigrant women more frequently, and homeless women are much more vulnerable to physical and sexual violence.The minister announced the creation of an advisory committee to overhaul the homelessness partnering strategy, or HPS. Will a gender-based analysis be done? Will the government invest the sums needed to prevent and eradicate this scourge?
Mr. Speaker, for months the Liberals have been quietly preparing to sell off Canada's airports and have refused to answer questions, but they have hired Credit Suisse to study the idea. Tonight, the Prime Minister is having an exclusive meeting with BlackRock, a meeting that media has been banned from attending.It is clear that these Liberals have spent the credit card to the limit and are now selling off the furniture. Will the transport minister admit that he is selling our airports and tell us to whom he is selling them?
Mr. Speaker, 2016 was a difficult year for our small business owners. Their hiring credit was axed, their payroll taxes were increased, and they did not get the tax cut the Liberals promised. Small businesses are being targeted by the Liberals for being too small and the Prime Minister accused small businesses of existing solely to avoid tax.Will the Prime Minister finally listen to our entrepreneurs and cut their taxes in the upcoming budget?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect the Prime Minister and the ministers to act with integrity.The Prime Minister continues to break his own rules, the rules on ethics and contact with lobbyists.Will the Prime Minister start leading this country with integrity and tell cabinet members and the people in his office to do the same?
Mr. Speaker, our men and women on the ground and in the air serving in Operation Impact are still in the dark when it comes to whether or not the Liberals plan to pay or cut their danger pay. The deadline is fast approaching, and 300 more members of the Canadian Armed Forces may have their pay completely cut by this minister.On multiple occasions, the previous Conservative ministers in this role reversed bureaucratic decisions that looked similar to this. Will the minister commit here and now to follow our example, and ensure that full pay is given to our brave men and women in uniform?
Mr. Speaker, all survivors of sexual assault must be treated with compassion and respect, particularly when they are seeking justice before the courts. It is very important to do everything we can to protect and encourage these women, and sometimes men, to seek justice for the violence they have suffered. I am therefore very happy that this bill will give us an opportunity to discuss this important issue.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Rivière-des-Mille-Îles for the opportunity to inform the House that the Prime Minister and I made a very important announcement this morning: we will invest $650 million over three years in sexual and reproductive health in developing countries and fragile states.This investment will support the sexuality education of girls and boys, family planning, access to contraceptives, access to legal abortion, and the defence of women's rights because women's rights are human rights.
Mr. Speaker, we take tax evasion and tax avoidance very seriously. That is why, in the last budget, we invested $444 million in the Canada Revenue Agency so that it could go after tax cheats and better combat tax evasion. That is what Canadians expect and that is exactly what we are going to do: continue working hard in order to achieve our objective.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect the government to work very hard for them. They are the ones that we work hard for every day.That is why we lowered taxes for the middle class and made historic investments in infrastructure. We are going to keep working for Canadians every day, and I encourage the member to work with us so that we can get more done together.
Mr. Speaker, by not answering the question, the Liberals are just trying to hide the fact that the finance minister will put a big for sale sign on Canada's largest and most important airports. The Liberals' propensity for spending money they do not have is forcing them to have exclusive meetings with BlackRock to organize a shotgun sale of Canada's airports before the ink of the budget is even dry. Will the minister commit to maintaining Canadian ownership of these strategic economic assets, or are the Liberals just that desperate for money?
Mr. Speaker, one of the strongest commitments our government made was to launch an inquiry into the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, and we certainly have done that. We have set up an independent commission that is carrying out that process. However, we know we cannot wait for the commission's recommendations before we act on the real root causes of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in Canada. That is why we have invested $8.4 billion, historic investments, in women, in shelters, in housing, in children's education on first nations, and in indigenous communities.
Mr. Speaker, the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association says the Alberta government is breaking its agreement to flow $300 million of building Canada funds to local municipal projects. Instead, it is going to pay down the Alberta NDP's out-of-control debt. The infrastructure minister keeps falsely repeating that this money is building infrastructure and creating jobs. Municipalities need infrastructure now.When will the minister tell the premier this is not a slush fund and when will he finally stand up for communities in Alberta?
Mr. Speaker, seniors in my riding are writing and phoning my office every day. They simply want to know who is responsible for these facilities. If families and patients have complaints, they are lost in an accountability fog. Either the government does not know the answer, or it knows the answer and it is not willing to tell us. If he will not stand in the House and tell us who owns the homes, will he table the documents that were done with respect to that due diligence around the ownership of Anbang Insurance?
Mr. Speaker, New Democrats know it is the federal government's job to eliminate gender inequality. Words are not enough. Women want concrete action, and we have waited far too long.Pay equity is a fundamental human right. Countries like Iceland not only made pay equity the law, but they are now demanding that corporations prove that they are not paying women less than men.Can the Prime Minister explain to the women of this country how much longer they will have to wait before you enact pay equity legislation?
Mr. Speaker, every single minister and the Prime Minister work very hard for Canadians every single day. Every single member of Parliament, at least on this side of the House, work hard for their constituents every single day. I encourage every member to do the work he or she was elected to do. I know we can work better together. When it comes to the question the hon. members poses, she knows very well that the Prime Minister will answer any questions the commissioner has.
Mr. Speaker, I am surprised again why the Conservative Party, and particularly that member, is opposing global investment into Canada. We understand that we want investments into Canada to grow the economy, to create opportunities for Canadians, and to create jobs. This investment and this transaction was following the Investment Canada Act. We did our due diligence. We followed the process and we determined it was an overall net economic benefit. That is the decision we made, and that is why the British Columbia government and the health minister also provided the operating licences for these retirement care facilities, which are managed and operated by Canadians for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to increasing the representation of women in STEM fields.In a competitive, globalized economy, Canada cannot afford to leave half its talent on the sidelines. I am delighted to launch a digital campaign to encourage young women to #ChooseScience.As a former scientist and as Minister of Science, I consider it part of my responsibility to encourage young women to enter careers in STEM. Science needs women. We need their voices. We need their insights.
Mr. Speaker, the international community has consistently praised Canada for its compassionate, responsible, and generous refugee program. We will take no lessons from the previous government on issues around refugees and immigrants.In fact, by lifting the Mexican visa requirement, we have gone a long way to rebuild, and strengthen our bilateral relationship with Mexico that was damaged considerably by the previous government.We addressed those associated with the Mexican visa lift. We worked closely with Mexican officials. Tourism has gone up and other economic benefits have gone up. We will continue to work to make sure the visa lift is a success.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister goes on and on about being a proud feminist. He even voted in favour of a motion stating that pay equity is a basic right. Unfortunately, the government wants Canadian women to wait yet another year. Canadian women have waited long enough for the respect they deserve. The working group on pay equity released its report 12 years ago.Why is the Prime Minister refusing to recognize that basic right by demanding pay equity now?
Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, the Liberals promised to run a modest deficit of only $10 billion. That was one promise they broke immediately. They also promised that they would not eliminate income splitting for seniors. We all know that the Liberals alway break the promises they make to Canadians. Will the Minister of Finance tell us today that he will not eliminate income splitting for seniors?
Mr. Speaker, I did not hear him say that he will be supporting our motion that calls for pay equity immediately.As we all know, action is much more important than good intentions. My question is quite simple: can the Prime Minister tell us when he intends to present his plan to put an end to penalty-free amnesty deals and renegotiate tax treaties with countries that are known tax havens?
Mr. Speaker, this government is extremely serious about cracking down on human trafficking while protecting women and girls from exploitation, from assault. These are things that we take very seriously. We will continue to work very hard to ensure that more women and girls are protected. We also are the party of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and we will always stand up to defend charter rights.
Mr. Speaker, it is important that survivors of sexual assault be treated with respect and compassion, particularly before the justice system when they are seeking justice. We need to make sure that we are doing a much better job than we are right now. That is why I look forward to parliamentarians having an opportunity to discuss ways in which we are going to be able to improve it, including with the member's bill as it goes to committee.
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased and grateful to have the opportunity to mention two other measures that we have implemented in recent months.We increased the guaranteed income supplement by up to $1,000 per senior per year. This will benefit 900,000 seniors in Canada and will lift 13,000 seniors out of poverty. We also transferred $200 million for seniors' housing in order to help a good many of them escape the appalling housing conditions in which they find themselves. These measures will make our society better.
Mr. Speaker, we take the health of our Canadian Armed Forces members extremely seriously. We make every effort to protect our members from disease through immunization and other preventive measures.At the request of the Chief of the Defence Staff, the Surgeon General is now looking into the use of mefloquine and will report back imminently. The military member's decision on malaria prevention is made with close consultation with their health care provider based on comprehensive medical screening and education.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her question.On June 17, 2016, this government tabled the Arms Trade Treaty in the House of Commons, something that the previous Conservative government failed to do. We are delivering on our commitment to Canadians to promote responsibility, transparency, and accountability. It is the right thing to do, and we will soon be making legislative changes.
Mr. Speaker, I recently introduced a bill on sexual assault law that will help restore confidence in the justice system. The bill seeks to provide training to future judges, among other things. It will also require written reasons to be provided in a greater number of decisions.Does the Prime Minister agree that we should all work together to expedite passage of this bill?
Mr. Speaker, in addition to this being International Women's Day, it is also a deadline for the Minister of Health for comments on the federal framework on Lyme disease.This has been brought into play by the bill I submitted in the 41st Parliament, unanimously supported in the House and the Senate, and continues to be strongly supported by members on all sides of this House. Unfortunately, the draft framework is inadequate. It needs a serious overhaul.Could the Prime Minister assure us that the time, if it is necessary, will be taken to improve this framework?
Mr. Speaker, under the previous Conservative government, we introduced a low-tax plan for seniors that removed almost 400,000 of them from the tax rolls. As part of this plan, we increased the age amount tax credit by $2,000 for low- and fixed-income seniors.The Minister of Finance has indicated that everything is on the table to bring in more revenue for the government to waste. Will the Minister of Finance commit to not slash the age amount tax credit, and instead protect our seniors?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Liberals voted against releasing information regarding how much their carbon tax will cost Canadian households. As well, they have not included any information on what sectors will be exempted from the carbon tax. Can the minister tell the House who will be exempted, and will the government guarantee its national carbon tax will actually be revenue neutral?
Mr. Speaker, I want to reassure my colleague that what is most important for us is improving service to the air passenger. That is why we are working very hard to lower their costs, to give them more choices, more competition, to reduce the time it takes for them to go through security or through customs. We will even be giving them a bill of rights. That is what is motivating us when we talk about our airports and our airlines.
Mr. Speaker, again, our primary motivation is to give air passengers better choices. That is what motivates us most. We are working very hard to lower costs, give travellers more choices, and reduce the time it takes for them to go through security or customs. We want to acknowledge that passengers have rights. Improving passenger service is what motivates us when we talk about our airports and our airlines.
Mr. Speaker, today is International Women's Day, a day to recognize women's achievements and acknowledge the challenges we continue to face.As an immigrant, I know how difficult it can be for minority women to integrate fully into Canadian society. While men are the first to go to work and attend language training, women are often isolated, staying at home to care for children without the language skills to venture outside. Could the Minister of Status of Women tell us what the government is doing to help these isolated women fully join that Canadian family?
Mr. Speaker, we know that the funding to help many Syrian refugees resettle runs out this month. We also know that fewer than half of them have found jobs.Does the government know how much the provinces will have to pay out in social assistance because the Liberals did not come up with a plan to help these refugees fully integrate into the Canadian economy?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday when asked a serious question about his ethical lapses, the Prime Minister said that he will, continue to demonstrate the kind of openness and transparency Canadians expect. Let us see if there is even an ounce of truth in that statement because I am going to ask a very direct, straightforward question for the Prime Minister. Let us see if he answers. Has the Prime Minister met with the Ethics Commissioner on the current investigation that she is conducting? If so, how many times?
Mr. Speaker, after discussing the deal at a cash for access fundraiser, the Prime Minister agreed to sell B.C. care facilities to a Chinese company with questionable ownership. Yesterday, a Chinese-language media asked if our concern was about state-owned enterprises, to which we responded that we did not know to whom he sold these homes. Is it Chinese billionaires? Is it the Chinese government. Is it simply a friend?Therefore, again, whatever the answer is, it is unacceptable that the Prime Minister is not sharing it with Canadians. Who owns their homes?
Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased that Ms. MacInnis-Wynn was able to sit down with the justice minister and have a very constructive conversation on how we can improve our system of bail to do justice in this country. It is important that we keep our communities and families safe. It is important that we protect victims. It is important as well that we uphold the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. That is what we remain committed to and we are going to continue to work hard on that.
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to stand up on International Women's Day as the first woman elected in Ottawa Centre.Women across Canada are strongly supportive of climate action. They understand it is necessary to tackle climate change for their children and grandchildren, and also because it will mean good jobs for them in the future.We are committed to taking climate action. We will continue to move forward because it is the right thing to do, and I would encourage the party opposite to join us.
Mr. Speaker, I first want to thank and congratulate my colleague on her continued efforts on the issue of homelessness, particularly among women. I know she is aware that, in the last budget, back in March 2016, we announced a $100-million investment to build shelters that serve victims of family violence.Given that she has advised us in the past, and again I thank her for that, she also knows that we are developing a national housing strategy that will have a significant impact on the living conditions of our Canadian families, especially those who are most vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, the DisAbled Women's Network notes the rates of sexual, physical, and verbal violence across Canada are at least three times higher for young women and girls living with disabilities, and violence prevention agencies are simply not given the proper resources. Women with disabilities have been completely forgotten. On this International Women's Day, will the government commit to taking leadership to address the enormous gaps in violence prevention policy and program delivery for this vulnerable population?
Mr. Speaker, Canada is very aware of progress on the pay equity front and the work we are doing to help women succeed in the labour market. We know there is still a lot of work to do, and I congratulate all of the groups and organizations that continue to demand more measures. We will keep working hard to ensure that, in Canada, all women have the same opportunities as men.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to rise in this House, especially on International Women's Day. I wish everyone the best on this day, especially our women entrepreneurs. This government has committed to making more opportunities for under-represented groups. We are working better with entrepreneurs, we are listening and engaging with small business owners, we are speaking to their customers so that we can create the opportunities they need. The solutions that our small businesses owners have are not only good for Canada, but they are amazing for export markets. We will continue to open up those markets so that we can encourage our small business owners to export, as well.
Mr. Speaker, I want to wish everyone a happy International Women's Day. I thank my colleague from Scarborough Centre for her question.On International Women's Day, we are reminded that gender equality benefits our society and our economy. We know that a barrier to gender equality is access to child care services. That is why we have introduced the Canada child benefit plan. That is why we are developing a framework for early learning and child care. That is why we are increasing funding for services like child minding, to ensure refugee women can settle and integrate into our communities.
Mr. Speaker, February 11 was International Day for Women and Girls in Science when we celebrated scientists like Dr. Roberta Bondar, Dr. Victoria Kaspi, and Dr. Barbara Sherwood Lollar from my riding who was named Companion to the Order of Canada for her contributions to geochemistry.That day I attended an event with the Minister of Science, the Minister of Status of Women, the CEO of Actua, and women scientists who discussed the importance of getting young girls engaged in science, and how to keep women in STEM.Can the Minister of Science tell the House what our government is doing to encourage women to study science?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to making sure our men and women have all the right benefits. I have directed the Chief of the Defence Staff to look into this matter. I would also like to correct the member in terms of the previous government's actions on this. It actually sent troops into Kuwait without the tax-free allowance, something we had taken up. There were rules that were placed in 2014 that resulted in some of the inequities that we see right now.That is the reason why we are looking into this matter, so we can solve this issue.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her advocacy on behalf of women and girls in her communities and across Canada.Status of Women Canada is committed to empowering organizations across the country to empower women and girls in their communities, and to include men and boys. That is why last year we funded about 300 projects across the country to do that work. We will be introducing a gender-based violence strategy, the first federal strategy of its kind, to address the challenges that too many women and girls in our communities face.
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to full pay equity.We know that there are many things that we need to do as a society to improve outcomes for women and girls in our society. That is why we have moved forward on many different measures that will put more money in the pockets of women and families, and by making sure that our most vulnerable seniors, two-thirds of whom are women, will be able to be helped with an increase to the GIS.We continue to work very hard to empower women and girls to succeed in all areas of success. We know we have much more work to do, and we will do that.
Mr. Speaker, I am very grateful for this opportunity to remind all members of this House of the important agenda that this government has followed in order to help vulnerable seniors, and all seniors in fact. We have decreased the age of eligibility for old age security from 67 years old to 65 years old, which means that 100,000 vulnerable seniors will not need to enter into severe poverty. We have also enhanced the Canada pension plan so that future generations of seniors will also be able to live decently and adequately.
Mr. Speaker, our approach has been very straightforward. Our approach is about the economy and about jobs. We care about our economy. We know that is the number one priority Canadians have expressed to us. Part of that challenge is making sure we attract investments to Canada. We believe in global investment. We believe in the opportunities it presents to our businesses. Any decision under the Investment Canada Act is taken very seriously. We do our due diligence. We do our homework. We make sure we follow the process. Under the Investment Canada Act, this transaction was in the overall net economic benefit. That is why we approved the project.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate once again the opportunity to rise in this House and to remind Canadians exactly what this government has been doing. This government has been responding to the very real challenges that Canadians are facing, and we will continue to advance and do that work, including historic investments on infrastructure to help provinces, territories, and municipalities create the opportunities and growth that they would like to create; and working better with families with children through the Canada child benefit. When it comes to the member's question, the member knows very well that the Prime Minister will answer any questions that the commissioner has.
Mr. Speaker, in terms of concrete measures, I am sure my colleague heard the fact that we made the decision last November to increase the international ownership in our airlines from 25% to 49% in order to increase competition. I also announced at that time a bill of rights or a rights regime to make sure that air travellers' rights would be taken into consideration. We are already beginning to see more competition. The prices are coming down. We are very glad that we are offering more service to our passengers. That is our intention and we are going to continue to do that.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for her tireless advocacy on behalf of Canadians with disabilities.I would also like to thank the DisAbled Women's Network for its advocacy, for pointing out that the majority of people living with disabilities are women and that among women in Canada, women with disabilities live with the highest rates of violence, the lowest incomes, and the highest rates of unemployment. That is why I am very proud of the work done by the current and former ministers of Status of Women on gender-based violence, drawing upon the work of DAWN. I am also very proud of the accessibility legislation we are developing to make sure every Canadian with a disability is included in society.
Mr. Speaker, this evening, in honour of International Women's Day, the Prime Minister will be in Toronto attending a private dinner with members of the board of directors of BlackRock.BlackRock currently has $5 trillion in assets under management around the world and is interested in the Liberals' plan to privatize our public infrastructure. Can the Prime Minister stand up and explain to us why, of all the possible activities on this International Women's Day, he chose to spend the evening with members of the board of directors of an investment fund? Can he tell us what is on the agenda for this meeting?
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear that we follow the process. We do our due diligence. Under the Investment Canada Act, there are clear criteria to determine that any transaction has to be of an overall net economic benefit for us to proceed. We made that determination based on the facts. The facts are that this transaction will provide additional resources to Retirement Concepts so it can expand and provide better services to seniors, so it can expand and create more jobs. This is good for the health care sector. This is good for the economy. This is good for British Columbia.
Mr. Speaker, today is a historic day in the House of Commons: 338 women took these seats, and who was available to them? The Prime Minister. The Prime Minister spoke to every single woman
Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform the hon. member that federal infrastructure dollars can only be used for infrastructure projects. We have approved 127 projects for Alberta; 125 of those projects are in municipalities of all sizes, such as Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, Grand Prairie, and Lethbridge. All those projects are creating jobs and opportunities throughout the country, including in Alberta's communities.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and our government have shown leadership when it comes to the economy. We understand that every decision we make must focus on growth and jobs. We need to attract global investment if we are to succeed globally and if we are to create the opportunities for Canadians, for women in particular, and for the youth going forward. That is why we are open to investment. In regard to this transaction, we followed the process. We made sure the Retirement Concept deal that was put forward was done in a manner that was in the overall net economic benefit for British Columbians and for Canadians. It is good for the economy and it is good for jobs.
Mr. Speaker, on March 2, the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie said, Sexual and reproductive health and rights are human rights. All women have the right to choose whether and when they want to have children, and how many. Since today is the 40th International Women's Day, can the minister tell the House about the commitment the government made today to promote gender equality and advance an international feminist agenda?
Mr. Speaker, this year we are providing $900 million in settlement and resettlement funding to support refugee integration and settlement services, $664 million of that are for settlement services, and $76 million more outside of Quebec than in previous years.We are committed to supporting refugees as they arrive in Canada, and making sure we provide them with language programs, job supports, and other integration programming as we move forward. We take that commitment seriously, and we have the track record to prove that.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for SaanichGulf Islands for her fantastic work on this very important topic, and indeed members from all parties who have been advocating on behalf of people who have been victims of Lyme disease.I look forward to continuing to work with the member on making sure that we have a strong framework which recognizes the federal role in this, and that includes building national surveillance and annual reporting. It includes making sure there is adequate research. It includes improving the guidelines for prevention and treatment of Lyme disease, and making sure that we raise awareness and education on how to prevent Lyme disease. I thank the member for her work.
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Mr. Speaker, 2016 was a difficult year for our small business owners. Their hiring credit was axed, their payroll taxes were increased, and they did not get the tax cut the Liberals promised. Small businesses are being targeted by the Liberals for being too small and the Prime Minister accused small businesses of existing solely to avoid tax.Will the Prime Minister finally listen to our entrepreneurs and cut their taxes in the upcoming budget?
Mr. Speaker, here in Canada and around the world, human traffickers physically and sexually exploit women and girls. It is a brutal and disgusting crime that deserves to be punished harshly, but when the Liberals introduced their human trafficking law, they weakened the punishments that could be handed out to these criminals. They crafted Bill C-38 to deliberately get rid of back-to-back sentencing for those convicted of multiple crimes of human trafficking.Why is the Prime Minister unwilling to get tough on human traffickers and will he protect vulnerable women and girls by returning back-to-back sentencing to Canada's human trafficking laws?
Mr. Speaker, this government is extremely serious about cracking down on human trafficking while protecting women and girls from exploitation, from assault. These are things that we take very seriously. We will continue to work very hard to ensure that more women and girls are protected. We also are the party of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and we will always stand up to defend charter rights.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her question.On June 17, 2016, this government tabled the Arms Trade Treaty in the House of Commons, something that the previous Conservative government failed to do. We are delivering on our commitment to Canadians to promote responsibility, transparency, and accountability. It is the right thing to do, and we will soon be making legislative changes.
Mr. Speaker, with this government, it seems that everything is for sale.We all know that women do not have equal rights in Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, Canada continues to export weapons to that country and to others, such as Libya, that have very questionable human rights records. Canada is now the second-largest exporter of arms to the Middle East.Does the Minister of Foreign Affairs believe that Canada should export military equipment to countries that violate women's rights? Are we now a nation of feminists
Mr. Speaker, the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association says the Alberta government is breaking its agreement to flow $300 million of building Canada funds to local municipal projects. Instead, it is going to pay down the Alberta NDP's out-of-control debt. The infrastructure minister keeps falsely repeating that this money is building infrastructure and creating jobs. Municipalities need infrastructure now.When will the minister tell the premier this is not a slush fund and when will he finally stand up for communities in Alberta?
Mr. Speaker, Shelly Wynn is the widow of Constable David Wynn, who needlessly died because the justice system failed to protect him. His death was preventable. Shelly is in Ottawa today helping us fight to protect others. The Liberals have an opportunity to show Shelly that this will never happen again. We implore those on the other side to see the good that they will do if they vote for this bill.Will the Prime Minister close this loophole that will save lives and vote in support of Wynn's law today?
Mr. Speaker, after discussing the deal at a cash for access fundraiser, the Prime Minister agreed to sell B.C. care facilities to a Chinese company with questionable ownership. Yesterday, a Chinese-language media asked if our concern was about state-owned enterprises, to which we responded that we did not know to whom he sold these homes. Is it Chinese billionaires? Is it the Chinese government. Is it simply a friend?Therefore, again, whatever the answer is, it is unacceptable that the Prime Minister is not sharing it with Canadians. Who owns their homes?
Mr. Speaker, we take the health of our Canadian Armed Forces members extremely seriously. We make every effort to protect our members from disease through immunization and other preventive measures.At the request of the Chief of the Defence Staff, the Surgeon General is now looking into the use of mefloquine and will report back imminently. The military member's decision on malaria prevention is made with close consultation with their health care provider based on comprehensive medical screening and education.
Mr. Speaker, in addition to this being International Women's Day, it is also a deadline for the Minister of Health for comments on the federal framework on Lyme disease.This has been brought into play by the bill I submitted in the 41st Parliament, unanimously supported in the House and the Senate, and continues to be strongly supported by members on all sides of this House. Unfortunately, the draft framework is inadequate. It needs a serious overhaul.Could the Prime Minister assure us that the time, if it is necessary, will be taken to improve this framework?
Mr. Speaker, families of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls feel they are being left in the dark when in fact they should be properly informed and involved in every step of the inquiry. Worse, northern families do not have access to proper information due to unreliable Internet and other crucial services. How will the Prime Minister ensure the commitments made to all indigenous families affected by these tragedies are involved and feel like true progress is being made?
Mr. Speaker, today is International Women's Day, a day to recognize women's achievements and acknowledge the challenges we continue to face.As an immigrant, I know how difficult it can be for minority women to integrate fully into Canadian society. While men are the first to go to work and attend language training, women are often isolated, staying at home to care for children without the language skills to venture outside. Could the Minister of Status of Women tell us what the government is doing to help these isolated women fully join that Canadian family?
Mr. Speaker, every single minister and the Prime Minister work very hard for Canadians every single day. Every single member of Parliament, at least on this side of the House, work hard for their constituents every single day. I encourage every member to do the work he or she was elected to do. I know we can work better together. When it comes to the question the hon. members poses, she knows very well that the Prime Minister will answer any questions the commissioner has.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect the government to work very hard for them. They are the ones that we work hard for every day.That is why we lowered taxes for the middle class and made historic investments in infrastructure. We are going to keep working for Canadians every day, and I encourage the member to work with us so that we can get more done together.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Innovation claims to have done a review of the sell-off of seniors care facilities in B.C., but is not capable of telling Canadians who owns Anbang Insurance. Not even Wall Street firms will do business with Anbang because of the murky ownership structure, dominated by the who's who of the Chinese Communist Party. In the minister's pandering to Beijing, Canadians deserve to know who is pulling the strings and deciding the fate of our seniors. The question is simple. Who owns Anbang Insurance?
Mr. Speaker, seniors in my riding are writing and phoning my office every day. They simply want to know who is responsible for these facilities. If families and patients have complaints, they are lost in an accountability fog. Either the government does not know the answer, or it knows the answer and it is not willing to tell us. If he will not stand in the House and tell us who owns the homes, will he table the documents that were done with respect to that due diligence around the ownership of Anbang Insurance?
Mr. Speaker, the DisAbled Women's Network notes the rates of sexual, physical, and verbal violence across Canada are at least three times higher for young women and girls living with disabilities, and violence prevention agencies are simply not given the proper resources. Women with disabilities have been completely forgotten. On this International Women's Day, will the government commit to taking leadership to address the enormous gaps in violence prevention policy and program delivery for this vulnerable population?
Mr. Speaker, for months the Liberals have been quietly preparing to sell off Canada's airports and have refused to answer questions, but they have hired Credit Suisse to study the idea. Tonight, the Prime Minister is having an exclusive meeting with BlackRock, a meeting that media has been banned from attending.It is clear that these Liberals have spent the credit card to the limit and are now selling off the furniture. Will the transport minister admit that he is selling our airports and tell us to whom he is selling them?
Mr. Speaker, we take tax evasion and tax avoidance very seriously. That is why, in the last budget, we invested $444 million in the Canada Revenue Agency so that it could go after tax cheats and better combat tax evasion. That is what Canadians expect and that is exactly what we are going to do: continue working hard in order to achieve our objective.
Mr. Speaker, last week, a Halifax taxi driver was acquitted of sexual assault charges. The circumstances are disturbing, and incredibly, the judge ruled, Clearly, a drunk can consent. Countless legal experts have pointed out the mistakes in this judgment. I have introduced a very common sense bill to make sure that judges are not making basic errors or, even worse, painful comments that make victims think twice of ever pursuing justice.Will the Prime Minister support moving my bill to committee this week and help restore confidence in our justice system for victims of sexual assault?
Mr. Speaker, it is clear the Liberals do not care if they break the rules. First the Prime Minister traded cash for access against the ethics rules. Then he broke the law when he boarded a private helicopter for a winter vacation. He is in trouble with the Ethics Commissioner, the Commissioner of Lobbying, and the Commissioner of Official Languages. His ministers are now taking their cue from him. Now we see the innovation minister misleading Canadians about Anbang Insurance. Will the Prime Minister start following the rules and call on his ministers to do the same?
Mr. Speaker, under the previous Conservative government, we introduced a low-tax plan for seniors that removed almost 400,000 of them from the tax rolls. As part of this plan, we increased the age amount tax credit by $2,000 for low- and fixed-income seniors.The Minister of Finance has indicated that everything is on the table to bring in more revenue for the government to waste. Will the Minister of Finance commit to not slash the age amount tax credit, and instead protect our seniors?
Mr. Speaker, this evening, in honour of International Women's Day, the Prime Minister will be in Toronto attending a private dinner with members of the board of directors of BlackRock.BlackRock currently has $5 trillion in assets under management around the world and is interested in the Liberals' plan to privatize our public infrastructure. Can the Prime Minister stand up and explain to us why, of all the possible activities on this International Women's Day, he chose to spend the evening with members of the board of directors of an investment fund? Can he tell us what is on the agenda for this meeting?
Mr. Speaker, one of the strongest commitments our government made was to launch an inquiry into the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, and we certainly have done that. We have set up an independent commission that is carrying out that process. However, we know we cannot wait for the commission's recommendations before we act on the real root causes of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in Canada. That is why we have invested $8.4 billion, historic investments, in women, in shelters, in housing, in children's education on first nations, and in indigenous communities.
Mr. Speaker, I am surprised again why the Conservative Party, and particularly that member, is opposing global investment into Canada. We understand that we want investments into Canada to grow the economy, to create opportunities for Canadians, and to create jobs. This investment and this transaction was following the Investment Canada Act. We did our due diligence. We followed the process and we determined it was an overall net economic benefit. That is the decision we made, and that is why the British Columbia government and the health minister also provided the operating licences for these retirement care facilities, which are managed and operated by Canadians for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I did not ask if the program was expensive and had out of control costs, I asked if it got results. What the minister has failed to say is how many of these refugees have actually found jobs. We have a huge influx of refugees coming across the American border right now. We will see an influx of refugees coming in with the government's decision to lift the Mexican visa requirement.My question is very simple. How much will the government pay in Canadian taxpayers' dollars to support its ill-fated refugee plan?
Mr. Speaker, once again, no answer from the Prime Minister.Let us try this again. The Canadian government is missing out on $9 billion in lost tax revenue every single year. Imagine what the government could properly fund with that money. We heard from women this morning about their priorities, pharmacare, child care. These could be realities, and all because the richest would simply be forced to pay their fair share.I have two very clear questions for the Prime Minister. Will he vote in favour of the NDP motion on tax fairness? Will the Prime Minister end all penalty-free amnesty deals for tax evaders?
Mr. Speaker, I am very grateful for this opportunity to remind all members of this House of the important agenda that this government has followed in order to help vulnerable seniors, and all seniors in fact. We have decreased the age of eligibility for old age security from 67 years old to 65 years old, which means that 100,000 vulnerable seniors will not need to enter into severe poverty. We have also enhanced the Canada pension plan so that future generations of seniors will also be able to live decently and adequately.
Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, the Liberals promised to run a modest deficit of only $10 billion. That was one promise they broke immediately. They also promised that they would not eliminate income splitting for seniors. We all know that the Liberals alway break the promises they make to Canadians. Will the Minister of Finance tell us today that he will not eliminate income splitting for seniors?
Mr. Speaker, by not answering the question, the Liberals are just trying to hide the fact that the finance minister will put a big for sale sign on Canada's largest and most important airports. The Liberals' propensity for spending money they do not have is forcing them to have exclusive meetings with BlackRock to organize a shotgun sale of Canada's airports before the ink of the budget is even dry. Will the minister commit to maintaining Canadian ownership of these strategic economic assets, or are the Liberals just that desperate for money?
Mr. Speaker, the international community has consistently praised Canada for its compassionate, responsible, and generous refugee program. We will take no lessons from the previous government on issues around refugees and immigrants.In fact, by lifting the Mexican visa requirement, we have gone a long way to rebuild, and strengthen our bilateral relationship with Mexico that was damaged considerably by the previous government.We addressed those associated with the Mexican visa lift. We worked closely with Mexican officials. Tourism has gone up and other economic benefits have gone up. We will continue to work to make sure the visa lift is a success.
Mr. Speaker, I first want to thank and congratulate my colleague on her continued efforts on the issue of homelessness, particularly among women. I know she is aware that, in the last budget, back in March 2016, we announced a $100-million investment to build shelters that serve victims of family violence.Given that she has advised us in the past, and again I thank her for that, she also knows that we are developing a national housing strategy that will have a significant impact on the living conditions of our Canadian families, especially those who are most vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, New Democrats know it is the federal government's job to eliminate gender inequality. Words are not enough. Women want concrete action, and we have waited far too long.Pay equity is a fundamental human right. Countries like Iceland not only made pay equity the law, but they are now demanding that corporations prove that they are not paying women less than men.Can the Prime Minister explain to the women of this country how much longer they will have to wait before you enact pay equity legislation?
Mr. Speaker, our allies in Australia, Britain, the U.S., and Germany have all responded to the cries of their veterans regarding the severe impact that mefloquine is having on their lives. On Monday, Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire testified that he has experienced the devastating effects of this drug. When he was asked if more studies should be done, he interrupted and said, No, just get rid of it.When will the Liberal government listen to the heart-wrenching testimony of veterans like General Roméo Dallaire and get rid of this harmful drug?
Mr. Speaker, this year we are providing $900 million in settlement and resettlement funding to support refugee integration and settlement services, $664 million of that are for settlement services, and $76 million more outside of Quebec than in previous years.We are committed to supporting refugees as they arrive in Canada, and making sure we provide them with language programs, job supports, and other integration programming as we move forward. We take that commitment seriously, and we have the track record to prove that.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Liberals voted against releasing information regarding how much their carbon tax will cost Canadian households. As well, they have not included any information on what sectors will be exempted from the carbon tax. Can the minister tell the House who will be exempted, and will the government guarantee its national carbon tax will actually be revenue neutral?
Mr. Speaker, today is a historic day in the House of Commons: 338 women took these seats, and who was available to them? The Prime Minister. The Prime Minister spoke to every single woman
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister goes on and on about being a proud feminist. He even voted in favour of a motion stating that pay equity is a basic right. Unfortunately, the government wants Canadian women to wait yet another year. Canadian women have waited long enough for the respect they deserve. The working group on pay equity released its report 12 years ago.Why is the Prime Minister refusing to recognize that basic right by demanding pay equity now?
Mr. Speaker, the Conseil des Montréalaises recently issued an opinion on homelessness among women. In Montreal and across Canada, homelessness among women is on the rise, but it remains hidden. This is something that affects indigenous and immigrant women more frequently, and homeless women are much more vulnerable to physical and sexual violence.The minister announced the creation of an advisory committee to overhaul the homelessness partnering strategy, or HPS. Will a gender-based analysis be done? Will the government invest the sums needed to prevent and eradicate this scourge?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to increasing the representation of women in STEM fields.In a competitive, globalized economy, Canada cannot afford to leave half its talent on the sidelines. I am delighted to launch a digital campaign to encourage young women to #ChooseScience.As a former scientist and as Minister of Science, I consider it part of my responsibility to encourage young women to enter careers in STEM. Science needs women. We need their voices. We need their insights.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister refuses to answer questions about his own ethical breaches. The innovation minister was forced to admit that he misled Canadians about the people to whom he is selling seniors care facilities.Canadians do not want to hear any lies or see such a total lack of transparency.When will the Prime Minister start acting like a leader and clean up his act?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform the hon. member that federal infrastructure dollars can only be used for infrastructure projects. We have approved 127 projects for Alberta; 125 of those projects are in municipalities of all sizes, such as Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, Grand Prairie, and Lethbridge. All those projects are creating jobs and opportunities throughout the country, including in Alberta's communities.
Mr. Speaker, our approach has been very straightforward. Our approach is about the economy and about jobs. We care about our economy. We know that is the number one priority Canadians have expressed to us. Part of that challenge is making sure we attract investments to Canada. We believe in global investment. We believe in the opportunities it presents to our businesses. Any decision under the Investment Canada Act is taken very seriously. We do our due diligence. We do our homework. We make sure we follow the process. Under the Investment Canada Act, this transaction was in the overall net economic benefit. That is why we approved the project.
Mr. Speaker, we take fiscal avoidance and tax dodging very seriously. This is why we put $444 million in last year's budget, so that the Canada Revenue Agency could go after tax frauds and tax cheats.We continue to understand that this is a priority for Canadians. It is a priority for us. Everyone needs to pay their fair share of taxes. That is exactly what we are ensuring happens.
Mr. Speaker, Canada is very aware of progress on the pay equity front and the work we are doing to help women succeed in the labour market. We know there is still a lot of work to do, and I congratulate all of the groups and organizations that continue to demand more measures. We will keep working hard to ensure that, in Canada, all women have the same opportunities as men.
Mr. Speaker, we know that the funding to help many Syrian refugees resettle runs out this month. We also know that fewer than half of them have found jobs.Does the government know how much the provinces will have to pay out in social assistance because the Liberals did not come up with a plan to help these refugees fully integrate into the Canadian economy?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister claims to be a feminist, but on International Women's Day, he is content to merely re-announce old promises. If equality truly matters to the government, it should fund women's reproductive health. The best way is to ensure all women have access to birth control. Such access reduces unintended pregnancy, abortion, is cost saving, and a cornerstone to women's human rights.Will the government take a stand for women and support my motion to make birth control free for women in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, February 11 was International Day for Women and Girls in Science when we celebrated scientists like Dr. Roberta Bondar, Dr. Victoria Kaspi, and Dr. Barbara Sherwood Lollar from my riding who was named Companion to the Order of Canada for her contributions to geochemistry.That day I attended an event with the Minister of Science, the Minister of Status of Women, the CEO of Actua, and women scientists who discussed the importance of getting young girls engaged in science, and how to keep women in STEM.Can the Minister of Science tell the House what our government is doing to encourage women to study science?
Mr. Speaker, our men and women on the ground and in the air serving in Operation Impact are still in the dark when it comes to whether or not the Liberals plan to pay or cut their danger pay. The deadline is fast approaching, and 300 more members of the Canadian Armed Forces may have their pay completely cut by this minister.On multiple occasions, the previous Conservative ministers in this role reversed bureaucratic decisions that looked similar to this. Will the minister commit here and now to follow our example, and ensure that full pay is given to our brave men and women in uniform?
Mr. Speaker, research has revealed that when a woman or girl is raped in our country, her chances of being believed or being able to pursue justice are highly inadequate. I volunteered at a rape crisis centre and one of the most difficult decisions that a woman makes is whether or not to go to the police. We need to make that decision much easier. Will the Prime Minister commit to ensuring that RCMP front-line officers have the training they need to give these women and girls confidence to pursue justice?
Mr. Speaker, I recently introduced a bill on sexual assault law that will help restore confidence in the justice system. The bill seeks to provide training to future judges, among other things. It will also require written reasons to be provided in a greater number of decisions.Does the Prime Minister agree that we should all work together to expedite passage of this bill?
Mr. Speaker, I asked the Prime Minister a direct question and he refused to answer it. That kind of arrogant, condescending non-answer is what is giving the Liberals a lot of problems, from their carbon tax cover-up to misleading B.C. seniors, and a prime minister under multiple investigations. We know he is heading off today to have a private meeting with BlackRock executives. When is he going to start giving Canadians straightforward answers, or does he only meet with people who are lining his party's pockets?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to making sure our men and women have all the right benefits. I have directed the Chief of the Defence Staff to look into this matter. I would also like to correct the member in terms of the previous government's actions on this. It actually sent troops into Kuwait without the tax-free allowance, something we had taken up. There were rules that were placed in 2014 that resulted in some of the inequities that we see right now.That is the reason why we are looking into this matter, so we can solve this issue.
Mr. Speaker, on March 2, the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie said, Sexual and reproductive health and rights are human rights. All women have the right to choose whether and when they want to have children, and how many. Since today is the 40th International Women's Day, can the minister tell the House about the commitment the government made today to promote gender equality and advance an international feminist agenda?
Mr. Speaker, 25 years ago I worked at the Sexual Assault Center of the McGill Students' Society and I know first-hand how devastating sexual assault can be. We need to do much more, even 25 years later, to make sure that we are fighting against it, that we are reducing it, and that we are creating a justice system and a system of policing that actually enable survivors of sexual assault to come forward and get justice. We still have much more work to do, but we are committed to doing that.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and our government have shown leadership when it comes to the economy. We understand that every decision we make must focus on growth and jobs. We need to attract global investment if we are to succeed globally and if we are to create the opportunities for Canadians, for women in particular, and for the youth going forward. That is why we are open to investment. In regard to this transaction, we followed the process. We made sure the Retirement Concept deal that was put forward was done in a manner that was in the overall net economic benefit for British Columbians and for Canadians. It is good for the economy and it is good for jobs.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday when asked a serious question about his ethical lapses, the Prime Minister said that he will, continue to demonstrate the kind of openness and transparency Canadians expect. Let us see if there is even an ounce of truth in that statement because I am going to ask a very direct, straightforward question for the Prime Minister. Let us see if he answers. Has the Prime Minister met with the Ethics Commissioner on the current investigation that she is conducting? If so, how many times?
Mr. Speaker, I want to wish everyone a happy International Women's Day. I thank my colleague from Scarborough Centre for her question.On International Women's Day, we are reminded that gender equality benefits our society and our economy. We know that a barrier to gender equality is access to child care services. That is why we have introduced the Canada child benefit plan. That is why we are developing a framework for early learning and child care. That is why we are increasing funding for services like child minding, to ensure refugee women can settle and integrate into our communities.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to rise in this House, especially on International Women's Day. I wish everyone the best on this day, especially our women entrepreneurs. This government has committed to making more opportunities for under-represented groups. We are working better with entrepreneurs, we are listening and engaging with small business owners, we are speaking to their customers so that we can create the opportunities they need. The solutions that our small businesses owners have are not only good for Canada, but they are amazing for export markets. We will continue to open up those markets so that we can encourage our small business owners to export, as well.
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to stand up on International Women's Day as the first woman elected in Ottawa Centre.Women across Canada are strongly supportive of climate action. They understand it is necessary to tackle climate change for their children and grandchildren, and also because it will mean good jobs for them in the future.We are committed to taking climate action. We will continue to move forward because it is the right thing to do, and I would encourage the party opposite to join us.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate once again the opportunity to rise in this House and to remind Canadians exactly what this government has been doing. This government has been responding to the very real challenges that Canadians are facing, and we will continue to advance and do that work, including historic investments on infrastructure to help provinces, territories, and municipalities create the opportunities and growth that they would like to create; and working better with families with children through the Canada child benefit. When it comes to the member's question, the member knows very well that the Prime Minister will answer any questions that the commissioner has.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Rivière-des-Mille-Îles for the opportunity to inform the House that the Prime Minister and I made a very important announcement this morning: we will invest $650 million over three years in sexual and reproductive health in developing countries and fragile states.This investment will support the sexuality education of girls and boys, family planning, access to contraceptives, access to legal abortion, and the defence of women's rights because women's rights are human rights.
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased and grateful to have the opportunity to mention two other measures that we have implemented in recent months.We increased the guaranteed income supplement by up to $1,000 per senior per year. This will benefit 900,000 seniors in Canada and will lift 13,000 seniors out of poverty. We also transferred $200 million for seniors' housing in order to help a good many of them escape the appalling housing conditions in which they find themselves. These measures will make our society better.
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to full pay equity.We know that there are many things that we need to do as a society to improve outcomes for women and girls in our society. That is why we have moved forward on many different measures that will put more money in the pockets of women and families, and by making sure that our most vulnerable seniors, two-thirds of whom are women, will be able to be helped with an increase to the GIS.We continue to work very hard to empower women and girls to succeed in all areas of success. We know we have much more work to do, and we will do that.
Mr. Speaker, I did not hear him say that he will be supporting our motion that calls for pay equity immediately.As we all know, action is much more important than good intentions. My question is quite simple: can the Prime Minister tell us when he intends to present his plan to put an end to penalty-free amnesty deals and renegotiate tax treaties with countries that are known tax havens?
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear that we follow the process. We do our due diligence. Under the Investment Canada Act, there are clear criteria to determine that any transaction has to be of an overall net economic benefit for us to proceed. We made that determination based on the facts. The facts are that this transaction will provide additional resources to Retirement Concepts so it can expand and provide better services to seniors, so it can expand and create more jobs. This is good for the health care sector. This is good for the economy. This is good for British Columbia.
Mr. Speaker, over a year ago, the Minister of Status of Women received an application from Justice alternative du Suroît for support to a project that would enable three large regions of Quebec to develop safety nets for sexually exploited girls and young women. Out of 4,000 runaways at youth centres in Quebec, 76% are girls, and 30% of them have been sexually exploited or exposed to prostitution. The project could prevent hundreds of women from suffering sexual abuse.When will the minister sign it and give this project the green light?
Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased that Ms. MacInnis-Wynn was able to sit down with the justice minister and have a very constructive conversation on how we can improve our system of bail to do justice in this country. It is important that we keep our communities and families safe. It is important that we protect victims. It is important as well that we uphold the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. That is what we remain committed to and we are going to continue to work hard on that.
Mr. Speaker, in terms of concrete measures, I am sure my colleague heard the fact that we made the decision last November to increase the international ownership in our airlines from 25% to 49% in order to increase competition. I also announced at that time a bill of rights or a rights regime to make sure that air travellers' rights would be taken into consideration. We are already beginning to see more competition. The prices are coming down. We are very glad that we are offering more service to our passengers. That is our intention and we are going to continue to do that.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect the Prime Minister and the ministers to act with integrity.The Prime Minister continues to break his own rules, the rules on ethics and contact with lobbyists.Will the Prime Minister start leading this country with integrity and tell cabinet members and the people in his office to do the same?
Mr. Speaker, I want to reassure my colleague that what is most important for us is improving service to the air passenger. That is why we are working very hard to lower their costs, to give them more choices, more competition, to reduce the time it takes for them to go through security or through customs. We will even be giving them a bill of rights. That is what is motivating us when we talk about our airports and our airlines.
Mr. Speaker, again, our primary motivation is to give air passengers better choices. That is what motivates us most. We are working very hard to lower costs, give travellers more choices, and reduce the time it takes for them to go through security or customs. We want to acknowledge that passengers have rights. Improving passenger service is what motivates us when we talk about our airports and our airlines.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her advocacy on behalf of women and girls in her communities and across Canada.Status of Women Canada is committed to empowering organizations across the country to empower women and girls in their communities, and to include men and boys. That is why last year we funded about 300 projects across the country to do that work. We will be introducing a gender-based violence strategy, the first federal strategy of its kind, to address the challenges that too many women and girls in our communities face.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for her tireless advocacy on behalf of Canadians with disabilities.I would also like to thank the DisAbled Women's Network for its advocacy, for pointing out that the majority of people living with disabilities are women and that among women in Canada, women with disabilities live with the highest rates of violence, the lowest incomes, and the highest rates of unemployment. That is why I am very proud of the work done by the current and former ministers of Status of Women on gender-based violence, drawing upon the work of DAWN. I am also very proud of the accessibility legislation we are developing to make sure every Canadian with a disability is included in society.
Mr. Speaker, it is important that survivors of sexual assault be treated with respect and compassion, particularly before the justice system when they are seeking justice. We need to make sure that we are doing a much better job than we are right now. That is why I look forward to parliamentarians having an opportunity to discuss ways in which we are going to be able to improve it, including with the member's bill as it goes to committee.
Mr. Speaker, on International Women's Day, it is an honour to rise and be part of a government that speaks up for women's rights, and speaks up for women's sexual and reproductive rights. Access to birth control is of fundamental importance to the women and families of Canada, to be able to control their bodies, to be able to control their reproductive rights. We will make sure that medication in our country is affordable, accessible, and appropriately prescribed. That includes access to birth control.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for SaanichGulf Islands for her fantastic work on this very important topic, and indeed members from all parties who have been advocating on behalf of people who have been victims of Lyme disease.I look forward to continuing to work with the member on making sure that we have a strong framework which recognizes the federal role in this, and that includes building national surveillance and annual reporting. It includes making sure there is adequate research. It includes improving the guidelines for prevention and treatment of Lyme disease, and making sure that we raise awareness and education on how to prevent Lyme disease. I thank the member for her work.
Mr. Speaker, all survivors of sexual assault must be treated with compassion and respect, particularly when they are seeking justice before the courts. It is very important to do everything we can to protect and encourage these women, and sometimes men, to seek justice for the violence they have suffered. I am therefore very happy that this bill will give us an opportunity to discuss this important issue.
Mr. Speaker, 2016 was a difficult year for our small business owners. Their hiring credit was axed, their payroll taxes were increased, and they did not get the tax cut the Liberals promised. Small businesses are being targeted by the Liberals for being too small and the Prime Minister accused small businesses of existing solely to avoid tax.Will the Prime Minister finally listen to our entrepreneurs and cut their taxes in the upcoming budget?
Mr. Speaker, here in Canada and around the world, human traffickers physically and sexually exploit women and girls. It is a brutal and disgusting crime that deserves to be punished harshly, but when the Liberals introduced their human trafficking law, they weakened the punishments that could be handed out to these criminals. They crafted Bill C-38 to deliberately get rid of back-to-back sentencing for those convicted of multiple crimes of human trafficking.Why is the Prime Minister unwilling to get tough on human traffickers and will he protect vulnerable women and girls by returning back-to-back sentencing to Canada's human trafficking laws?
Mr. Speaker, this government is extremely serious about cracking down on human trafficking while protecting women and girls from exploitation, from assault. These are things that we take very seriously. We will continue to work very hard to ensure that more women and girls are protected. We also are the party of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and we will always stand up to defend charter rights.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her question.On June 17, 2016, this government tabled the Arms Trade Treaty in the House of Commons, something that the previous Conservative government failed to do. We are delivering on our commitment to Canadians to promote responsibility, transparency, and accountability. It is the right thing to do, and we will soon be making legislative changes.
Mr. Speaker, with this government, it seems that everything is for sale.We all know that women do not have equal rights in Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, Canada continues to export weapons to that country and to others, such as Libya, that have very questionable human rights records. Canada is now the second-largest exporter of arms to the Middle East.Does the Minister of Foreign Affairs believe that Canada should export military equipment to countries that violate women's rights? Are we now a nation of feminists
Mr. Speaker, the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association says the Alberta government is breaking its agreement to flow $300 million of building Canada funds to local municipal projects. Instead, it is going to pay down the Alberta NDP's out-of-control debt. The infrastructure minister keeps falsely repeating that this money is building infrastructure and creating jobs. Municipalities need infrastructure now.When will the minister tell the premier this is not a slush fund and when will he finally stand up for communities in Alberta?
Mr. Speaker, Shelly Wynn is the widow of Constable David Wynn, who needlessly died because the justice system failed to protect him. His death was preventable. Shelly is in Ottawa today helping us fight to protect others. The Liberals have an opportunity to show Shelly that this will never happen again. We implore those on the other side to see the good that they will do if they vote for this bill.Will the Prime Minister close this loophole that will save lives and vote in support of Wynn's law today?
Mr. Speaker, after discussing the deal at a cash for access fundraiser, the Prime Minister agreed to sell B.C. care facilities to a Chinese company with questionable ownership. Yesterday, a Chinese-language media asked if our concern was about state-owned enterprises, to which we responded that we did not know to whom he sold these homes. Is it Chinese billionaires? Is it the Chinese government. Is it simply a friend?Therefore, again, whatever the answer is, it is unacceptable that the Prime Minister is not sharing it with Canadians. Who owns their homes?
Mr. Speaker, we take the health of our Canadian Armed Forces members extremely seriously. We make every effort to protect our members from disease through immunization and other preventive measures.At the request of the Chief of the Defence Staff, the Surgeon General is now looking into the use of mefloquine and will report back imminently. The military member's decision on malaria prevention is made with close consultation with their health care provider based on comprehensive medical screening and education.
Mr. Speaker, in addition to this being International Women's Day, it is also a deadline for the Minister of Health for comments on the federal framework on Lyme disease.This has been brought into play by the bill I submitted in the 41st Parliament, unanimously supported in the House and the Senate, and continues to be strongly supported by members on all sides of this House. Unfortunately, the draft framework is inadequate. It needs a serious overhaul.Could the Prime Minister assure us that the time, if it is necessary, will be taken to improve this framework?
Mr. Speaker, families of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls feel they are being left in the dark when in fact they should be properly informed and involved in every step of the inquiry. Worse, northern families do not have access to proper information due to unreliable Internet and other crucial services. How will the Prime Minister ensure the commitments made to all indigenous families affected by these tragedies are involved and feel like true progress is being made?
Mr. Speaker, today is International Women's Day, a day to recognize women's achievements and acknowledge the challenges we continue to face.As an immigrant, I know how difficult it can be for minority women to integrate fully into Canadian society. While men are the first to go to work and attend language training, women are often isolated, staying at home to care for children without the language skills to venture outside. Could the Minister of Status of Women tell us what the government is doing to help these isolated women fully join that Canadian family?
Mr. Speaker, every single minister and the Prime Minister work very hard for Canadians every single day. Every single member of Parliament, at least on this side of the House, work hard for their constituents every single day. I encourage every member to do the work he or she was elected to do. I know we can work better together. When it comes to the question the hon. members poses, she knows very well that the Prime Minister will answer any questions the commissioner has.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect the government to work very hard for them. They are the ones that we work hard for every day.That is why we lowered taxes for the middle class and made historic investments in infrastructure. We are going to keep working for Canadians every day, and I encourage the member to work with us so that we can get more done together.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Innovation claims to have done a review of the sell-off of seniors care facilities in B.C., but is not capable of telling Canadians who owns Anbang Insurance. Not even Wall Street firms will do business with Anbang because of the murky ownership structure, dominated by the who's who of the Chinese Communist Party. In the minister's pandering to Beijing, Canadians deserve to know who is pulling the strings and deciding the fate of our seniors. The question is simple. Who owns Anbang Insurance?
Mr. Speaker, seniors in my riding are writing and phoning my office every day. They simply want to know who is responsible for these facilities. If families and patients have complaints, they are lost in an accountability fog. Either the government does not know the answer, or it knows the answer and it is not willing to tell us. If he will not stand in the House and tell us who owns the homes, will he table the documents that were done with respect to that due diligence around the ownership of Anbang Insurance?
Mr. Speaker, the DisAbled Women's Network notes the rates of sexual, physical, and verbal violence across Canada are at least three times higher for young women and girls living with disabilities, and violence prevention agencies are simply not given the proper resources. Women with disabilities have been completely forgotten. On this International Women's Day, will the government commit to taking leadership to address the enormous gaps in violence prevention policy and program delivery for this vulnerable population?
Mr. Speaker, for months the Liberals have been quietly preparing to sell off Canada's airports and have refused to answer questions, but they have hired Credit Suisse to study the idea. Tonight, the Prime Minister is having an exclusive meeting with BlackRock, a meeting that media has been banned from attending.It is clear that these Liberals have spent the credit card to the limit and are now selling off the furniture. Will the transport minister admit that he is selling our airports and tell us to whom he is selling them?
Mr. Speaker, we take tax evasion and tax avoidance very seriously. That is why, in the last budget, we invested $444 million in the Canada Revenue Agency so that it could go after tax cheats and better combat tax evasion. That is what Canadians expect and that is exactly what we are going to do: continue working hard in order to achieve our objective.
Mr. Speaker, last week, a Halifax taxi driver was acquitted of sexual assault charges. The circumstances are disturbing, and incredibly, the judge ruled, Clearly, a drunk can consent. Countless legal experts have pointed out the mistakes in this judgment. I have introduced a very common sense bill to make sure that judges are not making basic errors or, even worse, painful comments that make victims think twice of ever pursuing justice.Will the Prime Minister support moving my bill to committee this week and help restore confidence in our justice system for victims of sexual assault?
Mr. Speaker, it is clear the Liberals do not care if they break the rules. First the Prime Minister traded cash for access against the ethics rules. Then he broke the law when he boarded a private helicopter for a winter vacation. He is in trouble with the Ethics Commissioner, the Commissioner of Lobbying, and the Commissioner of Official Languages. His ministers are now taking their cue from him. Now we see the innovation minister misleading Canadians about Anbang Insurance. Will the Prime Minister start following the rules and call on his ministers to do the same?
Mr. Speaker, under the previous Conservative government, we introduced a low-tax plan for seniors that removed almost 400,000 of them from the tax rolls. As part of this plan, we increased the age amount tax credit by $2,000 for low- and fixed-income seniors.The Minister of Finance has indicated that everything is on the table to bring in more revenue for the government to waste. Will the Minister of Finance commit to not slash the age amount tax credit, and instead protect our seniors?
Mr. Speaker, this evening, in honour of International Women's Day, the Prime Minister will be in Toronto attending a private dinner with members of the board of directors of BlackRock.BlackRock currently has $5 trillion in assets under management around the world and is interested in the Liberals' plan to privatize our public infrastructure. Can the Prime Minister stand up and explain to us why, of all the possible activities on this International Women's Day, he chose to spend the evening with members of the board of directors of an investment fund? Can he tell us what is on the agenda for this meeting?
Mr. Speaker, one of the strongest commitments our government made was to launch an inquiry into the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, and we certainly have done that. We have set up an independent commission that is carrying out that process. However, we know we cannot wait for the commission's recommendations before we act on the real root causes of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in Canada. That is why we have invested $8.4 billion, historic investments, in women, in shelters, in housing, in children's education on first nations, and in indigenous communities.
Mr. Speaker, I am surprised again why the Conservative Party, and particularly that member, is opposing global investment into Canada. We understand that we want investments into Canada to grow the economy, to create opportunities for Canadians, and to create jobs. This investment and this transaction was following the Investment Canada Act. We did our due diligence. We followed the process and we determined it was an overall net economic benefit. That is the decision we made, and that is why the British Columbia government and the health minister also provided the operating licences for these retirement care facilities, which are managed and operated by Canadians for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I did not ask if the program was expensive and had out of control costs, I asked if it got results. What the minister has failed to say is how many of these refugees have actually found jobs. We have a huge influx of refugees coming across the American border right now. We will see an influx of refugees coming in with the government's decision to lift the Mexican visa requirement.My question is very simple. How much will the government pay in Canadian taxpayers' dollars to support its ill-fated refugee plan?
Mr. Speaker, once again, no answer from the Prime Minister.Let us try this again. The Canadian government is missing out on $9 billion in lost tax revenue every single year. Imagine what the government could properly fund with that money. We heard from women this morning about their priorities, pharmacare, child care. These could be realities, and all because the richest would simply be forced to pay their fair share.I have two very clear questions for the Prime Minister. Will he vote in favour of the NDP motion on tax fairness? Will the Prime Minister end all penalty-free amnesty deals for tax evaders?
Mr. Speaker, I am very grateful for this opportunity to remind all members of this House of the important agenda that this government has followed in order to help vulnerable seniors, and all seniors in fact. We have decreased the age of eligibility for old age security from 67 years old to 65 years old, which means that 100,000 vulnerable seniors will not need to enter into severe poverty. We have also enhanced the Canada pension plan so that future generations of seniors will also be able to live decently and adequately.
Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, the Liberals promised to run a modest deficit of only $10 billion. That was one promise they broke immediately. They also promised that they would not eliminate income splitting for seniors. We all know that the Liberals alway break the promises they make to Canadians. Will the Minister of Finance tell us today that he will not eliminate income splitting for seniors?
Mr. Speaker, by not answering the question, the Liberals are just trying to hide the fact that the finance minister will put a big for sale sign on Canada's largest and most important airports. The Liberals' propensity for spending money they do not have is forcing them to have exclusive meetings with BlackRock to organize a shotgun sale of Canada's airports before the ink of the budget is even dry. Will the minister commit to maintaining Canadian ownership of these strategic economic assets, or are the Liberals just that desperate for money?
Mr. Speaker, the international community has consistently praised Canada for its compassionate, responsible, and generous refugee program. We will take no lessons from the previous government on issues around refugees and immigrants.In fact, by lifting the Mexican visa requirement, we have gone a long way to rebuild, and strengthen our bilateral relationship with Mexico that was damaged considerably by the previous government.We addressed those associated with the Mexican visa lift. We worked closely with Mexican officials. Tourism has gone up and other economic benefits have gone up. We will continue to work to make sure the visa lift is a success.
Mr. Speaker, I first want to thank and congratulate my colleague on her continued efforts on the issue of homelessness, particularly among women. I know she is aware that, in the last budget, back in March 2016, we announced a $100-million investment to build shelters that serve victims of family violence.Given that she has advised us in the past, and again I thank her for that, she also knows that we are developing a national housing strategy that will have a significant impact on the living conditions of our Canadian families, especially those who are most vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, New Democrats know it is the federal government's job to eliminate gender inequality. Words are not enough. Women want concrete action, and we have waited far too long.Pay equity is a fundamental human right. Countries like Iceland not only made pay equity the law, but they are now demanding that corporations prove that they are not paying women less than men.Can the Prime Minister explain to the women of this country how much longer they will have to wait before you enact pay equity legislation?
Mr. Speaker, our allies in Australia, Britain, the U.S., and Germany have all responded to the cries of their veterans regarding the severe impact that mefloquine is having on their lives. On Monday, Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire testified that he has experienced the devastating effects of this drug. When he was asked if more studies should be done, he interrupted and said, No, just get rid of it.When will the Liberal government listen to the heart-wrenching testimony of veterans like General Roméo Dallaire and get rid of this harmful drug?
Mr. Speaker, this year we are providing $900 million in settlement and resettlement funding to support refugee integration and settlement services, $664 million of that are for settlement services, and $76 million more outside of Quebec than in previous years.We are committed to supporting refugees as they arrive in Canada, and making sure we provide them with language programs, job supports, and other integration programming as we move forward. We take that commitment seriously, and we have the track record to prove that.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Liberals voted against releasing information regarding how much their carbon tax will cost Canadian households. As well, they have not included any information on what sectors will be exempted from the carbon tax. Can the minister tell the House who will be exempted, and will the government guarantee its national carbon tax will actually be revenue neutral?
Mr. Speaker, today is a historic day in the House of Commons: 338 women took these seats, and who was available to them? The Prime Minister. The Prime Minister spoke to every single woman
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister goes on and on about being a proud feminist. He even voted in favour of a motion stating that pay equity is a basic right. Unfortunately, the government wants Canadian women to wait yet another year. Canadian women have waited long enough for the respect they deserve. The working group on pay equity released its report 12 years ago.Why is the Prime Minister refusing to recognize that basic right by demanding pay equity now?
Mr. Speaker, the Conseil des Montréalaises recently issued an opinion on homelessness among women. In Montreal and across Canada, homelessness among women is on the rise, but it remains hidden. This is something that affects indigenous and immigrant women more frequently, and homeless women are much more vulnerable to physical and sexual violence.The minister announced the creation of an advisory committee to overhaul the homelessness partnering strategy, or HPS. Will a gender-based analysis be done? Will the government invest the sums needed to prevent and eradicate this scourge?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to increasing the representation of women in STEM fields.In a competitive, globalized economy, Canada cannot afford to leave half its talent on the sidelines. I am delighted to launch a digital campaign to encourage young women to #ChooseScience.As a former scientist and as Minister of Science, I consider it part of my responsibility to encourage young women to enter careers in STEM. Science needs women. We need their voices. We need their insights.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister refuses to answer questions about his own ethical breaches. The innovation minister was forced to admit that he misled Canadians about the people to whom he is selling seniors care facilities.Canadians do not want to hear any lies or see such a total lack of transparency.When will the Prime Minister start acting like a leader and clean up his act?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform the hon. member that federal infrastructure dollars can only be used for infrastructure projects. We have approved 127 projects for Alberta; 125 of those projects are in municipalities of all sizes, such as Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, Grand Prairie, and Lethbridge. All those projects are creating jobs and opportunities throughout the country, including in Alberta's communities.
Mr. Speaker, our approach has been very straightforward. Our approach is about the economy and about jobs. We care about our economy. We know that is the number one priority Canadians have expressed to us. Part of that challenge is making sure we attract investments to Canada. We believe in global investment. We believe in the opportunities it presents to our businesses. Any decision under the Investment Canada Act is taken very seriously. We do our due diligence. We do our homework. We make sure we follow the process. Under the Investment Canada Act, this transaction was in the overall net economic benefit. That is why we approved the project.
Mr. Speaker, we take fiscal avoidance and tax dodging very seriously. This is why we put $444 million in last year's budget, so that the Canada Revenue Agency could go after tax frauds and tax cheats.We continue to understand that this is a priority for Canadians. It is a priority for us. Everyone needs to pay their fair share of taxes. That is exactly what we are ensuring happens.
Mr. Speaker, Canada is very aware of progress on the pay equity front and the work we are doing to help women succeed in the labour market. We know there is still a lot of work to do, and I congratulate all of the groups and organizations that continue to demand more measures. We will keep working hard to ensure that, in Canada, all women have the same opportunities as men.
Mr. Speaker, we know that the funding to help many Syrian refugees resettle runs out this month. We also know that fewer than half of them have found jobs.Does the government know how much the provinces will have to pay out in social assistance because the Liberals did not come up with a plan to help these refugees fully integrate into the Canadian economy?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister claims to be a feminist, but on International Women's Day, he is content to merely re-announce old promises. If equality truly matters to the government, it should fund women's reproductive health. The best way is to ensure all women have access to birth control. Such access reduces unintended pregnancy, abortion, is cost saving, and a cornerstone to women's human rights.Will the government take a stand for women and support my motion to make birth control free for women in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, February 11 was International Day for Women and Girls in Science when we celebrated scientists like Dr. Roberta Bondar, Dr. Victoria Kaspi, and Dr. Barbara Sherwood Lollar from my riding who was named Companion to the Order of Canada for her contributions to geochemistry.That day I attended an event with the Minister of Science, the Minister of Status of Women, the CEO of Actua, and women scientists who discussed the importance of getting young girls engaged in science, and how to keep women in STEM.Can the Minister of Science tell the House what our government is doing to encourage women to study science?
Mr. Speaker, our men and women on the ground and in the air serving in Operation Impact are still in the dark when it comes to whether or not the Liberals plan to pay or cut their danger pay. The deadline is fast approaching, and 300 more members of the Canadian Armed Forces may have their pay completely cut by this minister.On multiple occasions, the previous Conservative ministers in this role reversed bureaucratic decisions that looked similar to this. Will the minister commit here and now to follow our example, and ensure that full pay is given to our brave men and women in uniform?
Mr. Speaker, research has revealed that when a woman or girl is raped in our country, her chances of being believed or being able to pursue justice are highly inadequate. I volunteered at a rape crisis centre and one of the most difficult decisions that a woman makes is whether or not to go to the police. We need to make that decision much easier. Will the Prime Minister commit to ensuring that RCMP front-line officers have the training they need to give these women and girls confidence to pursue justice?
Mr. Speaker, I recently introduced a bill on sexual assault law that will help restore confidence in the justice system. The bill seeks to provide training to future judges, among other things. It will also require written reasons to be provided in a greater number of decisions.Does the Prime Minister agree that we should all work together to expedite passage of this bill?
Mr. Speaker, I asked the Prime Minister a direct question and he refused to answer it. That kind of arrogant, condescending non-answer is what is giving the Liberals a lot of problems, from their carbon tax cover-up to misleading B.C. seniors, and a prime minister under multiple investigations. We know he is heading off today to have a private meeting with BlackRock executives. When is he going to start giving Canadians straightforward answers, or does he only meet with people who are lining his party's pockets?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to making sure our men and women have all the right benefits. I have directed the Chief of the Defence Staff to look into this matter. I would also like to correct the member in terms of the previous government's actions on this. It actually sent troops into Kuwait without the tax-free allowance, something we had taken up. There were rules that were placed in 2014 that resulted in some of the inequities that we see right now.That is the reason why we are looking into this matter, so we can solve this issue.
Mr. Speaker, on March 2, the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie said, Sexual and reproductive health and rights are human rights. All women have the right to choose whether and when they want to have children, and how many. Since today is the 40th International Women's Day, can the minister tell the House about the commitment the government made today to promote gender equality and advance an international feminist agenda?
Mr. Speaker, 25 years ago I worked at the Sexual Assault Center of the McGill Students' Society and I know first-hand how devastating sexual assault can be. We need to do much more, even 25 years later, to make sure that we are fighting against it, that we are reducing it, and that we are creating a justice system and a system of policing that actually enable survivors of sexual assault to come forward and get justice. We still have much more work to do, but we are committed to doing that.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and our government have shown leadership when it comes to the economy. We understand that every decision we make must focus on growth and jobs. We need to attract global investment if we are to succeed globally and if we are to create the opportunities for Canadians, for women in particular, and for the youth going forward. That is why we are open to investment. In regard to this transaction, we followed the process. We made sure the Retirement Concept deal that was put forward was done in a manner that was in the overall net economic benefit for British Columbians and for Canadians. It is good for the economy and it is good for jobs.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday when asked a serious question about his ethical lapses, the Prime Minister said that he will, continue to demonstrate the kind of openness and transparency Canadians expect. Let us see if there is even an ounce of truth in that statement because I am going to ask a very direct, straightforward question for the Prime Minister. Let us see if he answers. Has the Prime Minister met with the Ethics Commissioner on the current investigation that she is conducting? If so, how many times?
Mr. Speaker, I want to wish everyone a happy International Women's Day. I thank my colleague from Scarborough Centre for her question.On International Women's Day, we are reminded that gender equality benefits our society and our economy. We know that a barrier to gender equality is access to child care services. That is why we have introduced the Canada child benefit plan. That is why we are developing a framework for early learning and child care. That is why we are increasing funding for services like child minding, to ensure refugee women can settle and integrate into our communities.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to rise in this House, especially on International Women's Day. I wish everyone the best on this day, especially our women entrepreneurs. This government has committed to making more opportunities for under-represented groups. We are working better with entrepreneurs, we are listening and engaging with small business owners, we are speaking to their customers so that we can create the opportunities they need. The solutions that our small businesses owners have are not only good for Canada, but they are amazing for export markets. We will continue to open up those markets so that we can encourage our small business owners to export, as well.
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to stand up on International Women's Day as the first woman elected in Ottawa Centre.Women across Canada are strongly supportive of climate action. They understand it is necessary to tackle climate change for their children and grandchildren, and also because it will mean good jobs for them in the future.We are committed to taking climate action. We will continue to move forward because it is the right thing to do, and I would encourage the party opposite to join us.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate once again the opportunity to rise in this House and to remind Canadians exactly what this government has been doing. This government has been responding to the very real challenges that Canadians are facing, and we will continue to advance and do that work, including historic investments on infrastructure to help provinces, territories, and municipalities create the opportunities and growth that they would like to create; and working better with families with children through the Canada child benefit. When it comes to the member's question, the member knows very well that the Prime Minister will answer any questions that the commissioner has.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Rivière-des-Mille-Îles for the opportunity to inform the House that the Prime Minister and I made a very important announcement this morning: we will invest $650 million over three years in sexual and reproductive health in developing countries and fragile states.This investment will support the sexuality education of girls and boys, family planning, access to contraceptives, access to legal abortion, and the defence of women's rights because women's rights are human rights.
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased and grateful to have the opportunity to mention two other measures that we have implemented in recent months.We increased the guaranteed income supplement by up to $1,000 per senior per year. This will benefit 900,000 seniors in Canada and will lift 13,000 seniors out of poverty. We also transferred $200 million for seniors' housing in order to help a good many of them escape the appalling housing conditions in which they find themselves. These measures will make our society better.
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to full pay equity.We know that there are many things that we need to do as a society to improve outcomes for women and girls in our society. That is why we have moved forward on many different measures that will put more money in the pockets of women and families, and by making sure that our most vulnerable seniors, two-thirds of whom are women, will be able to be helped with an increase to the GIS.We continue to work very hard to empower women and girls to succeed in all areas of success. We know we have much more work to do, and we will do that.
Mr. Speaker, I did not hear him say that he will be supporting our motion that calls for pay equity immediately.As we all know, action is much more important than good intentions. My question is quite simple: can the Prime Minister tell us when he intends to present his plan to put an end to penalty-free amnesty deals and renegotiate tax treaties with countries that are known tax havens?
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear that we follow the process. We do our due diligence. Under the Investment Canada Act, there are clear criteria to determine that any transaction has to be of an overall net economic benefit for us to proceed. We made that determination based on the facts. The facts are that this transaction will provide additional resources to Retirement Concepts so it can expand and provide better services to seniors, so it can expand and create more jobs. This is good for the health care sector. This is good for the economy. This is good for British Columbia.
Mr. Speaker, over a year ago, the Minister of Status of Women received an application from Justice alternative du Suroît for support to a project that would enable three large regions of Quebec to develop safety nets for sexually exploited girls and young women. Out of 4,000 runaways at youth centres in Quebec, 76% are girls, and 30% of them have been sexually exploited or exposed to prostitution. The project could prevent hundreds of women from suffering sexual abuse.When will the minister sign it and give this project the green light?
Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased that Ms. MacInnis-Wynn was able to sit down with the justice minister and have a very constructive conversation on how we can improve our system of bail to do justice in this country. It is important that we keep our communities and families safe. It is important that we protect victims. It is important as well that we uphold the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. That is what we remain committed to and we are going to continue to work hard on that.
Mr. Speaker, in terms of concrete measures, I am sure my colleague heard the fact that we made the decision last November to increase the international ownership in our airlines from 25% to 49% in order to increase competition. I also announced at that time a bill of rights or a rights regime to make sure that air travellers' rights would be taken into consideration. We are already beginning to see more competition. The prices are coming down. We are very glad that we are offering more service to our passengers. That is our intention and we are going to continue to do that.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect the Prime Minister and the ministers to act with integrity.The Prime Minister continues to break his own rules, the rules on ethics and contact with lobbyists.Will the Prime Minister start leading this country with integrity and tell cabinet members and the people in his office to do the same?
Mr. Speaker, I want to reassure my colleague that what is most important for us is improving service to the air passenger. That is why we are working very hard to lower their costs, to give them more choices, more competition, to reduce the time it takes for them to go through security or through customs. We will even be giving them a bill of rights. That is what is motivating us when we talk about our airports and our airlines.
Mr. Speaker, again, our primary motivation is to give air passengers better choices. That is what motivates us most. We are working very hard to lower costs, give travellers more choices, and reduce the time it takes for them to go through security or customs. We want to acknowledge that passengers have rights. Improving passenger service is what motivates us when we talk about our airports and our airlines.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her advocacy on behalf of women and girls in her communities and across Canada.Status of Women Canada is committed to empowering organizations across the country to empower women and girls in their communities, and to include men and boys. That is why last year we funded about 300 projects across the country to do that work. We will be introducing a gender-based violence strategy, the first federal strategy of its kind, to address the challenges that too many women and girls in our communities face.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for her tireless advocacy on behalf of Canadians with disabilities.I would also like to thank the DisAbled Women's Network for its advocacy, for pointing out that the majority of people living with disabilities are women and that among women in Canada, women with disabilities live with the highest rates of violence, the lowest incomes, and the highest rates of unemployment. That is why I am very proud of the work done by the current and former ministers of Status of Women on gender-based violence, drawing upon the work of DAWN. I am also very proud of the accessibility legislation we are developing to make sure every Canadian with a disability is included in society.
Mr. Speaker, it is important that survivors of sexual assault be treated with respect and compassion, particularly before the justice system when they are seeking justice. We need to make sure that we are doing a much better job than we are right now. That is why I look forward to parliamentarians having an opportunity to discuss ways in which we are going to be able to improve it, including with the member's bill as it goes to committee.
Mr. Speaker, on International Women's Day, it is an honour to rise and be part of a government that speaks up for women's rights, and speaks up for women's sexual and reproductive rights. Access to birth control is of fundamental importance to the women and families of Canada, to be able to control their bodies, to be able to control their reproductive rights. We will make sure that medication in our country is affordable, accessible, and appropriately prescribed. That includes access to birth control.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for SaanichGulf Islands for her fantastic work on this very important topic, and indeed members from all parties who have been advocating on behalf of people who have been victims of Lyme disease.I look forward to continuing to work with the member on making sure that we have a strong framework which recognizes the federal role in this, and that includes building national surveillance and annual reporting. It includes making sure there is adequate research. It includes improving the guidelines for prevention and treatment of Lyme disease, and making sure that we raise awareness and education on how to prevent Lyme disease. I thank the member for her work.
Mr. Speaker, all survivors of sexual assault must be treated with compassion and respect, particularly when they are seeking justice before the courts. It is very important to do everything we can to protect and encourage these women, and sometimes men, to seek justice for the violence they have suffered. I am therefore very happy that this bill will give us an opportunity to discuss this important issue.
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Mr. Speaker, all survivors of sexual assault must be treated with compassion and respect, particularly when they are seeking justice before the courts. It is very important to do everything we can to protect and encourage these women, and sometimes men, to seek justice for the violence they have suffered. I am therefore very happy that this bill will give us an opportunity to discuss this important issue.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for SaanichGulf Islands for her fantastic work on this very important topic, and indeed members from all parties who have been advocating on behalf of people who have been victims of Lyme disease.I look forward to continuing to work with the member on making sure that we have a strong framework which recognizes the federal role in this, and that includes building national surveillance and annual reporting. It includes making sure there is adequate research. It includes improving the guidelines for prevention and treatment of Lyme disease, and making sure that we raise awareness and education on how to prevent Lyme disease. I thank the member for her work.
Mr. Speaker, on International Women's Day, it is an honour to rise and be part of a government that speaks up for women's rights, and speaks up for women's sexual and reproductive rights. Access to birth control is of fundamental importance to the women and families of Canada, to be able to control their bodies, to be able to control their reproductive rights. We will make sure that medication in our country is affordable, accessible, and appropriately prescribed. That includes access to birth control.
Mr. Speaker, it is important that survivors of sexual assault be treated with respect and compassion, particularly before the justice system when they are seeking justice. We need to make sure that we are doing a much better job than we are right now. That is why I look forward to parliamentarians having an opportunity to discuss ways in which we are going to be able to improve it, including with the member's bill as it goes to committee.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for her tireless advocacy on behalf of Canadians with disabilities.I would also like to thank the DisAbled Women's Network for its advocacy, for pointing out that the majority of people living with disabilities are women and that among women in Canada, women with disabilities live with the highest rates of violence, the lowest incomes, and the highest rates of unemployment. That is why I am very proud of the work done by the current and former ministers of Status of Women on gender-based violence, drawing upon the work of DAWN. I am also very proud of the accessibility legislation we are developing to make sure every Canadian with a disability is included in society.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her advocacy on behalf of women and girls in her communities and across Canada.Status of Women Canada is committed to empowering organizations across the country to empower women and girls in their communities, and to include men and boys. That is why last year we funded about 300 projects across the country to do that work. We will be introducing a gender-based violence strategy, the first federal strategy of its kind, to address the challenges that too many women and girls in our communities face.
Mr. Speaker, I want to reassure my colleague that what is most important for us is improving service to the air passenger. That is why we are working very hard to lower their costs, to give them more choices, more competition, to reduce the time it takes for them to go through security or through customs. We will even be giving them a bill of rights. That is what is motivating us when we talk about our airports and our airlines.
Mr. Speaker, again, our primary motivation is to give air passengers better choices. That is what motivates us most. We are working very hard to lower costs, give travellers more choices, and reduce the time it takes for them to go through security or customs. We want to acknowledge that passengers have rights. Improving passenger service is what motivates us when we talk about our airports and our airlines.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect the Prime Minister and the ministers to act with integrity.The Prime Minister continues to break his own rules, the rules on ethics and contact with lobbyists.Will the Prime Minister start leading this country with integrity and tell cabinet members and the people in his office to do the same?
Mr. Speaker, in terms of concrete measures, I am sure my colleague heard the fact that we made the decision last November to increase the international ownership in our airlines from 25% to 49% in order to increase competition. I also announced at that time a bill of rights or a rights regime to make sure that air travellers' rights would be taken into consideration. We are already beginning to see more competition. The prices are coming down. We are very glad that we are offering more service to our passengers. That is our intention and we are going to continue to do that.
Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased that Ms. MacInnis-Wynn was able to sit down with the justice minister and have a very constructive conversation on how we can improve our system of bail to do justice in this country. It is important that we keep our communities and families safe. It is important that we protect victims. It is important as well that we uphold the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. That is what we remain committed to and we are going to continue to work hard on that.
Mr. Speaker, over a year ago, the Minister of Status of Women received an application from Justice alternative du Suroît for support to a project that would enable three large regions of Quebec to develop safety nets for sexually exploited girls and young women. Out of 4,000 runaways at youth centres in Quebec, 76% are girls, and 30% of them have been sexually exploited or exposed to prostitution. The project could prevent hundreds of women from suffering sexual abuse.When will the minister sign it and give this project the green light?
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear that we follow the process. We do our due diligence. Under the Investment Canada Act, there are clear criteria to determine that any transaction has to be of an overall net economic benefit for us to proceed. We made that determination based on the facts. The facts are that this transaction will provide additional resources to Retirement Concepts so it can expand and provide better services to seniors, so it can expand and create more jobs. This is good for the health care sector. This is good for the economy. This is good for British Columbia.
Mr. Speaker, I did not hear him say that he will be supporting our motion that calls for pay equity immediately.As we all know, action is much more important than good intentions. My question is quite simple: can the Prime Minister tell us when he intends to present his plan to put an end to penalty-free amnesty deals and renegotiate tax treaties with countries that are known tax havens?
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to full pay equity.We know that there are many things that we need to do as a society to improve outcomes for women and girls in our society. That is why we have moved forward on many different measures that will put more money in the pockets of women and families, and by making sure that our most vulnerable seniors, two-thirds of whom are women, will be able to be helped with an increase to the GIS.We continue to work very hard to empower women and girls to succeed in all areas of success. We know we have much more work to do, and we will do that.
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased and grateful to have the opportunity to mention two other measures that we have implemented in recent months.We increased the guaranteed income supplement by up to $1,000 per senior per year. This will benefit 900,000 seniors in Canada and will lift 13,000 seniors out of poverty. We also transferred $200 million for seniors' housing in order to help a good many of them escape the appalling housing conditions in which they find themselves. These measures will make our society better.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Rivière-des-Mille-Îles for the opportunity to inform the House that the Prime Minister and I made a very important announcement this morning: we will invest $650 million over three years in sexual and reproductive health in developing countries and fragile states.This investment will support the sexuality education of girls and boys, family planning, access to contraceptives, access to legal abortion, and the defence of women's rights because women's rights are human rights.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate once again the opportunity to rise in this House and to remind Canadians exactly what this government has been doing. This government has been responding to the very real challenges that Canadians are facing, and we will continue to advance and do that work, including historic investments on infrastructure to help provinces, territories, and municipalities create the opportunities and growth that they would like to create; and working better with families with children through the Canada child benefit. When it comes to the member's question, the member knows very well that the Prime Minister will answer any questions that the commissioner has.
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to stand up on International Women's Day as the first woman elected in Ottawa Centre.Women across Canada are strongly supportive of climate action. They understand it is necessary to tackle climate change for their children and grandchildren, and also because it will mean good jobs for them in the future.We are committed to taking climate action. We will continue to move forward because it is the right thing to do, and I would encourage the party opposite to join us.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to rise in this House, especially on International Women's Day. I wish everyone the best on this day, especially our women entrepreneurs. This government has committed to making more opportunities for under-represented groups. We are working better with entrepreneurs, we are listening and engaging with small business owners, we are speaking to their customers so that we can create the opportunities they need. The solutions that our small businesses owners have are not only good for Canada, but they are amazing for export markets. We will continue to open up those markets so that we can encourage our small business owners to export, as well.
Mr. Speaker, I want to wish everyone a happy International Women's Day. I thank my colleague from Scarborough Centre for her question.On International Women's Day, we are reminded that gender equality benefits our society and our economy. We know that a barrier to gender equality is access to child care services. That is why we have introduced the Canada child benefit plan. That is why we are developing a framework for early learning and child care. That is why we are increasing funding for services like child minding, to ensure refugee women can settle and integrate into our communities.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday when asked a serious question about his ethical lapses, the Prime Minister said that he will, continue to demonstrate the kind of openness and transparency Canadians expect. Let us see if there is even an ounce of truth in that statement because I am going to ask a very direct, straightforward question for the Prime Minister. Let us see if he answers. Has the Prime Minister met with the Ethics Commissioner on the current investigation that she is conducting? If so, how many times?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and our government have shown leadership when it comes to the economy. We understand that every decision we make must focus on growth and jobs. We need to attract global investment if we are to succeed globally and if we are to create the opportunities for Canadians, for women in particular, and for the youth going forward. That is why we are open to investment. In regard to this transaction, we followed the process. We made sure the Retirement Concept deal that was put forward was done in a manner that was in the overall net economic benefit for British Columbians and for Canadians. It is good for the economy and it is good for jobs.
Mr. Speaker, 25 years ago I worked at the Sexual Assault Center of the McGill Students' Society and I know first-hand how devastating sexual assault can be. We need to do much more, even 25 years later, to make sure that we are fighting against it, that we are reducing it, and that we are creating a justice system and a system of policing that actually enable survivors of sexual assault to come forward and get justice. We still have much more work to do, but we are committed to doing that.
Mr. Speaker, on March 2, the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie said, Sexual and reproductive health and rights are human rights. All women have the right to choose whether and when they want to have children, and how many. Since today is the 40th International Women's Day, can the minister tell the House about the commitment the government made today to promote gender equality and advance an international feminist agenda?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to making sure our men and women have all the right benefits. I have directed the Chief of the Defence Staff to look into this matter. I would also like to correct the member in terms of the previous government's actions on this. It actually sent troops into Kuwait without the tax-free allowance, something we had taken up. There were rules that were placed in 2014 that resulted in some of the inequities that we see right now.That is the reason why we are looking into this matter, so we can solve this issue.
Mr. Speaker, I asked the Prime Minister a direct question and he refused to answer it. That kind of arrogant, condescending non-answer is what is giving the Liberals a lot of problems, from their carbon tax cover-up to misleading B.C. seniors, and a prime minister under multiple investigations. We know he is heading off today to have a private meeting with BlackRock executives. When is he going to start giving Canadians straightforward answers, or does he only meet with people who are lining his party's pockets?
Mr. Speaker, I recently introduced a bill on sexual assault law that will help restore confidence in the justice system. The bill seeks to provide training to future judges, among other things. It will also require written reasons to be provided in a greater number of decisions.Does the Prime Minister agree that we should all work together to expedite passage of this bill?
Mr. Speaker, research has revealed that when a woman or girl is raped in our country, her chances of being believed or being able to pursue justice are highly inadequate. I volunteered at a rape crisis centre and one of the most difficult decisions that a woman makes is whether or not to go to the police. We need to make that decision much easier. Will the Prime Minister commit to ensuring that RCMP front-line officers have the training they need to give these women and girls confidence to pursue justice?
Mr. Speaker, our men and women on the ground and in the air serving in Operation Impact are still in the dark when it comes to whether or not the Liberals plan to pay or cut their danger pay. The deadline is fast approaching, and 300 more members of the Canadian Armed Forces may have their pay completely cut by this minister.On multiple occasions, the previous Conservative ministers in this role reversed bureaucratic decisions that looked similar to this. Will the minister commit here and now to follow our example, and ensure that full pay is given to our brave men and women in uniform?
Mr. Speaker, February 11 was International Day for Women and Girls in Science when we celebrated scientists like Dr. Roberta Bondar, Dr. Victoria Kaspi, and Dr. Barbara Sherwood Lollar from my riding who was named Companion to the Order of Canada for her contributions to geochemistry.That day I attended an event with the Minister of Science, the Minister of Status of Women, the CEO of Actua, and women scientists who discussed the importance of getting young girls engaged in science, and how to keep women in STEM.Can the Minister of Science tell the House what our government is doing to encourage women to study science?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister claims to be a feminist, but on International Women's Day, he is content to merely re-announce old promises. If equality truly matters to the government, it should fund women's reproductive health. The best way is to ensure all women have access to birth control. Such access reduces unintended pregnancy, abortion, is cost saving, and a cornerstone to women's human rights.Will the government take a stand for women and support my motion to make birth control free for women in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, we know that the funding to help many Syrian refugees resettle runs out this month. We also know that fewer than half of them have found jobs.Does the government know how much the provinces will have to pay out in social assistance because the Liberals did not come up with a plan to help these refugees fully integrate into the Canadian economy?
Mr. Speaker, Canada is very aware of progress on the pay equity front and the work we are doing to help women succeed in the labour market. We know there is still a lot of work to do, and I congratulate all of the groups and organizations that continue to demand more measures. We will keep working hard to ensure that, in Canada, all women have the same opportunities as men.
Mr. Speaker, we take fiscal avoidance and tax dodging very seriously. This is why we put $444 million in last year's budget, so that the Canada Revenue Agency could go after tax frauds and tax cheats.We continue to understand that this is a priority for Canadians. It is a priority for us. Everyone needs to pay their fair share of taxes. That is exactly what we are ensuring happens.
Mr. Speaker, our approach has been very straightforward. Our approach is about the economy and about jobs. We care about our economy. We know that is the number one priority Canadians have expressed to us. Part of that challenge is making sure we attract investments to Canada. We believe in global investment. We believe in the opportunities it presents to our businesses. Any decision under the Investment Canada Act is taken very seriously. We do our due diligence. We do our homework. We make sure we follow the process. Under the Investment Canada Act, this transaction was in the overall net economic benefit. That is why we approved the project.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform the hon. member that federal infrastructure dollars can only be used for infrastructure projects. We have approved 127 projects for Alberta; 125 of those projects are in municipalities of all sizes, such as Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, Grand Prairie, and Lethbridge. All those projects are creating jobs and opportunities throughout the country, including in Alberta's communities.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister refuses to answer questions about his own ethical breaches. The innovation minister was forced to admit that he misled Canadians about the people to whom he is selling seniors care facilities.Canadians do not want to hear any lies or see such a total lack of transparency.When will the Prime Minister start acting like a leader and clean up his act?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to increasing the representation of women in STEM fields.In a competitive, globalized economy, Canada cannot afford to leave half its talent on the sidelines. I am delighted to launch a digital campaign to encourage young women to #ChooseScience.As a former scientist and as Minister of Science, I consider it part of my responsibility to encourage young women to enter careers in STEM. Science needs women. We need their voices. We need their insights.
Mr. Speaker, the Conseil des Montréalaises recently issued an opinion on homelessness among women. In Montreal and across Canada, homelessness among women is on the rise, but it remains hidden. This is something that affects indigenous and immigrant women more frequently, and homeless women are much more vulnerable to physical and sexual violence.The minister announced the creation of an advisory committee to overhaul the homelessness partnering strategy, or HPS. Will a gender-based analysis be done? Will the government invest the sums needed to prevent and eradicate this scourge?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister goes on and on about being a proud feminist. He even voted in favour of a motion stating that pay equity is a basic right. Unfortunately, the government wants Canadian women to wait yet another year. Canadian women have waited long enough for the respect they deserve. The working group on pay equity released its report 12 years ago.Why is the Prime Minister refusing to recognize that basic right by demanding pay equity now?
Mr. Speaker, today is a historic day in the House of Commons: 338 women took these seats, and who was available to them? The Prime Minister. The Prime Minister spoke to every single woman
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Liberals voted against releasing information regarding how much their carbon tax will cost Canadian households. As well, they have not included any information on what sectors will be exempted from the carbon tax. Can the minister tell the House who will be exempted, and will the government guarantee its national carbon tax will actually be revenue neutral?
Mr. Speaker, this year we are providing $900 million in settlement and resettlement funding to support refugee integration and settlement services, $664 million of that are for settlement services, and $76 million more outside of Quebec than in previous years.We are committed to supporting refugees as they arrive in Canada, and making sure we provide them with language programs, job supports, and other integration programming as we move forward. We take that commitment seriously, and we have the track record to prove that.
Mr. Speaker, our allies in Australia, Britain, the U.S., and Germany have all responded to the cries of their veterans regarding the severe impact that mefloquine is having on their lives. On Monday, Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire testified that he has experienced the devastating effects of this drug. When he was asked if more studies should be done, he interrupted and said, No, just get rid of it.When will the Liberal government listen to the heart-wrenching testimony of veterans like General Roméo Dallaire and get rid of this harmful drug?
Mr. Speaker, New Democrats know it is the federal government's job to eliminate gender inequality. Words are not enough. Women want concrete action, and we have waited far too long.Pay equity is a fundamental human right. Countries like Iceland not only made pay equity the law, but they are now demanding that corporations prove that they are not paying women less than men.Can the Prime Minister explain to the women of this country how much longer they will have to wait before you enact pay equity legislation?
Mr. Speaker, I first want to thank and congratulate my colleague on her continued efforts on the issue of homelessness, particularly among women. I know she is aware that, in the last budget, back in March 2016, we announced a $100-million investment to build shelters that serve victims of family violence.Given that she has advised us in the past, and again I thank her for that, she also knows that we are developing a national housing strategy that will have a significant impact on the living conditions of our Canadian families, especially those who are most vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, the international community has consistently praised Canada for its compassionate, responsible, and generous refugee program. We will take no lessons from the previous government on issues around refugees and immigrants.In fact, by lifting the Mexican visa requirement, we have gone a long way to rebuild, and strengthen our bilateral relationship with Mexico that was damaged considerably by the previous government.We addressed those associated with the Mexican visa lift. We worked closely with Mexican officials. Tourism has gone up and other economic benefits have gone up. We will continue to work to make sure the visa lift is a success.
Mr. Speaker, by not answering the question, the Liberals are just trying to hide the fact that the finance minister will put a big for sale sign on Canada's largest and most important airports. The Liberals' propensity for spending money they do not have is forcing them to have exclusive meetings with BlackRock to organize a shotgun sale of Canada's airports before the ink of the budget is even dry. Will the minister commit to maintaining Canadian ownership of these strategic economic assets, or are the Liberals just that desperate for money?
Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, the Liberals promised to run a modest deficit of only $10 billion. That was one promise they broke immediately. They also promised that they would not eliminate income splitting for seniors. We all know that the Liberals alway break the promises they make to Canadians. Will the Minister of Finance tell us today that he will not eliminate income splitting for seniors?
Mr. Speaker, I am very grateful for this opportunity to remind all members of this House of the important agenda that this government has followed in order to help vulnerable seniors, and all seniors in fact. We have decreased the age of eligibility for old age security from 67 years old to 65 years old, which means that 100,000 vulnerable seniors will not need to enter into severe poverty. We have also enhanced the Canada pension plan so that future generations of seniors will also be able to live decently and adequately.
Mr. Speaker, once again, no answer from the Prime Minister.Let us try this again. The Canadian government is missing out on $9 billion in lost tax revenue every single year. Imagine what the government could properly fund with that money. We heard from women this morning about their priorities, pharmacare, child care. These could be realities, and all because the richest would simply be forced to pay their fair share.I have two very clear questions for the Prime Minister. Will he vote in favour of the NDP motion on tax fairness? Will the Prime Minister end all penalty-free amnesty deals for tax evaders?
Mr. Speaker, I did not ask if the program was expensive and had out of control costs, I asked if it got results. What the minister has failed to say is how many of these refugees have actually found jobs. We have a huge influx of refugees coming across the American border right now. We will see an influx of refugees coming in with the government's decision to lift the Mexican visa requirement.My question is very simple. How much will the government pay in Canadian taxpayers' dollars to support its ill-fated refugee plan?
Mr. Speaker, I am surprised again why the Conservative Party, and particularly that member, is opposing global investment into Canada. We understand that we want investments into Canada to grow the economy, to create opportunities for Canadians, and to create jobs. This investment and this transaction was following the Investment Canada Act. We did our due diligence. We followed the process and we determined it was an overall net economic benefit. That is the decision we made, and that is why the British Columbia government and the health minister also provided the operating licences for these retirement care facilities, which are managed and operated by Canadians for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, one of the strongest commitments our government made was to launch an inquiry into the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, and we certainly have done that. We have set up an independent commission that is carrying out that process. However, we know we cannot wait for the commission's recommendations before we act on the real root causes of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in Canada. That is why we have invested $8.4 billion, historic investments, in women, in shelters, in housing, in children's education on first nations, and in indigenous communities.
Mr. Speaker, this evening, in honour of International Women's Day, the Prime Minister will be in Toronto attending a private dinner with members of the board of directors of BlackRock.BlackRock currently has $5 trillion in assets under management around the world and is interested in the Liberals' plan to privatize our public infrastructure. Can the Prime Minister stand up and explain to us why, of all the possible activities on this International Women's Day, he chose to spend the evening with members of the board of directors of an investment fund? Can he tell us what is on the agenda for this meeting?
Mr. Speaker, under the previous Conservative government, we introduced a low-tax plan for seniors that removed almost 400,000 of them from the tax rolls. As part of this plan, we increased the age amount tax credit by $2,000 for low- and fixed-income seniors.The Minister of Finance has indicated that everything is on the table to bring in more revenue for the government to waste. Will the Minister of Finance commit to not slash the age amount tax credit, and instead protect our seniors?
Mr. Speaker, it is clear the Liberals do not care if they break the rules. First the Prime Minister traded cash for access against the ethics rules. Then he broke the law when he boarded a private helicopter for a winter vacation. He is in trouble with the Ethics Commissioner, the Commissioner of Lobbying, and the Commissioner of Official Languages. His ministers are now taking their cue from him. Now we see the innovation minister misleading Canadians about Anbang Insurance. Will the Prime Minister start following the rules and call on his ministers to do the same?
Mr. Speaker, last week, a Halifax taxi driver was acquitted of sexual assault charges. The circumstances are disturbing, and incredibly, the judge ruled, Clearly, a drunk can consent. Countless legal experts have pointed out the mistakes in this judgment. I have introduced a very common sense bill to make sure that judges are not making basic errors or, even worse, painful comments that make victims think twice of ever pursuing justice.Will the Prime Minister support moving my bill to committee this week and help restore confidence in our justice system for victims of sexual assault?
Mr. Speaker, we take tax evasion and tax avoidance very seriously. That is why, in the last budget, we invested $444 million in the Canada Revenue Agency so that it could go after tax cheats and better combat tax evasion. That is what Canadians expect and that is exactly what we are going to do: continue working hard in order to achieve our objective.
Mr. Speaker, for months the Liberals have been quietly preparing to sell off Canada's airports and have refused to answer questions, but they have hired Credit Suisse to study the idea. Tonight, the Prime Minister is having an exclusive meeting with BlackRock, a meeting that media has been banned from attending.It is clear that these Liberals have spent the credit card to the limit and are now selling off the furniture. Will the transport minister admit that he is selling our airports and tell us to whom he is selling them?
Mr. Speaker, the DisAbled Women's Network notes the rates of sexual, physical, and verbal violence across Canada are at least three times higher for young women and girls living with disabilities, and violence prevention agencies are simply not given the proper resources. Women with disabilities have been completely forgotten. On this International Women's Day, will the government commit to taking leadership to address the enormous gaps in violence prevention policy and program delivery for this vulnerable population?
Mr. Speaker, seniors in my riding are writing and phoning my office every day. They simply want to know who is responsible for these facilities. If families and patients have complaints, they are lost in an accountability fog. Either the government does not know the answer, or it knows the answer and it is not willing to tell us. If he will not stand in the House and tell us who owns the homes, will he table the documents that were done with respect to that due diligence around the ownership of Anbang Insurance?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Innovation claims to have done a review of the sell-off of seniors care facilities in B.C., but is not capable of telling Canadians who owns Anbang Insurance. Not even Wall Street firms will do business with Anbang because of the murky ownership structure, dominated by the who's who of the Chinese Communist Party. In the minister's pandering to Beijing, Canadians deserve to know who is pulling the strings and deciding the fate of our seniors. The question is simple. Who owns Anbang Insurance?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect the government to work very hard for them. They are the ones that we work hard for every day.That is why we lowered taxes for the middle class and made historic investments in infrastructure. We are going to keep working for Canadians every day, and I encourage the member to work with us so that we can get more done together.
Mr. Speaker, every single minister and the Prime Minister work very hard for Canadians every single day. Every single member of Parliament, at least on this side of the House, work hard for their constituents every single day. I encourage every member to do the work he or she was elected to do. I know we can work better together. When it comes to the question the hon. members poses, she knows very well that the Prime Minister will answer any questions the commissioner has.
Mr. Speaker, today is International Women's Day, a day to recognize women's achievements and acknowledge the challenges we continue to face.As an immigrant, I know how difficult it can be for minority women to integrate fully into Canadian society. While men are the first to go to work and attend language training, women are often isolated, staying at home to care for children without the language skills to venture outside. Could the Minister of Status of Women tell us what the government is doing to help these isolated women fully join that Canadian family?
Mr. Speaker, families of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls feel they are being left in the dark when in fact they should be properly informed and involved in every step of the inquiry. Worse, northern families do not have access to proper information due to unreliable Internet and other crucial services. How will the Prime Minister ensure the commitments made to all indigenous families affected by these tragedies are involved and feel like true progress is being made?
Mr. Speaker, in addition to this being International Women's Day, it is also a deadline for the Minister of Health for comments on the federal framework on Lyme disease.This has been brought into play by the bill I submitted in the 41st Parliament, unanimously supported in the House and the Senate, and continues to be strongly supported by members on all sides of this House. Unfortunately, the draft framework is inadequate. It needs a serious overhaul.Could the Prime Minister assure us that the time, if it is necessary, will be taken to improve this framework?
Mr. Speaker, we take the health of our Canadian Armed Forces members extremely seriously. We make every effort to protect our members from disease through immunization and other preventive measures.At the request of the Chief of the Defence Staff, the Surgeon General is now looking into the use of mefloquine and will report back imminently. The military member's decision on malaria prevention is made with close consultation with their health care provider based on comprehensive medical screening and education.
Mr. Speaker, after discussing the deal at a cash for access fundraiser, the Prime Minister agreed to sell B.C. care facilities to a Chinese company with questionable ownership. Yesterday, a Chinese-language media asked if our concern was about state-owned enterprises, to which we responded that we did not know to whom he sold these homes. Is it Chinese billionaires? Is it the Chinese government. Is it simply a friend?Therefore, again, whatever the answer is, it is unacceptable that the Prime Minister is not sharing it with Canadians. Who owns their homes?
Mr. Speaker, Shelly Wynn is the widow of Constable David Wynn, who needlessly died because the justice system failed to protect him. His death was preventable. Shelly is in Ottawa today helping us fight to protect others. The Liberals have an opportunity to show Shelly that this will never happen again. We implore those on the other side to see the good that they will do if they vote for this bill.Will the Prime Minister close this loophole that will save lives and vote in support of Wynn's law today?
Mr. Speaker, the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association says the Alberta government is breaking its agreement to flow $300 million of building Canada funds to local municipal projects. Instead, it is going to pay down the Alberta NDP's out-of-control debt. The infrastructure minister keeps falsely repeating that this money is building infrastructure and creating jobs. Municipalities need infrastructure now.When will the minister tell the premier this is not a slush fund and when will he finally stand up for communities in Alberta?
Mr. Speaker, with this government, it seems that everything is for sale.We all know that women do not have equal rights in Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, Canada continues to export weapons to that country and to others, such as Libya, that have very questionable human rights records. Canada is now the second-largest exporter of arms to the Middle East.Does the Minister of Foreign Affairs believe that Canada should export military equipment to countries that violate women's rights? Are we now a nation of feminists
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her question.On June 17, 2016, this government tabled the Arms Trade Treaty in the House of Commons, something that the previous Conservative government failed to do. We are delivering on our commitment to Canadians to promote responsibility, transparency, and accountability. It is the right thing to do, and we will soon be making legislative changes.
Mr. Speaker, this government is extremely serious about cracking down on human trafficking while protecting women and girls from exploitation, from assault. These are things that we take very seriously. We will continue to work very hard to ensure that more women and girls are protected. We also are the party of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and we will always stand up to defend charter rights.
Mr. Speaker, here in Canada and around the world, human traffickers physically and sexually exploit women and girls. It is a brutal and disgusting crime that deserves to be punished harshly, but when the Liberals introduced their human trafficking law, they weakened the punishments that could be handed out to these criminals. They crafted Bill C-38 to deliberately get rid of back-to-back sentencing for those convicted of multiple crimes of human trafficking.Why is the Prime Minister unwilling to get tough on human traffickers and will he protect vulnerable women and girls by returning back-to-back sentencing to Canada's human trafficking laws?
Mr. Speaker, 2016 was a difficult year for our small business owners. Their hiring credit was axed, their payroll taxes were increased, and they did not get the tax cut the Liberals promised. Small businesses are being targeted by the Liberals for being too small and the Prime Minister accused small businesses of existing solely to avoid tax.Will the Prime Minister finally listen to our entrepreneurs and cut their taxes in the upcoming budget?
Mr. Speaker, all survivors of sexual assault must be treated with compassion and respect, particularly when they are seeking justice before the courts. It is very important to do everything we can to protect and encourage these women, and sometimes men, to seek justice for the violence they have suffered. I am therefore very happy that this bill will give us an opportunity to discuss this important issue.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for SaanichGulf Islands for her fantastic work on this very important topic, and indeed members from all parties who have been advocating on behalf of people who have been victims of Lyme disease.I look forward to continuing to work with the member on making sure that we have a strong framework which recognizes the federal role in this, and that includes building national surveillance and annual reporting. It includes making sure there is adequate research. It includes improving the guidelines for prevention and treatment of Lyme disease, and making sure that we raise awareness and education on how to prevent Lyme disease. I thank the member for her work.
Mr. Speaker, on International Women's Day, it is an honour to rise and be part of a government that speaks up for women's rights, and speaks up for women's sexual and reproductive rights. Access to birth control is of fundamental importance to the women and families of Canada, to be able to control their bodies, to be able to control their reproductive rights. We will make sure that medication in our country is affordable, accessible, and appropriately prescribed. That includes access to birth control.
Mr. Speaker, it is important that survivors of sexual assault be treated with respect and compassion, particularly before the justice system when they are seeking justice. We need to make sure that we are doing a much better job than we are right now. That is why I look forward to parliamentarians having an opportunity to discuss ways in which we are going to be able to improve it, including with the member's bill as it goes to committee.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for her tireless advocacy on behalf of Canadians with disabilities.I would also like to thank the DisAbled Women's Network for its advocacy, for pointing out that the majority of people living with disabilities are women and that among women in Canada, women with disabilities live with the highest rates of violence, the lowest incomes, and the highest rates of unemployment. That is why I am very proud of the work done by the current and former ministers of Status of Women on gender-based violence, drawing upon the work of DAWN. I am also very proud of the accessibility legislation we are developing to make sure every Canadian with a disability is included in society.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her advocacy on behalf of women and girls in her communities and across Canada.Status of Women Canada is committed to empowering organizations across the country to empower women and girls in their communities, and to include men and boys. That is why last year we funded about 300 projects across the country to do that work. We will be introducing a gender-based violence strategy, the first federal strategy of its kind, to address the challenges that too many women and girls in our communities face.
Mr. Speaker, I want to reassure my colleague that what is most important for us is improving service to the air passenger. That is why we are working very hard to lower their costs, to give them more choices, more competition, to reduce the time it takes for them to go through security or through customs. We will even be giving them a bill of rights. That is what is motivating us when we talk about our airports and our airlines.
Mr. Speaker, again, our primary motivation is to give air passengers better choices. That is what motivates us most. We are working very hard to lower costs, give travellers more choices, and reduce the time it takes for them to go through security or customs. We want to acknowledge that passengers have rights. Improving passenger service is what motivates us when we talk about our airports and our airlines.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect the Prime Minister and the ministers to act with integrity.The Prime Minister continues to break his own rules, the rules on ethics and contact with lobbyists.Will the Prime Minister start leading this country with integrity and tell cabinet members and the people in his office to do the same?
Mr. Speaker, in terms of concrete measures, I am sure my colleague heard the fact that we made the decision last November to increase the international ownership in our airlines from 25% to 49% in order to increase competition. I also announced at that time a bill of rights or a rights regime to make sure that air travellers' rights would be taken into consideration. We are already beginning to see more competition. The prices are coming down. We are very glad that we are offering more service to our passengers. That is our intention and we are going to continue to do that.
Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased that Ms. MacInnis-Wynn was able to sit down with the justice minister and have a very constructive conversation on how we can improve our system of bail to do justice in this country. It is important that we keep our communities and families safe. It is important that we protect victims. It is important as well that we uphold the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. That is what we remain committed to and we are going to continue to work hard on that.
Mr. Speaker, over a year ago, the Minister of Status of Women received an application from Justice alternative du Suroît for support to a project that would enable three large regions of Quebec to develop safety nets for sexually exploited girls and young women. Out of 4,000 runaways at youth centres in Quebec, 76% are girls, and 30% of them have been sexually exploited or exposed to prostitution. The project could prevent hundreds of women from suffering sexual abuse.When will the minister sign it and give this project the green light?
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear that we follow the process. We do our due diligence. Under the Investment Canada Act, there are clear criteria to determine that any transaction has to be of an overall net economic benefit for us to proceed. We made that determination based on the facts. The facts are that this transaction will provide additional resources to Retirement Concepts so it can expand and provide better services to seniors, so it can expand and create more jobs. This is good for the health care sector. This is good for the economy. This is good for British Columbia.
Mr. Speaker, I did not hear him say that he will be supporting our motion that calls for pay equity immediately.As we all know, action is much more important than good intentions. My question is quite simple: can the Prime Minister tell us when he intends to present his plan to put an end to penalty-free amnesty deals and renegotiate tax treaties with countries that are known tax havens?
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to full pay equity.We know that there are many things that we need to do as a society to improve outcomes for women and girls in our society. That is why we have moved forward on many different measures that will put more money in the pockets of women and families, and by making sure that our most vulnerable seniors, two-thirds of whom are women, will be able to be helped with an increase to the GIS.We continue to work very hard to empower women and girls to succeed in all areas of success. We know we have much more work to do, and we will do that.
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased and grateful to have the opportunity to mention two other measures that we have implemented in recent months.We increased the guaranteed income supplement by up to $1,000 per senior per year. This will benefit 900,000 seniors in Canada and will lift 13,000 seniors out of poverty. We also transferred $200 million for seniors' housing in order to help a good many of them escape the appalling housing conditions in which they find themselves. These measures will make our society better.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Rivière-des-Mille-Îles for the opportunity to inform the House that the Prime Minister and I made a very important announcement this morning: we will invest $650 million over three years in sexual and reproductive health in developing countries and fragile states.This investment will support the sexuality education of girls and boys, family planning, access to contraceptives, access to legal abortion, and the defence of women's rights because women's rights are human rights.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate once again the opportunity to rise in this House and to remind Canadians exactly what this government has been doing. This government has been responding to the very real challenges that Canadians are facing, and we will continue to advance and do that work, including historic investments on infrastructure to help provinces, territories, and municipalities create the opportunities and growth that they would like to create; and working better with families with children through the Canada child benefit. When it comes to the member's question, the member knows very well that the Prime Minister will answer any questions that the commissioner has.
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to stand up on International Women's Day as the first woman elected in Ottawa Centre.Women across Canada are strongly supportive of climate action. They understand it is necessary to tackle climate change for their children and grandchildren, and also because it will mean good jobs for them in the future.We are committed to taking climate action. We will continue to move forward because it is the right thing to do, and I would encourage the party opposite to join us.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to rise in this House, especially on International Women's Day. I wish everyone the best on this day, especially our women entrepreneurs. This government has committed to making more opportunities for under-represented groups. We are working better with entrepreneurs, we are listening and engaging with small business owners, we are speaking to their customers so that we can create the opportunities they need. The solutions that our small businesses owners have are not only good for Canada, but they are amazing for export markets. We will continue to open up those markets so that we can encourage our small business owners to export, as well.
Mr. Speaker, I want to wish everyone a happy International Women's Day. I thank my colleague from Scarborough Centre for her question.On International Women's Day, we are reminded that gender equality benefits our society and our economy. We know that a barrier to gender equality is access to child care services. That is why we have introduced the Canada child benefit plan. That is why we are developing a framework for early learning and child care. That is why we are increasing funding for services like child minding, to ensure refugee women can settle and integrate into our communities.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday when asked a serious question about his ethical lapses, the Prime Minister said that he will, continue to demonstrate the kind of openness and transparency Canadians expect. Let us see if there is even an ounce of truth in that statement because I am going to ask a very direct, straightforward question for the Prime Minister. Let us see if he answers. Has the Prime Minister met with the Ethics Commissioner on the current investigation that she is conducting? If so, how many times?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and our government have shown leadership when it comes to the economy. We understand that every decision we make must focus on growth and jobs. We need to attract global investment if we are to succeed globally and if we are to create the opportunities for Canadians, for women in particular, and for the youth going forward. That is why we are open to investment. In regard to this transaction, we followed the process. We made sure the Retirement Concept deal that was put forward was done in a manner that was in the overall net economic benefit for British Columbians and for Canadians. It is good for the economy and it is good for jobs.
Mr. Speaker, 25 years ago I worked at the Sexual Assault Center of the McGill Students' Society and I know first-hand how devastating sexual assault can be. We need to do much more, even 25 years later, to make sure that we are fighting against it, that we are reducing it, and that we are creating a justice system and a system of policing that actually enable survivors of sexual assault to come forward and get justice. We still have much more work to do, but we are committed to doing that.
Mr. Speaker, on March 2, the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie said, Sexual and reproductive health and rights are human rights. All women have the right to choose whether and when they want to have children, and how many. Since today is the 40th International Women's Day, can the minister tell the House about the commitment the government made today to promote gender equality and advance an international feminist agenda?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to making sure our men and women have all the right benefits. I have directed the Chief of the Defence Staff to look into this matter. I would also like to correct the member in terms of the previous government's actions on this. It actually sent troops into Kuwait without the tax-free allowance, something we had taken up. There were rules that were placed in 2014 that resulted in some of the inequities that we see right now.That is the reason why we are looking into this matter, so we can solve this issue.
Mr. Speaker, I asked the Prime Minister a direct question and he refused to answer it. That kind of arrogant, condescending non-answer is what is giving the Liberals a lot of problems, from their carbon tax cover-up to misleading B.C. seniors, and a prime minister under multiple investigations. We know he is heading off today to have a private meeting with BlackRock executives. When is he going to start giving Canadians straightforward answers, or does he only meet with people who are lining his party's pockets?
Mr. Speaker, I recently introduced a bill on sexual assault law that will help restore confidence in the justice system. The bill seeks to provide training to future judges, among other things. It will also require written reasons to be provided in a greater number of decisions.Does the Prime Minister agree that we should all work together to expedite passage of this bill?
Mr. Speaker, research has revealed that when a woman or girl is raped in our country, her chances of being believed or being able to pursue justice are highly inadequate. I volunteered at a rape crisis centre and one of the most difficult decisions that a woman makes is whether or not to go to the police. We need to make that decision much easier. Will the Prime Minister commit to ensuring that RCMP front-line officers have the training they need to give these women and girls confidence to pursue justice?
Mr. Speaker, our men and women on the ground and in the air serving in Operation Impact are still in the dark when it comes to whether or not the Liberals plan to pay or cut their danger pay. The deadline is fast approaching, and 300 more members of the Canadian Armed Forces may have their pay completely cut by this minister.On multiple occasions, the previous Conservative ministers in this role reversed bureaucratic decisions that looked similar to this. Will the minister commit here and now to follow our example, and ensure that full pay is given to our brave men and women in uniform?
Mr. Speaker, February 11 was International Day for Women and Girls in Science when we celebrated scientists like Dr. Roberta Bondar, Dr. Victoria Kaspi, and Dr. Barbara Sherwood Lollar from my riding who was named Companion to the Order of Canada for her contributions to geochemistry.That day I attended an event with the Minister of Science, the Minister of Status of Women, the CEO of Actua, and women scientists who discussed the importance of getting young girls engaged in science, and how to keep women in STEM.Can the Minister of Science tell the House what our government is doing to encourage women to study science?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister claims to be a feminist, but on International Women's Day, he is content to merely re-announce old promises. If equality truly matters to the government, it should fund women's reproductive health. The best way is to ensure all women have access to birth control. Such access reduces unintended pregnancy, abortion, is cost saving, and a cornerstone to women's human rights.Will the government take a stand for women and support my motion to make birth control free for women in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, we know that the funding to help many Syrian refugees resettle runs out this month. We also know that fewer than half of them have found jobs.Does the government know how much the provinces will have to pay out in social assistance because the Liberals did not come up with a plan to help these refugees fully integrate into the Canadian economy?
Mr. Speaker, Canada is very aware of progress on the pay equity front and the work we are doing to help women succeed in the labour market. We know there is still a lot of work to do, and I congratulate all of the groups and organizations that continue to demand more measures. We will keep working hard to ensure that, in Canada, all women have the same opportunities as men.
Mr. Speaker, we take fiscal avoidance and tax dodging very seriously. This is why we put $444 million in last year's budget, so that the Canada Revenue Agency could go after tax frauds and tax cheats.We continue to understand that this is a priority for Canadians. It is a priority for us. Everyone needs to pay their fair share of taxes. That is exactly what we are ensuring happens.
Mr. Speaker, our approach has been very straightforward. Our approach is about the economy and about jobs. We care about our economy. We know that is the number one priority Canadians have expressed to us. Part of that challenge is making sure we attract investments to Canada. We believe in global investment. We believe in the opportunities it presents to our businesses. Any decision under the Investment Canada Act is taken very seriously. We do our due diligence. We do our homework. We make sure we follow the process. Under the Investment Canada Act, this transaction was in the overall net economic benefit. That is why we approved the project.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform the hon. member that federal infrastructure dollars can only be used for infrastructure projects. We have approved 127 projects for Alberta; 125 of those projects are in municipalities of all sizes, such as Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, Grand Prairie, and Lethbridge. All those projects are creating jobs and opportunities throughout the country, including in Alberta's communities.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister refuses to answer questions about his own ethical breaches. The innovation minister was forced to admit that he misled Canadians about the people to whom he is selling seniors care facilities.Canadians do not want to hear any lies or see such a total lack of transparency.When will the Prime Minister start acting like a leader and clean up his act?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to increasing the representation of women in STEM fields.In a competitive, globalized economy, Canada cannot afford to leave half its talent on the sidelines. I am delighted to launch a digital campaign to encourage young women to #ChooseScience.As a former scientist and as Minister of Science, I consider it part of my responsibility to encourage young women to enter careers in STEM. Science needs women. We need their voices. We need their insights.
Mr. Speaker, the Conseil des Montréalaises recently issued an opinion on homelessness among women. In Montreal and across Canada, homelessness among women is on the rise, but it remains hidden. This is something that affects indigenous and immigrant women more frequently, and homeless women are much more vulnerable to physical and sexual violence.The minister announced the creation of an advisory committee to overhaul the homelessness partnering strategy, or HPS. Will a gender-based analysis be done? Will the government invest the sums needed to prevent and eradicate this scourge?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister goes on and on about being a proud feminist. He even voted in favour of a motion stating that pay equity is a basic right. Unfortunately, the government wants Canadian women to wait yet another year. Canadian women have waited long enough for the respect they deserve. The working group on pay equity released its report 12 years ago.Why is the Prime Minister refusing to recognize that basic right by demanding pay equity now?
Mr. Speaker, today is a historic day in the House of Commons: 338 women took these seats, and who was available to them? The Prime Minister. The Prime Minister spoke to every single woman
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Liberals voted against releasing information regarding how much their carbon tax will cost Canadian households. As well, they have not included any information on what sectors will be exempted from the carbon tax. Can the minister tell the House who will be exempted, and will the government guarantee its national carbon tax will actually be revenue neutral?
Mr. Speaker, this year we are providing $900 million in settlement and resettlement funding to support refugee integration and settlement services, $664 million of that are for settlement services, and $76 million more outside of Quebec than in previous years.We are committed to supporting refugees as they arrive in Canada, and making sure we provide them with language programs, job supports, and other integration programming as we move forward. We take that commitment seriously, and we have the track record to prove that.
Mr. Speaker, our allies in Australia, Britain, the U.S., and Germany have all responded to the cries of their veterans regarding the severe impact that mefloquine is having on their lives. On Monday, Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire testified that he has experienced the devastating effects of this drug. When he was asked if more studies should be done, he interrupted and said, No, just get rid of it.When will the Liberal government listen to the heart-wrenching testimony of veterans like General Roméo Dallaire and get rid of this harmful drug?
Mr. Speaker, New Democrats know it is the federal government's job to eliminate gender inequality. Words are not enough. Women want concrete action, and we have waited far too long.Pay equity is a fundamental human right. Countries like Iceland not only made pay equity the law, but they are now demanding that corporations prove that they are not paying women less than men.Can the Prime Minister explain to the women of this country how much longer they will have to wait before you enact pay equity legislation?
Mr. Speaker, I first want to thank and congratulate my colleague on her continued efforts on the issue of homelessness, particularly among women. I know she is aware that, in the last budget, back in March 2016, we announced a $100-million investment to build shelters that serve victims of family violence.Given that she has advised us in the past, and again I thank her for that, she also knows that we are developing a national housing strategy that will have a significant impact on the living conditions of our Canadian families, especially those who are most vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, the international community has consistently praised Canada for its compassionate, responsible, and generous refugee program. We will take no lessons from the previous government on issues around refugees and immigrants.In fact, by lifting the Mexican visa requirement, we have gone a long way to rebuild, and strengthen our bilateral relationship with Mexico that was damaged considerably by the previous government.We addressed those associated with the Mexican visa lift. We worked closely with Mexican officials. Tourism has gone up and other economic benefits have gone up. We will continue to work to make sure the visa lift is a success.
Mr. Speaker, by not answering the question, the Liberals are just trying to hide the fact that the finance minister will put a big for sale sign on Canada's largest and most important airports. The Liberals' propensity for spending money they do not have is forcing them to have exclusive meetings with BlackRock to organize a shotgun sale of Canada's airports before the ink of the budget is even dry. Will the minister commit to maintaining Canadian ownership of these strategic economic assets, or are the Liberals just that desperate for money?
Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, the Liberals promised to run a modest deficit of only $10 billion. That was one promise they broke immediately. They also promised that they would not eliminate income splitting for seniors. We all know that the Liberals alway break the promises they make to Canadians. Will the Minister of Finance tell us today that he will not eliminate income splitting for seniors?
Mr. Speaker, I am very grateful for this opportunity to remind all members of this House of the important agenda that this government has followed in order to help vulnerable seniors, and all seniors in fact. We have decreased the age of eligibility for old age security from 67 years old to 65 years old, which means that 100,000 vulnerable seniors will not need to enter into severe poverty. We have also enhanced the Canada pension plan so that future generations of seniors will also be able to live decently and adequately.
Mr. Speaker, once again, no answer from the Prime Minister.Let us try this again. The Canadian government is missing out on $9 billion in lost tax revenue every single year. Imagine what the government could properly fund with that money. We heard from women this morning about their priorities, pharmacare, child care. These could be realities, and all because the richest would simply be forced to pay their fair share.I have two very clear questions for the Prime Minister. Will he vote in favour of the NDP motion on tax fairness? Will the Prime Minister end all penalty-free amnesty deals for tax evaders?
Mr. Speaker, I did not ask if the program was expensive and had out of control costs, I asked if it got results. What the minister has failed to say is how many of these refugees have actually found jobs. We have a huge influx of refugees coming across the American border right now. We will see an influx of refugees coming in with the government's decision to lift the Mexican visa requirement.My question is very simple. How much will the government pay in Canadian taxpayers' dollars to support its ill-fated refugee plan?
Mr. Speaker, I am surprised again why the Conservative Party, and particularly that member, is opposing global investment into Canada. We understand that we want investments into Canada to grow the economy, to create opportunities for Canadians, and to create jobs. This investment and this transaction was following the Investment Canada Act. We did our due diligence. We followed the process and we determined it was an overall net economic benefit. That is the decision we made, and that is why the British Columbia government and the health minister also provided the operating licences for these retirement care facilities, which are managed and operated by Canadians for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, one of the strongest commitments our government made was to launch an inquiry into the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, and we certainly have done that. We have set up an independent commission that is carrying out that process. However, we know we cannot wait for the commission's recommendations before we act on the real root causes of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in Canada. That is why we have invested $8.4 billion, historic investments, in women, in shelters, in housing, in children's education on first nations, and in indigenous communities.
Mr. Speaker, this evening, in honour of International Women's Day, the Prime Minister will be in Toronto attending a private dinner with members of the board of directors of BlackRock.BlackRock currently has $5 trillion in assets under management around the world and is interested in the Liberals' plan to privatize our public infrastructure. Can the Prime Minister stand up and explain to us why, of all the possible activities on this International Women's Day, he chose to spend the evening with members of the board of directors of an investment fund? Can he tell us what is on the agenda for this meeting?
Mr. Speaker, under the previous Conservative government, we introduced a low-tax plan for seniors that removed almost 400,000 of them from the tax rolls. As part of this plan, we increased the age amount tax credit by $2,000 for low- and fixed-income seniors.The Minister of Finance has indicated that everything is on the table to bring in more revenue for the government to waste. Will the Minister of Finance commit to not slash the age amount tax credit, and instead protect our seniors?
Mr. Speaker, it is clear the Liberals do not care if they break the rules. First the Prime Minister traded cash for access against the ethics rules. Then he broke the law when he boarded a private helicopter for a winter vacation. He is in trouble with the Ethics Commissioner, the Commissioner of Lobbying, and the Commissioner of Official Languages. His ministers are now taking their cue from him. Now we see the innovation minister misleading Canadians about Anbang Insurance. Will the Prime Minister start following the rules and call on his ministers to do the same?
Mr. Speaker, last week, a Halifax taxi driver was acquitted of sexual assault charges. The circumstances are disturbing, and incredibly, the judge ruled, Clearly, a drunk can consent. Countless legal experts have pointed out the mistakes in this judgment. I have introduced a very common sense bill to make sure that judges are not making basic errors or, even worse, painful comments that make victims think twice of ever pursuing justice.Will the Prime Minister support moving my bill to committee this week and help restore confidence in our justice system for victims of sexual assault?
Mr. Speaker, we take tax evasion and tax avoidance very seriously. That is why, in the last budget, we invested $444 million in the Canada Revenue Agency so that it could go after tax cheats and better combat tax evasion. That is what Canadians expect and that is exactly what we are going to do: continue working hard in order to achieve our objective.
Mr. Speaker, for months the Liberals have been quietly preparing to sell off Canada's airports and have refused to answer questions, but they have hired Credit Suisse to study the idea. Tonight, the Prime Minister is having an exclusive meeting with BlackRock, a meeting that media has been banned from attending.It is clear that these Liberals have spent the credit card to the limit and are now selling off the furniture. Will the transport minister admit that he is selling our airports and tell us to whom he is selling them?
Mr. Speaker, the DisAbled Women's Network notes the rates of sexual, physical, and verbal violence across Canada are at least three times higher for young women and girls living with disabilities, and violence prevention agencies are simply not given the proper resources. Women with disabilities have been completely forgotten. On this International Women's Day, will the government commit to taking leadership to address the enormous gaps in violence prevention policy and program delivery for this vulnerable population?
Mr. Speaker, seniors in my riding are writing and phoning my office every day. They simply want to know who is responsible for these facilities. If families and patients have complaints, they are lost in an accountability fog. Either the government does not know the answer, or it knows the answer and it is not willing to tell us. If he will not stand in the House and tell us who owns the homes, will he table the documents that were done with respect to that due diligence around the ownership of Anbang Insurance?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Innovation claims to have done a review of the sell-off of seniors care facilities in B.C., but is not capable of telling Canadians who owns Anbang Insurance. Not even Wall Street firms will do business with Anbang because of the murky ownership structure, dominated by the who's who of the Chinese Communist Party. In the minister's pandering to Beijing, Canadians deserve to know who is pulling the strings and deciding the fate of our seniors. The question is simple. Who owns Anbang Insurance?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect the government to work very hard for them. They are the ones that we work hard for every day.That is why we lowered taxes for the middle class and made historic investments in infrastructure. We are going to keep working for Canadians every day, and I encourage the member to work with us so that we can get more done together.
Mr. Speaker, every single minister and the Prime Minister work very hard for Canadians every single day. Every single member of Parliament, at least on this side of the House, work hard for their constituents every single day. I encourage every member to do the work he or she was elected to do. I know we can work better together. When it comes to the question the hon. members poses, she knows very well that the Prime Minister will answer any questions the commissioner has.
Mr. Speaker, today is International Women's Day, a day to recognize women's achievements and acknowledge the challenges we continue to face.As an immigrant, I know how difficult it can be for minority women to integrate fully into Canadian society. While men are the first to go to work and attend language training, women are often isolated, staying at home to care for children without the language skills to venture outside. Could the Minister of Status of Women tell us what the government is doing to help these isolated women fully join that Canadian family?
Mr. Speaker, families of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls feel they are being left in the dark when in fact they should be properly informed and involved in every step of the inquiry. Worse, northern families do not have access to proper information due to unreliable Internet and other crucial services. How will the Prime Minister ensure the commitments made to all indigenous families affected by these tragedies are involved and feel like true progress is being made?
Mr. Speaker, in addition to this being International Women's Day, it is also a deadline for the Minister of Health for comments on the federal framework on Lyme disease.This has been brought into play by the bill I submitted in the 41st Parliament, unanimously supported in the House and the Senate, and continues to be strongly supported by members on all sides of this House. Unfortunately, the draft framework is inadequate. It needs a serious overhaul.Could the Prime Minister assure us that the time, if it is necessary, will be taken to improve this framework?
Mr. Speaker, we take the health of our Canadian Armed Forces members extremely seriously. We make every effort to protect our members from disease through immunization and other preventive measures.At the request of the Chief of the Defence Staff, the Surgeon General is now looking into the use of mefloquine and will report back imminently. The military member's decision on malaria prevention is made with close consultation with their health care provider based on comprehensive medical screening and education.
Mr. Speaker, after discussing the deal at a cash for access fundraiser, the Prime Minister agreed to sell B.C. care facilities to a Chinese company with questionable ownership. Yesterday, a Chinese-language media asked if our concern was about state-owned enterprises, to which we responded that we did not know to whom he sold these homes. Is it Chinese billionaires? Is it the Chinese government. Is it simply a friend?Therefore, again, whatever the answer is, it is unacceptable that the Prime Minister is not sharing it with Canadians. Who owns their homes?
Mr. Speaker, Shelly Wynn is the widow of Constable David Wynn, who needlessly died because the justice system failed to protect him. His death was preventable. Shelly is in Ottawa today helping us fight to protect others. The Liberals have an opportunity to show Shelly that this will never happen again. We implore those on the other side to see the good that they will do if they vote for this bill.Will the Prime Minister close this loophole that will save lives and vote in support of Wynn's law today?
Mr. Speaker, the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association says the Alberta government is breaking its agreement to flow $300 million of building Canada funds to local municipal projects. Instead, it is going to pay down the Alberta NDP's out-of-control debt. The infrastructure minister keeps falsely repeating that this money is building infrastructure and creating jobs. Municipalities need infrastructure now.When will the minister tell the premier this is not a slush fund and when will he finally stand up for communities in Alberta?
Mr. Speaker, with this government, it seems that everything is for sale.We all know that women do not have equal rights in Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, Canada continues to export weapons to that country and to others, such as Libya, that have very questionable human rights records. Canada is now the second-largest exporter of arms to the Middle East.Does the Minister of Foreign Affairs believe that Canada should export military equipment to countries that violate women's rights? Are we now a nation of feminists
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her question.On June 17, 2016, this government tabled the Arms Trade Treaty in the House of Commons, something that the previous Conservative government failed to do. We are delivering on our commitment to Canadians to promote responsibility, transparency, and accountability. It is the right thing to do, and we will soon be making legislative changes.
Mr. Speaker, this government is extremely serious about cracking down on human trafficking while protecting women and girls from exploitation, from assault. These are things that we take very seriously. We will continue to work very hard to ensure that more women and girls are protected. We also are the party of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and we will always stand up to defend charter rights.
Mr. Speaker, here in Canada and around the world, human traffickers physically and sexually exploit women and girls. It is a brutal and disgusting crime that deserves to be punished harshly, but when the Liberals introduced their human trafficking law, they weakened the punishments that could be handed out to these criminals. They crafted Bill C-38 to deliberately get rid of back-to-back sentencing for those convicted of multiple crimes of human trafficking.Why is the Prime Minister unwilling to get tough on human traffickers and will he protect vulnerable women and girls by returning back-to-back sentencing to Canada's human trafficking laws?
Mr. Speaker, 2016 was a difficult year for our small business owners. Their hiring credit was axed, their payroll taxes were increased, and they did not get the tax cut the Liberals promised. Small businesses are being targeted by the Liberals for being too small and the Prime Minister accused small businesses of existing solely to avoid tax.Will the Prime Minister finally listen to our entrepreneurs and cut their taxes in the upcoming budget?