Most toxic speeches
Look at that, Mr. Speaker. The Prime Minister is able to answer as many questions as he wants without unilaterally ramming changes through the House of Commons, which is exactly what he wants to do. He wants to rig the rules in his favour. He wants to cut off debate and silence his critics. He wants to shut this place down on Fridays. He wants less transparency and less accountability. He wants to diminish the voice of Canadians in this place. Now he only wants to show up in question period once a week.When will the Prime Minister stop acting so arrogantly and stop trying to make his life easier by reducing government accountability?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government continues to hide the number of charges and criminal records handed out for cannabis possession since the Liberals have come to power. Charges for serious crimes are being stayed or withdrawn because of a lack of resources, and yet the Prime Minister is fine with overloading the justice system with possession charges. This disproportionately affects young and racialized Canadians and there is quite a bit of hypocrisy to that.Does the Prime Minister think he would be where he is today if he had been caught when smoking marijuana?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's arrogance is killing me.In Canada, like in other places around the world, the Prime Minister has no problem giving taxpayers' money to his billionaire friends, while simultaneously eliminating the public transit tax credit. Yesterday we learned that the Aga Khan was financially compensated by the state during the leader of the Liberal Party's personal vacation. Once again, Canadian taxpayers are paying for his arrogance and poor judgment. When will the Prime Minister walk his talk and treat the middle class
Mr. Speaker, that is what we would call all hat, no horse.A government email confirms that the Iraqi government asked Canada to continue its bombing mission against ISIS on multiple occasions. Our Kurdish and Iraqi partners in the fight against ISIS describe our air strikes as effective and life-saving and as destroying the enemy.Our allies repeatedly asked Canada to keep our CF-18s in the fight, but the minister ignored them and told Canadians that our partners and allies were okay with the Liberals' decision. Canadians cannot trust the Minister of National Defence when he continues to mislead us. Will the Prime Minister make the Minister of National Defence apologize?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister should be ashamed of the decisions being made by his Minister of Public Services and Procurement. Thanks to the good work done by the member for Edmonton West, we now know that the public servants who worked on Phoenix, either directly or indirectly, received bonuses totalling $5 million and $14,000 per employee. How could the Prime Minister possibly want to grant bonuses? Did he not in fact want to set an example for Bombardier executives?
Mr. Speaker, we promised to legalize and control cannabis for two very specific reasons.First, we want to prevent our kids from having easy access to cannabis, as they do now. We know that it is easier for a young person to buy a joint than a bottle of beer. That is unacceptable. At the same time, we know that organized crime groups make billions of dollars trafficking marijuana, and that is exactly what we want to prevent.Decriminalizing cannabis will do nothing to protect our kids and nothing to counter organized crime, and I will continue to repeat that until
Mr. Speaker, earlier this week the government quietly tabled a response to an Order Paper question revealing that the $372-million Bombardier agreement has not been signed or finalized. It is not a done deal, so the Liberals have time to stop this outrageous taxpayer-funded bail-out of incompetent billionaire executives. The Liberals could, for example, reduce the amount they are handing Bombardier by the same amount Bombardier is paying its executives. Before the Liberals sign this deal and send the money, why will they not ban Bombardier billionaires from pocketing it?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals continue to hand out criminal records to Canadians, particularly young people and minority groups, for possession of marijuana. Every time we propose the decriminalization of marijuana as an interim measure, the Liberals say that we are against legalization, which is not true. We are against the fact that thousands of Canadians are being prosecuted in the meantime, since that affects the rest of their lives. Can the Prime Minister tell us how many people have been handed a criminal record since the last election?
Mr. Speaker, we know the Minister of National Defence misled Canadians when he said that our allies were okay with Canada pulling our fighter jets out of the fight against ISIS. We now know that this was deliberately misleading, and it was a betrayal of our nation's trust.My question to the Prime Minister is very straightforward. Did he instruct his Minister of National Defence to mislead Canadians in order to save face?
Mr. Speaker, like many of my colleagues, I was here on June 29, 2016, when former U.S. President Barack Obama was here, and we were promised that this would be resolved within weeks. Now we hear what the Prime Minister is saying in the House today. Why is no one capable of explaining to the Americans that they need to import 30% of their lumber and that 30% comes from Canada? It is not complicated. If they import less wood from Canada, the price of American wood will go up, Americans will build fewer houses, and there will be fewer jobs for carpenters, plumbers, and electricians. This is not rocket science. Why is the government incapable of explaining this to the Americans?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's Office stated publicly on November 26 that there was absolutely no pressure put on Canada to continue its bombing mission in Iraq. We now know that is not true. Emails from Canadian officials prove that our allies asked the Minister of National Defence, on numerous occasions, to keep our CF-18s in the fight. Did the Prime Minister deliberately mislead the public, or is he in the dark when it comes to Canada's defence and national security?
Mr. Speaker, we have all seen the images of yesterday's horrific chemical attack in northwestern Syria. For six years, this war has dragged on. Hundreds of thousands have been killed and millions displaced. An end to this war is needed. Help for the people of Syria must be made accessible. They are the innocent victims of this tragic conflict.The international community has a responsibility to help the most vulnerable. What is Canada doing to help the Syrian people?
Mr. Speaker, he may have stood up every time, but he did not answer a single question.Like all other MPs, I am answerable to my constituents, and not just those who voted for me. How can I explain to them that not one day goes by that the Liberals do not show contempt for Canadians and their MPs with their unilateral bid for absolute power here in Parliament?Can the Prime Minister acknowledge that those who speak on Canadians' behalf are not puppets?When will the Prime Minister get that the Liberals have no right to change our rules without our consent?
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member for Kitchener SouthHespeler on the hard work he is doing on his files.We are outraged by the reports of a chemical weapons attack against innocent civilians in Syria. The use of chemical weapons is a war crime. This is just the latest atrocity in a conflict that has been going on far too long. Our government is acting. We are providing $840 million worth of assistance for the region, and are increasing accountability by supporting evidence gathering of these war crimes. Furthermore, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is participating in the Brussels conference on the future of Syria to support lasting resolution to the war and address the needs of the vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are trying to ram through substantive changes to see them held less accountable to the people they serve: changes that will see Liberal MPs take Fridays off; changes that will see the Prime Minister show up to work here in question period just once a week; changes that will limit the ability of MPs to hold the government to account on behalf of Canadians.Canadians work hard and they expect nothing less from their MPs. They expect the Prime Minister to put in a full work week and they definitely expect the government to be held accountable for its actions.Why is the Prime Minister so afraid of being held accountable by Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, Canada is proud that we have stepped up in the fight against Daesh by contributing significantly to training on the ground, to supporting the Peshmerga, to demonstrate that there are many ways that Canada can have a positive impact in the fight against Daesh.We continue to stand strongly with our international allies, including in the Iraqi government, as we bring the fight to a positive conclusion alongside our allies.
Mr. Speaker, the world is watching with horror as the unimaginable unfolds in Syria. Last night the Prime Minister said: Canada strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons. The perpetrators of the horrific attack in Syria must be held accountable. We agree. Can the Prime Minister share with Canadians and with the House what specific actions Canada is planning to take to hold the perpetrators to account?
Mr. Speaker, here is a concrete suggestion. Stop trying to ram these unilateral changes down our throats. Shutting down Parliament on Fridays, reducing debate, having the Prime Minister only show up in the House once a week for 45 minutes does not serve the interests of Canadians. It serves the interests of the Prime Minister. Canadians did not elect us to make this a safe space for the Prime Minister. We are here to do our job and hold him accountable.When will the Prime Minister abandon his unilateral efforts to make his government less transparent and less accountable to Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, we are shocked and appalled by the reports of chemical weapons attacks against civilians in Syria. Many of the victims were children. It is critical that we hold those responsible to account for these war crimes. We are supporting evidence gathering to achieve that end. In addition, we will provide $840-million worth of lifesaving humanitarian and development assistance for the region to alleviate the suffering in this conflict.As we speak, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is at the Brussels conference on the future of Syria. These meetings will work toward finding a lasting political resolution to the Syrian war and to addressing the critical needs of the most vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, as a veteran, I would like to thank the Minister of National Defence for his service. That said, he is now the Minister of National Defence, and no longer a soldier.For the good of Canada, we should not allow the Minister of National Defence to distort the facts. To say that the Iraqis and the Kurds were pleased with the new mission in Iraq is completely false and to state that the Royal Canadian Air Force has a capability gap is completely false. In addition, the minister is further damaging the reputation of the Canadian Forces by postponing major procurement projects for 20 years.Can the Prime Minister ask the Minister of National Defence to show some backbone and tell Canadians the truth?
Mr. Speaker, the government wants to unilaterally change the rules that govern the House of Commons. At first, the Liberals pretended it was just a discussion paper and now they claim that this power grab is necessary to be rammed through here because, well, it was in their election platform. Can the Prime Minister explain then why he used the excuse of a lack of consensus to abandon his platform promise on democratic reform, but now he unilaterally wants to change the way our democracy works?
Mr. Speaker, today on the Hill there are hundreds of people helping to recognize World Autism Day. They are calling on the Prime Minister to provide less than $4 million a year to continue the good work of the Canadian Autism Partnership Project, money that was missing in the budget. That is almost equivalent to the bonus hike the CEO of Bombardier gave himself for one year. What kind of message does the Prime Minister think this sends to parents of kids with autism when the Prime Minister can find money for bonuses for executives from Bombardier but he cannot find money for families with autism?
Mr. Speaker, forcing a so-called discussion paper on the committee is a monologue, not a dialogue.This Prime Minister promised to put an end to the concentration of power that began with his father's tenure, but instead he is preparing to ram through changes that will benefit the Liberals.Does the Prime Minister understand the difference between making things better for Parliament and making things better for the Liberals?
Mr. Speaker, while the Prime Minister is sending taxpayers' money to Bombardier executives, he is taking money away from hard-working Canadians.New taxes on payroll, small businesses, public transit, taxis, beer, electricity, fuel, just name it and the Prime Minister will tax it. When will the Prime Minister realize that he was elected to manage Canadians' money properly and not to hand it out to his friends?
Mr. Speaker, today's question period was very noisy and emotional. You said that I was being rowdy. I do not profess to be the most circumspect or the quietest
Mr. Speaker, in just three weeks, our softwood lumber may be slapped with countervailing duties. I want the Prime Minister to give forestry industry workers some answers. Yesterday, we heard that the Americans were refusing to talk about it, probably because nobody ever really explained to them what the system is all about and how rigorous it is. That is from the Resolute Forest Products CEO. He added that he was appalled at the federal government's feeble attempts to stand up for Quebec's forestry system internationally.What will the Prime Minister do for the hundreds of thousands of families that depend on the forestry industry?
Mr. Speaker, it is quite a spectacle today. If only there were a Standing Order that could be concocted that would guarantee the quality of the Prime Minister's answers and not just the quantity of the Prime Minister's answers, we would actually get somewhere. Speaking of the Prime Minister, unlike hard-working Canadians, the Prime Minister took a lavish billionaire boondoggle vacation at taxpayer expense over the holidays. Now we know the taxpayers also paid to his billionaire friend the money to accommodate the Prime Minister's staff on this lavish holiday.When will the Prime Minister come down from his sandcastle in the sky and explain why the taxpayers are on the hook?
Mr. Speaker, I understand the question and concerns the members opposite have, but our focus on legalization and control of cannabis is on protecting our kids and on getting the money out of organized crime's pockets. We know that happens when we legalize and control and bring in a proper regime. The fact is decriminalization does nothing to protect our kids, nothing to remove the profits from the hands of criminals. Until such a moment as we have a legal framework that protects our kids and stops the criminals from profiting, it will remain illegal.
Mr. Speaker, access to information reform has been studied time and again. In fact, one could say in this case it has been studied literally to death. Despite two recent reports and calls for reform, the President of the Treasury Board announced he was not going to be keeping his promise to introduce new legislation this spring. Instead of explaining himself at committee, to which he earnestly promised reform, he is allowing the Liberal members to run interference. Why is he suddenly scared to come to the committee, and will he take this opportunity to explain himself to the House?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister took hundreds of millions of dollars from Canadian taxpayers and loaned that money to Bombardier. To show its gratitude, Bombardier cut 14,000 jobs while its senior executives gave themselves tens of millions of dollars in raises. This makes no sense at all, and is quite the departure from the spirit of the company's founder Joseph-Armand Bombardier, who was a great Canadian.Those people are filling their pockets while the current government is emptying Canadian taxpayers' pockets.Can the Prime Minister stand in his place and tell us whether he picked up his phone and called the CEO of Bombardier to tell him that what Bombardier is doing makes no sense?
Mr. Speaker, I hear members opposite have many suggestions on how we can improve the functioning of the House. I look forward to listening to that member and to all members of the House put forward their suggestions on improving the way we serve Canadians and our constituents at the same time. I am very pleased to encourage people to participate.
Mr. Speaker, since Bill C-38 in 2012, we have been labouring under a broken environmental assessment process. Today we have a landmark report from the expert panel on EA, headed by our former commissioner for the environment. It makes a bold recommendation: get rid of the NEB's Environmental Assessment Agency, have a single authority, give it quasi-judicial powers.For the Prime Minister, how quickly can we expect this great recommendation to be legislated?
Mr. Speaker, the company is actually cutting jobs, 14,000 of them, while the Liberals hand over millions to billionaire executives, but it is not too late to stop it. We learned today that the deal is not signed and the government still has time to impose new conditions. Why will the Liberals not tell Bombardier that either it cancels its bonuses and its pay hikes until taxpayers get repaid or it will not get the money at all?
Mr. Speaker, the question I think we can all agree on in this place isand I hear the energy, enthusiasm, and passion of the member oppositewhat will that change look like? How do we change this place so it becomes better able to serve? That is why I look forward very much to hearing the suggestions and contributions from the members opposite on how we can better serve Canadians. That is what Canadians
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her intervention.Indeed, we are all concerned about the cost of living for all Canadians. That is why we did something about it. We lowered taxes for the middle class and increased them for the wealthiest 1%. We implemented the Canada child benefit, which gives more money to nine out of ten Canadian families every month and as a result lifts hundreds of thousands of young people out of poverty and reduces child poverty by 40%. We agree with the hon. members across the way that a lot of work still needs to be done, but we are here to keep working for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, nearly 100 years ago, Canadians from all across the country, including many Quebeckers, fought non only in our country's four divisions of soldiers, but also, for the first time, as part of a united Canadian force at Vimy Ridge. This historic moment not only marked a great victory for Canada and allied forces but also showed that our emerging nation was ready to take its place on the international scene.How is the Government of Canada going to mark the 100th anniversary of this seminal event for our country?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the Prime Minister that Bombardier came looking for money for its C Series. It did not ask for anything for the Global 7000 but, coincidentally, the government accommodates people from Toronto. If it is as good as that, why will the Prime Minister not let Bombardier and his minister appear before the parliamentary committee? Given the situation, that is what we want. We, the Conservatives, are inviting the big boss of Bombardier to appear before the parliamentary committee and explain himself.Does the Prime Minister agree?
Mr. Speaker, like all Canadians I applaud the Minister of National Defence for his extraordinary service to this country and respect the extraordinary work that he has done as Minister of National Defence. Our allies were rightly interested in how Canada was going to continue to participate in the coalition against Daesh, how we were going to continue to demonstrate that Canada is a valuable partner that contributes in the war against Daesh, and that is exactly what we did.We demonstrated that we knew that Canadians could help on the ground through training and support for the peshmerga as they advanced toward Mosul, and that is exactly what our allies have most appreciated about us over the past year and a half.
Mr. Speaker, the new appointments process is the perfect Liberal misdirection. Another one of Ms. Stebbing's qualifications for appointment to the Hamilton Port Authority is that she is also the Liberal Party's golden horseshoe regional president. While the Minister of Transport waxes eloquent on openness and transparency, being a Liberal donor or failed candidate are the qualifications that win the day.Will the Prime Minister direct the minister to go back to the job posting that is still on Transport Canada's website and nominate someone who is actually qualified for the position?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister continues to double down on the alternative facts. The defence minister said that there were no qualms about pulling our jets out of the fight against ISIS, yet emails from Global Affairs say there were. The minister said there is a capability gap, but the commander of the air force said there is not. The defence minister also claimed Conservatives sent our troops to fight ISIS without tax relief, yet a document with the defence minister's signature on it says the exact opposite. Canadians need a strong, principled, and trustworthy leader, not another patsy to the Prime Minister. How can anyone trust the Prime Minister and the defence minister? Will they apologize?
Mr. Speaker, we have been working with the U.S. government on resolving this issue from the very beginning of our mandate. We know that thousands of jobs and communities across the country depend on forestry. It is our duty to keep working very hard to protect those jobs and create more opportunities in Canada's forestry industry. We know that Americans do not want their housing and construction costs to go up. Canada is a major supplier of softwood lumber for American consumers.We will keep working with the U.S. government to resolve this frustrating dispute.
Mr. Speaker, obviously the member has very strong ideas about how to improve this place, how to make it better, how to make sure we are being accountable and serving Canadians in the right way. I encourage the member to bring forward those concrete suggestions so we can work together to make sure the House serves Canadians better to the level they expect.I am happy we are having this conversation, and I look forward to continuing it in committee and in various places where we can demonstrate our commitment collectively to serve Canadians with everything we have.
Mr. Speaker, this government is very proud of what it is doing to give our armed forces the equipment and support needed to carry out the mandate entrusted to them by Canadians and this government.We know that Canada cannot do everything, but we will carry out our responsibilities properly with the help of all possible assets. For that reason we chose a mission that supports and trains the Kurds, a mission that has a significant impact in the fight against Daesh.
Mr. Speaker, on our commitment to continue as a valuable member of the coalition against Daesh, we were very clear in the election campaign that we would look for ways that better suited Canada's capacities. That is what we told our allies and explained to them throughout those months as we were determining how best Canada could help.I can assure this House and all Canadians that our allies were very pleased with the level of contribution Canadians offered over the past months, a year and a half, to the fight against Daesh.
Mr. Speaker, as vice chair of the committee, I am pleased to answer the question and teach the Prime Minister to do something he has not learned in 18 months, which is to give a straight answer. The committee did indeed table its report last year. In light of a recent announcement by the President of the Treasury Board that the government did not intend to implement its promised reforms anytime soon, some committee members moved a motion calling on the President of the Treasury Board to explain himself at committee. For those who do not know, our committee has a Liberal majority. When it came to a vote, the motion was defeated.
Mr. Speaker, I am not the quietest member, but I believe this is a case of mistaken identity.
Mr. Speaker, I am always happy to hear suggestions from the members opposite; even when they are yelled out, their suggestions are acceptable. I want to work with the members in order to improve the situation.
Mr. Speaker, after the way the Prime Minister treated electoral reform, his treatment of parliamentary democracy has about as much credibility as a Pepsi commercial.I know that the Prime Minister is looking forward to having this discussion. He wants to hear passionate speeches and get our suggestions, but the problem is the process. All it would take to launch the discussion that he so badly wants is to assure us that the changes will not be made unilaterally.I will give the Prime Minister another chance to give us those assurances today, right now. Will he promise not to make any changes unilaterally, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, Brian Mulroney, who is pushing for the government to put an end to our supply management system, is going to advise the Liberal cabinet on the renegotiation of NAFTA. When it comes to international trade and the protection of our supply management system, the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party are really just one and the same.At least the compensation provided for by the Conservatives to producers and processors would have been more substantial once the Canada-Europe free trade agreement took effect.Can the Liberal Party and the Prime Minister confirm to us today that they will grant tariff quotas to Canadian processors?
Mr. Speaker, in response to an earlier question on autism from the Leader of the Opposition, the Prime Minister talked of his government highlighting the work that we continue to do. The trouble is, his government is doing the exact opposite.In 2015, our government funded a world-class Canadian autism partnership working group. The Liberal budget just rejected the request for funding to allow that critical work to continue. Could the Prime Minister please explain how his government can find nearly $400 million for a company that says it does not need it, and not find $4 million a year to help Canadian families living with autism who desperately need it?
Mr. Speaker, as I said, I am happy to draw suggestions from all sides of the House. The proposal around prime minister's questions was actually made by the member from Halton Hills a number of years ago. It is the kind of thing we are happy to discuss and look at. I think it means we should have a discussion about how to improve the ways we serve Canadians. Bringing forward positive discussions on improving the way the House works is entirely responsible and entirely in keeping with what Canadians expect. I look forward to hearing many more concrete proposals from all benches in the House of Commons.
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness takes this very seriously, as does the Prime Minister. The thoughts of all Canadians are with the residents of Manitoba affected by the flooding, as well as with the first responders and others working hard on the ground to keep people safe. We are ensuring that affected first nations community members are safe, secure, and out of the path of flood waters. For several months now, the government operations centre has been monitoring flood risks and preparing for the spring melt in collaboration with federal and provincial partners. Should we receive a request for assistance from the province, our government stands ready to help.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are indefinitely postponing the reforms they had promised to access to information, despite the very comprehensive report released by the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada in 2015 and the report by the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in 2016. We would like the President of the Treasury Board to explain this sudden flip-flop to parliamentarians. Can the vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics tell the House what business the committee will be working on next?
Mr. Speaker, once again flooding has hit Manitoba. There are many evacuees and most are from first nations, including Peguis First Nation, the largest in Manitoba. This is not the first time that this is happening, and every time it happens, first nations are hit the hardest.The Prime Minister likes to talk about first nations, but what people in crisis on the ground need is immediate action. Will his government work with Peguis and other first nations to provide the long-term flood mitigation that they need now?
Mr. Speaker, recent reports forecast that Hamilton steel producer, Stelco, which is currently under bankruptcy protection, will soon have close to $300 million in the bank. Meanwhile, after the company cut workers' health benefits, pensioners have to apply to a temporary fund for emergency prescriptions or health needs on a first-come, first-served basis.How can we explain to the 20,000 Stelco retirees that the government allows Canadian companies to bank $300 million while they strip much needed and earned health benefits? When will the government step in and help these retirees?
Mr. Speaker, we recognize the challenges that so many people in the Hamilton area and indeed across the country in the steel industry are facing. That is why we are so determined to work with our partners and allies and industry partners here in Canada to strengthen the steel industry.The issue of steel is one that has come up many times in our engagement with the United States. I can tell the member that we are working in a constructive, productive way to promote and defend our North American steel industry, to highlight the important role that the Canadian steel industry has in markets around the world, and to ensure that we are making the best possible secure future for our citizens and
Mr. Speaker, I encourage the member opposite to continue contributing suggestions on how we can improve the working atmosphere in the House, how we can better deliver for Canadians. We are happy that we have launched a conversation about how we can modernize this place, how we can improve the service we offer, both to Canadians and to our constituents. I look forward to engaging with all members in the House on improvements that can be made to this place as we move forward.
Mr. Speaker, first of all, as we have said repeatedly, it is unacceptable that anyone should have to work without adequate, reliable pay. That is why we are working so hard on the Phoenix system in question; we want to fix this problem that we inherited. The fact is that we will continue to work with public services and with everyone involved to fix this problem, which, I agree, has been dragging on too long.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his passion and enthusiasm for this issue.Naturally, what happens in the House matters very much to us all, but the important thing is to ensure that we are serving Canadians well. As I have always said, diversity helps make this country strong. That is why I am very happy to hear the suggestions and contributions coming from members across the aisle. I want to ensure that they can participate fully in this conversation about how we are going to improve this workplace to better serve people in the House and across the country.
Mr. Speaker, with regard to the tax credit for public transit, that measure was introduced to promote the use of public transit. That is what the minister said when she introduced the measure to Canadians.Sadly, according to the numbers, the measure had no impact on the use of public transit. That is why we decided instead to invest billions of dollars more in new public transit projects, including the Réseau électrique métropolitain in Montreal and the Service rapide par bus in Quebec City. Similar projects exist across the country, and we are pleased to invest in them to help the middle class and those working hard to join it.
Mr. Speaker, I am always pleased to highlight for the House the investments that Canada is making in our aerospace industry because we know that this will lead to good jobs today and in the future, stimulate innovation, and enable us to capture a larger share of the global market. It will help us demonstrate that Canada makes good-quality merchandise and goods and provides services throughout the world.We know that investments are needed to achieve this success and we are proud of what we are doing to create opportunities for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Prime Minister for taking so many questions today. I would also like to point out, again, that he managed to do this without changing a single rule. No need to unilaterally use the power to ram through the changes. He was able to do it within existing rules.Will he now commit in this place that he will continue that spirit of co-operation? Will he agree that he will not use his unilateral majority to change the rules in this place and change how democracy works? Will he do that now, today?
Mr. Speaker, the Battle of Vimy Ridge allowed Canada to take its place as a country on solid footing when the four Canadian divisions fought together for the first time to secure a stunning if costly victory.Canada will mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge with commemorative ceremonies in France, at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, and in major centres across the country.I hope that my colleagues will join me at these solemn commemorative ceremonies.Wherever we may be, this is the time for all of us to remember, recognize, and honour the brave men and women who have gone before us.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his extraordinary advocacy on this file for a very long time. It is one that touches us all, and we all know we do need to work together to do more on it.On the issue of funding for Bombardier, we made sure that we are investing in the kinds of things that will lead to good jobs
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her concern about the quality of our appointments.We are very much focused on the quality and diversity of the appointments we make. We know that the people we appoint into positions of authority should reflect the entire diversity of the country and have a range of experiences and qualifications.That is exactly what we have been doing and why we are so proud that we have had more female appointments than male. We have had extraordinary diversity. We have had tremendous indigenous appointments across the country. We have renewed the appointments process and allowed Canadians from all backgrounds to apply.
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to be held accountable by Canadians and by people in the House every single day. That goes with the responsibilities I have and we all have collectively in the House. Drawing on
Mr. Speaker, I recognize the passion the member opposite has for this issue and recognize all members in the House who have stood up strongly in talking about autism and celebrating the advancements that have been made and indeed highlighting the work that we continue to do. On Bombardier, I do need to point out that this was a loan that we were happy to make to invest in specific projects that are going to create good jobs for Canadians, that are going to secure the long-term future of the aerospace industry in this country, which leads to economic growth, innovation, and benefits for communities and the middle-class workers who live in them right across the country.
Mr. Speaker, I totally agree with the hon. member. He makes a very good point. We need to do more to explain to the Americans just how important free trade between Canada and the U.S. is for jobs and for consumers on both sides of the border.We will continue with our work and remain united in our desire to resolve this issue. That is why we are so determined and are working so hard to protect Canadian jobs and create economic growth in communities across the country.
Mr. Speaker, in recent days, residents of southern and central Manitoba have been impacted by rising water levels and flooding, which has resulted in local states of emergency, road closures, and evacuations in several first nations communities. Our hearts go out to the evacuees in their time of need and to others in the communities dealing with encroaching flood waters. I know all members join me in expressing our concern, as well as our appreciation for first responders. Can the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness tell us how the government is supporting Manitobans as this year's flood season begins?
Mr. Speaker, in our election platform, we put forward billions of dollars toward green infrastructure, which includes flood mitigation, which is so important. We are working indeed with first nations to ensure that they are safe and taken care of through this particular crisis. Our commitment to renewal and to reconciliation means that we will be working with indigenous communities right across the country to build a long-term, stable, protected future with them as full partners determining how best to do that. That is what the spirit of reconciliation means. That is what this government
Mr. Speaker, we recognize that Canadians chose a different approach when they elected us as government. We choose to make decisions based on how Canada can best help in the world. We make decisions based on facts, based on evidence, and based on the best way to move forward. That is the approach we have always taken and will always take, particularly in regard to the brave men and women serving in the Canadian Forces.
Mr. Speaker, one of the commitments we made and are keeping from our election campaign is to renew and modernize the appointments process, to allow Canadians to apply from all different backgrounds and all different walks of life and diversity, and to have appointments across the country that better reflect the full diversity of backgrounds, views and perspectives of Canadians on a merit-based system.That is exactly what we have done, particularly necessary after too long of successive governments choosing favouritism over objective qualities. That is what we have done, and are continuing to do.
Mr. Speaker, this government was elected on a pledge of openness and transparency, and we are keeping that pledge. We are demonstrating a level of accountability that is going far beyond what any previous government did. We continue to look forward to ways to improve and increase the level of transparency and accountability of this government.I welcome the hard work done by the committee. I look forward to continuing to work with all members in the House to improve the way government and indeed Parliament functions in a collaborative, respectful way.
Mr. Speaker, we are pleased that we have brought forward proposals to help modernize Parliament, and I look forward to start discussing the various options in committee. I want to hear what our friends in the other parties are going to suggest. I am really looking forward to working with them to ensure that Parliament better serves Canadians across the country and that we better serve our constituents as well.I believe that everyone knows that we can always do better, and that is exactly what I hope to do, together with the members of Parliament.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, we believe in the strong future for the aerospace industry in this country, and are happy to make investments that will lead to good jobs, growth and opportunities not just right now but for decades to come. The kinds of investments we are making in innovation, in the growth of the C Series and the Global 7000, will ensure the kind of opportunity and prosperity that Canadians have long been looking for. This is why we are making the right kinds of investments in our future and why we will continue to make investments, like lending Bombardier significant amounts, to be able to create opportunities to grow and succeed and continue our economic
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her long-time leadership on environmental issues. We are also very interested in this report that has come forward. We know there is a lot more work to do to improve environmental assessment in this country. Without public trust we cannot build the kind of infrastructure projects or the future for our communities that we need. We need to make sure we are demonstrating that we understand that protecting the environment goes hand in hand with building a strong economic future for Canadians, and this report goes right to how we can perhaps do that and do even better. I thank the member for her leadership on this matter.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to personally answer this question.The fact is that I accept any suggestions and opportunities the member has. As he puts forward suggestions and opportunities that we can have to improve the tone of this House to make sure that we are working in better ways
Mr. Speaker, as I have said a number of times, this was a personal family vacation. I am more than happy to continue to engage with the Ethics Commissioner and her office on any questions related to this travel.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians made a choice in the last election. They chose a party that was committed to modernizing Parliament.I am very pleased to suggest various ways in which hon. members may contribute to the process and to developing our approach to modernization. People expect us to work together in a respectful manner, as we are today, to determine the best way to improve the House of Commons. It is perfectly reasonable to want to work with hon. members and I hope that we can work together.
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to say that, as a government, we are open to working together, across party lines, to properly represent Canada and build this relationship.I want to point out the work that we are doing with all of the different parties in the House to properly position ourselves with regard to the new American administration. Many premiers from various provinces and political parties are diligently working with us to present a united front to the United States. It is important that we listen to each other and work together because this goes beyond partisanship
Mr. Speaker, we have an extraordinary minister who is working on Canada's first-ever accessibility act, which will focus on ensuring that all Canadians of differing abilities and challenges are able to succeed and move forward in an inclusive country that gives everyone a real and fair chance to succeed.
Mr. Speaker, let us see if the Prime Minister can try answering this question.The minister's website states that the requirements for a successful nominee include extensive experience related to...the operation of a port or to maritime trade. Ms. Stebbing's own law firm's website states that she specializes in estate planning, administration and accounting. She focuses on ensuring her clients wishes are respected after they pass away.Could the Prime Minister explain to the House what in Jennifer Stebbing's resume met the requirements of extensive experience in maritime trade?
Mr. Speaker, the investments we are making in the future of our aerospace industry will lead to good jobs across the country and to economic growth and innovation. The loan we made to Bombardier that is focused on two specific products, the C Series airplane and the Global 7000, demonstrates that we believe in the strong future for the aerospace industry in this country, and why we are going to continue to make investments that will lead to good jobs and opportunities for innovation and growth right across the country in high-value industries, like the aerospace industry.
Mr. Speaker, I agree with my hon. colleague in that we are very proud of Bombardier and of what it has accomplished in the aerospace industry over the years, the good jobs it has created, and the innovation and economic leadership it has shown across the country.That is why we were happy to invest in two specific programs by providing a loan to Bombardier that will translate into the long-term viability of these projects and create job opportunities in the aerospace industry across the country.
Look at that, Mr. Speaker. The Prime Minister is able to answer as many questions as he wants without unilaterally ramming changes through the House of Commons, which is exactly what he wants to do. He wants to rig the rules in his favour. He wants to cut off debate and silence his critics. He wants to shut this place down on Fridays. He wants less transparency and less accountability. He wants to diminish the voice of Canadians in this place. Now he only wants to show up in question period once a week.When will the Prime Minister stop acting so arrogantly and stop trying to make his life easier by reducing government accountability?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government continues to hide the number of charges and criminal records handed out for cannabis possession since the Liberals have come to power. Charges for serious crimes are being stayed or withdrawn because of a lack of resources, and yet the Prime Minister is fine with overloading the justice system with possession charges. This disproportionately affects young and racialized Canadians and there is quite a bit of hypocrisy to that.Does the Prime Minister think he would be where he is today if he had been caught when smoking marijuana?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's arrogance is killing me.In Canada, like in other places around the world, the Prime Minister has no problem giving taxpayers' money to his billionaire friends, while simultaneously eliminating the public transit tax credit. Yesterday we learned that the Aga Khan was financially compensated by the state during the leader of the Liberal Party's personal vacation. Once again, Canadian taxpayers are paying for his arrogance and poor judgment. When will the Prime Minister walk his talk and treat the middle class
Mr. Speaker, that is what we would call all hat, no horse.A government email confirms that the Iraqi government asked Canada to continue its bombing mission against ISIS on multiple occasions. Our Kurdish and Iraqi partners in the fight against ISIS describe our air strikes as effective and life-saving and as destroying the enemy.Our allies repeatedly asked Canada to keep our CF-18s in the fight, but the minister ignored them and told Canadians that our partners and allies were okay with the Liberals' decision. Canadians cannot trust the Minister of National Defence when he continues to mislead us. Will the Prime Minister make the Minister of National Defence apologize?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister should be ashamed of the decisions being made by his Minister of Public Services and Procurement. Thanks to the good work done by the member for Edmonton West, we now know that the public servants who worked on Phoenix, either directly or indirectly, received bonuses totalling $5 million and $14,000 per employee. How could the Prime Minister possibly want to grant bonuses? Did he not in fact want to set an example for Bombardier executives?
Mr. Speaker, we promised to legalize and control cannabis for two very specific reasons.First, we want to prevent our kids from having easy access to cannabis, as they do now. We know that it is easier for a young person to buy a joint than a bottle of beer. That is unacceptable. At the same time, we know that organized crime groups make billions of dollars trafficking marijuana, and that is exactly what we want to prevent.Decriminalizing cannabis will do nothing to protect our kids and nothing to counter organized crime, and I will continue to repeat that until
Mr. Speaker, earlier this week the government quietly tabled a response to an Order Paper question revealing that the $372-million Bombardier agreement has not been signed or finalized. It is not a done deal, so the Liberals have time to stop this outrageous taxpayer-funded bail-out of incompetent billionaire executives. The Liberals could, for example, reduce the amount they are handing Bombardier by the same amount Bombardier is paying its executives. Before the Liberals sign this deal and send the money, why will they not ban Bombardier billionaires from pocketing it?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals continue to hand out criminal records to Canadians, particularly young people and minority groups, for possession of marijuana. Every time we propose the decriminalization of marijuana as an interim measure, the Liberals say that we are against legalization, which is not true. We are against the fact that thousands of Canadians are being prosecuted in the meantime, since that affects the rest of their lives. Can the Prime Minister tell us how many people have been handed a criminal record since the last election?
Mr. Speaker, we know the Minister of National Defence misled Canadians when he said that our allies were okay with Canada pulling our fighter jets out of the fight against ISIS. We now know that this was deliberately misleading, and it was a betrayal of our nation's trust.My question to the Prime Minister is very straightforward. Did he instruct his Minister of National Defence to mislead Canadians in order to save face?
Mr. Speaker, like many of my colleagues, I was here on June 29, 2016, when former U.S. President Barack Obama was here, and we were promised that this would be resolved within weeks. Now we hear what the Prime Minister is saying in the House today. Why is no one capable of explaining to the Americans that they need to import 30% of their lumber and that 30% comes from Canada? It is not complicated. If they import less wood from Canada, the price of American wood will go up, Americans will build fewer houses, and there will be fewer jobs for carpenters, plumbers, and electricians. This is not rocket science. Why is the government incapable of explaining this to the Americans?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's Office stated publicly on November 26 that there was absolutely no pressure put on Canada to continue its bombing mission in Iraq. We now know that is not true. Emails from Canadian officials prove that our allies asked the Minister of National Defence, on numerous occasions, to keep our CF-18s in the fight. Did the Prime Minister deliberately mislead the public, or is he in the dark when it comes to Canada's defence and national security?
Mr. Speaker, we have all seen the images of yesterday's horrific chemical attack in northwestern Syria. For six years, this war has dragged on. Hundreds of thousands have been killed and millions displaced. An end to this war is needed. Help for the people of Syria must be made accessible. They are the innocent victims of this tragic conflict.The international community has a responsibility to help the most vulnerable. What is Canada doing to help the Syrian people?
Mr. Speaker, he may have stood up every time, but he did not answer a single question.Like all other MPs, I am answerable to my constituents, and not just those who voted for me. How can I explain to them that not one day goes by that the Liberals do not show contempt for Canadians and their MPs with their unilateral bid for absolute power here in Parliament?Can the Prime Minister acknowledge that those who speak on Canadians' behalf are not puppets?When will the Prime Minister get that the Liberals have no right to change our rules without our consent?
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member for Kitchener SouthHespeler on the hard work he is doing on his files.We are outraged by the reports of a chemical weapons attack against innocent civilians in Syria. The use of chemical weapons is a war crime. This is just the latest atrocity in a conflict that has been going on far too long. Our government is acting. We are providing $840 million worth of assistance for the region, and are increasing accountability by supporting evidence gathering of these war crimes. Furthermore, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is participating in the Brussels conference on the future of Syria to support lasting resolution to the war and address the needs of the vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are trying to ram through substantive changes to see them held less accountable to the people they serve: changes that will see Liberal MPs take Fridays off; changes that will see the Prime Minister show up to work here in question period just once a week; changes that will limit the ability of MPs to hold the government to account on behalf of Canadians.Canadians work hard and they expect nothing less from their MPs. They expect the Prime Minister to put in a full work week and they definitely expect the government to be held accountable for its actions.Why is the Prime Minister so afraid of being held accountable by Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, Canada is proud that we have stepped up in the fight against Daesh by contributing significantly to training on the ground, to supporting the Peshmerga, to demonstrate that there are many ways that Canada can have a positive impact in the fight against Daesh.We continue to stand strongly with our international allies, including in the Iraqi government, as we bring the fight to a positive conclusion alongside our allies.
Mr. Speaker, the world is watching with horror as the unimaginable unfolds in Syria. Last night the Prime Minister said: Canada strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons. The perpetrators of the horrific attack in Syria must be held accountable. We agree. Can the Prime Minister share with Canadians and with the House what specific actions Canada is planning to take to hold the perpetrators to account?
Mr. Speaker, here is a concrete suggestion. Stop trying to ram these unilateral changes down our throats. Shutting down Parliament on Fridays, reducing debate, having the Prime Minister only show up in the House once a week for 45 minutes does not serve the interests of Canadians. It serves the interests of the Prime Minister. Canadians did not elect us to make this a safe space for the Prime Minister. We are here to do our job and hold him accountable.When will the Prime Minister abandon his unilateral efforts to make his government less transparent and less accountable to Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, we are shocked and appalled by the reports of chemical weapons attacks against civilians in Syria. Many of the victims were children. It is critical that we hold those responsible to account for these war crimes. We are supporting evidence gathering to achieve that end. In addition, we will provide $840-million worth of lifesaving humanitarian and development assistance for the region to alleviate the suffering in this conflict.As we speak, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is at the Brussels conference on the future of Syria. These meetings will work toward finding a lasting political resolution to the Syrian war and to addressing the critical needs of the most vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, as a veteran, I would like to thank the Minister of National Defence for his service. That said, he is now the Minister of National Defence, and no longer a soldier.For the good of Canada, we should not allow the Minister of National Defence to distort the facts. To say that the Iraqis and the Kurds were pleased with the new mission in Iraq is completely false and to state that the Royal Canadian Air Force has a capability gap is completely false. In addition, the minister is further damaging the reputation of the Canadian Forces by postponing major procurement projects for 20 years.Can the Prime Minister ask the Minister of National Defence to show some backbone and tell Canadians the truth?
Mr. Speaker, the government wants to unilaterally change the rules that govern the House of Commons. At first, the Liberals pretended it was just a discussion paper and now they claim that this power grab is necessary to be rammed through here because, well, it was in their election platform. Can the Prime Minister explain then why he used the excuse of a lack of consensus to abandon his platform promise on democratic reform, but now he unilaterally wants to change the way our democracy works?
Mr. Speaker, today on the Hill there are hundreds of people helping to recognize World Autism Day. They are calling on the Prime Minister to provide less than $4 million a year to continue the good work of the Canadian Autism Partnership Project, money that was missing in the budget. That is almost equivalent to the bonus hike the CEO of Bombardier gave himself for one year. What kind of message does the Prime Minister think this sends to parents of kids with autism when the Prime Minister can find money for bonuses for executives from Bombardier but he cannot find money for families with autism?
Mr. Speaker, forcing a so-called discussion paper on the committee is a monologue, not a dialogue.This Prime Minister promised to put an end to the concentration of power that began with his father's tenure, but instead he is preparing to ram through changes that will benefit the Liberals.Does the Prime Minister understand the difference between making things better for Parliament and making things better for the Liberals?
Mr. Speaker, while the Prime Minister is sending taxpayers' money to Bombardier executives, he is taking money away from hard-working Canadians.New taxes on payroll, small businesses, public transit, taxis, beer, electricity, fuel, just name it and the Prime Minister will tax it. When will the Prime Minister realize that he was elected to manage Canadians' money properly and not to hand it out to his friends?
Mr. Speaker, today's question period was very noisy and emotional. You said that I was being rowdy. I do not profess to be the most circumspect or the quietest
Mr. Speaker, in just three weeks, our softwood lumber may be slapped with countervailing duties. I want the Prime Minister to give forestry industry workers some answers. Yesterday, we heard that the Americans were refusing to talk about it, probably because nobody ever really explained to them what the system is all about and how rigorous it is. That is from the Resolute Forest Products CEO. He added that he was appalled at the federal government's feeble attempts to stand up for Quebec's forestry system internationally.What will the Prime Minister do for the hundreds of thousands of families that depend on the forestry industry?
Mr. Speaker, it is quite a spectacle today. If only there were a Standing Order that could be concocted that would guarantee the quality of the Prime Minister's answers and not just the quantity of the Prime Minister's answers, we would actually get somewhere. Speaking of the Prime Minister, unlike hard-working Canadians, the Prime Minister took a lavish billionaire boondoggle vacation at taxpayer expense over the holidays. Now we know the taxpayers also paid to his billionaire friend the money to accommodate the Prime Minister's staff on this lavish holiday.When will the Prime Minister come down from his sandcastle in the sky and explain why the taxpayers are on the hook?
Mr. Speaker, I understand the question and concerns the members opposite have, but our focus on legalization and control of cannabis is on protecting our kids and on getting the money out of organized crime's pockets. We know that happens when we legalize and control and bring in a proper regime. The fact is decriminalization does nothing to protect our kids, nothing to remove the profits from the hands of criminals. Until such a moment as we have a legal framework that protects our kids and stops the criminals from profiting, it will remain illegal.
Mr. Speaker, access to information reform has been studied time and again. In fact, one could say in this case it has been studied literally to death. Despite two recent reports and calls for reform, the President of the Treasury Board announced he was not going to be keeping his promise to introduce new legislation this spring. Instead of explaining himself at committee, to which he earnestly promised reform, he is allowing the Liberal members to run interference. Why is he suddenly scared to come to the committee, and will he take this opportunity to explain himself to the House?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister took hundreds of millions of dollars from Canadian taxpayers and loaned that money to Bombardier. To show its gratitude, Bombardier cut 14,000 jobs while its senior executives gave themselves tens of millions of dollars in raises. This makes no sense at all, and is quite the departure from the spirit of the company's founder Joseph-Armand Bombardier, who was a great Canadian.Those people are filling their pockets while the current government is emptying Canadian taxpayers' pockets.Can the Prime Minister stand in his place and tell us whether he picked up his phone and called the CEO of Bombardier to tell him that what Bombardier is doing makes no sense?
Mr. Speaker, I hear members opposite have many suggestions on how we can improve the functioning of the House. I look forward to listening to that member and to all members of the House put forward their suggestions on improving the way we serve Canadians and our constituents at the same time. I am very pleased to encourage people to participate.
Mr. Speaker, since Bill C-38 in 2012, we have been labouring under a broken environmental assessment process. Today we have a landmark report from the expert panel on EA, headed by our former commissioner for the environment. It makes a bold recommendation: get rid of the NEB's Environmental Assessment Agency, have a single authority, give it quasi-judicial powers.For the Prime Minister, how quickly can we expect this great recommendation to be legislated?
Mr. Speaker, the company is actually cutting jobs, 14,000 of them, while the Liberals hand over millions to billionaire executives, but it is not too late to stop it. We learned today that the deal is not signed and the government still has time to impose new conditions. Why will the Liberals not tell Bombardier that either it cancels its bonuses and its pay hikes until taxpayers get repaid or it will not get the money at all?
Mr. Speaker, the question I think we can all agree on in this place isand I hear the energy, enthusiasm, and passion of the member oppositewhat will that change look like? How do we change this place so it becomes better able to serve? That is why I look forward very much to hearing the suggestions and contributions from the members opposite on how we can better serve Canadians. That is what Canadians
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her intervention.Indeed, we are all concerned about the cost of living for all Canadians. That is why we did something about it. We lowered taxes for the middle class and increased them for the wealthiest 1%. We implemented the Canada child benefit, which gives more money to nine out of ten Canadian families every month and as a result lifts hundreds of thousands of young people out of poverty and reduces child poverty by 40%. We agree with the hon. members across the way that a lot of work still needs to be done, but we are here to keep working for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, nearly 100 years ago, Canadians from all across the country, including many Quebeckers, fought non only in our country's four divisions of soldiers, but also, for the first time, as part of a united Canadian force at Vimy Ridge. This historic moment not only marked a great victory for Canada and allied forces but also showed that our emerging nation was ready to take its place on the international scene.How is the Government of Canada going to mark the 100th anniversary of this seminal event for our country?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the Prime Minister that Bombardier came looking for money for its C Series. It did not ask for anything for the Global 7000 but, coincidentally, the government accommodates people from Toronto. If it is as good as that, why will the Prime Minister not let Bombardier and his minister appear before the parliamentary committee? Given the situation, that is what we want. We, the Conservatives, are inviting the big boss of Bombardier to appear before the parliamentary committee and explain himself.Does the Prime Minister agree?
Mr. Speaker, like all Canadians I applaud the Minister of National Defence for his extraordinary service to this country and respect the extraordinary work that he has done as Minister of National Defence. Our allies were rightly interested in how Canada was going to continue to participate in the coalition against Daesh, how we were going to continue to demonstrate that Canada is a valuable partner that contributes in the war against Daesh, and that is exactly what we did.We demonstrated that we knew that Canadians could help on the ground through training and support for the peshmerga as they advanced toward Mosul, and that is exactly what our allies have most appreciated about us over the past year and a half.
Mr. Speaker, the new appointments process is the perfect Liberal misdirection. Another one of Ms. Stebbing's qualifications for appointment to the Hamilton Port Authority is that she is also the Liberal Party's golden horseshoe regional president. While the Minister of Transport waxes eloquent on openness and transparency, being a Liberal donor or failed candidate are the qualifications that win the day.Will the Prime Minister direct the minister to go back to the job posting that is still on Transport Canada's website and nominate someone who is actually qualified for the position?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister continues to double down on the alternative facts. The defence minister said that there were no qualms about pulling our jets out of the fight against ISIS, yet emails from Global Affairs say there were. The minister said there is a capability gap, but the commander of the air force said there is not. The defence minister also claimed Conservatives sent our troops to fight ISIS without tax relief, yet a document with the defence minister's signature on it says the exact opposite. Canadians need a strong, principled, and trustworthy leader, not another patsy to the Prime Minister. How can anyone trust the Prime Minister and the defence minister? Will they apologize?
Mr. Speaker, we have been working with the U.S. government on resolving this issue from the very beginning of our mandate. We know that thousands of jobs and communities across the country depend on forestry. It is our duty to keep working very hard to protect those jobs and create more opportunities in Canada's forestry industry. We know that Americans do not want their housing and construction costs to go up. Canada is a major supplier of softwood lumber for American consumers.We will keep working with the U.S. government to resolve this frustrating dispute.
Mr. Speaker, obviously the member has very strong ideas about how to improve this place, how to make it better, how to make sure we are being accountable and serving Canadians in the right way. I encourage the member to bring forward those concrete suggestions so we can work together to make sure the House serves Canadians better to the level they expect.I am happy we are having this conversation, and I look forward to continuing it in committee and in various places where we can demonstrate our commitment collectively to serve Canadians with everything we have.
Mr. Speaker, this government is very proud of what it is doing to give our armed forces the equipment and support needed to carry out the mandate entrusted to them by Canadians and this government.We know that Canada cannot do everything, but we will carry out our responsibilities properly with the help of all possible assets. For that reason we chose a mission that supports and trains the Kurds, a mission that has a significant impact in the fight against Daesh.
Mr. Speaker, on our commitment to continue as a valuable member of the coalition against Daesh, we were very clear in the election campaign that we would look for ways that better suited Canada's capacities. That is what we told our allies and explained to them throughout those months as we were determining how best Canada could help.I can assure this House and all Canadians that our allies were very pleased with the level of contribution Canadians offered over the past months, a year and a half, to the fight against Daesh.
Mr. Speaker, as vice chair of the committee, I am pleased to answer the question and teach the Prime Minister to do something he has not learned in 18 months, which is to give a straight answer. The committee did indeed table its report last year. In light of a recent announcement by the President of the Treasury Board that the government did not intend to implement its promised reforms anytime soon, some committee members moved a motion calling on the President of the Treasury Board to explain himself at committee. For those who do not know, our committee has a Liberal majority. When it came to a vote, the motion was defeated.
Mr. Speaker, I am not the quietest member, but I believe this is a case of mistaken identity.
Mr. Speaker, I am always happy to hear suggestions from the members opposite; even when they are yelled out, their suggestions are acceptable. I want to work with the members in order to improve the situation.
Mr. Speaker, after the way the Prime Minister treated electoral reform, his treatment of parliamentary democracy has about as much credibility as a Pepsi commercial.I know that the Prime Minister is looking forward to having this discussion. He wants to hear passionate speeches and get our suggestions, but the problem is the process. All it would take to launch the discussion that he so badly wants is to assure us that the changes will not be made unilaterally.I will give the Prime Minister another chance to give us those assurances today, right now. Will he promise not to make any changes unilaterally, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, Brian Mulroney, who is pushing for the government to put an end to our supply management system, is going to advise the Liberal cabinet on the renegotiation of NAFTA. When it comes to international trade and the protection of our supply management system, the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party are really just one and the same.At least the compensation provided for by the Conservatives to producers and processors would have been more substantial once the Canada-Europe free trade agreement took effect.Can the Liberal Party and the Prime Minister confirm to us today that they will grant tariff quotas to Canadian processors?
Mr. Speaker, in response to an earlier question on autism from the Leader of the Opposition, the Prime Minister talked of his government highlighting the work that we continue to do. The trouble is, his government is doing the exact opposite.In 2015, our government funded a world-class Canadian autism partnership working group. The Liberal budget just rejected the request for funding to allow that critical work to continue. Could the Prime Minister please explain how his government can find nearly $400 million for a company that says it does not need it, and not find $4 million a year to help Canadian families living with autism who desperately need it?
Mr. Speaker, as I said, I am happy to draw suggestions from all sides of the House. The proposal around prime minister's questions was actually made by the member from Halton Hills a number of years ago. It is the kind of thing we are happy to discuss and look at. I think it means we should have a discussion about how to improve the ways we serve Canadians. Bringing forward positive discussions on improving the way the House works is entirely responsible and entirely in keeping with what Canadians expect. I look forward to hearing many more concrete proposals from all benches in the House of Commons.
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness takes this very seriously, as does the Prime Minister. The thoughts of all Canadians are with the residents of Manitoba affected by the flooding, as well as with the first responders and others working hard on the ground to keep people safe. We are ensuring that affected first nations community members are safe, secure, and out of the path of flood waters. For several months now, the government operations centre has been monitoring flood risks and preparing for the spring melt in collaboration with federal and provincial partners. Should we receive a request for assistance from the province, our government stands ready to help.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are indefinitely postponing the reforms they had promised to access to information, despite the very comprehensive report released by the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada in 2015 and the report by the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in 2016. We would like the President of the Treasury Board to explain this sudden flip-flop to parliamentarians. Can the vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics tell the House what business the committee will be working on next?
Mr. Speaker, once again flooding has hit Manitoba. There are many evacuees and most are from first nations, including Peguis First Nation, the largest in Manitoba. This is not the first time that this is happening, and every time it happens, first nations are hit the hardest.The Prime Minister likes to talk about first nations, but what people in crisis on the ground need is immediate action. Will his government work with Peguis and other first nations to provide the long-term flood mitigation that they need now?
Mr. Speaker, recent reports forecast that Hamilton steel producer, Stelco, which is currently under bankruptcy protection, will soon have close to $300 million in the bank. Meanwhile, after the company cut workers' health benefits, pensioners have to apply to a temporary fund for emergency prescriptions or health needs on a first-come, first-served basis.How can we explain to the 20,000 Stelco retirees that the government allows Canadian companies to bank $300 million while they strip much needed and earned health benefits? When will the government step in and help these retirees?
Mr. Speaker, we recognize the challenges that so many people in the Hamilton area and indeed across the country in the steel industry are facing. That is why we are so determined to work with our partners and allies and industry partners here in Canada to strengthen the steel industry.The issue of steel is one that has come up many times in our engagement with the United States. I can tell the member that we are working in a constructive, productive way to promote and defend our North American steel industry, to highlight the important role that the Canadian steel industry has in markets around the world, and to ensure that we are making the best possible secure future for our citizens and
Mr. Speaker, I encourage the member opposite to continue contributing suggestions on how we can improve the working atmosphere in the House, how we can better deliver for Canadians. We are happy that we have launched a conversation about how we can modernize this place, how we can improve the service we offer, both to Canadians and to our constituents. I look forward to engaging with all members in the House on improvements that can be made to this place as we move forward.
Mr. Speaker, first of all, as we have said repeatedly, it is unacceptable that anyone should have to work without adequate, reliable pay. That is why we are working so hard on the Phoenix system in question; we want to fix this problem that we inherited. The fact is that we will continue to work with public services and with everyone involved to fix this problem, which, I agree, has been dragging on too long.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his passion and enthusiasm for this issue.Naturally, what happens in the House matters very much to us all, but the important thing is to ensure that we are serving Canadians well. As I have always said, diversity helps make this country strong. That is why I am very happy to hear the suggestions and contributions coming from members across the aisle. I want to ensure that they can participate fully in this conversation about how we are going to improve this workplace to better serve people in the House and across the country.
Mr. Speaker, with regard to the tax credit for public transit, that measure was introduced to promote the use of public transit. That is what the minister said when she introduced the measure to Canadians.Sadly, according to the numbers, the measure had no impact on the use of public transit. That is why we decided instead to invest billions of dollars more in new public transit projects, including the Réseau électrique métropolitain in Montreal and the Service rapide par bus in Quebec City. Similar projects exist across the country, and we are pleased to invest in them to help the middle class and those working hard to join it.
Mr. Speaker, I am always pleased to highlight for the House the investments that Canada is making in our aerospace industry because we know that this will lead to good jobs today and in the future, stimulate innovation, and enable us to capture a larger share of the global market. It will help us demonstrate that Canada makes good-quality merchandise and goods and provides services throughout the world.We know that investments are needed to achieve this success and we are proud of what we are doing to create opportunities for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Prime Minister for taking so many questions today. I would also like to point out, again, that he managed to do this without changing a single rule. No need to unilaterally use the power to ram through the changes. He was able to do it within existing rules.Will he now commit in this place that he will continue that spirit of co-operation? Will he agree that he will not use his unilateral majority to change the rules in this place and change how democracy works? Will he do that now, today?
Mr. Speaker, the Battle of Vimy Ridge allowed Canada to take its place as a country on solid footing when the four Canadian divisions fought together for the first time to secure a stunning if costly victory.Canada will mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge with commemorative ceremonies in France, at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, and in major centres across the country.I hope that my colleagues will join me at these solemn commemorative ceremonies.Wherever we may be, this is the time for all of us to remember, recognize, and honour the brave men and women who have gone before us.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his extraordinary advocacy on this file for a very long time. It is one that touches us all, and we all know we do need to work together to do more on it.On the issue of funding for Bombardier, we made sure that we are investing in the kinds of things that will lead to good jobs
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her concern about the quality of our appointments.We are very much focused on the quality and diversity of the appointments we make. We know that the people we appoint into positions of authority should reflect the entire diversity of the country and have a range of experiences and qualifications.That is exactly what we have been doing and why we are so proud that we have had more female appointments than male. We have had extraordinary diversity. We have had tremendous indigenous appointments across the country. We have renewed the appointments process and allowed Canadians from all backgrounds to apply.
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to be held accountable by Canadians and by people in the House every single day. That goes with the responsibilities I have and we all have collectively in the House. Drawing on
Mr. Speaker, I recognize the passion the member opposite has for this issue and recognize all members in the House who have stood up strongly in talking about autism and celebrating the advancements that have been made and indeed highlighting the work that we continue to do. On Bombardier, I do need to point out that this was a loan that we were happy to make to invest in specific projects that are going to create good jobs for Canadians, that are going to secure the long-term future of the aerospace industry in this country, which leads to economic growth, innovation, and benefits for communities and the middle-class workers who live in them right across the country.
Mr. Speaker, I totally agree with the hon. member. He makes a very good point. We need to do more to explain to the Americans just how important free trade between Canada and the U.S. is for jobs and for consumers on both sides of the border.We will continue with our work and remain united in our desire to resolve this issue. That is why we are so determined and are working so hard to protect Canadian jobs and create economic growth in communities across the country.
Mr. Speaker, in recent days, residents of southern and central Manitoba have been impacted by rising water levels and flooding, which has resulted in local states of emergency, road closures, and evacuations in several first nations communities. Our hearts go out to the evacuees in their time of need and to others in the communities dealing with encroaching flood waters. I know all members join me in expressing our concern, as well as our appreciation for first responders. Can the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness tell us how the government is supporting Manitobans as this year's flood season begins?
Mr. Speaker, in our election platform, we put forward billions of dollars toward green infrastructure, which includes flood mitigation, which is so important. We are working indeed with first nations to ensure that they are safe and taken care of through this particular crisis. Our commitment to renewal and to reconciliation means that we will be working with indigenous communities right across the country to build a long-term, stable, protected future with them as full partners determining how best to do that. That is what the spirit of reconciliation means. That is what this government
Mr. Speaker, we recognize that Canadians chose a different approach when they elected us as government. We choose to make decisions based on how Canada can best help in the world. We make decisions based on facts, based on evidence, and based on the best way to move forward. That is the approach we have always taken and will always take, particularly in regard to the brave men and women serving in the Canadian Forces.
Mr. Speaker, one of the commitments we made and are keeping from our election campaign is to renew and modernize the appointments process, to allow Canadians to apply from all different backgrounds and all different walks of life and diversity, and to have appointments across the country that better reflect the full diversity of backgrounds, views and perspectives of Canadians on a merit-based system.That is exactly what we have done, particularly necessary after too long of successive governments choosing favouritism over objective qualities. That is what we have done, and are continuing to do.
Mr. Speaker, this government was elected on a pledge of openness and transparency, and we are keeping that pledge. We are demonstrating a level of accountability that is going far beyond what any previous government did. We continue to look forward to ways to improve and increase the level of transparency and accountability of this government.I welcome the hard work done by the committee. I look forward to continuing to work with all members in the House to improve the way government and indeed Parliament functions in a collaborative, respectful way.
Mr. Speaker, we are pleased that we have brought forward proposals to help modernize Parliament, and I look forward to start discussing the various options in committee. I want to hear what our friends in the other parties are going to suggest. I am really looking forward to working with them to ensure that Parliament better serves Canadians across the country and that we better serve our constituents as well.I believe that everyone knows that we can always do better, and that is exactly what I hope to do, together with the members of Parliament.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, we believe in the strong future for the aerospace industry in this country, and are happy to make investments that will lead to good jobs, growth and opportunities not just right now but for decades to come. The kinds of investments we are making in innovation, in the growth of the C Series and the Global 7000, will ensure the kind of opportunity and prosperity that Canadians have long been looking for. This is why we are making the right kinds of investments in our future and why we will continue to make investments, like lending Bombardier significant amounts, to be able to create opportunities to grow and succeed and continue our economic
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her long-time leadership on environmental issues. We are also very interested in this report that has come forward. We know there is a lot more work to do to improve environmental assessment in this country. Without public trust we cannot build the kind of infrastructure projects or the future for our communities that we need. We need to make sure we are demonstrating that we understand that protecting the environment goes hand in hand with building a strong economic future for Canadians, and this report goes right to how we can perhaps do that and do even better. I thank the member for her leadership on this matter.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to personally answer this question.The fact is that I accept any suggestions and opportunities the member has. As he puts forward suggestions and opportunities that we can have to improve the tone of this House to make sure that we are working in better ways
Mr. Speaker, as I have said a number of times, this was a personal family vacation. I am more than happy to continue to engage with the Ethics Commissioner and her office on any questions related to this travel.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians made a choice in the last election. They chose a party that was committed to modernizing Parliament.I am very pleased to suggest various ways in which hon. members may contribute to the process and to developing our approach to modernization. People expect us to work together in a respectful manner, as we are today, to determine the best way to improve the House of Commons. It is perfectly reasonable to want to work with hon. members and I hope that we can work together.
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to say that, as a government, we are open to working together, across party lines, to properly represent Canada and build this relationship.I want to point out the work that we are doing with all of the different parties in the House to properly position ourselves with regard to the new American administration. Many premiers from various provinces and political parties are diligently working with us to present a united front to the United States. It is important that we listen to each other and work together because this goes beyond partisanship
Mr. Speaker, we have an extraordinary minister who is working on Canada's first-ever accessibility act, which will focus on ensuring that all Canadians of differing abilities and challenges are able to succeed and move forward in an inclusive country that gives everyone a real and fair chance to succeed.
Mr. Speaker, let us see if the Prime Minister can try answering this question.The minister's website states that the requirements for a successful nominee include extensive experience related to...the operation of a port or to maritime trade. Ms. Stebbing's own law firm's website states that she specializes in estate planning, administration and accounting. She focuses on ensuring her clients wishes are respected after they pass away.Could the Prime Minister explain to the House what in Jennifer Stebbing's resume met the requirements of extensive experience in maritime trade?
Mr. Speaker, the investments we are making in the future of our aerospace industry will lead to good jobs across the country and to economic growth and innovation. The loan we made to Bombardier that is focused on two specific products, the C Series airplane and the Global 7000, demonstrates that we believe in the strong future for the aerospace industry in this country, and why we are going to continue to make investments that will lead to good jobs and opportunities for innovation and growth right across the country in high-value industries, like the aerospace industry.
Mr. Speaker, I agree with my hon. colleague in that we are very proud of Bombardier and of what it has accomplished in the aerospace industry over the years, the good jobs it has created, and the innovation and economic leadership it has shown across the country.That is why we were happy to invest in two specific programs by providing a loan to Bombardier that will translate into the long-term viability of these projects and create job opportunities in the aerospace industry across the country.
Most negative speeches
Mr. Speaker, in just three weeks, our softwood lumber may be slapped with countervailing duties. I want the Prime Minister to give forestry industry workers some answers. Yesterday, we heard that the Americans were refusing to talk about it, probably because nobody ever really explained to them what the system is all about and how rigorous it is. That is from the Resolute Forest Products CEO. He added that he was appalled at the federal government's feeble attempts to stand up for Quebec's forestry system internationally.What will the Prime Minister do for the hundreds of thousands of families that depend on the forestry industry?
Mr. Speaker, earlier this week the government quietly tabled a response to an Order Paper question revealing that the $372-million Bombardier agreement has not been signed or finalized. It is not a done deal, so the Liberals have time to stop this outrageous taxpayer-funded bail-out of incompetent billionaire executives. The Liberals could, for example, reduce the amount they are handing Bombardier by the same amount Bombardier is paying its executives. Before the Liberals sign this deal and send the money, why will they not ban Bombardier billionaires from pocketing it?
Mr. Speaker, the company is actually cutting jobs, 14,000 of them, while the Liberals hand over millions to billionaire executives, but it is not too late to stop it. We learned today that the deal is not signed and the government still has time to impose new conditions. Why will the Liberals not tell Bombardier that either it cancels its bonuses and its pay hikes until taxpayers get repaid or it will not get the money at all?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are trying to ram through substantive changes to see them held less accountable to the people they serve: changes that will see Liberal MPs take Fridays off; changes that will see the Prime Minister show up to work here in question period just once a week; changes that will limit the ability of MPs to hold the government to account on behalf of Canadians.Canadians work hard and they expect nothing less from their MPs. They expect the Prime Minister to put in a full work week and they definitely expect the government to be held accountable for its actions.Why is the Prime Minister so afraid of being held accountable by Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the world is watching with horror as the unimaginable unfolds in Syria. Last night the Prime Minister said: Canada strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons. The perpetrators of the horrific attack in Syria must be held accountable. We agree. Can the Prime Minister share with Canadians and with the House what specific actions Canada is planning to take to hold the perpetrators to account?
Mr. Speaker, here is a concrete suggestion. Stop trying to ram these unilateral changes down our throats. Shutting down Parliament on Fridays, reducing debate, having the Prime Minister only show up in the House once a week for 45 minutes does not serve the interests of Canadians. It serves the interests of the Prime Minister. Canadians did not elect us to make this a safe space for the Prime Minister. We are here to do our job and hold him accountable.When will the Prime Minister abandon his unilateral efforts to make his government less transparent and less accountable to Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, we have all seen the images of yesterday's horrific chemical attack in northwestern Syria. For six years, this war has dragged on. Hundreds of thousands have been killed and millions displaced. An end to this war is needed. Help for the people of Syria must be made accessible. They are the innocent victims of this tragic conflict.The international community has a responsibility to help the most vulnerable. What is Canada doing to help the Syrian people?
Mr. Speaker, he may have stood up every time, but he did not answer a single question.Like all other MPs, I am answerable to my constituents, and not just those who voted for me. How can I explain to them that not one day goes by that the Liberals do not show contempt for Canadians and their MPs with their unilateral bid for absolute power here in Parliament?Can the Prime Minister acknowledge that those who speak on Canadians' behalf are not puppets?When will the Prime Minister get that the Liberals have no right to change our rules without our consent?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's arrogance is killing me.In Canada, like in other places around the world, the Prime Minister has no problem giving taxpayers' money to his billionaire friends, while simultaneously eliminating the public transit tax credit. Yesterday we learned that the Aga Khan was financially compensated by the state during the leader of the Liberal Party's personal vacation. Once again, Canadian taxpayers are paying for his arrogance and poor judgment. When will the Prime Minister walk his talk and treat the middle class
Mr. Speaker, while the Prime Minister is sending taxpayers' money to Bombardier executives, he is taking money away from hard-working Canadians.New taxes on payroll, small businesses, public transit, taxis, beer, electricity, fuel, just name it and the Prime Minister will tax it. When will the Prime Minister realize that he was elected to manage Canadians' money properly and not to hand it out to his friends?
Mr. Speaker, in response to an earlier question on autism from the Leader of the Opposition, the Prime Minister talked of his government highlighting the work that we continue to do. The trouble is, his government is doing the exact opposite.In 2015, our government funded a world-class Canadian autism partnership working group. The Liberal budget just rejected the request for funding to allow that critical work to continue. Could the Prime Minister please explain how his government can find nearly $400 million for a company that says it does not need it, and not find $4 million a year to help Canadian families living with autism who desperately need it?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's Office stated publicly on November 26 that there was absolutely no pressure put on Canada to continue its bombing mission in Iraq. We now know that is not true. Emails from Canadian officials prove that our allies asked the Minister of National Defence, on numerous occasions, to keep our CF-18s in the fight. Did the Prime Minister deliberately mislead the public, or is he in the dark when it comes to Canada's defence and national security?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals continue to hand out criminal records to Canadians, particularly young people and minority groups, for possession of marijuana. Every time we propose the decriminalization of marijuana as an interim measure, the Liberals say that we are against legalization, which is not true. We are against the fact that thousands of Canadians are being prosecuted in the meantime, since that affects the rest of their lives. Can the Prime Minister tell us how many people have been handed a criminal record since the last election?
Mr. Speaker, I understand the question and concerns the members opposite have, but our focus on legalization and control of cannabis is on protecting our kids and on getting the money out of organized crime's pockets. We know that happens when we legalize and control and bring in a proper regime. The fact is decriminalization does nothing to protect our kids, nothing to remove the profits from the hands of criminals. Until such a moment as we have a legal framework that protects our kids and stops the criminals from profiting, it will remain illegal.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government continues to hide the number of charges and criminal records handed out for cannabis possession since the Liberals have come to power. Charges for serious crimes are being stayed or withdrawn because of a lack of resources, and yet the Prime Minister is fine with overloading the justice system with possession charges. This disproportionately affects young and racialized Canadians and there is quite a bit of hypocrisy to that.Does the Prime Minister think he would be where he is today if he had been caught when smoking marijuana?
Mr. Speaker, it is quite a spectacle today. If only there were a Standing Order that could be concocted that would guarantee the quality of the Prime Minister's answers and not just the quantity of the Prime Minister's answers, we would actually get somewhere. Speaking of the Prime Minister, unlike hard-working Canadians, the Prime Minister took a lavish billionaire boondoggle vacation at taxpayer expense over the holidays. Now we know the taxpayers also paid to his billionaire friend the money to accommodate the Prime Minister's staff on this lavish holiday.When will the Prime Minister come down from his sandcastle in the sky and explain why the taxpayers are on the hook?
Mr. Speaker, we are shocked and appalled by the reports of chemical weapons attacks against civilians in Syria. Many of the victims were children. It is critical that we hold those responsible to account for these war crimes. We are supporting evidence gathering to achieve that end. In addition, we will provide $840-million worth of lifesaving humanitarian and development assistance for the region to alleviate the suffering in this conflict.As we speak, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is at the Brussels conference on the future of Syria. These meetings will work toward finding a lasting political resolution to the Syrian war and to addressing the critical needs of the most vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member for Kitchener SouthHespeler on the hard work he is doing on his files.We are outraged by the reports of a chemical weapons attack against innocent civilians in Syria. The use of chemical weapons is a war crime. This is just the latest atrocity in a conflict that has been going on far too long. Our government is acting. We are providing $840 million worth of assistance for the region, and are increasing accountability by supporting evidence gathering of these war crimes. Furthermore, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is participating in the Brussels conference on the future of Syria to support lasting resolution to the war and address the needs of the vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Prime Minister for taking so many questions today. I would also like to point out, again, that he managed to do this without changing a single rule. No need to unilaterally use the power to ram through the changes. He was able to do it within existing rules.Will he now commit in this place that he will continue that spirit of co-operation? Will he agree that he will not use his unilateral majority to change the rules in this place and change how democracy works? Will he do that now, today?
Mr. Speaker, we have been working with the U.S. government on resolving this issue from the very beginning of our mandate. We know that thousands of jobs and communities across the country depend on forestry. It is our duty to keep working very hard to protect those jobs and create more opportunities in Canada's forestry industry. We know that Americans do not want their housing and construction costs to go up. Canada is a major supplier of softwood lumber for American consumers.We will keep working with the U.S. government to resolve this frustrating dispute.
Mr. Speaker, I am not the quietest member, but I believe this is a case of mistaken identity.
Mr. Speaker, the government wants to unilaterally change the rules that govern the House of Commons. At first, the Liberals pretended it was just a discussion paper and now they claim that this power grab is necessary to be rammed through here because, well, it was in their election platform. Can the Prime Minister explain then why he used the excuse of a lack of consensus to abandon his platform promise on democratic reform, but now he unilaterally wants to change the way our democracy works?
Mr. Speaker, access to information reform has been studied time and again. In fact, one could say in this case it has been studied literally to death. Despite two recent reports and calls for reform, the President of the Treasury Board announced he was not going to be keeping his promise to introduce new legislation this spring. Instead of explaining himself at committee, to which he earnestly promised reform, he is allowing the Liberal members to run interference. Why is he suddenly scared to come to the committee, and will he take this opportunity to explain himself to the House?
Mr. Speaker, first of all, as we have said repeatedly, it is unacceptable that anyone should have to work without adequate, reliable pay. That is why we are working so hard on the Phoenix system in question; we want to fix this problem that we inherited. The fact is that we will continue to work with public services and with everyone involved to fix this problem, which, I agree, has been dragging on too long.
Mr. Speaker, after the way the Prime Minister treated electoral reform, his treatment of parliamentary democracy has about as much credibility as a Pepsi commercial.I know that the Prime Minister is looking forward to having this discussion. He wants to hear passionate speeches and get our suggestions, but the problem is the process. All it would take to launch the discussion that he so badly wants is to assure us that the changes will not be made unilaterally.I will give the Prime Minister another chance to give us those assurances today, right now. Will he promise not to make any changes unilaterally, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, recent reports forecast that Hamilton steel producer, Stelco, which is currently under bankruptcy protection, will soon have close to $300 million in the bank. Meanwhile, after the company cut workers' health benefits, pensioners have to apply to a temporary fund for emergency prescriptions or health needs on a first-come, first-served basis.How can we explain to the 20,000 Stelco retirees that the government allows Canadian companies to bank $300 million while they strip much needed and earned health benefits? When will the government step in and help these retirees?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are indefinitely postponing the reforms they had promised to access to information, despite the very comprehensive report released by the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada in 2015 and the report by the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in 2016. We would like the President of the Treasury Board to explain this sudden flip-flop to parliamentarians. Can the vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics tell the House what business the committee will be working on next?
Mr. Speaker, as a veteran, I would like to thank the Minister of National Defence for his service. That said, he is now the Minister of National Defence, and no longer a soldier.For the good of Canada, we should not allow the Minister of National Defence to distort the facts. To say that the Iraqis and the Kurds were pleased with the new mission in Iraq is completely false and to state that the Royal Canadian Air Force has a capability gap is completely false. In addition, the minister is further damaging the reputation of the Canadian Forces by postponing major procurement projects for 20 years.Can the Prime Minister ask the Minister of National Defence to show some backbone and tell Canadians the truth?
Mr. Speaker, in recent days, residents of southern and central Manitoba have been impacted by rising water levels and flooding, which has resulted in local states of emergency, road closures, and evacuations in several first nations communities. Our hearts go out to the evacuees in their time of need and to others in the communities dealing with encroaching flood waters. I know all members join me in expressing our concern, as well as our appreciation for first responders. Can the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness tell us how the government is supporting Manitobans as this year's flood season begins?
Mr. Speaker, with regard to the tax credit for public transit, that measure was introduced to promote the use of public transit. That is what the minister said when she introduced the measure to Canadians.Sadly, according to the numbers, the measure had no impact on the use of public transit. That is why we decided instead to invest billions of dollars more in new public transit projects, including the Réseau électrique métropolitain in Montreal and the Service rapide par bus in Quebec City. Similar projects exist across the country, and we are pleased to invest in them to help the middle class and those working hard to join it.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister continues to double down on the alternative facts. The defence minister said that there were no qualms about pulling our jets out of the fight against ISIS, yet emails from Global Affairs say there were. The minister said there is a capability gap, but the commander of the air force said there is not. The defence minister also claimed Conservatives sent our troops to fight ISIS without tax relief, yet a document with the defence minister's signature on it says the exact opposite. Canadians need a strong, principled, and trustworthy leader, not another patsy to the Prime Minister. How can anyone trust the Prime Minister and the defence minister? Will they apologize?
Look at that, Mr. Speaker. The Prime Minister is able to answer as many questions as he wants without unilaterally ramming changes through the House of Commons, which is exactly what he wants to do. He wants to rig the rules in his favour. He wants to cut off debate and silence his critics. He wants to shut this place down on Fridays. He wants less transparency and less accountability. He wants to diminish the voice of Canadians in this place. Now he only wants to show up in question period once a week.When will the Prime Minister stop acting so arrogantly and stop trying to make his life easier by reducing government accountability?
Mr. Speaker, like many of my colleagues, I was here on June 29, 2016, when former U.S. President Barack Obama was here, and we were promised that this would be resolved within weeks. Now we hear what the Prime Minister is saying in the House today. Why is no one capable of explaining to the Americans that they need to import 30% of their lumber and that 30% comes from Canada? It is not complicated. If they import less wood from Canada, the price of American wood will go up, Americans will build fewer houses, and there will be fewer jobs for carpenters, plumbers, and electricians. This is not rocket science. Why is the government incapable of explaining this to the Americans?
Mr. Speaker, one of the commitments we made and are keeping from our election campaign is to renew and modernize the appointments process, to allow Canadians to apply from all different backgrounds and all different walks of life and diversity, and to have appointments across the country that better reflect the full diversity of backgrounds, views and perspectives of Canadians on a merit-based system.That is exactly what we have done, particularly necessary after too long of successive governments choosing favouritism over objective qualities. That is what we have done, and are continuing to do.
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness takes this very seriously, as does the Prime Minister. The thoughts of all Canadians are with the residents of Manitoba affected by the flooding, as well as with the first responders and others working hard on the ground to keep people safe. We are ensuring that affected first nations community members are safe, secure, and out of the path of flood waters. For several months now, the government operations centre has been monitoring flood risks and preparing for the spring melt in collaboration with federal and provincial partners. Should we receive a request for assistance from the province, our government stands ready to help.
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to say that, as a government, we are open to working together, across party lines, to properly represent Canada and build this relationship.I want to point out the work that we are doing with all of the different parties in the House to properly position ourselves with regard to the new American administration. Many premiers from various provinces and political parties are diligently working with us to present a united front to the United States. It is important that we listen to each other and work together because this goes beyond partisanship
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her intervention.Indeed, we are all concerned about the cost of living for all Canadians. That is why we did something about it. We lowered taxes for the middle class and increased them for the wealthiest 1%. We implemented the Canada child benefit, which gives more money to nine out of ten Canadian families every month and as a result lifts hundreds of thousands of young people out of poverty and reduces child poverty by 40%. We agree with the hon. members across the way that a lot of work still needs to be done, but we are here to keep working for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, we promised to legalize and control cannabis for two very specific reasons.First, we want to prevent our kids from having easy access to cannabis, as they do now. We know that it is easier for a young person to buy a joint than a bottle of beer. That is unacceptable. At the same time, we know that organized crime groups make billions of dollars trafficking marijuana, and that is exactly what we want to prevent.Decriminalizing cannabis will do nothing to protect our kids and nothing to counter organized crime, and I will continue to repeat that until
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, Brian Mulroney, who is pushing for the government to put an end to our supply management system, is going to advise the Liberal cabinet on the renegotiation of NAFTA. When it comes to international trade and the protection of our supply management system, the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party are really just one and the same.At least the compensation provided for by the Conservatives to producers and processors would have been more substantial once the Canada-Europe free trade agreement took effect.Can the Liberal Party and the Prime Minister confirm to us today that they will grant tariff quotas to Canadian processors?
Mr. Speaker, since Bill C-38 in 2012, we have been labouring under a broken environmental assessment process. Today we have a landmark report from the expert panel on EA, headed by our former commissioner for the environment. It makes a bold recommendation: get rid of the NEB's Environmental Assessment Agency, have a single authority, give it quasi-judicial powers.For the Prime Minister, how quickly can we expect this great recommendation to be legislated?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister should be ashamed of the decisions being made by his Minister of Public Services and Procurement. Thanks to the good work done by the member for Edmonton West, we now know that the public servants who worked on Phoenix, either directly or indirectly, received bonuses totalling $5 million and $14,000 per employee. How could the Prime Minister possibly want to grant bonuses? Did he not in fact want to set an example for Bombardier executives?
Mr. Speaker, this government was elected on a pledge of openness and transparency, and we are keeping that pledge. We are demonstrating a level of accountability that is going far beyond what any previous government did. We continue to look forward to ways to improve and increase the level of transparency and accountability of this government.I welcome the hard work done by the committee. I look forward to continuing to work with all members in the House to improve the way government and indeed Parliament functions in a collaborative, respectful way.
Mr. Speaker, let us see if the Prime Minister can try answering this question.The minister's website states that the requirements for a successful nominee include extensive experience related to...the operation of a port or to maritime trade. Ms. Stebbing's own law firm's website states that she specializes in estate planning, administration and accounting. She focuses on ensuring her clients wishes are respected after they pass away.Could the Prime Minister explain to the House what in Jennifer Stebbing's resume met the requirements of extensive experience in maritime trade?
Mr. Speaker, nearly 100 years ago, Canadians from all across the country, including many Quebeckers, fought non only in our country's four divisions of soldiers, but also, for the first time, as part of a united Canadian force at Vimy Ridge. This historic moment not only marked a great victory for Canada and allied forces but also showed that our emerging nation was ready to take its place on the international scene.How is the Government of Canada going to mark the 100th anniversary of this seminal event for our country?
Mr. Speaker, like all Canadians I applaud the Minister of National Defence for his extraordinary service to this country and respect the extraordinary work that he has done as Minister of National Defence. Our allies were rightly interested in how Canada was going to continue to participate in the coalition against Daesh, how we were going to continue to demonstrate that Canada is a valuable partner that contributes in the war against Daesh, and that is exactly what we did.We demonstrated that we knew that Canadians could help on the ground through training and support for the peshmerga as they advanced toward Mosul, and that is exactly what our allies have most appreciated about us over the past year and a half.
Mr. Speaker, as vice chair of the committee, I am pleased to answer the question and teach the Prime Minister to do something he has not learned in 18 months, which is to give a straight answer. The committee did indeed table its report last year. In light of a recent announcement by the President of the Treasury Board that the government did not intend to implement its promised reforms anytime soon, some committee members moved a motion calling on the President of the Treasury Board to explain himself at committee. For those who do not know, our committee has a Liberal majority. When it came to a vote, the motion was defeated.
Mr. Speaker, that is what we would call all hat, no horse.A government email confirms that the Iraqi government asked Canada to continue its bombing mission against ISIS on multiple occasions. Our Kurdish and Iraqi partners in the fight against ISIS describe our air strikes as effective and life-saving and as destroying the enemy.Our allies repeatedly asked Canada to keep our CF-18s in the fight, but the minister ignored them and told Canadians that our partners and allies were okay with the Liberals' decision. Canadians cannot trust the Minister of National Defence when he continues to mislead us. Will the Prime Minister make the Minister of National Defence apologize?
Mr. Speaker, the new appointments process is the perfect Liberal misdirection. Another one of Ms. Stebbing's qualifications for appointment to the Hamilton Port Authority is that she is also the Liberal Party's golden horseshoe regional president. While the Minister of Transport waxes eloquent on openness and transparency, being a Liberal donor or failed candidate are the qualifications that win the day.Will the Prime Minister direct the minister to go back to the job posting that is still on Transport Canada's website and nominate someone who is actually qualified for the position?
Mr. Speaker, today on the Hill there are hundreds of people helping to recognize World Autism Day. They are calling on the Prime Minister to provide less than $4 million a year to continue the good work of the Canadian Autism Partnership Project, money that was missing in the budget. That is almost equivalent to the bonus hike the CEO of Bombardier gave himself for one year. What kind of message does the Prime Minister think this sends to parents of kids with autism when the Prime Minister can find money for bonuses for executives from Bombardier but he cannot find money for families with autism?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the Prime Minister that Bombardier came looking for money for its C Series. It did not ask for anything for the Global 7000 but, coincidentally, the government accommodates people from Toronto. If it is as good as that, why will the Prime Minister not let Bombardier and his minister appear before the parliamentary committee? Given the situation, that is what we want. We, the Conservatives, are inviting the big boss of Bombardier to appear before the parliamentary committee and explain himself.Does the Prime Minister agree?
Mr. Speaker, today's question period was very noisy and emotional. You said that I was being rowdy. I do not profess to be the most circumspect or the quietest
Mr. Speaker, once again flooding has hit Manitoba. There are many evacuees and most are from first nations, including Peguis First Nation, the largest in Manitoba. This is not the first time that this is happening, and every time it happens, first nations are hit the hardest.The Prime Minister likes to talk about first nations, but what people in crisis on the ground need is immediate action. Will his government work with Peguis and other first nations to provide the long-term flood mitigation that they need now?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her concern about the quality of our appointments.We are very much focused on the quality and diversity of the appointments we make. We know that the people we appoint into positions of authority should reflect the entire diversity of the country and have a range of experiences and qualifications.That is exactly what we have been doing and why we are so proud that we have had more female appointments than male. We have had extraordinary diversity. We have had tremendous indigenous appointments across the country. We have renewed the appointments process and allowed Canadians from all backgrounds to apply.
Mr. Speaker, the investments we are making in the future of our aerospace industry will lead to good jobs across the country and to economic growth and innovation. The loan we made to Bombardier that is focused on two specific products, the C Series airplane and the Global 7000, demonstrates that we believe in the strong future for the aerospace industry in this country, and why we are going to continue to make investments that will lead to good jobs and opportunities for innovation and growth right across the country in high-value industries, like the aerospace industry.
Mr. Speaker, I hear members opposite have many suggestions on how we can improve the functioning of the House. I look forward to listening to that member and to all members of the House put forward their suggestions on improving the way we serve Canadians and our constituents at the same time. I am very pleased to encourage people to participate.
Mr. Speaker, we are pleased that we have brought forward proposals to help modernize Parliament, and I look forward to start discussing the various options in committee. I want to hear what our friends in the other parties are going to suggest. I am really looking forward to working with them to ensure that Parliament better serves Canadians across the country and that we better serve our constituents as well.I believe that everyone knows that we can always do better, and that is exactly what I hope to do, together with the members of Parliament.
Mr. Speaker, I recognize the passion the member opposite has for this issue and recognize all members in the House who have stood up strongly in talking about autism and celebrating the advancements that have been made and indeed highlighting the work that we continue to do. On Bombardier, I do need to point out that this was a loan that we were happy to make to invest in specific projects that are going to create good jobs for Canadians, that are going to secure the long-term future of the aerospace industry in this country, which leads to economic growth, innovation, and benefits for communities and the middle-class workers who live in them right across the country.
Mr. Speaker, I totally agree with the hon. member. He makes a very good point. We need to do more to explain to the Americans just how important free trade between Canada and the U.S. is for jobs and for consumers on both sides of the border.We will continue with our work and remain united in our desire to resolve this issue. That is why we are so determined and are working so hard to protect Canadian jobs and create economic growth in communities across the country.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her long-time leadership on environmental issues. We are also very interested in this report that has come forward. We know there is a lot more work to do to improve environmental assessment in this country. Without public trust we cannot build the kind of infrastructure projects or the future for our communities that we need. We need to make sure we are demonstrating that we understand that protecting the environment goes hand in hand with building a strong economic future for Canadians, and this report goes right to how we can perhaps do that and do even better. I thank the member for her leadership on this matter.
Mr. Speaker, in our election platform, we put forward billions of dollars toward green infrastructure, which includes flood mitigation, which is so important. We are working indeed with first nations to ensure that they are safe and taken care of through this particular crisis. Our commitment to renewal and to reconciliation means that we will be working with indigenous communities right across the country to build a long-term, stable, protected future with them as full partners determining how best to do that. That is what the spirit of reconciliation means. That is what this government
Mr. Speaker, on our commitment to continue as a valuable member of the coalition against Daesh, we were very clear in the election campaign that we would look for ways that better suited Canada's capacities. That is what we told our allies and explained to them throughout those months as we were determining how best Canada could help.I can assure this House and all Canadians that our allies were very pleased with the level of contribution Canadians offered over the past months, a year and a half, to the fight against Daesh.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said a number of times, this was a personal family vacation. I am more than happy to continue to engage with the Ethics Commissioner and her office on any questions related to this travel.
Mr. Speaker, I am always pleased to highlight for the House the investments that Canada is making in our aerospace industry because we know that this will lead to good jobs today and in the future, stimulate innovation, and enable us to capture a larger share of the global market. It will help us demonstrate that Canada makes good-quality merchandise and goods and provides services throughout the world.We know that investments are needed to achieve this success and we are proud of what we are doing to create opportunities for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the Battle of Vimy Ridge allowed Canada to take its place as a country on solid footing when the four Canadian divisions fought together for the first time to secure a stunning if costly victory.Canada will mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge with commemorative ceremonies in France, at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, and in major centres across the country.I hope that my colleagues will join me at these solemn commemorative ceremonies.Wherever we may be, this is the time for all of us to remember, recognize, and honour the brave men and women who have gone before us.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, we believe in the strong future for the aerospace industry in this country, and are happy to make investments that will lead to good jobs, growth and opportunities not just right now but for decades to come. The kinds of investments we are making in innovation, in the growth of the C Series and the Global 7000, will ensure the kind of opportunity and prosperity that Canadians have long been looking for. This is why we are making the right kinds of investments in our future and why we will continue to make investments, like lending Bombardier significant amounts, to be able to create opportunities to grow and succeed and continue our economic
Mr. Speaker, this government is very proud of what it is doing to give our armed forces the equipment and support needed to carry out the mandate entrusted to them by Canadians and this government.We know that Canada cannot do everything, but we will carry out our responsibilities properly with the help of all possible assets. For that reason we chose a mission that supports and trains the Kurds, a mission that has a significant impact in the fight against Daesh.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize the challenges that so many people in the Hamilton area and indeed across the country in the steel industry are facing. That is why we are so determined to work with our partners and allies and industry partners here in Canada to strengthen the steel industry.The issue of steel is one that has come up many times in our engagement with the United States. I can tell the member that we are working in a constructive, productive way to promote and defend our North American steel industry, to highlight the important role that the Canadian steel industry has in markets around the world, and to ensure that we are making the best possible secure future for our citizens and
Mr. Speaker, Canada is proud that we have stepped up in the fight against Daesh by contributing significantly to training on the ground, to supporting the Peshmerga, to demonstrate that there are many ways that Canada can have a positive impact in the fight against Daesh.We continue to stand strongly with our international allies, including in the Iraqi government, as we bring the fight to a positive conclusion alongside our allies.
Mr. Speaker, the question I think we can all agree on in this place isand I hear the energy, enthusiasm, and passion of the member oppositewhat will that change look like? How do we change this place so it becomes better able to serve? That is why I look forward very much to hearing the suggestions and contributions from the members opposite on how we can better serve Canadians. That is what Canadians
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to be held accountable by Canadians and by people in the House every single day. That goes with the responsibilities I have and we all have collectively in the House. Drawing on
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to personally answer this question.The fact is that I accept any suggestions and opportunities the member has. As he puts forward suggestions and opportunities that we can have to improve the tone of this House to make sure that we are working in better ways
Mr. Speaker, as I said, I am happy to draw suggestions from all sides of the House. The proposal around prime minister's questions was actually made by the member from Halton Hills a number of years ago. It is the kind of thing we are happy to discuss and look at. I think it means we should have a discussion about how to improve the ways we serve Canadians. Bringing forward positive discussions on improving the way the House works is entirely responsible and entirely in keeping with what Canadians expect. I look forward to hearing many more concrete proposals from all benches in the House of Commons.
Mr. Speaker, obviously the member has very strong ideas about how to improve this place, how to make it better, how to make sure we are being accountable and serving Canadians in the right way. I encourage the member to bring forward those concrete suggestions so we can work together to make sure the House serves Canadians better to the level they expect.I am happy we are having this conversation, and I look forward to continuing it in committee and in various places where we can demonstrate our commitment collectively to serve Canadians with everything we have.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians made a choice in the last election. They chose a party that was committed to modernizing Parliament.I am very pleased to suggest various ways in which hon. members may contribute to the process and to developing our approach to modernization. People expect us to work together in a respectful manner, as we are today, to determine the best way to improve the House of Commons. It is perfectly reasonable to want to work with hon. members and I hope that we can work together.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his extraordinary advocacy on this file for a very long time. It is one that touches us all, and we all know we do need to work together to do more on it.On the issue of funding for Bombardier, we made sure that we are investing in the kinds of things that will lead to good jobs
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister took hundreds of millions of dollars from Canadian taxpayers and loaned that money to Bombardier. To show its gratitude, Bombardier cut 14,000 jobs while its senior executives gave themselves tens of millions of dollars in raises. This makes no sense at all, and is quite the departure from the spirit of the company's founder Joseph-Armand Bombardier, who was a great Canadian.Those people are filling their pockets while the current government is emptying Canadian taxpayers' pockets.Can the Prime Minister stand in his place and tell us whether he picked up his phone and called the CEO of Bombardier to tell him that what Bombardier is doing makes no sense?
Mr. Speaker, I am always happy to hear suggestions from the members opposite; even when they are yelled out, their suggestions are acceptable. I want to work with the members in order to improve the situation.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage the member opposite to continue contributing suggestions on how we can improve the working atmosphere in the House, how we can better deliver for Canadians. We are happy that we have launched a conversation about how we can modernize this place, how we can improve the service we offer, both to Canadians and to our constituents. I look forward to engaging with all members in the House on improvements that can be made to this place as we move forward.
Mr. Speaker, we have an extraordinary minister who is working on Canada's first-ever accessibility act, which will focus on ensuring that all Canadians of differing abilities and challenges are able to succeed and move forward in an inclusive country that gives everyone a real and fair chance to succeed.
Mr. Speaker, I agree with my hon. colleague in that we are very proud of Bombardier and of what it has accomplished in the aerospace industry over the years, the good jobs it has created, and the innovation and economic leadership it has shown across the country.That is why we were happy to invest in two specific programs by providing a loan to Bombardier that will translate into the long-term viability of these projects and create job opportunities in the aerospace industry across the country.
Mr. Speaker, we know the Minister of National Defence misled Canadians when he said that our allies were okay with Canada pulling our fighter jets out of the fight against ISIS. We now know that this was deliberately misleading, and it was a betrayal of our nation's trust.My question to the Prime Minister is very straightforward. Did he instruct his Minister of National Defence to mislead Canadians in order to save face?
Mr. Speaker, forcing a so-called discussion paper on the committee is a monologue, not a dialogue.This Prime Minister promised to put an end to the concentration of power that began with his father's tenure, but instead he is preparing to ram through changes that will benefit the Liberals.Does the Prime Minister understand the difference between making things better for Parliament and making things better for the Liberals?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his passion and enthusiasm for this issue.Naturally, what happens in the House matters very much to us all, but the important thing is to ensure that we are serving Canadians well. As I have always said, diversity helps make this country strong. That is why I am very happy to hear the suggestions and contributions coming from members across the aisle. I want to ensure that they can participate fully in this conversation about how we are going to improve this workplace to better serve people in the House and across the country.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize that Canadians chose a different approach when they elected us as government. We choose to make decisions based on how Canada can best help in the world. We make decisions based on facts, based on evidence, and based on the best way to move forward. That is the approach we have always taken and will always take, particularly in regard to the brave men and women serving in the Canadian Forces.
Mr. Speaker, in just three weeks, our softwood lumber may be slapped with countervailing duties. I want the Prime Minister to give forestry industry workers some answers. Yesterday, we heard that the Americans were refusing to talk about it, probably because nobody ever really explained to them what the system is all about and how rigorous it is. That is from the Resolute Forest Products CEO. He added that he was appalled at the federal government's feeble attempts to stand up for Quebec's forestry system internationally.What will the Prime Minister do for the hundreds of thousands of families that depend on the forestry industry?
Mr. Speaker, earlier this week the government quietly tabled a response to an Order Paper question revealing that the $372-million Bombardier agreement has not been signed or finalized. It is not a done deal, so the Liberals have time to stop this outrageous taxpayer-funded bail-out of incompetent billionaire executives. The Liberals could, for example, reduce the amount they are handing Bombardier by the same amount Bombardier is paying its executives. Before the Liberals sign this deal and send the money, why will they not ban Bombardier billionaires from pocketing it?
Mr. Speaker, the company is actually cutting jobs, 14,000 of them, while the Liberals hand over millions to billionaire executives, but it is not too late to stop it. We learned today that the deal is not signed and the government still has time to impose new conditions. Why will the Liberals not tell Bombardier that either it cancels its bonuses and its pay hikes until taxpayers get repaid or it will not get the money at all?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are trying to ram through substantive changes to see them held less accountable to the people they serve: changes that will see Liberal MPs take Fridays off; changes that will see the Prime Minister show up to work here in question period just once a week; changes that will limit the ability of MPs to hold the government to account on behalf of Canadians.Canadians work hard and they expect nothing less from their MPs. They expect the Prime Minister to put in a full work week and they definitely expect the government to be held accountable for its actions.Why is the Prime Minister so afraid of being held accountable by Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the world is watching with horror as the unimaginable unfolds in Syria. Last night the Prime Minister said: Canada strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons. The perpetrators of the horrific attack in Syria must be held accountable. We agree. Can the Prime Minister share with Canadians and with the House what specific actions Canada is planning to take to hold the perpetrators to account?
Mr. Speaker, here is a concrete suggestion. Stop trying to ram these unilateral changes down our throats. Shutting down Parliament on Fridays, reducing debate, having the Prime Minister only show up in the House once a week for 45 minutes does not serve the interests of Canadians. It serves the interests of the Prime Minister. Canadians did not elect us to make this a safe space for the Prime Minister. We are here to do our job and hold him accountable.When will the Prime Minister abandon his unilateral efforts to make his government less transparent and less accountable to Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, we have all seen the images of yesterday's horrific chemical attack in northwestern Syria. For six years, this war has dragged on. Hundreds of thousands have been killed and millions displaced. An end to this war is needed. Help for the people of Syria must be made accessible. They are the innocent victims of this tragic conflict.The international community has a responsibility to help the most vulnerable. What is Canada doing to help the Syrian people?
Mr. Speaker, he may have stood up every time, but he did not answer a single question.Like all other MPs, I am answerable to my constituents, and not just those who voted for me. How can I explain to them that not one day goes by that the Liberals do not show contempt for Canadians and their MPs with their unilateral bid for absolute power here in Parliament?Can the Prime Minister acknowledge that those who speak on Canadians' behalf are not puppets?When will the Prime Minister get that the Liberals have no right to change our rules without our consent?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's arrogance is killing me.In Canada, like in other places around the world, the Prime Minister has no problem giving taxpayers' money to his billionaire friends, while simultaneously eliminating the public transit tax credit. Yesterday we learned that the Aga Khan was financially compensated by the state during the leader of the Liberal Party's personal vacation. Once again, Canadian taxpayers are paying for his arrogance and poor judgment. When will the Prime Minister walk his talk and treat the middle class
Mr. Speaker, while the Prime Minister is sending taxpayers' money to Bombardier executives, he is taking money away from hard-working Canadians.New taxes on payroll, small businesses, public transit, taxis, beer, electricity, fuel, just name it and the Prime Minister will tax it. When will the Prime Minister realize that he was elected to manage Canadians' money properly and not to hand it out to his friends?
Mr. Speaker, in response to an earlier question on autism from the Leader of the Opposition, the Prime Minister talked of his government highlighting the work that we continue to do. The trouble is, his government is doing the exact opposite.In 2015, our government funded a world-class Canadian autism partnership working group. The Liberal budget just rejected the request for funding to allow that critical work to continue. Could the Prime Minister please explain how his government can find nearly $400 million for a company that says it does not need it, and not find $4 million a year to help Canadian families living with autism who desperately need it?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's Office stated publicly on November 26 that there was absolutely no pressure put on Canada to continue its bombing mission in Iraq. We now know that is not true. Emails from Canadian officials prove that our allies asked the Minister of National Defence, on numerous occasions, to keep our CF-18s in the fight. Did the Prime Minister deliberately mislead the public, or is he in the dark when it comes to Canada's defence and national security?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals continue to hand out criminal records to Canadians, particularly young people and minority groups, for possession of marijuana. Every time we propose the decriminalization of marijuana as an interim measure, the Liberals say that we are against legalization, which is not true. We are against the fact that thousands of Canadians are being prosecuted in the meantime, since that affects the rest of their lives. Can the Prime Minister tell us how many people have been handed a criminal record since the last election?
Mr. Speaker, I understand the question and concerns the members opposite have, but our focus on legalization and control of cannabis is on protecting our kids and on getting the money out of organized crime's pockets. We know that happens when we legalize and control and bring in a proper regime. The fact is decriminalization does nothing to protect our kids, nothing to remove the profits from the hands of criminals. Until such a moment as we have a legal framework that protects our kids and stops the criminals from profiting, it will remain illegal.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government continues to hide the number of charges and criminal records handed out for cannabis possession since the Liberals have come to power. Charges for serious crimes are being stayed or withdrawn because of a lack of resources, and yet the Prime Minister is fine with overloading the justice system with possession charges. This disproportionately affects young and racialized Canadians and there is quite a bit of hypocrisy to that.Does the Prime Minister think he would be where he is today if he had been caught when smoking marijuana?
Mr. Speaker, it is quite a spectacle today. If only there were a Standing Order that could be concocted that would guarantee the quality of the Prime Minister's answers and not just the quantity of the Prime Minister's answers, we would actually get somewhere. Speaking of the Prime Minister, unlike hard-working Canadians, the Prime Minister took a lavish billionaire boondoggle vacation at taxpayer expense over the holidays. Now we know the taxpayers also paid to his billionaire friend the money to accommodate the Prime Minister's staff on this lavish holiday.When will the Prime Minister come down from his sandcastle in the sky and explain why the taxpayers are on the hook?
Mr. Speaker, we are shocked and appalled by the reports of chemical weapons attacks against civilians in Syria. Many of the victims were children. It is critical that we hold those responsible to account for these war crimes. We are supporting evidence gathering to achieve that end. In addition, we will provide $840-million worth of lifesaving humanitarian and development assistance for the region to alleviate the suffering in this conflict.As we speak, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is at the Brussels conference on the future of Syria. These meetings will work toward finding a lasting political resolution to the Syrian war and to addressing the critical needs of the most vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member for Kitchener SouthHespeler on the hard work he is doing on his files.We are outraged by the reports of a chemical weapons attack against innocent civilians in Syria. The use of chemical weapons is a war crime. This is just the latest atrocity in a conflict that has been going on far too long. Our government is acting. We are providing $840 million worth of assistance for the region, and are increasing accountability by supporting evidence gathering of these war crimes. Furthermore, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is participating in the Brussels conference on the future of Syria to support lasting resolution to the war and address the needs of the vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Prime Minister for taking so many questions today. I would also like to point out, again, that he managed to do this without changing a single rule. No need to unilaterally use the power to ram through the changes. He was able to do it within existing rules.Will he now commit in this place that he will continue that spirit of co-operation? Will he agree that he will not use his unilateral majority to change the rules in this place and change how democracy works? Will he do that now, today?
Mr. Speaker, we have been working with the U.S. government on resolving this issue from the very beginning of our mandate. We know that thousands of jobs and communities across the country depend on forestry. It is our duty to keep working very hard to protect those jobs and create more opportunities in Canada's forestry industry. We know that Americans do not want their housing and construction costs to go up. Canada is a major supplier of softwood lumber for American consumers.We will keep working with the U.S. government to resolve this frustrating dispute.
Mr. Speaker, I am not the quietest member, but I believe this is a case of mistaken identity.
Mr. Speaker, the government wants to unilaterally change the rules that govern the House of Commons. At first, the Liberals pretended it was just a discussion paper and now they claim that this power grab is necessary to be rammed through here because, well, it was in their election platform. Can the Prime Minister explain then why he used the excuse of a lack of consensus to abandon his platform promise on democratic reform, but now he unilaterally wants to change the way our democracy works?
Mr. Speaker, access to information reform has been studied time and again. In fact, one could say in this case it has been studied literally to death. Despite two recent reports and calls for reform, the President of the Treasury Board announced he was not going to be keeping his promise to introduce new legislation this spring. Instead of explaining himself at committee, to which he earnestly promised reform, he is allowing the Liberal members to run interference. Why is he suddenly scared to come to the committee, and will he take this opportunity to explain himself to the House?
Mr. Speaker, first of all, as we have said repeatedly, it is unacceptable that anyone should have to work without adequate, reliable pay. That is why we are working so hard on the Phoenix system in question; we want to fix this problem that we inherited. The fact is that we will continue to work with public services and with everyone involved to fix this problem, which, I agree, has been dragging on too long.
Mr. Speaker, after the way the Prime Minister treated electoral reform, his treatment of parliamentary democracy has about as much credibility as a Pepsi commercial.I know that the Prime Minister is looking forward to having this discussion. He wants to hear passionate speeches and get our suggestions, but the problem is the process. All it would take to launch the discussion that he so badly wants is to assure us that the changes will not be made unilaterally.I will give the Prime Minister another chance to give us those assurances today, right now. Will he promise not to make any changes unilaterally, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, recent reports forecast that Hamilton steel producer, Stelco, which is currently under bankruptcy protection, will soon have close to $300 million in the bank. Meanwhile, after the company cut workers' health benefits, pensioners have to apply to a temporary fund for emergency prescriptions or health needs on a first-come, first-served basis.How can we explain to the 20,000 Stelco retirees that the government allows Canadian companies to bank $300 million while they strip much needed and earned health benefits? When will the government step in and help these retirees?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are indefinitely postponing the reforms they had promised to access to information, despite the very comprehensive report released by the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada in 2015 and the report by the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in 2016. We would like the President of the Treasury Board to explain this sudden flip-flop to parliamentarians. Can the vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics tell the House what business the committee will be working on next?
Mr. Speaker, as a veteran, I would like to thank the Minister of National Defence for his service. That said, he is now the Minister of National Defence, and no longer a soldier.For the good of Canada, we should not allow the Minister of National Defence to distort the facts. To say that the Iraqis and the Kurds were pleased with the new mission in Iraq is completely false and to state that the Royal Canadian Air Force has a capability gap is completely false. In addition, the minister is further damaging the reputation of the Canadian Forces by postponing major procurement projects for 20 years.Can the Prime Minister ask the Minister of National Defence to show some backbone and tell Canadians the truth?
Mr. Speaker, in recent days, residents of southern and central Manitoba have been impacted by rising water levels and flooding, which has resulted in local states of emergency, road closures, and evacuations in several first nations communities. Our hearts go out to the evacuees in their time of need and to others in the communities dealing with encroaching flood waters. I know all members join me in expressing our concern, as well as our appreciation for first responders. Can the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness tell us how the government is supporting Manitobans as this year's flood season begins?
Mr. Speaker, with regard to the tax credit for public transit, that measure was introduced to promote the use of public transit. That is what the minister said when she introduced the measure to Canadians.Sadly, according to the numbers, the measure had no impact on the use of public transit. That is why we decided instead to invest billions of dollars more in new public transit projects, including the Réseau électrique métropolitain in Montreal and the Service rapide par bus in Quebec City. Similar projects exist across the country, and we are pleased to invest in them to help the middle class and those working hard to join it.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister continues to double down on the alternative facts. The defence minister said that there were no qualms about pulling our jets out of the fight against ISIS, yet emails from Global Affairs say there were. The minister said there is a capability gap, but the commander of the air force said there is not. The defence minister also claimed Conservatives sent our troops to fight ISIS without tax relief, yet a document with the defence minister's signature on it says the exact opposite. Canadians need a strong, principled, and trustworthy leader, not another patsy to the Prime Minister. How can anyone trust the Prime Minister and the defence minister? Will they apologize?
Look at that, Mr. Speaker. The Prime Minister is able to answer as many questions as he wants without unilaterally ramming changes through the House of Commons, which is exactly what he wants to do. He wants to rig the rules in his favour. He wants to cut off debate and silence his critics. He wants to shut this place down on Fridays. He wants less transparency and less accountability. He wants to diminish the voice of Canadians in this place. Now he only wants to show up in question period once a week.When will the Prime Minister stop acting so arrogantly and stop trying to make his life easier by reducing government accountability?
Mr. Speaker, like many of my colleagues, I was here on June 29, 2016, when former U.S. President Barack Obama was here, and we were promised that this would be resolved within weeks. Now we hear what the Prime Minister is saying in the House today. Why is no one capable of explaining to the Americans that they need to import 30% of their lumber and that 30% comes from Canada? It is not complicated. If they import less wood from Canada, the price of American wood will go up, Americans will build fewer houses, and there will be fewer jobs for carpenters, plumbers, and electricians. This is not rocket science. Why is the government incapable of explaining this to the Americans?
Mr. Speaker, one of the commitments we made and are keeping from our election campaign is to renew and modernize the appointments process, to allow Canadians to apply from all different backgrounds and all different walks of life and diversity, and to have appointments across the country that better reflect the full diversity of backgrounds, views and perspectives of Canadians on a merit-based system.That is exactly what we have done, particularly necessary after too long of successive governments choosing favouritism over objective qualities. That is what we have done, and are continuing to do.
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness takes this very seriously, as does the Prime Minister. The thoughts of all Canadians are with the residents of Manitoba affected by the flooding, as well as with the first responders and others working hard on the ground to keep people safe. We are ensuring that affected first nations community members are safe, secure, and out of the path of flood waters. For several months now, the government operations centre has been monitoring flood risks and preparing for the spring melt in collaboration with federal and provincial partners. Should we receive a request for assistance from the province, our government stands ready to help.
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to say that, as a government, we are open to working together, across party lines, to properly represent Canada and build this relationship.I want to point out the work that we are doing with all of the different parties in the House to properly position ourselves with regard to the new American administration. Many premiers from various provinces and political parties are diligently working with us to present a united front to the United States. It is important that we listen to each other and work together because this goes beyond partisanship
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her intervention.Indeed, we are all concerned about the cost of living for all Canadians. That is why we did something about it. We lowered taxes for the middle class and increased them for the wealthiest 1%. We implemented the Canada child benefit, which gives more money to nine out of ten Canadian families every month and as a result lifts hundreds of thousands of young people out of poverty and reduces child poverty by 40%. We agree with the hon. members across the way that a lot of work still needs to be done, but we are here to keep working for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, we promised to legalize and control cannabis for two very specific reasons.First, we want to prevent our kids from having easy access to cannabis, as they do now. We know that it is easier for a young person to buy a joint than a bottle of beer. That is unacceptable. At the same time, we know that organized crime groups make billions of dollars trafficking marijuana, and that is exactly what we want to prevent.Decriminalizing cannabis will do nothing to protect our kids and nothing to counter organized crime, and I will continue to repeat that until
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, Brian Mulroney, who is pushing for the government to put an end to our supply management system, is going to advise the Liberal cabinet on the renegotiation of NAFTA. When it comes to international trade and the protection of our supply management system, the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party are really just one and the same.At least the compensation provided for by the Conservatives to producers and processors would have been more substantial once the Canada-Europe free trade agreement took effect.Can the Liberal Party and the Prime Minister confirm to us today that they will grant tariff quotas to Canadian processors?
Mr. Speaker, since Bill C-38 in 2012, we have been labouring under a broken environmental assessment process. Today we have a landmark report from the expert panel on EA, headed by our former commissioner for the environment. It makes a bold recommendation: get rid of the NEB's Environmental Assessment Agency, have a single authority, give it quasi-judicial powers.For the Prime Minister, how quickly can we expect this great recommendation to be legislated?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister should be ashamed of the decisions being made by his Minister of Public Services and Procurement. Thanks to the good work done by the member for Edmonton West, we now know that the public servants who worked on Phoenix, either directly or indirectly, received bonuses totalling $5 million and $14,000 per employee. How could the Prime Minister possibly want to grant bonuses? Did he not in fact want to set an example for Bombardier executives?
Mr. Speaker, this government was elected on a pledge of openness and transparency, and we are keeping that pledge. We are demonstrating a level of accountability that is going far beyond what any previous government did. We continue to look forward to ways to improve and increase the level of transparency and accountability of this government.I welcome the hard work done by the committee. I look forward to continuing to work with all members in the House to improve the way government and indeed Parliament functions in a collaborative, respectful way.
Mr. Speaker, let us see if the Prime Minister can try answering this question.The minister's website states that the requirements for a successful nominee include extensive experience related to...the operation of a port or to maritime trade. Ms. Stebbing's own law firm's website states that she specializes in estate planning, administration and accounting. She focuses on ensuring her clients wishes are respected after they pass away.Could the Prime Minister explain to the House what in Jennifer Stebbing's resume met the requirements of extensive experience in maritime trade?
Mr. Speaker, nearly 100 years ago, Canadians from all across the country, including many Quebeckers, fought non only in our country's four divisions of soldiers, but also, for the first time, as part of a united Canadian force at Vimy Ridge. This historic moment not only marked a great victory for Canada and allied forces but also showed that our emerging nation was ready to take its place on the international scene.How is the Government of Canada going to mark the 100th anniversary of this seminal event for our country?
Mr. Speaker, like all Canadians I applaud the Minister of National Defence for his extraordinary service to this country and respect the extraordinary work that he has done as Minister of National Defence. Our allies were rightly interested in how Canada was going to continue to participate in the coalition against Daesh, how we were going to continue to demonstrate that Canada is a valuable partner that contributes in the war against Daesh, and that is exactly what we did.We demonstrated that we knew that Canadians could help on the ground through training and support for the peshmerga as they advanced toward Mosul, and that is exactly what our allies have most appreciated about us over the past year and a half.
Mr. Speaker, as vice chair of the committee, I am pleased to answer the question and teach the Prime Minister to do something he has not learned in 18 months, which is to give a straight answer. The committee did indeed table its report last year. In light of a recent announcement by the President of the Treasury Board that the government did not intend to implement its promised reforms anytime soon, some committee members moved a motion calling on the President of the Treasury Board to explain himself at committee. For those who do not know, our committee has a Liberal majority. When it came to a vote, the motion was defeated.
Mr. Speaker, that is what we would call all hat, no horse.A government email confirms that the Iraqi government asked Canada to continue its bombing mission against ISIS on multiple occasions. Our Kurdish and Iraqi partners in the fight against ISIS describe our air strikes as effective and life-saving and as destroying the enemy.Our allies repeatedly asked Canada to keep our CF-18s in the fight, but the minister ignored them and told Canadians that our partners and allies were okay with the Liberals' decision. Canadians cannot trust the Minister of National Defence when he continues to mislead us. Will the Prime Minister make the Minister of National Defence apologize?
Mr. Speaker, the new appointments process is the perfect Liberal misdirection. Another one of Ms. Stebbing's qualifications for appointment to the Hamilton Port Authority is that she is also the Liberal Party's golden horseshoe regional president. While the Minister of Transport waxes eloquent on openness and transparency, being a Liberal donor or failed candidate are the qualifications that win the day.Will the Prime Minister direct the minister to go back to the job posting that is still on Transport Canada's website and nominate someone who is actually qualified for the position?
Mr. Speaker, today on the Hill there are hundreds of people helping to recognize World Autism Day. They are calling on the Prime Minister to provide less than $4 million a year to continue the good work of the Canadian Autism Partnership Project, money that was missing in the budget. That is almost equivalent to the bonus hike the CEO of Bombardier gave himself for one year. What kind of message does the Prime Minister think this sends to parents of kids with autism when the Prime Minister can find money for bonuses for executives from Bombardier but he cannot find money for families with autism?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the Prime Minister that Bombardier came looking for money for its C Series. It did not ask for anything for the Global 7000 but, coincidentally, the government accommodates people from Toronto. If it is as good as that, why will the Prime Minister not let Bombardier and his minister appear before the parliamentary committee? Given the situation, that is what we want. We, the Conservatives, are inviting the big boss of Bombardier to appear before the parliamentary committee and explain himself.Does the Prime Minister agree?
Mr. Speaker, today's question period was very noisy and emotional. You said that I was being rowdy. I do not profess to be the most circumspect or the quietest
Mr. Speaker, once again flooding has hit Manitoba. There are many evacuees and most are from first nations, including Peguis First Nation, the largest in Manitoba. This is not the first time that this is happening, and every time it happens, first nations are hit the hardest.The Prime Minister likes to talk about first nations, but what people in crisis on the ground need is immediate action. Will his government work with Peguis and other first nations to provide the long-term flood mitigation that they need now?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her concern about the quality of our appointments.We are very much focused on the quality and diversity of the appointments we make. We know that the people we appoint into positions of authority should reflect the entire diversity of the country and have a range of experiences and qualifications.That is exactly what we have been doing and why we are so proud that we have had more female appointments than male. We have had extraordinary diversity. We have had tremendous indigenous appointments across the country. We have renewed the appointments process and allowed Canadians from all backgrounds to apply.
Mr. Speaker, the investments we are making in the future of our aerospace industry will lead to good jobs across the country and to economic growth and innovation. The loan we made to Bombardier that is focused on two specific products, the C Series airplane and the Global 7000, demonstrates that we believe in the strong future for the aerospace industry in this country, and why we are going to continue to make investments that will lead to good jobs and opportunities for innovation and growth right across the country in high-value industries, like the aerospace industry.
Mr. Speaker, I hear members opposite have many suggestions on how we can improve the functioning of the House. I look forward to listening to that member and to all members of the House put forward their suggestions on improving the way we serve Canadians and our constituents at the same time. I am very pleased to encourage people to participate.
Mr. Speaker, we are pleased that we have brought forward proposals to help modernize Parliament, and I look forward to start discussing the various options in committee. I want to hear what our friends in the other parties are going to suggest. I am really looking forward to working with them to ensure that Parliament better serves Canadians across the country and that we better serve our constituents as well.I believe that everyone knows that we can always do better, and that is exactly what I hope to do, together with the members of Parliament.
Mr. Speaker, I recognize the passion the member opposite has for this issue and recognize all members in the House who have stood up strongly in talking about autism and celebrating the advancements that have been made and indeed highlighting the work that we continue to do. On Bombardier, I do need to point out that this was a loan that we were happy to make to invest in specific projects that are going to create good jobs for Canadians, that are going to secure the long-term future of the aerospace industry in this country, which leads to economic growth, innovation, and benefits for communities and the middle-class workers who live in them right across the country.
Mr. Speaker, I totally agree with the hon. member. He makes a very good point. We need to do more to explain to the Americans just how important free trade between Canada and the U.S. is for jobs and for consumers on both sides of the border.We will continue with our work and remain united in our desire to resolve this issue. That is why we are so determined and are working so hard to protect Canadian jobs and create economic growth in communities across the country.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her long-time leadership on environmental issues. We are also very interested in this report that has come forward. We know there is a lot more work to do to improve environmental assessment in this country. Without public trust we cannot build the kind of infrastructure projects or the future for our communities that we need. We need to make sure we are demonstrating that we understand that protecting the environment goes hand in hand with building a strong economic future for Canadians, and this report goes right to how we can perhaps do that and do even better. I thank the member for her leadership on this matter.
Mr. Speaker, in our election platform, we put forward billions of dollars toward green infrastructure, which includes flood mitigation, which is so important. We are working indeed with first nations to ensure that they are safe and taken care of through this particular crisis. Our commitment to renewal and to reconciliation means that we will be working with indigenous communities right across the country to build a long-term, stable, protected future with them as full partners determining how best to do that. That is what the spirit of reconciliation means. That is what this government
Mr. Speaker, on our commitment to continue as a valuable member of the coalition against Daesh, we were very clear in the election campaign that we would look for ways that better suited Canada's capacities. That is what we told our allies and explained to them throughout those months as we were determining how best Canada could help.I can assure this House and all Canadians that our allies were very pleased with the level of contribution Canadians offered over the past months, a year and a half, to the fight against Daesh.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said a number of times, this was a personal family vacation. I am more than happy to continue to engage with the Ethics Commissioner and her office on any questions related to this travel.
Mr. Speaker, I am always pleased to highlight for the House the investments that Canada is making in our aerospace industry because we know that this will lead to good jobs today and in the future, stimulate innovation, and enable us to capture a larger share of the global market. It will help us demonstrate that Canada makes good-quality merchandise and goods and provides services throughout the world.We know that investments are needed to achieve this success and we are proud of what we are doing to create opportunities for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the Battle of Vimy Ridge allowed Canada to take its place as a country on solid footing when the four Canadian divisions fought together for the first time to secure a stunning if costly victory.Canada will mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge with commemorative ceremonies in France, at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, and in major centres across the country.I hope that my colleagues will join me at these solemn commemorative ceremonies.Wherever we may be, this is the time for all of us to remember, recognize, and honour the brave men and women who have gone before us.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, we believe in the strong future for the aerospace industry in this country, and are happy to make investments that will lead to good jobs, growth and opportunities not just right now but for decades to come. The kinds of investments we are making in innovation, in the growth of the C Series and the Global 7000, will ensure the kind of opportunity and prosperity that Canadians have long been looking for. This is why we are making the right kinds of investments in our future and why we will continue to make investments, like lending Bombardier significant amounts, to be able to create opportunities to grow and succeed and continue our economic
Mr. Speaker, this government is very proud of what it is doing to give our armed forces the equipment and support needed to carry out the mandate entrusted to them by Canadians and this government.We know that Canada cannot do everything, but we will carry out our responsibilities properly with the help of all possible assets. For that reason we chose a mission that supports and trains the Kurds, a mission that has a significant impact in the fight against Daesh.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize the challenges that so many people in the Hamilton area and indeed across the country in the steel industry are facing. That is why we are so determined to work with our partners and allies and industry partners here in Canada to strengthen the steel industry.The issue of steel is one that has come up many times in our engagement with the United States. I can tell the member that we are working in a constructive, productive way to promote and defend our North American steel industry, to highlight the important role that the Canadian steel industry has in markets around the world, and to ensure that we are making the best possible secure future for our citizens and
Mr. Speaker, Canada is proud that we have stepped up in the fight against Daesh by contributing significantly to training on the ground, to supporting the Peshmerga, to demonstrate that there are many ways that Canada can have a positive impact in the fight against Daesh.We continue to stand strongly with our international allies, including in the Iraqi government, as we bring the fight to a positive conclusion alongside our allies.
Mr. Speaker, the question I think we can all agree on in this place isand I hear the energy, enthusiasm, and passion of the member oppositewhat will that change look like? How do we change this place so it becomes better able to serve? That is why I look forward very much to hearing the suggestions and contributions from the members opposite on how we can better serve Canadians. That is what Canadians
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to be held accountable by Canadians and by people in the House every single day. That goes with the responsibilities I have and we all have collectively in the House. Drawing on
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to personally answer this question.The fact is that I accept any suggestions and opportunities the member has. As he puts forward suggestions and opportunities that we can have to improve the tone of this House to make sure that we are working in better ways
Mr. Speaker, as I said, I am happy to draw suggestions from all sides of the House. The proposal around prime minister's questions was actually made by the member from Halton Hills a number of years ago. It is the kind of thing we are happy to discuss and look at. I think it means we should have a discussion about how to improve the ways we serve Canadians. Bringing forward positive discussions on improving the way the House works is entirely responsible and entirely in keeping with what Canadians expect. I look forward to hearing many more concrete proposals from all benches in the House of Commons.
Mr. Speaker, obviously the member has very strong ideas about how to improve this place, how to make it better, how to make sure we are being accountable and serving Canadians in the right way. I encourage the member to bring forward those concrete suggestions so we can work together to make sure the House serves Canadians better to the level they expect.I am happy we are having this conversation, and I look forward to continuing it in committee and in various places where we can demonstrate our commitment collectively to serve Canadians with everything we have.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians made a choice in the last election. They chose a party that was committed to modernizing Parliament.I am very pleased to suggest various ways in which hon. members may contribute to the process and to developing our approach to modernization. People expect us to work together in a respectful manner, as we are today, to determine the best way to improve the House of Commons. It is perfectly reasonable to want to work with hon. members and I hope that we can work together.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his extraordinary advocacy on this file for a very long time. It is one that touches us all, and we all know we do need to work together to do more on it.On the issue of funding for Bombardier, we made sure that we are investing in the kinds of things that will lead to good jobs
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister took hundreds of millions of dollars from Canadian taxpayers and loaned that money to Bombardier. To show its gratitude, Bombardier cut 14,000 jobs while its senior executives gave themselves tens of millions of dollars in raises. This makes no sense at all, and is quite the departure from the spirit of the company's founder Joseph-Armand Bombardier, who was a great Canadian.Those people are filling their pockets while the current government is emptying Canadian taxpayers' pockets.Can the Prime Minister stand in his place and tell us whether he picked up his phone and called the CEO of Bombardier to tell him that what Bombardier is doing makes no sense?
Mr. Speaker, I am always happy to hear suggestions from the members opposite; even when they are yelled out, their suggestions are acceptable. I want to work with the members in order to improve the situation.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage the member opposite to continue contributing suggestions on how we can improve the working atmosphere in the House, how we can better deliver for Canadians. We are happy that we have launched a conversation about how we can modernize this place, how we can improve the service we offer, both to Canadians and to our constituents. I look forward to engaging with all members in the House on improvements that can be made to this place as we move forward.
Mr. Speaker, we have an extraordinary minister who is working on Canada's first-ever accessibility act, which will focus on ensuring that all Canadians of differing abilities and challenges are able to succeed and move forward in an inclusive country that gives everyone a real and fair chance to succeed.
Mr. Speaker, I agree with my hon. colleague in that we are very proud of Bombardier and of what it has accomplished in the aerospace industry over the years, the good jobs it has created, and the innovation and economic leadership it has shown across the country.That is why we were happy to invest in two specific programs by providing a loan to Bombardier that will translate into the long-term viability of these projects and create job opportunities in the aerospace industry across the country.
Mr. Speaker, we know the Minister of National Defence misled Canadians when he said that our allies were okay with Canada pulling our fighter jets out of the fight against ISIS. We now know that this was deliberately misleading, and it was a betrayal of our nation's trust.My question to the Prime Minister is very straightforward. Did he instruct his Minister of National Defence to mislead Canadians in order to save face?
Mr. Speaker, forcing a so-called discussion paper on the committee is a monologue, not a dialogue.This Prime Minister promised to put an end to the concentration of power that began with his father's tenure, but instead he is preparing to ram through changes that will benefit the Liberals.Does the Prime Minister understand the difference between making things better for Parliament and making things better for the Liberals?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his passion and enthusiasm for this issue.Naturally, what happens in the House matters very much to us all, but the important thing is to ensure that we are serving Canadians well. As I have always said, diversity helps make this country strong. That is why I am very happy to hear the suggestions and contributions coming from members across the aisle. I want to ensure that they can participate fully in this conversation about how we are going to improve this workplace to better serve people in the House and across the country.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize that Canadians chose a different approach when they elected us as government. We choose to make decisions based on how Canada can best help in the world. We make decisions based on facts, based on evidence, and based on the best way to move forward. That is the approach we have always taken and will always take, particularly in regard to the brave men and women serving in the Canadian Forces.
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Mr. Speaker, we recognize that Canadians chose a different approach when they elected us as government. We choose to make decisions based on how Canada can best help in the world. We make decisions based on facts, based on evidence, and based on the best way to move forward. That is the approach we have always taken and will always take, particularly in regard to the brave men and women serving in the Canadian Forces.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his passion and enthusiasm for this issue.Naturally, what happens in the House matters very much to us all, but the important thing is to ensure that we are serving Canadians well. As I have always said, diversity helps make this country strong. That is why I am very happy to hear the suggestions and contributions coming from members across the aisle. I want to ensure that they can participate fully in this conversation about how we are going to improve this workplace to better serve people in the House and across the country.
Mr. Speaker, forcing a so-called discussion paper on the committee is a monologue, not a dialogue.This Prime Minister promised to put an end to the concentration of power that began with his father's tenure, but instead he is preparing to ram through changes that will benefit the Liberals.Does the Prime Minister understand the difference between making things better for Parliament and making things better for the Liberals?
Mr. Speaker, we know the Minister of National Defence misled Canadians when he said that our allies were okay with Canada pulling our fighter jets out of the fight against ISIS. We now know that this was deliberately misleading, and it was a betrayal of our nation's trust.My question to the Prime Minister is very straightforward. Did he instruct his Minister of National Defence to mislead Canadians in order to save face?
Mr. Speaker, I agree with my hon. colleague in that we are very proud of Bombardier and of what it has accomplished in the aerospace industry over the years, the good jobs it has created, and the innovation and economic leadership it has shown across the country.That is why we were happy to invest in two specific programs by providing a loan to Bombardier that will translate into the long-term viability of these projects and create job opportunities in the aerospace industry across the country.
Mr. Speaker, we have an extraordinary minister who is working on Canada's first-ever accessibility act, which will focus on ensuring that all Canadians of differing abilities and challenges are able to succeed and move forward in an inclusive country that gives everyone a real and fair chance to succeed.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage the member opposite to continue contributing suggestions on how we can improve the working atmosphere in the House, how we can better deliver for Canadians. We are happy that we have launched a conversation about how we can modernize this place, how we can improve the service we offer, both to Canadians and to our constituents. I look forward to engaging with all members in the House on improvements that can be made to this place as we move forward.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister took hundreds of millions of dollars from Canadian taxpayers and loaned that money to Bombardier. To show its gratitude, Bombardier cut 14,000 jobs while its senior executives gave themselves tens of millions of dollars in raises. This makes no sense at all, and is quite the departure from the spirit of the company's founder Joseph-Armand Bombardier, who was a great Canadian.Those people are filling their pockets while the current government is emptying Canadian taxpayers' pockets.Can the Prime Minister stand in his place and tell us whether he picked up his phone and called the CEO of Bombardier to tell him that what Bombardier is doing makes no sense?
Mr. Speaker, I am always happy to hear suggestions from the members opposite; even when they are yelled out, their suggestions are acceptable. I want to work with the members in order to improve the situation.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his extraordinary advocacy on this file for a very long time. It is one that touches us all, and we all know we do need to work together to do more on it.On the issue of funding for Bombardier, we made sure that we are investing in the kinds of things that will lead to good jobs
Mr. Speaker, Canadians made a choice in the last election. They chose a party that was committed to modernizing Parliament.I am very pleased to suggest various ways in which hon. members may contribute to the process and to developing our approach to modernization. People expect us to work together in a respectful manner, as we are today, to determine the best way to improve the House of Commons. It is perfectly reasonable to want to work with hon. members and I hope that we can work together.
Mr. Speaker, obviously the member has very strong ideas about how to improve this place, how to make it better, how to make sure we are being accountable and serving Canadians in the right way. I encourage the member to bring forward those concrete suggestions so we can work together to make sure the House serves Canadians better to the level they expect.I am happy we are having this conversation, and I look forward to continuing it in committee and in various places where we can demonstrate our commitment collectively to serve Canadians with everything we have.
Mr. Speaker, as I said, I am happy to draw suggestions from all sides of the House. The proposal around prime minister's questions was actually made by the member from Halton Hills a number of years ago. It is the kind of thing we are happy to discuss and look at. I think it means we should have a discussion about how to improve the ways we serve Canadians. Bringing forward positive discussions on improving the way the House works is entirely responsible and entirely in keeping with what Canadians expect. I look forward to hearing many more concrete proposals from all benches in the House of Commons.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to personally answer this question.The fact is that I accept any suggestions and opportunities the member has. As he puts forward suggestions and opportunities that we can have to improve the tone of this House to make sure that we are working in better ways
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to be held accountable by Canadians and by people in the House every single day. That goes with the responsibilities I have and we all have collectively in the House. Drawing on
Mr. Speaker, the question I think we can all agree on in this place isand I hear the energy, enthusiasm, and passion of the member oppositewhat will that change look like? How do we change this place so it becomes better able to serve? That is why I look forward very much to hearing the suggestions and contributions from the members opposite on how we can better serve Canadians. That is what Canadians
Mr. Speaker, Canada is proud that we have stepped up in the fight against Daesh by contributing significantly to training on the ground, to supporting the Peshmerga, to demonstrate that there are many ways that Canada can have a positive impact in the fight against Daesh.We continue to stand strongly with our international allies, including in the Iraqi government, as we bring the fight to a positive conclusion alongside our allies.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize the challenges that so many people in the Hamilton area and indeed across the country in the steel industry are facing. That is why we are so determined to work with our partners and allies and industry partners here in Canada to strengthen the steel industry.The issue of steel is one that has come up many times in our engagement with the United States. I can tell the member that we are working in a constructive, productive way to promote and defend our North American steel industry, to highlight the important role that the Canadian steel industry has in markets around the world, and to ensure that we are making the best possible secure future for our citizens and
Mr. Speaker, this government is very proud of what it is doing to give our armed forces the equipment and support needed to carry out the mandate entrusted to them by Canadians and this government.We know that Canada cannot do everything, but we will carry out our responsibilities properly with the help of all possible assets. For that reason we chose a mission that supports and trains the Kurds, a mission that has a significant impact in the fight against Daesh.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, we believe in the strong future for the aerospace industry in this country, and are happy to make investments that will lead to good jobs, growth and opportunities not just right now but for decades to come. The kinds of investments we are making in innovation, in the growth of the C Series and the Global 7000, will ensure the kind of opportunity and prosperity that Canadians have long been looking for. This is why we are making the right kinds of investments in our future and why we will continue to make investments, like lending Bombardier significant amounts, to be able to create opportunities to grow and succeed and continue our economic
Mr. Speaker, the Battle of Vimy Ridge allowed Canada to take its place as a country on solid footing when the four Canadian divisions fought together for the first time to secure a stunning if costly victory.Canada will mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge with commemorative ceremonies in France, at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, and in major centres across the country.I hope that my colleagues will join me at these solemn commemorative ceremonies.Wherever we may be, this is the time for all of us to remember, recognize, and honour the brave men and women who have gone before us.
Mr. Speaker, I am always pleased to highlight for the House the investments that Canada is making in our aerospace industry because we know that this will lead to good jobs today and in the future, stimulate innovation, and enable us to capture a larger share of the global market. It will help us demonstrate that Canada makes good-quality merchandise and goods and provides services throughout the world.We know that investments are needed to achieve this success and we are proud of what we are doing to create opportunities for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said a number of times, this was a personal family vacation. I am more than happy to continue to engage with the Ethics Commissioner and her office on any questions related to this travel.
Mr. Speaker, on our commitment to continue as a valuable member of the coalition against Daesh, we were very clear in the election campaign that we would look for ways that better suited Canada's capacities. That is what we told our allies and explained to them throughout those months as we were determining how best Canada could help.I can assure this House and all Canadians that our allies were very pleased with the level of contribution Canadians offered over the past months, a year and a half, to the fight against Daesh.
Mr. Speaker, in our election platform, we put forward billions of dollars toward green infrastructure, which includes flood mitigation, which is so important. We are working indeed with first nations to ensure that they are safe and taken care of through this particular crisis. Our commitment to renewal and to reconciliation means that we will be working with indigenous communities right across the country to build a long-term, stable, protected future with them as full partners determining how best to do that. That is what the spirit of reconciliation means. That is what this government
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her long-time leadership on environmental issues. We are also very interested in this report that has come forward. We know there is a lot more work to do to improve environmental assessment in this country. Without public trust we cannot build the kind of infrastructure projects or the future for our communities that we need. We need to make sure we are demonstrating that we understand that protecting the environment goes hand in hand with building a strong economic future for Canadians, and this report goes right to how we can perhaps do that and do even better. I thank the member for her leadership on this matter.
Mr. Speaker, I totally agree with the hon. member. He makes a very good point. We need to do more to explain to the Americans just how important free trade between Canada and the U.S. is for jobs and for consumers on both sides of the border.We will continue with our work and remain united in our desire to resolve this issue. That is why we are so determined and are working so hard to protect Canadian jobs and create economic growth in communities across the country.
Mr. Speaker, I recognize the passion the member opposite has for this issue and recognize all members in the House who have stood up strongly in talking about autism and celebrating the advancements that have been made and indeed highlighting the work that we continue to do. On Bombardier, I do need to point out that this was a loan that we were happy to make to invest in specific projects that are going to create good jobs for Canadians, that are going to secure the long-term future of the aerospace industry in this country, which leads to economic growth, innovation, and benefits for communities and the middle-class workers who live in them right across the country.
Mr. Speaker, we are pleased that we have brought forward proposals to help modernize Parliament, and I look forward to start discussing the various options in committee. I want to hear what our friends in the other parties are going to suggest. I am really looking forward to working with them to ensure that Parliament better serves Canadians across the country and that we better serve our constituents as well.I believe that everyone knows that we can always do better, and that is exactly what I hope to do, together with the members of Parliament.
Mr. Speaker, I hear members opposite have many suggestions on how we can improve the functioning of the House. I look forward to listening to that member and to all members of the House put forward their suggestions on improving the way we serve Canadians and our constituents at the same time. I am very pleased to encourage people to participate.
Mr. Speaker, the investments we are making in the future of our aerospace industry will lead to good jobs across the country and to economic growth and innovation. The loan we made to Bombardier that is focused on two specific products, the C Series airplane and the Global 7000, demonstrates that we believe in the strong future for the aerospace industry in this country, and why we are going to continue to make investments that will lead to good jobs and opportunities for innovation and growth right across the country in high-value industries, like the aerospace industry.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her concern about the quality of our appointments.We are very much focused on the quality and diversity of the appointments we make. We know that the people we appoint into positions of authority should reflect the entire diversity of the country and have a range of experiences and qualifications.That is exactly what we have been doing and why we are so proud that we have had more female appointments than male. We have had extraordinary diversity. We have had tremendous indigenous appointments across the country. We have renewed the appointments process and allowed Canadians from all backgrounds to apply.
Mr. Speaker, once again flooding has hit Manitoba. There are many evacuees and most are from first nations, including Peguis First Nation, the largest in Manitoba. This is not the first time that this is happening, and every time it happens, first nations are hit the hardest.The Prime Minister likes to talk about first nations, but what people in crisis on the ground need is immediate action. Will his government work with Peguis and other first nations to provide the long-term flood mitigation that they need now?
Mr. Speaker, today on the Hill there are hundreds of people helping to recognize World Autism Day. They are calling on the Prime Minister to provide less than $4 million a year to continue the good work of the Canadian Autism Partnership Project, money that was missing in the budget. That is almost equivalent to the bonus hike the CEO of Bombardier gave himself for one year. What kind of message does the Prime Minister think this sends to parents of kids with autism when the Prime Minister can find money for bonuses for executives from Bombardier but he cannot find money for families with autism?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the Prime Minister that Bombardier came looking for money for its C Series. It did not ask for anything for the Global 7000 but, coincidentally, the government accommodates people from Toronto. If it is as good as that, why will the Prime Minister not let Bombardier and his minister appear before the parliamentary committee? Given the situation, that is what we want. We, the Conservatives, are inviting the big boss of Bombardier to appear before the parliamentary committee and explain himself.Does the Prime Minister agree?
Mr. Speaker, today's question period was very noisy and emotional. You said that I was being rowdy. I do not profess to be the most circumspect or the quietest
Mr. Speaker, the new appointments process is the perfect Liberal misdirection. Another one of Ms. Stebbing's qualifications for appointment to the Hamilton Port Authority is that she is also the Liberal Party's golden horseshoe regional president. While the Minister of Transport waxes eloquent on openness and transparency, being a Liberal donor or failed candidate are the qualifications that win the day.Will the Prime Minister direct the minister to go back to the job posting that is still on Transport Canada's website and nominate someone who is actually qualified for the position?
Mr. Speaker, that is what we would call all hat, no horse.A government email confirms that the Iraqi government asked Canada to continue its bombing mission against ISIS on multiple occasions. Our Kurdish and Iraqi partners in the fight against ISIS describe our air strikes as effective and life-saving and as destroying the enemy.Our allies repeatedly asked Canada to keep our CF-18s in the fight, but the minister ignored them and told Canadians that our partners and allies were okay with the Liberals' decision. Canadians cannot trust the Minister of National Defence when he continues to mislead us. Will the Prime Minister make the Minister of National Defence apologize?
Mr. Speaker, as vice chair of the committee, I am pleased to answer the question and teach the Prime Minister to do something he has not learned in 18 months, which is to give a straight answer. The committee did indeed table its report last year. In light of a recent announcement by the President of the Treasury Board that the government did not intend to implement its promised reforms anytime soon, some committee members moved a motion calling on the President of the Treasury Board to explain himself at committee. For those who do not know, our committee has a Liberal majority. When it came to a vote, the motion was defeated.
Mr. Speaker, like all Canadians I applaud the Minister of National Defence for his extraordinary service to this country and respect the extraordinary work that he has done as Minister of National Defence. Our allies were rightly interested in how Canada was going to continue to participate in the coalition against Daesh, how we were going to continue to demonstrate that Canada is a valuable partner that contributes in the war against Daesh, and that is exactly what we did.We demonstrated that we knew that Canadians could help on the ground through training and support for the peshmerga as they advanced toward Mosul, and that is exactly what our allies have most appreciated about us over the past year and a half.
Mr. Speaker, nearly 100 years ago, Canadians from all across the country, including many Quebeckers, fought non only in our country's four divisions of soldiers, but also, for the first time, as part of a united Canadian force at Vimy Ridge. This historic moment not only marked a great victory for Canada and allied forces but also showed that our emerging nation was ready to take its place on the international scene.How is the Government of Canada going to mark the 100th anniversary of this seminal event for our country?
Mr. Speaker, let us see if the Prime Minister can try answering this question.The minister's website states that the requirements for a successful nominee include extensive experience related to...the operation of a port or to maritime trade. Ms. Stebbing's own law firm's website states that she specializes in estate planning, administration and accounting. She focuses on ensuring her clients wishes are respected after they pass away.Could the Prime Minister explain to the House what in Jennifer Stebbing's resume met the requirements of extensive experience in maritime trade?
Mr. Speaker, this government was elected on a pledge of openness and transparency, and we are keeping that pledge. We are demonstrating a level of accountability that is going far beyond what any previous government did. We continue to look forward to ways to improve and increase the level of transparency and accountability of this government.I welcome the hard work done by the committee. I look forward to continuing to work with all members in the House to improve the way government and indeed Parliament functions in a collaborative, respectful way.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister should be ashamed of the decisions being made by his Minister of Public Services and Procurement. Thanks to the good work done by the member for Edmonton West, we now know that the public servants who worked on Phoenix, either directly or indirectly, received bonuses totalling $5 million and $14,000 per employee. How could the Prime Minister possibly want to grant bonuses? Did he not in fact want to set an example for Bombardier executives?
Mr. Speaker, since Bill C-38 in 2012, we have been labouring under a broken environmental assessment process. Today we have a landmark report from the expert panel on EA, headed by our former commissioner for the environment. It makes a bold recommendation: get rid of the NEB's Environmental Assessment Agency, have a single authority, give it quasi-judicial powers.For the Prime Minister, how quickly can we expect this great recommendation to be legislated?
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, Brian Mulroney, who is pushing for the government to put an end to our supply management system, is going to advise the Liberal cabinet on the renegotiation of NAFTA. When it comes to international trade and the protection of our supply management system, the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party are really just one and the same.At least the compensation provided for by the Conservatives to producers and processors would have been more substantial once the Canada-Europe free trade agreement took effect.Can the Liberal Party and the Prime Minister confirm to us today that they will grant tariff quotas to Canadian processors?
Mr. Speaker, we promised to legalize and control cannabis for two very specific reasons.First, we want to prevent our kids from having easy access to cannabis, as they do now. We know that it is easier for a young person to buy a joint than a bottle of beer. That is unacceptable. At the same time, we know that organized crime groups make billions of dollars trafficking marijuana, and that is exactly what we want to prevent.Decriminalizing cannabis will do nothing to protect our kids and nothing to counter organized crime, and I will continue to repeat that until
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her intervention.Indeed, we are all concerned about the cost of living for all Canadians. That is why we did something about it. We lowered taxes for the middle class and increased them for the wealthiest 1%. We implemented the Canada child benefit, which gives more money to nine out of ten Canadian families every month and as a result lifts hundreds of thousands of young people out of poverty and reduces child poverty by 40%. We agree with the hon. members across the way that a lot of work still needs to be done, but we are here to keep working for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to say that, as a government, we are open to working together, across party lines, to properly represent Canada and build this relationship.I want to point out the work that we are doing with all of the different parties in the House to properly position ourselves with regard to the new American administration. Many premiers from various provinces and political parties are diligently working with us to present a united front to the United States. It is important that we listen to each other and work together because this goes beyond partisanship
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness takes this very seriously, as does the Prime Minister. The thoughts of all Canadians are with the residents of Manitoba affected by the flooding, as well as with the first responders and others working hard on the ground to keep people safe. We are ensuring that affected first nations community members are safe, secure, and out of the path of flood waters. For several months now, the government operations centre has been monitoring flood risks and preparing for the spring melt in collaboration with federal and provincial partners. Should we receive a request for assistance from the province, our government stands ready to help.
Mr. Speaker, one of the commitments we made and are keeping from our election campaign is to renew and modernize the appointments process, to allow Canadians to apply from all different backgrounds and all different walks of life and diversity, and to have appointments across the country that better reflect the full diversity of backgrounds, views and perspectives of Canadians on a merit-based system.That is exactly what we have done, particularly necessary after too long of successive governments choosing favouritism over objective qualities. That is what we have done, and are continuing to do.
Mr. Speaker, like many of my colleagues, I was here on June 29, 2016, when former U.S. President Barack Obama was here, and we were promised that this would be resolved within weeks. Now we hear what the Prime Minister is saying in the House today. Why is no one capable of explaining to the Americans that they need to import 30% of their lumber and that 30% comes from Canada? It is not complicated. If they import less wood from Canada, the price of American wood will go up, Americans will build fewer houses, and there will be fewer jobs for carpenters, plumbers, and electricians. This is not rocket science. Why is the government incapable of explaining this to the Americans?
Look at that, Mr. Speaker. The Prime Minister is able to answer as many questions as he wants without unilaterally ramming changes through the House of Commons, which is exactly what he wants to do. He wants to rig the rules in his favour. He wants to cut off debate and silence his critics. He wants to shut this place down on Fridays. He wants less transparency and less accountability. He wants to diminish the voice of Canadians in this place. Now he only wants to show up in question period once a week.When will the Prime Minister stop acting so arrogantly and stop trying to make his life easier by reducing government accountability?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister continues to double down on the alternative facts. The defence minister said that there were no qualms about pulling our jets out of the fight against ISIS, yet emails from Global Affairs say there were. The minister said there is a capability gap, but the commander of the air force said there is not. The defence minister also claimed Conservatives sent our troops to fight ISIS without tax relief, yet a document with the defence minister's signature on it says the exact opposite. Canadians need a strong, principled, and trustworthy leader, not another patsy to the Prime Minister. How can anyone trust the Prime Minister and the defence minister? Will they apologize?
Mr. Speaker, with regard to the tax credit for public transit, that measure was introduced to promote the use of public transit. That is what the minister said when she introduced the measure to Canadians.Sadly, according to the numbers, the measure had no impact on the use of public transit. That is why we decided instead to invest billions of dollars more in new public transit projects, including the Réseau électrique métropolitain in Montreal and the Service rapide par bus in Quebec City. Similar projects exist across the country, and we are pleased to invest in them to help the middle class and those working hard to join it.
Mr. Speaker, in recent days, residents of southern and central Manitoba have been impacted by rising water levels and flooding, which has resulted in local states of emergency, road closures, and evacuations in several first nations communities. Our hearts go out to the evacuees in their time of need and to others in the communities dealing with encroaching flood waters. I know all members join me in expressing our concern, as well as our appreciation for first responders. Can the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness tell us how the government is supporting Manitobans as this year's flood season begins?
Mr. Speaker, as a veteran, I would like to thank the Minister of National Defence for his service. That said, he is now the Minister of National Defence, and no longer a soldier.For the good of Canada, we should not allow the Minister of National Defence to distort the facts. To say that the Iraqis and the Kurds were pleased with the new mission in Iraq is completely false and to state that the Royal Canadian Air Force has a capability gap is completely false. In addition, the minister is further damaging the reputation of the Canadian Forces by postponing major procurement projects for 20 years.Can the Prime Minister ask the Minister of National Defence to show some backbone and tell Canadians the truth?
Mr. Speaker, recent reports forecast that Hamilton steel producer, Stelco, which is currently under bankruptcy protection, will soon have close to $300 million in the bank. Meanwhile, after the company cut workers' health benefits, pensioners have to apply to a temporary fund for emergency prescriptions or health needs on a first-come, first-served basis.How can we explain to the 20,000 Stelco retirees that the government allows Canadian companies to bank $300 million while they strip much needed and earned health benefits? When will the government step in and help these retirees?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are indefinitely postponing the reforms they had promised to access to information, despite the very comprehensive report released by the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada in 2015 and the report by the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in 2016. We would like the President of the Treasury Board to explain this sudden flip-flop to parliamentarians. Can the vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics tell the House what business the committee will be working on next?
Mr. Speaker, after the way the Prime Minister treated electoral reform, his treatment of parliamentary democracy has about as much credibility as a Pepsi commercial.I know that the Prime Minister is looking forward to having this discussion. He wants to hear passionate speeches and get our suggestions, but the problem is the process. All it would take to launch the discussion that he so badly wants is to assure us that the changes will not be made unilaterally.I will give the Prime Minister another chance to give us those assurances today, right now. Will he promise not to make any changes unilaterally, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, first of all, as we have said repeatedly, it is unacceptable that anyone should have to work without adequate, reliable pay. That is why we are working so hard on the Phoenix system in question; we want to fix this problem that we inherited. The fact is that we will continue to work with public services and with everyone involved to fix this problem, which, I agree, has been dragging on too long.
Mr. Speaker, access to information reform has been studied time and again. In fact, one could say in this case it has been studied literally to death. Despite two recent reports and calls for reform, the President of the Treasury Board announced he was not going to be keeping his promise to introduce new legislation this spring. Instead of explaining himself at committee, to which he earnestly promised reform, he is allowing the Liberal members to run interference. Why is he suddenly scared to come to the committee, and will he take this opportunity to explain himself to the House?
Mr. Speaker, the government wants to unilaterally change the rules that govern the House of Commons. At first, the Liberals pretended it was just a discussion paper and now they claim that this power grab is necessary to be rammed through here because, well, it was in their election platform. Can the Prime Minister explain then why he used the excuse of a lack of consensus to abandon his platform promise on democratic reform, but now he unilaterally wants to change the way our democracy works?
Mr. Speaker, I am not the quietest member, but I believe this is a case of mistaken identity.
Mr. Speaker, we have been working with the U.S. government on resolving this issue from the very beginning of our mandate. We know that thousands of jobs and communities across the country depend on forestry. It is our duty to keep working very hard to protect those jobs and create more opportunities in Canada's forestry industry. We know that Americans do not want their housing and construction costs to go up. Canada is a major supplier of softwood lumber for American consumers.We will keep working with the U.S. government to resolve this frustrating dispute.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Prime Minister for taking so many questions today. I would also like to point out, again, that he managed to do this without changing a single rule. No need to unilaterally use the power to ram through the changes. He was able to do it within existing rules.Will he now commit in this place that he will continue that spirit of co-operation? Will he agree that he will not use his unilateral majority to change the rules in this place and change how democracy works? Will he do that now, today?
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member for Kitchener SouthHespeler on the hard work he is doing on his files.We are outraged by the reports of a chemical weapons attack against innocent civilians in Syria. The use of chemical weapons is a war crime. This is just the latest atrocity in a conflict that has been going on far too long. Our government is acting. We are providing $840 million worth of assistance for the region, and are increasing accountability by supporting evidence gathering of these war crimes. Furthermore, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is participating in the Brussels conference on the future of Syria to support lasting resolution to the war and address the needs of the vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, we are shocked and appalled by the reports of chemical weapons attacks against civilians in Syria. Many of the victims were children. It is critical that we hold those responsible to account for these war crimes. We are supporting evidence gathering to achieve that end. In addition, we will provide $840-million worth of lifesaving humanitarian and development assistance for the region to alleviate the suffering in this conflict.As we speak, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is at the Brussels conference on the future of Syria. These meetings will work toward finding a lasting political resolution to the Syrian war and to addressing the critical needs of the most vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, it is quite a spectacle today. If only there were a Standing Order that could be concocted that would guarantee the quality of the Prime Minister's answers and not just the quantity of the Prime Minister's answers, we would actually get somewhere. Speaking of the Prime Minister, unlike hard-working Canadians, the Prime Minister took a lavish billionaire boondoggle vacation at taxpayer expense over the holidays. Now we know the taxpayers also paid to his billionaire friend the money to accommodate the Prime Minister's staff on this lavish holiday.When will the Prime Minister come down from his sandcastle in the sky and explain why the taxpayers are on the hook?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government continues to hide the number of charges and criminal records handed out for cannabis possession since the Liberals have come to power. Charges for serious crimes are being stayed or withdrawn because of a lack of resources, and yet the Prime Minister is fine with overloading the justice system with possession charges. This disproportionately affects young and racialized Canadians and there is quite a bit of hypocrisy to that.Does the Prime Minister think he would be where he is today if he had been caught when smoking marijuana?
Mr. Speaker, I understand the question and concerns the members opposite have, but our focus on legalization and control of cannabis is on protecting our kids and on getting the money out of organized crime's pockets. We know that happens when we legalize and control and bring in a proper regime. The fact is decriminalization does nothing to protect our kids, nothing to remove the profits from the hands of criminals. Until such a moment as we have a legal framework that protects our kids and stops the criminals from profiting, it will remain illegal.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals continue to hand out criminal records to Canadians, particularly young people and minority groups, for possession of marijuana. Every time we propose the decriminalization of marijuana as an interim measure, the Liberals say that we are against legalization, which is not true. We are against the fact that thousands of Canadians are being prosecuted in the meantime, since that affects the rest of their lives. Can the Prime Minister tell us how many people have been handed a criminal record since the last election?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's Office stated publicly on November 26 that there was absolutely no pressure put on Canada to continue its bombing mission in Iraq. We now know that is not true. Emails from Canadian officials prove that our allies asked the Minister of National Defence, on numerous occasions, to keep our CF-18s in the fight. Did the Prime Minister deliberately mislead the public, or is he in the dark when it comes to Canada's defence and national security?
Mr. Speaker, in response to an earlier question on autism from the Leader of the Opposition, the Prime Minister talked of his government highlighting the work that we continue to do. The trouble is, his government is doing the exact opposite.In 2015, our government funded a world-class Canadian autism partnership working group. The Liberal budget just rejected the request for funding to allow that critical work to continue. Could the Prime Minister please explain how his government can find nearly $400 million for a company that says it does not need it, and not find $4 million a year to help Canadian families living with autism who desperately need it?
Mr. Speaker, while the Prime Minister is sending taxpayers' money to Bombardier executives, he is taking money away from hard-working Canadians.New taxes on payroll, small businesses, public transit, taxis, beer, electricity, fuel, just name it and the Prime Minister will tax it. When will the Prime Minister realize that he was elected to manage Canadians' money properly and not to hand it out to his friends?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's arrogance is killing me.In Canada, like in other places around the world, the Prime Minister has no problem giving taxpayers' money to his billionaire friends, while simultaneously eliminating the public transit tax credit. Yesterday we learned that the Aga Khan was financially compensated by the state during the leader of the Liberal Party's personal vacation. Once again, Canadian taxpayers are paying for his arrogance and poor judgment. When will the Prime Minister walk his talk and treat the middle class
Mr. Speaker, he may have stood up every time, but he did not answer a single question.Like all other MPs, I am answerable to my constituents, and not just those who voted for me. How can I explain to them that not one day goes by that the Liberals do not show contempt for Canadians and their MPs with their unilateral bid for absolute power here in Parliament?Can the Prime Minister acknowledge that those who speak on Canadians' behalf are not puppets?When will the Prime Minister get that the Liberals have no right to change our rules without our consent?
Mr. Speaker, we have all seen the images of yesterday's horrific chemical attack in northwestern Syria. For six years, this war has dragged on. Hundreds of thousands have been killed and millions displaced. An end to this war is needed. Help for the people of Syria must be made accessible. They are the innocent victims of this tragic conflict.The international community has a responsibility to help the most vulnerable. What is Canada doing to help the Syrian people?
Mr. Speaker, here is a concrete suggestion. Stop trying to ram these unilateral changes down our throats. Shutting down Parliament on Fridays, reducing debate, having the Prime Minister only show up in the House once a week for 45 minutes does not serve the interests of Canadians. It serves the interests of the Prime Minister. Canadians did not elect us to make this a safe space for the Prime Minister. We are here to do our job and hold him accountable.When will the Prime Minister abandon his unilateral efforts to make his government less transparent and less accountable to Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the world is watching with horror as the unimaginable unfolds in Syria. Last night the Prime Minister said: Canada strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons. The perpetrators of the horrific attack in Syria must be held accountable. We agree. Can the Prime Minister share with Canadians and with the House what specific actions Canada is planning to take to hold the perpetrators to account?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are trying to ram through substantive changes to see them held less accountable to the people they serve: changes that will see Liberal MPs take Fridays off; changes that will see the Prime Minister show up to work here in question period just once a week; changes that will limit the ability of MPs to hold the government to account on behalf of Canadians.Canadians work hard and they expect nothing less from their MPs. They expect the Prime Minister to put in a full work week and they definitely expect the government to be held accountable for its actions.Why is the Prime Minister so afraid of being held accountable by Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the company is actually cutting jobs, 14,000 of them, while the Liberals hand over millions to billionaire executives, but it is not too late to stop it. We learned today that the deal is not signed and the government still has time to impose new conditions. Why will the Liberals not tell Bombardier that either it cancels its bonuses and its pay hikes until taxpayers get repaid or it will not get the money at all?
Mr. Speaker, earlier this week the government quietly tabled a response to an Order Paper question revealing that the $372-million Bombardier agreement has not been signed or finalized. It is not a done deal, so the Liberals have time to stop this outrageous taxpayer-funded bail-out of incompetent billionaire executives. The Liberals could, for example, reduce the amount they are handing Bombardier by the same amount Bombardier is paying its executives. Before the Liberals sign this deal and send the money, why will they not ban Bombardier billionaires from pocketing it?
Mr. Speaker, in just three weeks, our softwood lumber may be slapped with countervailing duties. I want the Prime Minister to give forestry industry workers some answers. Yesterday, we heard that the Americans were refusing to talk about it, probably because nobody ever really explained to them what the system is all about and how rigorous it is. That is from the Resolute Forest Products CEO. He added that he was appalled at the federal government's feeble attempts to stand up for Quebec's forestry system internationally.What will the Prime Minister do for the hundreds of thousands of families that depend on the forestry industry?
Mr. Speaker, we recognize that Canadians chose a different approach when they elected us as government. We choose to make decisions based on how Canada can best help in the world. We make decisions based on facts, based on evidence, and based on the best way to move forward. That is the approach we have always taken and will always take, particularly in regard to the brave men and women serving in the Canadian Forces.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his passion and enthusiasm for this issue.Naturally, what happens in the House matters very much to us all, but the important thing is to ensure that we are serving Canadians well. As I have always said, diversity helps make this country strong. That is why I am very happy to hear the suggestions and contributions coming from members across the aisle. I want to ensure that they can participate fully in this conversation about how we are going to improve this workplace to better serve people in the House and across the country.
Mr. Speaker, forcing a so-called discussion paper on the committee is a monologue, not a dialogue.This Prime Minister promised to put an end to the concentration of power that began with his father's tenure, but instead he is preparing to ram through changes that will benefit the Liberals.Does the Prime Minister understand the difference between making things better for Parliament and making things better for the Liberals?
Mr. Speaker, we know the Minister of National Defence misled Canadians when he said that our allies were okay with Canada pulling our fighter jets out of the fight against ISIS. We now know that this was deliberately misleading, and it was a betrayal of our nation's trust.My question to the Prime Minister is very straightforward. Did he instruct his Minister of National Defence to mislead Canadians in order to save face?
Mr. Speaker, I agree with my hon. colleague in that we are very proud of Bombardier and of what it has accomplished in the aerospace industry over the years, the good jobs it has created, and the innovation and economic leadership it has shown across the country.That is why we were happy to invest in two specific programs by providing a loan to Bombardier that will translate into the long-term viability of these projects and create job opportunities in the aerospace industry across the country.
Mr. Speaker, we have an extraordinary minister who is working on Canada's first-ever accessibility act, which will focus on ensuring that all Canadians of differing abilities and challenges are able to succeed and move forward in an inclusive country that gives everyone a real and fair chance to succeed.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage the member opposite to continue contributing suggestions on how we can improve the working atmosphere in the House, how we can better deliver for Canadians. We are happy that we have launched a conversation about how we can modernize this place, how we can improve the service we offer, both to Canadians and to our constituents. I look forward to engaging with all members in the House on improvements that can be made to this place as we move forward.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister took hundreds of millions of dollars from Canadian taxpayers and loaned that money to Bombardier. To show its gratitude, Bombardier cut 14,000 jobs while its senior executives gave themselves tens of millions of dollars in raises. This makes no sense at all, and is quite the departure from the spirit of the company's founder Joseph-Armand Bombardier, who was a great Canadian.Those people are filling their pockets while the current government is emptying Canadian taxpayers' pockets.Can the Prime Minister stand in his place and tell us whether he picked up his phone and called the CEO of Bombardier to tell him that what Bombardier is doing makes no sense?
Mr. Speaker, I am always happy to hear suggestions from the members opposite; even when they are yelled out, their suggestions are acceptable. I want to work with the members in order to improve the situation.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his extraordinary advocacy on this file for a very long time. It is one that touches us all, and we all know we do need to work together to do more on it.On the issue of funding for Bombardier, we made sure that we are investing in the kinds of things that will lead to good jobs
Mr. Speaker, Canadians made a choice in the last election. They chose a party that was committed to modernizing Parliament.I am very pleased to suggest various ways in which hon. members may contribute to the process and to developing our approach to modernization. People expect us to work together in a respectful manner, as we are today, to determine the best way to improve the House of Commons. It is perfectly reasonable to want to work with hon. members and I hope that we can work together.
Mr. Speaker, obviously the member has very strong ideas about how to improve this place, how to make it better, how to make sure we are being accountable and serving Canadians in the right way. I encourage the member to bring forward those concrete suggestions so we can work together to make sure the House serves Canadians better to the level they expect.I am happy we are having this conversation, and I look forward to continuing it in committee and in various places where we can demonstrate our commitment collectively to serve Canadians with everything we have.
Mr. Speaker, as I said, I am happy to draw suggestions from all sides of the House. The proposal around prime minister's questions was actually made by the member from Halton Hills a number of years ago. It is the kind of thing we are happy to discuss and look at. I think it means we should have a discussion about how to improve the ways we serve Canadians. Bringing forward positive discussions on improving the way the House works is entirely responsible and entirely in keeping with what Canadians expect. I look forward to hearing many more concrete proposals from all benches in the House of Commons.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to personally answer this question.The fact is that I accept any suggestions and opportunities the member has. As he puts forward suggestions and opportunities that we can have to improve the tone of this House to make sure that we are working in better ways
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to be held accountable by Canadians and by people in the House every single day. That goes with the responsibilities I have and we all have collectively in the House. Drawing on
Mr. Speaker, the question I think we can all agree on in this place isand I hear the energy, enthusiasm, and passion of the member oppositewhat will that change look like? How do we change this place so it becomes better able to serve? That is why I look forward very much to hearing the suggestions and contributions from the members opposite on how we can better serve Canadians. That is what Canadians
Mr. Speaker, Canada is proud that we have stepped up in the fight against Daesh by contributing significantly to training on the ground, to supporting the Peshmerga, to demonstrate that there are many ways that Canada can have a positive impact in the fight against Daesh.We continue to stand strongly with our international allies, including in the Iraqi government, as we bring the fight to a positive conclusion alongside our allies.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize the challenges that so many people in the Hamilton area and indeed across the country in the steel industry are facing. That is why we are so determined to work with our partners and allies and industry partners here in Canada to strengthen the steel industry.The issue of steel is one that has come up many times in our engagement with the United States. I can tell the member that we are working in a constructive, productive way to promote and defend our North American steel industry, to highlight the important role that the Canadian steel industry has in markets around the world, and to ensure that we are making the best possible secure future for our citizens and
Mr. Speaker, this government is very proud of what it is doing to give our armed forces the equipment and support needed to carry out the mandate entrusted to them by Canadians and this government.We know that Canada cannot do everything, but we will carry out our responsibilities properly with the help of all possible assets. For that reason we chose a mission that supports and trains the Kurds, a mission that has a significant impact in the fight against Daesh.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, we believe in the strong future for the aerospace industry in this country, and are happy to make investments that will lead to good jobs, growth and opportunities not just right now but for decades to come. The kinds of investments we are making in innovation, in the growth of the C Series and the Global 7000, will ensure the kind of opportunity and prosperity that Canadians have long been looking for. This is why we are making the right kinds of investments in our future and why we will continue to make investments, like lending Bombardier significant amounts, to be able to create opportunities to grow and succeed and continue our economic
Mr. Speaker, the Battle of Vimy Ridge allowed Canada to take its place as a country on solid footing when the four Canadian divisions fought together for the first time to secure a stunning if costly victory.Canada will mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge with commemorative ceremonies in France, at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, and in major centres across the country.I hope that my colleagues will join me at these solemn commemorative ceremonies.Wherever we may be, this is the time for all of us to remember, recognize, and honour the brave men and women who have gone before us.
Mr. Speaker, I am always pleased to highlight for the House the investments that Canada is making in our aerospace industry because we know that this will lead to good jobs today and in the future, stimulate innovation, and enable us to capture a larger share of the global market. It will help us demonstrate that Canada makes good-quality merchandise and goods and provides services throughout the world.We know that investments are needed to achieve this success and we are proud of what we are doing to create opportunities for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said a number of times, this was a personal family vacation. I am more than happy to continue to engage with the Ethics Commissioner and her office on any questions related to this travel.
Mr. Speaker, on our commitment to continue as a valuable member of the coalition against Daesh, we were very clear in the election campaign that we would look for ways that better suited Canada's capacities. That is what we told our allies and explained to them throughout those months as we were determining how best Canada could help.I can assure this House and all Canadians that our allies were very pleased with the level of contribution Canadians offered over the past months, a year and a half, to the fight against Daesh.
Mr. Speaker, in our election platform, we put forward billions of dollars toward green infrastructure, which includes flood mitigation, which is so important. We are working indeed with first nations to ensure that they are safe and taken care of through this particular crisis. Our commitment to renewal and to reconciliation means that we will be working with indigenous communities right across the country to build a long-term, stable, protected future with them as full partners determining how best to do that. That is what the spirit of reconciliation means. That is what this government
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her long-time leadership on environmental issues. We are also very interested in this report that has come forward. We know there is a lot more work to do to improve environmental assessment in this country. Without public trust we cannot build the kind of infrastructure projects or the future for our communities that we need. We need to make sure we are demonstrating that we understand that protecting the environment goes hand in hand with building a strong economic future for Canadians, and this report goes right to how we can perhaps do that and do even better. I thank the member for her leadership on this matter.
Mr. Speaker, I totally agree with the hon. member. He makes a very good point. We need to do more to explain to the Americans just how important free trade between Canada and the U.S. is for jobs and for consumers on both sides of the border.We will continue with our work and remain united in our desire to resolve this issue. That is why we are so determined and are working so hard to protect Canadian jobs and create economic growth in communities across the country.
Mr. Speaker, I recognize the passion the member opposite has for this issue and recognize all members in the House who have stood up strongly in talking about autism and celebrating the advancements that have been made and indeed highlighting the work that we continue to do. On Bombardier, I do need to point out that this was a loan that we were happy to make to invest in specific projects that are going to create good jobs for Canadians, that are going to secure the long-term future of the aerospace industry in this country, which leads to economic growth, innovation, and benefits for communities and the middle-class workers who live in them right across the country.
Mr. Speaker, we are pleased that we have brought forward proposals to help modernize Parliament, and I look forward to start discussing the various options in committee. I want to hear what our friends in the other parties are going to suggest. I am really looking forward to working with them to ensure that Parliament better serves Canadians across the country and that we better serve our constituents as well.I believe that everyone knows that we can always do better, and that is exactly what I hope to do, together with the members of Parliament.
Mr. Speaker, I hear members opposite have many suggestions on how we can improve the functioning of the House. I look forward to listening to that member and to all members of the House put forward their suggestions on improving the way we serve Canadians and our constituents at the same time. I am very pleased to encourage people to participate.
Mr. Speaker, the investments we are making in the future of our aerospace industry will lead to good jobs across the country and to economic growth and innovation. The loan we made to Bombardier that is focused on two specific products, the C Series airplane and the Global 7000, demonstrates that we believe in the strong future for the aerospace industry in this country, and why we are going to continue to make investments that will lead to good jobs and opportunities for innovation and growth right across the country in high-value industries, like the aerospace industry.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her concern about the quality of our appointments.We are very much focused on the quality and diversity of the appointments we make. We know that the people we appoint into positions of authority should reflect the entire diversity of the country and have a range of experiences and qualifications.That is exactly what we have been doing and why we are so proud that we have had more female appointments than male. We have had extraordinary diversity. We have had tremendous indigenous appointments across the country. We have renewed the appointments process and allowed Canadians from all backgrounds to apply.
Mr. Speaker, once again flooding has hit Manitoba. There are many evacuees and most are from first nations, including Peguis First Nation, the largest in Manitoba. This is not the first time that this is happening, and every time it happens, first nations are hit the hardest.The Prime Minister likes to talk about first nations, but what people in crisis on the ground need is immediate action. Will his government work with Peguis and other first nations to provide the long-term flood mitigation that they need now?
Mr. Speaker, today on the Hill there are hundreds of people helping to recognize World Autism Day. They are calling on the Prime Minister to provide less than $4 million a year to continue the good work of the Canadian Autism Partnership Project, money that was missing in the budget. That is almost equivalent to the bonus hike the CEO of Bombardier gave himself for one year. What kind of message does the Prime Minister think this sends to parents of kids with autism when the Prime Minister can find money for bonuses for executives from Bombardier but he cannot find money for families with autism?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the Prime Minister that Bombardier came looking for money for its C Series. It did not ask for anything for the Global 7000 but, coincidentally, the government accommodates people from Toronto. If it is as good as that, why will the Prime Minister not let Bombardier and his minister appear before the parliamentary committee? Given the situation, that is what we want. We, the Conservatives, are inviting the big boss of Bombardier to appear before the parliamentary committee and explain himself.Does the Prime Minister agree?
Mr. Speaker, today's question period was very noisy and emotional. You said that I was being rowdy. I do not profess to be the most circumspect or the quietest
Mr. Speaker, the new appointments process is the perfect Liberal misdirection. Another one of Ms. Stebbing's qualifications for appointment to the Hamilton Port Authority is that she is also the Liberal Party's golden horseshoe regional president. While the Minister of Transport waxes eloquent on openness and transparency, being a Liberal donor or failed candidate are the qualifications that win the day.Will the Prime Minister direct the minister to go back to the job posting that is still on Transport Canada's website and nominate someone who is actually qualified for the position?
Mr. Speaker, that is what we would call all hat, no horse.A government email confirms that the Iraqi government asked Canada to continue its bombing mission against ISIS on multiple occasions. Our Kurdish and Iraqi partners in the fight against ISIS describe our air strikes as effective and life-saving and as destroying the enemy.Our allies repeatedly asked Canada to keep our CF-18s in the fight, but the minister ignored them and told Canadians that our partners and allies were okay with the Liberals' decision. Canadians cannot trust the Minister of National Defence when he continues to mislead us. Will the Prime Minister make the Minister of National Defence apologize?
Mr. Speaker, as vice chair of the committee, I am pleased to answer the question and teach the Prime Minister to do something he has not learned in 18 months, which is to give a straight answer. The committee did indeed table its report last year. In light of a recent announcement by the President of the Treasury Board that the government did not intend to implement its promised reforms anytime soon, some committee members moved a motion calling on the President of the Treasury Board to explain himself at committee. For those who do not know, our committee has a Liberal majority. When it came to a vote, the motion was defeated.
Mr. Speaker, like all Canadians I applaud the Minister of National Defence for his extraordinary service to this country and respect the extraordinary work that he has done as Minister of National Defence. Our allies were rightly interested in how Canada was going to continue to participate in the coalition against Daesh, how we were going to continue to demonstrate that Canada is a valuable partner that contributes in the war against Daesh, and that is exactly what we did.We demonstrated that we knew that Canadians could help on the ground through training and support for the peshmerga as they advanced toward Mosul, and that is exactly what our allies have most appreciated about us over the past year and a half.
Mr. Speaker, nearly 100 years ago, Canadians from all across the country, including many Quebeckers, fought non only in our country's four divisions of soldiers, but also, for the first time, as part of a united Canadian force at Vimy Ridge. This historic moment not only marked a great victory for Canada and allied forces but also showed that our emerging nation was ready to take its place on the international scene.How is the Government of Canada going to mark the 100th anniversary of this seminal event for our country?
Mr. Speaker, let us see if the Prime Minister can try answering this question.The minister's website states that the requirements for a successful nominee include extensive experience related to...the operation of a port or to maritime trade. Ms. Stebbing's own law firm's website states that she specializes in estate planning, administration and accounting. She focuses on ensuring her clients wishes are respected after they pass away.Could the Prime Minister explain to the House what in Jennifer Stebbing's resume met the requirements of extensive experience in maritime trade?
Mr. Speaker, this government was elected on a pledge of openness and transparency, and we are keeping that pledge. We are demonstrating a level of accountability that is going far beyond what any previous government did. We continue to look forward to ways to improve and increase the level of transparency and accountability of this government.I welcome the hard work done by the committee. I look forward to continuing to work with all members in the House to improve the way government and indeed Parliament functions in a collaborative, respectful way.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister should be ashamed of the decisions being made by his Minister of Public Services and Procurement. Thanks to the good work done by the member for Edmonton West, we now know that the public servants who worked on Phoenix, either directly or indirectly, received bonuses totalling $5 million and $14,000 per employee. How could the Prime Minister possibly want to grant bonuses? Did he not in fact want to set an example for Bombardier executives?
Mr. Speaker, since Bill C-38 in 2012, we have been labouring under a broken environmental assessment process. Today we have a landmark report from the expert panel on EA, headed by our former commissioner for the environment. It makes a bold recommendation: get rid of the NEB's Environmental Assessment Agency, have a single authority, give it quasi-judicial powers.For the Prime Minister, how quickly can we expect this great recommendation to be legislated?
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, Brian Mulroney, who is pushing for the government to put an end to our supply management system, is going to advise the Liberal cabinet on the renegotiation of NAFTA. When it comes to international trade and the protection of our supply management system, the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party are really just one and the same.At least the compensation provided for by the Conservatives to producers and processors would have been more substantial once the Canada-Europe free trade agreement took effect.Can the Liberal Party and the Prime Minister confirm to us today that they will grant tariff quotas to Canadian processors?
Mr. Speaker, we promised to legalize and control cannabis for two very specific reasons.First, we want to prevent our kids from having easy access to cannabis, as they do now. We know that it is easier for a young person to buy a joint than a bottle of beer. That is unacceptable. At the same time, we know that organized crime groups make billions of dollars trafficking marijuana, and that is exactly what we want to prevent.Decriminalizing cannabis will do nothing to protect our kids and nothing to counter organized crime, and I will continue to repeat that until
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her intervention.Indeed, we are all concerned about the cost of living for all Canadians. That is why we did something about it. We lowered taxes for the middle class and increased them for the wealthiest 1%. We implemented the Canada child benefit, which gives more money to nine out of ten Canadian families every month and as a result lifts hundreds of thousands of young people out of poverty and reduces child poverty by 40%. We agree with the hon. members across the way that a lot of work still needs to be done, but we are here to keep working for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to say that, as a government, we are open to working together, across party lines, to properly represent Canada and build this relationship.I want to point out the work that we are doing with all of the different parties in the House to properly position ourselves with regard to the new American administration. Many premiers from various provinces and political parties are diligently working with us to present a united front to the United States. It is important that we listen to each other and work together because this goes beyond partisanship
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness takes this very seriously, as does the Prime Minister. The thoughts of all Canadians are with the residents of Manitoba affected by the flooding, as well as with the first responders and others working hard on the ground to keep people safe. We are ensuring that affected first nations community members are safe, secure, and out of the path of flood waters. For several months now, the government operations centre has been monitoring flood risks and preparing for the spring melt in collaboration with federal and provincial partners. Should we receive a request for assistance from the province, our government stands ready to help.
Mr. Speaker, one of the commitments we made and are keeping from our election campaign is to renew and modernize the appointments process, to allow Canadians to apply from all different backgrounds and all different walks of life and diversity, and to have appointments across the country that better reflect the full diversity of backgrounds, views and perspectives of Canadians on a merit-based system.That is exactly what we have done, particularly necessary after too long of successive governments choosing favouritism over objective qualities. That is what we have done, and are continuing to do.
Mr. Speaker, like many of my colleagues, I was here on June 29, 2016, when former U.S. President Barack Obama was here, and we were promised that this would be resolved within weeks. Now we hear what the Prime Minister is saying in the House today. Why is no one capable of explaining to the Americans that they need to import 30% of their lumber and that 30% comes from Canada? It is not complicated. If they import less wood from Canada, the price of American wood will go up, Americans will build fewer houses, and there will be fewer jobs for carpenters, plumbers, and electricians. This is not rocket science. Why is the government incapable of explaining this to the Americans?
Look at that, Mr. Speaker. The Prime Minister is able to answer as many questions as he wants without unilaterally ramming changes through the House of Commons, which is exactly what he wants to do. He wants to rig the rules in his favour. He wants to cut off debate and silence his critics. He wants to shut this place down on Fridays. He wants less transparency and less accountability. He wants to diminish the voice of Canadians in this place. Now he only wants to show up in question period once a week.When will the Prime Minister stop acting so arrogantly and stop trying to make his life easier by reducing government accountability?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister continues to double down on the alternative facts. The defence minister said that there were no qualms about pulling our jets out of the fight against ISIS, yet emails from Global Affairs say there were. The minister said there is a capability gap, but the commander of the air force said there is not. The defence minister also claimed Conservatives sent our troops to fight ISIS without tax relief, yet a document with the defence minister's signature on it says the exact opposite. Canadians need a strong, principled, and trustworthy leader, not another patsy to the Prime Minister. How can anyone trust the Prime Minister and the defence minister? Will they apologize?
Mr. Speaker, with regard to the tax credit for public transit, that measure was introduced to promote the use of public transit. That is what the minister said when she introduced the measure to Canadians.Sadly, according to the numbers, the measure had no impact on the use of public transit. That is why we decided instead to invest billions of dollars more in new public transit projects, including the Réseau électrique métropolitain in Montreal and the Service rapide par bus in Quebec City. Similar projects exist across the country, and we are pleased to invest in them to help the middle class and those working hard to join it.
Mr. Speaker, in recent days, residents of southern and central Manitoba have been impacted by rising water levels and flooding, which has resulted in local states of emergency, road closures, and evacuations in several first nations communities. Our hearts go out to the evacuees in their time of need and to others in the communities dealing with encroaching flood waters. I know all members join me in expressing our concern, as well as our appreciation for first responders. Can the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness tell us how the government is supporting Manitobans as this year's flood season begins?
Mr. Speaker, as a veteran, I would like to thank the Minister of National Defence for his service. That said, he is now the Minister of National Defence, and no longer a soldier.For the good of Canada, we should not allow the Minister of National Defence to distort the facts. To say that the Iraqis and the Kurds were pleased with the new mission in Iraq is completely false and to state that the Royal Canadian Air Force has a capability gap is completely false. In addition, the minister is further damaging the reputation of the Canadian Forces by postponing major procurement projects for 20 years.Can the Prime Minister ask the Minister of National Defence to show some backbone and tell Canadians the truth?
Mr. Speaker, recent reports forecast that Hamilton steel producer, Stelco, which is currently under bankruptcy protection, will soon have close to $300 million in the bank. Meanwhile, after the company cut workers' health benefits, pensioners have to apply to a temporary fund for emergency prescriptions or health needs on a first-come, first-served basis.How can we explain to the 20,000 Stelco retirees that the government allows Canadian companies to bank $300 million while they strip much needed and earned health benefits? When will the government step in and help these retirees?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are indefinitely postponing the reforms they had promised to access to information, despite the very comprehensive report released by the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada in 2015 and the report by the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in 2016. We would like the President of the Treasury Board to explain this sudden flip-flop to parliamentarians. Can the vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics tell the House what business the committee will be working on next?
Mr. Speaker, after the way the Prime Minister treated electoral reform, his treatment of parliamentary democracy has about as much credibility as a Pepsi commercial.I know that the Prime Minister is looking forward to having this discussion. He wants to hear passionate speeches and get our suggestions, but the problem is the process. All it would take to launch the discussion that he so badly wants is to assure us that the changes will not be made unilaterally.I will give the Prime Minister another chance to give us those assurances today, right now. Will he promise not to make any changes unilaterally, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, first of all, as we have said repeatedly, it is unacceptable that anyone should have to work without adequate, reliable pay. That is why we are working so hard on the Phoenix system in question; we want to fix this problem that we inherited. The fact is that we will continue to work with public services and with everyone involved to fix this problem, which, I agree, has been dragging on too long.
Mr. Speaker, access to information reform has been studied time and again. In fact, one could say in this case it has been studied literally to death. Despite two recent reports and calls for reform, the President of the Treasury Board announced he was not going to be keeping his promise to introduce new legislation this spring. Instead of explaining himself at committee, to which he earnestly promised reform, he is allowing the Liberal members to run interference. Why is he suddenly scared to come to the committee, and will he take this opportunity to explain himself to the House?
Mr. Speaker, the government wants to unilaterally change the rules that govern the House of Commons. At first, the Liberals pretended it was just a discussion paper and now they claim that this power grab is necessary to be rammed through here because, well, it was in their election platform. Can the Prime Minister explain then why he used the excuse of a lack of consensus to abandon his platform promise on democratic reform, but now he unilaterally wants to change the way our democracy works?
Mr. Speaker, I am not the quietest member, but I believe this is a case of mistaken identity.
Mr. Speaker, we have been working with the U.S. government on resolving this issue from the very beginning of our mandate. We know that thousands of jobs and communities across the country depend on forestry. It is our duty to keep working very hard to protect those jobs and create more opportunities in Canada's forestry industry. We know that Americans do not want their housing and construction costs to go up. Canada is a major supplier of softwood lumber for American consumers.We will keep working with the U.S. government to resolve this frustrating dispute.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Prime Minister for taking so many questions today. I would also like to point out, again, that he managed to do this without changing a single rule. No need to unilaterally use the power to ram through the changes. He was able to do it within existing rules.Will he now commit in this place that he will continue that spirit of co-operation? Will he agree that he will not use his unilateral majority to change the rules in this place and change how democracy works? Will he do that now, today?
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member for Kitchener SouthHespeler on the hard work he is doing on his files.We are outraged by the reports of a chemical weapons attack against innocent civilians in Syria. The use of chemical weapons is a war crime. This is just the latest atrocity in a conflict that has been going on far too long. Our government is acting. We are providing $840 million worth of assistance for the region, and are increasing accountability by supporting evidence gathering of these war crimes. Furthermore, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is participating in the Brussels conference on the future of Syria to support lasting resolution to the war and address the needs of the vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, we are shocked and appalled by the reports of chemical weapons attacks against civilians in Syria. Many of the victims were children. It is critical that we hold those responsible to account for these war crimes. We are supporting evidence gathering to achieve that end. In addition, we will provide $840-million worth of lifesaving humanitarian and development assistance for the region to alleviate the suffering in this conflict.As we speak, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is at the Brussels conference on the future of Syria. These meetings will work toward finding a lasting political resolution to the Syrian war and to addressing the critical needs of the most vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, it is quite a spectacle today. If only there were a Standing Order that could be concocted that would guarantee the quality of the Prime Minister's answers and not just the quantity of the Prime Minister's answers, we would actually get somewhere. Speaking of the Prime Minister, unlike hard-working Canadians, the Prime Minister took a lavish billionaire boondoggle vacation at taxpayer expense over the holidays. Now we know the taxpayers also paid to his billionaire friend the money to accommodate the Prime Minister's staff on this lavish holiday.When will the Prime Minister come down from his sandcastle in the sky and explain why the taxpayers are on the hook?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government continues to hide the number of charges and criminal records handed out for cannabis possession since the Liberals have come to power. Charges for serious crimes are being stayed or withdrawn because of a lack of resources, and yet the Prime Minister is fine with overloading the justice system with possession charges. This disproportionately affects young and racialized Canadians and there is quite a bit of hypocrisy to that.Does the Prime Minister think he would be where he is today if he had been caught when smoking marijuana?
Mr. Speaker, I understand the question and concerns the members opposite have, but our focus on legalization and control of cannabis is on protecting our kids and on getting the money out of organized crime's pockets. We know that happens when we legalize and control and bring in a proper regime. The fact is decriminalization does nothing to protect our kids, nothing to remove the profits from the hands of criminals. Until such a moment as we have a legal framework that protects our kids and stops the criminals from profiting, it will remain illegal.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals continue to hand out criminal records to Canadians, particularly young people and minority groups, for possession of marijuana. Every time we propose the decriminalization of marijuana as an interim measure, the Liberals say that we are against legalization, which is not true. We are against the fact that thousands of Canadians are being prosecuted in the meantime, since that affects the rest of their lives. Can the Prime Minister tell us how many people have been handed a criminal record since the last election?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's Office stated publicly on November 26 that there was absolutely no pressure put on Canada to continue its bombing mission in Iraq. We now know that is not true. Emails from Canadian officials prove that our allies asked the Minister of National Defence, on numerous occasions, to keep our CF-18s in the fight. Did the Prime Minister deliberately mislead the public, or is he in the dark when it comes to Canada's defence and national security?
Mr. Speaker, in response to an earlier question on autism from the Leader of the Opposition, the Prime Minister talked of his government highlighting the work that we continue to do. The trouble is, his government is doing the exact opposite.In 2015, our government funded a world-class Canadian autism partnership working group. The Liberal budget just rejected the request for funding to allow that critical work to continue. Could the Prime Minister please explain how his government can find nearly $400 million for a company that says it does not need it, and not find $4 million a year to help Canadian families living with autism who desperately need it?
Mr. Speaker, while the Prime Minister is sending taxpayers' money to Bombardier executives, he is taking money away from hard-working Canadians.New taxes on payroll, small businesses, public transit, taxis, beer, electricity, fuel, just name it and the Prime Minister will tax it. When will the Prime Minister realize that he was elected to manage Canadians' money properly and not to hand it out to his friends?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's arrogance is killing me.In Canada, like in other places around the world, the Prime Minister has no problem giving taxpayers' money to his billionaire friends, while simultaneously eliminating the public transit tax credit. Yesterday we learned that the Aga Khan was financially compensated by the state during the leader of the Liberal Party's personal vacation. Once again, Canadian taxpayers are paying for his arrogance and poor judgment. When will the Prime Minister walk his talk and treat the middle class
Mr. Speaker, he may have stood up every time, but he did not answer a single question.Like all other MPs, I am answerable to my constituents, and not just those who voted for me. How can I explain to them that not one day goes by that the Liberals do not show contempt for Canadians and their MPs with their unilateral bid for absolute power here in Parliament?Can the Prime Minister acknowledge that those who speak on Canadians' behalf are not puppets?When will the Prime Minister get that the Liberals have no right to change our rules without our consent?
Mr. Speaker, we have all seen the images of yesterday's horrific chemical attack in northwestern Syria. For six years, this war has dragged on. Hundreds of thousands have been killed and millions displaced. An end to this war is needed. Help for the people of Syria must be made accessible. They are the innocent victims of this tragic conflict.The international community has a responsibility to help the most vulnerable. What is Canada doing to help the Syrian people?
Mr. Speaker, here is a concrete suggestion. Stop trying to ram these unilateral changes down our throats. Shutting down Parliament on Fridays, reducing debate, having the Prime Minister only show up in the House once a week for 45 minutes does not serve the interests of Canadians. It serves the interests of the Prime Minister. Canadians did not elect us to make this a safe space for the Prime Minister. We are here to do our job and hold him accountable.When will the Prime Minister abandon his unilateral efforts to make his government less transparent and less accountable to Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the world is watching with horror as the unimaginable unfolds in Syria. Last night the Prime Minister said: Canada strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons. The perpetrators of the horrific attack in Syria must be held accountable. We agree. Can the Prime Minister share with Canadians and with the House what specific actions Canada is planning to take to hold the perpetrators to account?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are trying to ram through substantive changes to see them held less accountable to the people they serve: changes that will see Liberal MPs take Fridays off; changes that will see the Prime Minister show up to work here in question period just once a week; changes that will limit the ability of MPs to hold the government to account on behalf of Canadians.Canadians work hard and they expect nothing less from their MPs. They expect the Prime Minister to put in a full work week and they definitely expect the government to be held accountable for its actions.Why is the Prime Minister so afraid of being held accountable by Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the company is actually cutting jobs, 14,000 of them, while the Liberals hand over millions to billionaire executives, but it is not too late to stop it. We learned today that the deal is not signed and the government still has time to impose new conditions. Why will the Liberals not tell Bombardier that either it cancels its bonuses and its pay hikes until taxpayers get repaid or it will not get the money at all?
Mr. Speaker, earlier this week the government quietly tabled a response to an Order Paper question revealing that the $372-million Bombardier agreement has not been signed or finalized. It is not a done deal, so the Liberals have time to stop this outrageous taxpayer-funded bail-out of incompetent billionaire executives. The Liberals could, for example, reduce the amount they are handing Bombardier by the same amount Bombardier is paying its executives. Before the Liberals sign this deal and send the money, why will they not ban Bombardier billionaires from pocketing it?
Mr. Speaker, in just three weeks, our softwood lumber may be slapped with countervailing duties. I want the Prime Minister to give forestry industry workers some answers. Yesterday, we heard that the Americans were refusing to talk about it, probably because nobody ever really explained to them what the system is all about and how rigorous it is. That is from the Resolute Forest Products CEO. He added that he was appalled at the federal government's feeble attempts to stand up for Quebec's forestry system internationally.What will the Prime Minister do for the hundreds of thousands of families that depend on the forestry industry?