Most toxic speeches
Mr. Speaker, it is unbelievable to watch the Prime Minister refuse to acknowledge that his arrogant and self-righteous comments are an insult to tens of thousands of Canadians who work in construction in our communities across the country. He sits on his high horse and with innuendo and stereotypes throws stones at these good men and women. I want to invite the Prime Minister to apologize. Will he stand in his place, do the right thing and apologize to construction workers across the country?
Mr. Speaker, holding consultations and writing reports is a good step, but the Liberals need to realize that it is just the first of many steps for the government.Indigenous women are three times more likely to suffer physical or sexual abuse than non-indigenous women. The government has to stop considering them as second-class citizens and come up with a national plan to end violence against indigenous women. Will the government commit to implementing all the recommendations made by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Government of Quebec confirmed that Netflix will start collecting the QST on January 1, 2019, but not the GST, because Ottawa is refusing to change federal laws and make California-based Internet multinationals collect the same GST it makes our businesses collect.Quebec explicitly asked the federal government to work with it to change the law, but the government flatly refused. No other G7 country is dumb enough to refuse to adapt its tax system to the Internet age.Can the Prime Minister do better than the Minister of Finance's pathetic attempts to justify the unjustifiable?
Mr. Speaker we do indeed need to make sure that the families of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls are at the centre of this inquiry and are being heard, informed and supported throughout the process. The missing and murdered indigenous women and girls inquiry must lead to change. Will the Liberal government commit now to fully implementing all the inquiry's recommendations?
Mr. Speaker, we legalized marijuana because we know that that is the best way to protect our children and to eliminate the influence of organized crime on the sale of marijuana and the profits it makes from it.We will certainly ensure that Health Canada and others conduct all the necessary investigations to make good decisions about all licences issued in connection with marijuana.
Mr. Speaker, I was wondering if I could get unanimous consent for the following motion. I move that given Canadians must be in control of their borders and have full sovereignty over their immigration system and refuse to allow the government to continue to cede this control to authorities beyond our borders, and that the government has allowed over 38,000 people to illegally enter Canada from the United States and abuse our asylum system at a cost of over $1 billion, thereby compromising the integrity of our borders' immigration system, the House call on the government to refrain from signing Canada onto the UN global compact for migration, secure our borders and fix the mess the Prime Minister has created.
Mr. Speaker, I will ask the Prime Minister an easier questionThis morning, La Presse reported that Montreal police discovered 977 marijuana plants in a couple's home. While the police was conducting its investigation, this same couple was applying to Health Canada for a permit to grow medical marijuana. The kicker is that they actually got it.Will the Prime Minister commit to suspending the licence issued by Health Canada to this couple, which is currently under investigation by the Montreal police?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know the Prime Minister loves to swagger on social media, but his tweet to Trevor Noah took the cake. A $50-million donation on Twitter, with some of it going to UNRWA. Speaking of UNRWA, I did not see the Prime Minister tweet about the earlier $50-million donation he made to that agency: Hey, Trevor Noah, I am donating $50 million to an organization that supports anti-Semitism. Will the Prime Minister withhold his donation to UNRWA until that organization denounces
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, Canadians will condemn violence against women. This violence is always unacceptable, but for some communities it is part of everyday life.Over the past 30 years, more than 1,200 indigenous women have been murdered or reported missing. Forty mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts and cousins disappear every year. Safety and the right to justice for indigenous women must be a priority.Does the government plan to establish an ambitious national action plan to address violence against indigenous women?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's statement was a clear attack on some of the hardest working and most dedicated Canadians. For the Prime Minister to directly attack these men and insinuate they are dangerous to women in rural communities is unconscionable and diminishes the high office he holds, not to mention the fact that people in broken glass houses should not throw stones. Again, will the Prime Minister stand and apologize for what he said to construction workers?
Mr. Speaker, this Friday, the government is required to submit a plan to Parliament on how it plans to bring justice to those who survived genocide at the hands of ISIS terrorists. Never again means taking concrete action to bring those who are complicit in genocide to justice.Will the Prime Minister table this report on Friday, and will it include concrete action to monitor, gather information to prosecute, and restrict the activities of ISIS terrorists who are in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister attempted to defend his natural resource minister's ridiculous claim that the court killed the northern gateway pipeline, but the facts are clear. Just like in the ruling for Trans Mountain, the judge provided a clear path forward for northern gateway, saying that this process need not take long, but the Prime Minister ignored that ruling and killed northern gateway. Why? Because he has been fighting against it for years.If the Prime Minister does not want to accept responsibility for northern gateway being ended, will he commit today to reviving it and completing the process?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister truly does not seem to care about the impact of his policies. The reality is that the price of food in Canada will go up 3.5% next year, with the annual food costs of the average family going up by $411. If people are on a fixed income or working for minimum wage, good luck in getting any type of healthy diet, and this at a time when Canadian families are struggling with the worst debt loads in the industrialized world.When will the government stop giving big tax breaks to the richest corporations and bring in progressive policies that truly help all Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, Yasmine Sherif is the former director of a group that promotes anti-Israel propaganda and the BDS movement. Today, she is the director of Education Cannot Wait, a recent recipient of a $50-million tweeted pledge by the Prime Minister. The House has rejected BDS and the xenophobia that it promotes. In 2016, even the Prime Minister recognized that BDS is anti-Semitic. Will the Prime Minister withdraw the funding promise and support the Jewish community and our allies in Israel, or is he more concerned with impressing his celebrity friends?
Mr. Speaker, that again is a failure of the Prime Minister to take responsibility.Last year, Montreal police discovered 977 pot plants and more than $15,000 on the premises of a couple in Montreal. This year, despite the ongoing criminal investigation of that couple, Health Canada gave them a permit to grow more than 600 cannabis plants for medical purposes. Are they kidding? These people are under investigation for illegal cannabis for the purpose of trafficking, but got a licence to grow pot. We cannot make this stuff up.Will the Prime Minister revoke their licence while the police investigation is ongoing?
Mr. Speaker, a director from a company with ties to the Liberals, notably the Minister of Innovation, made a really good deal. He bought land from the Ontario government for $3.3 million and sold it a back a few months later for $4.4 million. Talk about a deal. It is so questionable that the City of Brampton asked the RCMP to investigate.Now that we know this director went on the Prime Minister's disastrous trip to India, we would like to know who invited him.
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to issues of ethics and security, the Prime Minister keeps playing a busted flush, like his bizarre claim that nobody in the PMO knew anything about the fact that the member for Brampton West was being followed by the RCMP here in Parliament, and being mentioned in a wiretap on terrorism financing and money laundering. Here is the the thing. The Ethics Commissioner has confirmed that he is willing to look into whether the MP misused his position on the finance committee to ask leading questions about how to evade a money laundering investigation. Let us try this one more time. Is the Prime Minister sticking with his story that there were no adults around who could pay attention to these ethical and security debacles?
Mr. Speaker, we know the Conservative Party is in trouble when it falls back on the same failed approach of personal attacks and smears that characterized it through 10 years of Stephen Harper, 10 years of low job creation and the worst economic growth since the Great Depression.What we actually have now is people trying to dig up stories around a trip that happened a year and a half ago as a way of attacking and smearing the government, because they have nothing to say on our economic growth, on job creation, on the way we are delivering for Canadians
Mr. Speaker, ensuring the integrity of Canada's legal cannabis production system is a top priority for our government. That is why the regulated system contains multiple measures to protect the health and safety of Canadians and the integrity of the system. These include stringent requirements around physical and personal security, record-keeping, inventory controls and reporting that is verified by Health Canada inspections. Our government will never hesitate to take appropriate action to protect the integrity of our legal cannabis system.
Mr. Speaker, as of January 2019, families will be paying $411 more per year than they did in 2018 for the same basket of groceries.Why? Because the Liberals failed to protect our supply management system in trade agreements and failed to come up with an ambitious plan to fight climate change. As a result, food will cost more, and people will once again have to pay for the Liberals' lack of leadership.When will this government understand that its failure to take action is costing Canadians a lot of money?
Mr. Speaker, there is an easy way for Canadians to see whether the Conservatives are actually asking real questions or going after real facts. All they have to do is check whether the members opposite are able to repeat outside the House of Commons the allegations they are making here under the protection of parliamentary privilege.If they will not repeat those allegations, then Canadians will know that these are baseless attacks, personal attacks, to try to distract from the fact that we are
Mr. Speaker, allow me to refresh the Prime Minister's memory.This administrator, Bhagwan Grewal, is a former Liberal association president. He is a Liberal Party donor. He went on the India trip and even took the time to have his picture taken with the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development so he could keep a nice souvenir of that great trip to India.If the Prime Minister has nothing to hide, when will he present the official list of all his VIP guests who were with him on his trip to India, which was paid for by Canadian taxpayers?
Mr. Speaker, we continue to review the export permits. I can assure the House that when I was in Argentina for the G20 summit, I talked directly with the Saudi prince and told him that we need better answers than we have heard so far on the murder of Mr. Khashoggi. I also informed him that we expect him to order a ceasefire in Yemen so that humanitarian aid can reach civilians, who are suffering through an appalling crisis. We have a duty to help this country and to hold the line with Saudi Arabia
Mr. Speaker, our allies have spoken and security experts have spoken. Now, the head of CSIS has spoken. As one of our country's top security officials, he said publicly that hostile states are targeting our 5G network. Communist Chinese laws are clear. Companies in China must support, co-operate with and collaborate in national intelligence work. Huawei will be forced to spy on Canada.Will the Prime Minister commit to ensuring that our next generation network is secure, and ban Huawei?
Mr. Speaker, that is just one more reason.The director of CSIS has confirmed that some countries, sponsored by others, were engaged in interference and espionage. Three of the Five Eyes have decided that Huawei must be banned. Our economic, security and military interests are in jeopardy.Will the Prime Minister commit to banning Huawei from Canada?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know all too well that the Prime Minister is a man who spends money like water, especially when, as ill luck would have it, he has his iPhone out and starts tweeting.We all recall that almost two years ago, he sent out a tweet that has cost taxpayers over $1 billion Canadian. This weekend, out of boredom or in an attempt to impress an international celebrity, the Prime Minister announced via Twitter that the Canadian government would be taking $50 million of taxpayers' money and giving it to an initiative backed by one of his famous pals.Is the Prime Minister aware that Twitter is not a tool for diplomacy or an appropriate venue for announcing public spending?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Prime Minister has been called out for his disparaging remarks. He said that the mass arrival of male workers in Canada's rural areas would have a negative social impact. For several years now, seasonal workers have been travelling to regional areas every year; they keep the economy going and no one complains. Instead of asking how to adjust and adapt, the Prime Minister should be happy that Canada has such a skilled workforce.
Mr. Speaker, since the vile murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Germany and many of our other allies have shown real leadership and stopped selling arms to the Saudi regime. Meanwhile, in Canada, it has now been six weeks since the Prime Minister announced that the government was reviewing existing export permits to Saudi Arabia.Once again, could the Prime Minister update the House on the status of this review?
Mr. Speaker, it is this Prime Minister who has failed to get projects built. It is under this Prime Minister's watch that all the major pipeline proponents in this country have left and are building projects in the United States, and in the case of Kinder Morgan, with the $4.5 billion of taxpayers' money that he gave them to get out of town with.Every time we ask the Prime Minister questions about his disastrous trip to India, he always replies there is nothing to worry about because there is no problem. Canadians know full well that there are problems.Will the Prime Minister finally show some respect for Canadians and disclose the entire guest list for his events during his trip to India?
Mr. Speaker, more and more people are using active transportation. That is great, but we need to adapt accordingly. RosemontLa Petite-Patrie has one of the highest rates of cyclist and pedestrian death in Quebec. From 2006 to 2015, 17 pedestrians and eight cyclists were killed in Rosemont, and 32 cyclists were killed in Montreal. Every time a cyclist dies, a white bicycle is placed at the scene of the accident. I cannot take it any more. My dream is to never have to see another one of those white bicycles.Can the Prime Minister or the Minister of Transport ensure that the recommendations of the task force to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians are implemented?
Mr. Speaker, we launched a national public inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls because we saw there was a need for leadership. For too long it had not moved forward. We did that because we know we needed healing for the families, we needed justice for the victims and we needed to put an end to this ongoing national tragedy. That is why we extended the time and mandate of the inquiry to ensure that all families could be heard. We gave it the extra funding it requested. We are looking forward to seeing the results of the important work it is doing. At the same time, we are not waiting for that result, to
Mr. Speaker, it is the opposition's responsibility to oppose, to challenge a government and to disagree on positions of policy. Unfortunately, the members opposite choose to make personal attacks and drive-by smears. The fact is that for those at home who want to see whether there is any substance to these at all, they can simply watch whether the members opposite will repeat those allegations outside of the House where they are not protected by parliamentary immunity.
Mr. Speaker, it is funny to see what happens when the Conservatives play politics. They end up opposing funding that will help nearly 340,000 of the world's poorest children in conflict and crisis zones stay in school. It is unfortunate that this is the new Conservative philosophy. Children around the world must have equal access to learning opportunities and quality education. This is something we will always support. It is a shame that the Conservatives are playing politics and opposing this.
Mr. Speaker, today I proudly joined our leader, Jagmeet Singh, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the PSAC national indigenous peoples' circle to stand in solidarity with all indigenous women and girls who have been victims or survivors of violence. We must ensure that the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls leads to justice and healing.Will the Prime Minister agree to meet with the national indigenous peoples' circle to receive their petitions on the inquiry?
Mr. Speaker, once again, a zero per cent increase in pipeline capacity to new markets under 10 years of Conservative government for the very simple reason that they did not understand that the way to build big projects is to work with indigenous peoples in full respect and partnership, to work with environmental scientists and concerned citizens to demonstrate it is being done in the right way. They failed for 10 years and now they double down on an approach that failed the oil industry and failed Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I would be pleased to be putting forward that report on Tuesday. Our government has proven to be a global leader in welcoming refugees and we have more than doubled Canada's refugee numbers. We have provided a new home to more than 1,400 women and their families who endured the brutality of Daesh, 85% of whom are Yazidi. We are not stopping there. We will continue to expedite privately sponsored applications, as well as support family reunification. We have also announced further funding of $20 million in budget 2018 to expand our refugee programming targeting women and girls.
Mr. Speaker, we can tell when the Liberals are in trouble when they start threatening law suits and refusing to answer even simple questions.We now know that the RCMP investigation in Brampton involves Goreway Heaven, a company with close ties to the Liberal Party. One of its directors, Baghwan Grewal, a former Liberal riding president, got a prime ticket to the Prime Minister's catastrophic trip to India.Could the Prime Minister tell Canadians who extended the invitation to Mr. Grewal? Was it the Liberal member for Brampton East, the innovation minister, or was it the Prime Minister's own office who invited him to come along?
Mr. Speaker, yes, and we can even say that we are in the process of following up on the interim report and implementing the recommendations.We must not wait to combat violence against women and girls, especially in indigenous communities. We know that the national housing strategy helps women who would otherwise have to return to an abusive relationship or turn to the street.Since 2015, we have created more than 4,800 shelter spaces. We know that there is a lot more work to do and we will keep at it.
Mr. Speaker, actions speak louder than words. The Prime Minister promised that he would work on a plan to keep jobs in Oshawa, but on Monday, the Liberals voted down our motion to study the impact of the GM closure. Instead of caring, the Prime Minister has still not even picked up the phone to call our mayor to offer his support.The Prime Minister said that we need to transition away from manufacturing. My community wants to know what he thinks it should transition to.Will the Prime Minister table his plan for the affected Oshawa workers before Christmas?
Mr. Speaker, as I said, we will work with the Government of Quebec to find the best way to proceed.However, I can tell Canadians and Quebeckers that I have heard their concerns about the labour shortage, I have heard the Conseil du patronat du Québec, and I have heard business owners in Rouyn-Noranda and elsewhere who are struggling with the labour shortage and who recognize that a shortage of immigrants can lead to lower economic growth. We want to create economic growth in Quebec and across Canada, and we will work with the governments involved.
Mr. Speaker, again, for people watching Question Period, they notice that the opposition's job is to ask questions, to critique government policy, to make sure that what we do is exactly right for Canadians and to challenge us on it. That is the role of Her Majesty's loyal opposition. Unfortunately, the current opposition tends to spend its time making innuendos, personal attacks and drive-by smear jobs that seem to consist of political debate. We are happy to exchange on ideas and to argue rigorously why our plan is right.
Mr. Speaker, we know the Prime Minister gets a little jumpy when we ask about Liberal ethics, being the only Prime Minister in Canadian history who has ever been found guilty of breaking the ethics rules.We know it was the Prime Minister's office who invited Jaspal Atwal, a convicted terrorist, to join him on the disastrous India trip. The guest list for that also included Baghwan Grewal, a Liberal operative whose company is now under RCMP investigation.Will the Prime Minister give the RCMP all the documents relating to Mr. Grewal's involvement in the India trip, or will the cover-up continue?
Mr. Speaker, I can confirm that there were never any allegations made against any member from Brampton West.
Mr. Speaker, the fall economic update showered big business with tax breaks while doing little for small business. I am proud to represent one of Canada's major wine and spirit producing areas. Small craft distillers are proposing a reduction in excise tax for producers of less than 100,000 litres. A similar move in the U.S. dramatically boosted its industry, with each new distillery creating 20 to 100 new jobs. Can we count on the government support small business by supporting this proposal?
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to see the NDP members preoccupied with this, but if they really wanted to fight against poverty in this country, they should have voted for the Canada child benefit that is delivering more money every month to nine out of 10 Canadian families and lifting hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty. They should be supporting our plan to invest in infrastructure, including housing to make sure that Canadians have opportunities to afford their homes and to live in safety. They should be supporting our plan, our national housing strategy, that will reduce poverty right across the country. It is unfortunate they stick to the rhetoric instead of siding with us on
Mr. Speaker, like I said, an opposition's job is to oppose. However, the fact is that the Conservatives are not asking us about the economy and they are not asking us about the challenges faced by Alberta right now. They are simply choosing to make the same kinds of personal attacks and smear jobs that characterize 10 years of Stephen Harper's Conservative leadership. We see that the Conservatives actually have no new approach to governing the country and no alternative proposal for economic growth. They are still stuck in the same old approach that Canadians rejected soundly in 2015.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister likes to talk about the social impact of male workers, so let us start by looking at him. Let us talk about the social impact he has had by his inaction on the energy file. Let us talk about the massive job losses and the growing rate of suicides in the province of Alberta. Let us talk about parents who cannot afford to cover their mortgage or pay for their children's school supplies. Now let us talk about the social impact of hard-working construction men. Let us talk about the fact that these men work hard to provide for their families, that they pay taxes and that they support the local community. My question is simple. Why is the Prime Minister insisting on launching a visceral attack against these hard-working men
Mr. Speaker, CSIS has a mandate to investigate threats to Canada, and this includes potential long-term threats to our national interest and to Canada's prosperity.As the director of CSIS pointed out, foreign interference and espionage pose a serious threat to our national interest and our prosperity.Working closely with our Canadian and international partners, our security agencies continuously monitor threats to national security and take the necessary measures to protect Canadians and safeguard their rights and freedoms.
Mr. Speaker, and for the folks at home, what the Prime Minister is trying to do is make it seem that what is being said inside the House has not already been said outside of the House, including by major media reports.However, this is what the Prime Minister always tries to do: there is nothing to see here and nothing has been done wrong. He tried to do that with his illegal vacation to billionaire island, when the finance minister conveniently forgot about the French villa and when one his ministers awarded a lucrative contract to a Liberal friend.I would be happy to ask the exact same questions outside the chamber. Will the Prime Minister stand beside me and finally answer them?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question and his hard work. We are determined to put an end to the national tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. The mandate of the independent commission is clear: families must be at the centre of its work. We have committed to giving families the answers they have long been looking for about the institutional failures that resulted in this tragedy.We are also taking immediate action with investments in women's shelters, housing, education, the reform of child services and safety on the Highway of Tears.
Mr. Speaker, once again, the divisive rhetoric and attacks from the Conservatives serve to undermine the important work that is being done in communities right across this country. Strengthening our resilience and to support everyone and make sure that everyone has safe work environments and a positive path to walk on and to live, these are the kinds of things we are going to continue working on. We will continue to recognize the hard work that we need to do to make sure that every Canadian can contribute to building a stronger economy.
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to building a Canada where all people, regardless of their disability, can fully participate and be included in society. We are acting and have undertaken major initiatives to create an inclusive and accessible Canada. As chair of the committee for the status of persons with disabilities, I am extremely proud of our government's work.Could the Prime Minister please give the House an update on our government's historic progress in this area?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives choose to play political games instead of actually looking at how we are working hard as Canadians to support the world's most vulnerable. The fact that we continue to work with UNRWA allows us to hold it to account to ensure proper accountability on where and how it spends its money, because we know that we need to support the most vulnerable in the world as opposed to continuing to have negative outcomes and funding the wrong sorts of people.Having Canadian dollars there leads to more accountability, and that is something the entire world values.
Mr. Speaker, the opposition's responsibility is to oppose, to ask difficult questions and to challenge what the government is doing.Unfortunately, this Conservative opposition is still stuck in its old Stephen Harper ways, choosing to rely on personal attacks, innuendoes, and smears against government members. The opposition could be asking questions about our record for economic growth, which is excellent, or about the unemployment rate, which is at a 40-year low.
Mr. Speaker, we remain committed to improving road safety with the help of our provincial partners.The Harper Conservatives did absolutely nothing to improve road safety for 10 years. The task force conducted extensive consultations in 2017-18, including round tables in Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto and Halifax.Our government, along with the provincial governments, are now looking at practical options to make our roads safer for our pedestrians and cyclists. We will take action.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Cambridge for his hard work as chair of the committee for human resources, skills and social development and the status of persons with disabilities.We are creating a system whereby barriers are identified and removed proactively so that all Canadians, regardless of their disability, can fully participate in society.I am proud that last week the House unanimously supported our legislation to ensure a barrier-free Canada. This shows that when we truly work together, we can have a direct and lasting impact on the lives of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I represent the watershed community of Pitt MeadowsMaple Ridge. It is important to those in my riding that we are able to protect wild salmon stocks and restore their habitats. While some species are slowly returning, we are currently lacking the tools and resources to make the changes needed.Can the Prime Minister tell us what measures this government will take, including through the British Columbia salmon restoration and innovation fund, to help communities such as my own see revitalized salmon populations?
Mr. Speaker, the mayor of Brampton's chief of staff gave a confidential document regarding a piece of land that the city wanted to purchase from the province to the minister and another member of the Liberal caucus. Now, a private consortium called Goreway Heaven actually purchased the land for virtually the same price that was disclosed to the minister and the MP. The land was resold to the city at a tidy profit of 33%, and city council has asked the RCMP to investigate.Folks at home may wonder this. Why did a member of the Prime Minister's cabinet invite a direct
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives are so eager to play politics it puts them in the awkward position of actually opposing funding that will support nearly 340,000 of the world's most vulnerable children in conflict and crisis zones to stay in school. It is unfortunate that this is the new Conservative philosophy.Children around the world must have equal access to quality education and learning opportunities. This is something we will always support. Unfortunately, the Conservatives have been consistent. They would rather play politics than help the world's most vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, Ottawa never questioned the motives of the Government of Quebec when it unilaterally decided to increase immigration levels. The current government in Quebec was elected with a clear mandate to lower immigration levels in 2019. We expect that, once again, Ottawa will not question the will of Quebeckers.Can the Prime Minister assure Quebec that it has his government's full co-operation to reduce the number of new arrivals, including in the categories chosen by the federal government?
Mr. Speaker, we introduced a historic plan to fight poverty in Canada and help Canadian families. The Canada child benefit, which the NDP voted against, is delivering more money to nine out of 10 families throughout the country and has lifted 300,000 children out of poverty. By increasing the guaranteed income supplement for seniors and making historic investments in affordable housing across Canada, we are helping families. Still, we know a lot of work remains to be done, and that is what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives spent a decade failing to get Canadian oil to new markets. On northern gateway, the Federal Court of Appeal found that the previous government's consultations with indigenous peoples fell well short of the mark. The Conservatives seem to think that the duty to consult is only a suggestion, not a constitutional obligation. They had 10 years to get the job done and they failed. They failed for 10 years. We are moving forward on expanding to global markets, building pipeline capacity in the right way.
Mr. Speaker, major questions have been raised about the role of the innovation minister and the member for Brampton East with respect to a questionable real estate deal. The allegations also involve Liberal Party donors, a former Liberal Party riding president and, of course, the Prime Minister's disastrous trip to India. Can the Prime Minister confirm whether his innovation minister has had any contact with any law enforcement agency or anyone in their offices, including the Prime Minister's Office, regarding any of the allegations surrounding the member for Brampton East?
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, the Conservatives failed our country, failed our construction workers, failed the oil patch workers by not being able to create economic growth, by not being able to create the kinds of jobs that were needed and by not being able to get our resources to new markets other than the United States. We are turning that around. We are moving forward on getting resources to markets, done in the right way. We are investing in projects that are growing our economy. We are delivering the lowest unemployment rates in 40 years. That is the work we are
Mr. Speaker, over the next two days, I will be sitting down with the premiers in a first ministers meeting. Indeed, it is the third or fourth first ministers meeting. We are doing one every single year, because I believe in pulling together with first ministers so that we can talk about a broad range of issues they want to talk about. However, as a reminder, the previous government did not like first ministers meetings and tended not to hold them at all. We are going to be talking about a broad range of things, including lowering barriers so that our beer and wine producers across this country can do better.
Mr. Speaker, for folks watching question period, let me explain parliamentary privilege. It allows members of Parliament to say things in this House without fear of prosecution or legal consequences. It is a foundation of an important element of what we do in this House. One of the ways people at home who are keeping score can note whether something is serious or not is whether members opposite will repeat what they say in the House outside the House.
Mr. Speaker, problems associated with the use of methamphetamine in my riding and in the prairie provinces are escalating and affecting many people and their families in various communities.I am proud to say that the city of Winnipeg has launched a task force to look into solutions to deal with the current situation.I would like to ask the Prime Minister what steps our government is taking, and plans to take, to address methamphetamine use in Canada.
Mr. Speaker, we do not want to raise Canadians' taxes. We know that a healthy arts and culture industry is important.We are investing more than $3.2 billion in our artists and creators. No other G7 country is investing more. We doubled funding for the Canada Council for the Arts. We reinvested $675 million in CBC/Radio-Canada. We gave the Canada Media Fund an extra $172 million. We are proud to support our artists and creators, and that is what we will keep doing.
Mr. Speaker, the company Goreway Heaven had 10 directors on it. Five of those directors are known major contributors to the Liberal Party of Canada. As well, one of those directors was invited to be part of the Prime Minister's delegation to India, not more than one month after the company collected a 33% hike in the property that it had purchased, which, miraculously, resembled the price that was disclosed to the minister. All we want to know from the Prime Minister is which member of Parliament invited that gentleman on the trip.
Mr. Speaker, we are focusing on the workers and their families who are going through a difficult time and need the support of every member in the House.When I spoke last week to the Premier of Ontario, we agreed that this was a time to put partisanship aside and focus on how to support the workers in Oshawa.From day one we have taken steps to make Canada's automotive manufacturing sector more globally competitive and innovative. We will always stand firmly behind our automotive sector and workers.
Mr. Speaker, we take very seriously the responsibility of creating safe workplaces and supporting all people in communities to ensure that they have opportunities to contribute, to find good jobs, and to grow their communities in safety and security. That is something we are going to continue to focus on. I will take no lessons from the Conservative Party on how to build safer and more inclusive communities.
Mr. Speaker, we will always stand up for our workers. We will be there to stimulate economic growth. We had the strongest economic growth in the G7 last year. Our unemployment rate is at a 40-year low. We recognize that the decisions a government makes can have different impacts on different communities and groups. This is something we understand very well. Unfortunately, the Conservatives do not seem to understand the impact of the decisions they made as a government or what governments do
Mr. Speaker, four major pipeline projects were approved by the previous government: Enbridge Alberta Clipper, the TransCanada Keystone, Kinder Morgan's Anchor Loop and Enbridge Line 9B reversal. All these projects were approved and, here is the kicker, built under the previous Conservative government. The Trans Mountain expansion will not access the deepwater ports that northern gateway would. Aboriginal communities were going to be partners in the beneficiaries from that project. Why did the Prime Minister kill the northern gateway project?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Winnipeg Centre for his hard work and leadership on this important issue.We are deeply concerned about the increasing use of methamphetamine, especially in the Prairies.Our budget 2018 included $150 million to help the provinces and territories improve access to treatment services.We are encouraged to see that the City of Winnipeg has created a task force and that a Health Canada senior official is part of it.We will continue working closely with our partners to tackle this scourge.
Mr. Speaker, let me remind folks that we put in place the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, comprised of members from all parties in the House and the Senate, so it could exactly look in and weigh in on these important and delicate matters.When it comes to the matter of national security in the country, we should have an oversight committee that can do that. That is why we went and created it. We have tremendous respect for the work that it has done and we very much support the important work it does. I just wish more people respected it.
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to ending the ongoing national tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. The independent commission's mandate is clear that families must be at the centre of its work. We are committed to getting the answers, which have been about the systemic and institutional failures that have led to this tragedy. In addition to our substantive response to the inquiry's interim report, we are also taking immediate action with investments in women's shelters, housing, education, reform of child welfare and safety on the Highway of Tears.
Mr. Speaker, this government takes very seriously the safety and protection of Canadians, including in cybersecurity and all related matters. That is why we work with the extraordinary professionals in our security and intelligence services to determine the best way to move forward in growing the Canadian economy, creating new technological innovations and keeping our country and its infrastructures safe from foreign interference. That is a task that our security and intelligence agencies do extraordinarily well and we always support them and accept their recommendations.
Mr. Speaker, we have always shown our commitment to openness and transparency on the international stage.I want to once again congratulate the members of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians for the incredible work they have done. We accept their recommendations and we will continue to respect the great work they do.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Pitt MeadowsMaple Ridge for his hard work towards protecting wildlife on the west coast. We continue to take real action when it comes to the sustainability of wild Pacific salmon. As we announced in our fall economic statement, we will invest $105 million to create a British Columbia salmon restoration and innovation fund, which includes a contribution to the Pacific salmon endowment fund of $5 million. These investments will support projects focused on salmon stock protection and the habitat restoration of this iconic species.
Mr. Speaker, it is unbelievable to watch the Prime Minister refuse to acknowledge that his arrogant and self-righteous comments are an insult to tens of thousands of Canadians who work in construction in our communities across the country. He sits on his high horse and with innuendo and stereotypes throws stones at these good men and women. I want to invite the Prime Minister to apologize. Will he stand in his place, do the right thing and apologize to construction workers across the country?
Mr. Speaker, holding consultations and writing reports is a good step, but the Liberals need to realize that it is just the first of many steps for the government.Indigenous women are three times more likely to suffer physical or sexual abuse than non-indigenous women. The government has to stop considering them as second-class citizens and come up with a national plan to end violence against indigenous women. Will the government commit to implementing all the recommendations made by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Government of Quebec confirmed that Netflix will start collecting the QST on January 1, 2019, but not the GST, because Ottawa is refusing to change federal laws and make California-based Internet multinationals collect the same GST it makes our businesses collect.Quebec explicitly asked the federal government to work with it to change the law, but the government flatly refused. No other G7 country is dumb enough to refuse to adapt its tax system to the Internet age.Can the Prime Minister do better than the Minister of Finance's pathetic attempts to justify the unjustifiable?
Mr. Speaker we do indeed need to make sure that the families of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls are at the centre of this inquiry and are being heard, informed and supported throughout the process. The missing and murdered indigenous women and girls inquiry must lead to change. Will the Liberal government commit now to fully implementing all the inquiry's recommendations?
Mr. Speaker, we legalized marijuana because we know that that is the best way to protect our children and to eliminate the influence of organized crime on the sale of marijuana and the profits it makes from it.We will certainly ensure that Health Canada and others conduct all the necessary investigations to make good decisions about all licences issued in connection with marijuana.
Mr. Speaker, I was wondering if I could get unanimous consent for the following motion. I move that given Canadians must be in control of their borders and have full sovereignty over their immigration system and refuse to allow the government to continue to cede this control to authorities beyond our borders, and that the government has allowed over 38,000 people to illegally enter Canada from the United States and abuse our asylum system at a cost of over $1 billion, thereby compromising the integrity of our borders' immigration system, the House call on the government to refrain from signing Canada onto the UN global compact for migration, secure our borders and fix the mess the Prime Minister has created.
Mr. Speaker, I will ask the Prime Minister an easier questionThis morning, La Presse reported that Montreal police discovered 977 marijuana plants in a couple's home. While the police was conducting its investigation, this same couple was applying to Health Canada for a permit to grow medical marijuana. The kicker is that they actually got it.Will the Prime Minister commit to suspending the licence issued by Health Canada to this couple, which is currently under investigation by the Montreal police?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know the Prime Minister loves to swagger on social media, but his tweet to Trevor Noah took the cake. A $50-million donation on Twitter, with some of it going to UNRWA. Speaking of UNRWA, I did not see the Prime Minister tweet about the earlier $50-million donation he made to that agency: Hey, Trevor Noah, I am donating $50 million to an organization that supports anti-Semitism. Will the Prime Minister withhold his donation to UNRWA until that organization denounces
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, Canadians will condemn violence against women. This violence is always unacceptable, but for some communities it is part of everyday life.Over the past 30 years, more than 1,200 indigenous women have been murdered or reported missing. Forty mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts and cousins disappear every year. Safety and the right to justice for indigenous women must be a priority.Does the government plan to establish an ambitious national action plan to address violence against indigenous women?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's statement was a clear attack on some of the hardest working and most dedicated Canadians. For the Prime Minister to directly attack these men and insinuate they are dangerous to women in rural communities is unconscionable and diminishes the high office he holds, not to mention the fact that people in broken glass houses should not throw stones. Again, will the Prime Minister stand and apologize for what he said to construction workers?
Mr. Speaker, this Friday, the government is required to submit a plan to Parliament on how it plans to bring justice to those who survived genocide at the hands of ISIS terrorists. Never again means taking concrete action to bring those who are complicit in genocide to justice.Will the Prime Minister table this report on Friday, and will it include concrete action to monitor, gather information to prosecute, and restrict the activities of ISIS terrorists who are in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister attempted to defend his natural resource minister's ridiculous claim that the court killed the northern gateway pipeline, but the facts are clear. Just like in the ruling for Trans Mountain, the judge provided a clear path forward for northern gateway, saying that this process need not take long, but the Prime Minister ignored that ruling and killed northern gateway. Why? Because he has been fighting against it for years.If the Prime Minister does not want to accept responsibility for northern gateway being ended, will he commit today to reviving it and completing the process?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister truly does not seem to care about the impact of his policies. The reality is that the price of food in Canada will go up 3.5% next year, with the annual food costs of the average family going up by $411. If people are on a fixed income or working for minimum wage, good luck in getting any type of healthy diet, and this at a time when Canadian families are struggling with the worst debt loads in the industrialized world.When will the government stop giving big tax breaks to the richest corporations and bring in progressive policies that truly help all Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, Yasmine Sherif is the former director of a group that promotes anti-Israel propaganda and the BDS movement. Today, she is the director of Education Cannot Wait, a recent recipient of a $50-million tweeted pledge by the Prime Minister. The House has rejected BDS and the xenophobia that it promotes. In 2016, even the Prime Minister recognized that BDS is anti-Semitic. Will the Prime Minister withdraw the funding promise and support the Jewish community and our allies in Israel, or is he more concerned with impressing his celebrity friends?
Mr. Speaker, that again is a failure of the Prime Minister to take responsibility.Last year, Montreal police discovered 977 pot plants and more than $15,000 on the premises of a couple in Montreal. This year, despite the ongoing criminal investigation of that couple, Health Canada gave them a permit to grow more than 600 cannabis plants for medical purposes. Are they kidding? These people are under investigation for illegal cannabis for the purpose of trafficking, but got a licence to grow pot. We cannot make this stuff up.Will the Prime Minister revoke their licence while the police investigation is ongoing?
Mr. Speaker, a director from a company with ties to the Liberals, notably the Minister of Innovation, made a really good deal. He bought land from the Ontario government for $3.3 million and sold it a back a few months later for $4.4 million. Talk about a deal. It is so questionable that the City of Brampton asked the RCMP to investigate.Now that we know this director went on the Prime Minister's disastrous trip to India, we would like to know who invited him.
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to issues of ethics and security, the Prime Minister keeps playing a busted flush, like his bizarre claim that nobody in the PMO knew anything about the fact that the member for Brampton West was being followed by the RCMP here in Parliament, and being mentioned in a wiretap on terrorism financing and money laundering. Here is the the thing. The Ethics Commissioner has confirmed that he is willing to look into whether the MP misused his position on the finance committee to ask leading questions about how to evade a money laundering investigation. Let us try this one more time. Is the Prime Minister sticking with his story that there were no adults around who could pay attention to these ethical and security debacles?
Mr. Speaker, we know the Conservative Party is in trouble when it falls back on the same failed approach of personal attacks and smears that characterized it through 10 years of Stephen Harper, 10 years of low job creation and the worst economic growth since the Great Depression.What we actually have now is people trying to dig up stories around a trip that happened a year and a half ago as a way of attacking and smearing the government, because they have nothing to say on our economic growth, on job creation, on the way we are delivering for Canadians
Mr. Speaker, ensuring the integrity of Canada's legal cannabis production system is a top priority for our government. That is why the regulated system contains multiple measures to protect the health and safety of Canadians and the integrity of the system. These include stringent requirements around physical and personal security, record-keeping, inventory controls and reporting that is verified by Health Canada inspections. Our government will never hesitate to take appropriate action to protect the integrity of our legal cannabis system.
Mr. Speaker, as of January 2019, families will be paying $411 more per year than they did in 2018 for the same basket of groceries.Why? Because the Liberals failed to protect our supply management system in trade agreements and failed to come up with an ambitious plan to fight climate change. As a result, food will cost more, and people will once again have to pay for the Liberals' lack of leadership.When will this government understand that its failure to take action is costing Canadians a lot of money?
Mr. Speaker, there is an easy way for Canadians to see whether the Conservatives are actually asking real questions or going after real facts. All they have to do is check whether the members opposite are able to repeat outside the House of Commons the allegations they are making here under the protection of parliamentary privilege.If they will not repeat those allegations, then Canadians will know that these are baseless attacks, personal attacks, to try to distract from the fact that we are
Mr. Speaker, allow me to refresh the Prime Minister's memory.This administrator, Bhagwan Grewal, is a former Liberal association president. He is a Liberal Party donor. He went on the India trip and even took the time to have his picture taken with the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development so he could keep a nice souvenir of that great trip to India.If the Prime Minister has nothing to hide, when will he present the official list of all his VIP guests who were with him on his trip to India, which was paid for by Canadian taxpayers?
Mr. Speaker, we continue to review the export permits. I can assure the House that when I was in Argentina for the G20 summit, I talked directly with the Saudi prince and told him that we need better answers than we have heard so far on the murder of Mr. Khashoggi. I also informed him that we expect him to order a ceasefire in Yemen so that humanitarian aid can reach civilians, who are suffering through an appalling crisis. We have a duty to help this country and to hold the line with Saudi Arabia
Mr. Speaker, our allies have spoken and security experts have spoken. Now, the head of CSIS has spoken. As one of our country's top security officials, he said publicly that hostile states are targeting our 5G network. Communist Chinese laws are clear. Companies in China must support, co-operate with and collaborate in national intelligence work. Huawei will be forced to spy on Canada.Will the Prime Minister commit to ensuring that our next generation network is secure, and ban Huawei?
Mr. Speaker, that is just one more reason.The director of CSIS has confirmed that some countries, sponsored by others, were engaged in interference and espionage. Three of the Five Eyes have decided that Huawei must be banned. Our economic, security and military interests are in jeopardy.Will the Prime Minister commit to banning Huawei from Canada?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know all too well that the Prime Minister is a man who spends money like water, especially when, as ill luck would have it, he has his iPhone out and starts tweeting.We all recall that almost two years ago, he sent out a tweet that has cost taxpayers over $1 billion Canadian. This weekend, out of boredom or in an attempt to impress an international celebrity, the Prime Minister announced via Twitter that the Canadian government would be taking $50 million of taxpayers' money and giving it to an initiative backed by one of his famous pals.Is the Prime Minister aware that Twitter is not a tool for diplomacy or an appropriate venue for announcing public spending?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Prime Minister has been called out for his disparaging remarks. He said that the mass arrival of male workers in Canada's rural areas would have a negative social impact. For several years now, seasonal workers have been travelling to regional areas every year; they keep the economy going and no one complains. Instead of asking how to adjust and adapt, the Prime Minister should be happy that Canada has such a skilled workforce.
Mr. Speaker, since the vile murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Germany and many of our other allies have shown real leadership and stopped selling arms to the Saudi regime. Meanwhile, in Canada, it has now been six weeks since the Prime Minister announced that the government was reviewing existing export permits to Saudi Arabia.Once again, could the Prime Minister update the House on the status of this review?
Mr. Speaker, it is this Prime Minister who has failed to get projects built. It is under this Prime Minister's watch that all the major pipeline proponents in this country have left and are building projects in the United States, and in the case of Kinder Morgan, with the $4.5 billion of taxpayers' money that he gave them to get out of town with.Every time we ask the Prime Minister questions about his disastrous trip to India, he always replies there is nothing to worry about because there is no problem. Canadians know full well that there are problems.Will the Prime Minister finally show some respect for Canadians and disclose the entire guest list for his events during his trip to India?
Mr. Speaker, more and more people are using active transportation. That is great, but we need to adapt accordingly. RosemontLa Petite-Patrie has one of the highest rates of cyclist and pedestrian death in Quebec. From 2006 to 2015, 17 pedestrians and eight cyclists were killed in Rosemont, and 32 cyclists were killed in Montreal. Every time a cyclist dies, a white bicycle is placed at the scene of the accident. I cannot take it any more. My dream is to never have to see another one of those white bicycles.Can the Prime Minister or the Minister of Transport ensure that the recommendations of the task force to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians are implemented?
Mr. Speaker, we launched a national public inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls because we saw there was a need for leadership. For too long it had not moved forward. We did that because we know we needed healing for the families, we needed justice for the victims and we needed to put an end to this ongoing national tragedy. That is why we extended the time and mandate of the inquiry to ensure that all families could be heard. We gave it the extra funding it requested. We are looking forward to seeing the results of the important work it is doing. At the same time, we are not waiting for that result, to
Mr. Speaker, it is the opposition's responsibility to oppose, to challenge a government and to disagree on positions of policy. Unfortunately, the members opposite choose to make personal attacks and drive-by smears. The fact is that for those at home who want to see whether there is any substance to these at all, they can simply watch whether the members opposite will repeat those allegations outside of the House where they are not protected by parliamentary immunity.
Mr. Speaker, it is funny to see what happens when the Conservatives play politics. They end up opposing funding that will help nearly 340,000 of the world's poorest children in conflict and crisis zones stay in school. It is unfortunate that this is the new Conservative philosophy. Children around the world must have equal access to learning opportunities and quality education. This is something we will always support. It is a shame that the Conservatives are playing politics and opposing this.
Mr. Speaker, today I proudly joined our leader, Jagmeet Singh, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the PSAC national indigenous peoples' circle to stand in solidarity with all indigenous women and girls who have been victims or survivors of violence. We must ensure that the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls leads to justice and healing.Will the Prime Minister agree to meet with the national indigenous peoples' circle to receive their petitions on the inquiry?
Mr. Speaker, once again, a zero per cent increase in pipeline capacity to new markets under 10 years of Conservative government for the very simple reason that they did not understand that the way to build big projects is to work with indigenous peoples in full respect and partnership, to work with environmental scientists and concerned citizens to demonstrate it is being done in the right way. They failed for 10 years and now they double down on an approach that failed the oil industry and failed Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I would be pleased to be putting forward that report on Tuesday. Our government has proven to be a global leader in welcoming refugees and we have more than doubled Canada's refugee numbers. We have provided a new home to more than 1,400 women and their families who endured the brutality of Daesh, 85% of whom are Yazidi. We are not stopping there. We will continue to expedite privately sponsored applications, as well as support family reunification. We have also announced further funding of $20 million in budget 2018 to expand our refugee programming targeting women and girls.
Mr. Speaker, we can tell when the Liberals are in trouble when they start threatening law suits and refusing to answer even simple questions.We now know that the RCMP investigation in Brampton involves Goreway Heaven, a company with close ties to the Liberal Party. One of its directors, Baghwan Grewal, a former Liberal riding president, got a prime ticket to the Prime Minister's catastrophic trip to India.Could the Prime Minister tell Canadians who extended the invitation to Mr. Grewal? Was it the Liberal member for Brampton East, the innovation minister, or was it the Prime Minister's own office who invited him to come along?
Mr. Speaker, yes, and we can even say that we are in the process of following up on the interim report and implementing the recommendations.We must not wait to combat violence against women and girls, especially in indigenous communities. We know that the national housing strategy helps women who would otherwise have to return to an abusive relationship or turn to the street.Since 2015, we have created more than 4,800 shelter spaces. We know that there is a lot more work to do and we will keep at it.
Mr. Speaker, actions speak louder than words. The Prime Minister promised that he would work on a plan to keep jobs in Oshawa, but on Monday, the Liberals voted down our motion to study the impact of the GM closure. Instead of caring, the Prime Minister has still not even picked up the phone to call our mayor to offer his support.The Prime Minister said that we need to transition away from manufacturing. My community wants to know what he thinks it should transition to.Will the Prime Minister table his plan for the affected Oshawa workers before Christmas?
Mr. Speaker, as I said, we will work with the Government of Quebec to find the best way to proceed.However, I can tell Canadians and Quebeckers that I have heard their concerns about the labour shortage, I have heard the Conseil du patronat du Québec, and I have heard business owners in Rouyn-Noranda and elsewhere who are struggling with the labour shortage and who recognize that a shortage of immigrants can lead to lower economic growth. We want to create economic growth in Quebec and across Canada, and we will work with the governments involved.
Mr. Speaker, again, for people watching Question Period, they notice that the opposition's job is to ask questions, to critique government policy, to make sure that what we do is exactly right for Canadians and to challenge us on it. That is the role of Her Majesty's loyal opposition. Unfortunately, the current opposition tends to spend its time making innuendos, personal attacks and drive-by smear jobs that seem to consist of political debate. We are happy to exchange on ideas and to argue rigorously why our plan is right.
Mr. Speaker, we know the Prime Minister gets a little jumpy when we ask about Liberal ethics, being the only Prime Minister in Canadian history who has ever been found guilty of breaking the ethics rules.We know it was the Prime Minister's office who invited Jaspal Atwal, a convicted terrorist, to join him on the disastrous India trip. The guest list for that also included Baghwan Grewal, a Liberal operative whose company is now under RCMP investigation.Will the Prime Minister give the RCMP all the documents relating to Mr. Grewal's involvement in the India trip, or will the cover-up continue?
Mr. Speaker, I can confirm that there were never any allegations made against any member from Brampton West.
Mr. Speaker, the fall economic update showered big business with tax breaks while doing little for small business. I am proud to represent one of Canada's major wine and spirit producing areas. Small craft distillers are proposing a reduction in excise tax for producers of less than 100,000 litres. A similar move in the U.S. dramatically boosted its industry, with each new distillery creating 20 to 100 new jobs. Can we count on the government support small business by supporting this proposal?
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to see the NDP members preoccupied with this, but if they really wanted to fight against poverty in this country, they should have voted for the Canada child benefit that is delivering more money every month to nine out of 10 Canadian families and lifting hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty. They should be supporting our plan to invest in infrastructure, including housing to make sure that Canadians have opportunities to afford their homes and to live in safety. They should be supporting our plan, our national housing strategy, that will reduce poverty right across the country. It is unfortunate they stick to the rhetoric instead of siding with us on
Mr. Speaker, like I said, an opposition's job is to oppose. However, the fact is that the Conservatives are not asking us about the economy and they are not asking us about the challenges faced by Alberta right now. They are simply choosing to make the same kinds of personal attacks and smear jobs that characterize 10 years of Stephen Harper's Conservative leadership. We see that the Conservatives actually have no new approach to governing the country and no alternative proposal for economic growth. They are still stuck in the same old approach that Canadians rejected soundly in 2015.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister likes to talk about the social impact of male workers, so let us start by looking at him. Let us talk about the social impact he has had by his inaction on the energy file. Let us talk about the massive job losses and the growing rate of suicides in the province of Alberta. Let us talk about parents who cannot afford to cover their mortgage or pay for their children's school supplies. Now let us talk about the social impact of hard-working construction men. Let us talk about the fact that these men work hard to provide for their families, that they pay taxes and that they support the local community. My question is simple. Why is the Prime Minister insisting on launching a visceral attack against these hard-working men
Mr. Speaker, CSIS has a mandate to investigate threats to Canada, and this includes potential long-term threats to our national interest and to Canada's prosperity.As the director of CSIS pointed out, foreign interference and espionage pose a serious threat to our national interest and our prosperity.Working closely with our Canadian and international partners, our security agencies continuously monitor threats to national security and take the necessary measures to protect Canadians and safeguard their rights and freedoms.
Mr. Speaker, and for the folks at home, what the Prime Minister is trying to do is make it seem that what is being said inside the House has not already been said outside of the House, including by major media reports.However, this is what the Prime Minister always tries to do: there is nothing to see here and nothing has been done wrong. He tried to do that with his illegal vacation to billionaire island, when the finance minister conveniently forgot about the French villa and when one his ministers awarded a lucrative contract to a Liberal friend.I would be happy to ask the exact same questions outside the chamber. Will the Prime Minister stand beside me and finally answer them?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question and his hard work. We are determined to put an end to the national tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. The mandate of the independent commission is clear: families must be at the centre of its work. We have committed to giving families the answers they have long been looking for about the institutional failures that resulted in this tragedy.We are also taking immediate action with investments in women's shelters, housing, education, the reform of child services and safety on the Highway of Tears.
Mr. Speaker, once again, the divisive rhetoric and attacks from the Conservatives serve to undermine the important work that is being done in communities right across this country. Strengthening our resilience and to support everyone and make sure that everyone has safe work environments and a positive path to walk on and to live, these are the kinds of things we are going to continue working on. We will continue to recognize the hard work that we need to do to make sure that every Canadian can contribute to building a stronger economy.
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to building a Canada where all people, regardless of their disability, can fully participate and be included in society. We are acting and have undertaken major initiatives to create an inclusive and accessible Canada. As chair of the committee for the status of persons with disabilities, I am extremely proud of our government's work.Could the Prime Minister please give the House an update on our government's historic progress in this area?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives choose to play political games instead of actually looking at how we are working hard as Canadians to support the world's most vulnerable. The fact that we continue to work with UNRWA allows us to hold it to account to ensure proper accountability on where and how it spends its money, because we know that we need to support the most vulnerable in the world as opposed to continuing to have negative outcomes and funding the wrong sorts of people.Having Canadian dollars there leads to more accountability, and that is something the entire world values.
Mr. Speaker, the opposition's responsibility is to oppose, to ask difficult questions and to challenge what the government is doing.Unfortunately, this Conservative opposition is still stuck in its old Stephen Harper ways, choosing to rely on personal attacks, innuendoes, and smears against government members. The opposition could be asking questions about our record for economic growth, which is excellent, or about the unemployment rate, which is at a 40-year low.
Mr. Speaker, we remain committed to improving road safety with the help of our provincial partners.The Harper Conservatives did absolutely nothing to improve road safety for 10 years. The task force conducted extensive consultations in 2017-18, including round tables in Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto and Halifax.Our government, along with the provincial governments, are now looking at practical options to make our roads safer for our pedestrians and cyclists. We will take action.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Cambridge for his hard work as chair of the committee for human resources, skills and social development and the status of persons with disabilities.We are creating a system whereby barriers are identified and removed proactively so that all Canadians, regardless of their disability, can fully participate in society.I am proud that last week the House unanimously supported our legislation to ensure a barrier-free Canada. This shows that when we truly work together, we can have a direct and lasting impact on the lives of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I represent the watershed community of Pitt MeadowsMaple Ridge. It is important to those in my riding that we are able to protect wild salmon stocks and restore their habitats. While some species are slowly returning, we are currently lacking the tools and resources to make the changes needed.Can the Prime Minister tell us what measures this government will take, including through the British Columbia salmon restoration and innovation fund, to help communities such as my own see revitalized salmon populations?
Mr. Speaker, the mayor of Brampton's chief of staff gave a confidential document regarding a piece of land that the city wanted to purchase from the province to the minister and another member of the Liberal caucus. Now, a private consortium called Goreway Heaven actually purchased the land for virtually the same price that was disclosed to the minister and the MP. The land was resold to the city at a tidy profit of 33%, and city council has asked the RCMP to investigate.Folks at home may wonder this. Why did a member of the Prime Minister's cabinet invite a direct
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives are so eager to play politics it puts them in the awkward position of actually opposing funding that will support nearly 340,000 of the world's most vulnerable children in conflict and crisis zones to stay in school. It is unfortunate that this is the new Conservative philosophy.Children around the world must have equal access to quality education and learning opportunities. This is something we will always support. Unfortunately, the Conservatives have been consistent. They would rather play politics than help the world's most vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, Ottawa never questioned the motives of the Government of Quebec when it unilaterally decided to increase immigration levels. The current government in Quebec was elected with a clear mandate to lower immigration levels in 2019. We expect that, once again, Ottawa will not question the will of Quebeckers.Can the Prime Minister assure Quebec that it has his government's full co-operation to reduce the number of new arrivals, including in the categories chosen by the federal government?
Mr. Speaker, we introduced a historic plan to fight poverty in Canada and help Canadian families. The Canada child benefit, which the NDP voted against, is delivering more money to nine out of 10 families throughout the country and has lifted 300,000 children out of poverty. By increasing the guaranteed income supplement for seniors and making historic investments in affordable housing across Canada, we are helping families. Still, we know a lot of work remains to be done, and that is what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives spent a decade failing to get Canadian oil to new markets. On northern gateway, the Federal Court of Appeal found that the previous government's consultations with indigenous peoples fell well short of the mark. The Conservatives seem to think that the duty to consult is only a suggestion, not a constitutional obligation. They had 10 years to get the job done and they failed. They failed for 10 years. We are moving forward on expanding to global markets, building pipeline capacity in the right way.
Mr. Speaker, major questions have been raised about the role of the innovation minister and the member for Brampton East with respect to a questionable real estate deal. The allegations also involve Liberal Party donors, a former Liberal Party riding president and, of course, the Prime Minister's disastrous trip to India. Can the Prime Minister confirm whether his innovation minister has had any contact with any law enforcement agency or anyone in their offices, including the Prime Minister's Office, regarding any of the allegations surrounding the member for Brampton East?
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, the Conservatives failed our country, failed our construction workers, failed the oil patch workers by not being able to create economic growth, by not being able to create the kinds of jobs that were needed and by not being able to get our resources to new markets other than the United States. We are turning that around. We are moving forward on getting resources to markets, done in the right way. We are investing in projects that are growing our economy. We are delivering the lowest unemployment rates in 40 years. That is the work we are
Mr. Speaker, over the next two days, I will be sitting down with the premiers in a first ministers meeting. Indeed, it is the third or fourth first ministers meeting. We are doing one every single year, because I believe in pulling together with first ministers so that we can talk about a broad range of issues they want to talk about. However, as a reminder, the previous government did not like first ministers meetings and tended not to hold them at all. We are going to be talking about a broad range of things, including lowering barriers so that our beer and wine producers across this country can do better.
Mr. Speaker, for folks watching question period, let me explain parliamentary privilege. It allows members of Parliament to say things in this House without fear of prosecution or legal consequences. It is a foundation of an important element of what we do in this House. One of the ways people at home who are keeping score can note whether something is serious or not is whether members opposite will repeat what they say in the House outside the House.
Mr. Speaker, problems associated with the use of methamphetamine in my riding and in the prairie provinces are escalating and affecting many people and their families in various communities.I am proud to say that the city of Winnipeg has launched a task force to look into solutions to deal with the current situation.I would like to ask the Prime Minister what steps our government is taking, and plans to take, to address methamphetamine use in Canada.
Mr. Speaker, we do not want to raise Canadians' taxes. We know that a healthy arts and culture industry is important.We are investing more than $3.2 billion in our artists and creators. No other G7 country is investing more. We doubled funding for the Canada Council for the Arts. We reinvested $675 million in CBC/Radio-Canada. We gave the Canada Media Fund an extra $172 million. We are proud to support our artists and creators, and that is what we will keep doing.
Mr. Speaker, the company Goreway Heaven had 10 directors on it. Five of those directors are known major contributors to the Liberal Party of Canada. As well, one of those directors was invited to be part of the Prime Minister's delegation to India, not more than one month after the company collected a 33% hike in the property that it had purchased, which, miraculously, resembled the price that was disclosed to the minister. All we want to know from the Prime Minister is which member of Parliament invited that gentleman on the trip.
Mr. Speaker, we are focusing on the workers and their families who are going through a difficult time and need the support of every member in the House.When I spoke last week to the Premier of Ontario, we agreed that this was a time to put partisanship aside and focus on how to support the workers in Oshawa.From day one we have taken steps to make Canada's automotive manufacturing sector more globally competitive and innovative. We will always stand firmly behind our automotive sector and workers.
Mr. Speaker, we take very seriously the responsibility of creating safe workplaces and supporting all people in communities to ensure that they have opportunities to contribute, to find good jobs, and to grow their communities in safety and security. That is something we are going to continue to focus on. I will take no lessons from the Conservative Party on how to build safer and more inclusive communities.
Mr. Speaker, we will always stand up for our workers. We will be there to stimulate economic growth. We had the strongest economic growth in the G7 last year. Our unemployment rate is at a 40-year low. We recognize that the decisions a government makes can have different impacts on different communities and groups. This is something we understand very well. Unfortunately, the Conservatives do not seem to understand the impact of the decisions they made as a government or what governments do
Mr. Speaker, four major pipeline projects were approved by the previous government: Enbridge Alberta Clipper, the TransCanada Keystone, Kinder Morgan's Anchor Loop and Enbridge Line 9B reversal. All these projects were approved and, here is the kicker, built under the previous Conservative government. The Trans Mountain expansion will not access the deepwater ports that northern gateway would. Aboriginal communities were going to be partners in the beneficiaries from that project. Why did the Prime Minister kill the northern gateway project?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Winnipeg Centre for his hard work and leadership on this important issue.We are deeply concerned about the increasing use of methamphetamine, especially in the Prairies.Our budget 2018 included $150 million to help the provinces and territories improve access to treatment services.We are encouraged to see that the City of Winnipeg has created a task force and that a Health Canada senior official is part of it.We will continue working closely with our partners to tackle this scourge.
Mr. Speaker, let me remind folks that we put in place the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, comprised of members from all parties in the House and the Senate, so it could exactly look in and weigh in on these important and delicate matters.When it comes to the matter of national security in the country, we should have an oversight committee that can do that. That is why we went and created it. We have tremendous respect for the work that it has done and we very much support the important work it does. I just wish more people respected it.
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to ending the ongoing national tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. The independent commission's mandate is clear that families must be at the centre of its work. We are committed to getting the answers, which have been about the systemic and institutional failures that have led to this tragedy. In addition to our substantive response to the inquiry's interim report, we are also taking immediate action with investments in women's shelters, housing, education, reform of child welfare and safety on the Highway of Tears.
Mr. Speaker, this government takes very seriously the safety and protection of Canadians, including in cybersecurity and all related matters. That is why we work with the extraordinary professionals in our security and intelligence services to determine the best way to move forward in growing the Canadian economy, creating new technological innovations and keeping our country and its infrastructures safe from foreign interference. That is a task that our security and intelligence agencies do extraordinarily well and we always support them and accept their recommendations.
Mr. Speaker, we have always shown our commitment to openness and transparency on the international stage.I want to once again congratulate the members of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians for the incredible work they have done. We accept their recommendations and we will continue to respect the great work they do.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Pitt MeadowsMaple Ridge for his hard work towards protecting wildlife on the west coast. We continue to take real action when it comes to the sustainability of wild Pacific salmon. As we announced in our fall economic statement, we will invest $105 million to create a British Columbia salmon restoration and innovation fund, which includes a contribution to the Pacific salmon endowment fund of $5 million. These investments will support projects focused on salmon stock protection and the habitat restoration of this iconic species.
Most negative speeches
Mr. Speaker, we know the Prime Minister gets a little jumpy when we ask about Liberal ethics, being the only Prime Minister in Canadian history who has ever been found guilty of breaking the ethics rules.We know it was the Prime Minister's office who invited Jaspal Atwal, a convicted terrorist, to join him on the disastrous India trip. The guest list for that also included Baghwan Grewal, a Liberal operative whose company is now under RCMP investigation.Will the Prime Minister give the RCMP all the documents relating to Mr. Grewal's involvement in the India trip, or will the cover-up continue?
Mr. Speaker, major questions have been raised about the role of the innovation minister and the member for Brampton East with respect to a questionable real estate deal. The allegations also involve Liberal Party donors, a former Liberal Party riding president and, of course, the Prime Minister's disastrous trip to India. Can the Prime Minister confirm whether his innovation minister has had any contact with any law enforcement agency or anyone in their offices, including the Prime Minister's Office, regarding any of the allegations surrounding the member for Brampton East?
Mr. Speaker, it is this Prime Minister who has failed to get projects built. It is under this Prime Minister's watch that all the major pipeline proponents in this country have left and are building projects in the United States, and in the case of Kinder Morgan, with the $4.5 billion of taxpayers' money that he gave them to get out of town with.Every time we ask the Prime Minister questions about his disastrous trip to India, he always replies there is nothing to worry about because there is no problem. Canadians know full well that there are problems.Will the Prime Minister finally show some respect for Canadians and disclose the entire guest list for his events during his trip to India?
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives spent a decade failing to get Canadian oil to new markets. On northern gateway, the Federal Court of Appeal found that the previous government's consultations with indigenous peoples fell well short of the mark. The Conservatives seem to think that the duty to consult is only a suggestion, not a constitutional obligation. They had 10 years to get the job done and they failed. They failed for 10 years. We are moving forward on expanding to global markets, building pipeline capacity in the right way.
Mr. Speaker, the company Goreway Heaven had 10 directors on it. Five of those directors are known major contributors to the Liberal Party of Canada. As well, one of those directors was invited to be part of the Prime Minister's delegation to India, not more than one month after the company collected a 33% hike in the property that it had purchased, which, miraculously, resembled the price that was disclosed to the minister. All we want to know from the Prime Minister is which member of Parliament invited that gentleman on the trip.
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives are so eager to play politics it puts them in the awkward position of actually opposing funding that will support nearly 340,000 of the world's most vulnerable children in conflict and crisis zones to stay in school. It is unfortunate that this is the new Conservative philosophy.Children around the world must have equal access to quality education and learning opportunities. This is something we will always support. Unfortunately, the Conservatives have been consistent. They would rather play politics than help the world's most vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, CSIS has a mandate to investigate threats to Canada, and this includes potential long-term threats to our national interest and to Canada's prosperity.As the director of CSIS pointed out, foreign interference and espionage pose a serious threat to our national interest and our prosperity.Working closely with our Canadian and international partners, our security agencies continuously monitor threats to national security and take the necessary measures to protect Canadians and safeguard their rights and freedoms.
Mr. Speaker, four major pipeline projects were approved by the previous government: Enbridge Alberta Clipper, the TransCanada Keystone, Kinder Morgan's Anchor Loop and Enbridge Line 9B reversal. All these projects were approved and, here is the kicker, built under the previous Conservative government. The Trans Mountain expansion will not access the deepwater ports that northern gateway would. Aboriginal communities were going to be partners in the beneficiaries from that project. Why did the Prime Minister kill the northern gateway project?
Mr. Speaker, once again, a zero per cent increase in pipeline capacity to new markets under 10 years of Conservative government for the very simple reason that they did not understand that the way to build big projects is to work with indigenous peoples in full respect and partnership, to work with environmental scientists and concerned citizens to demonstrate it is being done in the right way. They failed for 10 years and now they double down on an approach that failed the oil industry and failed Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, it is the opposition's responsibility to oppose, to challenge a government and to disagree on positions of policy. Unfortunately, the members opposite choose to make personal attacks and drive-by smears. The fact is that for those at home who want to see whether there is any substance to these at all, they can simply watch whether the members opposite will repeat those allegations outside of the House where they are not protected by parliamentary immunity.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister attempted to defend his natural resource minister's ridiculous claim that the court killed the northern gateway pipeline, but the facts are clear. Just like in the ruling for Trans Mountain, the judge provided a clear path forward for northern gateway, saying that this process need not take long, but the Prime Minister ignored that ruling and killed northern gateway. Why? Because he has been fighting against it for years.If the Prime Minister does not want to accept responsibility for northern gateway being ended, will he commit today to reviving it and completing the process?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question and his hard work. We are determined to put an end to the national tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. The mandate of the independent commission is clear: families must be at the centre of its work. We have committed to giving families the answers they have long been looking for about the institutional failures that resulted in this tragedy.We are also taking immediate action with investments in women's shelters, housing, education, the reform of child services and safety on the Highway of Tears.
Mr. Speaker, we know the Conservative Party is in trouble when it falls back on the same failed approach of personal attacks and smears that characterized it through 10 years of Stephen Harper, 10 years of low job creation and the worst economic growth since the Great Depression.What we actually have now is people trying to dig up stories around a trip that happened a year and a half ago as a way of attacking and smearing the government, because they have nothing to say on our economic growth, on job creation, on the way we are delivering for Canadians
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Government of Quebec confirmed that Netflix will start collecting the QST on January 1, 2019, but not the GST, because Ottawa is refusing to change federal laws and make California-based Internet multinationals collect the same GST it makes our businesses collect.Quebec explicitly asked the federal government to work with it to change the law, but the government flatly refused. No other G7 country is dumb enough to refuse to adapt its tax system to the Internet age.Can the Prime Minister do better than the Minister of Finance's pathetic attempts to justify the unjustifiable?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives choose to play political games instead of actually looking at how we are working hard as Canadians to support the world's most vulnerable. The fact that we continue to work with UNRWA allows us to hold it to account to ensure proper accountability on where and how it spends its money, because we know that we need to support the most vulnerable in the world as opposed to continuing to have negative outcomes and funding the wrong sorts of people.Having Canadian dollars there leads to more accountability, and that is something the entire world values.
Mr. Speaker, that again is a failure of the Prime Minister to take responsibility.Last year, Montreal police discovered 977 pot plants and more than $15,000 on the premises of a couple in Montreal. This year, despite the ongoing criminal investigation of that couple, Health Canada gave them a permit to grow more than 600 cannabis plants for medical purposes. Are they kidding? These people are under investigation for illegal cannabis for the purpose of trafficking, but got a licence to grow pot. We cannot make this stuff up.Will the Prime Minister revoke their licence while the police investigation is ongoing?
Mr. Speaker, a director from a company with ties to the Liberals, notably the Minister of Innovation, made a really good deal. He bought land from the Ontario government for $3.3 million and sold it a back a few months later for $4.4 million. Talk about a deal. It is so questionable that the City of Brampton asked the RCMP to investigate.Now that we know this director went on the Prime Minister's disastrous trip to India, we would like to know who invited him.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister likes to talk about the social impact of male workers, so let us start by looking at him. Let us talk about the social impact he has had by his inaction on the energy file. Let us talk about the massive job losses and the growing rate of suicides in the province of Alberta. Let us talk about parents who cannot afford to cover their mortgage or pay for their children's school supplies. Now let us talk about the social impact of hard-working construction men. Let us talk about the fact that these men work hard to provide for their families, that they pay taxes and that they support the local community. My question is simple. Why is the Prime Minister insisting on launching a visceral attack against these hard-working men
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's statement was a clear attack on some of the hardest working and most dedicated Canadians. For the Prime Minister to directly attack these men and insinuate they are dangerous to women in rural communities is unconscionable and diminishes the high office he holds, not to mention the fact that people in broken glass houses should not throw stones. Again, will the Prime Minister stand and apologize for what he said to construction workers?
Mr. Speaker, it is funny to see what happens when the Conservatives play politics. They end up opposing funding that will help nearly 340,000 of the world's poorest children in conflict and crisis zones stay in school. It is unfortunate that this is the new Conservative philosophy. Children around the world must have equal access to learning opportunities and quality education. This is something we will always support. It is a shame that the Conservatives are playing politics and opposing this.
Mr. Speaker, I can confirm that there were never any allegations made against any member from Brampton West.
Mr. Speaker, I will ask the Prime Minister an easier questionThis morning, La Presse reported that Montreal police discovered 977 marijuana plants in a couple's home. While the police was conducting its investigation, this same couple was applying to Health Canada for a permit to grow medical marijuana. The kicker is that they actually got it.Will the Prime Minister commit to suspending the licence issued by Health Canada to this couple, which is currently under investigation by the Montreal police?
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to ending the ongoing national tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. The independent commission's mandate is clear that families must be at the centre of its work. We are committed to getting the answers, which have been about the systemic and institutional failures that have led to this tragedy. In addition to our substantive response to the inquiry's interim report, we are also taking immediate action with investments in women's shelters, housing, education, reform of child welfare and safety on the Highway of Tears.
Mr. Speaker, and for the folks at home, what the Prime Minister is trying to do is make it seem that what is being said inside the House has not already been said outside of the House, including by major media reports.However, this is what the Prime Minister always tries to do: there is nothing to see here and nothing has been done wrong. He tried to do that with his illegal vacation to billionaire island, when the finance minister conveniently forgot about the French villa and when one his ministers awarded a lucrative contract to a Liberal friend.I would be happy to ask the exact same questions outside the chamber. Will the Prime Minister stand beside me and finally answer them?
Mr. Speaker, as of January 2019, families will be paying $411 more per year than they did in 2018 for the same basket of groceries.Why? Because the Liberals failed to protect our supply management system in trade agreements and failed to come up with an ambitious plan to fight climate change. As a result, food will cost more, and people will once again have to pay for the Liberals' lack of leadership.When will this government understand that its failure to take action is costing Canadians a lot of money?
Mr. Speaker, we will always stand up for our workers. We will be there to stimulate economic growth. We had the strongest economic growth in the G7 last year. Our unemployment rate is at a 40-year low. We recognize that the decisions a government makes can have different impacts on different communities and groups. This is something we understand very well. Unfortunately, the Conservatives do not seem to understand the impact of the decisions they made as a government or what governments do
Mr. Speaker, I was wondering if I could get unanimous consent for the following motion. I move that given Canadians must be in control of their borders and have full sovereignty over their immigration system and refuse to allow the government to continue to cede this control to authorities beyond our borders, and that the government has allowed over 38,000 people to illegally enter Canada from the United States and abuse our asylum system at a cost of over $1 billion, thereby compromising the integrity of our borders' immigration system, the House call on the government to refrain from signing Canada onto the UN global compact for migration, secure our borders and fix the mess the Prime Minister has created.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know the Prime Minister loves to swagger on social media, but his tweet to Trevor Noah took the cake. A $50-million donation on Twitter, with some of it going to UNRWA. Speaking of UNRWA, I did not see the Prime Minister tweet about the earlier $50-million donation he made to that agency: Hey, Trevor Noah, I am donating $50 million to an organization that supports anti-Semitism. Will the Prime Minister withhold his donation to UNRWA until that organization denounces
Mr. Speaker, we are focusing on the workers and their families who are going through a difficult time and need the support of every member in the House.When I spoke last week to the Premier of Ontario, we agreed that this was a time to put partisanship aside and focus on how to support the workers in Oshawa.From day one we have taken steps to make Canada's automotive manufacturing sector more globally competitive and innovative. We will always stand firmly behind our automotive sector and workers.
Mr. Speaker, Ottawa never questioned the motives of the Government of Quebec when it unilaterally decided to increase immigration levels. The current government in Quebec was elected with a clear mandate to lower immigration levels in 2019. We expect that, once again, Ottawa will not question the will of Quebeckers.Can the Prime Minister assure Quebec that it has his government's full co-operation to reduce the number of new arrivals, including in the categories chosen by the federal government?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister truly does not seem to care about the impact of his policies. The reality is that the price of food in Canada will go up 3.5% next year, with the annual food costs of the average family going up by $411. If people are on a fixed income or working for minimum wage, good luck in getting any type of healthy diet, and this at a time when Canadian families are struggling with the worst debt loads in the industrialized world.When will the government stop giving big tax breaks to the richest corporations and bring in progressive policies that truly help all Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, actions speak louder than words. The Prime Minister promised that he would work on a plan to keep jobs in Oshawa, but on Monday, the Liberals voted down our motion to study the impact of the GM closure. Instead of caring, the Prime Minister has still not even picked up the phone to call our mayor to offer his support.The Prime Minister said that we need to transition away from manufacturing. My community wants to know what he thinks it should transition to.Will the Prime Minister table his plan for the affected Oshawa workers before Christmas?
Mr. Speaker, we launched a national public inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls because we saw there was a need for leadership. For too long it had not moved forward. We did that because we know we needed healing for the families, we needed justice for the victims and we needed to put an end to this ongoing national tragedy. That is why we extended the time and mandate of the inquiry to ensure that all families could be heard. We gave it the extra funding it requested. We are looking forward to seeing the results of the important work it is doing. At the same time, we are not waiting for that result, to
Mr. Speaker, we remain committed to improving road safety with the help of our provincial partners.The Harper Conservatives did absolutely nothing to improve road safety for 10 years. The task force conducted extensive consultations in 2017-18, including round tables in Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto and Halifax.Our government, along with the provincial governments, are now looking at practical options to make our roads safer for our pedestrians and cyclists. We will take action.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Winnipeg Centre for his hard work and leadership on this important issue.We are deeply concerned about the increasing use of methamphetamine, especially in the Prairies.Our budget 2018 included $150 million to help the provinces and territories improve access to treatment services.We are encouraged to see that the City of Winnipeg has created a task force and that a Health Canada senior official is part of it.We will continue working closely with our partners to tackle this scourge.
Mr. Speaker we do indeed need to make sure that the families of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls are at the centre of this inquiry and are being heard, informed and supported throughout the process. The missing and murdered indigenous women and girls inquiry must lead to change. Will the Liberal government commit now to fully implementing all the inquiry's recommendations?
Mr. Speaker, the fall economic update showered big business with tax breaks while doing little for small business. I am proud to represent one of Canada's major wine and spirit producing areas. Small craft distillers are proposing a reduction in excise tax for producers of less than 100,000 litres. A similar move in the U.S. dramatically boosted its industry, with each new distillery creating 20 to 100 new jobs. Can we count on the government support small business by supporting this proposal?
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, the Conservatives failed our country, failed our construction workers, failed the oil patch workers by not being able to create economic growth, by not being able to create the kinds of jobs that were needed and by not being able to get our resources to new markets other than the United States. We are turning that around. We are moving forward on getting resources to markets, done in the right way. We are investing in projects that are growing our economy. We are delivering the lowest unemployment rates in 40 years. That is the work we are
Mr. Speaker, for folks watching question period, let me explain parliamentary privilege. It allows members of Parliament to say things in this House without fear of prosecution or legal consequences. It is a foundation of an important element of what we do in this House. One of the ways people at home who are keeping score can note whether something is serious or not is whether members opposite will repeat what they say in the House outside the House.
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, Canadians will condemn violence against women. This violence is always unacceptable, but for some communities it is part of everyday life.Over the past 30 years, more than 1,200 indigenous women have been murdered or reported missing. Forty mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts and cousins disappear every year. Safety and the right to justice for indigenous women must be a priority.Does the government plan to establish an ambitious national action plan to address violence against indigenous women?
Mr. Speaker, Yasmine Sherif is the former director of a group that promotes anti-Israel propaganda and the BDS movement. Today, she is the director of Education Cannot Wait, a recent recipient of a $50-million tweeted pledge by the Prime Minister. The House has rejected BDS and the xenophobia that it promotes. In 2016, even the Prime Minister recognized that BDS is anti-Semitic. Will the Prime Minister withdraw the funding promise and support the Jewish community and our allies in Israel, or is he more concerned with impressing his celebrity friends?
Mr. Speaker, we continue to review the export permits. I can assure the House that when I was in Argentina for the G20 summit, I talked directly with the Saudi prince and told him that we need better answers than we have heard so far on the murder of Mr. Khashoggi. I also informed him that we expect him to order a ceasefire in Yemen so that humanitarian aid can reach civilians, who are suffering through an appalling crisis. We have a duty to help this country and to hold the line with Saudi Arabia
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Cambridge for his hard work as chair of the committee for human resources, skills and social development and the status of persons with disabilities.We are creating a system whereby barriers are identified and removed proactively so that all Canadians, regardless of their disability, can fully participate in society.I am proud that last week the House unanimously supported our legislation to ensure a barrier-free Canada. This shows that when we truly work together, we can have a direct and lasting impact on the lives of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, like I said, an opposition's job is to oppose. However, the fact is that the Conservatives are not asking us about the economy and they are not asking us about the challenges faced by Alberta right now. They are simply choosing to make the same kinds of personal attacks and smear jobs that characterize 10 years of Stephen Harper's Conservative leadership. We see that the Conservatives actually have no new approach to governing the country and no alternative proposal for economic growth. They are still stuck in the same old approach that Canadians rejected soundly in 2015.
Mr. Speaker, over the next two days, I will be sitting down with the premiers in a first ministers meeting. Indeed, it is the third or fourth first ministers meeting. We are doing one every single year, because I believe in pulling together with first ministers so that we can talk about a broad range of issues they want to talk about. However, as a reminder, the previous government did not like first ministers meetings and tended not to hold them at all. We are going to be talking about a broad range of things, including lowering barriers so that our beer and wine producers across this country can do better.
Mr. Speaker, we can tell when the Liberals are in trouble when they start threatening law suits and refusing to answer even simple questions.We now know that the RCMP investigation in Brampton involves Goreway Heaven, a company with close ties to the Liberal Party. One of its directors, Baghwan Grewal, a former Liberal riding president, got a prime ticket to the Prime Minister's catastrophic trip to India.Could the Prime Minister tell Canadians who extended the invitation to Mr. Grewal? Was it the Liberal member for Brampton East, the innovation minister, or was it the Prime Minister's own office who invited him to come along?
Mr. Speaker, our allies have spoken and security experts have spoken. Now, the head of CSIS has spoken. As one of our country's top security officials, he said publicly that hostile states are targeting our 5G network. Communist Chinese laws are clear. Companies in China must support, co-operate with and collaborate in national intelligence work. Huawei will be forced to spy on Canada.Will the Prime Minister commit to ensuring that our next generation network is secure, and ban Huawei?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know all too well that the Prime Minister is a man who spends money like water, especially when, as ill luck would have it, he has his iPhone out and starts tweeting.We all recall that almost two years ago, he sent out a tweet that has cost taxpayers over $1 billion Canadian. This weekend, out of boredom or in an attempt to impress an international celebrity, the Prime Minister announced via Twitter that the Canadian government would be taking $50 million of taxpayers' money and giving it to an initiative backed by one of his famous pals.Is the Prime Minister aware that Twitter is not a tool for diplomacy or an appropriate venue for announcing public spending?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Pitt MeadowsMaple Ridge for his hard work towards protecting wildlife on the west coast. We continue to take real action when it comes to the sustainability of wild Pacific salmon. As we announced in our fall economic statement, we will invest $105 million to create a British Columbia salmon restoration and innovation fund, which includes a contribution to the Pacific salmon endowment fund of $5 million. These investments will support projects focused on salmon stock protection and the habitat restoration of this iconic species.
Mr. Speaker, this Friday, the government is required to submit a plan to Parliament on how it plans to bring justice to those who survived genocide at the hands of ISIS terrorists. Never again means taking concrete action to bring those who are complicit in genocide to justice.Will the Prime Minister table this report on Friday, and will it include concrete action to monitor, gather information to prosecute, and restrict the activities of ISIS terrorists who are in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Prime Minister has been called out for his disparaging remarks. He said that the mass arrival of male workers in Canada's rural areas would have a negative social impact. For several years now, seasonal workers have been travelling to regional areas every year; they keep the economy going and no one complains. Instead of asking how to adjust and adapt, the Prime Minister should be happy that Canada has such a skilled workforce.
Mr. Speaker, the opposition's responsibility is to oppose, to ask difficult questions and to challenge what the government is doing.Unfortunately, this Conservative opposition is still stuck in its old Stephen Harper ways, choosing to rely on personal attacks, innuendoes, and smears against government members. The opposition could be asking questions about our record for economic growth, which is excellent, or about the unemployment rate, which is at a 40-year low.
Mr. Speaker, the mayor of Brampton's chief of staff gave a confidential document regarding a piece of land that the city wanted to purchase from the province to the minister and another member of the Liberal caucus. Now, a private consortium called Goreway Heaven actually purchased the land for virtually the same price that was disclosed to the minister and the MP. The land was resold to the city at a tidy profit of 33%, and city council has asked the RCMP to investigate.Folks at home may wonder this. Why did a member of the Prime Minister's cabinet invite a direct
Mr. Speaker, I represent the watershed community of Pitt MeadowsMaple Ridge. It is important to those in my riding that we are able to protect wild salmon stocks and restore their habitats. While some species are slowly returning, we are currently lacking the tools and resources to make the changes needed.Can the Prime Minister tell us what measures this government will take, including through the British Columbia salmon restoration and innovation fund, to help communities such as my own see revitalized salmon populations?
Mr. Speaker, there is an easy way for Canadians to see whether the Conservatives are actually asking real questions or going after real facts. All they have to do is check whether the members opposite are able to repeat outside the House of Commons the allegations they are making here under the protection of parliamentary privilege.If they will not repeat those allegations, then Canadians will know that these are baseless attacks, personal attacks, to try to distract from the fact that we are
Mr. Speaker, we introduced a historic plan to fight poverty in Canada and help Canadian families. The Canada child benefit, which the NDP voted against, is delivering more money to nine out of 10 families throughout the country and has lifted 300,000 children out of poverty. By increasing the guaranteed income supplement for seniors and making historic investments in affordable housing across Canada, we are helping families. Still, we know a lot of work remains to be done, and that is what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, ensuring the integrity of Canada's legal cannabis production system is a top priority for our government. That is why the regulated system contains multiple measures to protect the health and safety of Canadians and the integrity of the system. These include stringent requirements around physical and personal security, record-keeping, inventory controls and reporting that is verified by Health Canada inspections. Our government will never hesitate to take appropriate action to protect the integrity of our legal cannabis system.
Mr. Speaker, again, for people watching Question Period, they notice that the opposition's job is to ask questions, to critique government policy, to make sure that what we do is exactly right for Canadians and to challenge us on it. That is the role of Her Majesty's loyal opposition. Unfortunately, the current opposition tends to spend its time making innuendos, personal attacks and drive-by smear jobs that seem to consist of political debate. We are happy to exchange on ideas and to argue rigorously why our plan is right.
Mr. Speaker, since the vile murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Germany and many of our other allies have shown real leadership and stopped selling arms to the Saudi regime. Meanwhile, in Canada, it has now been six weeks since the Prime Minister announced that the government was reviewing existing export permits to Saudi Arabia.Once again, could the Prime Minister update the House on the status of this review?
Mr. Speaker, more and more people are using active transportation. That is great, but we need to adapt accordingly. RosemontLa Petite-Patrie has one of the highest rates of cyclist and pedestrian death in Quebec. From 2006 to 2015, 17 pedestrians and eight cyclists were killed in Rosemont, and 32 cyclists were killed in Montreal. Every time a cyclist dies, a white bicycle is placed at the scene of the accident. I cannot take it any more. My dream is to never have to see another one of those white bicycles.Can the Prime Minister or the Minister of Transport ensure that the recommendations of the task force to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians are implemented?
Mr. Speaker, today I proudly joined our leader, Jagmeet Singh, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the PSAC national indigenous peoples' circle to stand in solidarity with all indigenous women and girls who have been victims or survivors of violence. We must ensure that the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls leads to justice and healing.Will the Prime Minister agree to meet with the national indigenous peoples' circle to receive their petitions on the inquiry?
Mr. Speaker, this government takes very seriously the safety and protection of Canadians, including in cybersecurity and all related matters. That is why we work with the extraordinary professionals in our security and intelligence services to determine the best way to move forward in growing the Canadian economy, creating new technological innovations and keeping our country and its infrastructures safe from foreign interference. That is a task that our security and intelligence agencies do extraordinarily well and we always support them and accept their recommendations.
Mr. Speaker, it is unbelievable to watch the Prime Minister refuse to acknowledge that his arrogant and self-righteous comments are an insult to tens of thousands of Canadians who work in construction in our communities across the country. He sits on his high horse and with innuendo and stereotypes throws stones at these good men and women. I want to invite the Prime Minister to apologize. Will he stand in his place, do the right thing and apologize to construction workers across the country?
Mr. Speaker, I would be pleased to be putting forward that report on Tuesday. Our government has proven to be a global leader in welcoming refugees and we have more than doubled Canada's refugee numbers. We have provided a new home to more than 1,400 women and their families who endured the brutality of Daesh, 85% of whom are Yazidi. We are not stopping there. We will continue to expedite privately sponsored applications, as well as support family reunification. We have also announced further funding of $20 million in budget 2018 to expand our refugee programming targeting women and girls.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to see the NDP members preoccupied with this, but if they really wanted to fight against poverty in this country, they should have voted for the Canada child benefit that is delivering more money every month to nine out of 10 Canadian families and lifting hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty. They should be supporting our plan to invest in infrastructure, including housing to make sure that Canadians have opportunities to afford their homes and to live in safety. They should be supporting our plan, our national housing strategy, that will reduce poverty right across the country. It is unfortunate they stick to the rhetoric instead of siding with us on
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to building a Canada where all people, regardless of their disability, can fully participate and be included in society. We are acting and have undertaken major initiatives to create an inclusive and accessible Canada. As chair of the committee for the status of persons with disabilities, I am extremely proud of our government's work.Could the Prime Minister please give the House an update on our government's historic progress in this area?
Mr. Speaker, yes, and we can even say that we are in the process of following up on the interim report and implementing the recommendations.We must not wait to combat violence against women and girls, especially in indigenous communities. We know that the national housing strategy helps women who would otherwise have to return to an abusive relationship or turn to the street.Since 2015, we have created more than 4,800 shelter spaces. We know that there is a lot more work to do and we will keep at it.
Mr. Speaker, that is just one more reason.The director of CSIS has confirmed that some countries, sponsored by others, were engaged in interference and espionage. Three of the Five Eyes have decided that Huawei must be banned. Our economic, security and military interests are in jeopardy.Will the Prime Minister commit to banning Huawei from Canada?
Mr. Speaker, let me remind folks that we put in place the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, comprised of members from all parties in the House and the Senate, so it could exactly look in and weigh in on these important and delicate matters.When it comes to the matter of national security in the country, we should have an oversight committee that can do that. That is why we went and created it. We have tremendous respect for the work that it has done and we very much support the important work it does. I just wish more people respected it.
Mr. Speaker, holding consultations and writing reports is a good step, but the Liberals need to realize that it is just the first of many steps for the government.Indigenous women are three times more likely to suffer physical or sexual abuse than non-indigenous women. The government has to stop considering them as second-class citizens and come up with a national plan to end violence against indigenous women. Will the government commit to implementing all the recommendations made by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the divisive rhetoric and attacks from the Conservatives serve to undermine the important work that is being done in communities right across this country. Strengthening our resilience and to support everyone and make sure that everyone has safe work environments and a positive path to walk on and to live, these are the kinds of things we are going to continue working on. We will continue to recognize the hard work that we need to do to make sure that every Canadian can contribute to building a stronger economy.
Mr. Speaker, we take very seriously the responsibility of creating safe workplaces and supporting all people in communities to ensure that they have opportunities to contribute, to find good jobs, and to grow their communities in safety and security. That is something we are going to continue to focus on. I will take no lessons from the Conservative Party on how to build safer and more inclusive communities.
Mr. Speaker, allow me to refresh the Prime Minister's memory.This administrator, Bhagwan Grewal, is a former Liberal association president. He is a Liberal Party donor. He went on the India trip and even took the time to have his picture taken with the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development so he could keep a nice souvenir of that great trip to India.If the Prime Minister has nothing to hide, when will he present the official list of all his VIP guests who were with him on his trip to India, which was paid for by Canadian taxpayers?
Mr. Speaker, problems associated with the use of methamphetamine in my riding and in the prairie provinces are escalating and affecting many people and their families in various communities.I am proud to say that the city of Winnipeg has launched a task force to look into solutions to deal with the current situation.I would like to ask the Prime Minister what steps our government is taking, and plans to take, to address methamphetamine use in Canada.
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to issues of ethics and security, the Prime Minister keeps playing a busted flush, like his bizarre claim that nobody in the PMO knew anything about the fact that the member for Brampton West was being followed by the RCMP here in Parliament, and being mentioned in a wiretap on terrorism financing and money laundering. Here is the the thing. The Ethics Commissioner has confirmed that he is willing to look into whether the MP misused his position on the finance committee to ask leading questions about how to evade a money laundering investigation. Let us try this one more time. Is the Prime Minister sticking with his story that there were no adults around who could pay attention to these ethical and security debacles?
Mr. Speaker, we do not want to raise Canadians' taxes. We know that a healthy arts and culture industry is important.We are investing more than $3.2 billion in our artists and creators. No other G7 country is investing more. We doubled funding for the Canada Council for the Arts. We reinvested $675 million in CBC/Radio-Canada. We gave the Canada Media Fund an extra $172 million. We are proud to support our artists and creators, and that is what we will keep doing.
Mr. Speaker, as I said, we will work with the Government of Quebec to find the best way to proceed.However, I can tell Canadians and Quebeckers that I have heard their concerns about the labour shortage, I have heard the Conseil du patronat du Québec, and I have heard business owners in Rouyn-Noranda and elsewhere who are struggling with the labour shortage and who recognize that a shortage of immigrants can lead to lower economic growth. We want to create economic growth in Quebec and across Canada, and we will work with the governments involved.
Mr. Speaker, we legalized marijuana because we know that that is the best way to protect our children and to eliminate the influence of organized crime on the sale of marijuana and the profits it makes from it.We will certainly ensure that Health Canada and others conduct all the necessary investigations to make good decisions about all licences issued in connection with marijuana.
Mr. Speaker, we have always shown our commitment to openness and transparency on the international stage.I want to once again congratulate the members of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians for the incredible work they have done. We accept their recommendations and we will continue to respect the great work they do.
Mr. Speaker, we know the Prime Minister gets a little jumpy when we ask about Liberal ethics, being the only Prime Minister in Canadian history who has ever been found guilty of breaking the ethics rules.We know it was the Prime Minister's office who invited Jaspal Atwal, a convicted terrorist, to join him on the disastrous India trip. The guest list for that also included Baghwan Grewal, a Liberal operative whose company is now under RCMP investigation.Will the Prime Minister give the RCMP all the documents relating to Mr. Grewal's involvement in the India trip, or will the cover-up continue?
Mr. Speaker, major questions have been raised about the role of the innovation minister and the member for Brampton East with respect to a questionable real estate deal. The allegations also involve Liberal Party donors, a former Liberal Party riding president and, of course, the Prime Minister's disastrous trip to India. Can the Prime Minister confirm whether his innovation minister has had any contact with any law enforcement agency or anyone in their offices, including the Prime Minister's Office, regarding any of the allegations surrounding the member for Brampton East?
Mr. Speaker, it is this Prime Minister who has failed to get projects built. It is under this Prime Minister's watch that all the major pipeline proponents in this country have left and are building projects in the United States, and in the case of Kinder Morgan, with the $4.5 billion of taxpayers' money that he gave them to get out of town with.Every time we ask the Prime Minister questions about his disastrous trip to India, he always replies there is nothing to worry about because there is no problem. Canadians know full well that there are problems.Will the Prime Minister finally show some respect for Canadians and disclose the entire guest list for his events during his trip to India?
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives spent a decade failing to get Canadian oil to new markets. On northern gateway, the Federal Court of Appeal found that the previous government's consultations with indigenous peoples fell well short of the mark. The Conservatives seem to think that the duty to consult is only a suggestion, not a constitutional obligation. They had 10 years to get the job done and they failed. They failed for 10 years. We are moving forward on expanding to global markets, building pipeline capacity in the right way.
Mr. Speaker, the company Goreway Heaven had 10 directors on it. Five of those directors are known major contributors to the Liberal Party of Canada. As well, one of those directors was invited to be part of the Prime Minister's delegation to India, not more than one month after the company collected a 33% hike in the property that it had purchased, which, miraculously, resembled the price that was disclosed to the minister. All we want to know from the Prime Minister is which member of Parliament invited that gentleman on the trip.
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives are so eager to play politics it puts them in the awkward position of actually opposing funding that will support nearly 340,000 of the world's most vulnerable children in conflict and crisis zones to stay in school. It is unfortunate that this is the new Conservative philosophy.Children around the world must have equal access to quality education and learning opportunities. This is something we will always support. Unfortunately, the Conservatives have been consistent. They would rather play politics than help the world's most vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, CSIS has a mandate to investigate threats to Canada, and this includes potential long-term threats to our national interest and to Canada's prosperity.As the director of CSIS pointed out, foreign interference and espionage pose a serious threat to our national interest and our prosperity.Working closely with our Canadian and international partners, our security agencies continuously monitor threats to national security and take the necessary measures to protect Canadians and safeguard their rights and freedoms.
Mr. Speaker, four major pipeline projects were approved by the previous government: Enbridge Alberta Clipper, the TransCanada Keystone, Kinder Morgan's Anchor Loop and Enbridge Line 9B reversal. All these projects were approved and, here is the kicker, built under the previous Conservative government. The Trans Mountain expansion will not access the deepwater ports that northern gateway would. Aboriginal communities were going to be partners in the beneficiaries from that project. Why did the Prime Minister kill the northern gateway project?
Mr. Speaker, once again, a zero per cent increase in pipeline capacity to new markets under 10 years of Conservative government for the very simple reason that they did not understand that the way to build big projects is to work with indigenous peoples in full respect and partnership, to work with environmental scientists and concerned citizens to demonstrate it is being done in the right way. They failed for 10 years and now they double down on an approach that failed the oil industry and failed Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, it is the opposition's responsibility to oppose, to challenge a government and to disagree on positions of policy. Unfortunately, the members opposite choose to make personal attacks and drive-by smears. The fact is that for those at home who want to see whether there is any substance to these at all, they can simply watch whether the members opposite will repeat those allegations outside of the House where they are not protected by parliamentary immunity.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister attempted to defend his natural resource minister's ridiculous claim that the court killed the northern gateway pipeline, but the facts are clear. Just like in the ruling for Trans Mountain, the judge provided a clear path forward for northern gateway, saying that this process need not take long, but the Prime Minister ignored that ruling and killed northern gateway. Why? Because he has been fighting against it for years.If the Prime Minister does not want to accept responsibility for northern gateway being ended, will he commit today to reviving it and completing the process?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question and his hard work. We are determined to put an end to the national tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. The mandate of the independent commission is clear: families must be at the centre of its work. We have committed to giving families the answers they have long been looking for about the institutional failures that resulted in this tragedy.We are also taking immediate action with investments in women's shelters, housing, education, the reform of child services and safety on the Highway of Tears.
Mr. Speaker, we know the Conservative Party is in trouble when it falls back on the same failed approach of personal attacks and smears that characterized it through 10 years of Stephen Harper, 10 years of low job creation and the worst economic growth since the Great Depression.What we actually have now is people trying to dig up stories around a trip that happened a year and a half ago as a way of attacking and smearing the government, because they have nothing to say on our economic growth, on job creation, on the way we are delivering for Canadians
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Government of Quebec confirmed that Netflix will start collecting the QST on January 1, 2019, but not the GST, because Ottawa is refusing to change federal laws and make California-based Internet multinationals collect the same GST it makes our businesses collect.Quebec explicitly asked the federal government to work with it to change the law, but the government flatly refused. No other G7 country is dumb enough to refuse to adapt its tax system to the Internet age.Can the Prime Minister do better than the Minister of Finance's pathetic attempts to justify the unjustifiable?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives choose to play political games instead of actually looking at how we are working hard as Canadians to support the world's most vulnerable. The fact that we continue to work with UNRWA allows us to hold it to account to ensure proper accountability on where and how it spends its money, because we know that we need to support the most vulnerable in the world as opposed to continuing to have negative outcomes and funding the wrong sorts of people.Having Canadian dollars there leads to more accountability, and that is something the entire world values.
Mr. Speaker, that again is a failure of the Prime Minister to take responsibility.Last year, Montreal police discovered 977 pot plants and more than $15,000 on the premises of a couple in Montreal. This year, despite the ongoing criminal investigation of that couple, Health Canada gave them a permit to grow more than 600 cannabis plants for medical purposes. Are they kidding? These people are under investigation for illegal cannabis for the purpose of trafficking, but got a licence to grow pot. We cannot make this stuff up.Will the Prime Minister revoke their licence while the police investigation is ongoing?
Mr. Speaker, a director from a company with ties to the Liberals, notably the Minister of Innovation, made a really good deal. He bought land from the Ontario government for $3.3 million and sold it a back a few months later for $4.4 million. Talk about a deal. It is so questionable that the City of Brampton asked the RCMP to investigate.Now that we know this director went on the Prime Minister's disastrous trip to India, we would like to know who invited him.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister likes to talk about the social impact of male workers, so let us start by looking at him. Let us talk about the social impact he has had by his inaction on the energy file. Let us talk about the massive job losses and the growing rate of suicides in the province of Alberta. Let us talk about parents who cannot afford to cover their mortgage or pay for their children's school supplies. Now let us talk about the social impact of hard-working construction men. Let us talk about the fact that these men work hard to provide for their families, that they pay taxes and that they support the local community. My question is simple. Why is the Prime Minister insisting on launching a visceral attack against these hard-working men
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's statement was a clear attack on some of the hardest working and most dedicated Canadians. For the Prime Minister to directly attack these men and insinuate they are dangerous to women in rural communities is unconscionable and diminishes the high office he holds, not to mention the fact that people in broken glass houses should not throw stones. Again, will the Prime Minister stand and apologize for what he said to construction workers?
Mr. Speaker, it is funny to see what happens when the Conservatives play politics. They end up opposing funding that will help nearly 340,000 of the world's poorest children in conflict and crisis zones stay in school. It is unfortunate that this is the new Conservative philosophy. Children around the world must have equal access to learning opportunities and quality education. This is something we will always support. It is a shame that the Conservatives are playing politics and opposing this.
Mr. Speaker, I can confirm that there were never any allegations made against any member from Brampton West.
Mr. Speaker, I will ask the Prime Minister an easier questionThis morning, La Presse reported that Montreal police discovered 977 marijuana plants in a couple's home. While the police was conducting its investigation, this same couple was applying to Health Canada for a permit to grow medical marijuana. The kicker is that they actually got it.Will the Prime Minister commit to suspending the licence issued by Health Canada to this couple, which is currently under investigation by the Montreal police?
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to ending the ongoing national tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. The independent commission's mandate is clear that families must be at the centre of its work. We are committed to getting the answers, which have been about the systemic and institutional failures that have led to this tragedy. In addition to our substantive response to the inquiry's interim report, we are also taking immediate action with investments in women's shelters, housing, education, reform of child welfare and safety on the Highway of Tears.
Mr. Speaker, and for the folks at home, what the Prime Minister is trying to do is make it seem that what is being said inside the House has not already been said outside of the House, including by major media reports.However, this is what the Prime Minister always tries to do: there is nothing to see here and nothing has been done wrong. He tried to do that with his illegal vacation to billionaire island, when the finance minister conveniently forgot about the French villa and when one his ministers awarded a lucrative contract to a Liberal friend.I would be happy to ask the exact same questions outside the chamber. Will the Prime Minister stand beside me and finally answer them?
Mr. Speaker, as of January 2019, families will be paying $411 more per year than they did in 2018 for the same basket of groceries.Why? Because the Liberals failed to protect our supply management system in trade agreements and failed to come up with an ambitious plan to fight climate change. As a result, food will cost more, and people will once again have to pay for the Liberals' lack of leadership.When will this government understand that its failure to take action is costing Canadians a lot of money?
Mr. Speaker, we will always stand up for our workers. We will be there to stimulate economic growth. We had the strongest economic growth in the G7 last year. Our unemployment rate is at a 40-year low. We recognize that the decisions a government makes can have different impacts on different communities and groups. This is something we understand very well. Unfortunately, the Conservatives do not seem to understand the impact of the decisions they made as a government or what governments do
Mr. Speaker, I was wondering if I could get unanimous consent for the following motion. I move that given Canadians must be in control of their borders and have full sovereignty over their immigration system and refuse to allow the government to continue to cede this control to authorities beyond our borders, and that the government has allowed over 38,000 people to illegally enter Canada from the United States and abuse our asylum system at a cost of over $1 billion, thereby compromising the integrity of our borders' immigration system, the House call on the government to refrain from signing Canada onto the UN global compact for migration, secure our borders and fix the mess the Prime Minister has created.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know the Prime Minister loves to swagger on social media, but his tweet to Trevor Noah took the cake. A $50-million donation on Twitter, with some of it going to UNRWA. Speaking of UNRWA, I did not see the Prime Minister tweet about the earlier $50-million donation he made to that agency: Hey, Trevor Noah, I am donating $50 million to an organization that supports anti-Semitism. Will the Prime Minister withhold his donation to UNRWA until that organization denounces
Mr. Speaker, we are focusing on the workers and their families who are going through a difficult time and need the support of every member in the House.When I spoke last week to the Premier of Ontario, we agreed that this was a time to put partisanship aside and focus on how to support the workers in Oshawa.From day one we have taken steps to make Canada's automotive manufacturing sector more globally competitive and innovative. We will always stand firmly behind our automotive sector and workers.
Mr. Speaker, Ottawa never questioned the motives of the Government of Quebec when it unilaterally decided to increase immigration levels. The current government in Quebec was elected with a clear mandate to lower immigration levels in 2019. We expect that, once again, Ottawa will not question the will of Quebeckers.Can the Prime Minister assure Quebec that it has his government's full co-operation to reduce the number of new arrivals, including in the categories chosen by the federal government?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister truly does not seem to care about the impact of his policies. The reality is that the price of food in Canada will go up 3.5% next year, with the annual food costs of the average family going up by $411. If people are on a fixed income or working for minimum wage, good luck in getting any type of healthy diet, and this at a time when Canadian families are struggling with the worst debt loads in the industrialized world.When will the government stop giving big tax breaks to the richest corporations and bring in progressive policies that truly help all Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, actions speak louder than words. The Prime Minister promised that he would work on a plan to keep jobs in Oshawa, but on Monday, the Liberals voted down our motion to study the impact of the GM closure. Instead of caring, the Prime Minister has still not even picked up the phone to call our mayor to offer his support.The Prime Minister said that we need to transition away from manufacturing. My community wants to know what he thinks it should transition to.Will the Prime Minister table his plan for the affected Oshawa workers before Christmas?
Mr. Speaker, we launched a national public inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls because we saw there was a need for leadership. For too long it had not moved forward. We did that because we know we needed healing for the families, we needed justice for the victims and we needed to put an end to this ongoing national tragedy. That is why we extended the time and mandate of the inquiry to ensure that all families could be heard. We gave it the extra funding it requested. We are looking forward to seeing the results of the important work it is doing. At the same time, we are not waiting for that result, to
Mr. Speaker, we remain committed to improving road safety with the help of our provincial partners.The Harper Conservatives did absolutely nothing to improve road safety for 10 years. The task force conducted extensive consultations in 2017-18, including round tables in Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto and Halifax.Our government, along with the provincial governments, are now looking at practical options to make our roads safer for our pedestrians and cyclists. We will take action.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Winnipeg Centre for his hard work and leadership on this important issue.We are deeply concerned about the increasing use of methamphetamine, especially in the Prairies.Our budget 2018 included $150 million to help the provinces and territories improve access to treatment services.We are encouraged to see that the City of Winnipeg has created a task force and that a Health Canada senior official is part of it.We will continue working closely with our partners to tackle this scourge.
Mr. Speaker we do indeed need to make sure that the families of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls are at the centre of this inquiry and are being heard, informed and supported throughout the process. The missing and murdered indigenous women and girls inquiry must lead to change. Will the Liberal government commit now to fully implementing all the inquiry's recommendations?
Mr. Speaker, the fall economic update showered big business with tax breaks while doing little for small business. I am proud to represent one of Canada's major wine and spirit producing areas. Small craft distillers are proposing a reduction in excise tax for producers of less than 100,000 litres. A similar move in the U.S. dramatically boosted its industry, with each new distillery creating 20 to 100 new jobs. Can we count on the government support small business by supporting this proposal?
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, the Conservatives failed our country, failed our construction workers, failed the oil patch workers by not being able to create economic growth, by not being able to create the kinds of jobs that were needed and by not being able to get our resources to new markets other than the United States. We are turning that around. We are moving forward on getting resources to markets, done in the right way. We are investing in projects that are growing our economy. We are delivering the lowest unemployment rates in 40 years. That is the work we are
Mr. Speaker, for folks watching question period, let me explain parliamentary privilege. It allows members of Parliament to say things in this House without fear of prosecution or legal consequences. It is a foundation of an important element of what we do in this House. One of the ways people at home who are keeping score can note whether something is serious or not is whether members opposite will repeat what they say in the House outside the House.
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, Canadians will condemn violence against women. This violence is always unacceptable, but for some communities it is part of everyday life.Over the past 30 years, more than 1,200 indigenous women have been murdered or reported missing. Forty mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts and cousins disappear every year. Safety and the right to justice for indigenous women must be a priority.Does the government plan to establish an ambitious national action plan to address violence against indigenous women?
Mr. Speaker, Yasmine Sherif is the former director of a group that promotes anti-Israel propaganda and the BDS movement. Today, she is the director of Education Cannot Wait, a recent recipient of a $50-million tweeted pledge by the Prime Minister. The House has rejected BDS and the xenophobia that it promotes. In 2016, even the Prime Minister recognized that BDS is anti-Semitic. Will the Prime Minister withdraw the funding promise and support the Jewish community and our allies in Israel, or is he more concerned with impressing his celebrity friends?
Mr. Speaker, we continue to review the export permits. I can assure the House that when I was in Argentina for the G20 summit, I talked directly with the Saudi prince and told him that we need better answers than we have heard so far on the murder of Mr. Khashoggi. I also informed him that we expect him to order a ceasefire in Yemen so that humanitarian aid can reach civilians, who are suffering through an appalling crisis. We have a duty to help this country and to hold the line with Saudi Arabia
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Cambridge for his hard work as chair of the committee for human resources, skills and social development and the status of persons with disabilities.We are creating a system whereby barriers are identified and removed proactively so that all Canadians, regardless of their disability, can fully participate in society.I am proud that last week the House unanimously supported our legislation to ensure a barrier-free Canada. This shows that when we truly work together, we can have a direct and lasting impact on the lives of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, like I said, an opposition's job is to oppose. However, the fact is that the Conservatives are not asking us about the economy and they are not asking us about the challenges faced by Alberta right now. They are simply choosing to make the same kinds of personal attacks and smear jobs that characterize 10 years of Stephen Harper's Conservative leadership. We see that the Conservatives actually have no new approach to governing the country and no alternative proposal for economic growth. They are still stuck in the same old approach that Canadians rejected soundly in 2015.
Mr. Speaker, over the next two days, I will be sitting down with the premiers in a first ministers meeting. Indeed, it is the third or fourth first ministers meeting. We are doing one every single year, because I believe in pulling together with first ministers so that we can talk about a broad range of issues they want to talk about. However, as a reminder, the previous government did not like first ministers meetings and tended not to hold them at all. We are going to be talking about a broad range of things, including lowering barriers so that our beer and wine producers across this country can do better.
Mr. Speaker, we can tell when the Liberals are in trouble when they start threatening law suits and refusing to answer even simple questions.We now know that the RCMP investigation in Brampton involves Goreway Heaven, a company with close ties to the Liberal Party. One of its directors, Baghwan Grewal, a former Liberal riding president, got a prime ticket to the Prime Minister's catastrophic trip to India.Could the Prime Minister tell Canadians who extended the invitation to Mr. Grewal? Was it the Liberal member for Brampton East, the innovation minister, or was it the Prime Minister's own office who invited him to come along?
Mr. Speaker, our allies have spoken and security experts have spoken. Now, the head of CSIS has spoken. As one of our country's top security officials, he said publicly that hostile states are targeting our 5G network. Communist Chinese laws are clear. Companies in China must support, co-operate with and collaborate in national intelligence work. Huawei will be forced to spy on Canada.Will the Prime Minister commit to ensuring that our next generation network is secure, and ban Huawei?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know all too well that the Prime Minister is a man who spends money like water, especially when, as ill luck would have it, he has his iPhone out and starts tweeting.We all recall that almost two years ago, he sent out a tweet that has cost taxpayers over $1 billion Canadian. This weekend, out of boredom or in an attempt to impress an international celebrity, the Prime Minister announced via Twitter that the Canadian government would be taking $50 million of taxpayers' money and giving it to an initiative backed by one of his famous pals.Is the Prime Minister aware that Twitter is not a tool for diplomacy or an appropriate venue for announcing public spending?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Pitt MeadowsMaple Ridge for his hard work towards protecting wildlife on the west coast. We continue to take real action when it comes to the sustainability of wild Pacific salmon. As we announced in our fall economic statement, we will invest $105 million to create a British Columbia salmon restoration and innovation fund, which includes a contribution to the Pacific salmon endowment fund of $5 million. These investments will support projects focused on salmon stock protection and the habitat restoration of this iconic species.
Mr. Speaker, this Friday, the government is required to submit a plan to Parliament on how it plans to bring justice to those who survived genocide at the hands of ISIS terrorists. Never again means taking concrete action to bring those who are complicit in genocide to justice.Will the Prime Minister table this report on Friday, and will it include concrete action to monitor, gather information to prosecute, and restrict the activities of ISIS terrorists who are in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Prime Minister has been called out for his disparaging remarks. He said that the mass arrival of male workers in Canada's rural areas would have a negative social impact. For several years now, seasonal workers have been travelling to regional areas every year; they keep the economy going and no one complains. Instead of asking how to adjust and adapt, the Prime Minister should be happy that Canada has such a skilled workforce.
Mr. Speaker, the opposition's responsibility is to oppose, to ask difficult questions and to challenge what the government is doing.Unfortunately, this Conservative opposition is still stuck in its old Stephen Harper ways, choosing to rely on personal attacks, innuendoes, and smears against government members. The opposition could be asking questions about our record for economic growth, which is excellent, or about the unemployment rate, which is at a 40-year low.
Mr. Speaker, the mayor of Brampton's chief of staff gave a confidential document regarding a piece of land that the city wanted to purchase from the province to the minister and another member of the Liberal caucus. Now, a private consortium called Goreway Heaven actually purchased the land for virtually the same price that was disclosed to the minister and the MP. The land was resold to the city at a tidy profit of 33%, and city council has asked the RCMP to investigate.Folks at home may wonder this. Why did a member of the Prime Minister's cabinet invite a direct
Mr. Speaker, I represent the watershed community of Pitt MeadowsMaple Ridge. It is important to those in my riding that we are able to protect wild salmon stocks and restore their habitats. While some species are slowly returning, we are currently lacking the tools and resources to make the changes needed.Can the Prime Minister tell us what measures this government will take, including through the British Columbia salmon restoration and innovation fund, to help communities such as my own see revitalized salmon populations?
Mr. Speaker, there is an easy way for Canadians to see whether the Conservatives are actually asking real questions or going after real facts. All they have to do is check whether the members opposite are able to repeat outside the House of Commons the allegations they are making here under the protection of parliamentary privilege.If they will not repeat those allegations, then Canadians will know that these are baseless attacks, personal attacks, to try to distract from the fact that we are
Mr. Speaker, we introduced a historic plan to fight poverty in Canada and help Canadian families. The Canada child benefit, which the NDP voted against, is delivering more money to nine out of 10 families throughout the country and has lifted 300,000 children out of poverty. By increasing the guaranteed income supplement for seniors and making historic investments in affordable housing across Canada, we are helping families. Still, we know a lot of work remains to be done, and that is what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, ensuring the integrity of Canada's legal cannabis production system is a top priority for our government. That is why the regulated system contains multiple measures to protect the health and safety of Canadians and the integrity of the system. These include stringent requirements around physical and personal security, record-keeping, inventory controls and reporting that is verified by Health Canada inspections. Our government will never hesitate to take appropriate action to protect the integrity of our legal cannabis system.
Mr. Speaker, again, for people watching Question Period, they notice that the opposition's job is to ask questions, to critique government policy, to make sure that what we do is exactly right for Canadians and to challenge us on it. That is the role of Her Majesty's loyal opposition. Unfortunately, the current opposition tends to spend its time making innuendos, personal attacks and drive-by smear jobs that seem to consist of political debate. We are happy to exchange on ideas and to argue rigorously why our plan is right.
Mr. Speaker, since the vile murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Germany and many of our other allies have shown real leadership and stopped selling arms to the Saudi regime. Meanwhile, in Canada, it has now been six weeks since the Prime Minister announced that the government was reviewing existing export permits to Saudi Arabia.Once again, could the Prime Minister update the House on the status of this review?
Mr. Speaker, more and more people are using active transportation. That is great, but we need to adapt accordingly. RosemontLa Petite-Patrie has one of the highest rates of cyclist and pedestrian death in Quebec. From 2006 to 2015, 17 pedestrians and eight cyclists were killed in Rosemont, and 32 cyclists were killed in Montreal. Every time a cyclist dies, a white bicycle is placed at the scene of the accident. I cannot take it any more. My dream is to never have to see another one of those white bicycles.Can the Prime Minister or the Minister of Transport ensure that the recommendations of the task force to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians are implemented?
Mr. Speaker, today I proudly joined our leader, Jagmeet Singh, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the PSAC national indigenous peoples' circle to stand in solidarity with all indigenous women and girls who have been victims or survivors of violence. We must ensure that the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls leads to justice and healing.Will the Prime Minister agree to meet with the national indigenous peoples' circle to receive their petitions on the inquiry?
Mr. Speaker, this government takes very seriously the safety and protection of Canadians, including in cybersecurity and all related matters. That is why we work with the extraordinary professionals in our security and intelligence services to determine the best way to move forward in growing the Canadian economy, creating new technological innovations and keeping our country and its infrastructures safe from foreign interference. That is a task that our security and intelligence agencies do extraordinarily well and we always support them and accept their recommendations.
Mr. Speaker, it is unbelievable to watch the Prime Minister refuse to acknowledge that his arrogant and self-righteous comments are an insult to tens of thousands of Canadians who work in construction in our communities across the country. He sits on his high horse and with innuendo and stereotypes throws stones at these good men and women. I want to invite the Prime Minister to apologize. Will he stand in his place, do the right thing and apologize to construction workers across the country?
Mr. Speaker, I would be pleased to be putting forward that report on Tuesday. Our government has proven to be a global leader in welcoming refugees and we have more than doubled Canada's refugee numbers. We have provided a new home to more than 1,400 women and their families who endured the brutality of Daesh, 85% of whom are Yazidi. We are not stopping there. We will continue to expedite privately sponsored applications, as well as support family reunification. We have also announced further funding of $20 million in budget 2018 to expand our refugee programming targeting women and girls.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to see the NDP members preoccupied with this, but if they really wanted to fight against poverty in this country, they should have voted for the Canada child benefit that is delivering more money every month to nine out of 10 Canadian families and lifting hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty. They should be supporting our plan to invest in infrastructure, including housing to make sure that Canadians have opportunities to afford their homes and to live in safety. They should be supporting our plan, our national housing strategy, that will reduce poverty right across the country. It is unfortunate they stick to the rhetoric instead of siding with us on
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to building a Canada where all people, regardless of their disability, can fully participate and be included in society. We are acting and have undertaken major initiatives to create an inclusive and accessible Canada. As chair of the committee for the status of persons with disabilities, I am extremely proud of our government's work.Could the Prime Minister please give the House an update on our government's historic progress in this area?
Mr. Speaker, yes, and we can even say that we are in the process of following up on the interim report and implementing the recommendations.We must not wait to combat violence against women and girls, especially in indigenous communities. We know that the national housing strategy helps women who would otherwise have to return to an abusive relationship or turn to the street.Since 2015, we have created more than 4,800 shelter spaces. We know that there is a lot more work to do and we will keep at it.
Mr. Speaker, that is just one more reason.The director of CSIS has confirmed that some countries, sponsored by others, were engaged in interference and espionage. Three of the Five Eyes have decided that Huawei must be banned. Our economic, security and military interests are in jeopardy.Will the Prime Minister commit to banning Huawei from Canada?
Mr. Speaker, let me remind folks that we put in place the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, comprised of members from all parties in the House and the Senate, so it could exactly look in and weigh in on these important and delicate matters.When it comes to the matter of national security in the country, we should have an oversight committee that can do that. That is why we went and created it. We have tremendous respect for the work that it has done and we very much support the important work it does. I just wish more people respected it.
Mr. Speaker, holding consultations and writing reports is a good step, but the Liberals need to realize that it is just the first of many steps for the government.Indigenous women are three times more likely to suffer physical or sexual abuse than non-indigenous women. The government has to stop considering them as second-class citizens and come up with a national plan to end violence against indigenous women. Will the government commit to implementing all the recommendations made by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the divisive rhetoric and attacks from the Conservatives serve to undermine the important work that is being done in communities right across this country. Strengthening our resilience and to support everyone and make sure that everyone has safe work environments and a positive path to walk on and to live, these are the kinds of things we are going to continue working on. We will continue to recognize the hard work that we need to do to make sure that every Canadian can contribute to building a stronger economy.
Mr. Speaker, we take very seriously the responsibility of creating safe workplaces and supporting all people in communities to ensure that they have opportunities to contribute, to find good jobs, and to grow their communities in safety and security. That is something we are going to continue to focus on. I will take no lessons from the Conservative Party on how to build safer and more inclusive communities.
Mr. Speaker, allow me to refresh the Prime Minister's memory.This administrator, Bhagwan Grewal, is a former Liberal association president. He is a Liberal Party donor. He went on the India trip and even took the time to have his picture taken with the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development so he could keep a nice souvenir of that great trip to India.If the Prime Minister has nothing to hide, when will he present the official list of all his VIP guests who were with him on his trip to India, which was paid for by Canadian taxpayers?
Mr. Speaker, problems associated with the use of methamphetamine in my riding and in the prairie provinces are escalating and affecting many people and their families in various communities.I am proud to say that the city of Winnipeg has launched a task force to look into solutions to deal with the current situation.I would like to ask the Prime Minister what steps our government is taking, and plans to take, to address methamphetamine use in Canada.
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to issues of ethics and security, the Prime Minister keeps playing a busted flush, like his bizarre claim that nobody in the PMO knew anything about the fact that the member for Brampton West was being followed by the RCMP here in Parliament, and being mentioned in a wiretap on terrorism financing and money laundering. Here is the the thing. The Ethics Commissioner has confirmed that he is willing to look into whether the MP misused his position on the finance committee to ask leading questions about how to evade a money laundering investigation. Let us try this one more time. Is the Prime Minister sticking with his story that there were no adults around who could pay attention to these ethical and security debacles?
Mr. Speaker, we do not want to raise Canadians' taxes. We know that a healthy arts and culture industry is important.We are investing more than $3.2 billion in our artists and creators. No other G7 country is investing more. We doubled funding for the Canada Council for the Arts. We reinvested $675 million in CBC/Radio-Canada. We gave the Canada Media Fund an extra $172 million. We are proud to support our artists and creators, and that is what we will keep doing.
Mr. Speaker, as I said, we will work with the Government of Quebec to find the best way to proceed.However, I can tell Canadians and Quebeckers that I have heard their concerns about the labour shortage, I have heard the Conseil du patronat du Québec, and I have heard business owners in Rouyn-Noranda and elsewhere who are struggling with the labour shortage and who recognize that a shortage of immigrants can lead to lower economic growth. We want to create economic growth in Quebec and across Canada, and we will work with the governments involved.
Mr. Speaker, we legalized marijuana because we know that that is the best way to protect our children and to eliminate the influence of organized crime on the sale of marijuana and the profits it makes from it.We will certainly ensure that Health Canada and others conduct all the necessary investigations to make good decisions about all licences issued in connection with marijuana.
Mr. Speaker, we have always shown our commitment to openness and transparency on the international stage.I want to once again congratulate the members of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians for the incredible work they have done. We accept their recommendations and we will continue to respect the great work they do.
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Mr. Speaker, we have always shown our commitment to openness and transparency on the international stage.I want to once again congratulate the members of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians for the incredible work they have done. We accept their recommendations and we will continue to respect the great work they do.
Mr. Speaker, we legalized marijuana because we know that that is the best way to protect our children and to eliminate the influence of organized crime on the sale of marijuana and the profits it makes from it.We will certainly ensure that Health Canada and others conduct all the necessary investigations to make good decisions about all licences issued in connection with marijuana.
Mr. Speaker, as I said, we will work with the Government of Quebec to find the best way to proceed.However, I can tell Canadians and Quebeckers that I have heard their concerns about the labour shortage, I have heard the Conseil du patronat du Québec, and I have heard business owners in Rouyn-Noranda and elsewhere who are struggling with the labour shortage and who recognize that a shortage of immigrants can lead to lower economic growth. We want to create economic growth in Quebec and across Canada, and we will work with the governments involved.
Mr. Speaker, we do not want to raise Canadians' taxes. We know that a healthy arts and culture industry is important.We are investing more than $3.2 billion in our artists and creators. No other G7 country is investing more. We doubled funding for the Canada Council for the Arts. We reinvested $675 million in CBC/Radio-Canada. We gave the Canada Media Fund an extra $172 million. We are proud to support our artists and creators, and that is what we will keep doing.
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to issues of ethics and security, the Prime Minister keeps playing a busted flush, like his bizarre claim that nobody in the PMO knew anything about the fact that the member for Brampton West was being followed by the RCMP here in Parliament, and being mentioned in a wiretap on terrorism financing and money laundering. Here is the the thing. The Ethics Commissioner has confirmed that he is willing to look into whether the MP misused his position on the finance committee to ask leading questions about how to evade a money laundering investigation. Let us try this one more time. Is the Prime Minister sticking with his story that there were no adults around who could pay attention to these ethical and security debacles?
Mr. Speaker, problems associated with the use of methamphetamine in my riding and in the prairie provinces are escalating and affecting many people and their families in various communities.I am proud to say that the city of Winnipeg has launched a task force to look into solutions to deal with the current situation.I would like to ask the Prime Minister what steps our government is taking, and plans to take, to address methamphetamine use in Canada.
Mr. Speaker, allow me to refresh the Prime Minister's memory.This administrator, Bhagwan Grewal, is a former Liberal association president. He is a Liberal Party donor. He went on the India trip and even took the time to have his picture taken with the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development so he could keep a nice souvenir of that great trip to India.If the Prime Minister has nothing to hide, when will he present the official list of all his VIP guests who were with him on his trip to India, which was paid for by Canadian taxpayers?
Mr. Speaker, we take very seriously the responsibility of creating safe workplaces and supporting all people in communities to ensure that they have opportunities to contribute, to find good jobs, and to grow their communities in safety and security. That is something we are going to continue to focus on. I will take no lessons from the Conservative Party on how to build safer and more inclusive communities.
Mr. Speaker, once again, the divisive rhetoric and attacks from the Conservatives serve to undermine the important work that is being done in communities right across this country. Strengthening our resilience and to support everyone and make sure that everyone has safe work environments and a positive path to walk on and to live, these are the kinds of things we are going to continue working on. We will continue to recognize the hard work that we need to do to make sure that every Canadian can contribute to building a stronger economy.
Mr. Speaker, holding consultations and writing reports is a good step, but the Liberals need to realize that it is just the first of many steps for the government.Indigenous women are three times more likely to suffer physical or sexual abuse than non-indigenous women. The government has to stop considering them as second-class citizens and come up with a national plan to end violence against indigenous women. Will the government commit to implementing all the recommendations made by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls?
Mr. Speaker, let me remind folks that we put in place the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, comprised of members from all parties in the House and the Senate, so it could exactly look in and weigh in on these important and delicate matters.When it comes to the matter of national security in the country, we should have an oversight committee that can do that. That is why we went and created it. We have tremendous respect for the work that it has done and we very much support the important work it does. I just wish more people respected it.
Mr. Speaker, yes, and we can even say that we are in the process of following up on the interim report and implementing the recommendations.We must not wait to combat violence against women and girls, especially in indigenous communities. We know that the national housing strategy helps women who would otherwise have to return to an abusive relationship or turn to the street.Since 2015, we have created more than 4,800 shelter spaces. We know that there is a lot more work to do and we will keep at it.
Mr. Speaker, that is just one more reason.The director of CSIS has confirmed that some countries, sponsored by others, were engaged in interference and espionage. Three of the Five Eyes have decided that Huawei must be banned. Our economic, security and military interests are in jeopardy.Will the Prime Minister commit to banning Huawei from Canada?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to building a Canada where all people, regardless of their disability, can fully participate and be included in society. We are acting and have undertaken major initiatives to create an inclusive and accessible Canada. As chair of the committee for the status of persons with disabilities, I am extremely proud of our government's work.Could the Prime Minister please give the House an update on our government's historic progress in this area?
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to see the NDP members preoccupied with this, but if they really wanted to fight against poverty in this country, they should have voted for the Canada child benefit that is delivering more money every month to nine out of 10 Canadian families and lifting hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty. They should be supporting our plan to invest in infrastructure, including housing to make sure that Canadians have opportunities to afford their homes and to live in safety. They should be supporting our plan, our national housing strategy, that will reduce poverty right across the country. It is unfortunate they stick to the rhetoric instead of siding with us on
Mr. Speaker, I would be pleased to be putting forward that report on Tuesday. Our government has proven to be a global leader in welcoming refugees and we have more than doubled Canada's refugee numbers. We have provided a new home to more than 1,400 women and their families who endured the brutality of Daesh, 85% of whom are Yazidi. We are not stopping there. We will continue to expedite privately sponsored applications, as well as support family reunification. We have also announced further funding of $20 million in budget 2018 to expand our refugee programming targeting women and girls.
Mr. Speaker, it is unbelievable to watch the Prime Minister refuse to acknowledge that his arrogant and self-righteous comments are an insult to tens of thousands of Canadians who work in construction in our communities across the country. He sits on his high horse and with innuendo and stereotypes throws stones at these good men and women. I want to invite the Prime Minister to apologize. Will he stand in his place, do the right thing and apologize to construction workers across the country?
Mr. Speaker, this government takes very seriously the safety and protection of Canadians, including in cybersecurity and all related matters. That is why we work with the extraordinary professionals in our security and intelligence services to determine the best way to move forward in growing the Canadian economy, creating new technological innovations and keeping our country and its infrastructures safe from foreign interference. That is a task that our security and intelligence agencies do extraordinarily well and we always support them and accept their recommendations.
Mr. Speaker, today I proudly joined our leader, Jagmeet Singh, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the PSAC national indigenous peoples' circle to stand in solidarity with all indigenous women and girls who have been victims or survivors of violence. We must ensure that the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls leads to justice and healing.Will the Prime Minister agree to meet with the national indigenous peoples' circle to receive their petitions on the inquiry?
Mr. Speaker, more and more people are using active transportation. That is great, but we need to adapt accordingly. RosemontLa Petite-Patrie has one of the highest rates of cyclist and pedestrian death in Quebec. From 2006 to 2015, 17 pedestrians and eight cyclists were killed in Rosemont, and 32 cyclists were killed in Montreal. Every time a cyclist dies, a white bicycle is placed at the scene of the accident. I cannot take it any more. My dream is to never have to see another one of those white bicycles.Can the Prime Minister or the Minister of Transport ensure that the recommendations of the task force to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians are implemented?
Mr. Speaker, since the vile murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Germany and many of our other allies have shown real leadership and stopped selling arms to the Saudi regime. Meanwhile, in Canada, it has now been six weeks since the Prime Minister announced that the government was reviewing existing export permits to Saudi Arabia.Once again, could the Prime Minister update the House on the status of this review?
Mr. Speaker, again, for people watching Question Period, they notice that the opposition's job is to ask questions, to critique government policy, to make sure that what we do is exactly right for Canadians and to challenge us on it. That is the role of Her Majesty's loyal opposition. Unfortunately, the current opposition tends to spend its time making innuendos, personal attacks and drive-by smear jobs that seem to consist of political debate. We are happy to exchange on ideas and to argue rigorously why our plan is right.
Mr. Speaker, ensuring the integrity of Canada's legal cannabis production system is a top priority for our government. That is why the regulated system contains multiple measures to protect the health and safety of Canadians and the integrity of the system. These include stringent requirements around physical and personal security, record-keeping, inventory controls and reporting that is verified by Health Canada inspections. Our government will never hesitate to take appropriate action to protect the integrity of our legal cannabis system.
Mr. Speaker, there is an easy way for Canadians to see whether the Conservatives are actually asking real questions or going after real facts. All they have to do is check whether the members opposite are able to repeat outside the House of Commons the allegations they are making here under the protection of parliamentary privilege.If they will not repeat those allegations, then Canadians will know that these are baseless attacks, personal attacks, to try to distract from the fact that we are
Mr. Speaker, we introduced a historic plan to fight poverty in Canada and help Canadian families. The Canada child benefit, which the NDP voted against, is delivering more money to nine out of 10 families throughout the country and has lifted 300,000 children out of poverty. By increasing the guaranteed income supplement for seniors and making historic investments in affordable housing across Canada, we are helping families. Still, we know a lot of work remains to be done, and that is what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, I represent the watershed community of Pitt MeadowsMaple Ridge. It is important to those in my riding that we are able to protect wild salmon stocks and restore their habitats. While some species are slowly returning, we are currently lacking the tools and resources to make the changes needed.Can the Prime Minister tell us what measures this government will take, including through the British Columbia salmon restoration and innovation fund, to help communities such as my own see revitalized salmon populations?
Mr. Speaker, the mayor of Brampton's chief of staff gave a confidential document regarding a piece of land that the city wanted to purchase from the province to the minister and another member of the Liberal caucus. Now, a private consortium called Goreway Heaven actually purchased the land for virtually the same price that was disclosed to the minister and the MP. The land was resold to the city at a tidy profit of 33%, and city council has asked the RCMP to investigate.Folks at home may wonder this. Why did a member of the Prime Minister's cabinet invite a direct
Mr. Speaker, the opposition's responsibility is to oppose, to ask difficult questions and to challenge what the government is doing.Unfortunately, this Conservative opposition is still stuck in its old Stephen Harper ways, choosing to rely on personal attacks, innuendoes, and smears against government members. The opposition could be asking questions about our record for economic growth, which is excellent, or about the unemployment rate, which is at a 40-year low.
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Prime Minister has been called out for his disparaging remarks. He said that the mass arrival of male workers in Canada's rural areas would have a negative social impact. For several years now, seasonal workers have been travelling to regional areas every year; they keep the economy going and no one complains. Instead of asking how to adjust and adapt, the Prime Minister should be happy that Canada has such a skilled workforce.
Mr. Speaker, this Friday, the government is required to submit a plan to Parliament on how it plans to bring justice to those who survived genocide at the hands of ISIS terrorists. Never again means taking concrete action to bring those who are complicit in genocide to justice.Will the Prime Minister table this report on Friday, and will it include concrete action to monitor, gather information to prosecute, and restrict the activities of ISIS terrorists who are in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Pitt MeadowsMaple Ridge for his hard work towards protecting wildlife on the west coast. We continue to take real action when it comes to the sustainability of wild Pacific salmon. As we announced in our fall economic statement, we will invest $105 million to create a British Columbia salmon restoration and innovation fund, which includes a contribution to the Pacific salmon endowment fund of $5 million. These investments will support projects focused on salmon stock protection and the habitat restoration of this iconic species.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know all too well that the Prime Minister is a man who spends money like water, especially when, as ill luck would have it, he has his iPhone out and starts tweeting.We all recall that almost two years ago, he sent out a tweet that has cost taxpayers over $1 billion Canadian. This weekend, out of boredom or in an attempt to impress an international celebrity, the Prime Minister announced via Twitter that the Canadian government would be taking $50 million of taxpayers' money and giving it to an initiative backed by one of his famous pals.Is the Prime Minister aware that Twitter is not a tool for diplomacy or an appropriate venue for announcing public spending?
Mr. Speaker, we can tell when the Liberals are in trouble when they start threatening law suits and refusing to answer even simple questions.We now know that the RCMP investigation in Brampton involves Goreway Heaven, a company with close ties to the Liberal Party. One of its directors, Baghwan Grewal, a former Liberal riding president, got a prime ticket to the Prime Minister's catastrophic trip to India.Could the Prime Minister tell Canadians who extended the invitation to Mr. Grewal? Was it the Liberal member for Brampton East, the innovation minister, or was it the Prime Minister's own office who invited him to come along?
Mr. Speaker, our allies have spoken and security experts have spoken. Now, the head of CSIS has spoken. As one of our country's top security officials, he said publicly that hostile states are targeting our 5G network. Communist Chinese laws are clear. Companies in China must support, co-operate with and collaborate in national intelligence work. Huawei will be forced to spy on Canada.Will the Prime Minister commit to ensuring that our next generation network is secure, and ban Huawei?
Mr. Speaker, over the next two days, I will be sitting down with the premiers in a first ministers meeting. Indeed, it is the third or fourth first ministers meeting. We are doing one every single year, because I believe in pulling together with first ministers so that we can talk about a broad range of issues they want to talk about. However, as a reminder, the previous government did not like first ministers meetings and tended not to hold them at all. We are going to be talking about a broad range of things, including lowering barriers so that our beer and wine producers across this country can do better.
Mr. Speaker, like I said, an opposition's job is to oppose. However, the fact is that the Conservatives are not asking us about the economy and they are not asking us about the challenges faced by Alberta right now. They are simply choosing to make the same kinds of personal attacks and smear jobs that characterize 10 years of Stephen Harper's Conservative leadership. We see that the Conservatives actually have no new approach to governing the country and no alternative proposal for economic growth. They are still stuck in the same old approach that Canadians rejected soundly in 2015.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Cambridge for his hard work as chair of the committee for human resources, skills and social development and the status of persons with disabilities.We are creating a system whereby barriers are identified and removed proactively so that all Canadians, regardless of their disability, can fully participate in society.I am proud that last week the House unanimously supported our legislation to ensure a barrier-free Canada. This shows that when we truly work together, we can have a direct and lasting impact on the lives of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, we continue to review the export permits. I can assure the House that when I was in Argentina for the G20 summit, I talked directly with the Saudi prince and told him that we need better answers than we have heard so far on the murder of Mr. Khashoggi. I also informed him that we expect him to order a ceasefire in Yemen so that humanitarian aid can reach civilians, who are suffering through an appalling crisis. We have a duty to help this country and to hold the line with Saudi Arabia
Mr. Speaker, Yasmine Sherif is the former director of a group that promotes anti-Israel propaganda and the BDS movement. Today, she is the director of Education Cannot Wait, a recent recipient of a $50-million tweeted pledge by the Prime Minister. The House has rejected BDS and the xenophobia that it promotes. In 2016, even the Prime Minister recognized that BDS is anti-Semitic. Will the Prime Minister withdraw the funding promise and support the Jewish community and our allies in Israel, or is he more concerned with impressing his celebrity friends?
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, Canadians will condemn violence against women. This violence is always unacceptable, but for some communities it is part of everyday life.Over the past 30 years, more than 1,200 indigenous women have been murdered or reported missing. Forty mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts and cousins disappear every year. Safety and the right to justice for indigenous women must be a priority.Does the government plan to establish an ambitious national action plan to address violence against indigenous women?
Mr. Speaker, for folks watching question period, let me explain parliamentary privilege. It allows members of Parliament to say things in this House without fear of prosecution or legal consequences. It is a foundation of an important element of what we do in this House. One of the ways people at home who are keeping score can note whether something is serious or not is whether members opposite will repeat what they say in the House outside the House.
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, the Conservatives failed our country, failed our construction workers, failed the oil patch workers by not being able to create economic growth, by not being able to create the kinds of jobs that were needed and by not being able to get our resources to new markets other than the United States. We are turning that around. We are moving forward on getting resources to markets, done in the right way. We are investing in projects that are growing our economy. We are delivering the lowest unemployment rates in 40 years. That is the work we are
Mr. Speaker, the fall economic update showered big business with tax breaks while doing little for small business. I am proud to represent one of Canada's major wine and spirit producing areas. Small craft distillers are proposing a reduction in excise tax for producers of less than 100,000 litres. A similar move in the U.S. dramatically boosted its industry, with each new distillery creating 20 to 100 new jobs. Can we count on the government support small business by supporting this proposal?
Mr. Speaker we do indeed need to make sure that the families of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls are at the centre of this inquiry and are being heard, informed and supported throughout the process. The missing and murdered indigenous women and girls inquiry must lead to change. Will the Liberal government commit now to fully implementing all the inquiry's recommendations?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Winnipeg Centre for his hard work and leadership on this important issue.We are deeply concerned about the increasing use of methamphetamine, especially in the Prairies.Our budget 2018 included $150 million to help the provinces and territories improve access to treatment services.We are encouraged to see that the City of Winnipeg has created a task force and that a Health Canada senior official is part of it.We will continue working closely with our partners to tackle this scourge.
Mr. Speaker, we launched a national public inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls because we saw there was a need for leadership. For too long it had not moved forward. We did that because we know we needed healing for the families, we needed justice for the victims and we needed to put an end to this ongoing national tragedy. That is why we extended the time and mandate of the inquiry to ensure that all families could be heard. We gave it the extra funding it requested. We are looking forward to seeing the results of the important work it is doing. At the same time, we are not waiting for that result, to
Mr. Speaker, we remain committed to improving road safety with the help of our provincial partners.The Harper Conservatives did absolutely nothing to improve road safety for 10 years. The task force conducted extensive consultations in 2017-18, including round tables in Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto and Halifax.Our government, along with the provincial governments, are now looking at practical options to make our roads safer for our pedestrians and cyclists. We will take action.
Mr. Speaker, actions speak louder than words. The Prime Minister promised that he would work on a plan to keep jobs in Oshawa, but on Monday, the Liberals voted down our motion to study the impact of the GM closure. Instead of caring, the Prime Minister has still not even picked up the phone to call our mayor to offer his support.The Prime Minister said that we need to transition away from manufacturing. My community wants to know what he thinks it should transition to.Will the Prime Minister table his plan for the affected Oshawa workers before Christmas?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister truly does not seem to care about the impact of his policies. The reality is that the price of food in Canada will go up 3.5% next year, with the annual food costs of the average family going up by $411. If people are on a fixed income or working for minimum wage, good luck in getting any type of healthy diet, and this at a time when Canadian families are struggling with the worst debt loads in the industrialized world.When will the government stop giving big tax breaks to the richest corporations and bring in progressive policies that truly help all Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, Ottawa never questioned the motives of the Government of Quebec when it unilaterally decided to increase immigration levels. The current government in Quebec was elected with a clear mandate to lower immigration levels in 2019. We expect that, once again, Ottawa will not question the will of Quebeckers.Can the Prime Minister assure Quebec that it has his government's full co-operation to reduce the number of new arrivals, including in the categories chosen by the federal government?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know the Prime Minister loves to swagger on social media, but his tweet to Trevor Noah took the cake. A $50-million donation on Twitter, with some of it going to UNRWA. Speaking of UNRWA, I did not see the Prime Minister tweet about the earlier $50-million donation he made to that agency: Hey, Trevor Noah, I am donating $50 million to an organization that supports anti-Semitism. Will the Prime Minister withhold his donation to UNRWA until that organization denounces
Mr. Speaker, we are focusing on the workers and their families who are going through a difficult time and need the support of every member in the House.When I spoke last week to the Premier of Ontario, we agreed that this was a time to put partisanship aside and focus on how to support the workers in Oshawa.From day one we have taken steps to make Canada's automotive manufacturing sector more globally competitive and innovative. We will always stand firmly behind our automotive sector and workers.
Mr. Speaker, we will always stand up for our workers. We will be there to stimulate economic growth. We had the strongest economic growth in the G7 last year. Our unemployment rate is at a 40-year low. We recognize that the decisions a government makes can have different impacts on different communities and groups. This is something we understand very well. Unfortunately, the Conservatives do not seem to understand the impact of the decisions they made as a government or what governments do
Mr. Speaker, I was wondering if I could get unanimous consent for the following motion. I move that given Canadians must be in control of their borders and have full sovereignty over their immigration system and refuse to allow the government to continue to cede this control to authorities beyond our borders, and that the government has allowed over 38,000 people to illegally enter Canada from the United States and abuse our asylum system at a cost of over $1 billion, thereby compromising the integrity of our borders' immigration system, the House call on the government to refrain from signing Canada onto the UN global compact for migration, secure our borders and fix the mess the Prime Minister has created.
Mr. Speaker, as of January 2019, families will be paying $411 more per year than they did in 2018 for the same basket of groceries.Why? Because the Liberals failed to protect our supply management system in trade agreements and failed to come up with an ambitious plan to fight climate change. As a result, food will cost more, and people will once again have to pay for the Liberals' lack of leadership.When will this government understand that its failure to take action is costing Canadians a lot of money?
Mr. Speaker, and for the folks at home, what the Prime Minister is trying to do is make it seem that what is being said inside the House has not already been said outside of the House, including by major media reports.However, this is what the Prime Minister always tries to do: there is nothing to see here and nothing has been done wrong. He tried to do that with his illegal vacation to billionaire island, when the finance minister conveniently forgot about the French villa and when one his ministers awarded a lucrative contract to a Liberal friend.I would be happy to ask the exact same questions outside the chamber. Will the Prime Minister stand beside me and finally answer them?
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to ending the ongoing national tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. The independent commission's mandate is clear that families must be at the centre of its work. We are committed to getting the answers, which have been about the systemic and institutional failures that have led to this tragedy. In addition to our substantive response to the inquiry's interim report, we are also taking immediate action with investments in women's shelters, housing, education, reform of child welfare and safety on the Highway of Tears.
Mr. Speaker, I can confirm that there were never any allegations made against any member from Brampton West.
Mr. Speaker, I will ask the Prime Minister an easier questionThis morning, La Presse reported that Montreal police discovered 977 marijuana plants in a couple's home. While the police was conducting its investigation, this same couple was applying to Health Canada for a permit to grow medical marijuana. The kicker is that they actually got it.Will the Prime Minister commit to suspending the licence issued by Health Canada to this couple, which is currently under investigation by the Montreal police?
Mr. Speaker, it is funny to see what happens when the Conservatives play politics. They end up opposing funding that will help nearly 340,000 of the world's poorest children in conflict and crisis zones stay in school. It is unfortunate that this is the new Conservative philosophy. Children around the world must have equal access to learning opportunities and quality education. This is something we will always support. It is a shame that the Conservatives are playing politics and opposing this.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's statement was a clear attack on some of the hardest working and most dedicated Canadians. For the Prime Minister to directly attack these men and insinuate they are dangerous to women in rural communities is unconscionable and diminishes the high office he holds, not to mention the fact that people in broken glass houses should not throw stones. Again, will the Prime Minister stand and apologize for what he said to construction workers?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister likes to talk about the social impact of male workers, so let us start by looking at him. Let us talk about the social impact he has had by his inaction on the energy file. Let us talk about the massive job losses and the growing rate of suicides in the province of Alberta. Let us talk about parents who cannot afford to cover their mortgage or pay for their children's school supplies. Now let us talk about the social impact of hard-working construction men. Let us talk about the fact that these men work hard to provide for their families, that they pay taxes and that they support the local community. My question is simple. Why is the Prime Minister insisting on launching a visceral attack against these hard-working men
Mr. Speaker, a director from a company with ties to the Liberals, notably the Minister of Innovation, made a really good deal. He bought land from the Ontario government for $3.3 million and sold it a back a few months later for $4.4 million. Talk about a deal. It is so questionable that the City of Brampton asked the RCMP to investigate.Now that we know this director went on the Prime Minister's disastrous trip to India, we would like to know who invited him.
Mr. Speaker, that again is a failure of the Prime Minister to take responsibility.Last year, Montreal police discovered 977 pot plants and more than $15,000 on the premises of a couple in Montreal. This year, despite the ongoing criminal investigation of that couple, Health Canada gave them a permit to grow more than 600 cannabis plants for medical purposes. Are they kidding? These people are under investigation for illegal cannabis for the purpose of trafficking, but got a licence to grow pot. We cannot make this stuff up.Will the Prime Minister revoke their licence while the police investigation is ongoing?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives choose to play political games instead of actually looking at how we are working hard as Canadians to support the world's most vulnerable. The fact that we continue to work with UNRWA allows us to hold it to account to ensure proper accountability on where and how it spends its money, because we know that we need to support the most vulnerable in the world as opposed to continuing to have negative outcomes and funding the wrong sorts of people.Having Canadian dollars there leads to more accountability, and that is something the entire world values.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Government of Quebec confirmed that Netflix will start collecting the QST on January 1, 2019, but not the GST, because Ottawa is refusing to change federal laws and make California-based Internet multinationals collect the same GST it makes our businesses collect.Quebec explicitly asked the federal government to work with it to change the law, but the government flatly refused. No other G7 country is dumb enough to refuse to adapt its tax system to the Internet age.Can the Prime Minister do better than the Minister of Finance's pathetic attempts to justify the unjustifiable?
Mr. Speaker, we know the Conservative Party is in trouble when it falls back on the same failed approach of personal attacks and smears that characterized it through 10 years of Stephen Harper, 10 years of low job creation and the worst economic growth since the Great Depression.What we actually have now is people trying to dig up stories around a trip that happened a year and a half ago as a way of attacking and smearing the government, because they have nothing to say on our economic growth, on job creation, on the way we are delivering for Canadians
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question and his hard work. We are determined to put an end to the national tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. The mandate of the independent commission is clear: families must be at the centre of its work. We have committed to giving families the answers they have long been looking for about the institutional failures that resulted in this tragedy.We are also taking immediate action with investments in women's shelters, housing, education, the reform of child services and safety on the Highway of Tears.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister attempted to defend his natural resource minister's ridiculous claim that the court killed the northern gateway pipeline, but the facts are clear. Just like in the ruling for Trans Mountain, the judge provided a clear path forward for northern gateway, saying that this process need not take long, but the Prime Minister ignored that ruling and killed northern gateway. Why? Because he has been fighting against it for years.If the Prime Minister does not want to accept responsibility for northern gateway being ended, will he commit today to reviving it and completing the process?
Mr. Speaker, it is the opposition's responsibility to oppose, to challenge a government and to disagree on positions of policy. Unfortunately, the members opposite choose to make personal attacks and drive-by smears. The fact is that for those at home who want to see whether there is any substance to these at all, they can simply watch whether the members opposite will repeat those allegations outside of the House where they are not protected by parliamentary immunity.
Mr. Speaker, once again, a zero per cent increase in pipeline capacity to new markets under 10 years of Conservative government for the very simple reason that they did not understand that the way to build big projects is to work with indigenous peoples in full respect and partnership, to work with environmental scientists and concerned citizens to demonstrate it is being done in the right way. They failed for 10 years and now they double down on an approach that failed the oil industry and failed Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, four major pipeline projects were approved by the previous government: Enbridge Alberta Clipper, the TransCanada Keystone, Kinder Morgan's Anchor Loop and Enbridge Line 9B reversal. All these projects were approved and, here is the kicker, built under the previous Conservative government. The Trans Mountain expansion will not access the deepwater ports that northern gateway would. Aboriginal communities were going to be partners in the beneficiaries from that project. Why did the Prime Minister kill the northern gateway project?
Mr. Speaker, CSIS has a mandate to investigate threats to Canada, and this includes potential long-term threats to our national interest and to Canada's prosperity.As the director of CSIS pointed out, foreign interference and espionage pose a serious threat to our national interest and our prosperity.Working closely with our Canadian and international partners, our security agencies continuously monitor threats to national security and take the necessary measures to protect Canadians and safeguard their rights and freedoms.
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives are so eager to play politics it puts them in the awkward position of actually opposing funding that will support nearly 340,000 of the world's most vulnerable children in conflict and crisis zones to stay in school. It is unfortunate that this is the new Conservative philosophy.Children around the world must have equal access to quality education and learning opportunities. This is something we will always support. Unfortunately, the Conservatives have been consistent. They would rather play politics than help the world's most vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, the company Goreway Heaven had 10 directors on it. Five of those directors are known major contributors to the Liberal Party of Canada. As well, one of those directors was invited to be part of the Prime Minister's delegation to India, not more than one month after the company collected a 33% hike in the property that it had purchased, which, miraculously, resembled the price that was disclosed to the minister. All we want to know from the Prime Minister is which member of Parliament invited that gentleman on the trip.
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives spent a decade failing to get Canadian oil to new markets. On northern gateway, the Federal Court of Appeal found that the previous government's consultations with indigenous peoples fell well short of the mark. The Conservatives seem to think that the duty to consult is only a suggestion, not a constitutional obligation. They had 10 years to get the job done and they failed. They failed for 10 years. We are moving forward on expanding to global markets, building pipeline capacity in the right way.
Mr. Speaker, it is this Prime Minister who has failed to get projects built. It is under this Prime Minister's watch that all the major pipeline proponents in this country have left and are building projects in the United States, and in the case of Kinder Morgan, with the $4.5 billion of taxpayers' money that he gave them to get out of town with.Every time we ask the Prime Minister questions about his disastrous trip to India, he always replies there is nothing to worry about because there is no problem. Canadians know full well that there are problems.Will the Prime Minister finally show some respect for Canadians and disclose the entire guest list for his events during his trip to India?
Mr. Speaker, major questions have been raised about the role of the innovation minister and the member for Brampton East with respect to a questionable real estate deal. The allegations also involve Liberal Party donors, a former Liberal Party riding president and, of course, the Prime Minister's disastrous trip to India. Can the Prime Minister confirm whether his innovation minister has had any contact with any law enforcement agency or anyone in their offices, including the Prime Minister's Office, regarding any of the allegations surrounding the member for Brampton East?
Mr. Speaker, we know the Prime Minister gets a little jumpy when we ask about Liberal ethics, being the only Prime Minister in Canadian history who has ever been found guilty of breaking the ethics rules.We know it was the Prime Minister's office who invited Jaspal Atwal, a convicted terrorist, to join him on the disastrous India trip. The guest list for that also included Baghwan Grewal, a Liberal operative whose company is now under RCMP investigation.Will the Prime Minister give the RCMP all the documents relating to Mr. Grewal's involvement in the India trip, or will the cover-up continue?
Mr. Speaker, we have always shown our commitment to openness and transparency on the international stage.I want to once again congratulate the members of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians for the incredible work they have done. We accept their recommendations and we will continue to respect the great work they do.
Mr. Speaker, we legalized marijuana because we know that that is the best way to protect our children and to eliminate the influence of organized crime on the sale of marijuana and the profits it makes from it.We will certainly ensure that Health Canada and others conduct all the necessary investigations to make good decisions about all licences issued in connection with marijuana.
Mr. Speaker, as I said, we will work with the Government of Quebec to find the best way to proceed.However, I can tell Canadians and Quebeckers that I have heard their concerns about the labour shortage, I have heard the Conseil du patronat du Québec, and I have heard business owners in Rouyn-Noranda and elsewhere who are struggling with the labour shortage and who recognize that a shortage of immigrants can lead to lower economic growth. We want to create economic growth in Quebec and across Canada, and we will work with the governments involved.
Mr. Speaker, we do not want to raise Canadians' taxes. We know that a healthy arts and culture industry is important.We are investing more than $3.2 billion in our artists and creators. No other G7 country is investing more. We doubled funding for the Canada Council for the Arts. We reinvested $675 million in CBC/Radio-Canada. We gave the Canada Media Fund an extra $172 million. We are proud to support our artists and creators, and that is what we will keep doing.
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to issues of ethics and security, the Prime Minister keeps playing a busted flush, like his bizarre claim that nobody in the PMO knew anything about the fact that the member for Brampton West was being followed by the RCMP here in Parliament, and being mentioned in a wiretap on terrorism financing and money laundering. Here is the the thing. The Ethics Commissioner has confirmed that he is willing to look into whether the MP misused his position on the finance committee to ask leading questions about how to evade a money laundering investigation. Let us try this one more time. Is the Prime Minister sticking with his story that there were no adults around who could pay attention to these ethical and security debacles?
Mr. Speaker, problems associated with the use of methamphetamine in my riding and in the prairie provinces are escalating and affecting many people and their families in various communities.I am proud to say that the city of Winnipeg has launched a task force to look into solutions to deal with the current situation.I would like to ask the Prime Minister what steps our government is taking, and plans to take, to address methamphetamine use in Canada.
Mr. Speaker, allow me to refresh the Prime Minister's memory.This administrator, Bhagwan Grewal, is a former Liberal association president. He is a Liberal Party donor. He went on the India trip and even took the time to have his picture taken with the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development so he could keep a nice souvenir of that great trip to India.If the Prime Minister has nothing to hide, when will he present the official list of all his VIP guests who were with him on his trip to India, which was paid for by Canadian taxpayers?
Mr. Speaker, we take very seriously the responsibility of creating safe workplaces and supporting all people in communities to ensure that they have opportunities to contribute, to find good jobs, and to grow their communities in safety and security. That is something we are going to continue to focus on. I will take no lessons from the Conservative Party on how to build safer and more inclusive communities.
Mr. Speaker, once again, the divisive rhetoric and attacks from the Conservatives serve to undermine the important work that is being done in communities right across this country. Strengthening our resilience and to support everyone and make sure that everyone has safe work environments and a positive path to walk on and to live, these are the kinds of things we are going to continue working on. We will continue to recognize the hard work that we need to do to make sure that every Canadian can contribute to building a stronger economy.
Mr. Speaker, holding consultations and writing reports is a good step, but the Liberals need to realize that it is just the first of many steps for the government.Indigenous women are three times more likely to suffer physical or sexual abuse than non-indigenous women. The government has to stop considering them as second-class citizens and come up with a national plan to end violence against indigenous women. Will the government commit to implementing all the recommendations made by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls?
Mr. Speaker, let me remind folks that we put in place the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, comprised of members from all parties in the House and the Senate, so it could exactly look in and weigh in on these important and delicate matters.When it comes to the matter of national security in the country, we should have an oversight committee that can do that. That is why we went and created it. We have tremendous respect for the work that it has done and we very much support the important work it does. I just wish more people respected it.
Mr. Speaker, yes, and we can even say that we are in the process of following up on the interim report and implementing the recommendations.We must not wait to combat violence against women and girls, especially in indigenous communities. We know that the national housing strategy helps women who would otherwise have to return to an abusive relationship or turn to the street.Since 2015, we have created more than 4,800 shelter spaces. We know that there is a lot more work to do and we will keep at it.
Mr. Speaker, that is just one more reason.The director of CSIS has confirmed that some countries, sponsored by others, were engaged in interference and espionage. Three of the Five Eyes have decided that Huawei must be banned. Our economic, security and military interests are in jeopardy.Will the Prime Minister commit to banning Huawei from Canada?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to building a Canada where all people, regardless of their disability, can fully participate and be included in society. We are acting and have undertaken major initiatives to create an inclusive and accessible Canada. As chair of the committee for the status of persons with disabilities, I am extremely proud of our government's work.Could the Prime Minister please give the House an update on our government's historic progress in this area?
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to see the NDP members preoccupied with this, but if they really wanted to fight against poverty in this country, they should have voted for the Canada child benefit that is delivering more money every month to nine out of 10 Canadian families and lifting hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty. They should be supporting our plan to invest in infrastructure, including housing to make sure that Canadians have opportunities to afford their homes and to live in safety. They should be supporting our plan, our national housing strategy, that will reduce poverty right across the country. It is unfortunate they stick to the rhetoric instead of siding with us on
Mr. Speaker, I would be pleased to be putting forward that report on Tuesday. Our government has proven to be a global leader in welcoming refugees and we have more than doubled Canada's refugee numbers. We have provided a new home to more than 1,400 women and their families who endured the brutality of Daesh, 85% of whom are Yazidi. We are not stopping there. We will continue to expedite privately sponsored applications, as well as support family reunification. We have also announced further funding of $20 million in budget 2018 to expand our refugee programming targeting women and girls.
Mr. Speaker, it is unbelievable to watch the Prime Minister refuse to acknowledge that his arrogant and self-righteous comments are an insult to tens of thousands of Canadians who work in construction in our communities across the country. He sits on his high horse and with innuendo and stereotypes throws stones at these good men and women. I want to invite the Prime Minister to apologize. Will he stand in his place, do the right thing and apologize to construction workers across the country?
Mr. Speaker, this government takes very seriously the safety and protection of Canadians, including in cybersecurity and all related matters. That is why we work with the extraordinary professionals in our security and intelligence services to determine the best way to move forward in growing the Canadian economy, creating new technological innovations and keeping our country and its infrastructures safe from foreign interference. That is a task that our security and intelligence agencies do extraordinarily well and we always support them and accept their recommendations.
Mr. Speaker, today I proudly joined our leader, Jagmeet Singh, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the PSAC national indigenous peoples' circle to stand in solidarity with all indigenous women and girls who have been victims or survivors of violence. We must ensure that the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls leads to justice and healing.Will the Prime Minister agree to meet with the national indigenous peoples' circle to receive their petitions on the inquiry?
Mr. Speaker, more and more people are using active transportation. That is great, but we need to adapt accordingly. RosemontLa Petite-Patrie has one of the highest rates of cyclist and pedestrian death in Quebec. From 2006 to 2015, 17 pedestrians and eight cyclists were killed in Rosemont, and 32 cyclists were killed in Montreal. Every time a cyclist dies, a white bicycle is placed at the scene of the accident. I cannot take it any more. My dream is to never have to see another one of those white bicycles.Can the Prime Minister or the Minister of Transport ensure that the recommendations of the task force to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians are implemented?
Mr. Speaker, since the vile murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Germany and many of our other allies have shown real leadership and stopped selling arms to the Saudi regime. Meanwhile, in Canada, it has now been six weeks since the Prime Minister announced that the government was reviewing existing export permits to Saudi Arabia.Once again, could the Prime Minister update the House on the status of this review?
Mr. Speaker, again, for people watching Question Period, they notice that the opposition's job is to ask questions, to critique government policy, to make sure that what we do is exactly right for Canadians and to challenge us on it. That is the role of Her Majesty's loyal opposition. Unfortunately, the current opposition tends to spend its time making innuendos, personal attacks and drive-by smear jobs that seem to consist of political debate. We are happy to exchange on ideas and to argue rigorously why our plan is right.
Mr. Speaker, ensuring the integrity of Canada's legal cannabis production system is a top priority for our government. That is why the regulated system contains multiple measures to protect the health and safety of Canadians and the integrity of the system. These include stringent requirements around physical and personal security, record-keeping, inventory controls and reporting that is verified by Health Canada inspections. Our government will never hesitate to take appropriate action to protect the integrity of our legal cannabis system.
Mr. Speaker, there is an easy way for Canadians to see whether the Conservatives are actually asking real questions or going after real facts. All they have to do is check whether the members opposite are able to repeat outside the House of Commons the allegations they are making here under the protection of parliamentary privilege.If they will not repeat those allegations, then Canadians will know that these are baseless attacks, personal attacks, to try to distract from the fact that we are
Mr. Speaker, we introduced a historic plan to fight poverty in Canada and help Canadian families. The Canada child benefit, which the NDP voted against, is delivering more money to nine out of 10 families throughout the country and has lifted 300,000 children out of poverty. By increasing the guaranteed income supplement for seniors and making historic investments in affordable housing across Canada, we are helping families. Still, we know a lot of work remains to be done, and that is what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, I represent the watershed community of Pitt MeadowsMaple Ridge. It is important to those in my riding that we are able to protect wild salmon stocks and restore their habitats. While some species are slowly returning, we are currently lacking the tools and resources to make the changes needed.Can the Prime Minister tell us what measures this government will take, including through the British Columbia salmon restoration and innovation fund, to help communities such as my own see revitalized salmon populations?
Mr. Speaker, the mayor of Brampton's chief of staff gave a confidential document regarding a piece of land that the city wanted to purchase from the province to the minister and another member of the Liberal caucus. Now, a private consortium called Goreway Heaven actually purchased the land for virtually the same price that was disclosed to the minister and the MP. The land was resold to the city at a tidy profit of 33%, and city council has asked the RCMP to investigate.Folks at home may wonder this. Why did a member of the Prime Minister's cabinet invite a direct
Mr. Speaker, the opposition's responsibility is to oppose, to ask difficult questions and to challenge what the government is doing.Unfortunately, this Conservative opposition is still stuck in its old Stephen Harper ways, choosing to rely on personal attacks, innuendoes, and smears against government members. The opposition could be asking questions about our record for economic growth, which is excellent, or about the unemployment rate, which is at a 40-year low.
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Prime Minister has been called out for his disparaging remarks. He said that the mass arrival of male workers in Canada's rural areas would have a negative social impact. For several years now, seasonal workers have been travelling to regional areas every year; they keep the economy going and no one complains. Instead of asking how to adjust and adapt, the Prime Minister should be happy that Canada has such a skilled workforce.
Mr. Speaker, this Friday, the government is required to submit a plan to Parliament on how it plans to bring justice to those who survived genocide at the hands of ISIS terrorists. Never again means taking concrete action to bring those who are complicit in genocide to justice.Will the Prime Minister table this report on Friday, and will it include concrete action to monitor, gather information to prosecute, and restrict the activities of ISIS terrorists who are in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Pitt MeadowsMaple Ridge for his hard work towards protecting wildlife on the west coast. We continue to take real action when it comes to the sustainability of wild Pacific salmon. As we announced in our fall economic statement, we will invest $105 million to create a British Columbia salmon restoration and innovation fund, which includes a contribution to the Pacific salmon endowment fund of $5 million. These investments will support projects focused on salmon stock protection and the habitat restoration of this iconic species.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know all too well that the Prime Minister is a man who spends money like water, especially when, as ill luck would have it, he has his iPhone out and starts tweeting.We all recall that almost two years ago, he sent out a tweet that has cost taxpayers over $1 billion Canadian. This weekend, out of boredom or in an attempt to impress an international celebrity, the Prime Minister announced via Twitter that the Canadian government would be taking $50 million of taxpayers' money and giving it to an initiative backed by one of his famous pals.Is the Prime Minister aware that Twitter is not a tool for diplomacy or an appropriate venue for announcing public spending?
Mr. Speaker, we can tell when the Liberals are in trouble when they start threatening law suits and refusing to answer even simple questions.We now know that the RCMP investigation in Brampton involves Goreway Heaven, a company with close ties to the Liberal Party. One of its directors, Baghwan Grewal, a former Liberal riding president, got a prime ticket to the Prime Minister's catastrophic trip to India.Could the Prime Minister tell Canadians who extended the invitation to Mr. Grewal? Was it the Liberal member for Brampton East, the innovation minister, or was it the Prime Minister's own office who invited him to come along?
Mr. Speaker, our allies have spoken and security experts have spoken. Now, the head of CSIS has spoken. As one of our country's top security officials, he said publicly that hostile states are targeting our 5G network. Communist Chinese laws are clear. Companies in China must support, co-operate with and collaborate in national intelligence work. Huawei will be forced to spy on Canada.Will the Prime Minister commit to ensuring that our next generation network is secure, and ban Huawei?
Mr. Speaker, over the next two days, I will be sitting down with the premiers in a first ministers meeting. Indeed, it is the third or fourth first ministers meeting. We are doing one every single year, because I believe in pulling together with first ministers so that we can talk about a broad range of issues they want to talk about. However, as a reminder, the previous government did not like first ministers meetings and tended not to hold them at all. We are going to be talking about a broad range of things, including lowering barriers so that our beer and wine producers across this country can do better.
Mr. Speaker, like I said, an opposition's job is to oppose. However, the fact is that the Conservatives are not asking us about the economy and they are not asking us about the challenges faced by Alberta right now. They are simply choosing to make the same kinds of personal attacks and smear jobs that characterize 10 years of Stephen Harper's Conservative leadership. We see that the Conservatives actually have no new approach to governing the country and no alternative proposal for economic growth. They are still stuck in the same old approach that Canadians rejected soundly in 2015.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Cambridge for his hard work as chair of the committee for human resources, skills and social development and the status of persons with disabilities.We are creating a system whereby barriers are identified and removed proactively so that all Canadians, regardless of their disability, can fully participate in society.I am proud that last week the House unanimously supported our legislation to ensure a barrier-free Canada. This shows that when we truly work together, we can have a direct and lasting impact on the lives of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, we continue to review the export permits. I can assure the House that when I was in Argentina for the G20 summit, I talked directly with the Saudi prince and told him that we need better answers than we have heard so far on the murder of Mr. Khashoggi. I also informed him that we expect him to order a ceasefire in Yemen so that humanitarian aid can reach civilians, who are suffering through an appalling crisis. We have a duty to help this country and to hold the line with Saudi Arabia
Mr. Speaker, Yasmine Sherif is the former director of a group that promotes anti-Israel propaganda and the BDS movement. Today, she is the director of Education Cannot Wait, a recent recipient of a $50-million tweeted pledge by the Prime Minister. The House has rejected BDS and the xenophobia that it promotes. In 2016, even the Prime Minister recognized that BDS is anti-Semitic. Will the Prime Minister withdraw the funding promise and support the Jewish community and our allies in Israel, or is he more concerned with impressing his celebrity friends?
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, Canadians will condemn violence against women. This violence is always unacceptable, but for some communities it is part of everyday life.Over the past 30 years, more than 1,200 indigenous women have been murdered or reported missing. Forty mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts and cousins disappear every year. Safety and the right to justice for indigenous women must be a priority.Does the government plan to establish an ambitious national action plan to address violence against indigenous women?
Mr. Speaker, for folks watching question period, let me explain parliamentary privilege. It allows members of Parliament to say things in this House without fear of prosecution or legal consequences. It is a foundation of an important element of what we do in this House. One of the ways people at home who are keeping score can note whether something is serious or not is whether members opposite will repeat what they say in the House outside the House.
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, the Conservatives failed our country, failed our construction workers, failed the oil patch workers by not being able to create economic growth, by not being able to create the kinds of jobs that were needed and by not being able to get our resources to new markets other than the United States. We are turning that around. We are moving forward on getting resources to markets, done in the right way. We are investing in projects that are growing our economy. We are delivering the lowest unemployment rates in 40 years. That is the work we are
Mr. Speaker, the fall economic update showered big business with tax breaks while doing little for small business. I am proud to represent one of Canada's major wine and spirit producing areas. Small craft distillers are proposing a reduction in excise tax for producers of less than 100,000 litres. A similar move in the U.S. dramatically boosted its industry, with each new distillery creating 20 to 100 new jobs. Can we count on the government support small business by supporting this proposal?
Mr. Speaker we do indeed need to make sure that the families of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls are at the centre of this inquiry and are being heard, informed and supported throughout the process. The missing and murdered indigenous women and girls inquiry must lead to change. Will the Liberal government commit now to fully implementing all the inquiry's recommendations?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Winnipeg Centre for his hard work and leadership on this important issue.We are deeply concerned about the increasing use of methamphetamine, especially in the Prairies.Our budget 2018 included $150 million to help the provinces and territories improve access to treatment services.We are encouraged to see that the City of Winnipeg has created a task force and that a Health Canada senior official is part of it.We will continue working closely with our partners to tackle this scourge.
Mr. Speaker, we launched a national public inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls because we saw there was a need for leadership. For too long it had not moved forward. We did that because we know we needed healing for the families, we needed justice for the victims and we needed to put an end to this ongoing national tragedy. That is why we extended the time and mandate of the inquiry to ensure that all families could be heard. We gave it the extra funding it requested. We are looking forward to seeing the results of the important work it is doing. At the same time, we are not waiting for that result, to
Mr. Speaker, we remain committed to improving road safety with the help of our provincial partners.The Harper Conservatives did absolutely nothing to improve road safety for 10 years. The task force conducted extensive consultations in 2017-18, including round tables in Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto and Halifax.Our government, along with the provincial governments, are now looking at practical options to make our roads safer for our pedestrians and cyclists. We will take action.
Mr. Speaker, actions speak louder than words. The Prime Minister promised that he would work on a plan to keep jobs in Oshawa, but on Monday, the Liberals voted down our motion to study the impact of the GM closure. Instead of caring, the Prime Minister has still not even picked up the phone to call our mayor to offer his support.The Prime Minister said that we need to transition away from manufacturing. My community wants to know what he thinks it should transition to.Will the Prime Minister table his plan for the affected Oshawa workers before Christmas?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister truly does not seem to care about the impact of his policies. The reality is that the price of food in Canada will go up 3.5% next year, with the annual food costs of the average family going up by $411. If people are on a fixed income or working for minimum wage, good luck in getting any type of healthy diet, and this at a time when Canadian families are struggling with the worst debt loads in the industrialized world.When will the government stop giving big tax breaks to the richest corporations and bring in progressive policies that truly help all Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, Ottawa never questioned the motives of the Government of Quebec when it unilaterally decided to increase immigration levels. The current government in Quebec was elected with a clear mandate to lower immigration levels in 2019. We expect that, once again, Ottawa will not question the will of Quebeckers.Can the Prime Minister assure Quebec that it has his government's full co-operation to reduce the number of new arrivals, including in the categories chosen by the federal government?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know the Prime Minister loves to swagger on social media, but his tweet to Trevor Noah took the cake. A $50-million donation on Twitter, with some of it going to UNRWA. Speaking of UNRWA, I did not see the Prime Minister tweet about the earlier $50-million donation he made to that agency: Hey, Trevor Noah, I am donating $50 million to an organization that supports anti-Semitism. Will the Prime Minister withhold his donation to UNRWA until that organization denounces
Mr. Speaker, we are focusing on the workers and their families who are going through a difficult time and need the support of every member in the House.When I spoke last week to the Premier of Ontario, we agreed that this was a time to put partisanship aside and focus on how to support the workers in Oshawa.From day one we have taken steps to make Canada's automotive manufacturing sector more globally competitive and innovative. We will always stand firmly behind our automotive sector and workers.
Mr. Speaker, we will always stand up for our workers. We will be there to stimulate economic growth. We had the strongest economic growth in the G7 last year. Our unemployment rate is at a 40-year low. We recognize that the decisions a government makes can have different impacts on different communities and groups. This is something we understand very well. Unfortunately, the Conservatives do not seem to understand the impact of the decisions they made as a government or what governments do
Mr. Speaker, I was wondering if I could get unanimous consent for the following motion. I move that given Canadians must be in control of their borders and have full sovereignty over their immigration system and refuse to allow the government to continue to cede this control to authorities beyond our borders, and that the government has allowed over 38,000 people to illegally enter Canada from the United States and abuse our asylum system at a cost of over $1 billion, thereby compromising the integrity of our borders' immigration system, the House call on the government to refrain from signing Canada onto the UN global compact for migration, secure our borders and fix the mess the Prime Minister has created.
Mr. Speaker, as of January 2019, families will be paying $411 more per year than they did in 2018 for the same basket of groceries.Why? Because the Liberals failed to protect our supply management system in trade agreements and failed to come up with an ambitious plan to fight climate change. As a result, food will cost more, and people will once again have to pay for the Liberals' lack of leadership.When will this government understand that its failure to take action is costing Canadians a lot of money?
Mr. Speaker, and for the folks at home, what the Prime Minister is trying to do is make it seem that what is being said inside the House has not already been said outside of the House, including by major media reports.However, this is what the Prime Minister always tries to do: there is nothing to see here and nothing has been done wrong. He tried to do that with his illegal vacation to billionaire island, when the finance minister conveniently forgot about the French villa and when one his ministers awarded a lucrative contract to a Liberal friend.I would be happy to ask the exact same questions outside the chamber. Will the Prime Minister stand beside me and finally answer them?
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to ending the ongoing national tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. The independent commission's mandate is clear that families must be at the centre of its work. We are committed to getting the answers, which have been about the systemic and institutional failures that have led to this tragedy. In addition to our substantive response to the inquiry's interim report, we are also taking immediate action with investments in women's shelters, housing, education, reform of child welfare and safety on the Highway of Tears.
Mr. Speaker, I can confirm that there were never any allegations made against any member from Brampton West.
Mr. Speaker, I will ask the Prime Minister an easier questionThis morning, La Presse reported that Montreal police discovered 977 marijuana plants in a couple's home. While the police was conducting its investigation, this same couple was applying to Health Canada for a permit to grow medical marijuana. The kicker is that they actually got it.Will the Prime Minister commit to suspending the licence issued by Health Canada to this couple, which is currently under investigation by the Montreal police?
Mr. Speaker, it is funny to see what happens when the Conservatives play politics. They end up opposing funding that will help nearly 340,000 of the world's poorest children in conflict and crisis zones stay in school. It is unfortunate that this is the new Conservative philosophy. Children around the world must have equal access to learning opportunities and quality education. This is something we will always support. It is a shame that the Conservatives are playing politics and opposing this.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's statement was a clear attack on some of the hardest working and most dedicated Canadians. For the Prime Minister to directly attack these men and insinuate they are dangerous to women in rural communities is unconscionable and diminishes the high office he holds, not to mention the fact that people in broken glass houses should not throw stones. Again, will the Prime Minister stand and apologize for what he said to construction workers?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister likes to talk about the social impact of male workers, so let us start by looking at him. Let us talk about the social impact he has had by his inaction on the energy file. Let us talk about the massive job losses and the growing rate of suicides in the province of Alberta. Let us talk about parents who cannot afford to cover their mortgage or pay for their children's school supplies. Now let us talk about the social impact of hard-working construction men. Let us talk about the fact that these men work hard to provide for their families, that they pay taxes and that they support the local community. My question is simple. Why is the Prime Minister insisting on launching a visceral attack against these hard-working men
Mr. Speaker, a director from a company with ties to the Liberals, notably the Minister of Innovation, made a really good deal. He bought land from the Ontario government for $3.3 million and sold it a back a few months later for $4.4 million. Talk about a deal. It is so questionable that the City of Brampton asked the RCMP to investigate.Now that we know this director went on the Prime Minister's disastrous trip to India, we would like to know who invited him.
Mr. Speaker, that again is a failure of the Prime Minister to take responsibility.Last year, Montreal police discovered 977 pot plants and more than $15,000 on the premises of a couple in Montreal. This year, despite the ongoing criminal investigation of that couple, Health Canada gave them a permit to grow more than 600 cannabis plants for medical purposes. Are they kidding? These people are under investigation for illegal cannabis for the purpose of trafficking, but got a licence to grow pot. We cannot make this stuff up.Will the Prime Minister revoke their licence while the police investigation is ongoing?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives choose to play political games instead of actually looking at how we are working hard as Canadians to support the world's most vulnerable. The fact that we continue to work with UNRWA allows us to hold it to account to ensure proper accountability on where and how it spends its money, because we know that we need to support the most vulnerable in the world as opposed to continuing to have negative outcomes and funding the wrong sorts of people.Having Canadian dollars there leads to more accountability, and that is something the entire world values.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Government of Quebec confirmed that Netflix will start collecting the QST on January 1, 2019, but not the GST, because Ottawa is refusing to change federal laws and make California-based Internet multinationals collect the same GST it makes our businesses collect.Quebec explicitly asked the federal government to work with it to change the law, but the government flatly refused. No other G7 country is dumb enough to refuse to adapt its tax system to the Internet age.Can the Prime Minister do better than the Minister of Finance's pathetic attempts to justify the unjustifiable?
Mr. Speaker, we know the Conservative Party is in trouble when it falls back on the same failed approach of personal attacks and smears that characterized it through 10 years of Stephen Harper, 10 years of low job creation and the worst economic growth since the Great Depression.What we actually have now is people trying to dig up stories around a trip that happened a year and a half ago as a way of attacking and smearing the government, because they have nothing to say on our economic growth, on job creation, on the way we are delivering for Canadians
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question and his hard work. We are determined to put an end to the national tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. The mandate of the independent commission is clear: families must be at the centre of its work. We have committed to giving families the answers they have long been looking for about the institutional failures that resulted in this tragedy.We are also taking immediate action with investments in women's shelters, housing, education, the reform of child services and safety on the Highway of Tears.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister attempted to defend his natural resource minister's ridiculous claim that the court killed the northern gateway pipeline, but the facts are clear. Just like in the ruling for Trans Mountain, the judge provided a clear path forward for northern gateway, saying that this process need not take long, but the Prime Minister ignored that ruling and killed northern gateway. Why? Because he has been fighting against it for years.If the Prime Minister does not want to accept responsibility for northern gateway being ended, will he commit today to reviving it and completing the process?
Mr. Speaker, it is the opposition's responsibility to oppose, to challenge a government and to disagree on positions of policy. Unfortunately, the members opposite choose to make personal attacks and drive-by smears. The fact is that for those at home who want to see whether there is any substance to these at all, they can simply watch whether the members opposite will repeat those allegations outside of the House where they are not protected by parliamentary immunity.
Mr. Speaker, once again, a zero per cent increase in pipeline capacity to new markets under 10 years of Conservative government for the very simple reason that they did not understand that the way to build big projects is to work with indigenous peoples in full respect and partnership, to work with environmental scientists and concerned citizens to demonstrate it is being done in the right way. They failed for 10 years and now they double down on an approach that failed the oil industry and failed Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, four major pipeline projects were approved by the previous government: Enbridge Alberta Clipper, the TransCanada Keystone, Kinder Morgan's Anchor Loop and Enbridge Line 9B reversal. All these projects were approved and, here is the kicker, built under the previous Conservative government. The Trans Mountain expansion will not access the deepwater ports that northern gateway would. Aboriginal communities were going to be partners in the beneficiaries from that project. Why did the Prime Minister kill the northern gateway project?
Mr. Speaker, CSIS has a mandate to investigate threats to Canada, and this includes potential long-term threats to our national interest and to Canada's prosperity.As the director of CSIS pointed out, foreign interference and espionage pose a serious threat to our national interest and our prosperity.Working closely with our Canadian and international partners, our security agencies continuously monitor threats to national security and take the necessary measures to protect Canadians and safeguard their rights and freedoms.
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives are so eager to play politics it puts them in the awkward position of actually opposing funding that will support nearly 340,000 of the world's most vulnerable children in conflict and crisis zones to stay in school. It is unfortunate that this is the new Conservative philosophy.Children around the world must have equal access to quality education and learning opportunities. This is something we will always support. Unfortunately, the Conservatives have been consistent. They would rather play politics than help the world's most vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, the company Goreway Heaven had 10 directors on it. Five of those directors are known major contributors to the Liberal Party of Canada. As well, one of those directors was invited to be part of the Prime Minister's delegation to India, not more than one month after the company collected a 33% hike in the property that it had purchased, which, miraculously, resembled the price that was disclosed to the minister. All we want to know from the Prime Minister is which member of Parliament invited that gentleman on the trip.
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives spent a decade failing to get Canadian oil to new markets. On northern gateway, the Federal Court of Appeal found that the previous government's consultations with indigenous peoples fell well short of the mark. The Conservatives seem to think that the duty to consult is only a suggestion, not a constitutional obligation. They had 10 years to get the job done and they failed. They failed for 10 years. We are moving forward on expanding to global markets, building pipeline capacity in the right way.
Mr. Speaker, it is this Prime Minister who has failed to get projects built. It is under this Prime Minister's watch that all the major pipeline proponents in this country have left and are building projects in the United States, and in the case of Kinder Morgan, with the $4.5 billion of taxpayers' money that he gave them to get out of town with.Every time we ask the Prime Minister questions about his disastrous trip to India, he always replies there is nothing to worry about because there is no problem. Canadians know full well that there are problems.Will the Prime Minister finally show some respect for Canadians and disclose the entire guest list for his events during his trip to India?
Mr. Speaker, major questions have been raised about the role of the innovation minister and the member for Brampton East with respect to a questionable real estate deal. The allegations also involve Liberal Party donors, a former Liberal Party riding president and, of course, the Prime Minister's disastrous trip to India. Can the Prime Minister confirm whether his innovation minister has had any contact with any law enforcement agency or anyone in their offices, including the Prime Minister's Office, regarding any of the allegations surrounding the member for Brampton East?
Mr. Speaker, we know the Prime Minister gets a little jumpy when we ask about Liberal ethics, being the only Prime Minister in Canadian history who has ever been found guilty of breaking the ethics rules.We know it was the Prime Minister's office who invited Jaspal Atwal, a convicted terrorist, to join him on the disastrous India trip. The guest list for that also included Baghwan Grewal, a Liberal operative whose company is now under RCMP investigation.Will the Prime Minister give the RCMP all the documents relating to Mr. Grewal's involvement in the India trip, or will the cover-up continue?