Chris Warkentin

Mr. Speaker, I think in order for farmers to prosper, the minister is going to have to do something, not just officials.On another very important issue, we know that PED has killed over eight million pigs south of the border. We also know that since I last stood in the House to ask a question on this issue, we have had three confirmed cases in Manitoba.Pig producers want to know when the minister is going to do something on this file to ensure that we do not have an outbreak of PED here in Canada.

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister once famously said that “budgets will balance themselves”. It seems that the agriculture minister believes similarly that issues will resolve themselves.Hog producers have been asking the minister to help him implement a plan to reduce the spread of a virus that has killed over eight million pigs south of the border. Unfortunately, the minister's office told these people that the minister would not intervene. It is the minister's job to intervene. When will the minister stand in the House, start doing his job, intervene, and help hog producers?

Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect the Prime Minister to answer questions in the House. Let us review question period thus far. We have a Prime Minister who will not answer questions about his own ethical violations. We have a finance minister who continues in his carbon tax cover-up. We have a minister of industry who still will not admit to Canadians who he is selling our seniors residences to. The cover-ups, the misleading, and quite frankly the outright lack of integrity are what the Liberals have become.When will the Prime Minister start leading the government the way Canadians expect? When will he clean up this mess?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is under active investigation for breaking the law by the Ethics Commissioner. He insults Canadians by refusing to answer any questions, even the simplest of questions, with regard to that investigation. His staff tell him that he should only say that he is happy to meet with the Ethics Commissioner and answer any questions she might have, but Canadians deserve answers.I have a simple question. How many times has the Prime Minister been questioned by investigators? The question is simple: how many times?

Mr. Speaker, speaking of misleading Canadians, the Prime Minister has stood in the House and claimed to be giving more money to our military. I can tell the Prime Minister that he has cut $12 billion from the budget over the last two years. In our last year in government, we gave over twice what the Liberals spent during their time in office during the 1990s. Will the Prime Minister commit, will he stand right now and say he will give back the $12 billion he has taken in the last two years?

Mr. Speaker, it has been a tough week for Alberta here in Ottawa. The Prime Minister has rammed through his anti-pipeline, anti-energy bills, Bills C-69 and C-48, and announced a carbon tax for the province of Alberta. These attacks are driving investment and opportunity out of the province.Without a hint of irony, this very morning those same Liberals announced their western Canada job strategy. It is like hiring the arsonists to rebuild the house after they lit the fire. When will the Liberals realize that the only growth strategy that will work is if they end their attack on Canada's energy sector?

Mr. Speaker, Stephen Harper never cancelled one pipeline. The minister has cancelled three.Today Canada Action has initiated a campaign to inform Canadians of what the Liberals' failures are costing the Canadian economy. Tens of billions of dollars are lost as discounted Canadian oil flows to the United States, and the Prime Minister is making it worse with Bill C-69.The question is simple. Will he kill his no-new-pipelines bill, Bill C-69, or is he going to continue to allow the energy sector to fail and everyone who works in it to fail as well?

Mr. Speaker, well, the member across the way is new here but he is totally wrong. There were four major projects that got oil and gas to new markets. If the Liberals would do one thing, it would be to take a lesson from us, because ever since they took control of this pipeline, they abandoned all work on the pipeline. They sent Kinder Morgan packing with $4.5 billion of taxpayers' money so it could build pipelines in the United States. Just last week, the minister from Alberta, the Minister of Natural Resources, announced additional delays that are going to kill this project. When did the minister decide to betray Alberta and kill this pipeline?

Mr. Speaker, in January, the Minister of Agriculture hired a failed Liberal candidate with a vested interest in his department to be his chief of staff. At the time, it was clear that her massive fortune presented a clear conflict of interest, but the minister insisted otherwise.Now the Ethics Commissioner has ruled that a conflict of interest does exist, and the chief of staff must recuse herself of most major files in the minister's department. If she cannot talk about agriculture, and if she cannot talk about trade, what is she still doing there?

Mr. Speaker, I will take that as a no.The second very straightforward question I will ask the Minister of Agriculture is if the minister is aware of any past criminal charges involving his chief of staff that may lead Canadians to believe that she is not suitable for the job that she is now tasked to do.

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals keep saying that they want to make this place work better. Well, I have a great idea: how about when we ask a question, they actually give us an answer? We have asked legitimate questions today, and nobody has given this side any answers. We have asked about their secret negotiations and payments to Beijing. We have asked about the Prime Minister's abuse of taxpayers' money for his vacation. We have asked about his plan to permanently avoid accountability, his cuts to defence, his attack on the Alberta energy sector, his increased taxes on every hard-working family. If he wants to make our democracy better, why does the Prime Minister not start answering questions and quit trying so hard to make his life easier—

Mr. Speaker, Canadian ranchers produce the safest and best-quality beef in the world. Some people with vested interests have attacked the Canadian industry over the last number of weeks and months, and some restaurants have even stopped serving Canadian beef. This Canadian farm boy is not going to eat at those restaurants anymore. I am wondering if the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food across the way will stand and commit to supporting Canadian agriculture, and do the same.

Mr. Speaker, that was the same talking points that he gave to me on January 25, but we found out just recently from the Ethics Commissioner that her new ruling requires that his chief of staff not engage with the TPP, not have any involvement with regard to the egg industry, and have nothing to do with the supply management system. I ask the minister, given the commissioner's clear ruling, can the minister guarantee that since day one in his office, she has had absolutely zero to do with any of these crucial files?

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are not buying these lines from the other side. Under the Liberal government, Canada 2020 has become an extension of the government. It has received tens of thousands of dollars of taxpayer funds from multiple ministers. Canada 2020 has even boasted about setting up offices in the parliamentary precinct. Canadians are not buying this, and they are not buying that the Prime Minister should continue to be able to funnel taxpayers' money to his friends. When will the Prime Minister put a stop to this?

Mr. Speaker, this morning the World Trade Organization ruled that the United States' country-of-origin labelling was in fact blatantly protectionist. This is a rule that has cost our farm families over $3 billion on an annual basis. Our government was prepared to move expeditiously as soon as this ruling came out. I wonder if the Minister of Agriculture, who has been invisible on this and other files, will stand in his place and finally do his job and defend the interests of farm families.

Mr. Speaker, if the Liberals were serious about doing anything on this, the Liberal MPs yesterday would not have refused to agree to hear from prairie grain farmers who were concerned about these provisions not having yet been extended. In fact, I then took the opportunity this morning to meet with these farmers. They said that while the Liberals refused to listen to them, they know that this side of the House would stand up for them. Will the minister extend these provisions that the farm families desperately need?

Mr. Speaker, Canada's oil is being liquidated at $17 a barrel while our international competitors are getting $54. This discount is costing the Canadian economy $80 million each and every day and is a direct result of the Liberals' cancellation of the northern gateway, the Trans Mountain and the west-to-east pipeline projects. Now the Liberals have proposed something new. It is called a no-new-pipelines bill, Bill C-69. This is going to make this discount permanent.Will the government kill Bill C-69 and allow pipelines to be built, or is it prepared to allow this discount to continue?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Agriculture defended his chief of staff, saying that he wanted somebody with agricultural experience. Now his chief of staff has a very specific experience, that of owning a multi-million dollar egg empire.However, that is the very experience that the Conflict of Interest Commissioner has specifically forbidden her from speaking about. If she cannot talk about the explicit experience that the minister said qualified her for the job, why is she still on the payroll?

Mr. Speaker, it is going to take more than wishful thinking to get Trans Mountain built. The Prime Minister's inaction has escalated this trade dispute between Alberta and British Columbia, costing jobs in both provinces. This project will not move forward unless the Prime Minister personally intervenes and makes it happen. My question is very simple. On what date will the Prime Minister guarantee that all legal impediments will be removed to allow construction to begin?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I met with Carrie. She and her family are fifth generation farmers. They have worked hard and made many sacrifices to keep the farm in the family. Carrie is worried that the Liberal tax changes will make it impossible for her children to take over the family farm some day. When the minister stood in the House and committed to phoning back every concerned farmer, Carrie took him at his word and left a message, leaving both of her phone numbers. She has never heard back, and she is not alone. The consultations end today. When did the minister plan to call Carrie and the thousands of farmers who have called him, or is that just another broken Liberal promise?

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure if the agriculture minister caught that, but the question was about lentils and lentil producers want to know when he is going to get the job done for them. I was with the minister in China just last week and I know that the minister had the opportunity to meet with Turkish officials. Now we find out that sources from Turkey are saying that nothing is happening at the ministerial level on this issue. I wonder when the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food is going to wake up and recognize that he has to do something to ensure that lentils continue to flow to Turkey.

Mr. Speaker, there is one person in the House who knows something about conflict of interest and that is the Minister of Agriculture. As a matter of fact, in 2002 he was forced to resign as solicitor general because it was found that the government had funnelled money to the place in which his brother worked. At the time, it was ruled that he in fact was in breach of his obligations.I am wondering if the minister has learned from his past mistakes. Will he stand in the House and admit that his current chief of staff is in a complete conflict of interest?

Well, the mistakes continue, Mr. Speaker.Today, speaking in France, the Prime Minister reiterated his desire to see the Alberta energy sector done away with, phased out. He is doing a very good job already.Under the Prime Minister, major projects that would see our oil and gas get to new world markets have been cancelled. Pacific NorthWest, gateway, and energy east pipelines have all died.Our fight to keep Trans Mountain alive is so essential because the Prime Minister has killed all of the other options.Does the minister support the Prime Minister's plan to phase out the Alberta oil and gas sector?

Mr. Speaker, by appointing Mary Jean McFall as the chief of staff, the Minister of Agriculture is disregarding rules that were intended to protect Canadians from corruption. Ms. McFall's family is the owner of the largest egg producing corporation and she herself was listed as being the owner of $140 million worth of egg quota in 2010.The minister makes decisions with regard to this family business on a regular basis. How can he justify her hiring and how can he justify this blatant conflict of interest?

Mr. Speaker, I have a couple of questions for the Minister of Agriculture.First, I wonder if the minister could confirm to the House that the Ethics Commissioner has cleared his chief of staff to serve in her new capacity. I also wonder if he could confirm to the House if his new chief of staff has gotten the RCMP security clearances necessary to do her job, yes or no.

It is interesting that members are saying no already. In fact, the Parliamentary Budget Officer outlined his report today detailing the fact that the Liberals misled Canadians with regard to their fall fiscal update. In fact, the PBO demonstrates that the Liberals underestimated their deficit next year by $11 billion, meaning that it will be in excess or just around $30 billion—

Mr. Speaker, a month ago, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food committed to extend the provisions of the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act. Unfortunately, up until now, we have not heard a single thing since that announcement. People are starting to believe that this is just another broken promise by the Liberals.Will the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food stand right now and commit to extending these provisions immediately?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has stated that Chinese nationals were at the Liberal Party fundraiser so that he could “draw in investment” from these billionaires. He secured some investment all right, $1 million for his family-run foundation.Canadians deserve answers. These events break every element of the Prime Minister's ethics rules. When will the Prime Minister finally come clean with Canadians and admit what he gave in exchange for this $1-million payment?

Mr. Speaker, several groups have called on the Liberals to make special changes to help address specific labour challenges across this country. Last week we learned that the Liberals were moving to help the fishing industry, but agriculture was left out in the cold. Surely the Liberals understand that agriculture is an important industry in this country, contributing billions of dollars to our national economy each and every year.I am wondering if the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food will stand up in the House and demonstrate a real commitment to help solving the labour challenges being faced by our farm families.

Mr. Speaker, when he is not designing government programs to help his billionaire friends, he is vacationing and spending taxpayer dollars like he is a billionaire himself. We all know that his taxpayer-funded billionaire-island vacation has landed him in hot water with the Ethics Commissioner, but what we have learned is that he has been misleading Canadians about who owns that very island, so here is a simple question for the Prime Minister. Who owns the island he used tax dollars to vacation on?

Mr. Speaker, that is exactly the question. It was not only the minister who thought that it was the chief of staff's experience that qualified her for the job, it was her understanding as well. As a matter of fact, she said, “My background through my family’s business is pretty relevant to (the portfolio) so I think that’s part of how I got the job”.I would ask this of the minister. Why is she still on the payroll if the qualifications that made her qualified for the job are the things that she cannot speak about?

Answer the question.

Speaking of the 1%, Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's spokesperson now claims that he had no idea that his friend did not own this billionaire island, but now there is new evidence surfacing that seems to make his claim implausible. We now know that the Prime Minister's officials used taxpayer dollars to reimburse hospitality expenses for one staff, who was staying on the island with the Prime Minister, to Lexthree Ltd. Did the Prime Minister believe that his friend had changed his name to Lexthree Ltd., or did he know all along that he was staying on an island that was owned by a bunch of shell companies?

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Transport just stood up in the House and said that we would have consultations to make recommendations on recommendations based on consultations. At some point, the government actually has to do things.The reason we had the expedited review of this act was to ensure grain could move. We saw it was not moving. The minister only commits to more recommendations and consultations and consultations and recommendations. Farmers want to know when will they finally have access to rail services?

Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, when caught misusing taxpayers dollars, the Prime Minister's friends, Gerry and Katie, said that when they reviewed their expenses, they found that there were some that were unreasonable.The government continued to say that it was following the rules and was forced to make these payouts because of the rules, but in fact, the senior vice-president at Brookfield Global Relocation Services said just minutes ago that they were not forced to do this. As a matter of fact, they would have been briefed on the exact expenses they themselves were claiming.The question is, did Gerry and Katie believe that these expenses were unreasonable when they claimed them or only when they got caught?

Mr. Speaker, when I go to visit my friends, I have never left with an invoice. However, that seems to be exactly what happened when the Prime Minister left billionaire island, but instead of paying the bill himself, he stuck it to the taxpayer.In what world does the Prime Minister live when he believes that it is acceptable to use taxpayers' money to repay hospitality expenses charged to him by his billionaire friends?

Mr. Speaker, earlier in question period, the government House leader invited MPs to direct people to the government appointments website to get information about the application for the Ethics Commissioner. I went there in anticipation of finding that. I saw that no such application or job was posted there. I am wondering if she intended to mislead the House, or if in fact she wanted to stand to withdraw the comments, or if she intended instead to direct people to liberal.ca.

Mr. Speaker, honeybee health is essential to a strong agricultural sector in Canada. The National Bee Diagnostic Centre in Beaverlodge has done great work in providing bee diagnostics and promoting bee health. Since the founding of this important institution, the demand for their services from beekeepers across the country has grown exponentially and they have nearly outgrown their current facilities.Will the minister commit today to work with the National Bee Diagnostic Centre to ensure that they can expand and continue their important work and research on bee health?

Mr. Speaker, budgets are demonstrations of governments' priorities, and farm families are convinced that they are not a Liberal priority. Even after borrowing billions of dollars, farmers and farm families were left out in the cold. However, there was one suggestion for farm families in the budget. The suggestion was that farmers should become solar and wind power producers so that they would have good jobs. Farming is a good job. It is an honourable job.I wonder when the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food will stand in this House and start defending honourable, hard-working farm families.

Mr. Speaker, it is that time of the year again when families start making plans for their summer vacations. I am wondering if the Prime Minister can commit to getting an estimate in advance from the Privy Council Office on how much his summer vacation dreams might cost. I am hoping that he will maybe take that into consideration when he chooses what to do and where to go this time.

Mr. Speaker, if you seek it, I think you will find unanimous consent that I table the PBO's report.

Mr. Speaker, coming out of question period, I have a point of order.The Prime Minister stood in his place and declared that on some previous date the Prime Minister's Office had contacted the opposition House leader's office to tell her office on which day James Cudmore was offered a job. I can tell members that is unequivocally untrue and I would ask the Prime Minister to table the evidence.

Mr. Speaker, I would like clarification. Is it your ruling that every organization that receives federal funding will now be subject to questions in question period?

Mr. Speaker, the waters continue to muddy around the Prime Minister's cash for access schemes. In trying to defend foreign donations to his family-run foundation from Chinese billionaires, the Prime Minister claimed that he had stepped away from all family-related responsibilities after he was elected. However, the facts paint a different picture.The Prime Minister was elected in 2008, but he continued to help run the foundation until 2014. What is the Prime Minister trying to hide, and why won't he come clean with Canadians about what he promised these Communist officials in exchange for the million dollar payment?

Mr. Speaker, just minutes ago the transport minister admitted that he did appoint Jim Spatz to the Halifax Port Authority. It was Mr. Spatz from whom the Minister of Finance took $1,500 to meet at Mr. Spatz's business partner's home. We want to know what exactly the Minister of Finance said to Mr. Spatz. Was anything discussed in relationship to developments in Halifax or at the port?

Mr. Speaker, the minister made that same offer to me during question period as well, so I wonder if he will offer me the same opportunity to look through his schedule.

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. During question period, the Leader of the Opposition made reference to a particular document. It is a very large document, and I am not sure every member has yet had a chance to review it. I ask for unanimous consent to table, in both official languages, the document that was referred to.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, members of the agriculture committee voted against a motion to hear from farmers with regard to the trans-Pacific partnership. While Conservative and NDP members voted to hear from farmers, the Liberal members refused. Is this the openness and transparency that the Minister of International Trade meant when she was promising broad consultations? When will the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food stand up and ensure that farmers and farm families are heard on this important deal?

Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, earlier in question period, the infrastructure minister stated that the previous government had made no investments in infrastructure. I would ask for unanimous consent to table a document, in both official languages, that was produced by the minister's department. This document was produced for the BlackRock billionaires summit, and states that in 2015, Canada had the largest investment in infrastructure in the OECD.

Oh, oh!

Mr. Speaker, if the Liberals were serious about doing anything on this, the Liberal MPs yesterday would not have refused to agree to hear from prairie grain farmers who were concerned about these provisions not having yet been extended. In fact, I then took the opportunity this morning to meet with these farmers. They said that while the Liberals refused to listen to them, they know that this side of the House would stand up for them. Will the minister extend these provisions that the farm families desperately need?

Mr. Speaker, Stephen Harper never cancelled one pipeline. The minister has cancelled three.Today Canada Action has initiated a campaign to inform Canadians of what the Liberals' failures are costing the Canadian economy. Tens of billions of dollars are lost as discounted Canadian oil flows to the United States, and the Prime Minister is making it worse with Bill C-69.The question is simple. Will he kill his no-new-pipelines bill, Bill C-69, or is he going to continue to allow the energy sector to fail and everyone who works in it to fail as well?

Mr. Speaker, this morning the World Trade Organization ruled that the United States' country-of-origin labelling was in fact blatantly protectionist. This is a rule that has cost our farm families over $3 billion on an annual basis. Our government was prepared to move expeditiously as soon as this ruling came out. I wonder if the Minister of Agriculture, who has been invisible on this and other files, will stand in his place and finally do his job and defend the interests of farm families.

Mr. Speaker, coming out of question period, I have a point of order.The Prime Minister stood in his place and declared that on some previous date the Prime Minister's Office had contacted the opposition House leader's office to tell her office on which day James Cudmore was offered a job. I can tell members that is unequivocally untrue and I would ask the Prime Minister to table the evidence.

Mr. Speaker, I would like clarification. Is it your ruling that every organization that receives federal funding will now be subject to questions in question period?

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure if the agriculture minister caught that, but the question was about lentils and lentil producers want to know when he is going to get the job done for them. I was with the minister in China just last week and I know that the minister had the opportunity to meet with Turkish officials. Now we find out that sources from Turkey are saying that nothing is happening at the ministerial level on this issue. I wonder when the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food is going to wake up and recognize that he has to do something to ensure that lentils continue to flow to Turkey.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I met with Carrie. She and her family are fifth generation farmers. They have worked hard and made many sacrifices to keep the farm in the family. Carrie is worried that the Liberal tax changes will make it impossible for her children to take over the family farm some day. When the minister stood in the House and committed to phoning back every concerned farmer, Carrie took him at his word and left a message, leaving both of her phone numbers. She has never heard back, and she is not alone. The consultations end today. When did the minister plan to call Carrie and the thousands of farmers who have called him, or is that just another broken Liberal promise?

Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, earlier in question period, the infrastructure minister stated that the previous government had made no investments in infrastructure. I would ask for unanimous consent to table a document, in both official languages, that was produced by the minister's department. This document was produced for the BlackRock billionaires summit, and states that in 2015, Canada had the largest investment in infrastructure in the OECD.

Speaking of the 1%, Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's spokesperson now claims that he had no idea that his friend did not own this billionaire island, but now there is new evidence surfacing that seems to make his claim implausible. We now know that the Prime Minister's officials used taxpayer dollars to reimburse hospitality expenses for one staff, who was staying on the island with the Prime Minister, to Lexthree Ltd. Did the Prime Minister believe that his friend had changed his name to Lexthree Ltd., or did he know all along that he was staying on an island that was owned by a bunch of shell companies?

Mr. Speaker, there is one person in the House who knows something about conflict of interest and that is the Minister of Agriculture. As a matter of fact, in 2002 he was forced to resign as solicitor general because it was found that the government had funnelled money to the place in which his brother worked. At the time, it was ruled that he in fact was in breach of his obligations.I am wondering if the minister has learned from his past mistakes. Will he stand in the House and admit that his current chief of staff is in a complete conflict of interest?

Mr. Speaker, by appointing Mary Jean McFall as the chief of staff, the Minister of Agriculture is disregarding rules that were intended to protect Canadians from corruption. Ms. McFall's family is the owner of the largest egg producing corporation and she herself was listed as being the owner of $140 million worth of egg quota in 2010.The minister makes decisions with regard to this family business on a regular basis. How can he justify her hiring and how can he justify this blatant conflict of interest?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister once famously said that “budgets will balance themselves”. It seems that the agriculture minister believes similarly that issues will resolve themselves.Hog producers have been asking the minister to help him implement a plan to reduce the spread of a virus that has killed over eight million pigs south of the border. Unfortunately, the minister's office told these people that the minister would not intervene. It is the minister's job to intervene. When will the minister stand in the House, start doing his job, intervene, and help hog producers?

Mr. Speaker, it has been a tough week for Alberta here in Ottawa. The Prime Minister has rammed through his anti-pipeline, anti-energy bills, Bills C-69 and C-48, and announced a carbon tax for the province of Alberta. These attacks are driving investment and opportunity out of the province.Without a hint of irony, this very morning those same Liberals announced their western Canada job strategy. It is like hiring the arsonists to rebuild the house after they lit the fire. When will the Liberals realize that the only growth strategy that will work is if they end their attack on Canada's energy sector?

Mr. Speaker, I will take that as a no.The second very straightforward question I will ask the Minister of Agriculture is if the minister is aware of any past criminal charges involving his chief of staff that may lead Canadians to believe that she is not suitable for the job that she is now tasked to do.

Mr. Speaker, well, the member across the way is new here but he is totally wrong. There were four major projects that got oil and gas to new markets. If the Liberals would do one thing, it would be to take a lesson from us, because ever since they took control of this pipeline, they abandoned all work on the pipeline. They sent Kinder Morgan packing with $4.5 billion of taxpayers' money so it could build pipelines in the United States. Just last week, the minister from Alberta, the Minister of Natural Resources, announced additional delays that are going to kill this project. When did the minister decide to betray Alberta and kill this pipeline?

Mr. Speaker, honeybee health is essential to a strong agricultural sector in Canada. The National Bee Diagnostic Centre in Beaverlodge has done great work in providing bee diagnostics and promoting bee health. Since the founding of this important institution, the demand for their services from beekeepers across the country has grown exponentially and they have nearly outgrown their current facilities.Will the minister commit today to work with the National Bee Diagnostic Centre to ensure that they can expand and continue their important work and research on bee health?

It is interesting that members are saying no already. In fact, the Parliamentary Budget Officer outlined his report today detailing the fact that the Liberals misled Canadians with regard to their fall fiscal update. In fact, the PBO demonstrates that the Liberals underestimated their deficit next year by $11 billion, meaning that it will be in excess or just around $30 billion—

Mr. Speaker, just minutes ago the transport minister admitted that he did appoint Jim Spatz to the Halifax Port Authority. It was Mr. Spatz from whom the Minister of Finance took $1,500 to meet at Mr. Spatz's business partner's home. We want to know what exactly the Minister of Finance said to Mr. Spatz. Was anything discussed in relationship to developments in Halifax or at the port?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is under active investigation for breaking the law by the Ethics Commissioner. He insults Canadians by refusing to answer any questions, even the simplest of questions, with regard to that investigation. His staff tell him that he should only say that he is happy to meet with the Ethics Commissioner and answer any questions she might have, but Canadians deserve answers.I have a simple question. How many times has the Prime Minister been questioned by investigators? The question is simple: how many times?

Mr. Speaker, that is exactly the question. It was not only the minister who thought that it was the chief of staff's experience that qualified her for the job, it was her understanding as well. As a matter of fact, she said, “My background through my family’s business is pretty relevant to (the portfolio) so I think that’s part of how I got the job”.I would ask this of the minister. Why is she still on the payroll if the qualifications that made her qualified for the job are the things that she cannot speak about?

Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect the Prime Minister to answer questions in the House. Let us review question period thus far. We have a Prime Minister who will not answer questions about his own ethical violations. We have a finance minister who continues in his carbon tax cover-up. We have a minister of industry who still will not admit to Canadians who he is selling our seniors residences to. The cover-ups, the misleading, and quite frankly the outright lack of integrity are what the Liberals have become.When will the Prime Minister start leading the government the way Canadians expect? When will he clean up this mess?

Mr. Speaker, it is that time of the year again when families start making plans for their summer vacations. I am wondering if the Prime Minister can commit to getting an estimate in advance from the Privy Council Office on how much his summer vacation dreams might cost. I am hoping that he will maybe take that into consideration when he chooses what to do and where to go this time.

Mr. Speaker, budgets are demonstrations of governments' priorities, and farm families are convinced that they are not a Liberal priority. Even after borrowing billions of dollars, farmers and farm families were left out in the cold. However, there was one suggestion for farm families in the budget. The suggestion was that farmers should become solar and wind power producers so that they would have good jobs. Farming is a good job. It is an honourable job.I wonder when the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food will stand in this House and start defending honourable, hard-working farm families.

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals keep saying that they want to make this place work better. Well, I have a great idea: how about when we ask a question, they actually give us an answer? We have asked legitimate questions today, and nobody has given this side any answers. We have asked about their secret negotiations and payments to Beijing. We have asked about the Prime Minister's abuse of taxpayers' money for his vacation. We have asked about his plan to permanently avoid accountability, his cuts to defence, his attack on the Alberta energy sector, his increased taxes on every hard-working family. If he wants to make our democracy better, why does the Prime Minister not start answering questions and quit trying so hard to make his life easier—

Mr. Speaker, I think in order for farmers to prosper, the minister is going to have to do something, not just officials.On another very important issue, we know that PED has killed over eight million pigs south of the border. We also know that since I last stood in the House to ask a question on this issue, we have had three confirmed cases in Manitoba.Pig producers want to know when the minister is going to do something on this file to ensure that we do not have an outbreak of PED here in Canada.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, members of the agriculture committee voted against a motion to hear from farmers with regard to the trans-Pacific partnership. While Conservative and NDP members voted to hear from farmers, the Liberal members refused. Is this the openness and transparency that the Minister of International Trade meant when she was promising broad consultations? When will the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food stand up and ensure that farmers and farm families are heard on this important deal?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has stated that Chinese nationals were at the Liberal Party fundraiser so that he could “draw in investment” from these billionaires. He secured some investment all right, $1 million for his family-run foundation.Canadians deserve answers. These events break every element of the Prime Minister's ethics rules. When will the Prime Minister finally come clean with Canadians and admit what he gave in exchange for this $1-million payment?

Mr. Speaker, when he is not designing government programs to help his billionaire friends, he is vacationing and spending taxpayer dollars like he is a billionaire himself. We all know that his taxpayer-funded billionaire-island vacation has landed him in hot water with the Ethics Commissioner, but what we have learned is that he has been misleading Canadians about who owns that very island, so here is a simple question for the Prime Minister. Who owns the island he used tax dollars to vacation on?

Mr. Speaker, it is going to take more than wishful thinking to get Trans Mountain built. The Prime Minister's inaction has escalated this trade dispute between Alberta and British Columbia, costing jobs in both provinces. This project will not move forward unless the Prime Minister personally intervenes and makes it happen. My question is very simple. On what date will the Prime Minister guarantee that all legal impediments will be removed to allow construction to begin?

Well, the mistakes continue, Mr. Speaker.Today, speaking in France, the Prime Minister reiterated his desire to see the Alberta energy sector done away with, phased out. He is doing a very good job already.Under the Prime Minister, major projects that would see our oil and gas get to new world markets have been cancelled. Pacific NorthWest, gateway, and energy east pipelines have all died.Our fight to keep Trans Mountain alive is so essential because the Prime Minister has killed all of the other options.Does the minister support the Prime Minister's plan to phase out the Alberta oil and gas sector?

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are not buying these lines from the other side. Under the Liberal government, Canada 2020 has become an extension of the government. It has received tens of thousands of dollars of taxpayer funds from multiple ministers. Canada 2020 has even boasted about setting up offices in the parliamentary precinct. Canadians are not buying this, and they are not buying that the Prime Minister should continue to be able to funnel taxpayers' money to his friends. When will the Prime Minister put a stop to this?

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Transport just stood up in the House and said that we would have consultations to make recommendations on recommendations based on consultations. At some point, the government actually has to do things.The reason we had the expedited review of this act was to ensure grain could move. We saw it was not moving. The minister only commits to more recommendations and consultations and consultations and recommendations. Farmers want to know when will they finally have access to rail services?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Agriculture defended his chief of staff, saying that he wanted somebody with agricultural experience. Now his chief of staff has a very specific experience, that of owning a multi-million dollar egg empire.However, that is the very experience that the Conflict of Interest Commissioner has specifically forbidden her from speaking about. If she cannot talk about the explicit experience that the minister said qualified her for the job, why is she still on the payroll?

Mr. Speaker, when I go to visit my friends, I have never left with an invoice. However, that seems to be exactly what happened when the Prime Minister left billionaire island, but instead of paying the bill himself, he stuck it to the taxpayer.In what world does the Prime Minister live when he believes that it is acceptable to use taxpayers' money to repay hospitality expenses charged to him by his billionaire friends?

Mr. Speaker, several groups have called on the Liberals to make special changes to help address specific labour challenges across this country. Last week we learned that the Liberals were moving to help the fishing industry, but agriculture was left out in the cold. Surely the Liberals understand that agriculture is an important industry in this country, contributing billions of dollars to our national economy each and every year.I am wondering if the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food will stand up in the House and demonstrate a real commitment to help solving the labour challenges being faced by our farm families.

Mr. Speaker, I have a couple of questions for the Minister of Agriculture.First, I wonder if the minister could confirm to the House that the Ethics Commissioner has cleared his chief of staff to serve in her new capacity. I also wonder if he could confirm to the House if his new chief of staff has gotten the RCMP security clearances necessary to do her job, yes or no.

Mr. Speaker, Canadian ranchers produce the safest and best-quality beef in the world. Some people with vested interests have attacked the Canadian industry over the last number of weeks and months, and some restaurants have even stopped serving Canadian beef. This Canadian farm boy is not going to eat at those restaurants anymore. I am wondering if the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food across the way will stand and commit to supporting Canadian agriculture, and do the same.

Mr. Speaker, Canada's oil is being liquidated at $17 a barrel while our international competitors are getting $54. This discount is costing the Canadian economy $80 million each and every day and is a direct result of the Liberals' cancellation of the northern gateway, the Trans Mountain and the west-to-east pipeline projects. Now the Liberals have proposed something new. It is called a no-new-pipelines bill, Bill C-69. This is going to make this discount permanent.Will the government kill Bill C-69 and allow pipelines to be built, or is it prepared to allow this discount to continue?

Mr. Speaker, speaking of misleading Canadians, the Prime Minister has stood in the House and claimed to be giving more money to our military. I can tell the Prime Minister that he has cut $12 billion from the budget over the last two years. In our last year in government, we gave over twice what the Liberals spent during their time in office during the 1990s. Will the Prime Minister commit, will he stand right now and say he will give back the $12 billion he has taken in the last two years?

Mr. Speaker, that was the same talking points that he gave to me on January 25, but we found out just recently from the Ethics Commissioner that her new ruling requires that his chief of staff not engage with the TPP, not have any involvement with regard to the egg industry, and have nothing to do with the supply management system. I ask the minister, given the commissioner's clear ruling, can the minister guarantee that since day one in his office, she has had absolutely zero to do with any of these crucial files?

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. During question period, the Leader of the Opposition made reference to a particular document. It is a very large document, and I am not sure every member has yet had a chance to review it. I ask for unanimous consent to table, in both official languages, the document that was referred to.

Mr. Speaker, the waters continue to muddy around the Prime Minister's cash for access schemes. In trying to defend foreign donations to his family-run foundation from Chinese billionaires, the Prime Minister claimed that he had stepped away from all family-related responsibilities after he was elected. However, the facts paint a different picture.The Prime Minister was elected in 2008, but he continued to help run the foundation until 2014. What is the Prime Minister trying to hide, and why won't he come clean with Canadians about what he promised these Communist officials in exchange for the million dollar payment?

Mr. Speaker, earlier in question period, the government House leader invited MPs to direct people to the government appointments website to get information about the application for the Ethics Commissioner. I went there in anticipation of finding that. I saw that no such application or job was posted there. I am wondering if she intended to mislead the House, or if in fact she wanted to stand to withdraw the comments, or if she intended instead to direct people to liberal.ca.

Mr. Speaker, in January, the Minister of Agriculture hired a failed Liberal candidate with a vested interest in his department to be his chief of staff. At the time, it was clear that her massive fortune presented a clear conflict of interest, but the minister insisted otherwise.Now the Ethics Commissioner has ruled that a conflict of interest does exist, and the chief of staff must recuse herself of most major files in the minister's department. If she cannot talk about agriculture, and if she cannot talk about trade, what is she still doing there?

Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, when caught misusing taxpayers dollars, the Prime Minister's friends, Gerry and Katie, said that when they reviewed their expenses, they found that there were some that were unreasonable.The government continued to say that it was following the rules and was forced to make these payouts because of the rules, but in fact, the senior vice-president at Brookfield Global Relocation Services said just minutes ago that they were not forced to do this. As a matter of fact, they would have been briefed on the exact expenses they themselves were claiming.The question is, did Gerry and Katie believe that these expenses were unreasonable when they claimed them or only when they got caught?

Mr. Speaker, a month ago, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food committed to extend the provisions of the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act. Unfortunately, up until now, we have not heard a single thing since that announcement. People are starting to believe that this is just another broken promise by the Liberals.Will the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food stand right now and commit to extending these provisions immediately?