Erin O'Toole

Mr. Speaker, if Canada's taxes are hurting Canadian manufacturers more than the American targets, they are dumb and they should be removed. I would invite the minister to go and meet small and medium-sized manufacturers across Ontario. However, the industry minister is the most lobbied minister in Canada. In fact, GM is the most frequent meeting. I want the minister to tell us this. Did GM mention tariffs? Did GM mention payroll taxes or NAFTA? What was GM asking the minister about before it decided to close up shop in Oshawa?

Mr. Speaker, it has been long-standing until the Prime Minister. He has hurt our reputation around the world, and Liberals claim to be calling other countries for help in our dispute with China, but as this Arctic slight shows, friends and foes alike do not take the Prime Minister seriously. He is too weak to appoint an ambassador. He is too weak to bring a WTO trade challenge. He is too weak to even pick up the damn phone. Canada has never been so alone. When is the Prime Minister going to start restoring Canada's international credibility?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is sullying the reputation of one of those fine public servants. I will use an example from 2010, when CSIS suggested foreign agents were at play in Canada. The MP for Ajax, now the parliamentary secretary for public safety, said at the time that it was wrong for a cloud to be hanging over the head of an entire community. Well, now the Prime Minister's actions and those of his office are hanging a cloud over one of the biggest countries in the world and our friends in India.Will the Prime Minister finally table one shred of truth to this crazy India conspiracy theory?

Mr. Speaker, today we are debating Iran and its destabilizing influence in the world. The Iranian regime has been involved in the deaths of thousands of people, including Canadian citizens. It has been funding terror groups across the Middle East, including Hamas, which has been active recently in Gaza. Last week Iran's supreme leader openly called for genocide against the Jewish people. My question is simple. Why does the government seek to warm relations with a regime that can only be described as tyrannical?

Madam Speaker, moving from the sublime to the ridiculous, I do not need to remind the House that the Castro family has murdered thousands of people. They have denied the Cuban people fundamental democratic rights and freedoms. They have persecuted gays and lesbians for their sexual orientation. Therefore, does the Prime Minister seriously believe he should team up with the Castros to negotiate on nuclear weapons with North Korea?

Mr. Speaker, thousands of Canadians have their mobility rights and livelihoods threatened because of the potential ban from entering the U.S. if they admit to ever having used marijuana, a drug the Liberals are now making legal. The Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness totally missed the mark. He just concluded a customs pre-clearance agreement with the United States that failed to address this issue. That is a huge mistake.Will the minister withdraw Bill C-23 and renegotiate an agreement with the U.S. on pre-clearance that actually protects Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, I was not partisan when I reached out to the minister four months ago to resolve this case. We spoke about this in September. He said he was seized with it. He stood with the Prime Minister and said he would never see a veteran go to court for benefits. The government is paying for the benefits of a murderer, but it is hanging Captain Fawcett out to dry.When will the veterans in that caucus step up and fight for our military members?

Mr. Speaker, the member was first elected when I was one year old, and it is sad that I have to remind him the our mandate is from the Canadian people. Vice-Admiral Mark Norman is facing criminal charges for breach of trust, a trust that the Privy Council has said that 73 people knew the contents of that meeting. I believe that at least two people of those 73 are Liberal MPs. They could be anyone. It could be you, Mr. Speaker.Leaving aside the Norman lawsuit, will the government clear the air and release the 72 other names?

Mr. Speaker, what we do know is that member, in 2010, said it was unfair for a cloud of suspicion to hang over a community. The Liberals are allowing a cloud of suspicion to hang over a country of over a billion people. We know the Indian government has said the conspiracy theory claims of thPrime Ministere are baseless. The Liberal MP for Surrey Centre has said the Indian conspiracy claims are not correct. Even the Prime Minister's friend, Jaspal Atwal, has called the Indian conspiracy claims a lie. To stop the diplomatic bleeding, will the Prime Minister retract his remarks?

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the foreign affairs minister. Canada's reputation on the world stage is in tatters. It is so bad that the OECD is investigating the Prime Minister's conduct in the SNC-Lavalin matter. The minister promised the OECD that there would be an independent investigation into SNC, but today the minister's Liberal colleagues killed that investigation at the justice committee. How does that minister feel when the Prime Minister throws her under the bus at the OECD?

Mr. Speaker, Canadian citizens are being mistreated in Chinese prisons. Our canola farmers have already lost one billion dollars. Now pork producers are being targeted by China. Over the last four months, despite our requests, the Liberal government has refused to make senior-level calls. Liberals have ignored calls to send a special envoy, they have delayed announcing or nominating a new ambassador, and today they said they will not bring a trade action.China thinks our Prime Minister is weak, and he is proving them right. When will Liberals appoint an ambassador?

Mr. Speaker, Canada is in the midst of the deepest diplomatic crisis we have ever experienced with China, and we have had no ambassador on the ground since the Prime Minister's hand-picked Liberal insider had to resign three months ago due to his own incompetence. The crisis gets worse each week. Canadian citizens are in prison and are being mistreated. Exporters, including canola producers, are suffering.When will the Prime Minister step up and nominate a new ambassador to start turning this crisis around?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals had better work quickly, before the Chinese ban seafood exports.China has been throwing our citizens in prison and committing others to death, and the response from the Prime Minister has been nothing. Yesterday the government even rejected calls from many voices, including ours, for a WTO trade challenge. We have no ambassador, and the crisis gets worse every week. Canadians are paying the price for the Prime Minister's weak leadership. When will the Liberals stop the excuses, appoint an ambassador to China and turn around this crisis?

Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of hand-waving and lofty language from the Liberal leader today, but as two hon. former Liberals in that corner know, this Prime Minister is not always as advertised. His hand-picked Liberal ambassador to China resigned three months ago. Canadian citizens are paying the price for his inaction. Our exporters are paying the price for his inaction and incompetence. When will he nominate a new ambassador to China to turn around this crisis?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals involved in the SNC scandal have retained lawyers at the public expense. I am informing taxpayers that they are paying for the Prime Minister, Gerry Butts, Katie Telford, Michael Wernick, Mathieu Bouchard, Elder Marques and the present justice minister. Do members know who is not having his legal fees covered in a politically sensitive matter? Admiral Mark Norman. Since the justice minister is in a conflict, my question is for the defence minister. Why do the Lav-scam Liberals get their fees covered, and a 30-year veteran is left out to dry?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the U.S. Vice President was magnanimous when he said the Liberals drove a hard bargain. It reminded me of a winner at Wimbledon praising the loser after beating the person in straight sets. There were no wins for Canada, only losses sector by sector. It was a take it or leave it from the U.S. from the beginning. How do we know? Because section 55 of the bill confirms that. The Liberal government has already agreed to change the bill after we vote and debate it here. If Donald Trump asked the Liberals to do something, they said, “How high, sir”. Why did the minister cave?

Mr. Speaker, Taiwan is being blocked from participating in the World Health Assembly, which is meant to bring countries together to work on health issues. Fifteen years ago, Canada and Taiwan were on the front lines of the SARS crisis, and that shows why Taiwan should be a participant.Will the Prime Minister show some global swagger and take a public position in support of Taiwan joining the World Health Assembly, or will he remain silent due to his admiration for basic dictatorships?

Mr. Speaker, the minister says these questions are inappropriate. In the first part of question period, there was a lot of talk about data protection. Mark Norman wants data for his legal defence. The only protection going on is the Liberals protecting their butts, both literally and figuratively, with Mr. Butts.Will the government permit the Clerk of the Privy Council to appear before the ethics committee to confirm that none of the materials related to the shipbuilding cabinet discussions have been destroyed, deleted or amended?

Like the meeting the Prime Minister did not attend. Canadians expect him to show up.

Mr. Speaker, the minister cannot have it both ways. She cannot tell the OECD that the Liberals are co-operating on an independent investigation while her own colleagues are killing the investigation at the justice committee. That minister knows that this type of conduct is more likely in Venezuela or in Russia, not in Canada. Will this minister remain silent while her Prime Minister and her own colleagues are abusing the rule of law?

Mr. Speaker, today our thoughts are with the families of steel and aluminum workers in Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. The Prime Minister went to these communities on a victory tour. He personally promised those families that he had fixed the issue. He walked into those communities as a saviour. Today the Prime Minister is a failure. What is his plan to fix this tariff issue?

Mr. Speaker, that is shameful. We saw the Prime Minister before, not allow the finance minister to respond to a question. Now, we are seeing him not allow Canada's top legal official to respond. All we are asking for is for the due process rights of a Canadian to be respected, and he cannot commit to that in this House.Therefore, please, Prime Minister, through you, Mr. Speaker, stay down; I want to hear from our Attorney General. Will the rights of Mark Norman be respected?

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, the member of Parliament for Surrey Centre is no longer the B.C. caucus chair. Whether he was fired or resigned is only known between the Prime Minister and himself, but what Canadians do know is that a Liberal MP has acknowledged to be the person who invited a convicted terrorist to the Prime Minister's Indian event. Why is the Prime Minister clinging to this preposterous theory that it was the Indian government? Why is the Liberal government levying unfounded attacks on our friend in India when one of its own caucus members has accepted responsibility?

Madam Speaker, the veterans' hospital in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, was transferred from the federal government to the Government of Quebec in 2016.Unfortunately, under this Liberal government, the quality of care has gone downhill, forcing very elderly veterans to take legal action to get the services they were promised at Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.Why are the Liberals once again abandoning our veterans?

Mr. Speaker, I know the parliamentary secretary cares. I know she has family members who serve, so I would ask her to put down the talking notes, stop talking about hypothetical veterans, and make this pledge to the House. There are real veterans that the Prime Minister is forcing to go to the Supreme Court of Canada because of his broken promises. Will the parliamentary secretary commit to the House to end the Equitas lawsuit?

Mr. Speaker, the finance minister began his budget speech acknowledging the terrible attack in Belgium, which shows the risks that countries like Canada face from global terror. He then went on to announce billions in new spending: $12 million for lawyers to sue the federal government, $85 million for union managers, $675 million for the CBC, but how much for front-line public safety agencies keeping us safe? It was zero.When will the Liberal government make the safety of Canadians a priority?

Mr. Speaker, earlier today, we learned that another Canadian has been sentenced to death by the Chinese state. He is the second one to receive the death penalty, after Mr. Schellenberg's 15-year sentence was converted to the death penalty a few months ago. All Canadians remain very concerned about the ongoing detention of Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor.When will the minister nominate a new ambassador to start turning around this deepening crisis with China?

Mr. Speaker, six months ago, China detained our citizens on trumped-up charges. Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor receive daily interrogations and are in prison with the lights on 24-7. In those six months, our exporters have faced trumped-up claims over the quality of our products, blocking our exports.It has been half a year of crisis, but only today did the Prime Minister say he is considering engaging directly with the Chinese leadership. He is only considering getting involved after six months.It has been five months since his hand-picked Liberal ambassador resigned in disgrace. Will the Prime Minister consider appointing a new one?

Mr. Speaker, the point made by the parliamentary secretary is absurd. The government is saying it is okay for the PMO to share confidential information with journalists that Canadians, including members of Parliament, will then read in the paper, but it is not okay to share that same information with parliamentarians or parliamentary committees to hold the Prime Minister and that member to account for this atrocious trip.When will the Liberals admit that the cover-up of the Atwal affair is worse than the crime?

Mr. Speaker, the government is in the process of passing an airline passenger bill of rights, which says it is a right for a child to be seated next to their parent on an airline. However, because the Liberals refuse to fix the no-fly list, some of those kids will not even be allowed on the plane, let alone beside their parent. Not only is that incredibly unfair to thousands of Canadian families, it is a sign that our security measures are flawed. When will the minister commit to a redress system so these children can get off our no-fly list?

Mr. Speaker, Kimberly Fawcett is a veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces who is in court fighting the Liberals for support for her prosthetic limbs.I spoke to the Minister of National Defence about the Fawcett case this summer, but yesterday he told Global News that he was just becoming aware of the matter. The minister knows that is not true. It is not complex. He should do the right thing. Captain Fawcett did her duty for Canada. It is time for the minister to do his duty to her.

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the chief government whip. When is that member going to stand up against the arrogance of his government and stop driving injured veterans into court?In the last election, the whip made a solemn vow to veterans to bring back lifetime pensions, full tuition payments, and a range of promises that the new government has already broken.When will the chief government whip, a retired Canadian Armed Forces general, stand up and live up to the promises he made to our veterans?

Mr. Speaker, today the minister has suggested that the opposition is on a misguided path. Well, the tour guide on that misguided path is the Prime Minister and this minister. I would put it back to him. If a Liberal MP invited Mr. Atwal, a convicted terrorist, to the Prime Minister's events, and they cancelled that, and that is the only possible explanation for the India scandal, why do we need a classified briefing?

Mr. Speaker, the only clear plan we can see from the government is NAFTA failing. The only clear plan we see on TPP is Japan, Australia, and other countries furious with us. The only plan we see on China is a Hail Mary pass from that Prime Minister that came up many yards short. When will the Prime Minister remove himself from Canada's trade file, get out of the way of the minister, and start standing up for the jobs that depend on trade?

Mr. Speaker, it is hard to believe that the only meaningful security screening for the 25,000 Syrian refugees is a 45-minute interview conducted by an immigration official through a translator. The government is treating this as “business as usual”, despite the fact that this is a massive influx of people from a region ravaged by terrorism and strife.Why is the government cutting corners on security, just to keep its arbitrary timelines?

On May 31, I rose in the House on a point of order asking you to make a prima facie finding of contempt on the Minister of Canadian Heritage with respect to her evidentiary record, her testimony before this chamber. At the time, I mentioned the member for Chilliwack—Hope had entered into the record the testimony of Madam Meilleur, which conflicted directly with the minister's comments.Today, I would ask you to also enter into your reflection on my point of order, the evidence provided today by the member of Parliament for Outremont, which confirms a second time that Madam Meilleur's direct testimony to a standing committee of Parliament and to the Senate conflict with the minister's comments in the House.As you are considering my request for a prima facie finding of contempt, I would ask that you would add to your evidentiary record the remarks today by the member for Outremont.

Mr. Speaker, the finance minister is the hon. member for Toronto Centre, but it is not honourable to suggest that our deputy leader cannot count. It is not honourable to suggest that our finance critic is obtuse. It is not honourable for the member to deny his own mistakes and his own omissions. When will the hon. member do the right thing and apologize to Canadians for his mistakes?

Mr. Speaker, how can that member be proud when the OECD is investigating Canada for corruption?A few years ago, the Prime Minister said to Canadians that he had an admiration for basic dictatorships. Now he is running one.When will the minister live up to her lofty language about the international rules-based order and demand that the Prime Minister pay attention to domestic rules of order?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have been talking this week about fair elections while their own MP, the member for Kelowna—Lake Country, was found to be involved in a scheme involving illegal election contributions to his campaign in a conspiracy between the Green Party and the Liberal Party. We know that the Prime Minister removed a committee chair when he voted in this House in accordance with his conscience. After these election findings, will the Prime Minister ask the MP for Kelowna—Lake Country to step down as chair of the national defence committee?

Mr. Speaker, the member should access the site by visiting the naval monument right beside where the Afghanistan monument was going to be.The Liberals have broken promises to veterans on pensions. They paid veterans benefits for a cop killer while they allowed veterans to wait for PTSD benefits, with skyrocketing wait times. They have had four ministers of Veterans Affairs, but one defence minister, who has allowed failure after failure to occur.Will the minister stand in this place and apologize to the families of our fallen from Afghanistan?

Mr. Speaker, the minister took the Prime Minister to NSERC for his annual photo-op today, but he failed to address real concerns that they are allowing China to screen out university partners based on their views toward Huawei. If Canadians express security or other concerns about risks of Huawei, they are being shut out of this university program. Why is the Prime Minister using taxpayer dollars to fund Chinese-state interests at a time when China is locking up Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, it is really quite astounding that today the Prime Minister of Canada confirmed that the claims are true that the Indian government conspired on the Atwal affair. He said that in the House today. Media reports reveal that the Indian government actually asked Canada to review the invitation list ahead of time, but the Prime Minister's Office said no. Can the minister confirm that they refused to collaborate with the Indian government ahead of this trip?

Mr. Speaker, the uranium nuclear deal provided billions of dollars to Iran and granted it access to the SWIFT financial system, which experts agree have helped Iran fund terror operations across the Middle East. This week Israel revealed intelligence that shows that Iran lied about the extent of its nuclear program when the 2015 deal was struck. Since this agreement was built upon the sands of deception, will this government work with the atomic energy agency and our allies to have the deal with Iran revisited?

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Veterans Affairs wrote a newspaper article attacking veteran Sean Bruyea, despite the fact that his department told him that Sean Bruyea's concerns about pension for life were correct. Now Sean Bruyea is in court to clear his name. When a previous minister got into an argument with veterans, he apologized for losing his cool. This is far worse than losing one's cool. It was a personal attack. Will the minister rise in the House and apologize to Canadian Force veteran Sean Bruyea?

Mr. Speaker, it sounds like the government will be supporting our motion. This is contrary to its expansion of Canadian presence in Iran. It is contrary to its desire to sell aircraft to Iran. It is contrary to one of its own members hosting delegations from Iran in Canada.Will the minister commit to supporting our motion and ceasing all dealings with the Iranian regime?

Mr. Speaker, it took questions from the CBC for the finance minister to reveal his private offshore corporation. It took pressure from the House for the minister to start liquidating assets from his private Alberta corporation. The Prime Minister seems to think the finance minister gets to take a mulligan when it comes to his ethics filings. When will the finance minister stop throwing the Ethics Commissioner under the bus and start taking responsibility for his failures?

Mr. Speaker, in the last election, the Prime Minister promised he would never force veterans into court. He also promised a return to lifetime pensions for all our injured veterans.Once elected, he broke that promise, forcing Equitas veterans back to court. He broke his promise on lifetime pensions. Yesterday, in Edmonton, he blamed veterans for asking for too much money.When will the Prime Minister admit that he lied to veterans to win their vote in the last election, or will he admit that he did not cost, understand, or care about the promises he made to veteran families?

Mr. Speaker, when Julian Fantino got into an argument in this building with veterans, he apologized for losing his cool. At the time, the Prime Minister, then the third party leader, said that was insufficient and that he should be fired. The minister is looking at his colleagues for approval when he is attacking and not answering the question. I would ask him to look at little further at Mr. Bruyea, who is here. Apologize to this Canadian Forces veteran and do not make him go to court to clear his name.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the immigration minister told Canadians that less than half of the Syrian refugees are now in homes. In December, he told the House that we should look to the private sector for solutions for the Liberals' lack of planning to meet their election quotas. For Conservatives, these are people, not numbers or photo ops.When will the minister come clean and admit that the Liberals did not have a plan in December and they do not have a plan now? How long will he continue to treat refugees as numbers rather than people?

Mr. Speaker, since the Liberals are continuing to block us from asking Mr. Jean, the national security adviser, questions, I will ask the Prime Minister. The CBC story that ran after Mr. Jean's briefing to journalists said that he told journalists to ask questions about whether the Indian government invited Jaspal Atwal to the Prime Minister's event in India. Did the Prime Minister's Office ask the national security adviser to plant a story about the Indian government to deflect from the Liberals' terrible India trip?

Mr. Speaker, what we do know is that member, in 2010, said it was unfair for a cloud of suspicion to hang over a community. The Liberals are allowing a cloud of suspicion to hang over a country of over a billion people. We know the Indian government has said the conspiracy theory claims of thPrime Ministere are baseless. The Liberal MP for Surrey Centre has said the Indian conspiracy claims are not correct. Even the Prime Minister's friend, Jaspal Atwal, has called the Indian conspiracy claims a lie. To stop the diplomatic bleeding, will the Prime Minister retract his remarks?

Mr. Speaker, I would invite you to comment on whether these questions can be asked in here, because what we have today is a farce, a tri-service farce.We have a retired air force colonel covering for a retired army colonel about ruining the career of a navy admiral. CBC reporter James Cudmore wrote stories that led to a PCO and RCMP investigation, but then he was immediately hired by that minister.On what date, minister, did you or the Prime Minister offer James Cudmore a job?

Mr. Speaker, 15 years ago, Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi was tortured and killed in Iran's infamous Evin prison. Weeks ago, Canadian Professor Seyed-Emami was killed in that prison while being detained without charge by Iran. Now Iran is detaining his widow, Maryam Mombeini, and not allowing her to return to Canada.Meanwhile, the Liberal government is planning to bring Iranian officials to Ottawa in order to negotiate an aircraft sale. Will the government commit today to not hold meetings or trade with Iran until she is released?

Mr. Speaker, it disrespects Canadians for the Prime Minister to not even answer questions on the India trip, so I will ask for a specific aspect of that trip.On February 22, the national security adviser and his counterpart in India signed a co-operation agreement on countering violent extremism. The next day the Prime Minister's Office forced that adviser to blame the Indian government for Canadian extremism.My question on the trip is this. How is that co-operation agreement with India going?

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the foreign affairs minister. Canada's reputation on the world stage is in tatters. It is so bad that the OECD is investigating the Prime Minister's conduct in the SNC-Lavalin matter. The minister promised the OECD that there would be an independent investigation into SNC, but today the minister's Liberal colleagues killed that investigation at the justice committee. How does that minister feel when the Prime Minister throws her under the bus at the OECD?

Mr. Speaker, it has been long-standing until the Prime Minister. He has hurt our reputation around the world, and Liberals claim to be calling other countries for help in our dispute with China, but as this Arctic slight shows, friends and foes alike do not take the Prime Minister seriously. He is too weak to appoint an ambassador. He is too weak to bring a WTO trade challenge. He is too weak to even pick up the damn phone. Canada has never been so alone. When is the Prime Minister going to start restoring Canada's international credibility?

Mr. Speaker, the point made by the parliamentary secretary is absurd. The government is saying it is okay for the PMO to share confidential information with journalists that Canadians, including members of Parliament, will then read in the paper, but it is not okay to share that same information with parliamentarians or parliamentary committees to hold the Prime Minister and that member to account for this atrocious trip.When will the Liberals admit that the cover-up of the Atwal affair is worse than the crime?

Mr. Speaker, earlier this week in the House, the minister talked about biometrics as one of the layers of security screening. However, comparing fingerprints to a Canadian database is meaningless. Without previous records, biometrics cannot be used to identify people. Can the minister admit that biometrics is not part of security screening, but a smokescreen to give Canadians the assurance that security is taking place as the government is rushing its plan through?

Mr. Speaker, with the news of a pending GM closure, it is a very sad day for Oshawa, for Durham and for all of Ontario. The men and women who work at GM Oshawa are some of the hardest-working and best-trained workers in the industry globally. We believe there is a future for manufacturing in Canada if we all work together and fight for it. What is the Prime Minister's plan to fight for these jobs in Oshawa?

Mr. Speaker, the U.S. Senate hearing on Canadian fast-tracking of Syrian refugees heard yesterday that it would almost be impossible for Canadian officials to acquire the specialized skills needed to screen refugees under the pressure of the Liberal election timeline.My question is for the chair of the public safety committee. This morning, Liberals on that committee blocked a study on refugee security screening. Why is the safety of Canadians not important enough for the committee to study it immediately?

Mr. Speaker, recently released documents showed that Global Affairs, diplomats, and our allies were confused by the decision to appoint the Hon. Stéphane Dion as Canada's ambassador to the EU and Canada's ambassador to Germany, a country within the EU. Confusion, hundreds of documents, and months of that have shown that the decision was ill-conceived, and Canada has been looked on poorly by our allies.Canadians know that it is not easy for Mr. Dion to set priorities. Will the minister inform the House whether his priority will be the ambassador to the EU or ambassador to Germany? Which is it?

Mr. Speaker, the hon. minister just said that the process would be robust, but a few weeks he said that the screening process would not be 100% foolproof.Can the minister inform the House of the percentage he thinks is acceptable?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister asked the chief of the defence staff to apologize for him, but he is the prime minister who has broken promises on veterans pensions. He is the prime minister who forced the Equitas Society's Afghanistan veterans back to court. He is the prime minister who cancelled the Afghanistan monument in 2016, which would otherwise be open to the public today. Moreover, the barring of families and veterans from a secret ceremony a few weeks ago was reprehensible. It has been four years of broken promises and four ineffective ministers. Why should military families and veterans ever believe this prime minister?

Mr. Speaker, the member should access the site by visiting the naval monument right beside where the Afghanistan monument was going to be.The Liberals have broken promises to veterans on pensions. They paid veterans benefits for a cop killer while they allowed veterans to wait for PTSD benefits, with skyrocketing wait times. They have had four ministers of Veterans Affairs, but one defence minister, who has allowed failure after failure to occur.Will the minister stand in this place and apologize to the families of our fallen from Afghanistan?

What is tragic, Mr. Speaker, and why Mr. Bruyea brought his small claims case is that the Department of Veterans Affairs told the minister that Mr. Bruyea's complaints about broken Liberal promises on pensions and other things were in fact correct. The minister ignored his own department and sent three government lawyers to crush Mr. Bruyea's lawsuit.I will ask again. The minister, all week, has said he stands by veterans. Will he show respect for Mr. Bruyea, stand today and apologize?

Mr. Speaker, the reason that military families and Afghan veterans were upset by the secret ceremony a few weeks ago was that the government, in 2016, cancelled the national monument to the Afghanistan mission. Having the chief of the defence staff apologize and write letters for the minister's incompetence is not enough.Will the minister stand in the House today and give a date on when a national public memorial for the Afghanistan mission will be completed?

Mr. Speaker, I have a point of order arising out of question period relating to a response by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. I was quite startled by his claim that in the 10 years of the Conservative government, zero cases were pursued in response to acts of terrorism. That is what he cited to this House. What is startling about it is that as a Toronto area member, he seems to forget the Toronto 18 case that was not only pursued, but also prosecuted.

Mr. Speaker, last week the Liberals dispatched one of their MPs to China, not to demand the release of Canadian citizens and not to fight for our exporters, but to suggest partnership in our Arctic with China. Days after the United States questioned our sovereignty and raised risks about Russia and China in the Arctic, the Liberal government rushes to partner with China.When will the Liberal government start getting serious with China?

Mr. Speaker, I thought my questions about the Prime Minister's scandalous trip to India had come to an end, but the government's story keeps changing. Yesterday, we learned that the RCMP knew about the invitation of Mr. Atwal at least a day before the national security adviser told the committee that he knew. Security forces and Mr. Jean were kept in the dark by the Prime Minister's Office. My question is simple. I just want a date. When did the Prime Minister learn that his friend Jas was on his invite list for the India state dinner?

Madam Speaker, the foreign affairs minister's August speech outlined Canada's progressive agenda for NAFTA, but now it seems Canada's agenda is leading to deadlock at the negotiation table. Even Ontario's premier is worried about the failure of NAFTA. In response to the deadlock, Canada has quietly begun telling our stakeholders that all the Canadian proposals will be non-binding. Will the minister admit to the House that they have been telling NAFTA stakeholders that Canada's progressive priorities will not be binding on the United States or Mexico?

Mr. Speaker, the government is in the process of passing an airline passenger bill of rights, which says it is a right for a child to be seated next to their parent on an airline. However, because the Liberals refuse to fix the no-fly list, some of those kids will not even be allowed on the plane, let alone beside their parent. Not only is that incredibly unfair to thousands of Canadian families, it is a sign that our security measures are flawed. When will the minister commit to a redress system so these children can get off our no-fly list?

Mr. Speaker, the minister took the Prime Minister to NSERC for his annual photo-op today, but he failed to address real concerns that they are allowing China to screen out university partners based on their views toward Huawei. If Canadians express security or other concerns about risks of Huawei, they are being shut out of this university program. Why is the Prime Minister using taxpayer dollars to fund Chinese-state interests at a time when China is locking up Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, since we are not getting any answers, my question will now be for the Minister of National Defence, the parliamentary secretary for U.S. relations or the parliamentary secretary for transport. These veterans stood behind the Prime Minister when he promised two things: a return to lifetime pensions for all our injured; and to never force veterans back to court. How can the Liberals stay silent when those veterans now have to go to the Supreme Court of Canada and when he broke his promise on lifetime pensions?

Mr. Speaker, the member was first elected when I was one year old, and it is sad that I have to remind him the our mandate is from the Canadian people. Vice-Admiral Mark Norman is facing criminal charges for breach of trust, a trust that the Privy Council has said that 73 people knew the contents of that meeting. I believe that at least two people of those 73 are Liberal MPs. They could be anyone. It could be you, Mr. Speaker.Leaving aside the Norman lawsuit, will the government clear the air and release the 72 other names?

Mr. Speaker, I know the parliamentary secretary cares. I know she has family members who serve, so I would ask her to put down the talking notes, stop talking about hypothetical veterans, and make this pledge to the House. There are real veterans that the Prime Minister is forcing to go to the Supreme Court of Canada because of his broken promises. Will the parliamentary secretary commit to the House to end the Equitas lawsuit?

Mr. Speaker, the public safety minister is answering these questions, so the government knows how serious this security breach was.My question is very simple. Can the Prime Minister confirm that his office set up a media briefing with the national security adviser, where the Indian government conspiracy idea was floated?

Mr. Speaker, let us summarize six months of Liberal failures on China. Our citizens are suffering; our exporters are suffering and the situation is deteriorating each week.After six months of no plan, today the Prime Minister said he is considering getting involved. He should consider getting serious about China. This diplomatic dispute will not be solved by tweets or by photo ops.Rather than posting tweets like “Canada is back”, how about Liberals get our Canadians back?

Mr. Speaker, two million families in Canada have jobs that rely on trade with the United States and Mexico. The Liberals' priorities for NAFTA announced this summer did not even mention the auto industry, the softwood lumber industry, and thousands of jobs in the agricultural sector. These sectors were ignored completely until midway through the rounds in the fall. With NAFTA on the brink of failure, how is the government now changing its strategy to protect these jobs dependent on trade?

Mr. Speaker, it is hard to believe that the only meaningful security screening for the 25,000 Syrian refugees is a 45-minute interview conducted by an immigration official through a translator. The government is treating this as “business as usual”, despite the fact that this is a massive influx of people from a region ravaged by terrorism and strife.Why is the government cutting corners on security, just to keep its arbitrary timelines?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is sullying the reputation of one of those fine public servants. I will use an example from 2010, when CSIS suggested foreign agents were at play in Canada. The MP for Ajax, now the parliamentary secretary for public safety, said at the time that it was wrong for a cloud to be hanging over the head of an entire community. Well, now the Prime Minister's actions and those of his office are hanging a cloud over one of the biggest countries in the world and our friends in India.Will the Prime Minister finally table one shred of truth to this crazy India conspiracy theory?

Mr. Speaker, in a speech highlighting risks in the Arctic from Russia and China, the U.S. Secretary of State questioned Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic. This is a direct result of the weak leadership of the Prime Minister and our deteriorating reputation around the world. What is the Prime Minister prepared to do to demonstrate to the international community Canada's sovereignty over the Arctic?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government has raised taxes on entrepreneurs, on hiring employees through payroll taxes and it is imposing a carbon tax. Tariffs and excessive regulation are hurting investment in the resource sector in the west and GM and companies like Nelson Industrial in Pickering. On top of this, the Liberals are also running large structural deficits. Instead of just hearts going out, will the government commit to an action plan on Canadian competitiveness by accelerating duty relief, removing harmful tariffs and eliminating the dreadful Bill C-69? All of these measures are stopping jobs.

Mr. Speaker, in the spirit of co-operation, following the brutal chemical attack on British soil, there have been some basic discussions among the parties with respect to a motion involving the death of a Canadian citizen. If you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: that the House (a) condemn the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its Revolutionary Guard for the brutal oppression of its own citizens, which included the imprisonment and killing of a Canadian citizen, Kavous Seyed Emami, who was killed in Iranian custody; (b) call upon the government to immediately cease any and all negotiations or discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran until they accept responsibility for the death of Mr. Seyed Emami; and (c) stand with the people of Iran and recognize that they, like all people, have a fundamental right to freedom of conscience and religion, freedom of thought, belief, opinion, and expression, including freedom of the press, and other forms of communication, freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of association.

Mr. Speaker, I mentioned Mali three or four times in my earlier question, but what was absent from that answer was Mali.The past platitudes of the government never match their present performance. We remember that Canada is back rhetoric. Well, Canada is back at the bottom of UN peacekeepers right now around the world. We are back to cutting the military back to the decade of darkness under the Chrétien government.When will the member stand in the House and let us know where we are sending our troops?

Mr. Speaker, today our thoughts are with the families of steel and aluminum workers in Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. The Prime Minister went to these communities on a victory tour. He personally promised those families that he had fixed the issue. He walked into those communities as a saviour. Today the Prime Minister is a failure. What is his plan to fix this tariff issue?

Mr. Speaker, the Junkin family owns a small business in Port Perry, Ontario and sells boats for recreation. Both Brandon and his wife, Martina, work at the small business as do both of Martina's parents. Like most businesses in this sector, they buy their inventory in the winter for sale in the summer. They have to pay the GST up front, and now they have to pay the Canadian tariffs up front. This means they will buy fewer boats and they will lose money this year.Why is the government failing to listen to these small businesses? Will the Liberals exempt these boats from the Canadian tariffs?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals appear to be giving up on NAFTA. In China, the Prime Minister suggested that he will work on a Canada-U.S. deal if NAFTA is cancelled. Back home, Canada's chief negotiator suggests that Canada and Mexico will move ahead alone if the U.S. withdraws. The Liberal government appears to be making this up as it goes along.Will the foreign affairs minister rise in this House today and tell us why the Prime Minister is contradicting her chief negotiator?

Madam Speaker, moving from the sublime to the ridiculous, I do not need to remind the House that the Castro family has murdered thousands of people. They have denied the Cuban people fundamental democratic rights and freedoms. They have persecuted gays and lesbians for their sexual orientation. Therefore, does the Prime Minister seriously believe he should team up with the Castros to negotiate on nuclear weapons with North Korea?

Mr. Speaker, I was not partisan when I reached out to the minister four months ago to resolve this case. We spoke about this in September. He said he was seized with it. He stood with the Prime Minister and said he would never see a veteran go to court for benefits. The government is paying for the benefits of a murderer, but it is hanging Captain Fawcett out to dry.When will the veterans in that caucus step up and fight for our military members?

Mr. Speaker, the government promised a 600-member peacekeeping mission for the United Nations. It has had three trips to Mali for reconnaissance. It has spent thousands of hours planning for a mission to Mali. It has consulted both France and the U.S. on this mission. However, this week we heard we were only sending some helicopters to Mali.Will the minister confirm to the House today that Mali has been ruled out for Canada's UN peacekeeping mission?

Mr. Speaker, in military planning terms, that response would be called a delay tactic.First, the Liberals withdrew our CF-18s; now they are withdrawing our CP-140 surveillance aircraft, the same week that NATO is stepping up its efforts to fight ISIS. Why are the Liberals running from Canada's fight against ISIS?

Mr. Speaker, as that member should know, the Prime Minister asked for an investigation of the leak. Seventy-three names were found to have known about the leak, but only one name was handed to the RCMP, Vice-Admiral Mark Norman. Without that investigation, he would not have been relieved of command. Without that direction from the Prime Minister's Office, he would not have lost his job, his reputation or have spent two years fighting for the vindication he had yesterday. Will the member stand in the House and apologize to Vice-Admiral Mark Norman?

Mr. Speaker, in the last few months, the Liberal government has been squeezing Canadian small businesses for more tax revenue. It has been taking away tax relief from families fighting diabetes, autism, and mental health issues.However, what is the one group the Liberals have left alone? Their super-rich friends and those working hard to join them. When will the Prime Minister stop targeting hard-working Canadian families and start closing tax and ethics loopholes used by his friends?

Mr. Speaker, I guess if I want straight answers on China, I should ask John McCallum.McCallum's comments show that the Liberal government has played politics with this serious diplomatic dispute with China from the start.Therefore, was the justice minister demoted for speaking truth to power to uphold the rule of law and stop the political games being played by the Prime Minister and his hand-picked ambassador?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are a little touchy today.Scott Brison independently tried to stop a naval contract. The reporter who revealed that, James Cudmore, was independently hired by the PMO. The PMO independently had Michael Wernick look into the leaks and found that 73 people knew. The Prime Minister independently said Mark Norman would be charged.

Mr. Speaker, in his first few months in office, the Prime Minister spent $4.3 billion on projects outside of Canada. He spent $10 million on Omar Khadr. He spent millions of dollars moving his staff to Ottawa, promoting his tweets, building an ice rink, and even cardboard cut-outs of himself. Last week we learned that the Prime Minister will spare no expense on self-promotion, but he thinks that veterans are asking for too much.When will the Prime Minister apologize for making a promise to veterans he knew he would never keep?

Madam Speaker, today SNC-Lavalin reported billions in losses and said this was attributable to the dispute with Saudi Arabia. The company and senior Liberal officials ramped up their lobbying efforts last year, at the same time that the government was having its Twitter dispute with Saudi Arabia.Did the Liberals bow to corporate pressure because their foreign policy failures were leading to billions in losses?

Mr. Speaker, the International Civil Aviation Organization is a UN agency that promotes international co-operation on air travel. Decades ago, ICAO established airport codes for each country. Unfortunately, due to international pressure from China, some companies, including Air Canada, have departed from the use of established ICAO codes and are now identifying Taiwan as China.Will the Liberals respect the integrity of ICAO and make that a pillar of their bid for the UN Security Council seat?

Mr. Speaker, the finance minister began his budget speech acknowledging the terrible attack in Belgium, which shows the risks that countries like Canada face from global terror. He then went on to announce billions in new spending: $12 million for lawyers to sue the federal government, $85 million for union managers, $675 million for the CBC, but how much for front-line public safety agencies keeping us safe? It was zero.When will the Liberal government make the safety of Canadians a priority?

Mr. Speaker, the families in Oshawa need to hear that the Prime Minister has not already given up on a century of the auto industry in our community. We have the best workforce supported by suppliers across Ontario, and it ensures that we remain one of the best jurisdictions ready to build cars. We cannot abandon this competitive advantage. We need to work on trade and regulatory barriers. Will the Prime Minister work with us on a plan to save these jobs in Oshawa?

Mr. Speaker, after a century of auto manufacturing, GM determined that Ontario was no longer competitive because of tariffs, taxes and trade uncertainty. If there is any chance of saving these jobs in Oshawa, we need a plan. We need more than words and sympathy. We need a plan to address tariffs, taxes and trade. Where is the plan?

Mr. Speaker, what is it with Liberals and exotic islands? We remember Bell Island, where the Prime Minister took the Liberal Party president and insiders. The Ethics Commissioner is looking into that. There are the Cayman Islands, where the Liberal Party's bagman has an offshore trust. The CRA is looking into that. There are the Bahamas and Barbados, where the finance minister has family companies. The Ethics Commissioner is looking into that. So many characters are having island adventures that the Prime Minister's nickname should be Gilligan.When will this Prime Minister and his Skipper stop working for Liberal insiders and start working for Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, the finance minister is the hon. member for Toronto Centre, but it is not honourable to suggest that our deputy leader cannot count. It is not honourable to suggest that our finance critic is obtuse. It is not honourable for the member to deny his own mistakes and his own omissions. When will the hon. member do the right thing and apologize to Canadians for his mistakes?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister talks about the rule of law, but he does not walk the talk. His office pressured the justice minister to let a company off the hook. His ambassador to China interfered in an extradition. The Prime Minister himself charged Admiral Norman before the RCMP did. The political interference of the Prime Minister and his office knows no bounds. Admiral Norman deserves a fair trial. Will the government commit today to immediately releasing all the court-mandated documents, including those on phones and devices, so that he can have a fair trial?

Mr. Speaker, I have read the Liberal 0.5 to NAFTA, and I will give a review for the minister. Canada lost on agriculture, lost on resources, lost on softwood, lost on auto, lost on biologic drugs, lost on data transfer, lost on de minimis, lost on visas, lost on buy American. The Liberals even lost on the progressive agenda. How could the Liberal government say zero out of 10 is a win?

Mr. Speaker, the government, for over a month, was pleading with us to stop asking questions about the Mark Norman trial. Then suddenly, on Friday, something amazing happened. It finally turned the confidential documents over to the court. I guess better is possible.Will the government confirm today that it will waive all cabinet confidences over documents the judge deems relevant so that Admiral Mark Norman can receive a fair trial?

Mr. Speaker, it sounds like the government will be supporting our motion. This is contrary to its expansion of Canadian presence in Iran. It is contrary to its desire to sell aircraft to Iran. It is contrary to one of its own members hosting delegations from Iran in Canada.Will the minister commit to supporting our motion and ceasing all dealings with the Iranian regime?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister suggests he has provided that information and we are suggesting he has not. I would ask him to table the documents they have shared on what date he was offered a job. What is really concerning about this is that James Cudmore's stories led to a Privy Council investigation in January. That investigation revealed six separate leaks and 73 people who knew the details of the Liberal cabinet meeting. I want the Prime Minister to tell this House how many of those 73 were Atlantic Liberal MPs.

Mr. Speaker, I am rising on an important point of order seeking unanimous consent of the House, and I will tell the House why. It is to confirm our collective intention that no RCMP member be prevented from communicating with his or her member of Parliament on Bill C-7, and that no discipline be enforced upon a member who has responded to the call of the public safety committee to appear before it as a witness. I am sure it is the intention of all of us to make sure that members affected by laws in front of this place have the right to communicate in a responsible way with their elected representatives and to respond to give testimony before the committee considering that bill.Why is unanimous consent required? It is because a letter was shared today that would suggest that some members could not appear and that some members may be disciplined for giving testimony this morning at committee.I would ask for unanimous consent so that, as a collective, we can exercise our right to call witnesses on important matters affecting this country.

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister keeps contradicting himself, yet Canadians deserve a sincere response from him.Yesterday, he fired the MP for Surrey Centre as the B.C. caucus chair. Today he said that the person was personally responsible for inviting Mr. Atwal. Yesterday he also said that he supported his national security adviser's contention that the Indian government was responsible for the Atwal scandal.Both things cannot be true, Mr. Prime Minister. Which one is true?

Mr. Speaker, on February 22, in India, the Prime Minister acknowledged that one of his MPs invited Jaspal Atwal to his events. On February 27 in this place, the Prime Minister acknowledged claims by his security adviser that the Indian government's conspiracy was a possible route to the invitation as well. Today the minister is suggesting that it is us making this claim, when he, in this House, refused to talk about classified information. So if an invitation from his own MP is classified, why do we need a special investigation if it is all unclassified?

Mr. Speaker, it is really quite astounding that today the Prime Minister of Canada confirmed that the claims are true that the Indian government conspired on the Atwal affair. He said that in the House today. Media reports reveal that the Indian government actually asked Canada to review the invitation list ahead of time, but the Prime Minister's Office said no. Can the minister confirm that they refused to collaborate with the Indian government ahead of this trip?

Mr. Speaker, the member of Parliament for Surrey Centre is no longer the B.C. caucus chair. Whether he was fired or resigned is only known between the Prime Minister and himself, but what Canadians do know is that a Liberal MP has acknowledged to be the person who invited a convicted terrorist to the Prime Minister's Indian event. Why is the Prime Minister clinging to this preposterous theory that it was the Indian government? Why is the Liberal government levying unfounded attacks on our friend in India when one of its own caucus members has accepted responsibility?

Mr. Speaker, the plot surrounding the Atwal scandal continued to thicken even while the House was away, courtesy of Jaspal Atwal himself. He held a press conference where he directly refuted the Liberal government's claims about an Indian conspiracy. Mr. Atwal confirmed that he asked the MP for Surrey Centre for an invitation to the Prime Minister's event. Mr. Atwal confirmed that the Liberal government got him that invite and that he has never spoken to the Indian government. When will the Prime Minister rise in this House and apologize to India for this diplomatic incident?

Mr. Speaker, the minister cannot have it both ways. She cannot tell the OECD that the Liberals are co-operating on an independent investigation while her own colleagues are killing the investigation at the justice committee. That minister knows that this type of conduct is more likely in Venezuela or in Russia, not in Canada. Will this minister remain silent while her Prime Minister and her own colleagues are abusing the rule of law?

Mr. Speaker, when the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness proposed outsourcing RCMP occupational health to provincial compensation boards in Bill C-7, he claimed that compensation would be reasonably consistent across the country. Yesterday in committee, we heard that in Lloydminster in his own province this could result in thousands less for one RCMP member depending on which detachment that officer came from, the Saskatchewan side or the Alberta side. When will the minister acknowledge our concerns about fair treatment and strike clauses 40 and 42 from Bill C-7?

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary for Canada-U.S. relations clearly knows how to win friends and influence people in the U.S. Just three days after he said he was open to negotiating supply management, the Americans tabled their offer. They want an end to supply management. Under Conservative governments, the Americans respected our system of supply management, but the Liberal government is literally ready to sell the farm. When will that member and the government stop saying one thing to Canadian farmers and another thing to their friends in Washington?

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative caucus, like many Canadians, is deeply concerned about reports that Saudi Arabia may be directly involved in the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.Will the minister inform this House on actions the government will take against Saudi Arabia if the reports of his death in Saudi custody are confirmed?

Mr. Speaker, Canada and our allies depend on satellite communications to safely perform peace and security operations around the world. The news that the Liberal government has fast-tracked the sale of Norsat is causing the U.S. government to review its use of Norsat components. Why? Because the U.S. feels it could put its operations and its people at risk.My question is for the Minister of National Defence. Why is the Liberal government putting the security of Canada and allies at risk all to appease the Chinese government?

Madam Speaker, what is inappropriate is for the Liberal government to ignore our veterans a day after we celebrated their win over tyranny in World War II, veterans like Wolf Solkin, who is the lead veteran at the Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue hospital. He and his friends were the veterans who secured the democracy we have today. He is standing up for his fellow veterans at Ste. Anne's to ensure that they have the same level and quality of service and treatment that they had before the transfer in 2016. We can celebrate our veterans, and both sides respect that, but only this side can make it right. When will the government commit to fixing the situation at Ste. Anne's?

Mr. Speaker, in his last story as a reporter, James Cudmore described Vice-Admiral Mark Norman as “brave” for being transparent on problems with the shipbuilding process. The date of that last story was December 21. Guess who had a great Christmas. James Cudmore, because a few days later he was working for the Liberal government.My question is for the Minister of National Defence. Who hired James Cudmore? Was it his office or was it the Prime Minister's Office?

Mr. Speaker, Vice-Admiral Mark Norman's legal team is worried about his constitutional rights to a fair trial. Multiple Liberal ministers have conflict of interest. They hired away the one journalist writing stories about it. The Prime Minister's Office is refusing to reveal cabinet documents needed for this trial. Today, Liberal MPs blocked, at ethics committee, the ability for the Clerk of the Privy Council to appear just to confirm whether documents were not destroyed. My question is simple. Why the cover-up? What is the government hiding?

Mr. Speaker, the one distinction of the former Conservative government is that we never lied to veterans. The Prime Minister stood with the Minister of National Defence, the member for Kelowna—Lake Country and a number of people wearing their medals, promising to restore pensions and promising never to take veterans to court. He broke both promises, and those veterans should be ashamed of themselves. Now he is forcing a Canadian Forces officer into court over a Liberal cover-up that most of his ministers initiated. Will the Prime Minister show some respect for our veterans and our legal system and give Mark Norman the documents?

Mr. Speaker, I am rising on the same point of order. We have a very unusual situation where, on the evidentiary record before you today in this House, we have the minister's comments to the House and the member for Chilliwack—Hope reciting into the record in this House the committee report and the witness testimony of Madam Meilleur. Therefore, I would ask you, in light of the evidentiary record before you as Speaker of this chamber, to make a prima facie finding of contempt today in this House, because the minister refuses to correct the record.

Mr. Speaker, as one of the Liberal members just said “better is always possible”. Better should be possible when it comes to the Vice-Admiral Mark Norman affair. In one of the first Liberal cabinet meetings, it tried to stop the Davie shipbuilding contract. We know that several Liberal ministers and members of the Liberal caucus have real or perceived conflicts of interest. We also know the Privy Council investigation showed that 73 people were aware of cabinet secrets from that meeting. Will the minister commit to release the names of these 73 people?

Mr. Speaker, Canada is in the midst of the deepest diplomatic crisis we have ever experienced with China, and we have had no ambassador on the ground since the Prime Minister's hand-picked Liberal insider had to resign three months ago due to his own incompetence. The crisis gets worse each week. Canadian citizens are in prison and are being mistreated. Exporters, including canola producers, are suffering.When will the Prime Minister step up and nominate a new ambassador to start turning this crisis around?

Mr. Speaker, the government is restricting snow crab harvesters in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, claiming it is protecting the North Atlantic right whale, but it is actually causing more harm. Heavy ice delays, coupled with the government's decision to reduce the number of traps available, may cause fishermen to fish right through the migration season of the whale.Will the Minister of Fisheries commit to raising the trap limit so that fishermen in New Brunswick and P.E.I. can get their traps out of the water before the whales arrive?

Mr. Speaker, on a point of order arising from Question Period, in my question, which was directed specifically to the Minister of National Defence, related to a government policy in respect to covering legal fees for senior government officials, I specifically addressed the Minister of National Defence, following the fact that the Minister of Justice had indicated that each department is responsible for their own decisions on legal things.The minister answered that question, but he is also in a conflict. I would like—

Mr. Speaker, here are the facts. On February 22, the Prime Minister's Office arranged a briefing with the media and the national security adviser. Today the Prime Minister confirmed that it was not classified. Today you ruled that MPs are entitled to hear from Mr. Jean, but there has been no order of Parliament, because the Liberals are blocking the public safety committee.When will the Prime Minister end this cover-up and allow Mr. Jean to testify?

On May 31, I rose in the House on a point of order asking you to make a prima facie finding of contempt on the Minister of Canadian Heritage with respect to her evidentiary record, her testimony before this chamber. At the time, I mentioned the member for Chilliwack—Hope had entered into the record the testimony of Madam Meilleur, which conflicted directly with the minister's comments.Today, I would ask you to also enter into your reflection on my point of order, the evidence provided today by the member of Parliament for Outremont, which confirms a second time that Madam Meilleur's direct testimony to a standing committee of Parliament and to the Senate conflict with the minister's comments in the House.As you are considering my request for a prima facie finding of contempt, I would ask that you would add to your evidentiary record the remarks today by the member for Outremont.

Mr. Speaker, last fall, the Minister of Immigration travelled to Lebanon to a refugee camp so that, in his own words, he could see the people we were helping with his own eyes. At the Zaatari camp in Jordan, he was joined by his two seatmates, left and right, where they told refugee families that Canada was there to help. However, last week at the public safety committee, we heard from government officials that virtually none of the 25,000 Syrian refugees came from those camps. Why has the minister misled Canadians and, more important, why has he offered false hope to those families for the purposes of a photo op?

Mr. Speaker, the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou took place on December 1, but the Prime Minister received an unprecedented special briefing several days before this high-profile arrest.My questions are simple. On what date was the Prime Minister first briefed and by whom?

Madam Speaker, we are confident that the director of public prosecutions did her job and made the right call to admit that there was no case against Mark Norman, but Mark Norman's name was first given to the RCMP by the Prime Minister. Mark Norman was not at the cabinet meeting. Mark Norman was not the source of the cabinet leak. In fact, he was just one of 73 names of people who knew about Scott Brison's attempt to kill the Davie deal.Why did the Prime Minister single out Vice-Admiral Mark Norman to blame for the leak from his cabinet meeting?

Mr. Speaker, on February 22, the foreign affairs minister apologized to her Indian counterpart for Canada's honest mistake in inviting Jaspal Atwal to the Prime Minister's event. Now Mr. Atwal says the Liberal MP for Surrey Centre warned him he would need security clearance before he could attend. Was the honest mistake the invitation itself, or the department's failure to vet the invitation for security and protocol concerns?

It is reassuring that she has already predicted what her answer will be to my question, Mr. Speaker.I will remind her that the Prime Minister famously said that “Canada is back”. I am sure that hollow Liberal slogan is warm comfort to our two prisoners in China who have the lights on 24/7. I am not concerned about the other countries the minister is calling. I would like her to speak to her Prime Minister. Will she answer this simple question. Will she appoint a new ambassador for China to stop or turn around this dispute by the end of the month, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, the minister is right. The national security adviser testified, after two months of asking, and after all-night votes in this chamber. The government was blocking that, only to have the national security adviser confirm that the suggestion by the government that there was an Indian conspiracy was not true. Yesterday, the government refused to be transparent and release a full list of the Prime Minister's itinerary, events, and guests in India.We know that one former convicted terrorist made his way onto that invitation list. Is the government's unwillingness to release the full list a sign that there are more?

Mr. Speaker, since the Prime Minister is making a mockery of the Prime Minister's questions, I do not want him to respond to this next one. My question is for the Attorney General of Canada. In her mandate letter, the Prime Minister said that she should never take legal positions inconsistent with the government's commitments, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, or Canadian values.How does denying Mark Norman the right to defend himself against scurrilous charges line up with the charter? How does bringing legal charges to cover up Liberal insider deals align with the Canadian charter? Would the Attorney General of Canada, as our top justice official, stand in this House and commit to releasing all documents?

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about political influence. In the first Liberal cabinet meeting, Scott Brison interfered with a naval shipbuilding contract, and that action leaked out. The Prime Minister had the leak investigated and the Privy Council Office identified 73 people who were aware of the leak. My question is simple. How many of the 73 names did the Prime Minister or the PCO give to the RCMP to investigate?

Mr. Speaker, the sub judice rule applies to contempt of court. Is that hon. member saying to this Parliament that it would be contempt of a court action to talk about the hiring of a journalist? In January 2016, James Cudmore received a cushy job from the Liberal government and police were raiding Admiral Mark Norman's home.Will that member, a veteran herself, rise in the House and ensure that a decorated veteran receives due process under law?

Mr. Speaker, it is quite ironic that the Liberals feel NAFTA 0.5 is a win when there were no gains and only losses sector by sector, but Canadians should be very troubled by the fact that the bill has a provision that allows the Prime Minister and cabinet to change the deal after we have voted on it. If this is such a good deal, why do they have a provision that says it will change? Do they know that they will accept whatever Donald Trump gives them?

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness knows that many front-line members of the RCMP continue to have questions about Bill C-7 and how it will impact their workplace, yet the Liberals are limiting debate and they are not permitting members of Canada's police force to have their own say through a secret ballot vote on the formation of their own union.Why are the Liberals denying the RCMP basic democratic rights when we charge them with protecting those rights for other Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, on November 4, the Liberal cabinet was sworn in and within days it was trying to change the Davie contract. CBC journalist James Cudmore wrote three stories on this controversy. The last one was on December 21, and on January 8, he left his job with the CBC. The Prime Minister is trying to be cute here. On what day was James Cudmore offered a job, and who in his office offered that job? Was it on Christmas Day? Give us the day, through you, Mr. Speaker, when James Cudmore was offered a job.

Madam Speaker, when Liberal interference in shipbuilding was revealed, the PMO put its top issues person on the case: Zita Astravas. She previously worked with Gerry Butts and Katie Telford in the office of Dalton McGuinty when code words were used to hide the disclosure of documents in the gas plant scandal. Now Ms. Astravas is being questioned about code words used to prevent disclosure in the Mark Norman trial.Will the defence minister confirm to this House today whether code words were used with respect to the disclosure of documents in the Vice-Admiral Mark Norman affair?

Mr. Speaker, in the last election, the Prime Minister promised he would never force veterans into court. He also promised a return to lifetime pensions for all our injured veterans.Once elected, he broke that promise, forcing Equitas veterans back to court. He broke his promise on lifetime pensions. Yesterday, in Edmonton, he blamed veterans for asking for too much money.When will the Prime Minister admit that he lied to veterans to win their vote in the last election, or will he admit that he did not cost, understand, or care about the promises he made to veteran families?

Madam Speaker, the veterans' hospital in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, was transferred from the federal government to the Government of Quebec in 2016.Unfortunately, under this Liberal government, the quality of care has gone downhill, forcing very elderly veterans to take legal action to get the services they were promised at Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.Why are the Liberals once again abandoning our veterans?

Mr. Speaker, I am working hard to make sure that minister can return to asking the questions, but right now I am asking the questions.After five months and five rounds of negotiations, NAFTA is at risk. The Prime Minister likes to suggest his strength is his progressive agenda, but in Washington the minister told our stakeholders that those will be non-enforceable, non-binding measures. Why is Canada putting non-binding priorities forward when it should be fighting for softwood, for auto, for agriculture, and for the jobs that we need?

Mr. Speaker, the member mentioned a few things in her question. The record would show that during the global recession the government eased EI rules to make sure that there was a longer period. Knowing that the economy would be tight, we provided more flexibility for people to qualify. That is something we have been urging the new Prime Minister to extend to Alberta in the challenging situations it has been in. We have made sure that going forward the EI fund will be run prudently and not picked from as the previous Liberal government did regularly.The member also mentioned the auto sector and I am passionate about that, representing the Durham region part of Oshawa. I would note I was born in Quebec. My father worked at General Motors at Sainte-Thérèse and am very proud of that plant, which closed under the Chrétien government. Our trade deals and our deals we signed with the European Union in particular, on top of the loan we provided for the auto sector to help it through the global recession, are causing what is happening now, record sales in autos. Along with Ontario, we took back the money we loaned as was the normal plan. We have an auto sector today, with the Edge vehicle built in Oakville, for around the world new investments, and the auto innovation fund. We secured an industry that was on the precipice. We are not going to let happen to Oshawa what the last Liberal government let happen to Sainte-Thérèse.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that question from my learned friend from Newmarket—Aurora. He was a year behind me at Dalhousie Law School and I am quite sure he graduated. I know he did and he had a very successful law practice before coming to this place.As a lawyer, he knows that before we conclude, as he mentioned in his remarks, we have evidence and the evidence is clear. We did run a deficit, but the previous prime minister was crystal clear with Canadians that our deficit spending was time limited, was stimulative, and was part of a longer term plan to get to balance by 2014-15, which we did. At the time, as I said previously, we lowered taxes on Canadians, particularly families and seniors, and grew the economy modestly. Our success record was stronger than most countries in the G7 through that global recession. The difference and the line in the sand we are drawing is the plan the new Liberal government seems to have deficits going up with no end in sight, not going down. The deficits were estimated to be $10 billion or $20 billion in their election plan, going to $60 billion plus. I would urge that bright young member of the House to speak up on Wednesdays and pull the reins back on spending in his caucus.

Mr. Speaker, the Privy Council investigation into leaks from the Liberal cabinet meetings on shipbuilding revealed that 73 people were aware of the substance of the discussions. Of the 73, most were ignored; some were offered deals; one journalist was offered a job, and only one person is facing trial. The Prime Minister speculated that Admiral Norman might face charges, and eventually those charges came. Of the 73 people, only one is facing charges. How did the Prime Minister know that only Admiral Mark Norman would be charged?