44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 14, 2021 10:00AM
- Dec/14/21 2:44:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it sounds like they are just going to watch and listen and do nothing.
The government has a terrible record with the Biden administration in responding to trade irritants with our most important trading partner, whether it be softwood lumber, electric vehicles, Keystone XL, aluminum, potatoes, Line 5 and now beef. This government's failure on trade relations continues to cost Canadians their jobs. Again, I ask the minister: Will she act now or is she going to wait until it is a crisis before doing something?
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- Dec/14/21 2:45:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the United States is Canada's largest trading partner. It is a relationship that has benefited workers on both sides of the border. Every day we work very hard to stand up for our industries and our workers, and to develop opportunities for businesses to grow and to export.
I just had a wonderful meeting with the American ambassador yesterday. We agreed that we can absolutely work on helping our businesses start up, scale up and access that very important market, which is the United States of America.
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- Dec/14/21 2:45:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in the last two months, food banks across Manitoba have seen a 70% increase in individuals accessing services compared to last year. Instead of the Liberal government choosing to help people, it continues to claw back GIS and CCB payments from individuals and families already living in precarious situations. We are in a food security crisis. When will the government implement a national food strategy and immediately end clawbacks to GIS and CCB?
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- Dec/14/21 2:46:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for her important advocacy on this issue.
Let us recall that it was this government that brought in the Canada child benefit that saw close to 400,000 children lifted out of poverty. Let us recall that it is this government that is committed to bringing forward a national food strategy to ensure that children around this country have access to healthy meals. We know that is one of the best ways to set our kids up for success and to make sure that they can learn everything that they need in school.
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- Dec/14/21 2:47:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canada's Chief Public Officer just issued a dire warning. She said our public health system is stretched dangerously thin, our public health workforce is understaffed and burnt out. We were not prepared for COVID-19 and we are not prepared for the next emergency.
Decades of underfunding under Liberal and Conservative governments are putting Canadians at risk. Dr. Tam is calling for transformational investments in Canada's public health system. Will the government finally listen and provide the resources needed to keep us all safe?
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- Dec/14/21 2:47:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are currently living through a very serious challenge caused by omicron. I would remind all Canadians listening and everyone in this House to be extremely careful. We must follow public health measures, get vaccinated and get boosters whenever they are available. Now is not the time to travel.
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- Dec/14/21 2:48:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Armed Forces is one of Canada's most venerable institutions, but the reality is that it has not always lived up to the values that Canadians expect from the military. Many service members who have bravely come forward to serve their country have instead experienced sexual trauma at the hands of the very institution that is sworn to protect them.
Could the minister update the House on the steps this government is taking to ensure that the Canadian Armed Forces finds restitution of survivors?
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- Dec/14/21 2:48:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Armed Forces have always had our backs, but far too many of them have suffered because of sexual harassment, sexual assault and discrimination. That is why yesterday, General Eyre and Deputy Minister Thomas and I offered an apology to all victims and survivors. An apology cannot mend deep wounds, but it is the right thing to do and we will now move to enact further reforms to address these behaviours.
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- Dec/14/21 2:49:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the last free trade agreement with the United States was devastating for Canadian dairy farmers. Now our American neighbours have gained market share on our Canadian dairy products because of that free trade agreement.
Can the Minister of International Trade confirm that the Americans are respecting the agreement signed between the two countries?
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- Dec/14/21 2:49:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to reassure my colleague. We are working closely with the Americans and making sure that the agreement is respected. There are procedures in place, and they will be followed if necessary.
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- Dec/14/21 2:50:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the minister is still not giving us straight answers about dairy products crossing the border and, more specifically, about measures to monitor compliance with our free trade agreements.
What assurances can the minister offer Canadian dairy producers about measures being taken to make sure the quantity of dairy products crossing the border is in line with our trade agreements?
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- Dec/14/21 2:50:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, once again, I can assure my colleague that we are working with border services and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. We are doing what we need to do to ensure compliance with the free trade agreement with the United States and Mexico.
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- Dec/14/21 2:50:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are calling for action on serious gun crimes, yet incredibly the government just introduced a bill that for serious crimes like robbery with a firearm, extortion with a firearm and weapons trafficking, it would eliminate mandatory jail time and, further, bring about house arrests for crimes like kidnapping and sexual assault. That is just the opposite of what Canadians are calling for.
Will the minister not agree with most Canadians that, if a person commits a drive-by shooting or weapons trafficking, they deserve mandatory jail time?
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- Dec/14/21 2:51:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if my hon. colleague had read the bill very carefully, he would have seen that in some instances we also propose to raise maximum sentences for serious firearms sentences. What I find ironic is that the party opposite, the Conservative Party, has flip-flopped so many times on firearms, on protecting Canadians that it just stretches credulity that it has any credibility whatsoever in this House.
I am calling on Conservatives to join the Government of Canada and all members in this House to ensure that we stop gun violence and keep Canadians safe.
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- Dec/14/21 2:52:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the soft-on-crime government is completely out of touch with what Canadians are calling for. It is the job of the Parliament to pass legislation that ensures that mandatory jail time is there for an individual who commits a crime like a drive-by shooting and gets them off the streets and into jail.
Can the minister declare what crimes he does support mandatory jail time for? We know he does not support it for robbery, for weapons trafficking and for extortion with a firearm. Can the minister please tell us where he does believe a mandatory minimum sentence is appropriate?
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- Dec/14/21 2:52:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I reject the premise of that question. I would ask the hon. member to read the bill.
Serious crimes will always be punished seriously. All we are doing in this bill is selecting a number of crimes that have a serious impact on the overrepresentation of indigenous and Black people in the criminal justice system, in order to give back flexibility to judges by eliminating certain minimum mandatory penalties and by allowing for the possibility of conditional sentencing orders, and in order to attack systemic racism in our criminal justice system.
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- Dec/14/21 2:53:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, trade with the United States is challenging these days. As members know, the Deputy Prime Minister wrote to American senators, threatening them with retaliatory actions if they go after Canada's electric vehicle sector. We agree.
However, we have to wonder why Ottawa is not doing anything about softwood lumber. When the Americans announced that they were doubling their tariffs, there was no letter, no announcement and no retaliation.
This is good for Ontario's automotive sector, but why does softwood lumber get a big fat zero like the one in Ottawa?
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- Dec/14/21 2:54:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, to the softwood lumber industry and the many workers who are in the member's riding and, in fact, in many, many ridings across the country, I want those workers and the industry to know that we are absolutely standing up for their interest. I raise this at every opportunity with the American administration.
We have taken this issue to panels at CUSMA and the WTO. We will continue to defend the interests of the Canadian softwood lumber industry strongly. They can count on us to do that.
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- Dec/14/21 2:55:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I was part of the delegation that went to Washington, but the minister did not mention that in her answer just now. I went to Washington to defend our softwood lumber industry. I reminded the minister that it is important to stand up for Quebec's forestry industry. I did not get the impression that she really did her best to get the softwood lumber tariffs eliminated.
The proof is that the government showed up in Washington with what it calls Team Canada to protect Ontario's automotive sector. Auto jobs are important, but what will it take to get Ottawa to stand up and protect forestry jobs in Quebec?
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- Dec/14/21 2:55:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, things cannot be good for the Bloc Québécois. They are looking for other talking points.
First it was the Internet, and we fixed that. Then it was social housing, and we fixed that. Then it was day care, and we fixed that too.
The Bloc Québécois spends its days looking for a fight and showing a lack of respect for the people of Ottawa. Ottawa has an “O”, not a zero.
The Bloc should show some respect for the people of Ottawa and recognize that the Liberal Party, the Liberal government, is there for Quebec.
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