44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 14, 2021 10:00AM
- 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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- Dec/14/21 2:56:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a sole-source contract to rent property as a welcoming centre at the illegal border crossing at Roxham Road was handed out to a Quebec businessman by the Liberals. The lucrative sole-source deal comes after $23,000 in donations was given to the Liberal Party. Now, before the Liberals stand up and say, “Yes, but he donated to the Conservative Party," I note the Conservative Party never greased this donor's palms with a lucrative sole-source contract.
Would someone from the side opposite just stand up and admit that this was a kickback for donating to the Liberal Party?
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- Dec/14/21 2:56:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, transparency and accountability are critically important to this government. The rental agreement was negotiated based on fair market value. That was the agreement that we came to. It is about the location of this particular hotel and its proximity to the border. It was perfect for the CBSA's purposes, and that is why we secured this deal. Our government is delivering open, fair and transparent procurement processes while obtaining the best value for Canadians.
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- Dec/14/21 2:57:17 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, in Quebec that is called graisser la patte.
It has been an “all you can eat” buffet for connected Liberal insiders and cronies during the pandemic, who lined up to gorge on half a billion dollars in COVID spending, much of it untendered and sole source. With WE, Frank Baylis and SNC, the list is long, and here we have another example. The sponsorship scandal will look like a speck of sand in the desert compared with what has gone on.
Yesterday the Liberals rejected my motion at the ethics committee to investigate COVID contracts, saying they did not want to stir the pot. I wonder why.
Why do they not just get it off their chest and admit that this was payback for a Liberal donation?
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- Dec/14/21 2:57:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the House has a lot of extraordinarily important matters in front of it. The question that has been posed by the member opposite, in my opinion, does not really have to do with the business of either this nation or this Parliament. If he wants to play politics and games, the space is right over there.
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- Dec/14/21 2:58:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would not expect anything less from the Liberals.
Last week, I asked the CRA to investigate a claim that the Liberal member for Calgary Skyview was directing people on how to fraudulently claim the CERB in his riding before he was elected as an MP. According to The Canadian Press, seven in 10 people over 15 in the riding received the CERB, one of the highest percentages in the country. When I asked the minister about this, she said that she takes all claims of CERB fraud seriously, even if it is against a member of the Liberal caucus, and will launch an investigation.
Can the minister inform the House whether she has in fact started an investigation against the member for Calgary Skyview.
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