44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 1, 2023 11:00AM
- May/1/23 2:40:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Pascale Fournier, former CEO of the Trudeau Foundation, appeared at committee, and her revelations were troubling. She testified that under her predecessor, Morris Rosenberg, an association with ties to Beijing dictated the terms for transferring the controversial $140,000 donation to the foundation. It was Beijing that dictated those terms and that got Mr. Rosenberg to address the receipt to a location in China and not include the donors' names.
However, that same Mr. Rosenberg was then appointed by the Liberals to investigate Chinese foreign interference. He concluded that there was no interference.
Should we blindly believe him?
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- May/1/23 2:41:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister has repeatedly stated, there has been no relationship between the Prime Minister and the Trudeau Foundation for more than 10 years. It is an independent non-profit organization that hands out scholarships.
It is important that we do not attack an independent foundation here in the House. If the member has questions about the foundation, he should direct those questions to the foundation.
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- May/1/23 2:42:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when Ms. Fournier realized that this donation was linked to Beijing, she demanded two things: first, that an investigation be conducted, and second, that members of the foundation's board at the time recuse themselves from the investigation. The foundation refused to comply with either of those demands, and no light was shed on this.
Nevertheless, it was from the Trudeau Foundation that the Liberals recruited their experts, who are supposed to investigate any electoral interference, by China in particular. The Liberals can no longer claim that the truth will be made known without an independent commission of public inquiry.
When will they launch such a commission?
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- May/1/23 2:42:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Mr. Johnston is the former governor general of Canada. He is known across the country for his independence and expertise. He was appointed during Mr. Harper's time. Of course, all options are open to Mr. Johnston.
Like Mr. Johnston, the House of Commons must ensure that our process is independent and thorough and that the best approach will be taken.
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- May/1/23 2:43:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us recap. The Trudeau Foundation accepted a donation from China in 2016. China dictated the terms of the donation to the foundation. The CEO of the foundation later told the media that the donation came from a Canadian company. Years later, the foundation's new CEO wanted to investigate that donation and was persecuted for it.
When Chinese interference started making headlines, the Liberals chose two former foundation members, Mr. Rosenberg and Mr. Johnston, to investigate. What a farce.
When will there be a real independent public inquiry, one that does not involve any members of the Trudeau Foundation, for goodness' sake?
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- May/1/23 2:44:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, clearly, the member across the aisle is looking for a conspiracy theory. It is obvious that he is trying to create a connection that is not there.
The foundation in question is independent. The Prime Minister had no direct or indirect relationship with the foundation. The foundation is responsible for scholarships. If the member opposite wants to engage in partisan attacks against an independent organization, I believe that is irresponsible.
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- May/1/23 2:44:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, do you know what day it is today? It is tax-filing deadline, and yet thousands of CRA workers are still on strike. For almost two weeks, Canadians have been trying to get through on the phone to have their questions answered and they have been unable to do so.
The government knew when the contract was up and it also knew when the tax-filing deadline was. Therefore, will the government give Canadians a break and extend the tax-filing deadline, and prove to Canadians that it can work instead of just hiding behind non-answers?
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- May/1/23 2:45:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have spoken on earlier occasions in the House on the respect that I have for the hon. colleague. However, he knows very well that the process of collective bargaining is instrumental in democracy. That is why the negotiations continue, and we are positive about their progress.
On the extension of deadlines, I wonder if the member would follow the logic of his argument, because if the deadline is ultimately extended, there is always the possibility of course that benefits would be delayed for the Canada child benefit, for OAS and for GIS. These are the implications of what the member is bringing up.
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- May/1/23 2:45:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, how can benefits be delayed if they do not even know about them? The incompetent Prime Minister spent 50% more on bureaucracy and still ended up with the biggest federal public service strike in history.
Today is the tax-filing deadline, and Canada Revenue Agency employees are still on the picket line without a deal. Taxpayers and small business owners in Saskatoon are calling the CRA with questions, but their calls are not answered. Canadians are going to miss out on benefits, be penalized or miss the tax-filing deadline altogether.
Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and extend the tax-filing deadline?
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- May/1/23 2:46:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the vast majority of Canadians have been filling their taxes online, which is important to note. On a case-by-case basis, it is possible for Canadians to see interest relief and penalties alleviated. Again, I emphasize that it is on a case-by-case basis.
I find it a bit rich that the member forgets the record of the Harper government, which time and time again disrespected, in particular, CRA employees in a variety of ways, such as by cutting their budget and intervening in their mechanisms when it came to the investigation of charities and the like. The Conservatives politicized the process. We will not do that on this side.
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- May/1/23 2:47:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today is the last day for filing our federal tax return with the revenue agency still mired in a strike caused by the Prime Minister's Liberal incompetence.
A cascade of delays, like dominos, is penalizing thousands of honest Canadians and dedicated workers.
Will the Prime Minister take responsibility and guarantee that he will give Canadians additional time to file their tax returns?
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- May/1/23 2:47:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us talk about Liberal competence.
Yesterday, we managed to get four agreements with the core public administration. That means we have an agreement that is fair for employees and reasonable for Canadians.
We are continuing to negotiate with the Canada Revenue Agency. I am convinced that we will get the best agreement for the CRA at the bargaining table.
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- May/1/23 2:48:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as of today, 35,000 CRA workers are still on strike fighting for a fair deal. The government is showing its true colours, seemingly blaming everyone who let this fester for almost two years.
With the tax deadline having just passed, the government made the asinine decision to not extend it, putting Canadians at risk of penalties. Instead of going with the obvious solution, which is to offer CRA workers a fair deal, the government has decided to hold Canadians hostage due to its own incompetence.
When will the Liberals deliver a fair deal to CRA workers?
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- May/1/23 2:48:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the good news is that we just landed a deal with the four public agreements for the core public service, and we are continuing to work with the CRA to make sure we have a deal negotiated at the table.
We have a reasonable deal for Canadians that is fair for public servants, and we will continue to work very hard at the table to get that next deal.
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- May/1/23 2:49:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, young Canadian scientists have walked off the job today. They have not seen a wage increase in 20 years.
Here on Parliament Hill and at universities across the country, thousands of graduate students and post-doctoral fellows are rallying for the wages they deserve. Rising living costs are forcing young Canadian scientists to abandon their studies, leave the country or live in poverty. They deserve better, and Canada needs them to stay.
Will the government finally increase graduate scholarships and post-doctoral fellowships and index them to the cost of living?
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- May/1/23 2:50:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, everyone in the House realizes that talent is our greatest asset. I would like to thank our young scientists, researchers and students across the nation who are making differences in science and studies around the country.
No one in the House has questioned our commitment to science. We have invested $16 billion since 2016. More recently, on Friday, I made a historic announcement of $1.4 billion in the Canada first research section. We want to go from world class to world leading, and we need our young scientists to do that.
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- May/1/23 2:50:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as we recognize the beginning of Mental Health Week 2023, we remain committed to promoting positive mental health for everyone, including the 2SLGBTQI+ community, indigenous people and people of colour, groups that have already faced disproportionate challenges to their mental health due to discrimination and social exclusion.
Could the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions please update the House on the recent support provided to community-based projects focused on mental health promotion?
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- May/1/23 2:51:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Scarborough—Agincourt for all her important work on this file.
This morning, we kicked off Mental Health Week by announcing $2.8 million in funding to the Community-Based Research Centre. With this funding, CBRC investigators are delivering focused, community-based programs that foster important resources for good mental health, including mental health literacy, social connection and problem-solving skills to the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community.
Today's funding will enable more people with lived and living experience, frontline workers and experts to support the mental health of this community.
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- May/1/23 2:52:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canada's intelligence agency warned the Liberal government that Beijing was the foremost offender for perpetrating foreign influence on Canadians and that it feared no repercussions from the Liberals.
In fact, a Beijing-backed donation of $140,000 to the Trudeau Foundation was designed to influence the Prime Minister. What did he do in response? He appointed two former Trudeau Foundation board members to investigate: $140,000 bought a blind eye from the Prime Minister.
How can Canadians believe anything he says about foreign influence or about the Trudeau Foundation?
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- May/1/23 2:52:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are in an inflection point in history where Liberal democracies are under direct attack. We are seeing it in Europe. We are seeing it all over the world. The objective of those dictatorships is not to elect a political party; it is to destroy democracy.
History will look back to this hour when we were called to stand up against tyranny and we were called to stand shoulder to shoulder against interference. They will ask who did the hard work of standing up against foreign interference and who played games with it. They will ask who sowed fear and division, and who worked to make sure that we protected our democracy.
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