All sittings← 2016-09-212016-09-23 →
Thursday, September 22, 2016 · sitting No. 79
Commons debates Supreme Court regional representation on supply day
The House spent half the sitting on a Conservative opposition motion calling on the government to respect the custom of regional representation when appointing a replacement for retiring Supreme Court justice Thomas Cromwell. Rob Nicholson moved the motion and Murray Rankin questioned whether the convention must apply automatically in every case. Rob Nicholson replied that representation from all regions has been an important component of the court's composition.
In Question Period, Rona Ambrose pressed the Prime Minister on the cost of moving two staff members from Toronto to Ottawa. Justin Trudeau said the moves followed long-standing policies and rules applied by previous governments. Thomas Mulcair asked why the government would consider an extradition treaty with China given its human rights record.
Jason Kenney asked the Prime Minister to recognize crimes by the Islamic State against religious minorities as genocide. Justin Trudeau replied that such recognition should rest on extraordinary facts and wise international counsel rather than political grandstanding.
From the Hansard record of the sitting. Full Hansard
No CPAC Question Period upload is on file for this day. CPAC’s channel goes back to December 2019.
Who held the floor · 2016-09-22
AI-rated The sitting score and the rating of each answer come from a language model reading Hansard. How the AI rates this
Other moments
Resignation of Member
Jason Kenney, Rona Ambrose, Kevin Lamoureux and Brian Masse paid tribute to the member for Calgary Midnapore on his resignation from the House.
Read the exchangeBusiness of Supply
Michael Cooper said every government since 1875 had respected Atlantic-Canadian representation on the Supreme Court until the present one.
Read the exchangeHealth
Don Davies urged the government to amend Bill C-2 to remove barriers to supervised injection sites and Jane Philpott said the department had been instructed to ensure no unnecessary barriers remain.
Read the exchangePublic Services and Procurement
Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet said 55,000 public servants are waiting to be paid and Judy Foote replied that additional employees have been hired and measures put in place to help those facing hardship.
Read the exchangeSteel Industry
Scott Duvall asked the government to protect jobs and pensions in any deal for U.S. Steel Canada and Navdeep Bains said the government is working closely with Hamiltonians on the file.
Read the exchangeQuestion Period, exchange by exchange
AI-rated Each answer’s rating (answered, partly answered, deflected, answered something else) is a model’s reading of the exchange. How the AI rates this
- deflectedGovernment ExpendituresRona Ambrose (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer cites prior policy and smaller office size without justifying the specific payouts.
The fact is that we followed all the principles and rules in place, both in the policy and the administration of the policy.
- deflectedGovernment ExpendituresRona Ambrose (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer pivots to praising child benefits and attacking Conservatives instead of addressing staff moving costs.
I find it pleasing that the member opposite actually highlighted all of the extraordinary things we have done for Canadian families.
- deflectedGovernment ExpendituresRona Ambrose (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer references long-standing policy and attacks opposition voting record without explaining the nannies or moving expenses.
The reality is that the former government still does not understand that voting against tax cuts for the middle class and a tax hike for the wealthy is good policy.
- misdirectedThe EconomyJason Kenney (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Answer ignores the carbon tax and job losses query to mock the member's location.
I would take this opportunity to remind the member opposite that he is actually still in Ottawa and not in Alberta.
- deflectedForeign AffairsJason Kenney (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Answer accuses asker of political grandstanding rather than explaining the refusal to recognize genocide.
it is a real shame to see the extent to which people are willing to play politics with the lives of the most vulnerable people in the world.
- partly answeredForeign AffairsThomas Mulcair (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Answer addresses the relationship with China and rule of law but does not directly confront the extradition treaty concern.
Canada has very strong principles around the rule of law, around extradition treaties, and we will not bend those principles for anyone.
- partly answeredForeign AffairsThomas Mulcair (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Answer discusses benefits of the relationship and human rights dialogue without confirming if a promise from China would suffice.
The reality is that we have a relationship that enables us to hear the questions and concerns of the people of China, while defending and upholding our human rights principles
- partly answeredIndigenous AffairsThomas Mulcair (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Answer affirms consultations and partnership but does not address the court case or Site C project specifically.
We committed to holding consultations. We want to understand their concerns and work with them to open up economic opportunities that will benefit them.
- deflectedIndigenous AffairsThomas Mulcair (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer offers general platitudes on consultation without addressing Site C or the specific call for the PM to assume responsibility.
we continue to respect the concerns indigenous peoples have on a wide range of issues, because we continue to listen, consult, and work in partnership with them.
- deflectedGovernment ExpendituresMr. Jacques Gourde (Conservative) asked Bardish Chagger (Liberal). substantive question.The answer explains the policy and that costs followed rules but does not justify the expenses or address abuse of taxpayer dollars.
In the cases in question, the vast majority of the costs had to do with legal and real estate sales fees.
- deflectedGovernment ExpendituresMr. Jacques Gourde (Conservative) asked Bardish Chagger (Liberal). loaded question.The answer defends the team and states rules were followed without addressing the unacceptability of the spending amount.
Any relocation was done in accordance with the relevant rules and directives.
- deflectedGovernment ExpendituresCandice Bergen (Conservative) asked Bardish Chagger (Liberal). substantive question.The answer reiterates that rules were followed but avoids judging whether the $200,000 spend was appropriate.
Any relocation was done in accordance with the guidelines.
- deflectedGovernment ExpendituresCandice Bergen (Conservative) asked Bardish Chagger (Liberal). substantive question.The answer pivots to transparency claims and rule compliance without addressing prudence of the specific expenditure.
Let me remind Canadians that any relocation was done in accordance with the guidelines.
- misdirectedGovernment ExpendituresMrs. Karen Vecchio (Conservative) asked Bardish Chagger (Liberal). loaded question.The answer attacks the Conservatives for the rules instead of justifying the spending to the asker.
What I find kind of fascinating is the Conservative criticism of the rules that they themselves drafted while in government.
- deflectedGovernment ExpendituresMrs. Karen Vecchio (Conservative) asked Bardish Chagger (Liberal). loaded question.The answer again cites the long-standing policy and rule compliance without addressing the specific $126,000 figure or justification.
It is important to note that these are the same rules that also apply to the military, the RCMP, and the public service.
- partly answeredCanada Revenue AgencyMr. Pierre-Luc Dusseault (NDP) asked Diane Lebouthillier (Liberal). substantive question.The answer addresses the broader commitment to fighting tax evasion but does not speak to reviewing the specific Bahamas agreement.
That is why our government invested $444 million to give the CRA the best tools to combat tax evasion.
- deflectedCanada Revenue AgencyMr. Guy Caron (NDP) asked Diane Lebouthillier (Liberal). substantive question.The answer discusses general international cooperation without addressing the specific issue of obtaining information from tax havens via leaks rather than agreements.
our government is working with our international partners to address this threat, and that co-operation will continue.
- partly answeredGovernment ExpendituresMr. Joël Godin (Conservative) asked Bardish Chagger (Liberal). loaded question.The answer addresses the costs being consistent with rules but ignores the broader criticism of priorities and waste.
in the case of the higher numbers within the Prime Minister's office, the vast majority of the costs are associated with real estate fees and legal fees and are consistent with the rules.
- misdirectedGovernment ExpendituresMr. Joël Godin (Conservative) asked Bardish Chagger (Liberal). loaded question.The answer pivots to praising the team and mandate instead of addressing the specific expenditures or judgment criticism.
I am very proud that we have formed a team of passionate, hard-working, and highly skilled Canadians to give the public the change they voted for.
- misdirectedGovernment ExpendituresMr. Blaine Calkins (Conservative) asked Bardish Chagger (Liberal). loaded question.The answer shifts to team diversity and job creation without justifying the specific payouts or addressing Alberta concerns.
I am proud of the diverse team we have built.
- deflectedGovernment ExpendituresMr. Blaine Calkins (Conservative) asked Bardish Chagger (Liberal). loaded question.The answer notes relocation rules and pivots to economic growth without addressing the specific payments or Alberta unemployment.
Any relocation was done in accordance with the law.
- answeredHealthMr. Don Davies (NDP) asked Jane Philpott (Liberal). substantive question.The answer directly addresses amending legislation and removing barriers for supervised consumption sites.
I have instructed my department to make sure there are no unnecessary barriers in place.
- answeredPublic Services and ProcurementMs. Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet (NDP) asked Judy Foote (Liberal). substantive question.The answer acknowledges the pay issue and outlines specific measures taken to resolve it.
That is why we have worked so hard putting in place additional measures to deal with the situation we are facing.
- partly answeredForeign AffairsPeter Kent (Conservative) asked Ms. Pam Goldsmith-Jones (Liberal). loaded question.The answer explains the dialogue process but does not address the flip-flop or strings attached to the release.
We have announced a high-level national security and rule-of-law dialogue as part of comprehensive discussions on expanding our relationship with China.
- deflectedForeign AffairsPeter Kent (Conservative) asked Ms. Pam Goldsmith-Jones (Liberal). loaded question.Answer pivots to general human rights engagement without addressing the extradition treaty question.
the promotion and protection of human rights is an integral part of our foreign policy and a key aspect of our relationship with China.
- partly answeredMarijuanaMs. Rachael Harder (Conservative) asked Jane Philpott (Liberal). loaded question.Answer addresses safety measures for legal products but avoids timeline for action on illegal dispensaries.
We have in place a strict regime for access to medical marijuana, which includes testing of products to make sure they are safe and free from contaminants.
- deflectedJusticeMr. Michael Cooper (Conservative) asked Jody Wilson-Raybould (Liberal). loaded question.Answer describes the new process but does not address the claim of breaking a constitutional convention for Atlantic representation.
an open and transparent process that respects the custom of regional representation, that speaks to functional bilingualism, that speaks to appointing and identifying high-quality jurists who will fill the next seat.
- deflectedSteel IndustryMr. Scott Duvall (NDP) asked Navdeep Bains (Liberal). substantive question.Answer offers general support language but does not commit to sitting at negotiations or specific protections.
We are working very closely to find any solution to advance this agenda.
- partly answeredSteel IndustryMs. Tracey Ramsey (NDP) asked Navdeep Bains (Liberal). substantive question.Answer acknowledges the dumping issue and mentions international work but provides no concrete action timeline.
we are finding ways to curtail excess capacity and illegal dumping within our borders.
- deflectedNatural ResourcesMr. John Barlow (Conservative) asked Jim Carr (Liberal). loaded question.Answer criticizes past process and emphasizes consultation instead of addressing carbon tax or investor decisions.
we are looking for a better path, and that better path includes meaningful consultation with indigenous communities and working across the country
- misdirectedAgricultureMr. John Barlow (Conservative) asked Lawrence MacAulay (Liberal). loaded question.Answer changes subject to unrelated market access gains rather than addressing carbon tax or feedlot closure.
What a day for the canola farmers in western Canada.
- deflectedThe EconomyMr. David Anderson (Conservative) asked Jim Carr (Liberal). loaded question.Answer lists other governments supporting carbon pricing but avoids addressing western economic impacts.
The Conservative Government of Alberta understands about carbon pricing.
- deflectedRegional Economic DevelopmentMr. Pierre Paul-Hus (Conservative) asked Navdeep Bains (Liberal). substantive question.The answer discusses general support for institutions and regional investments without addressing the specific timeline for the institute's funding.
That is why we put forward a strategic investment fund of $2 billion that will help colleges and universities across Canada.
- deflectedStatus of WomenMs. Sheila Malcolmson (NDP) asked Patty Hajdu (Liberal). substantive question.The response focuses on positive experiences and excitement without explaining the scope regarding policing.
We are very excited about the collaboration across government to come up with a federal gender-based violence strategy that will ensure that women and girls have the full opportunity to participate in this country, regardless of where they live.
- deflectedGovernment ExpendituresMichelle Rempel (Conservative) asked Bardish Chagger (Liberal). loaded question.The answer avoids the question about moving expenses by restating government mandates.
this government was elected on a promise to help grow the economy.
- partly answeredHealthMr. Rhéal Fortin (Bloc) asked Jane Philpott (Liberal). loaded question.The answer defends the Canada Health Act but does not address the specific accusations or call to restore transfers without conditions.
The deductions set out in the act are a last resort.
- partly answeredSoftwood LumberMr. Luc Thériault (Bloc) asked Mr. David Lametti (Liberal). substantive question.The response indicates ongoing work and positive feedback but does not make the specific pledge requested.
We are working very hard on this file to reach an agreement that is good for Canada and for Quebec.
- answeredBusiness of the HouseCandice Bergen (Conservative) asked Bardish Chagger (Liberal). substantive question.The answer provides a clear schedule of upcoming business including specific bills and days.
This afternoon, we will continue with the Conservative Party motion.