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Thursday, February 7, 2019 · sitting No. 380

Commons debates indigenous languages bill as SNC-Lavalin allegations surface

The House spent most of its time on second reading of Bill C-91, an act respecting indigenous languages. Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez moved the bill and stressed co-development with indigenous groups to meet calls to action 13, 14 and 15. Conservative MP Cathy McLeod said the government would support the bill at second reading but accused it of mishandling its relationship with former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould.

Question period was dominated by Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer pressing the government on whether the Prime Minister's Office contacted the former attorney general's office about the SNC-Lavalin prosecution. Attorney General David Lametti replied that allegations of interference published by The Globe and Mail were false. New Democrat MP Charlie Angus pressed Indigenous Services Minister Seamus O'Regan on health and housing failures in Cat Lake First Nation, where a 12-year-old had quit school because of skin infections.

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 · 2019-02-07

Government (Liberal)OppositionOver the day: government 46%, opposition 54% of the words spokenGovernment businessQuestion PeriodGovernment business▲ Government side held the floor▼ Opposition held the floorOpened 10:0511:0012:0013:0014:0015:0016:0017:00Last speech 18:30Time of day, Ottawa · the House sat 8 h 25 min · each dot is a stretch of debate, placed at the minute it began
34Another sitting that went nowhereThe sitting focused on the Indigenous Languages Act and justice matters with high substantive content, yet no bills advanced and no votes occurred. Question Period produced mostly deflected answers amid routine calls to order.AI-rated Score out of 100; the verdict and the answer ratings behind it are a model’s reading. How the AI rates this

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

Employment Insurance

Liberal MP Mark Eyking moved a private member's motion to study extending EI sickness benefits beyond 15 weeks for long-term illness, and New Democrat MP Niki Ashton urged the government to act immediately rather than study the issue again.

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Pharmacare

New Democrat MP Gord Johns described an elderly constituent forced to choose between medicine and rent, and Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor said an advisory council report on national pharmacare is due in the spring.

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Justice

Conservative MP Martin Shields said residents who fired warning shots to help police catch a rural criminal were later told not to act as vigilantes, and Parliamentary Secretary Karen McCrimmon replied that Bill C-75 would help address serious offences.

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Transport

New Democrat MP Richard Cannings asked about two unreported sulphuric acid spills near Trail, B.C., and Parliamentary Secretary Karen McCrimmon said Transport Canada is reviewing its oversight of dangerous goods shipments.

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Question 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

  1. deflected
    JusticeAndrew Scheer (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). substantive question.Answer addresses pressure but avoids confirming or denying any communications.at no point have I been pressured or directed by the Prime Minister or the Prime Minister's Office to make any decision on this or any other matter.
  2. deflected
    JusticeAndrew Scheer (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). substantive question.Answer restates that allegations are false without addressing the yes-or-no question on communications.
  3. deflected
    JusticeAndrew Scheer (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). substantive question.Answer again repeats that allegations are false instead of answering the yes-or-no question.these allegations in The Globe and Mail are false.
  4. deflected
    JusticeAndrew Scheer (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). substantive question.Answer claims lack of knowledge and restates allegations are false without addressing the lobby meetings question.As the Prime Minister has said, earlier today, these allegations are false.
  5. deflected
    JusticeAndrew Scheer (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). substantive question.Answer shifts to no directives given rather than addressing whether prosecution was discussed in meetings.he has not given directives to either my predecessor or myself on this matter.
  6. deflected
    JusticeMr. Guy Caron (NDP) asked David Lametti (Liberal). loaded question.Question assumes improper ties and motive; answer repeats no pressure without engaging the premise.Neither the Prime Minister nor his office put my predecessor or me under pressure or gave any directives.
  7. deflected
    JusticeMr. Guy Caron (NDP) asked David Lametti (Liberal). loaded question.Question assumes firing was due to refusal to drop charges; answer denies pressure without addressing the loaded premise.he has not given directives to my predecessor, nor did he pressure her.
  8. deflected
    JusticeMr. Nathan Cullen (NDP) asked David Lametti (Liberal). loaded question.Question assumes firing was punishment for refusing to drop case; answer denies pressure without addressing the premise.neither the Prime Minister nor his office put my predecessor or myself under pressure nor gave any directives.
  9. partly answered
    JusticeMr. Nathan Cullen (NDP) asked David Lametti (Liberal). loaded question.Answer denies pressure but does not address the broader claim of coincidence or rewards to SNC-Lavalin.at no point have I been directed or pressured by the Prime Minister or the Prime Minister's Office to make any decision in this or any other matter.
  10. deflected
    JusticeAndrew Scheer (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). substantive question.Answer repeats denial of directives but avoids confirming whether the topic of prosecution came up in meetings.For my part, I can assure the House that I have received neither pressure nor direction from either the Prime Minister or Prime Minister's Office regarding any decisions on this matter.
  11. answered
    JusticeAndrew Scheer (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). substantive question.Answer directly states awareness came only from newspapers and denies any transfer into his AG role.As a Quebec member of Parliament who reads the newspapers, I did know about this case, but it does not transfer into my role as Attorney General.
  12. answered
    JusticeAndrew Scheer (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). substantive question.Answer gives a clear yes-or-no response to the specific question about contact before appointment.Mr. Speaker, the answer is no.
  13. deflected
    JusticeAndrew Scheer (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). loaded question.Answer addresses current AG and PM statements but ignores the request for the former AG to speak.as the Prime Minister said earlier today, neither my predecessor nor myself have received directives with respect to the dealing of this particular case.
  14. deflected
    JusticeAndrew Scheer (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). loaded question.Answer repeats PM's denial and calls allegations false instead of allowing the former AG to respond.As the Prime Minister stated earlier today, the allegations contained in The Globe and Mail article are false.
  15. deflected
    JusticeMr. Mark Strahl (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). loaded question.Answer restates the no-direction claim without addressing why the former AG was removed.as the Prime Minister said earlier today, neither he nor anyone in his office directed my predecessor or myself to come to any particular result in this case.
  16. partly answered
    Indigenous AffairsMr. Charlie Angus (NDP) asked Carolyn Bennett (Liberal). substantive question.Answer acknowledges concerns and mentions ongoing meetings but does not commit to sending an independent medical team.Today we are in direct connect with the leadership of Cat Lake on all the challenges it is facing.
  17. answered
    Indigenous AffairsMr. Charlie Angus (NDP) asked Mr. Dan Vandal (Liberal). substantive question.The answer directly addresses the barriers and lack of action by detailing ongoing work and meetings with the community.We are accelerating work on needed repairs.
  18. deflected
    JusticeMr. Michael Cooper (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). loaded question.The answer avoids the question about firing and instead repeats the no-direction claim.No direction has been given to myself in regard to this decision.
  19. deflected
    JusticeMr. Michael Cooper (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). loaded question.The answer sidesteps the yes-or-no firing question by restating the no-direction point.No such direction has been given to me.
  20. deflected
    JusticeMr. Pierre Paul-Hus (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). loaded question.The answer ignores the pressure and firing questions and reiterates the no-directives line.there was no pressure on my predecessor and there were no directives.
  21. misdirected
    JusticePeter Kent (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). loaded question.The answer dismisses the allegations without addressing demands for accountability or answers.the allegations contained in the article are false.
  22. partly answered
    Employment InsuranceMs. Brigitte Sansoucy (NDP) asked Jean-Yves Duclos (Liberal). substantive question.The answer discusses past EI improvements but does not confirm support for increasing weeks to 15.We made the five EI special benefits that were already in place when we took office more flexible and more generous.
  23. answered
    Indigenous AffairsMs. Niki Ashton (NDP) asked Mr. Dan Vandal (Liberal). substantive question.The answer addresses the mould crisis by stating remediation work is underway and will finish soon.Work is currently under way to remediate mould at the school, and it is anticipated that it will be complete by the end of the week.
  24. deflected
    JusticeMs. Leona Alleslev (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). loaded question.The answer evades the firing question and repeats the no-direction statement.no such direction was given to my predecessor.
  25. deflected
    JusticeMs. Leona Alleslev (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). loaded question.The answer addresses only the absence of direction rather than the stated reason for the firing.as the Prime Minister said, no direction was given to my predecessor in regard to this decision.
  26. deflected
    JusticeMr. Gérard Deltell (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). substantive question.The answer repeats the Prime Minister's denial without confirming whether the former attorney general was pressured.neither he nor his office exerted any pressure or issued any directives in this matter.
  27. deflected
    JusticeMr. Gérard Deltell (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). substantive question.The answer again states there was no pressure without addressing the former attorney general's experience.there was no pressure, there were no directives, not from him or from his office on this matter.
  28. answered
    PharmacareMr. Gord Johns (NDP) asked Ginette Petitpas Taylor (Liberal). substantive question.The answer explains the government's plan to address pharmacare through an advisory council.we have moved forward with the implementation of an advisory council on the implementation of a national pharmacare program.
  29. partly answered
    TransportMs. Sheri Benson (NDP) asked Mr. Terry Beech (Liberal). substantive question.The answer explains the federal funding offer but does not address why it was made conditional.We have come to the table with funding for the provinces, but if the premiers of Saskatchewan and Manitoba are not willing to sit down, then they are leaving their own residents out in the cold.
  30. deflected
    JusticePierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). loaded question.The answer denies pressure or direction but does not confirm whether conversations occurred.no such direction was given, no such pressure was made with respect to my predecessor.
  31. deflected
    JusticePierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). substantive question.The answer dismisses the allegations without confirming whether the prosecution was discussed.the allegations contained in The Globe and Mail article are false.
  32. deflected
    JusticePierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). substantive question.The answer states the minister was not privy to the meetings without confirming whether the prosecution was discussed.I was not privy to those discussions.
  33. misdirected
    JusticeMr. Mark Strahl (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). loaded question.Answer discusses current AG's lack of pressure instead of addressing the firing of the former AG.at no point have I been pressured or directed by the Prime Minister or the Prime Minister's Office to make any decision on this or any other matter.
  34. partly answered
    YouthMs. Anne Minh-Thu Quach (NDP) asked Mr. Peter Schiefke (Liberal). substantive question.Answer confirms PM oversight and promises future news but provides no details on the youth policy status.It has been working on the implementation of Canada's very first youth policy for two years.
  35. deflected
    JusticeErin O'Toole (Conservative) asked David Lametti (Liberal). loaded question.Answer cites court proceedings to avoid addressing document release or political interference claims.It is improper for me to comment further on this issue as the matter is before the courts.
  36. misdirected
    Natural ResourcesMr. Gabriel Ste-Marie (Bloc) asked Mr. Joël Lightbound (Liberal). loaded question.Answer pivots to past Conservative record and Quebec growth rather than addressing pipeline spending or Quebec-specific support.That is why Quebec has seen phenomenal growth over the past three years, as well as lower inequality.
  37. deflected
    The EnvironmentMs. Monique Pauzé (Bloc) asked Mr. Sean Fraser (Liberal). loaded question.Answer lists government climate actions and attacks opposition instead of addressing the oil sands investment question.It is disappointing that the opposition cannot be as honest as the member for Beauce and admit that their plan is to do nothing.
  38. partly answered
    Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipMr. Mario Beaulieu (Bloc) asked Mr. Matt DeCourcey (Liberal). substantive question.Answer notes ongoing collaboration but declines to address the specific request about not thwarting Quebec legislation.It is too early to comment on the content of the bill, but we look forward to examining it and will work with the Government of Quebec on this issue.
  39. misdirected
    Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipMr. Mario Beaulieu (Bloc) asked Mr. Matt DeCourcey (Liberal). substantive question.Answer shifts to correcting prior language about the Conservative leader instead of explaining the non-response.I would be happy to retract my use of the word that implicated the leader of the Conservative Party earlier and insert instead "fearmongering"
  40. answered
    Business of the HouseMr. Mark Strahl (Conservative) asked Bardish Chagger (Liberal). substantive question.Answer directly lists the planned House business for the specified periods.this afternoon we will continue with the second reading debate of Bill C-91 , the indigenous languages act.