All sittings← 2019-06-182019-06-20 →
Wednesday, June 19, 2019 · sitting No. 437
Commons debates CUSMA bill as session winds down
The House spent the largest share of its time on the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act. Conservative MP Dan Albas told the House that Canada had not sought the renegotiation but must respond to the outcome of the U.S. election. Liberal MP Lloyd Longfield replied that the government had held its ground on steel and aluminum provisions with support from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
Question period featured repeated exchanges on the Trans Mountain pipeline. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said the government had misled Canadians by promising construction would begin within a year. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau answered that the project would start this summer after proper consultation with Indigenous peoples and environmental review.
Further clashes centred on ethics findings against the Prime Minister and the SNC-Lavalin affair. Conservative MPs Candice Bergen and Alain Rayes cited four violations of the Conflict of Interest Act. Trudeau responded that the opposition was resorting to personal attacks rather than addressing jobs and poverty reduction.
Decided that day
- Senate amendments to Bill C-75 passed
- Closure motion passed
- Diabetes Awareness Month motion passed
- Bill C-331 defeated at second reading
- Ways and Means motion No. 34 passed
- Bills C-88, C-98 and C-101 advanced one stage each
- Four new private members' bills introduced
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 · 2019-06-19
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
Carbon Pricing
Conservative MP John Brassard said 48 per cent of Canadians are $200 from insolvency and the carbon tax will worsen their situation. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau replied that the climate action incentive returns more money to middle-class families than the tax costs.
Read the exchangeVeterans Affairs
Conservative MP Mark Strahl said the Prime Minister paid $10.5 million to Omar Khadr without a fight yet spent over $40 million opposing veterans in court. Trudeau answered that any violation of Charter rights requires compensation and that the government has invested $10 billion in veterans over four years.
Read the exchangeAgriculture and Agri-Food
NDP MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau said dairy and cheese producers lose $450 million a year and no compensation has been paid under CETA five years after her motion passed unanimously. Trudeau replied that the government is working with producers while the NDP opposes trade agreements.
Read the exchangeSri Lanka
NDP MP Cheryl Hardcastle moved a motion extending condolences to victims of violence in Sri Lanka and calling for justice and protection of religious minorities. The motion received unanimous consent.
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
- deflectedNatural ResourcesAndrew Scheer (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer attacks prior government record instead of addressing the broken 2019 promise or current delay.
for 10 years, Stephen Harper tried building pipelines to new markets and failed.
- deflectedNatural ResourcesAndrew Scheer (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer repeats Harper criticism and Kinder Morgan detail rather than explaining the missed deadline.
for 10 years, Mr. Harper and his Conservatives failed to get one pipeline built to new markets.
- deflectedNatural ResourcesAndrew Scheer (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer claims success and mocks Conservatives instead of addressing nationalization or lack of construction plan.
the Conservatives just will not take yes for an answer.
- deflectedNatural ResourcesAndrew Scheer (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer again blames Conservatives for past failures rather than providing a start date or construction timeline.
the Conservatives still do not understand why they failed for 10 years to give the support to the Canadian economy that was needed.
- deflectedFinanceAndrew Scheer (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer pivots to criticizing the opposition climate plan instead of addressing allegations of insider deals.
We have been waiting 416 days to see this climate plan, but members will forgive Canadians for being a little skeptical about what is going to be in that climate plan
- partly answeredThe EnvironmentMr. Jagmeet Singh (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Answer states that every dollar from the project will fund clean energy transition, addressing the investment question.
every dollar from this project will be invested in Canada's clean energy transition.
- deflectedThe EnvironmentMr. Jagmeet Singh (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer repeats environmental record and project benefits instead of addressing fossil fuel subsidies or emissions targets.
ast four years, we have done more for the environment than any other government in Canada's history.
- misdirectedThe EnvironmentMr. Jagmeet Singh (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer turns to questioning NDP recognition of indigenous support rather than addressing the climate emergency versus pipeline contradiction.
My question for the leader of the NDP is, why will he not recognize that there are indigenous communities that actually support this pipeline expansion?
- partly answeredThe EnvironmentMr. Jagmeet Singh (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer justifies the pipeline approval via rail comparison and revenue investment but does not directly rebut the claim that it fails to protect the environment.
By building a pipeline in a responsible manner, in partnership with indigenous peoples, and by committing to invest all tax revenues from the pipeline in the clean energy transition, we know that we are building a better and more prosperous future for Canadians.
- misdirectedEthicsCandice Bergen (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer ignores the ethics questions entirely and pivots to attacking Conservatives while listing economic achievements.
once again, we see the Conservatives unable to actually challenge us on the economy, on the environment and on indigenous peoples, so they choose to sling mud.
- misdirectedJusticeCandice Bergen (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer avoids the SNC-Lavalin pressure allegation and instead attacks the opposition for repeating questions while touting jobs and poverty reduction.
It is really a sign of desperation as we head to meet with Canadians and talk about our plan for the next four years.
- misdirectedEthicsMr. Alain Rayes (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer sidesteps the RCMP and Ethics Commissioner meeting count and accuses Conservatives of personal attacks while listing economic stats.
The Conservatives are focusing their attention on us, while we remain focused on Canadians.
- misdirectedJusticeMr. Alain Rayes (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer evades the Norman and SNC-Lavalin career-ruining claims and instead contrasts party records on environment and economy.
They can vote for a party that protects the environment, creates economic growth and shows respect for Canadians by lifting hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty and putting Canada back on the international stage, or they can vote for the Conservative Party, which learned nothing from the Harper government's failures, continues to make divisive personal attacks, and continues to focus on me while we are focusing on Canadians.
- misdirectedJusticeLisa Raitt (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer ignores the differential treatment of ethics breaches and pivots to economic accomplishments while accusing Conservatives of focusing on petty issues.
while the Conservatives remain focused on us, we will stay focused on Canadians.
- deflectedJusticeLisa Raitt (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer avoids apologizing to Admiral Norman and instead highlights the volume of questions answered compared to Harper.
I will highlight that during these Prime Minister question periods, I have taken over 3,200 questions from the members opposite, including 237 different MPs.
- partly answeredThe EnvironmentMr. Alexandre Boulerice (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer defends the pipeline revenue plan for clean energy but does not address why not redirect the full $15 billion immediately to renewables.
Every dollar from this project will be invested in Canada's clean energy transition.
- deflectedThe EnvironmentMr. Peter Julian (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer attacks NDP economic views instead of addressing the pipeline, reconciliation or Paris Agreement claims.
They think there is a choice to be made between protecting the environment and growing the economy.
- deflectedEthicsPeter Kent (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer changes the subject to Conservatives' understanding rather than answering when the PM last spoke with Jaspal Atwal.
once again, we see on this final day of the mandate, our final last days of this mandate, that the Conservatives continue to not understand what Canadians—
- deflectedPublic SafetySteven Blaney (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer accuses Conservatives of fearmongering without addressing the reported plan to bring ISIS fighters to Canada.
the Conservatives are once again playing extremely dangerous games with public opinion and with the truth itself.
- misdirectedVeterans AffairsMr. Mark Strahl (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer pivots to a general Charter lecture and attacks Conservatives instead of explaining the Khadr payment versus veterans litigation.
When we violate the rights of anyone in Canada, all of us end up having to pay.
- misdirectedVeterans AffairsMr. Phil McColeman (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer attacks the Conservatives' record on veterans instead of addressing the Khadr payment versus veterans court spending.
the member opposite well knows that he was part of a Conservative Party that nickel-and-dimed veterans and used them for photo ops
- partly answeredAgriculture and Agri-FoodMs. Ruth Ellen Brosseau (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer states the government is working with farmers on compensation but attacks the NDP rather than giving a timeline or plan.
we are working with farmers and dairy producers to ensure that they receive proper compensation for losses incurred under trade agreements
- answeredHealthMs. Rachel Blaney (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer directly addresses the dementia strategy and offers to follow up on the specific OAS denial case.
I am not familiar with the case that the member opposite brings up, but I will ensure that we follow up on that one.
- misdirectedFinanceMr. Gérard Deltell (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer attacks Conservative deficits and policies instead of acknowledging or explaining the four Liberal deficits.
I will take no lessons from the Conservatives, who ran eight consecutive deficits.
- deflectedFinanceMr. Gérard Deltell (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). rhetorical question.The question states an apology without posing any query that can be answered.
the Conservatives added $150 billion to our national debt, all while posting the worst economic growth under any prime minister since R.B. Bennett during the Great Depression.
- deflectedFinancePierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer attacks the prior Conservative record instead of addressing why promises on taxes should be believed.
That member opposite was part of a government that added $150 billion to Canada's national debt with nothing to show for it, the worst growth rate since the Great Depression.
- deflectedFinancePierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer pivots to criticizing Conservative spending choices rather than addressing which promises will be broken.
Instead, the Conservatives invested in signs, door-knobs and gazebos.
- partly answeredIndigenous AffairsMs. Georgina Jolibois (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer explains the need for consultations but does not confirm whether the minister will meet the Dene.
We have a responsibility to meaningful consultations with communities in order to understand and work through the issues that they have brought forward.
- deflectedThe EnvironmentMr. Richard Cannings (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer attacks the NDP's targets instead of explaining how the 17% protection promise will be met.
speaking of empty gestures, the NDP have put forward targets with no plan to reach them.
- deflectedCarbon PricingMr. John Brassard (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer defends the carbon pricing plan but does not address the specific Loblaws grant or impact on those near insolvency.
The reality is that the climate action incentive and our plan to put a price on pollution actually get more money in the pockets of middle-class Canadians than without a price on pollution.
- deflectedImmigration, Refugees and CitizenshipMr. Pierre Paul-Hus (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer dismisses the tweet's role and describes the system without admitting any mistake.
I am sure the hon. member does not think this is because of something I tweeted a few years ago.
- misdirectedEthicsMichelle Rempel (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer discusses anti-money laundering funding instead of addressing the alleged double standard involving the member.
With budget 2019, we created the action, coordination and enforcement team and the money laundering centre of expertise.
- misdirectedGovernment PrioritiesMr. John Barlow (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer attacks Conservative tax policy instead of addressing the airport funding question.
it is always interesting to hear the Conservatives pretend they stand up for the middle class.
- partly answeredGovernment PoliciesMr. Jagmeet Singh (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer lists specific Liberal actions on pharmacare, housing and poverty but does not directly explain why Canadians must settle for less.
We have lowered the prices of drugs by taking an approach that includes creating collaboration with provinces as we move forward toward pharmacare.
- misdirectedCanada Summer Jobs ProgramMs. Rachael Harder (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer pivots entirely to abortion rights and attacks Conservatives rather than addressing the summer jobs funding or terrorism-links allegation.
The fact of the matter is that we have seen around the world women's rights eroded by conservative governments, by conservative leaders, by conservative politicians.
- answeredThe EnvironmentMs. Monique Pauzé (Bloc) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer directly rebuts the environment-versus-economy premise and explains the pipeline decision and green investment plan.
The reality is that the only way to move forward as a society is to protect jobs and the environment at the same time.