Debates of the House of Commons
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43rd PARLIAMENT, 2nd SESSION House of Commons Debates Official Report (Hansard) Volume 150 No. 089 Tuesday, April 27, 2021 Speaker: The Honourable Anthony Rota CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) 6213 HOUSE OF COMMONS Tuesday, April 27, 2021 The House met at 10 a.m. Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report. Prayer ● (1005) INDUSTRY, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS ● (1000) Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Carleton, CPC) moved that the fifth re‐ port of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technolo‐ [English] gy, presented to the House on Friday, March 26, 2021, be concurred PORT OF MONTREAL OPERATIONS ACT, 2021 in. Hon. Filomena Tassi (Minister of Labour, Lib.) moved for leave to introduce Bill C-29, An Act to provide for the resumption He said: Mr. Speaker, today I will be sharing my time with the and continuation of operations at the Port of Montreal. member for Red Deer—Mountain View, or, as I like to call him, the (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) “Earl of Red Deer”. He deserves all of the credit for his work on this particular bill. He is the longest-serving Conservative member * * * on the industry committee. I would like to thank him for his incred‐ [Translation] ible and tireless work at that committee and for his contributions to COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE this important study and the report that we are debating on that study today. JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS Ms. Iqra Khalid (Mississauga—Erin Mills, Lib.): Mr. Speak‐ er, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the ninth Today we are addressing “The Investment Canada Act: Respond‐ report of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights en‐ ing to the COVID-19 pandemic and facilitating Canada's Recov‐ titled “The Shadow Pandemic: Stopping Coercive and Controlling ery”. With the economic calamity brought on by the government's Behaviour in Intimate Relationships”. mismanagement of the COVID crisis and with its mismanagement of spending regulations and taxes, the Investment Canada Act came [English] to the forefront of debate one year ago and still resonates, as this INTERNATIONAL TRADE piece of legislation gives the federal government the power to re‐ view foreign investments in Canada under two broad criteria: na‐ Hon. Judy A. Sgro (Humber River—Black Creek, Lib.): Mr. tional security and the net benefit review. Speaker, I am pleased to be able to present the fifth report of the Standing Committee on International Trade, “Main Estimates 2021-2022: Vote 1 under Invest in Canada Hub”. Foreign direct investment reviews are critical in areas that are In accordance with this order of reference of Thursday, February sensitive to national security, but they can be absolutely necessary, 25, the committee has considered vote 1 under Invest in Canada as it is important to protect industries that are linked to the security Hub in the main estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, of the nation. With the growing phenomenon of rare earth and other 2022, and reports the same. minerals and resources that not only furnish us with our quality of life, but protect our security and our sovereignty, it is important to CANADIAN HERITAGE ensure we do not surrender these resources to hostile foreign pow‐ Mr. Scott Simms (Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, ers. They include “natural resources, food and medical supply lines, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official infrastructure (telecommunications and transportation), media and languages, the fourth report of the Standing Committee on Canadi‐ culture, the health sector, the hotel industry (given the need to pro‐ an Heritage in relation to the motion adopted on Friday, October tect personal information), as well as some emerging technologies 23, 2020, regarding the challenges and issues faced by the arts, cul‐ such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum information processing, ture, heritage and sport sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic. and semiconductors.” 6214 COMMONS DEBATES April 27, 2021 Routine Proceedings It is clear these sectors should have the ability to operate in a I am very concerned. Basic questions were asked. In his role as way that allows for competition and customer choice, however it is CFO, what financial information was requested by the Government equally important that they not become the successful target of hos‐ of Canada in its decision to order the CSSG? His answer, “I do not tile foreign powers that seek to acquire them not for any market- know.” What assurance did WE give the government that it could driven purpose, but rather to threaten the security and sovereignty handle the financial load? “I do not know.” That was their CFO. of our nation. That is why this report is so important. Mr. Li's signature is on the service contract. Why was the contract retroactive to May 5? He does not know. What assurances was he To that end, I will cede the rest of my time to the real expert on given on May 5 onward that expenses would be covered? He does this subject, the member who has done more work than anyone on not know. it, and that is the hon. member for Red Deer—Mountain View. Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Presi‐ dent of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and to the Leader of the Govern‐ I would like to ask my hon. colleague about this. This is $500 ment in the House of Commons, Lib.): Madam Speaker, I must million-plus that we were going to give to the Kielburger brothers. say I am a little disappointed in the Conservatives, but not sur‐ They just walked in, signed this deal, and yet their CFO cannot an‐ prised. Yet again they are moving a motion to prevent the govern‐ swer basic questions about due diligence. ment from being able to debate the very important issues before the House. I can understand there are certain aspects the opposition does not want to debate, for example, the legislation on net zero, which was one of the scheduled pieces of legislation for some dis‐ Hon. Pierre Poilievre: Madam Speaker, the member asked some cussion. After all, their position seems to be flip-flopping on the very good questions. He is absolutely right. price of pollution. Today, I think, they are in favour of it. Does the member recognize the importance of allowing the gov‐ ernment to be able to deal with absolutely critical legislation at this time of year? Why do the Conservatives continue to want to frus‐ The Prime Minister personally intervened to award a half-billion- trate the government's legislative agenda, when they themselves dollar contribution to a group that had paid his family a half-million will ask why the government is not passing enough legislation? dollars, yet Mr. Li, supposedly the chief financial officer of the WE Charity, does not have the most basic information about this half- ● (1010) billion-dollar grant that he would have presumably been adminis‐ Hon. Pierre Poilievre: Madam Speaker, let me start by pointing tering as the CFO. This particular individual has gone missing for out the obvious fact that everyone in the House recognizes: no one roughly a year now. wastes more time in Parliament than that member. No one is, in fact, more capable of compressing so many words into so little sub‐ stance as him. Indeed, I have had constituents say that they wish they could hit a fast-forward button when he stands up in the When I originally asked for him to testify at the finance commit‐ House. Perhaps the legislative agenda of the government would tee on the WE scandal, he wrote back saying he was too sick, so move more quickly if he would say a little bit less and do a little bit apparently he is still too sick to testify. We asked him to answer more. questions in writing and his answer is that he does not know any‐ thing about anything. I guess he is taking a page out of the ministe‐ I am also very sorry that the member does not want to discuss the rial playbook where the government has sent ministers to the com‐ protection of the sovereignty of our industries that are crucial to our mittee whose top answer to the most important WE scandal ques‐ national security. Maybe he just wants to sell all of our critical tions has been, “I don't know”. strategic industries to Communist China, which his leader admires for its basic dictatorship. We Conservatives actually think that Par‐ liament should be discussing how we protect our strategic indus‐ tries against hostile foreign takeover. Mr. Earl Dreeshen (Red Deer—Mountain View, CPC): Finally, if the member is so concerned about moving Parliament Madam Speaker, it is indeed an honour for me to speak to this mo‐ along he should talk to his Prime Minister about why he shut the tion this morning. I thank the member for Carleton for recognizing place down for two months straight. the number of years I have been associated with the industry com‐ mittee, and I am honoured to present some of the findings in this That is how I would respond to his never-ending complaining particular report. about the opposition's use of Parliament to debate critical issues that affect the lives of Canadians. Mr. Charlie Angus (Timmins—James Bay, NDP): Madam Speaker, speaking of Liberal filibusters, we have finally gotten the Few things are as important to my constituents and to all Canadi‐ documents from Victor Li, although his lawyer said that it was WE ans as how the government supports workers, families and busi‐ Charity, or maybe the Kielburger brothers, who answered the com‐ nesses in these unprecedented times, and few things are as impor‐ mittee's questions.