House of Commons Debates VOLUME 148 Ï NUMBER 003 Ï 1st SESSION Ï 42nd PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Monday, December 7, 2015 Speaker: The Honourable Geoff Regan CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) 21 HOUSE OF COMMONS Monday, December 7, 2015 The House met at 11 a.m. [English] It is already abundantly clear that we have our work cut out for us. Prayer If there is a common thread woven throughout everything that we heard on Friday, it is that the Liberal devotion to big activist government is alive and well. We on this side of the House find this SPEECH FROM THE THRONE disturbing for the following two reasons. Ï (1105) First, big government is expensive government. It makes an [Translation] assumption that runs counter to one of the most deeply held beliefs we have as Conservatives. We trust Canadians and the money they RESUMPTION OF DEBATE ON ADDRESS IN REPLY work so hard for is better left in their own pockets than in the hands of politicians here. The House resumed from December 4 consideration of the motion for an address to His Excellency the Governor General in Second, activist government is often intrusive government. It reply to his speech at the opening of the session. restricts our personal and our financial liberty. It operates under the Hon. Rona Ambrose (Leader of the Opposition, CPC): Mr. assumption that important decisions, decisions about everything Speaker, I would like to begin by recognizing that yesterday was the from how we raise our children to how we go about our business, to anniversary of the Montreal massacre. It is a day that we should how we spend our golden years, are best made by the state rather never forget because it reminds us all of the need to work together to than by an individual. We disagree with that. end violence against women. There is still much work to be done, Therefore, we will be steadfast in our efforts to hold the and our party wants to work with all members in this area. government to account and we will be generous with constructive [English] and respectful advice when we see it going astray. We hope in turn that the government will listen. I want to welcome back to the House my colleagues in all parties and acknowledge that despite the disagreements we have had in the An example was the plans for resettling refugees. We are past, and I am sure that we will have in the future, we all share a encouraged that Canadians were able to convince the government deep and abiding love, a true patriot love, for our country. of the errors in its original plans, that it was willing to embrace a more sensible approach that reflected our ability to help the most We wish our colleagues across the floor well and we respectfully desperate people from a war-torn region, while minimizing the risks remind them that in their new role they must govern responsibly for of the safety and security of Canadians. So many questions still all Canadians, not only for the millions who voted for them but also remain about this process, and let us face it, the Liberal Party had a for the millions who did not. promise but not a plan. However, as I said, we are encouraged that it listened and it has revised its approach. On a personal note, I want to thank the voters of Sturgeon River— Parkland for their vote of confidence in me on October 19. I love the We would like to think that the same is possible when it comes to region that I represent and I love the people who I represent, many of the government's election promise to remove the Royal Canadian Air whom are going through tough times right now. I want them to know Force and our CF-18s from the bombing mission against ISIS. that the challenges they face are top of mind for me. I will be Ï (1110) pressing the government on finding solutions to help the thousands of Albertans who are going into Christmas without a job. [Translation] [Translation] It is alarming that the threat of ISIS, as well as the men and women who are putting their lives on the line in the fight against As Her Majesty's official opposition, our role in Parliament is to ISIS, did not warrant a mention in the throne speech. hold the new government to account, particularly with regard to its management of the public purse. We will be the taxpayers' Unlike the Liberal government, President Obama did talk about watchdog. the threat of ISIS last night. 22 COMMONS DEBATES December 7, 2015 Address [English] this. It comes from one place, and that is out of the pockets of Canadians. He told the American people: Ï (1115) In Iraq and Syria, air strikes are taking out ISIL leaders, heavy weapons, oil tankers, infrastructure. And since the attacks in Paris, our closest allies—including [Translation] France, Germany, and the United Kingdom—have ramped up their contributions to our military campaign, which will help us accelerate our effort to destroy ISIL. We know that the government plans to grab as much money as it [Translation] can by ending tax fairness for families with its plans to take away the universal child care benefit and income splitting for couples. President Obama did not mention Canada because it is clear that we have scaled back our contribution since November 4. All of that will come out of the pockets of hard-working [English] Canadians. The Prime Minister has told our allies that we will be pulling out [English] our CF-18s in the fight against, what President Obama called “cult of death”, ISIS. We have no indication to date that the Prime Minister and his Minister of Finance have a plan beyond hoping that the budgets will While on the international stage we saw leaders of the western finally balance themselves after years of high spending. Rather, if world come together, coalescing around the fight against ISIS. The left unchecked, every indication is that the Liberals will run massive impression that was left with Canadians and the international deficits, raise taxes, and in the end will cut programs and benefits community was that our prime minister was consumed with taking because they cannot tax their way to prosperity and spend their way selfies. I mention this because it was mentioned to me many times by out of debt. This is the choice facing all governments: responsible constituents. It was not that we had a leader who was going to step fiscal management in the present or painful austerity in the future; up and stand resolutely shoulder to shoulder with our allies, but one living within our means today or leaving our children and who consistently reminded Canadians of an election promise, even grandchildren to pay the bills for years to come. after the attacks in Paris and Beirut. In conclusion, we will continue to demand at every turn a fiscally The Prime Minister has offered no sensible argument for pulling responsible approach that is fair to all Canadians. We will be a voice our air force out of this fight because, frankly, there is not one. for taxpayers as we believe, and we are confident most Canadians Meanwhile, President Obama made clear last evening that the share this belief, that is the best path forward for our country. reasons for remaining part of the bombing mission were clear and unambiguous. [Translation] It is not too late for the Prime Minister to change course. The We believe and we are confident that most Canadians share the reality is that when we talk about Canada's new approach to fighting belief that Canadians know how to manage their money. They know ISIS, Canada is not back, Canada is backing away. Our offer stands. how to go about their lives, how to manage their own families and Should the government change its position and allow our air force to businesses, and how to achieve their goals. They do not need the continue bombing ISIS along with our allies, it would have our full government to do it for them. They want their government to create support. an environment in which all Canadians can turn their dreams into [Translation] reality. We heard a long list of promises on Friday, but where are the [English] plans for fulfilling them? We certainly heard nothing about an economic plan. These are our Conservative values. They have always been our values and they will continue to guide us as we fulfill the time- [English] honoured responsibility of our current office as Her Majesty's loyal The government was silent on support for private sector opposition. businesses and industries, which actually create the good, stable, well-paying jobs on which Canadian families depend. There was no Given our values and our position, the official opposition cannot mention of the auto, forestry, or energy sectors. There was no support the throne speech as it is presently written. mention of a plan to help the more than 60,000 Albertans who would be facing Christmas without a job. It was silent on the role of the With that, I propose the following amendment to the address in agricultural industry and farmers from coast to coast in Canada. It reply to the Speech from the Throne. I move: was silent on whether it would leave us on the outside looking in That the motion be amended by adding the following: “and regrets to inform Your when our friends and partners ratify the trans-Pacific partnership, the Excellency that your government has not acknowledged that many of its promises do biggest trade deal in history.