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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 93

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 21, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 93 - Jun/21/22
Hon. Bill Blair (President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness, Lib.)
  • Jun/21/22 2:57:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the commissioner of the RCMP, in the operations of her police service, is entirely independent of government. I can confirm for the House, as the commissioner has also confirmed, that no such direction or pressure was exerted by any member of this government to influence the commissioner's exercise of her authorities over her police service.
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Mr. Jean-Denis Garon (Mirabel, BQ)
  • Jun/21/22 2:58:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if someone owes the Canada Revenue Agency $20, the CRA will hunt them down to the ends of the earth, but not so for companies like KPMG, which helps millionaires hide their income in the Isle of Man tax haven. Today we learned that KPMG has been cleared by the Canada Revenue Agency. In contrast, in 2005, the United States fined KPMG for the same financial arrangement and filed criminal charges against nine of its executives. In Canada, it did not get so much as a slap on the wrist. Why is the minister giving a free pass to executives and companies that promote the use of tax havens?
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Hon. Diane Lebouthillier (Minister of National Revenue, Lib.)
  • Jun/21/22 2:58:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will say it again to my colleague opposite. Since 2015, we have invested over $2 billion to fight tax evasion. If my colleague wants to contribute directly to the outcome of the investigations, I would be pleased to write him a letter of recommendation and send him to work for the RCMP as an investigator.
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Mr. Jean-Denis Garon (Mirabel, BQ)
  • Jun/21/22 2:59:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in 2017, when the minister was asked if charges would be brought against KPMG, she said: “Yes, because setting up schemes is criminal too.” Today, the Canada Revenue Agency is letting them slip through the net. After clearing the fraudsters, the minister is clearing KPMG. It is unacceptable. Under the law, the minister can order a new investigation and require a third party to direct this investigation to get to the bottom of the matter. Will she personally order this investigation, or does she plan to accept the tax avoidance scheme orchestrated by KPMG?
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Hon. Diane Lebouthillier (Minister of National Revenue, Lib.)
  • Jun/21/22 2:59:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, fighting tax evasion and tax avoidance has always been a priority for our government. For the information of my colleague across the way, who is new, the Canada Revenue Agency is independent, and I do not manage or direct investigations.
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Mr. John Nater (Perth—Wellington, CPC)
  • Jun/21/22 3:00:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday at heritage committee it was revealed that in June 2018, a senior official at Heritage Canada was made aware of the allegations of sexual assault at Hockey Canada, yet for four years the government continued to give Hockey Canada millions of taxpayer dollars while no action was taken to hold anyone accountable or address the dangerous culture that enabled harassment and assault. For four years, Hockey Canada continued to receive millions. Why?
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Hon. Pascale St-Onge (Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, Lib.)
  • Jun/21/22 3:00:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when Hockey Canada reported one case in 2018, it told Sport Canada that the investigation had been handed over to the London police. Now that we are aware of these allegations and there has been an out-of-court settlement, I have commissioned a financial audit to ensure that no public funds were used to cover up this story. It is a appalling story, and this is not the end.
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Mrs. Rachael Thomas (Lethbridge, CPC)
  • Jun/21/22 3:01:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday at the heritage committee, when they were asked questions about the cover-up culture that is so a part of their institution, a Hockey Canada official said, “we're on a journey”. Specifically, they were being asked questions about an alleged sexual assault case involving a gang rape by eight players. The response, “we're on a journey” seemed trite and altogether inappropriate. I simply would like to know this from the minister: Are you happy with the response that was received yesterday? If not, what tangible actions will be taken immediately?
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The Speaker
  • Jun/21/22 3:01:59 p.m.
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Before I go to the hon. minister, I would like to remind everyone in the House to put their questions through the Chair and not directly to each other. The hon. minister.
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Hon. Pascale St-Onge (Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, Lib.)
  • Jun/21/22 3:02:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, like all Canadians, I am disgusted and horrified by this situation, and I am not satisfied with the explanation from Hockey Canada yesterday. This is why we will conduct a financial audit to make sure that no public funds were used. I am looking at all the options to move forward in this case.
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Mr. Kevin Waugh (Saskatoon—Grasswood, CPC)
  • Jun/21/22 3:02:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, we heard damaging testimony from Hockey Canada in relation to the horrendous allegations of an alleged sexual assault that happened some four years ago. Hockey Canada needs to own this. My fear is that someday some of these players will become coaches. The department was notified some four years ago of these allegations. Why did the minister continue to issue funding to Hockey Canada for the last four years?
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Hon. Pascale St-Onge (Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, Lib.)
  • Jun/21/22 3:03:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I said recently, there will be a financial audit to ensure that no public funds were used to cover up this story. Like all Canadians and like my colleague, I am horrified by what we heard yesterday, and we are going to ensure that Hockey Canada is held accountable for what happened.
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Mr. Fayçal El-Khoury (Laval—Les Îles, Lib.)
  • Jun/21/22 3:03:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this weekend, the G7 culture ministers concluded their first meeting to discuss issues and challenges related to culture and media— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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The Speaker
  • Jun/21/22 3:03:55 p.m.
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I must briefly interrupt the hon. member. There is a shouting match going back and forth between a couple of MPs. I do not want to point them out, but I do want to ask them to control their emotions or, for lack of a better word, their anger. I will ask the hon. member for Laval—Les Îles to ask his question again.
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Mr. Fayçal El-Khoury
  • Jun/21/22 3:04:16 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-18 
Mr. Speaker, this weekend, the G7 culture ministers concluded their first meeting to discuss issues and challenges related to culture and media. This was a very important meeting, allowing the G7 countries to work together to protect and promote our cultures and democracies. Could the Minister of Canadian Heritage tell us how Canada is a world leader on these issues?
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Hon. Pablo Rodriguez (Minister of Canadian Heritage, Lib.)
  • Jun/21/22 3:04:52 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-18 
Mr. Speaker, that is a great question and was far better than any of the questions from the opposition. I congratulate my colleague on the excellent, or even extraordinary, work he is doing. I am happy to hear that the opposition appreciates him. Our G7 allies are very interested in what Canada is doing in matters of culture and democracy, especially with respect to Bill C‑18, which would require that the web giants compensate Canadian journalists. Countries around the world are experiencing the same problem. The web giants use our journalists' content and often do not compensate them. This needs to change and we will make these changes with our allies.
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Mr. John Brassard (Barrie—Innisfil, CPC)
  • Jun/21/22 3:05:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there can be little doubt that there was political interference from the Prime Minister's Office and the then public safety minister's office because of the handwritten notes by Darren Campbell, a superintendent in the RCMP in Nova Scotia. In his notes, he wrote, “The Commissioner said she had promised the Minister of Public Safety and the Prime Minister's Office that the RCMP...would release this information.” To release information in an active investigation could have jeopardized the investigation. Who in the Prime Minister's Office, and who in the public safety minister's office, authorized Commissioner Lucki to speak to the RCMP?
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Hon. Bill Blair (President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness, Lib.)
  • Jun/21/22 3:06:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, the answer is no one. Second, perhaps the member opposite is not aware that the Commissioner of the RCMP is the Commissioner of the RCMP and does not require any authorization from anyone else to speak to her own organization. What is also clear, and what the commissioner has made very clear to the Mass Casualty Commission, is that no pressure, no direction and no orders were given to her by any member of this government about doing the job of running her organization.
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Mr. John Brassard (Barrie—Innisfil, CPC)
  • Jun/21/22 3:06:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is not funny, because in his notes, in particular, the Nova Scotia RCMP superintendent said that Lucki had accused them of disobeying her instructions to include specific information about the firearms used by the perpetrator. In his notes, Campbell also wrote that he had told the RCMP strategic communications not to release information about the perpetrator's firearms out of concern that it would jeopardize the investigation. The RCMP commissioner said that she had received instructions from the Prime Minister's Office and Mr. Blair's public safety office— Some hon. members: Oh, oh! Mr. John Brassard: Mr. Speaker, they were from Mr. Blair's public safety office to interfere— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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The Speaker
  • Jun/21/22 3:07:28 p.m.
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When it happened once, we brought it up, which is nice. However, when it gets brought up again, I understand that drama is good for TV, but it is not good for this chamber. The hon. minister.
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