MASSE CALLS ON PM TO STOP DUMPING GARBAGE: PM Responds by Misleading Canadians

Hansard

May 29, 2019

  Mr. Brian Masse (Windsor West, NDP): Mr. Speaker, Canadians would like to take pride in our exports. My hometown produces an award-winning electric vehicle, that we are proud to ship worldwide.

    The Prime Minister is undermining Canada’s reputation when he allows hundreds of garbage containers of household waste, plastics and recyclables to be dumped to rot in other countries.

    When the Environment Minister was called out by the Philippines and Malaysia, the response is its own dumpster fire as Canadian taxpayers now have to pay millions of dollars to pick up these companies’ trash. The Prime Minister will not sign the Basel Convention Ban Amendment to stop companies from doing this.

    Will he inform the House how many more companies he will allow to be his personal dumping destinations?

    Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, we agree with the NDP that it was shameful that the Harper government allowed garbage to be exported without permits or safeguards.

    That is why in 2016, we signed the basel agreement. The NDP needs to get its facts straight on that. We changed our regulations to comply with international obligations and strengthened controls of our exports.

    Despite this garbage having been exported to the Philippines under the Harper government, we are doing the right thing by bringing it back to Canada to ensure that it is properly disposed of.