Debates of May 3rd, 2024

Ethics

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

Members are to make sure that their questions and answers go through the Chair.

The hon. member for Terrebonne.

Small Business

[Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, Bloc, Terrebonne, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a growing number of small and medium-sized businesses, or SMEs, are warning us that the federal government is behaving like a predator when it comes to emergency business account loans. They tell us that they paid off their entire loan to the federal government, but after being just a few days late, sometimes for reasons beyond their control, the federal government is still cutting their $20,000 grant portion.

Out of sheer intransigence, the Liberals are threatening the very survival of businesses and organizations, even after they repay their loans. Why are they being so inflexible toward SMEs acting in good faith?

[Bryan May, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Small Business and to the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for her continued advocacy for small businesses in Canada. We share that view. That is why the CEBA program supported over 900,000 small businesses through the pandemic, and we estimate that 80% of them have repaid their loans so far. As we move away from the pandemic, we are taking serious concrete action to support small businesses, both by providing funding and by cutting costs.

I am getting heckled, of course, by the Conservatives, who voted against every single measure that we have put forward since 2015 to support small businesses.

[Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, Bloc, Terrebonne, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government is supposed to support struggling businesses, not kick them when they are down. This is a very unfortunate situation that perfectly illustrates the federal government's program management.

Once again, when people want to talk to the federal government, there is no one human on the other end of the line. There is no flexibility, no exceptions, no case-by-case consideration and no humanity.

Can the government tell us how many businesses that repaid their loans are still going to be squeezed out of another $20,000 due to sheer lack of compassion?

[Bryan May, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Small Business and to the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, I answered that question in the previous answer, and nearly 80% of small businesses have actually already paid back their CEBA loans. As we move forward from the pandemic, small businesses have nearly three years, until the end of 2026, to repay their CEBA loans, and they have access to a low interest rate of 5%.

Meanwhile, we are investing in communities and strengthening our economy. Budget 2024 has a number of supports for small businesses, whether it is through supporting start-ups with quantum AI.

I am looking forward to more to come to speak to—

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

The hon. member for Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame.

Carbon Pricing

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Mr. Speaker, last week, Winston at the Gander & Area Food Bank confirmed that usage is up 44% in just six months. He is concerned about volunteer burnout. The CEO of Food Banks Canada now says that, because of record-smashing demand, food banks are on the brink.

For folks now forced to use food banks, who never had to do it before, the government and the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister are not worth the cost. Will he stop his increase in carbon tax by 23%, or better still, axe the tax so that Canadians can afford to put food on the table?

[Seamus O'Regan, Liberal, Minister of Labour and Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, there is $1,192 for a family of four in Newfoundland and Labrador, $760 for a family of four in New Brunswick, $824 in Nova Scotia, $880 in PEI, $1,120 in Ontario, $1,200 in Manitoba and $1,800 in Alberta. These are not phony benefits. This is not chicken feed, as has been described by the other side. This is cold, hard cash. This goes into the pockets of Canadians.

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians cannot wait for a Conservative government to restore all the rights and freedoms that the government has destroyed.

After nine years, the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister has driven two million people to food banks. With record-smashing demand and donations drying up, the CEO of Food Banks Canada says that food banks are becoming unsustainable.

Knowing Canadians are suffering, the Prime Minister raised the carbon tax by 23% and refused to pass Bill C-234 in its original form to make food less expensive for Canadians. He is not worth the cost. Why is the Prime Minister punishing the poor and exterminating the middle class?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, wow, a member who has advocated to roll back the rights of women just stood in this place and said that Conservatives cannot wait to implement those measures.

Women will remember what Conservatives are saying. They are saying that they will take away women's rights, just like in the U.S. We will not stand for it.

Correctional Service of Canada

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

Mr. Speaker, do you ever wonder why former inmates who have had vocational training while incarcerated are just as likely to reoffend as those who have not, despite the fact that Corrections Canada claims to have issued 112,000 vocational certificates in the past three years alone? Well, the answer is this: These vocational certificates are meaningless participation awards. In the same period, only 64 inmates in the entire country were able to complete a Red Seal apprenticeship program.

Why has Corrections Canada failed to introduce real vocational certification programs?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, the Harper Conservatives did everything in their power to restrict Corrections from being able to offer offenders vocational opportunities to ensure that there is not recidivism. The Conservatives' own former criminal justice expert has come out condemning Conservative policy, saying that it was not based in facts.

The Conservatives, when it comes to criminal justice, do nothing to keep our communities safe, but we do.

Mental Health and Addictions

[Brendan Hanley, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, the overdose crisis continues to devastate our country, and no region, including the north, has been spared. As a former chief medical officer, I am also deeply concerned by the level of disinformation currently being promulgated by the Conservatives.

The study that I proposed is currently in the health committee; it would allow all parties to travel around the country, learn from experts and make thoughtful recommendations to the government. Can the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions tell us if she agrees that, to address this crisis, we need to work together using the full spectrum of tools that we have?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as the member for Yukon said, we need to trust in science and in health care, not slogans written on the back of a napkin. Canada's model recognizes that prevention and treatment are two ends of the spectrum of care; we must also care for people who are struggling in between the spaces while they struggle with substance use.

People need to be alive to make it to recovery. Canada's model means supporting cities; it means supporting indigenous peoples with the emergency treatment fund; it means preventative measures, such as implementation of the Icelandic model; it means providing law enforcement with the tools it needs; and it means saving lives.

Finance

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this government makes it sound as though everything is going great, that the economy is doing well. The reality is that people are struggling. They are going into debt to cover their daily living expenses.

After nine years of this Prime Minister and his wasteful spending, life is more expensive. Right now, we are paying over $54 billion in interest on the debt. That is more than the health care transfers to the provinces and territories. The Bloc Québécois voted in favour of that. Bloc members say one thing and do the opposite.

Will this Prime Minister, supported by the Bloc Québécois, stop wasting money so that Quebeckers can regain their pride?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I will tell my hon. colleague what Quebeckers have gained.

They got dental care. They got a school nutrition program. They got nearly 35,000 new child care spaces funded by the Government of Canada. They got a housing plan and $1.8 billion to speed up the construction of new housing under an agreement with the Legault government.

With our government, Quebeckers have regained progress, well-being and a government that forges ahead for them.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as I just said, this government thinks that everything is fine. I invite government members to visit a grocery store. Grocery retailers are putting security tags on steaks. That is unheard of.

This Liberal government has been in power for nine years, and our country's debt has doubled. Our friends in the Bloc Québécois are voting in favour of $500 billion in additional funding. How can they trust this government?

Tiff Macklem, the Governor of the Bank of Canada, confirmed yesterday that this government's spending is keeping interest rates high.

When will this Prime Minister, supported by the Bloc Québécois, stop wasting money on the backs of Quebeckers?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, perhaps my colleague did not read the same thing as I did. The Governor of the Bank of Canada—the very one whom the Conservatives promised to fire right away, I might add—said yesterday that he could consider a return to lower interest rates. All of this has been confirmed by international credit rating agencies, such as Moody's. Canada is maintaining its AAA credit rating with a stable outlook. That is gold.

We are responsible, and we are governing for Quebeckers and Canadians.

[Richard Lehoux, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of this Prime Minister, who is not worth the cost, his wasteful spending habits have not changed. As a result, interest rates remain extremely high, as was confirmed yesterday by the Governor of the Bank of Canada, Tiff Macklem.

Back home in Beauce, food bank use has risen by 20% since the start of the year, proof that voting for the Bloc Québécois is costly. That party continually votes to support the government and its $500 billion in centralizing, inflationary spending.

When will this Bloc Québécois-backed Prime Minister stop this wasteful spending so Quebeckers can afford decent housing and food?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the people of Beauce benefit not only from all the investments I have just listed to my colleague opposite, but also from an AAA credit rating. This is the highest possible rating for G7 countries. Moody's spoke specifically about Canada's stable fiscal and economic outlook. This assertion was backed up yesterday by the Governor of the Bank of Canada, who said that he could see interest rates falling in the near future. We are delighted about that, and things are going well.

Diversity and Inclusion

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, democracies across the world are facing growing threats from both state and non-state actors. Of course, this includes direct aggression, like Ukraine is facing, and cybersecurity threats. However, another harmful and constantly growing threat concerns right-wing extremism and conspiracy theorists.

Can the Leader of the Government in the House talk about the importance of standing together in denouncing these threats?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, this past week and, I dare say, this past half hour, have been a sad point in time for Canadian democracy. We have a Conservative Party that is promising, as we have just heard, to shred the fundamental rights of Canadians.

The week in question started on Monday, when I pointed out that the Leader of the Opposition had encouraged white supremacy, anarchy and misogyny.

I do not know what is happening on the other side, but we are drifting into something that is not normal. I invite—

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

The hon. member for South Okanagan—West Kootenay.

Pensions

[Richard Cannings, NDP, South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

Mr. Speaker, wildland firefighters have tirelessly kept our communities safe against devastating wildfires, but despite this dangerous and life-saving work, wildland firefighters are not considered firefighters under the national occupational classification, and this impacts their retirement and pensions. It is absurd that the Liberal government and the Conservatives before them have done nothing to fix this.

Will the Liberals immediately change this, so wildland firefighters can retire with financial security?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to thank all the wildland firefighters, who have done amazing work. We have been working very closely with provincial counterparts to address this issue, but one thing to make clear is that, in fact, we care very deeply about the work that they are doing. That is why we increased the tax credit for the volunteer firefighters as well.

We will do everything possible to make sure we support them.