House of Commons Hansard #41 of the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was chair.
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
Mr. Speaker, the very first thing we did when we came into office as a government five years ago was raise taxes on the wealthiest 1% and lowered them for the middle class and, if I could remind everyone, the NDP voted against that.
Jagmeet Singh NDP Burnaby South, BC
Mr. Speaker, to be clear, is the Prime Minister prepared to bring an end to tax havens, to loopholes, and ensure that the wealthiest Canadians pay their fair share?
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
Mr. Speaker, since the beginning of this pandemic we have been focused on providing help to Canadians who need it. We invested in community organizations, charities and in direct assistance for families who needed it across the country. That remains our priority.
Jagmeet Singh NDP Burnaby South, BC
Mr. Speaker, let us look at the decisions that the government has made. The Prime Minister moved very quickly to give nearly $1 billion to his friends at WE, but, to date, Canadians living with disabilities have not received any support.
When will all Canadians living with disabilities finally get the help they need?
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
Mr. Speaker, we have done a lot for Canadians right across the board, including Canadians with disabilities, but we know we need to do more. That is why we put forward a proposal to do more for Canadians with disabilities, but unfortunately political games in the House prevented us from being able to move forward on it.
We continue to work on delivering for Canadians with disabilities despite the opposition of the Conservatives.
Jagmeet Singh NDP Burnaby South, BC
Mr. Speaker, we have seen some serious concerns across the country with the use of wellness checks by police. In some cases, we have seen wellness checks by police result in the death of the person who was supposed to be checked.
Will the Prime Minister commit to a review of the use of wellness checks and the way they are conducted, and ensure that health care providers and health care professionals are responding instead of the police?
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
Mr. Speaker, Canada has a problem with systemic racism. This is something that has gone on for far too long. I want to thank all Canadians who are speaking up now and lending their voice to moving forward on this cause.
We have just had two days of cabinet retreats in which various ministers have been tasked with specific responsibilities to move forward on things like policing, on justice reform and on a broad range of issues that will counter the systemic discrimination that exists in the country.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, did anyone in the Prime Minister's office discuss the $900 million contract with WE with anybody in the WE organization?
Bardish Chagger LiberalMinister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth
Mr. Speaker, I would first like to remind everyone that the Canada student service grant was an opportunity for students to connect with not-for-profits and be able to participate in their communities to help.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, did anyone in the Prime Minister's office discuss this $900 million contract with anyone at WE?
Bardish Chagger Liberal Waterloo, ON
Mr. Speaker, the independent non-partisan public service actually referred and suggested that we use WE Charity. We accepted its recommendation.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, did anyone in the PMO talk with anyone at WE about this contract?
Bardish Chagger Liberal Waterloo, ON
Mr. Speaker, the public service made a recommendation that we should use this charity. We accepted its recommendation and proceeded.
Bardish Chagger Liberal Waterloo, ON
Mr. Speaker, yes, our government is always here to support Canadians, because we know it is an unprecedented and challenging time. We will be there—
COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, so the minister confirmed that the PMO did talk with WE.
Did the Prime Minister or any member of his family talk directly with WE about this contract before it was awarded, yes or no?
Bardish Chagger Liberal Waterloo, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is really important that the member correct the record, because the member should not be putting words in my mouth.
What I have said clearly is that the public service made a recommendation. We accepted its recommendation.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, l asked a yes or no question and I finally got a yes. It was merciful that we finally got an answer. If the minister wants to correct herself, then I will allow her to do that, as the House will welcome that clarification.
Again, yes or no, did anyone in the PMO talk with anyone at WE about this contract before it was awarded?
Bardish Chagger Liberal Waterloo, ON
Mr. Speaker, as has clearly been stated, the public service made a recommendation for WE Charity to advance this program. We accepted its recommendation.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, so we have gone from yes to maybe.
I have a different question now. Will the government table the list of all other organizations that were considered as potentially able to deliver this $900 million student volunteer program?
Bardish Chagger Liberal Waterloo, ON
Mr. Speaker, as the member knows very well, yesterday at the finance committee, members of all parties passed a motion to have us appear and this information be made available.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, how many different organizations were considered before the $900 million was granted to WE?
Bardish Chagger Liberal Waterloo, ON
Mr. Speaker, once again for clarification, a third party was recommended by the public service to advance this program. When it comes to the suite of programs we put forward for students, it is a suite of programs of $9 billion to ensure—
COVID-19 Pandemic and Other MattersGovernment Orders
