House of Commons Hansard #6 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was c-2.

Topics

HousingOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

I am going to interrupt the hon. minister. I am having a hard time hearing him. I am going to ask him to start from the beginning again so I can hear the whole answer.

The hon. minister.

HousingOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Liberal

Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to put our record on affordable housing against the Conservatives' record any day. They spent $250 million a year for every year they were in office on affordable housing. In contrast, we have invested over $27 billion as part of the national housing strategy. We intend to move forward on a housing accelerator fund, which will work with the municipalities to create more affordable housing and more housing supply. Ours is the government that introduced the first-time homebuyer incentive to enable more Canadians to have access to the dream of home ownership. Those are the facts.

HousingOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON

Mr. Speaker, the minister's defence on housing is that not only are homes more expensive under the current government than they were under the previous Conservative one, but also the programming is now 100 times more expensive, so now it is more expensive for homebuyers and for taxpayers.

However, I noticed the Minister of Finance was too afraid to get up and answer a question about house-price inflation that she has caused. I was specifically asking about the 20% increase in both land prices and housing prices since she took her job. She cannot pass the buck to another minister or to another country.

When will she explain why house prices have risen so much?

HousingOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

University—Rosedale Ontario

Liberal

Chrystia Freeland LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, I am very glad that we are spending some time today talking about the Canadian economy. As finance minister, let me point out what is the single most important economic policy in Canada today, and that, as the emergence of a new variant on Friday has reminded us, is the fight against COVID. It is not over and the single most important tool in our tool box is vaccination. Therefore, I would like to urge the Conservatives to get on board and help us end this COVID pandemic.

The EconomyOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Conservative

Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC

Mr. Speaker, that is why our first five questions on Friday had to do with that important issue.

There is also another important issue affecting all Canadian families, and it is especially brutal for middle-class families. That is the skyrocketing cost of living.

Prices have risen 4% on food, 6% on basic personal care items, 10% on transportation and 22% on housing.

The government has no plan for inflation. Does it realize that its policies are causing the lowest-income Canadians to pay much more and that they are being hit hard by this government's lack of authority?

The EconomyOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Burlington Ontario

Liberal

Karina Gould LiberalMinister of Families

Mr. Speaker, our government has taken action on the cost of living for families. One of the first things it did was increase the Canada child benefit.

The government has committed to reducing the cost of day care.

We understand how important it is to make sure that we are there for families, and we are going to continue to do that.

The EconomyOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Conservative

Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC

Mr. Speaker, Philip Cross, the former chief economic analyst at Statistics Canada, clearly outlined the situation. He stated that the government is responsible for today's inflation.

He wrote in the Financial Post: “The government is driving inflation. Governments must work to eliminate their deficits or the upward pressure on interest rates will intensify”.

Instead of ignoring the problem, what will the government do?

The EconomyOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

University—Rosedale Ontario

Liberal

Chrystia Freeland LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite would have Canadians believe that inflation is a made-in-Canada problem, but Canadians know that this problem exists in most countries around the world.

In fact, just last week, even the Leader of the Opposition admitted that it is a global phenomenon.

I therefore have a question for the Conservative member. Who is the real voice of economic policy for the Conservative Party?

The EconomyOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Conservative

Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC

Mr. Speaker, it is coming. In two years, when the Deputy Prime Minister has finished writing her book, she will be on this side of the House. She will be the one asking questions.

I would nevertheless like to remind her that inflation in Germany, Italy, England, Austria and France is much lower than what Canadian families are dealing with, because this government failed to quell inflation.

What will the government do to help all Canadian families cope with inflation?

The EconomyOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

University—Rosedale Ontario

Liberal

Chrystia Freeland LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, I know that Canadians, like the Leader of the Opposition, understand that inflation is a global phenomenon.

Here are some numbers to back that up. In October, Canada's inflation rate was 4.7%. In the United States and Mexico, it was 6.2%. In New Zealand, it was 4.9%. The G20 average was 4.6%.

Those are the numbers. Those are the facts.

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Bloc

Rhéal Fortin Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC

Mr. Speaker, Quebec and Montreal are grappling with a criminal gang war fuelled by cross-border arms trafficking. Solving this problem starts with the federal government tightening up border controls.

Smugglers move weapons across the border at locations that fall under multiple jurisdictions because that causes confusion among different levels of government.

The Bloc Québécois has a solution: create a joint task force to tackle arms trafficking. It should include Quebec, provincial, federal, indigenous and U.S. police forces.

Will the government take the lead on this initiative and launch a joint task force immediately?

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Eglinton—Lawrence Ontario

Liberal

Marco Mendicino LiberalMinister of Public Safety

Mr. Speaker, one life lost to gun violence is one too many. To curtail smuggling, we have made investments at the borders. The CBSA reported 16 illegal firearms cases last year. In addition, we have established a joint forum with the United States to combat gun violence. We are continuing to work with all of our partners, even the Quebec government, to combat gun violence.

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Bloc

Kristina Michaud Bloc Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC

Mr. Speaker, on Friday, I asked the minister if he could commit to doing everything he can at the border to stem firearms trafficking. He said, “yes, absolutely”. Those were his exact words, and I believe him.

Today, the Bloc Québécois proposed a joint task force to combat firearms trafficking. This solution has worked in the past for cigarette and drug smuggling. I will say it again: The minister committed to doing everything he can at the border to fight firearms trafficking.

My question is simple: Will the minister set up this task force?

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Eglinton—Lawrence Ontario

Liberal

Marco Mendicino LiberalMinister of Public Safety

Mr. Speaker, we understand that more needs to be done to combat gun violence, which is why we have imposed a ban on firearms and military-style weapons, and why we continue to invest in adding resources at the borders. We will continue to take concrete steps and to seek and find concrete solutions together, with my colleague.

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Bloc

Kristina Michaud Bloc Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC

Mr. Speaker, the time for talks is behind us. Right now, gun violence is claiming lives in Montreal and terrorizing entire neighbourhoods. What the Bloc is proposing is not a working group or discussions with the U.S. or information sharing between police forces, but a joint task force with people from all the police forces working together full time in the field against gun traffickers at the borders.

Will the minister accept the Bloc Québécois' invitation and take action?

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Eglinton—Lawrence Ontario

Liberal

Marco Mendicino LiberalMinister of Public Safety

Mr. Speaker, we will be there to take more action. We are pleased with the Bloc Québécois's interest in taking action to prevent gun and gang-related violence in our communities. However, when we announced a significant investment in budget 2018 for our border officers and our law enforcement officers to better prevent, detect and deal with gun smuggling, the Bloc voted against it.

We announced investments for the provinces and territories, and we will continue to bring in the necessary measures.

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Conservative

Kerry-Lynne Findlay Conservative South Surrey—White Rock, BC

Mr. Speaker, since the fall of Kabul, fewer than 4,000 of our Afghan partners have arrived in Canada. Afghans were standing shoulder to shoulder with our armed forces on the ground, putting their lives on the line to help us. These partners are now desperate to flee the brutality of the Taliban.

Why does the government not care about the promises made to our allies. Could the government explain why the safety, security and resettlement of our Afghan partners is not a priority?

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Eglinton—Lawrence Ontario

Liberal

Marco Mendicino LiberalMinister of Public Safety

Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by standing in solidarity with those Afghans who supported the Canadian mission while we were there. That is the reason why we introduced a special immigration measures program that allowed us to resettle approximately 4,000 Afghan refugees despite the very challenging circumstances that remained on the ground as a result of the Taliban.

In addition to that, we also introduced a humanitarian resettlement program that would resettle 40,000 Afghan refugees, focusing on women, girls and targeted minorities. That is work I hope all members in the chamber will support, because it is the right thing to do.

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Conservative

Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary Forest Lawn, AB

Mr. Speaker, the situation in Afghanistan is devastating. Religious minorities, women's rights leaders and democratic activists continue to hide, labelled as enemies of the Taliban. Afghan interpreters who stood alongside our Canadian forces and their families continue to be hunted and targeted.

After almost 120 days since Kabul fell, less than 4,000 refugees have been rescued, and a data breach exposed hundreds of refugee names.

When is the government going to take its responsibility seriously and evacuate those people who are in so much harm?

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Eglinton—Lawrence Ontario

Liberal

Marco Mendicino LiberalMinister of Public Safety

Mr. Speaker, I assure my colleague and all members in the chamber that this government is taking that responsibility seriously every day. That is why we took the challenging decision to send back our Canadian Armed Forces and why, thanks to their brave and courageous performance, we were able to evacuate approximately 4,000 despite the very challenging circumstances.

Not only that, we will continue to deliver on our humanitarian goals, which we doubled from 20,000 to 40,000, so we can continue to provide a bright future for those who are most targeted by the Taliban.

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Conservative

Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary Forest Lawn, AB

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government pats itself on the back for abandoning people who served Canada. Afghan interpreters and other persecuted religious minority groups are still receiving no support from the government.

While the Prime Minister called a selfish election and abandoned those who served Canada in Afghanistan, veterans and NGOs have stepped up and are helping refugees escape. The minister is also throwing these partners under the bus, stating that they are acting too slow.

Why would anyone want to serve Canada ever again when all the inept Liberal government will do is abandon them?

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Eglinton—Lawrence Ontario

Liberal

Marco Mendicino LiberalMinister of Public Safety

Mr. Speaker, I will tell you who this government is patting on the back. We are patting the backs of veterans who helped support our humanitarian efforts. We are patting the backs of the Canadian Armed Forces that helped us evacuate approximately 4,000 despite the very challenging situation in Kabul. We are patting the back of the Afghan Canadian diaspora that has stepped up day and night, 24/7, to provide humanitarian support for the Afghan families that have already arrived in Canada.

We will continue to do that work proudly with all of them.

Government ProgramsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

NDP

Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

Mr. Speaker, last week, Campaign 2000 released a report that showed that 40% of children in Winnipeg Centre lived in poverty. Instead of addressing high poverty rates, the government is clawing back benefits from low-income families, causing food and housing insecurity.

The Liberals did not claw back pandemic supports from rich corporations that paid out dividends and bonuses to their wealthy shareholders, so why is the government cutting CCB payments from the lowest-income families in Manitoba?

Government ProgramsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Burlington Ontario

Liberal

Karina Gould LiberalMinister of Families

Mr. Speaker, I share my colleague's concern, because it is important for this government to make sure that we are supporting those with the lowest incomes, particularly families, across the country.

We know that families in particular have been impacted by unpredictable added expenses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That is why, through the CCB, we are providing additional payments this year to help families through this difficult time. Families are receiving up to $1,200 per child under the age of six, with the first payment of up to $600 made last May. This will benefit about 1.6 million Canadian families and about 2.1 children under the age of six.

HousingOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

NDP

Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC

Mr. Speaker, in Vancouver, nearly 40% of the unhoused are indigenous peoples. For the last four years, the Liberal government has claimed that it is working on a “for indigenous, by indigenous” urban, rural and northern housing strategy. So far, there has been no progress and it did not even bother to mention it in the throne speech. This glaring omission is a disgrace given the urgent need and its promise of reconciliation.

It is time for the Liberals to be honest. Is a “for indigenous, by indigenous” housing strategy no longer a priority for the Prime Minister?