Debates of Dec. 10th, 2021

The House resumed from December 2 consideration of the motion for an address to Her Excellency the Governor General in reply to her speech at the opening of the session, and of the amendment.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Ama sqit, Madam Speaker. I will be sharing my time with the member for Winnipeg North.

It is a great privilege for me to rise to speak in support of the historic Speech from the Throne by Her Excellency Mary Simon, Canada's first indigenous Governor General. Over the last two years, Canadians have faced unprecedented new challenges, from a global pandemic to raging wildfires and extreme flooding, from a lack of affordable housing to the tragic discovery of unmarked graves at residential schools. The last two years have been a trying time for Canadians of all backgrounds from coast to coast to coast.

However, despite these challenges, Canadians have come together, united by common goals and shared values. These shared values are the thread that ties together our national identity. Values like compassion, courage and determination have been on display in spades as Canadians have pulled together to overcome unprecedented challenges.

It is this resilience and a commitment to these values that have inspired our government's priorities for the new parliamentary session because that is what Canadians voted for. They gave parliamentarians a clear mandate to collaborate and work together to deliver our future based on these values and to build a country where everyone has a fair chance at success. These values have already seen us through many of the darkest days of the pandemic and will form the basis for our recovery plans. Canadians have shown determination and compassion as they made personal sacrifices for the well-being of their families, friends, total strangers and the public good. These values have been a vital part of how Canadians have helped keep each other safe, and our government is determined to continue cultivating them as we look to finally put the COVID crisis behind us.

Canadians have voted for a government that will mirror the compassion they have shown each other during these difficult times. They chose a government that recognizes the challenges that are leading to unequal outcomes for equity-seeking groups and a government that is committed to acting on them. Our government has already passed the ban on harmful conversion therapy with the unanimous consent of the House, and we will continue to take determined action to fight systemic racism, sexism and discrimination of all forms because everyone deserves to feel safe and respected and have an equal opportunity for success.

Perhaps nowhere is the need for action more evident than along the path to reconciliation. There was a collective outpouring of grief this year as much of our country learned for the first time about the horrific history of residential schools with the discovery of unmarked graves at these sites. Walking the path of reconciliation will require the courage to listen to and learn the truth behind Canada's history with indigenous people. Our government is committed to facing this head-on and will shine a light on that truth to ensure that we can move forward in partnership, with indigenous people in the driver's seat.

The government will respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action and appoint a special interlocutor to further advance justice on the legacy of residential schools. The government will invest significantly in a distinctions-based mental health and wellness strategy guided by indigenous people and will make sure that communities have the resources and support they need to keep families together. The values that have gotten us through the pandemic will continue to guide us as we build back better in partnership with indigenous Canadians to a more just and equitable future.

Just last month, Nanos conducted a poll of Canadians asking if they thought the next generation of Canadians will have a higher or lower standard of living than we have today. Sixty-three per cent of respondents said that the standard of living in the future would be lower. That is why we also need to move forward with courage. We need the courage to tackle the biggest challenges of our time, challenges like reconciliation, housing, affordability and, of course, climate change. Canadians chose to take strong and courageous action to build a better future, and this throne speech shows the government received that message and is committed to taking action to deliver on that mandate.

It has become plainly evident that if we are going to build a more prosperous future, there is no time left to waste on climate action. B.C. is already facing the consequences of climate change. Unprecedented heat waves, fires and flooding have ravaged the province and cost hundreds of British Columbians their lives just this year alone. The consequences are severe and they are only to get worse unless we move forward on the real climate action that Canadians voted for.

That is why this government is committed to capping emissions from the oil and gas sector and accelerating our path forward to a 100% net-zero future. We are also mandating the sale of zero-emissions vehicles and investing in public transit to build more human-oriented, affordable and sustainable cities. We will make sure cities, public transit and zero-emissions vehicles are powered with clean electricity as we invest in modernizing our electrical grid to make it 100% net zero by 2035. Importantly, our government is launching consultations on all these new measures by the end of this month.

We know that we need to work with our indigenous partners so we can meet our ambitious commitment of protecting 30% of our land and oceans by 2030. Our government has much to learn from the leadership and collaboration that recently saw Howe Sound Atl'ka7tsem declared as Canada's 19th UNESCO biosphere region. Protecting and preserving our biodiversity will be vital to preserving the health of our country's unique ecosystems and preventing the rise of new pandemics.

Getting to net zero and halting climate change is of the utmost importance, but we also need to adapt to the ways in which our climate is already changing. That is why the government is developing the first-ever national adaptation strategy, so we can make sure that we are prepared to withstand the effects of a changing climate. We need to work to build resilient infrastructure and communities that can withstand increasingly frequent weather events like those we have seen this year in B.C.

While we tackle these challenges head-on, we will need to work hard to ensure that nobody is left behind. We need to ensure that Canadians can afford to live the sort of lives that make this country the best place on earth.

In addition to raising over a million Canadians out of poverty through the Canada child benefit, we know that Canadian families are still quite stretched when it comes to the rising cost of living. For this reason, we have already signed child care agreements with nine provinces and territories that will cut fees in half in the next year and build hundreds of thousands of new child care spaces right across the country.

I know this will be a lifeline for families in Squamish who are currently stuck waiting years to get a child care spot, and if and once they do, it often costs them over $100 a day. With this agreement, 40,000 new spots will be created in B.C. alone, and we will get to $10-a-day child care within five years or less. Building an affordable child care system will not only help families save more of their hard-earned money, but will also be a shot in the arm for our economy as we allow more parents to get back into the workplace and alleviate the current shortage of labour we are experiencing right across the country.

We also need to tackle the worsening affordability of housing. The government is committed to continuing to build more and better housing as quickly as possible. The housing accelerator fund will invest $4 billion to build capacity at the local government level so that 100,000 new middle-class homes will be built, while encouraging better zoning bylaws and transit-oriented development so we can build more sustainable and affordable communities that provide a higher quality of life. Even still, we know breaking into the housing market can be a challenge for new homebuyers, so we are going to help families by improving the first-time home buyer incentive, bringing in a new homeowners' bill of rights and creating a rent-to-own program, among a swath of other measures to help reduce the barriers to home ownership.

It is clear that now is the time to act on the biggest challenges we face in our country. There is no time to waste if we are going to build a future of prosperity, inclusivity and sustainability. Canadians have made their choice on how they want us to build back from the pandemic. They want a chance to believe that the future will be better than the past. They want to live on a planet with a healthy climate and clean air. They want the chance to own a home and to have a family. They want their children to inherit a better standard of living than they had. This is a future we all want, and now it is time to move forward with the same compassion, courage and determination we have seen during the pandemic and build that future together.

?ul nu msh chalap.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Madam Speaker, the member mentioned the child care program agreements that are being put in place. I would like him to tell me how these programs are going to work for families in smaller rural communities, like Grindrod in my riding of North Okanagan—Shuswap, or Lumby or the Scotch Creek area, where there are no government-organized day care services. How about shift workers who do not work nine-to-five jobs? They will not have access to these programs. How does the program being promoted here help those people?

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Madam Speaker, this is a very important question. Even in my riding, which is not entirely within a downtown urban core, we face the same challenges. There is a huge wait-list for people to get access to child care, and it is a big challenge when we get into smaller communities.

The agreement we signed with B.C. is going to create 40,000 new spaces, and it is important that those spaces are available where they are most needed. It is also important that there are flexibilities. Child care is of course delivered by the provinces and territories, so much of the discretion is up to the provinces.

We can now see the details of the agreement. It was just released online yesterday or the day before. It goes through different items regarding how B.C. is going to deliver on this, and the action plan it has for each subsequent year.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech.

He talked about the environment and helping families. However, over the past few days, we have realized that seniors have once again been left out. They have not been mentioned. They are being ignored.

Yesterday, during the supply day on housing, the government mostly talked about people purchasing their first home, but what seniors need is better access to more social, community and very affordable housing. What seniors need is to be given help as of the age of 65. The government is not talking about that. It is completely ignoring seniors.

Some seniors are getting poorer because their guaranteed income supplement has been cut for administrative reasons. The government is not talking about that.

I would like to hear what my colleague has to say about seniors who need help. They have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, but there is nothing for them.

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her important question.

As I said in my speech, as we look to the future, we need to think about everyone, particularly seniors.

We have implemented a number of programs, including the rapid housing initiative, which seeks to create affordable housing for the people who need it most, like seniors.

My colleague said that our government has not been there for seniors. I disagree. Over the past two years, we have given money to the most vulnerable seniors, and we will continue to be there for them, for example, by increasing old age security.

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

Madam Speaker, the member talked about climate change and I know he is concerned about that. The government, in the Speech from the Throne last year, promised legislation on the just transition for workers. However, there was not a single mention of that. Nothing was done last year, and there was no mention of it at all in this Speech from the Throne.

Why is there a lack of ambition there?

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Madam Speaker, we launched consultations on the just transition a few months ago. This is very much a priority. It is in our campaign platform as well and I think it is important.

I mentioned that we cannot leave anybody behind as we are going through these transitions. We absolutely need to be there for workers who are now very concerned about what their future is going to hold. That remains a priority of this government, and I look forward to seeing the results of this consultation and the legislation that will be forthcoming after that.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise to speak to the throne speech, and to a lesser degree to the amendment proposed by the Conservative Party, because if we read the amendment from the Conservative Party its members have really missed the boat.

I want to start by responding to some of the questions from the opposition party. If we listen to what the government has said over the last number of months and within the throne speech, and the issues the Conservatives have raised, the government is in fact beyond concerned and is taking action.

For example, the Conservative member made reference to child care. For the very first time in Canada, the government is moving forward to create tens of thousands of spaces in every region of our country. For the first time, we have a Prime Minister and a government that have recognized the importance of affordable child care. We are now entering into agreements with the provinces and territories to ensure $10-a-day child care. That is going to have a profoundly positive impact on our communities, both urban and rural, whether direct or indirect.

All we need to do is look at what happened in the Province of Quebec when it instituted $10-a-day child care. Taking a good idea from one region of the country, and expanding it and implementing it nationally, is going to create opportunities for thousands of people who would have had to defer getting a job in the future or deal with the rising costs of child care. More people will be engaged in employment as a direct result, and children will have quality care. That is the bottom line. That is the answer to the Conservative question.

Then we have our friends in the Bloc, who talked about seniors. I would challenge the members opposite to reflect on this. We came into government in 2015. Prior to that, what did the Conservative Party do for seniors while it was in government? Let us look at what we have done. From day one, we dramatically increased the guaranteed income supplement that lifted tens of thousands of seniors across Canada out of poverty, hundreds of whom are in Winnipeg North. We were there for them leading up to the pandemic, and when the pandemic hit we gave direct payments to not only our poorest seniors but to all seniors. We also made the commitment to increase old age security for seniors age 75 or older. Those benefits are direct cash in their pockets.

I would also mention the indirect things we have done for seniors, such as the new horizons program and increased program funds to support seniors, as well as supporting non-profit organizations throughout the pandemic that were there for seniors all across our land.

The opposition trying to give the impression that this government does not care about seniors, or is not doing enough for seniors, is misleading at best. At the end of the day, I do not have any problems comparing what we have done for our seniors. That is not to say that we are done. We have a minister responsible for seniors who is very much in the community consulting with seniors and stakeholders to figure out what else we can do to continue to support seniors going forward.

The NDP ask about workers and the whole idea of transition and support programs. I would remind my NDP colleagues of the degree to which this government has stepped up to the plate. When the worldwide pandemic hit Canada, we had a government and a Prime Minister that were there every day, seven days a week and 24 hours a day, to ensure that we were developing the programs that were going to be there to support Canadians and businesses.

We can talk about the CERB program that supported millions of Canadians in all regions of our country, or the wage subsidy program that supported tens of thousands of businesses, thereby also saving tens of thousands of jobs, or the rent subsidy program. These programs really mattered. They put disposable income in the pockets of Canadians. They provided a lifeline to businesses, whether in the arts, the private sector or the non-profit sector. The government was there in a very real way.

As a government, we recognize that the impact has not ended. COVID-19 is still there today, and we recognize that. The battle is not over. That is why we continue to promote and encourage the idea of getting fully vaccinated. Over 86% of Canadians are fully vaccinated. We all have a role to play in the promotion of that.

A week or so ago, the new premier of the province of Manitoba, Heather Stefanson, made it very clear in her caucus that if members were going to continue to sit in the house they had to be fully vaccinated. Former leader Brian Mulroney gave his opinion on the issue. If people want to be part of the Conservative caucus, they had better be fully vaccinated. For Canada to be able to continue to do well, especially in comparison to other countries, we need to recognize the millions of Canadians who stepped up and recognized how important it was to become fully vaccinated. It is making a very real difference today.

More jobs have been put back in place today than we had pre-pandemic. We are doing exceptionally well on the job front. There are many jobs out there. We continue to work at expanding the economy the best that we can. We continue to work with provinces to ensure a sense of co-operation in identifying industries and jobs and using retraining programs. Literally hundreds of millions have been invested by this government to ensure that we can train people for the jobs that are going to be there for Canadians.

We have a very proactive Minister of Immigration working with provinces to get ahead of industries where we can. We have to put it in the perspective of keeping Canadians safe, and we do that by having people who travel to Canada either be fully vaccinated or quarantined. These initiatives and policy decisions are based on the fact that we have to continue to be diligent. COVID-19 has not disappeared yet.

The throne speech highlights the fact that the battle is not over yet. We should not let our guard down. That is why we passed Bill C-3. I was really encouraged to see all members of the House supporting Bill C-3 going to committee. That is what Canadians want. They want us to be working together. The mandate that was given was very clear: The Liberal plan was the best plan, and there is an obligation for all of us to work together. That is why there is a minority situation.

I see that my time has expired, but hopefully I will get a question or two.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Madam Speaker, my colleague from Winnipeg North's frivolous speeches are always so fun to listen to. He said that Quebec made a good decision in 1997 when it set up its own child care network. That was 24 years ago. If this file is so important to the Liberal Party, why did it not take action sooner? The Liberals held the reins for 13 of those years, including as a majority government, but somehow, they did not think of setting up a child care program or even proposing one. If it was that important, why are they just getting around to it now?

Today I would like to mark an unhappy anniversary. A year ago, the Prime Minister called a meeting with all the Canadian premiers, including Quebec's, to talk about health transfers. A total of 81% of Quebeckers want the government to increase health transfers, so the Prime Minister committed to increasing them, but a year has gone by and nothing has happened. How many surveys will it take? How many more times will the premiers of Quebec and the provinces have to push for this? When will this government actually increase health transfers?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Speaker, I would love to fully answer that question, but it would take me a good 20 minutes to do.

The government under Paul Martin had a child care agreement, and a coalition of the Bloc and the NDP defeated that minority government and stopped that in its tracks. However, this Prime Minister, this government and the Liberal members of this caucus pushed and ultimately made it an election platform, and now we have materialized on that commitment. Today, we have a majority of provinces on board and signed up, and we are moving forward on a national child care program.

Canadians also care about mental health and the importance of the national government having a leadership role in the area of health care. We are also prepared to deal with that leadership role.

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

Madam Speaker, I would like to ask a question in regard to the universal child care program being suggested. Cardus did a major study on this, and I would like the member's comments.

The government is choosing to spend money on day care spaces in a national system instead of strengthening the full ecosystem of care that Canadian families currently use and that many prefer because it better meets their needs and exists throughout the country, regardless of population density.

Further, it treats all families the same, regardless of financial need. This concerns me, as it is our low-income and single parents who need this support, yet so often this funding is going directly to individuals who do not need it and they are not provided with the care space that they need.

Why is the government choosing to go this route, rather than focusing on those who truly need the support? If the payments were allocated by a means test vehicle, such as the Canada child benefit, those with the lowest incomes—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Speaker, the member reinforces the fact that the Conservative Party of Canada just does not get it. A vast majority of Canadians understand and want affordable child care, and that is what Canadians are getting because, as a government, we recognize the direct and indirect value for every rural and urban region. Canada will benefit because of this national child care program. We will have affordable child care and we will have more people in our workforce.

The benefits far outweigh any sorts of negatives that the Conservatives continue to espouse. I wish they would get onside and support it. Fortunately for Canadians, we do not need the Conservative party's support on the child care plan because most progressive politicians recognize the—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

We have time for a brief question.

The hon. member for South Okanagan—West Kootenay.

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

Madam Speaker, we have had an unnecessary election. We have an almost identical Parliament, yet the government is moving with absolutely glacial speed at getting things going again.

Could the member explain what is going on over on the other side of the aisle?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Speaker, I would disagree. I was here last spring and June, virtually or in person, and that election was absolutely necessary. Canadians ultimately renewed this government's mandate. In fact, we picked up a couple of seats and, I believe, the New Democrats picked up one seat. At the end of the day, there is a new mandate. We are prepared to work with Canadians and others at fulfilling that mandate.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure and an honour for me to rise to speak in response to the Speech from the Throne, which was delivered over two weeks ago.

As one might expect, I would like to take a moment to thank a number of people and to recognize the work, commitment and dedication of the huge team I had behind me during the last election. First of all, I must highlight the invaluable contribution made by volunteers who gave their time and kept showing up, day after day, during the election campaign. I would like to name a few. I feel a bit ungrateful doing this, because there are so many people who take care of us and our schedules and who see to our every little need. In short, we have a lot of people supporting us. I will have a chance to talk more about it later, but in my case, this was my seventh election campaign. Every time a campaign starts, I have what feels like an army of about 300 people who suddenly show up and lend a hand. It seems ungracious to name only a few, so I would like to extend my thanks to all the others as well. I want to say a big thank-you to Denise, Jean-Pierre, Marie-Ève, Sarah, Claude, Rock, Bruno, from our association, and Yvon. I also want to sincerely thank all the others, and they know who they are, of course.

I would like to thank my father, Claude, who is 86 and still very sharp. He loves politics maybe even more than I do. He is a man who is always there for me, always ready to listen. When I need to vent, I still turn to him today at age 54. I thank him, and I want him to know that I love him very much. I thank him for being there for me.

My mother is no longer on this earth, but I know she is with me.

There is also my son, François‑Xavier, my big six-foot-four boy, who is becoming an accomplished young man and who has been by my side for a long time. I got into politics in 2003. He was seven at the time and missing his two front teeth. I have wonderful photos with him. He is probably the one who has paid the highest price for my political involvement.

Everyone here knows what it means to have a life in politics, especially as a parent. It is very demanding. One day, when I was reflecting on my political involvement, I asked my son, who was then 11 or 12, what he thought about it. He said I should do what I love in life. He gave me his stamp of approval and that may be why I have lasted in politics so long. I owe him everything. I thank him, I love him and I am proud of him. I am very proud to be his mother.

I want to thank my partner, Dany, who is patient, open-minded, positive and cheerful. I am not sure if he likes politics, but he certainly likes his girlfriend. I thank him from the bottom of my heart. I love him and thank him for being there for me. Nothing would be the same without him.

I would like to thank my party, who welcomed me with such kindness and openness. There are some francophones in the caucus. Everyone makes an effort to stop by and see me. We speak in French. I would like to say that I noticed and that I appreciate it. Thank you. I especially want to thank them for their warm welcome. They are incredible. Finally, I would like to thank our leader for the heartfelt discussions we have had. He loves Quebec. I will say it once more today: He is a remarkable man. I am pleased to be supporting him.

I would like to talk about political commitment. We are all moved by a desire for dedication and change. It is a rather crazy thing to be getting into politics these days, because it is not always very popular. However, at the end of the day, just as we lay down to sleep, we tell ourselves that perhaps we helped someone that day or changed someone's life. That is how we give meaning to our commitment.

I have been involved in politics for over 15 years. I started out at the provincial level, spending 15 years as an MNA and 10 years as a minister. I know what political commitment means and what it represents. I know what it means to assume the responsibility we are given when we come to Parliament and represent our constituents. We have a responsibility. There are 338 members who represent 38 million people, and that is really quite something.

We essentially have three roles as members of Parliament. First, of course, we have our role as legislators. We want to pass the best laws possible and improve people's lives. We want to be visionaries.

Our second role is to help people, our constituents and the businesses in our riding. Politicians are the ones who do this, because otherwise the work would have to be done by deputy ministers, and that is not what we want. What we want are politicians who care and who are able to get things done for people, to help them through the sometimes opaque and complicated bureaucracy, to help them with situations that might not otherwise get addressed.

Our third role is to be auditors, to review expenditures and assess how and why they are being made and whether they are appropriate. That is part of our job.

I may have digressed a little to talk about who I am and to thank people, but my speech today is in response to the throne speech, and I want to talk about the economy.

The throne speech is particularly disappointing. The government's vision is lackluster and narrow and there was no effective plan forward. That may be because the throne speech contains nothing, or nearly nothing, on the economy.

Quebec and Canada are in a full-blown labour shortage crisis. We have tried to get that point across every way we can think of. We keep asking questions about this issue, but the government refuses to answer, and the throne speech is silent on the subject.

What about balancing the budget? Not a word. How is that possible in a throne speech? When the government that has been in power since 2015 runs higher deficits every year, that inevitably runs up the debt. My colleagues are right: that is shameful. Plus, there is only one sentence about inflation.

A throne speech is supposed to present a unifying vision of the government's priorities, so how is it possible to deliver a throne speech without mentioning the three issues I just raised, if only very superficially?

In 2014, the Prime Minister said the budget would balance itself. That is a fantasy, a fallacy. That is not how it works. I do not understand how the Prime Minister could have said such a thing or how the throne speech could reflect what he thinks or what he did and failed to do.

The government was far more concerned about its image and holding an absolutely pointless $600-million election, rather than dealing with the economic issues facing Canadians and Quebeckers.

I want to talk about the deficit and debt. I mentioned it earlier, but it is frightening to watch the government navigate with such huge sails, but no rudder.

I looked at the debt numbers, but I am going to refer to an article written by columnist Michel Girard that is both fascinating and frightening. His article details some numbers that are troubling, to us and to Canadians.

The deficit has grown from $2.9 billion in 2016 to $354 billion in 2021. That is a lot of money. The debt, meanwhile, went from $634 billion to $1.234 trillion. That number is so huge, I cannot even count it or figure out how many zeros it has.

I see that the Chair is telling me that my time is up. That is too bad, because I still had a lot to say. I will certainly have the opportunity to do so during questions and comments.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis for her speech.

I agree with her when she says that this government has huge sails, but no rudder. I would add that there is no wind in their sails, either. Just because you have a sail it does not mean that you are getting anywhere.

Speaking of wind, this throne speech is rather insubstantial. I am a college teacher by training and what I see is a speech that is actually just a few lines long but has been double-spaced and typed in large font to make it about 15 pages long. I have never seen anything so short on substance. The Liberals were not even able to hide the lack of content.

First, I would like to know whether my colleague agrees with the member for Shefford and me, and whether she is outraged that the member for Winnipeg North is boasting about the fact that the throne speech discriminates against seniors and he is fine with that.

Does my colleague agree that there is a huge fiscal imbalance? The whole issue of child care—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Order. I must give time to other members, so that they can ask questions. I would ask people to keep their preambles short when asking questions.

The hon. member for Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Madam Speaker, obviously, I think that we should have the freedom to take exception to things. That is part of raising awareness of the issues that affect us. If we take exception to something, it means that we are aware of what is happening around us and to us.

I think that the throne speech is sterile, uninspired and insipid. It does not have any impact on Canadians and does not give any answers. It says nothing. It does not set out a plan or a strong vision.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Madam Speaker, first of all, I congratulate the member for her speech in the House of Commons.

I certainly know that she has many ideas to share with the House. Perhaps the member will continue to share the ideas that are important to her.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Madam Speaker, this warm welcome and my colleagues' friendliness towards me and the entire caucus is what I was trying to convey earlier, and I thank him.

I am someone who bounces back. I like to stand up for my constituents and everyone else for just causes. I want to assure my colleague that I will always defend our people, our constituents and everyone in our riding. I have no shortage of ideas. I will most definitely have the opportunity to share them with my colleagues. That is why we are here.

[Élisabeth Brière, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, the member for Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis says that she takes exception to some things. We take action.

On the one hand, she says that we did nothing, and on the other hand she complains that we spent too much. In my riding, people were very pleased, especially with the Canada emergency wage subsidy, which helped save and maintain many jobs.

I would like to know where she would have made cuts.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Madam Speaker, I take exception to the fact that this government is not addressing Canadians' needs, is not addressing the labour shortage, is not addressing inflation and has no plan to balance the budget. This affects Canadians' wallets. That is what we will be debating here in the House.