Debates of Dec. 13th, 2021

Criminal Code and Controlled Drugs and Substances Act

[René Villemure, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have to agree.

The House resumed from December 10 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

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

It being 6:30 p.m., the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the amendment to the Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne.

Call in the members.

(The House divided on the amendment, which was negatived on the following division:)

Vote #16

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I declare the amendment lost.

A motion to adjourn the House under Standing Order 38 deemed to have been moved.

The Economy

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Global News recently reported that prices for food products would go up 5% to 7% in 2022. This means a family of four will be spending $1,000 more a year, not on restaurant meals but solely on groceries. This is in addition to the current rate of food inflation, which reached almost 4% this past October.

When I asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance about skyrocketing food prices in November, she said that I was too partisan and that Canadians should be proud of the government's economic accomplishments and Canada's AAA credit rating.

I posted a video of my question along with her response on my social media pages and asked my constituents what they thought about the answer she provided. This is one of the comments I received.

Rick wrote, “What does our country's credit rating have to do with inflation and higher costs to make a living?” I agree with Rick. When the government is trying to convince people that their lives have become better, there is something wrong with that analogy. No rating agencies in the world can make life more affordable and secure the future for Canadians, but the government can and must do so. Rick also asked me to keep fighting for accountability of the government. That is exactly what we as the Conservative official opposition do on a daily basis in the House.

Another one of my constituents, Cathy, said, “The [finance minister] and the [Prime Minister] are so out of touch with regular Canadians...She was disrespectful with her posturing comment.” What is undeniably disrespectful is to suggest that Canadians should be proud of the fact that they will be spending $1,000 more on food in 2022.

When I discovered that the government referred to inflation only once in the throne speech and tied it to child care and housing, I realized how deep the problem was. If these are the only two things the government is planning to implement, hoping to decrease inflation, we are all in trouble.

Often the Prime Minister likes to claim that they are going to spend even more on the programs that we already know do not work. These are exactly the talking points that the Prime Minister and his cabinet use every time we press them to update Canadians on what is being done to fight inflation. Their answer is to spend more.

Let me make a comparison to that theory. If people cannot even afford to own a vehicle and they do not change their oil regularly, or if it snows and they do not change their tires or if they are simply out of gas, it makes no difference how much they spend on auto detailing to make a vehicle look good. It will not get them too far.

Engela from my riding commented that the response I received from the Deputy Prime Minister “was not a suitable” one. “We haven’t heard a satisfactory answer. [This government] is taking Canadians on a path of poverty for so many.”

It is sad but it is true. Poverty in Canada is real. This November, CBC reported that food banks were recording the highest number of visits ever. Food bank representatives called the number of visits “devastating” and “horrific”. What is worse, they said was that the upward trend was expected to continue.

“Justinflation” is hurting my constituents and it is hurting all Canadians. Recent polls show that 80% say the cost of living crisis is making their lives less affordable and 60% of families with kids under age 18 are concerned they might not have enough money to feed their family. What can be worse during the holiday season?

Today, I want to ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, without those repetitive talking points that I mentioned above, to please explain to Rick, Cathy, Engela and other Canadians how more of the same will lead us to anything different?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Brantford—Brant, congratulate him on his election and welcome him to the House of Commons. I welcome this discussion, to be quite frank. I feel that the issue the member is raising is one of the most important issues facing this country and our government. I would like to assure him that it is absolutely top of mind in the work we are doing.

In fact, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance earlier today held a press conference alongside the Governor of the Bank of Canada, Tiff Macklem. They announced today that we would be renewing the bank's mandate to ensure price stability for Canadians, and to ensure stability in the market generally. The renewal of this mandate for the Bank of Canada means that the bank will be targeting a 2% inflation rate, at the midpoint of the 1% to 3% inflation range, showing continuity and ensuring stability.

The inflationary pressures that Canadians are feeling are a global phenomenon. We have said many times in this chamber, and I will say again, that Canada is actually faring much better than most other countries and most of our counterparts. Elsewhere in the OECD, inflation is considerably higher, including for our neighbours down south: The United States' inflation rate today is 6.8%. The latest number in Canada is 4.7%.

That being said, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that inflation and affordability are pressing challenges for Canadians. I felt it at the grocery store this weekend. I know that the constituents of my colleague opposite are feeling it and so are my constituents. I think we need to look at the root cause of this increasing inflation. All of the experts are pointing to global supply chain interruptions, to the global rise in energy prices and to the comeback of the global economy following the COVID-19 shutdown.

There are certainly other structural costs that Canadian families are feeling, including housing and child care affordability. I find it unfortunate that the member opposite is talking down the importance of affordable child care and of attacking the housing crisis here in Canada. Those are two very important factors we are taking into consideration, and we are planning on implementing policies in order to tackle them.

For example, Canadians know the $10-a-day child care program will reduce their overall cost of living. I believe that all provinces have now signed on, save for Ontario. I certainly encourage everybody watching and hearing this debate to lobby the Ontario government in order to get that done as quickly as possible, because it will make life more affordable for families.

In addition to housing, I would like to point out that the member opposite raised the issue of food banks. I find that surprising, given that our government spent so much time over the pandemic to support Canadians, to implement programs, to support workers through the CERB, to support food banks and community organizations that were supporting our communities, and to support our small businesses with wage and rent subsidies, without which they would have shut down.

I would like to understand this. What does the member opposite mean when he says that we should not be investing in these programs going forward? We know the pandemic is still with us, we know there are hard-hit sectors and we know that we need to continue to have Canadians' backs.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is facing devastating problems caused by the pandemic. Canadians are struggling to make ends meet. My friend says I do not pay much attention to day care costs and things of that nature. That could not be further from the truth.

What I found rather shocking was that the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development today indicated to the House that the idea of a $10-a-day day care plan is five years down the road. How is that going to help my constituents and other Canadians who are fighting to put groceries on their tables and to deal with the rising costs of just about everything?

Charles, a senior in my riding of Brantford—Brant, contacted me about the enormous struggles his adult children are experiencing. His daughter is the single parent of a newborn. She is unable to afford rent, let alone buy a home, and care for her child without the financial support of her elderly parents. It seems the government thinks it is acceptable to saddle parents with the added burden of providing for their adult children and grandchildren because they cannot survive independently given the rising costs of just about everything.

Why is the government hiding behind talking points and not willing to share what the plan is to fight “just inflation” in Canada?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is pretty obvious that I answered that question already, but to keep the debate going, maybe I can share a few important facts.

Right now, Canada is already at 106% of pre-pandemic employment levels. At 5.4% in the last quarter, our economic growth leads the G7, and our perfect AAA credit rating was recently renewed.

I can understand my colleague raising concerns about inflation, but the economy is doing well. We talked about the Bank of Canada's mandate this morning, and we will keep working to ensure ongoing economic growth.

Housing

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise this evening and take part in these Adjournment Proceedings.

When I last addressed this issue in the House, it was a question to the Prime Minister about housing affordability. We are hearing a lot about cost of living and housing affordability challenges that Canadians are facing right across our country from coast to coast to coast. We are seeing those same challenges in my community of Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes.

It is staggering to think more than 80% of Canadians between the ages of 18 and 28 worry they will not be able to afford a home in their city of choice thanks to soaring real estate prices and a skyrocketing cost of living. This cost of living crisis affects people when they are at the grocery store. We have seen the forecast for next year, with families expected to pay $1,000 and more per year in groceries, with prices on dairy up 8%, fruit up 5%, and bread and vegetables up 7%. That is going to hurt people every time they try to feed their families.

Gasoline for people's cars is forecasted in some parts of the country to be up to $2 per litre. Where I live, driving a car is not a luxury, it is a necessary reality for so many folks. The vast majority of my riding does not have public transit people can hop on. One cannot take the subway or the light rail from Kemptville to Prescott. One cannot take it from Brockville to Gananoque. People are driving between those locations. They are driving to get to work, to get to medical appointments, and to take their kids to dance or hockey.

Why do we have skyrocketing increases to people's cost of living? We know there has been a half-trillion dollars of Liberal deficits that have ballooned our inflation to an 18-year high. It is currently pegged at an 18-year high. We will see what that number looks like in a couple of days.

There are a couple of things the government could do to address this instead of saying that it is bad everywhere, that we will compare outrages and that we are not as bad as some other people and better than others so it is really nothing to worry about. Folks trying to feed their families, put gas in their cars to get to work and who need to heat their homes are worried about it.

We can produce more Canadian world-class energy and we can cancel planned payroll taxes that will hurt small businesses and their employees alike. We need to get government spending under control. We had our opposition day motion that pitched real solutions on the housing crisis to the government, which it voted against.

There are options available such as making government real estate available, banning foreign investment in Canadian properties and of course committing to Canadians that the government will never introduce a capital gains tax on their properties. The government has to take real steps today to end “just inflation”, and that is what we are calling on the government to do.

[Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion (Housing)]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to talk about our government's commitment to housing. From our very first day in office, we have been clear that all Canadians deserve to live in dignity, with a roof over their heads.

We also recognize that the affordable housing shortage is one of the biggest challenges our country faces as we also work on securing an economic recovery. This issue was exacerbated by the pandemic, and we will continue to make unprecedented investments in fixing it. Our government is committed to working with its partners to deliver real results, such as increasing the number of affordable housing units and putting an end to chronic homelessness.

That is why we developed Canada's first-ever national housing strategy. It is a 10-year plan supported by investments of more than $72 billion.

The strategy funded a housing complex located in Brockville, in the riding of my colleague from Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes. Together with the provincial government, we invested $2 million in joint funding to create 88 new affordable housing units for seniors in the community. These seniors will have stable and affordable housing, pay rent based on their income and be able to remain in their community, close to family and friends.

We have also negotiated bilateral agreements with every province and territory. As my colleague may know, Ontario was the first province to sign an agreement with us under the Canada housing benefit. This program helps low-income families pay their housing costs and is supported by a joint investment of up to $1.4 billion over nine years. Since it was launched on April 1, 2020, more than 5,200 households have had their applications approved.

As stated in our throne speech, we are committed to continuing our efforts to make housing more affordable. Our government is making significant, sustainable investments in housing because everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home.

It will be a pleasure for me to work with my opposition colleague on housing, an issue that concerns us both.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to have this debate with the parliamentary secretary this evening, and I congratulate her on her appointment to this position.

I am pleased she mentioned the work being done in my community with respect to affordable housing, particularly the program between the federal government and the provincial government that saw affordable housing units created. That is where we see what the government can do. When the government is spending Canadians' tax dollars and we are seeing half a trillion dollars in government spending, those are the kind of results we expect to see: real results where people can see the change in their communities.

We need government to make smart choices that help the folks who work to end homelessness and work to create affordable living spaces. However, we do not want to see skyrocketing debt and deficit with no plan to bring them under control, which unfortunately has very much been a hallmark of the government.

[Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Liberal, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, far too many people need housing. The pandemic has only made an already difficult situation worse. Our government is committed to building a stronger, healthier housing system, especially for those in vulnerable situations. We are tabling a strong plan and making unprecedented investments.

I now call on my colleague and members of the House to work with people in their communities to ensure that they take full advantage of the many programs offered as part of the national housing strategy.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I wanted to participate in tonight's adjournment debate because I am still dissatisfied with an answer provided by the former minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship, who has been the Minister of Public Safety since December 3.

My original question was about temporary foreign workers, but obviously, the immigration program is a much more complex program and has ramifications throughout the entire immigration system.

I will use the example of an applicant I spoke with just today. Nazar Mackendi, an immigrant of Haitian origin, has been in my riding for some time now. He is still waiting for approval on his application for permanent residence, which was duly submitted in August 2019, over two years and four months ago. Waiting for a bit is fine, but two years and four months is a ridiculously long time to wait. On top of that, his work permit is going to expire soon.

If Mr. Mackendi leaves the country to visit his family, which we are currently advising against, not only for this reason but also because of the pandemic, he may not be able to return. Also, since nothing is happening on his permanent residence file, he will have to pay $438 by January 31 to renew his work permit in order to remain in Canada legally and continue working.

My question is the following: What would the minister or his parliamentary secretary do in Mr. Mackendi's place?

[Irek Kusmierczyk, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member for Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup on his re-election and very much look forward to working with him in the House of Commons.

Earlier this month, Statistics Canada announced that the unemployment rate had decreased to 6%, within 0.3 percentage points of February 2020 levels. As our pandemic recovery continues, employers across the country are seeking to hire in increasing numbers. Quebec, however, continues to experience workforce recruitment challenges, which predated the pandemic and have only been exacerbated over the past year.

That is why I am happy to highlight progress on the implementation of our government's pilot project with the Government of Quebec to provide the province's employers with temporary measures under the temporary foreign worker program. As part of this collaborative effort, first announced in August of this year, a measure designed to streamline advertising recruitment requirements for specific in-demand occupations was implemented on December 6. The Government of Canada has also committed to implementing additional measures as early as January 2022, including an increase in the maximum number of temporary foreign workers that employers in specific sectors can hire.

The occupations and sectors selected by Quebec for this pilot have been identified following consultations with labour market stakeholders as part of the Commission des partenaires du marché du travail. This was done to ensure that the flexibilities established under the pilot project are representative of labour market needs in the province and do not displace opportunities for Canadian workers. In addition to these measures and as part of this initiative, the governments of Canada and Quebec, in consultation with Quebec labour market partners, will also be adding to the list of occupations that are currently benefiting from a simpler process to hire TFWs. These additional flexibilities are expected to be introduced in early 2022.

The implementation of these key measures under this pilot project with the Government of Quebec signals the important progress the Government of Canada is making to balance flexibilities under the temporary foreign worker program with the labour needs of Quebec employers. Access to temporary foreign workers is an important element of the shorter-term labour market strategy for many employers. As Canada continues on the road to economic recovery, our government will continue to help ensure that workforce recruitment needs are being met, all while ensuring the health and safety of temporary foreign workers.

We will keep working with our Quebec counterparts and we will do what needs to be done to ensure Quebec gets the workers it needs.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the parliamentary secretary for his response. However, he did not at all answer my question or Mr. Mackendi's question. The reality is that there are people in 2020‑21 who have already found out about their permanent resident status. Their applications have already been approved, no problem, while his has been dragging on for two and a half years.

My question is very simple: When can Mr. Mackendi expect his file to be reviewed and approved? It is outrageous to see a file drag on for practically two and a half years. That is terrible.

[Irek Kusmierczyk, Liberal, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our government recognizes the importance of balancing the labour needs of employers and ensuring that workers in Canada have first access to available jobs, while protecting the rights and health and safety of temporary foreign workers. That is why our government has been working with the Government of Quebec to find ways to address its labour shortages and prevent companies from relocating or investing elsewhere, while protecting workers in the economy.

This pilot project with the Government of Quebec will allow for short-term flexibilities from employers under the TFW program to address these labour shortages. The progress of the pilot project and its impacts will be monitored to ensure the improvements made to the program work for employers, workers and the Canadian economy.

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

The motion that the House do now adjourn is deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 7:43 p.m.)