Debates of Dec. 8th, 2021

Canada-U.S. Relations

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, time and time again, we have heard the Conservatives recommend that we cave on standing up to the Americans. That was their approach. When we brought in retaliatory tariffs to stand up for our steelworkers and our aluminum workers, the Conservative leader called that “dumb”.

Every step of the way, whether it was in renegotiating NAFTA, standing up for steel and aluminum workers, standing up for our auto workers or standing up for agricultural workers, this government has been there. The Conservatives have been playing politics and losing the plot.

Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, with greater Montreal reeling from a wave of shootings and tragedies, the Prime Minister should be doing everything he can to fight illegal guns.

However, that is not what he is doing with Bill C‑5. His bill eliminates minimum penalties for importing firearms and for using them to commit crimes. The Prime Minister is even eliminating these penalties for repeat offenders convicted of illegal firearms possession.

The Prime Minister will have to explain how Bill C‑5 will help curb gun violence in Montreal.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we recognize that firearms pose a huge challenge in Montreal and across the country.

That is why we are taking this issue seriously by investing $125 million to create a cross‑border task force to stop gun smuggling, $250 million to support community‑based anti-gang programs, $327 million to give police the resources they need to detect and prevent crime more effectively, and at least $1 billion to help the provinces and territories, like Quebec, ban handguns.

We will be there and will continue to be there to fight gun violence.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, to counter the violence in the greater Montreal area, the mayor of Montreal and the Government of Quebec are calling on the federal government to take action against illegal guns.

The first tangible action this government has taken on illegal guns since Parliament resumed has been the introduction of Bill C‑5, which would repeal certain related minimum penalties.

Quebec's public safety minister said the federal government needs to send the message that it is taking this seriously. Does the Prime Minister think that introducing Bill C‑5 in the middle of a wave of shootings sends the message that he is taking this seriously?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are taking meaningful action to help stem gun-related violence. Many measures need to be taken, and Bill C‑5 is one of them.

We have also invested $125 million to create a cross-border task force to stop smuggling, $250 million to support community-based anti-gang programs, and $327 million to give police the resources they need to detect and prevent crime more effectively. We are also investing $1 billion to help Quebec and other provinces ban handguns.

The Economy

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Bank of Canada is supposed to be focused solely on reducing the rising cost of living, but some people are saying that it should be focusing on all sorts of other things outside of that, particularly policy, which is the sole responsibility of elected representatives.

Right now, people are struggling with maxed-out credit cards, and they are trying to figure out how to buy Christmas presents. The Prime Minister has not answered the basic question, and so I will ask him something very simple. Does he agree that the Bank of Canada should only be focused on reducing inflation and keeping it at 2%?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite well knows that the current mandate for the Bank of Canada is to keep the 2% target for inflation. We will be renewing the mandate in the coming days or weeks, and we will demonstrate that we are squarely focused on the preoccupations that Canadians have once we make that announcement.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, why can he not just make that announcement right now? His lack of policy on this has created a lot of instability, and what that translates to the average Canadian is that they cannot buy Christmas presents. They are struggling with maxed-out credit cards.

What we have here is a Prime Minister who does not understand that it is his responsibility to set this policy. The Bank of Canada should be solely focused on keeping life affordable for Canadians. Will the Prime Minister announce today that he intends to renew this exact mandate?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as members of this House well know, monetary policy and the work of the bank is independent of the work that politicians do. There are very clear rules around how we create those mandates, how we renew those mandates. Those rules on this side of the House will be followed. I can reassure Canadians that the current mandate does have the target of 2%, and we will be renewing the mandate in the coming days.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, except the Canadian economy has seen inflation blow way past that target, and the average Canadian knows that.

The average Canadian right now cannot buy Christmas presents. I know that the Prime Minister might not understand what it is like to be struggling with a maxed-out credit card, but most Canadians do. That means understanding that he should be telling the Bank of Canada to focus on keeping life affordable, not making economic or fiscal policy. That is his job and the job of this place. So, will he today, very basic and very simple, say that he will keep that target at 2% through the mandate?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we will be making an announcement in the coming days and weeks.

The reality is that Conservatives have been misrepresenting this inflation crisis for the past many weeks. It is a result of the disruption around COVID-19. It is a result of disrupted supply chains.

We are continuing to be there to support Canadians, whether it is with $10-a-day child care, whether it is historic investments in countering the housing crisis, whether it is supports for seniors and supports for young Canadians. We have made a promise that we would have Canadians' backs. Despite some Conservatives complaining that we have done that too much, we will continue to have people's backs.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, “misrepresenting this inflation crisis”, tell that to someone in Kelowna today who is paying $1.67 a litre for gas. Tell that to the single mom who is trying to fill up her tank with gas, or the person who is trying to buy her spouse a hockey jersey that is costing $100 more this year or is paying $600 a month in interest on a credit card.

The Prime Minister has misrepresented to Canadians his ability to manage a basic economic crisis. What he could do today to reassure Canadians is tell them that he understands this, he is going to quell this crazy talk about the Bank of Canada wading into policy that he has responsibility for, and is keeping inflation at 2%.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, over the past weeks, what have we seen from the Conservatives? They tell Canadians about the problems they are facing with decreased affordability, increased prices on everything, difficulty buying gas, difficulty buying computers, and they shrug and say, “Oh, it's just inflation”. Well, it is not just inflation; it is the focus that we have to have to continue to invest in Canadians.

They play board games. We are focused on delivering on housing, child care and support that Canadians need, while the Conservatives play cheap political games.

Housing

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, a recent survey of young Canadians between 18 and 24 across major cities in Canada has found that the vast majority of them do not believe they will ever be able to own their own homes. Rent—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I am going to ask the hon. member for Burnaby South to pause for a second.

I am having a hard time hearing him. Everybody wants to hear the question.

The hon. member for Burnaby South from the top, please.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, a recent survey of young Canadians between 18 and 24 years of age across major urban centres in Canada has found that the vast majority of them believe that they will never be able to own their own places. Rent is going up, it is expensive to find a place to call home and the Prime Minister is not responding to this crisis with the urgency it requires.

What does the Prime Minister have to say to young people who have given up on ever being able to own their own homes, who are worried if they can ever find a place that is in their budget? What does he have to say to them?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. That is why in 2017 we brought in the national housing strategy that has supported the creation of nearly 100,000 new units, repaired over 300,000 more across all housing programs and helped families get the housing they need. We have had a particular focus on first-time homebuyers and young homebuyers with things like the first-time homebuyers incentive, the rapid housing initiative, the Canada housing benefit and reducing the fees for purchasing a new home.

These are things we have taken specifically to help young people buy a home. We are going to continue to do those things.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister can continue all he wants. He has been in power for six years and in those six years, housing prices have gone up. It is more unaffordable. It is harder to find a place to call one's own after six years of the Liberal government being in power. The government asks what it can do. It can do a lot. There are some concrete steps it can take. It can end blind bidding, it can tackle house flipping and it can put a tax on foreign buyers. It can do that, and do it immediately.

Why will the Prime Minister not use the fiscal update to put in place these measures to stop the housing prices from continuing to skyrocket?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I have to admit, I am always open to hearing suggestions from the members opposite on how we can work together in this Parliament to deliver things. I was sort of pleased, though, to hear that the three initiatives he said were all three initiatives we proposed in our platform just a few months ago.

We will continue to work with them and with all parliamentarians to deliver concrete solutions for homebuyers. We will deliver aid to Canadians to help them through this housing crisis, because we need Canadians to be able to afford their new homes, to be able to get into safe, secure housing, and that is exactly what we are going to do.

COVID-19 Economic Measures

[Tony Van Bynen, Liberal, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this government has had the backs of small businesses throughout the pandemic by helping them stay open and keep employees on the payroll. People and businesses in my riding of Newmarket—Aurora are concerned about the health and the economic impacts that the omicron variant might bring.

Can the Prime Minister please tell this House what this government is doing to support Canadian business through the COVID pandemic?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Newmarket—Aurora for his tireless advocacy for the people in his riding.

We introduced legislation to provide targeted support to those who are financially affected by the pandemic, including caregivers and those with COVID-19, and ensure no one is left behind at this critical moment. The measures in this bill are essential in finishing the fight against COVID-19, making sure the hardest-hit sectors are part of the recovery and creating jobs.

I urge all members in this House to support its speedy passage.

The Economy

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's response was just incredible. He said even after house prices increased by a third, he did not think about monetary policy; even after gas prices hit $1.60 in some places, he did not think about monetary policy; even as CPI hit a two-decade high, he did not think much about monetary policy, because he only thinks about himself.

Will he not admit that what it took for him to start thinking about inflation is when we put his name in the word?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, from the very beginning we have been focused on having Canadians' backs. Whether it was back in 2015 when we were elected on a promise to support the middle class and people working hard to join it after 10 years of Conservative mismanagement, we have actually delivered for Canadians. Whether it is on the housing strategy, whether it is on support for seniors, whether it is on support for families, through this COVID pandemic, we have been there for them. Even though the member for Carleton kept saying we were doing too much for Canadians, we continued to step up and have their backs. That is exactly what we are going to continue to do because Canadians deserve our support. They do not deserve Conservative games.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on October 28, 2020, the finance minister promised Canadians they would have deflation. For the Prime Minister's benefit, that means prices go down. Today the Bank of Canada confirmed that we have inflation. Again, for those who do not think about monetary policy, that means prices go up. Everything the Liberals said would go down is going up and everything they said would go up is now going down.

Now that the Prime Minister has himself spinning in circles and saying his own name here on the floor of the House of Commons, will he finally admit that what we have in this country is just—