Debates of Dec. 9th, 2021

The Economy

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, according to the latest Canada Food Price Report, families will pay nearly $1,000 more to feed themselves in 2022. The cost of groceries is going up, the cost of gas is going up, the cost of energy is going up and rents are going up. In the meantime, Canadians' purchasing power is going down. Inflation is squeezing the majority of Quebec households. The Liberal government is responsible for this situation.

When will it take meaningful action to stop the impoverishment of Quebec families?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, our government has always been committed to making life more affordable for Canadians across the country. I would like to provide a few examples: A single mother with two children will receive $13,600 from the Canada child benefit; the average family in Saskatchewan will receive almost $1,000 from the carbon price rebate; seniors received $500 this summer; a student will save an additional $3,000. These are a few examples of how we are making Canadians' lives more affordable.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government may well wash its hands of the situation. That is not exactly surprising, since it has never assumed its responsibilities.

The Liberals have been accumulating deficits since 2015 and are increasing our debt. The government is keeping the prime rate artificially low and printing more and more money, and we have the second biggest housing bubble in the world. This Prime Minister has told us that he does not think about monetary policy.

When will he take responsibility and do what is necessary to reduce inflation?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion]

Mr. Speaker, each and every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home.

Since 2015, we have invested over $27 billion in affordable housing and introduced Canada's very first national housing strategy. Our plan of more than $72 billion has already helped more than one million Canadians get the housing they need.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal inflation tax is now hitting grocery stores.

Today, a report shows that the average family will have to spend $15,000 on food. That is a $1,000 increase. Canadians and Canadian families do not have $1,000, especially after real estate inflation and with gas prices at $1.50.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister admitted, in English, that there is something called “just inflation”. To respect linguistic duality, can he repeat it in French and say that it is just inflation?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the pressures created by the disruptions in the supply chain and the shift from purchasing services to purchasing goods are real, but they are also transitory.

In the meantime, other additional costs are making life unaffordable for Canadian families. That is why our government is so focused on reducing the cost of child care and the cost of housing.

We are here to make life more affordable, and that is what we are going to do.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, all the other so-called experts have given up on the term “transitory inflation”, yet the Associate Minister of Finance is trying to resurrect it on the same day we get a report saying that the average family will have to spend another $1,000 just to put nutrients on their kids' tables. We already have the second-worst housing bubble on earth and it is $1.50 a litre for gas. The average family cannot keep up with the cost of living and the minister says it is transitory.

If so, how long until all of this price inflation reverses itself and the prices come back down?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the other side is trying to paint a story of doom and gloom for Canadians, but Canadians know better. Inflation in Canada in November was 4.5%. In the United States, it was 6.2%. It was 6.2% in Mexico. It was 4.9% in New Zealand. The experts agree that this is not a made-in-Canada phenomenon. The former governor of the Bank of Canada, Stephen Poloz, agreed and even the leader of the Conservative Party has agreed that this is a global phenomenon.

Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives seem more concerned about the fact that street gangs used CERB to purchase illegal weapons than the fact that these illegal weapons are now freely circulating in the Montreal area.

We agree that CERB should not have been used for such things, but it would be just as bad if the weapons had been purchased with money obtained through fraud, pimping or extortion. The real problem here is that it is too easy to find handguns in the Montreal area.

How does the minister plan to stop gangs from accessing handguns?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, fraud in the system is unacceptable, and it should come with serious consequences.

At the same time, the benefits we implemented to help Canadians during the pandemic are necessary. We will be there for Canadians during the pandemic.

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

Mr. Speaker, on the one hand, the Liberals are doing nothing to stop illegal arms trafficking; on the other, the Conservatives want to take issue with the CERB; and in the middle, families are worried, some people no longer want to walk the streets of Montreal at night, there are gunshots in libraries and stray bullets are ending up in the living rooms of law-abiding citizens. The problem is that there are illegal firearms circulating in Montreal and nobody is getting the sense that the federal government understands how urgent it is to take action.

When will the minister finally understand that this problem must be nipped in the bud?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, we are the government that strengthened gun control. We are the government that banned military-style assault weapons. We are the government that added resources at the border to combat gun violence.

We will continue to work with all members and all governments to advance this fight.

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

Mr. Speaker, what we have to do is send a strong signal that the government intends to act now, not two months from now, and that the RCMP, border services and available resources will be deployed now.

We want concrete action commensurate with the urgency of the situation. We do not want a list of things that were done in the past. We do not want election promises. We do not want to hear what the government might do later if everything is fine and it feels like it.

What will it do now, today, to prevent access to illegal guns and end gun violence on the streets of Montreal?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, even one life lost to gun violence is one too many.

We have taken important steps to fight gun violence, and we will keep taking action to prevent further tragedies. We have made significant investments in boosting investigative capacity to curb illegal arms smuggling.

I have met with my counterparts in Quebec and even with municipalities. We will keep working with the Bloc Québécois and members of Parliament.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it was reported yesterday that Montreal street gangs defrauded Canadian taxpayers and used CERB money to purchase illegal firearms. It is inconceivable that the government would allow this to happen.

When did the minister learn that money intended for Canadians was being used by criminals?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, our government has zero tolerance for fraud. We are working and will continue to work with all appropriate jurisdictions and authorities to ensure that these individuals and others who commit fraud are held accountable. The government remains firmly opposed to gun violence, illegal activities and organized crime and is working hard to keep our communities and our country safe.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, a Quebec court found that a street gang in Montreal fraudulently obtained over $100,000 from the Canada emergency response benefit program to fund illegal firearms smuggling operations, not to mention reports of this money also being used for both human trafficking and prostitution. How can the government not take immediate action instead of funding organized crime with taxpayer dollars?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, our government has zero tolerance for fraud. We have worked, and will continue to work, with all appropriate jurisdictions and authorities to ensure that these individuals, and others who commit fraud, are held accountable. We will always take a hard stance against gun violence, illegal activities and organized crime to ensure that we keep our communities and country safe.

I will remind the House that eight million Canadians benefited from the CERB.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, there has been a surge of deadly shootings across Montreal, and now we have found out that criminals have been using CERB to purchase these illegal firearms. The irony of this being a government that purports to fight gun crime is overwhelming. What will the minister do to ensure this fraudulent activity ends and, more importantly, to bring these criminals to justice?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I think that all members in this chamber agree that we have seen too many lives lost to gun violence. That is why we have taken concrete action by introducing a ban against military-style weapons and additional resources to fight gun trafficking at the border.

The only question I have now is this: When will Conservatives get on side and actually take the action necessary to reduce gun violence? Let us get the guns off of our streets.

Seniors

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are seeing the highest increase in food prices in over a decade. For seniors living on a fixed income, this is a crisis, especially for working seniors who are being punished by this government with the GIS clawback.

The minister keeps saying that she is working on the right solution. Well, where is it? Seniors are calling my office from across this country. They are losing hope. They are scared of homelessness and hunger, and they are talking about taking their own lives. When will this government step up, remove the GIS—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. Minister of Seniors.

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Minister of Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, I think we can all agree just how challenging this pandemic has been for seniors, especially those most vulnerable, but our government has been there to support those who are most vulnerable by strengthening their GIS. We moved very quickly to provide immediate and direct financial support for seniors this summer.

I can assure the hon. member that this is an issue we are working extremely closely on to find the right solution to and to support those affected. As always, we will be there for seniors.

Labour

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, 160 professionals at the Office of the Auditor General have been on strike since November 26. Seventy-five per cent of them are women. They have been working without a contract for three years. These employees ensure that the government is accountable to the public. They are essential. What are they asking for? They are asking to be treated the same as every other public servant, nothing more, nothing less. That is called equity and respect, but the Liberals are asleep at the switch.

Will the Treasury Board give the Office of the Auditor General the mandate to negotiate a fair and equitable agreement for these professionals?

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to working with all bargaining agents to sign agreements that are equitable for the employees and take the current economic and financial context into account. The Government of Canada is signing collective agreements that cover roughly 99% of public servants for the 2018 bargaining round. Negotiations are also under way with the Public Service Alliance of Canada for the next round of bargaining, and we plan to start negotiating with the other bargaining agents soon. We negotiate at the bargaining table, not in public.