Debates of Dec. 9th, 2021

Foreign Affairs

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, we are very concerned about recent tensions in the Taiwan Strait. The Minister of Foreign Affairs has talked to her counterparts.

The parties must abstain from any action that could potentially compromise peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We also recognize that Canada must support regional security and stability.

The Economy

[Martin Shields, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government’s negotiations with the RCMP left municipal leaders in my riding questioning who will pay for the five-year retroactive salary coverage. The RCMP deserves compensation for the hard work it does to protect my constituents, but negotiations did not include municipalities and will lead to property tax increases, compounding the Liberal inflation tax on homeowners and small businesses.

Will the Prime Minister be leaving my constituents responsible for even more burdens that are “just inflation”?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, the first thing I would like to do is thank the members of the RCMP, who provide public safety right across the country, including in my hon. colleague's constituency. I know we will continue to have good discussions at both the provincial and municipal levels to ensure that we continue to provide world-class law enforcement right across the country.

With regard to his comments about inflation, this government will always have Canadians' backs when it comes to the pandemic. We have, and we will continue to going forward.

Government Appointments

[Damien Kurek, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Alberta elects its senators, and on October 18, Albertans made this clear by electing three senators in waiting: Pam Davidson, Erika Barootes and Mykhailo Martyniouk. Up to now, the Liberal Prime Minister has alienated Alberta, and our country is as divided now as it was during the national energy program of the eighties.

My question is very simple. Will the Prime Minister respect the democratic will of Albertans, yes or no?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, our government is very proud of the changes we made to make the Senate less partisan and more effective. I think members would agree with me that it is somewhat ironic, coming from the party of Stephen Harper, to be lectured—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I hear shouting from one side and clapping from the other, but I cannot hear the minister.

I would ask the minister to please start from the beginning.

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the pleasure is mine.

I think members will agree with me that it is somewhat ironic for our government to be lectured by the party of Stephen Harper for the quality of the women and men we have appointed to Canada's Senate. We strive to appoint outstanding people, while respecting the diversity of the country. We are very proud of the appointments we have made from the province of Alberta.

Housing

[James Maloney, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, owning a home is a long-held dream for many Canadians, but it has become out of reach for many, especially young Canadians. I heard this at the doorsteps in Etobicoke—Lakeshore during the campaign.

Canadians were given a choice in this election and we know what they chose. Can the Minister of Housing share with the House how our government is going to make that dream more affordable?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Etobicoke—Lakeshore for his strong advocacy on this important issue.

Our government has been working hard to make sure that more young Canadians and more middle-class families have access to the dream of home ownership. In the throne speech, we committed to enhancing the first-time home buyer incentive and introducing an innovative and new rent-to-own program that will turn more Canadian renters into homeowners. We have committed to these and other measures to make sure that every Canadian has a safe and affordable place to call home.

Disaster Assistance

[Lisa Marie Barron, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this October, 109 shipping containers were lost off the coast of Vancouver Island. The spill left behind toxic chemicals, has damaged marine ecosystems and has spread debris along our shores. The Liberal government did not immediately seek local or traditional knowledge or resources, allowing the spill to spread.

Climate change and increases in traffic will only make these disasters more common. When will the government deliver an emergency response plan to make sure communities and our environment do not continue to face such devastation?

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, we are of course deeply concerned about—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I will stop the minister for a second. I cannot hear her at all and she just started, so I can imagine how loud it is going to be by the time she is finished. I understand the enthusiasm coming from on one side of the House, but I am sure they want to hear the answer as well.

The hon. minister.

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I remain concerned about the potential environmental impacts of these shipping containers, and we are continuing to monitor that closely.

The Canadian Coast Guard and its partners in the unified command did an amazing job of responding quickly and efficiently to ensure the safety of the crew, first responders and the public, and of communicating with partners. That is why we were able to mitigate even worse harm in the incident.

The Canadian Coast Guard is continuing to work—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Spadina—Fort York.

Housing

[Kevin Vuong, Independent, Spadina—Fort York, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on December 7, there were 7,344 individuals staying in Toronto shelters. Unfortunately, this figure does not capture all of the people experiencing homelessness in my riding of Spadina—Fort York and across the city of Toronto. These people are desperate for a home. They are desperate to stay safe and stay warm. The concern for community safety is also one that I hear from my constituents on nearly a daily basis.

Could the Minister of Housing inform the House on how the government is addressing homelessness in Spadina—Fort York, Toronto and other urban centres?

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

Mr. Speaker, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have substantially increased funding for the reaching home program to make sure that frontline organizations, including municipalities, have more flexible funding to address homelessness. We also introduced the rapid housing initiative, both its first and second round, which will result in over 9,200 new and permanent affordable housing units, to be built. We have introduced the Canada housing benefit to help all Canadians who find themselves on the street access independent housing. We will also make sure that we continue to invest in the co-investment fund to build permanent housing solutions for those who are experiencing chronic homelessness.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I am afraid that is all the time we have for question period today.

We have a point of order. We will start with the hon. parliamentary secretary to the government House leader.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

There have been discussions among the parties, and if you seek it I hope you will find unanimous consent for the following motion:

That, the House acknowledge and support the government's clear and repeated position that taxing capital gains on primary residences is not under any consideration; reiterate its support for the government's $72-billion investments in housing through the national housing strategy, including $2.5 billion through the rapid housing initiative; and declare its support for the commitments made by the government to ban foreign purchases of non-recreational residential property in Canada for the next two years, implement Canada's first-ever national tax on non-resident, non-Canadian owners of vacant housing next year, and create a new homebuyers' bill of rights.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

All those opposed to the hon. member moving the motion will please say nay.

[Some hon. members]

Nay.

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

In relation to the question I asked in question period, I would like to table two documents. One is a transcript from News Talk 770 CHQR's Shaye Ganam's show on September 21, and it is in relation to a discussion the host had about the fraudulent claims of CERB. The second is a letter that I wrote yesterday to the National Leads Centre of the Canada Revenue Agency.

With unanimous consent, I would like to table those.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

All those opposed to the hon. member moving the motion and tabling the documents will please say nay.

[Some hon. members]

Nay.