Debates of Jan. 31st, 2022

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Madam Speaker, my colleague and I sit as members of the agriculture committee, and I do very much enjoy working with him.

In the times we find ourselves in, many Canadians across the country are demanding bold action in so many areas, including in confronting our climate crisis, our housing crisis and the growing inequality we see. For so many of these areas, we see a government that is prepared to only advance half measures, and a lot of the anger and frustration that we see out there are symptomatic of that. People are not seeing our major concerns being addressed.

I know my colleague addressed some of this in his speech. I am just wondering if he can elaborate a bit further on how we find ourselves in a moment that does demand bold action and how that is what Canadians right across the country are expecting to see from their elected federal members of Parliament.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. I also appreciate the work that he does.

He spoke about how people are fed up, which is only natural. Things are difficult for everyone, and these reactions are understandable.

My colleague asked me to talk about bold action, so I would like to talk about one of the key measures among those I spoke about earlier, which is support for environmental measures.

The government should not hold back from supporting farmers. Everyone in the House knows that farmers south of the border get twice as much funding, often through direct subsidies. The ratio is even bigger when we compare ourselves with Europe. People here work very hard and are subject to significant restrictions. They need our help.

The government should compensate them for taking tangible environmental actions, such as renovating a building or restoring riparian zones that are no longer being farmed. There needs to be some economic value, and it needs to be tangible to encourage people to keep taking action.

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

Madam Speaker, I would like to wish you a happy new year. I believe this is the last day we are allowed to do that. I am really happy to be here and to get back to the work of Parliament. We have been looking forward to coming back, albeit under unusual circumstances, in a situation that we have not seen very often on Parliament Hill in recent years.

Let us get back to the throne speech, which I think is always a great opportunity for opposition members to see whether any priorities or proposals from opposition parties are included in the government's road map.

As I was driving to Ottawa, I listened to a podcast where the host talked about the meaning and importance of a throne speech. Strategists commented on their own experience. It seems to be a common and well-known practice to insert opposition party priorities here and there in a throne speech so that those parties will be consistent in their position, vote in favour of the throne speech and not bring down the government.

I was all set to “CTRL+F” the speech to see how many times the government talked about things like climate change, the environment, green finance, health, seniors, agriculture—which my colleague talked about—and employment insurance reform. I did not get a lot of hits. To be honest, I was very let down by how pointless the document in front of me was.

I think a throne speech should convey the government's overall plan for carrying out the mandate it was given in the election. This government was bound and determined to have an election despite the pandemic and the risk to people's health. The people voted for the status quo. They made their wishes clear. They gave the Liberal Party another minority government, so the government should obviously act accordingly and come up with a pretty substantial road map. There is a lot of work to do.

What we have here, though, is woefully short on substance, ideas and direction. It is a mere catalogue of general statements. This was why we had an election? This is what is supposed to get us through the next four years? Given the sparse priorities scattered throughout the speech, I have my doubts.

As I said, we are returning to the House under rather unusual circumstances, and I would be remiss if I did not address the subject. I understand that everyone is frustrated, for a variety of reasons, after nearly two years of this pandemic. We are all fed up, and honestly, no one more so than me.

However, seeing these divisions in society is deeply troubling to me. I do not always agree with what the government does, how it does it or the measures it chooses to bring in, but I believe that, as elected officials, it is our duty to some extent to show solidarity and call for unity when we see such divisions.

Health measures have been put in place for a reason, specifically to protect our health and to protect the most vulnerable and frontline workers. In my humble opinion, these measures are still necessary. If we want to defeat the virus, vaccination seems to be the best solution. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees.

I will give an example. Previously, when I addressed a somewhat delicate issue such as gun control on social media, I expected to receive my share of negative or more aggressive comments. Some issues are more divisive than others. However, now it is almost impossible to discuss anything without receiving a barrage of negative comments. I am not complaining, I am just saying that it is troubling to see such hostility, sadness and distress among the public, and not just on social media. We have seen it here in person on Parliament Hill over the past few days.

I would therefore like to take this opportunity to thank the many security officers who were on the Hill over the past few days to ensure everyone's safety. I have to thank them.

I believe that this call for unity and solidarity should be part of the government's plan. This also applies to my opposition colleagues. I truly believe that it is our role to inform the public as best we can, but above all to reassure the people we represent, to answer their questions, recognize their distress and provide the assistance they need.

Currently, throughout Canada and particularly in Quebec, there are people who would normally be receiving EI benefits. I appreciated my colleague's passion in pointing this out. For weeks, dozens of people have been calling my constituency office every day. I imagine my Quebec colleagues have experienced the same thing, because hundreds of people have had their cases frozen and are no longer receiving benefits. These people need help, as they no longer know who to turn to and are at the end of their rope.

These people called Service Canada many times and were told to call back later or apply for social assistance if they were not happy. People were told that they had to prove they were no longer able to pay their bills and they had applied to use a food bank, for example, for their file to be processed quickly.

Clearly, there is a lack of resources at Service Canada. These are honest workers, mostly seasonal workers in my riding who have worked all summer, who are entitled to receive these benefits and who count on receiving them. However, Service Canada is having a hard time processing all that. The government was able to put a system in place rather quickly to deliver the CERB to people who needed support. I find it hard to believe that they cannot bring in something similar or at least more resources.

My Bloc Québécois colleagues and I have lobbied the government and intervened in the media to change things and ensure that this problem is resolved right away. It makes no sense to leave people like that, without money for weeks on end. Processing delays are still too long, unfortunately, but I was pleased to read in the paper this morning that more resources will be assigned to Service Canada and that public officials may be able to make an extra effort to work with the MPs in every region of Quebec and resolve this issue quickly. I think people deserve to be treated with dignity.

I was also disappointed to see that the Speech from the Throne did not mention employment insurance in general or EI reform. The problem we are discussing right now is an ongoing problem and it needs to be resolved quickly. However, there are many other flaws in the EI program, including the spring gap problem, that the people of eastern Quebec have been waiting to see resolved for a long time.

It is a little disappointing that the government is not making this a priority. When I looked, I did not see a lot of words indicating that the government was going to do this reform or even initiate it. The Bloc Québécois has to keep coming back and putting this back on the table, which is what my colleague from Thérèse-De Blainville is doing on the parliamentary committee. We have no choice but to address it, because the problem has persisted for so long.

I know the pandemic makes it hard to govern normally and introduce major reforms or start big projects, but I would like to compare this situation with that of a politician I admire a lot. Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, was elected during a serious economic crisis. That did not stop him from being a visionary and wanting to take on big projects and major reforms, which is what he did. If he did that, then I refuse to believe that members of the House of Commons cannot also start working on other problems that our constituents have been facing for so long.

There are so many more things I would have liked to talk about, but this is the biggest issue my constituents are dealing with right now. Earlier I mentioned the collective sense of frustration and the fact that people are fed up with the pandemic in general. I hear from so many people about employment insurance, people who are really on the brink. One mother contacted me about her son, who is contemplating suicide because he does not know what else to do. He has to move back in with his parents, he is not making any money, he does not have a job right now because he is a seasonal worker. He needs these benefits.

People are in distress, and this is the public sentiment we are seeing. I think it is our responsibility to give them solutions. We promised them this. We were elected to do this.

I will end by saying that this is not just about EI. We are fighting multiple battles. My colleague mentioned some of them, such as the rising cost of living, which is having a devastating effect on seniors, who are not seeing their benefits increase accordingly. I am also thinking of health care workers, who are holding the health care system together, at least in Quebec, and who could really use a financial helping hand. It should not be that hard to transfer the money that has been requested for so long by all the premiers of Quebec and the provinces.

These are the battles that we will continue to fight. I am reaching out to the government and the opposition parties and asking them to fight these battles alongside us for the people we represent. I am showing good faith, and I hope they will do the same.

[Kody Blois, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

First of all, Madam Speaker, I want to tell my colleague not to worry. The Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion is working actively on EI reform.

My colleague mentioned that she does not necessarily support the COVID-19 measures taken by the Government of Canada to protect public health. Can she specify which ones she does not support?

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

Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question.

Perhaps my remarks were misunderstood. I may not agree with everything the government does in general, but at least we agree on one thing: The health measures in place right now are legitimate. I always say that as much as I can to anyone who will listen when I am interviewed on television.

Yes, everyone is fed up, but the measures are in place so that we can get through this pandemic together. We believe that vaccination is the best way to do that, so I encourage everyone to comply with the health measures.

I was speaking with my colleague earlier. My father is a truck driver and is one of the 90% of truck drivers who are vaccinated. He does not necessarily support the movement going on outside right now, but we in some way understand the collective frustration. I think these people have a right to be heard and to demonstrate, but it is important to remember that health measures are in place for a reason: to protect our health.

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

Madam Speaker, the member made reference to the issue of unity and working together. I applaud the appeal of her messaging in trying to get members to work together.

If we take a look at the last couple of years, we will see that the Government of Canada has been working with provinces, municipalities, stakeholders, non-profit organizations, individuals and Canadians to try to minimize the negative impacts of the coronavirus. This is at the same time, as the member was saying, that we have been building on a vision for Canada with a national housing strategy, a child care program and public transit strategies.

Can the member provide her thoughts on a proactive government dealing with national strategies, such as the three examples I just gave?

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

Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question.

I agree that we can walk and chew gum at the same time. I think the government has shown some goodwill in that regard. There are a number of major projects under way, but the housing crisis is a recurring issue in big cities.

I represent a very large rural riding where there is a housing crisis too. In both 2020 and 2021, the Gaspé and Lower St. Lawrence regions saw positive net migration, which had not occurred for over 30 years. We are happy to welcome new people, but we have nowhere to house them. We do not have adequate services to offer them and our infrastructure is outdated.

I think the government has indeed been working hard, but more can be done, and we want to work with the government on that.

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

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the member's acknowledgement of the importance of specific issues in our ridings being in the throne speech so we can best begin dealing with them. Too many in my riding of Nanaimo—Ladysmith, for example, are struggling to get by. Over half of the lone-parent families here in my riding are living in poverty. We all know that Canadians deserve to live with dignity, security and human rights.

Does the member agree with the constituents of Nanaimo—Ladysmith who are asking the government to make the decision to end poverty, implement Bill C-223 and develop a framework for guaranteed livable, basic income?

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

Madam Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's very specific question. I would not want to speak about something I am not familiar with, as I have not read the bill she mentioned. However, I completely agree with her that we must address the issue of poverty.

I mentioned that the rising cost of living is having a devastating effect on so many people, especially the most vulnerable. I am thinking, for example, of seniors and middle-class families, who are dealing with the rising cost of living and inflation. We agree that we must do more for these people. Once I have read the bill my colleague mentioned, I will gladly discuss it with her.

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

Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Mississauga East—Cooksville.

First, I want to say just how grateful I am to be here again in the House, in person, despite the protests being held in downtown Ottawa. I am especially grateful to the Parliamentary Protective Service and the Ottawa Police Service, who are working tirelessly to keep everyone safe, including protesters, MPs, Ottawans and House of Commons staff. They are there to protect us and to ensure that we can continue to do our job on behalf of Canadians.

I rise today to speak to the priorities that our government presented in the Speech from the Throne. I will concentrate on the key concerns of my constituents in Outremont, which includes the Côte-des-Neiges and Mile End neighbourhoods, and I am sure they are concerns shared by all Canadians: the economic recovery, the fight against climate change, the construction of affordable housing, and, of course, gun control.

First and foremost, we have put forward a plan to ensure a fair and just economic recovery. Across the country, the economy is recovering from the shock of the pandemic, even with the current challenges posed by this most recent Omicron wave. Make no mistake that the shock was, and has been, severe.

Let us take, for example, the unemployment rate. After reaching a 40-year low of 5.5% by the end of 2019, it shot up to an all-time high of 13.7%. In real terms that means that, in the space of only a very few months, three million Canadians lost their jobs. That is 15% of the entire labour force in this country lost their jobs. In the face of these unprecedented disruptions, our government moved quickly, introducing the CERB, the wage subsidy, the emergency business account and direct payments to low-income households and families. All of this was done in a matter of weeks.

In retrospect, the experts are very clear now that, without those quick and decisive measures taken by our federal government, the Canadian economy would have faced permanent scarring. Our poverty rate would have soared and countless more small businesses would have had to close their doors. Instead, we now have more businesses operating than in February 2020 and more workers employed here in Canada than in February 2020.

Canada's economic recovery is under way. Not only have we recovered all of the jobs lost during the pandemic, but we also had the highest level of third-quarter economic growth among G7 countries.

That said, we need to do more to combat the rising cost of living, and that is exactly what we are going to do. We will be there to support Canadians, through initiatives like the Canada-wide early learning and child care plan, an increase to the guaranteed income supplement for our seniors, and a new financial incentive for first-time homebuyers.

We all know, or at least we all should know, the economy cannot thrive unless we address the enormous challenge of climate change. My constituents understand the importance of fighting climate change. In fact, prior to the holidays a few weeks ago, I stood in this very chamber to present a petition on behalf of citizens in Outremont and Mile End. For Our Kids and The Council of Canadians are calling on our government to act swiftly to implement a just transition to reduce emissions and to create good, well-paying jobs. I bring their voice to this House.

There is no sugar-coating it, our planet is at the brink. There is more that our government needs to do, and will do, to combat the climate crisis. We need to increase our world-leading price on pollution. We need to urgently phase out fossil fuel subsidies. We need to cap emissions from the oil and gas sector, ban exports of thermal coal, and protect our land and waters.

More than a year ago, the parents of young Adam, Oscar and Marion asked me to fight for a codification into law, a right protected by law to a healthy environment, and I am proud to stand in this House and confirm that we will do so.

I would like to turn now to affordable housing.

The rising cost of housing is a major concern across the country. The average cost of a house in Montreal went up by 23% last year. Rents in Côte-des-Neiges are skyrocketing as well. For many Canadians, paying rent is getting harder and harder, never mind buying a house.

I have witnessed first-hand the impact that our investments in housing have had on my own community. I am currently working on a wonderful pilot project led by Mission Old Brewery to turn a former hotel on Park Avenue into studios for the homeless.

I also recognize that there is still work to be done to address the housing crisis and homelessness.

That is why we plan to launch a new housing accelerator fund, through which we will invest $4 billion to reduce red tape so that municipalities can build more housing units more quickly. This fund will have a target of building 100,000 new affordable homes by 2025.

We will also be reducing closing costs to help renters become property owners and will be instituting a tax on non-resident foreign buyers to curb speculation.

We will do everything we can to tackle this crisis head-on.

I will close by addressing another crisis that is hitting Montreal hard, namely, the staggering increase in shootings.

All told, there were 200 shootings in 2021 and more than a dozen homicides committed with firearms. That is unacceptable.

Those who know me know that gun control is an issue I have supported for many years with a great deal of humility and a sense of responsibility.

A few weeks ago, I attended the commemoration of the anniversary of the Polytechnique massacre on the Mount Royal lookout. Last Saturday, I travelled to Quebec City to mark the fifth anniversary of the tragic attack on its mosque. All the survivors say the same thing: We must redouble our efforts. We must fight harder against gun violence.

When I think of 15-year-old Meriem or 16-year-old Thomas, both killed in a shooting, I feel overcome with emotion. These two teenagers had their whole lives ahead of them, and they were gunned down with weapons that have no place whatsoever in our streets. We must make sure their memory strengthens our resolve to defeat this scourge.

I am so grateful to all those who continue to fight this battle. Activists like those at PolyRemembers do invaluable work to counter the gun lobby's lies. I also find it very encouraging to see groups of young people like Thomas's friends organizing to lobby politicians.

We have more work to do. We have already expanded background checks. We increased funding to fight gun smuggling. We banned 1,500 different models of assault-style weapons. We will implement a mandatory buyback program. We will increase penalties for smugglers. We will crack down on high-capacity magazines, and we are ready to do more. Families of the victims of gun violence deserve clear answers and real action. I will continue to be their voice, and members can rest assured I will continue to make the gun lobby very, very mad.

Whether it is on the economy, the environment, housing affordability or gun control, our government has a strong and ambitious agenda and a plan to move Canada forward.

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Madam Speaker, I got tweaked by the member's statement.

The question I would have for her is about her reference to subsidies for oil and gas. I will lead her in this direction, because I am looking all the time for subsidies for oil and gas.

As a matter of fact, I made a statement in the House today, if she was paying attention, about half a trillion dollars being supplied by the oil and gas industry to this country over the last 20 years. That is $500 billion that will need to be replaced because the industry is not subsidized.

I was at the finance committee this morning, and I will tell the member that one of her friends, who is in an environmentally funded organization, presented before that committee. I asked her to please name for me one subsidy that the government has, and she mentioned the Canadian development expense. That was done away with six years ago.

Can the member name one subsidy she thinks exists for the most contributing sector in the Canadian economy?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Outremont, QC]

Madam Speaker, honestly, I know sometimes we like to speak in long parables in this House. I will answer very simply: exploration tax credits.

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

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. She talked about gun control. I hear her talk about that topic often.

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the vigil for the fifth anniversary of the Quebec City mosque shooting. Several events were organized by the mosque, in collaboration with Polytechnique. I was able to attend the webinar they hosted. It was heartbreaking to hear the speeches by the people who were directly affected by the shooting, people who were at the mosque that evening or in a classroom at Polytechnique and who said that since the mosque shooting, almost nothing has been done, despite the Liberal government's promises.

A list of banned weapons was drawn up. However, some similar weapons are not on the list and are not banned. An amnesty period is drawing to a close, and it seems as though this file has been forgotten. It has been shelved. In the meantime, the scourge of gun violence continues to grow across the country.

I hear the government say that it will work on this. Unfortunately, for five years, almost nothing has been done. What will the government do, and when will it do it?

I hear the Minister of Public Safety, who has no—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Outremont, QC]

Madam Speaker, I know my colleague has done good work on the firearms file, but I disagree with her on this.

I personally attended a solemn ceremony in Quebec City commemorating the Quebeckers we lost five years ago.

With respect to our political battle over the firearms file, I would note that we have banned over 1,500 assault weapons. We have strengthened border security and added more resources to prevent firearms from crossing into Canada from the U.S. We will keep collaborating to get more done.

I would like to reach out to my colleague so we can work together and make progress on this file.

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

Madam Speaker, during the member's speech, I heard her speak a lot about housing and affordability. I want her to know that the housing costs of the people of North Island—Powell River have gone up in some communities by 65% to 70% in the last year. It is absolutely astonishing.

I want to let the member know that we have a lot of small rural and remote communities are desperately seeking housing for seniors because as they age, they are being forced out of their communities to much larger communities where they do not have the social infrastructure. I think of communities like Texada and Cortes Island. I think about Port Hardy, which has raised a significant amount of money, but because they cannot get the federal government to stand up and help out with any of these resources, they continue to have to send people they have known for 40 or 50 years away to larger communities.

I am wondering if the member will stand up to the government and say that it needs to see housing as a real priority, not just another talking point.

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Outremont, QC]

Madam Speaker, as I mentioned in my speech, I am working on the ground now to create affordable housing in my riding, as are 338 MPs in this room. It is through our efforts and funding from our government, as I mentioned, that we will build 100,000 new affordable housing units by 2025. That is a record number of units in a record amount of time.

I encourage the member to work with us in order to identify the particular locations in her community that need this urgent housing to be built, and we will get it done.

[Peter Fonseca, Liberal, Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON]

Madam Speaker, it is a tremendous honour and privilege to be a voice for the residents and businesses of Mississauga East—Cooksville and to be able to speak in this 44th Parliament representing my great community.

My heartfelt thanks go to the constituents of Mississauga East—Cooksville for placing their trust in me from the year 2003, both in my provincial and federally elected roles. I am so thankful to my dedicated staff of Radhika Sriram, Natniel Solomon and Maheen Nazim, and to an amazing team of volunteers for their wonderful support throughout these years, and I send a big hug to my loving, lovely family of my wife Christina and my twin boys, Alexander and Sebastian. I thank them for their dedication, love and support, and, of course, for putting up with me. To my parents, who fled a fascist dictatorship in Portugal, as you would know, Madam Speaker, the country that you come from, and left there to make their life here in Canada, and who were received with open arms and so much opportunity for them to be able to build their lives, I thank Maria Fonseca and Joaquim Fonseca.

I would like to begin by acknowledging that we are gathered on the unceded territory of the Algonquin and Anishinabe in Ottawa and the Mississaugas of the New Credit in Mississauga. I did not get a chance last December to congratulate every member here, newly elected and re-elected, and you, Madam Speaker, on your re-election and role as Assistant Deputy Speaker. I have so much respect for all members and all those who work on our behalf. They are all truly amazing, talented, dedicated and passionate individuals who are all here to help make Canada an even better place than it is today.

As members of Parliament, we are all here for one reason: to represent our respective constituents and make our communities and country even better tomorrow than today, creating a healthier, stronger, more inclusive country that is a beacon for all. I know from the thousands of conversations that I have had with residents and businesses in my riding that there are top priorities that continue to be my North Star. They include protecting their health and providing for a better future for their families, including taking care of their aging parents and grandparents.

That is why we have taken bold action through the pandemic and since forming government in 2015. These bold actions include the Canada child benefit, increases to the GIS and OAS for seniors, investments in infrastructure and housing, and putting a price on pollution. These initiatives and so much more led to a stronger, resilient and resourceful Canada, a Canada that created well over a million jobs, a Canada that raised over a million people out of poverty, a Canada that showed it cared for everyone, including our indigenous people, ethnic groups, the LGBTQ2 community, seniors, families and small businesses. It is a Canada that does not and will not leave anyone behind.

In the last election, Canadians sent a clear message to parliamentarians. They want us to work together to put this pandemic behind us. They expect us to deliver results and solutions to the other challenges we face. Our government will continue to remain focused on moving Canada forward for everyone.

The Speech from the Throne comes nearly two years after the world was plunged into a once-in-a-century pandemic. Our plan will finish the fight against COVID-19, take strong climate action, make life more affordable, walk the shared path of reconciliation, put home ownership back in reach, create jobs and grow the middle class.

Our government completely understands that the rising cost of living is making it harder for Canadians to put food on the table and buy necessities. That is why we have a plan to make life more affordable for all Canadians. From $10-a-day child care to supports for low-income seniors, our government will be there for as long as it takes to ensure that no Canadian gets left behind. Our government's top priority has been to have Canadians' backs, supporting Canadians in fighting COVID and addressing the hardships it has placed on Canadians' health and finances. Now, as we work together to finish this fight against COVID-19 and get the job done on vaccines, our government will continue to be there for Canadians.

Thanks to the hard work of Canadians, we reached our target of one million jobs and more, restoring employment back to prepandemic levels. Now it is time to go well beyond a million jobs. We will continue to focus on ensuring that Canadians have access to good jobs and that our economy continues to grow.

We will also tackle housing affordability and supply in Canada. All Canadians deserve an affordable and safe place to call home. We cannot leave young families and middle-class Canadians behind. Our government will continue our work to make life more affordable for all Canadians, including through $10-a-day child care to help families access quality, accessible and affordable child care.

It saddens me that in Mississauga, Ontario, the province I am from, every day that the province delays signing up for this historic program, we are denying the right for those families to be provided with better access to high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive early learning and child care programs. Ontario is missing out on the community-based early learning and child care system that would make life more affordable for families, create new jobs, get parents and especially women back into the workforce, and grow the middle class, while giving every child a real and fair chance at success.

There are a few key takeaways from the Speech from the Throne. One of the top priorities for my constituents is to build a healthier today and tomorrow. When we started the year 2020, little did any of us think we would be facing COVID-19. Against this once-in-a-century pandemic, Canadians stepped up. We armed ourselves with our best weapon to defeat this invisible enemy: We went out and got vaccinated. I recall at the vaccination sites in my riding how proud people were to do their part to protect themselves, their family, our community, our country, and the world for that matter. There were tears of joy and national pride. How Canadians responded was no surprise. I want to give a big thanks to all of the residents of Mississauga East who got vaccinated, and to all our frontline workers, particularly those in health care, who provided the most selfless support to those who needed it the most.

Our government wasted no time in prioritizing the utmost important things our country needed, whether it was procuring the vaccines effectively or providing key benefits immediately to our residents who lost jobs because of the pandemic. The Conservatives questioned—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

Is the hon. member having issues with his Internet connection? The sound is not very good.

[Peter Fonseca, Liberal, Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON]

Madam Speaker, can you hear me now? Is it working?

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

No. It is the sound in the chamber that we do not get.

With the indulgence of the chamber, I would ask to give the hon. member the two minutes left for his speech and time for questions at the end of all the speeches we still have.

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner.

[Glen Motz, Conservative, Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB]

Madam Speaker, I would be happy to step in so we can move his questions to the end.

I am thrilled to rise today on behalf of my constituents and the opposition to talk about the Speech from the Throne. In reality, expectations were high for the Speech from the Throne. Canada and Alberta have struggled for almost two years under lockdowns, restrictions and confusion. Canadians were hoping for a path back to a more normal way of life. They wanted a plan for a recovery. Instead, there were platitudes and rhetoric, with no clear plan in the Speech from the Throne.

Canadians were right to expect more, since the Prime Minister triggered a $600-million election that he claimed was to address the pandemic. However, the results were clear: Canadians, 67% of them, voted against giving the Prime Minister and the Liberals more power. They had seen what he did with a majority the first time and were not willing to trust him or give that to him again.

What have we seen since the election? The Prime Minister took a vacation during the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, he delayed the return of Parliament for 60 days as Canadians waited for Parliament and parliamentarians to get back to work, and, not surprisingly, he broke yet another promise to deliver action within the first 100 days.

Instead of rallying the country as good leaders do during a time of crisis and challenges, he hatefully called people he does not know, and does not care to understand, misogynists and extremists. That is what he called them. He clearly does not take the concerns of Canadians or the threat of hate groups seriously. He is actually promoting hatred to advance his own agenda, which is disappointing for the leader of a country.

In the lead-up to the speech, for Alberta and my riding there was a feeling of anger and a question of how much more we could lose. The government has shown that it is not a question of if it would level another attack at Alberta, but what would be attacked next.

At the recent climate change summit, the only announcement was to penalize one of Canada's main economic drivers, despite that the energy sector is one of the few with a public net-zero emissions plan, well ahead of the government's own deadlines. Alberta and Canada need a government that supports our low-carbon energy sector and its hundreds of thousands of workers, a government working for the return of the 134,000 jobs that were lost. These were blue-collar, high-paying energy jobs that the government killed with its antienergy policies.

Small businesses in the communities across my riding are looking for a plan to end the lockdowns and get people back to work, to get supply chains that are secure and reliable, to get new projects that need government support up and running. Families are looking for certainty to get back to normal, to end the fear and bring prices back under control.

Many Canadians have rejected the Speech from the Throne as having nothing for them. They are angry at the overreach designed to keep government empowered at Canadians' expense. As Thomas Jefferson said, “When government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.” Sadly, the Liberals move closer to tyranny every day.

There was a surprise at how little detail there was in the throne speech after an election and two months to work on it. Inflation was mentioned, but only that it was not a real problem. Canadians deserve a plan to manage inflation driven by the government's decisions. They deserve a plan to get our economy back on track and to tackle the many other issues facing Canada and Canadians.

My riding has a large rural economy. There are many farmers and ranchers who endured yet another tough year trying to survive a very severe drought. Our agriculture sector is critical to our trade, our international relations, our domestic economy, our rural economy and our food supply. Why were farmers and rural Canada largely ignored in the Speech from the Throne? They deserve better as they face challenging times, carbon tax bills in the tens of thousands of dollars and shrinking access to global markets.

Dealing with today’s challenges should be the priority of the government. The throne speech should have reset policy mistakes, acknowledged them and addressed them for the benefit of all Canadians. As National Bank Chief Economist Stéfane Marion noted, in the last five years, private sector investment in Canada shrank every year, even with a good economy. Liberal policies have driven out investments and weakened our economy. Everyone can see it, so why not acknowledge reality, take some advice and change course? Why not acknowledge the serious crime problem that continues to grow, with more shootings by criminal gangs with illegal, smuggled guns? The policies of the last six and a half years have not only failed to protect Canadians, but made things worse. Instead of addressing the problem, the Liberals are doubling down on policy failures in the hopes that press releases and media stories will bury the actual facts.

Why not acknowledge that our Canada is not prepared to address rising global tensions or cyber-threats? Russia is on the verge of invading the Ukraine. China continues its threats and intimidations of Canadians. The world is at its highest international tensions since the Cold War. A promise to stand strong against these aggressors rings hollow today as the Liberals are not sending the supports Ukraine needs. The most obvious policy, to ban Huawei, has remained in study for five years. What is also surprising is there is still no acknowledgement that the Liberals benefited in the last election from Communist China’s misinformation campaign targeting Chinese Canadians.

Canada is standing more and more isolated from our allies, who no longer recognize us. We were left out of the Indo-Pacific security agreement. We have been excluded from the U.K.-U.S.-Australia security pact. We have been slow to denounce Chinese hacking, aggressions and attacks, and are often the last of our allies to make any decisions. Our allies, or perhaps, unfortunately, our former allies, have noticed. Our response to Russian aggressions seems to be only tweets. Take that Putin.

While our response weakens internationally, our democracy weakens here. Canada and our Parliament need to revitalize our democracy and shared values, ones that follow the letter and spirit of our laws. The government has run roughshod over our democracy, and its lack of respect for our laws is apparent. This has included suing Parliament, blocking information disclosures, proroguing the House to block information on scandals and consistently breaking ethics laws, all while falsely decrying others as partisan. Should the entire House not decry a Prime Minister who breaks ethical laws multiple times, who tries to force changes to criminal court proceedings to support his donors and who appeases our fiercest enemies?

We need to return to transparency to be accountable to Canadians, who we are here to service. We need a commitment to support all provinces, now in particular when they are all seeking help with health care costs. We need a team Canada partnership, not the fight club that federal-provincial relations have become.

Better is possible. I would like the Prime Minister to show us better, not just promise it or tweet it. Do it. Show us cross-aisle co-operation. Show us support for Canada's and Alberta’s energy workers. Show us a willingness to reverse mistakes and fix problems in housing, in jobs and in the inflation fight we are in.

The people of my riding and all Canadians deserve to be heard and respected by their government. They deserve a clear plan for their communities and their country. They deserve a plan to manage inflation and reduce costs, a plan to reduce crime, a plan to deal with our national security, a plan to restore our democratic values, a plan to end the perpetual pandemic and a plan for recovery.

The Speech from the Throne failed to show a clear plan on the priorities of Canadians and for Canadians. Failure to plan is planning to fail. We have all heard that. This speech has no plan and therefore should fail to get the support of the House.

[Kody Blois, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Madam Speaker, the member mentioned agriculture and the fact that it was mentioned just a couple times in the speech. I would remind the member that these are intentionally broad documents that do not lay out all the different policy initiatives of a particular government.

Given the fact that he is in an area where agriculture is extremely important to the economy, as it is in my riding, I want to remind him it was this government that increased the business risk management programs after Harper cuts. I want to remind him it was the Conservative-led government that killed the wheat board in western Canada. I want to remind him that we have supports for the Prairies through the AgriRecovery framework for droughts. We put a billion dollars into irrigation projects in Alberta last year. There is a litany of different programs.

Will the member ever explain to his constituents that the government is actually investing in his constituency and his province, notwithstanding the fact that he may not recognize it here in the House?