Debates of Oct. 24th, 2022

Housing

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

Mr. Speaker, over the past couple of years and especially over this past summer many Canadians have been pushed into homelessness due to the rising costs across the board. It is no secret that this harsh reality has hit our most vulnerable the hardest.

Can the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion please tell the House what the government is doing to support homeless Canadians and offer them a better tomorrow?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for St. John's East for her important question and her strong advocacy on this really serious issue. Our government takes homelessness seriously, and that is why we are committed to eliminating it once and for all. That is also why we have doubled the federal funding for Reaching Home, Canada's anti-homelessness strategy from $2 billion to $4 billion. It is also why we are building 10,000 deeply affordable homes rapidly through the rapid housing initiative. This means better access to affordable housing for the most vulnerable. It also means better services and wraparound supports, which are needed. We have demonstrated that, through federal leadership, we will leave no one behind.

Public Services and Procurement

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

Mr. Speaker, a company has come forward saying it did not receive a dime of the missing million dollars in the ArriveCAN scam, proving the Liberals provided false information to the House and to Canadians for spending on this app. Are the Liberals going to give Canadians the details of the real contracts for ArriveCAN, or are they going to wait for more companies to come forward and tell us that even more money is missing?

Where are the missing millions? Who got rich?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, at the height of the pandemic, the ArriveCAN app was an essential tool to protect the health and safety of Canadians. It did so by screening all those who wished to enter on their vaccination status.

I understand that the hon. member has brought forward a question. I can assure him that the CBSA is conducting a full review and we will provide updates to that once we have them.

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

Mr. Speaker, it was the minister's office that signed off on the documents telling Canadians that they paid for that work. Now we know it is not true. Millions of dollars are missing and it is millions of dollars over budget. With the track record that the Liberal government has, Canadians know that it cannot be trusted. Whether it was the WE scandal or SNC-Lavalin, Canadians know that Liberal insiders will always get the track.

Which Liberal insider got this one? Who got rich off the Prime Minister's $54-million ArriveCAN scam?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I am afraid my hon. colleague across the aisle may be getting a bit ahead of his skis on this one. Let us let CBSA do the full review. We will be entirely transparent with regard to those details. In the meantime, I want to remind him and all members that ArriveCAN was an essential tool that helped to save Canadians' lives and helped to protect the health and safety of all Canadians during the height of the pandemic. We based that decision on evidence, science and medicine, which, of course, the Conservatives continue to wage war on every day.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the government spent $54 million on an application that experts say they could have created for $200,000. We demanded a list from the Liberal government of the contractors to see who got the $54 million. Already three contractors have come forward to say they did not get a penny.

What is the government trying to hide, where is the money and who got rich?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, as I have already indicated on a number of occasions, CBSA is conducting a full review and will share details as it has them, to be transparent. I also want to remind my colleague that the ArriveCAN app did ensure that we were protecting the health and safety of Canadians. It ensured that we could keep the economy going. It ensured that we could provide food, fuel and, most essentially, health care treatment to Canadians.

Going forward, we will provide details when CBSA has them.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, he is CBSA. He is the minister, so he is the one responsible for the ArriveCAN chaos.

The Liberals are putting the lucrative contracts awarded to companies into quarantine. We want to know the details.

The government paid $54 million to develop that app, which should have cost $250,000. Some 70 updates were needed for an app that never worked.

The question is simple. Who are the other winners of the Liberal ArriveCAN lottery?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, CBSA is conducting a full review and we will provide all the details to the House as soon as they are available.

In the meantime, I want to remind the House that the ArriveCAN app was an essential tool during the pandemic that protected the health and safety of Canadians.

Health

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

Mr. Speaker, in the summer of 2021, Health Canada was planning to authorize an increase in the amount of pesticides on our food. However, at the request of the multinational pesticide companies themselves, the government had to postpone its decision under pressure during the election campaign.

Today, Radio‑Canada reported that the organization Vigilance OGM had filed an access to information request to see the study that inspired this decision. The organization received 229 blank pages. That is what transparency means to this government. It is so transparent that we can see right through the pages.

What does the government have to hide?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank not only my colleague, but also every organization in Quebec and elsewhere that is fighting to ensure that people can live a healthy life in an environment that is protected.

We acknowledge that there are obstacles to accessing this information because of confidentiality laws.

We also know that the Canadian government announced last year that the law would be reviewed in order to ensure, as the member was saying, greater transparency, better access to reliable scientific information and more openness on such important issues.

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

Mr. Speaker, our farmers were not asking for more pesticides on our foods. In fact, no one was asking for that except Bayer, the multinational that manufactures the pesticides in question. At the time, the government was accused of not conducting any studies to justify this decision, other than the study conducted by Bayer itself.

Today, the government is refusing to disclose to Vigilance OGM the study that led to its decision. Believe it or not, it is justifying that decision by saying that the information in question was provided by a third party.

The third party in question would not happen to by Bayer by chance, would it?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to once again thank the member.

I would like to add to the answer that I just gave a few moments ago that Health Canada and all public servants are well aware that they need to do a solid job when it comes to quality of information, transparency and compliance with the law in that regard.

The public servants and organizations involved work together to determine whether there are any other options available for accessing the appropriate information.

Taxation

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Mr. Speaker, folks in Newfoundland and Labrador know that I will vote for the Conservative motion not to place the carbon tax on home heating fuel. However, Chesley in L’Anse aux Clair, Geoff in Pasadena, Stirling from Davidsville, Lorna in Mount Pearl, Glad in Paradise and Tammy from St. John's are not sure if their MPs will have their backs, which their Liberal leader promises all the time.

Will the Prime Minister once again force MPs from my province to vote against the well-being of our people?

[Terry Duguid, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely shocking. Weeks after the climate catastrophe of hurricane Fiona, the Conservatives want to take a tool off the table that would reduce emissions, fight climate change and put more money into people's pockets.

I want to assure the hon. member that we will be there to help Atlantic Canada to rebuild. We will also be there to help Atlantic Canadians transition to greener forms of energy.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Mr. Speaker, what a heartless answer that was.

In June, Liberal MPs from Atlantic Canada voted against my bill to form a pinniped management act, against the wishes of their constituents. These same folks are now faced with a tripling of the carbon tax on home heating fuel, and they simply cannot afford it.

Will Atlantic Liberal MPs vote to exempt all forms of home heating fuel from the carbon tax, or will they give Atlantic Canadians the cold shoulder?

[Terry Duguid, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, we are focused like a laser beam on affordability and the cost of living challenges of Canadian families. That is why it is so important that the price on pollution and the climate rebate puts more money—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I am not sure what happened on the weekend, but everybody came back really rambunctious. I just want to remind everybody to calm down.

The hon. parliamentary secretary, go ahead from the top, please.

[Terry Duguid, Liberal, Winnipeg South, MB]

Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, eight out of 10 families will benefit, according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer. It is very good news, and about a week and a half ago, cheques started arriving in people's mailboxes. They will now arrive quarterly. That is going to help Atlantic Canadians. It will help all Canadians with the cost of living and with cash flow.

May I say, there is a triple benefit. It would reduce pollution, drive innovation and, importantly, put more money in people's pockets.

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the sad facts are this: Grocery costs are up over 10% and home heating costs are up 54% from a year ago. Seniors are now having to choose between rent and feeding themselves. They are opting out of home insurance, which they desperately need, again, so they can feed themselves.

Premiers Furey and Houston have reached out to the government, literally begging them for relief for Atlantic Canadians and the extra $1 billion that they will have to pay for home heating costs by 2030.

Will the Prime Minister and the costly coalition with the NDP end the tax on home heating?

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, while the Conservatives spend time focusing on slogans, we are focused on helping seniors. The only thing tripling is the misinformation spread by the leader of this opposition party.

I can say first-hand that home heating oil is expensive, and that is why we are delivering funding to help folks make the switch to efficient and more affordable ways of heating their homes. It is why we are doubling the GST tax credit. They can heckle as much as they want. They just do not want to hear the answer about all the things we are doing for affordability for Canadians and seniors who are vulnerable.

Dental Care

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are also being affected by rising inflation across the globe. Our government remains committed to this fight and is constantly looking for solutions that will help Canadian families.

Can the minister tell us how important it is to pass Bill C-31, which will help Canadian children have access to affordable dental care and bring much-needed relief to those who are having a hard time paying their rent?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle for his work and for stressing that oral health care really is part of essential health care.

That is why we are very pleased with the progress being made towards passing Bill C-31, which will help families and 500,000 children avoid hospitalization because of widespread infection and reduce the costs and risks of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and gastrointestinal illness. It will ensure that children have the dental care they need and reduce the cost of living for families concerned.