Debates of Oct. 27th, 2022

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, let us be clear about what the Conservatives are saying. They are saying that they would not have put in place the CERB, which helped keep millions of Canadians in their homes. They would not have put in place the wage subsidy, which kept 60,000 people in the oil and gas sector employed, in Alberta alone. They would not have done the rent subsidy, which kept thousands of businesses open. They want Canadians to be left on their own. We have Canadians' backs.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is not serious about helping Canadians. He spent $24,000 on his hotel stay in London. That is the average annual rental cost in Canada and he blew it in four days. Families and students are going to food banks and homeless shelters because the Prime Minister's inflationary policies are driving up costs while he sings in luxury hotels abroad, finally putting his drama degree to use. He caused the inflation and interest rate hikes with out-of-control spending.

How does he justify this to struggling Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the official opposition talks about taking on gatekeepers. However, we have found that he is the biggest gatekeeper, keeping Canadians away from rental supports now. He is the biggest gatekeeper who voted against the Canada housing benefit. He is the biggest gatekeeper who has voted against the housing accelerator fund. He is full of buzzwords and nonsense. He does not help Canadian families. On this side of the House, we are here to help Canadian families. He can change his ways today and vote to deliver much needed rental supports today.

[The Speaker, Anthony Rota]

I just want to remind the hon. members to pay attention to their whips.

The hon. member for South Surrey—White Rock.

Taxation

[Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the people of Vancouver Island cannot afford this costly coalition. Residents of Port Alberni pay nearly two dollars per litre for gas. In Comox, groceries are up 11% since last year. With interest rates on the rise, many islanders are in danger of losing their homes. Their NDP MPs do not care. They are pushing the Liberals to drive up the cost of living with more greedy taxes and unlimited spending.

Will the coalition members show some compassion, stop their inflationary spending and scrap their tax hikes?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, more than 600 lives were lost in British Columbia due to the heat waves and forest fires, which is something we have never seen in the history of this country. It was the costliest natural catastrophe in the history of our country.

Who do the official opposition members think is paying for the tens of billions of dollars that climate change is costing British Columbians and Canadians all across the country? They have no answer whatsoever on the climate crisis.

[Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister should tell that to the Liberal MP from Malpeque, who says he is considering leaving Canada because the cost of living is too high.

Yesterday's interest rate hike is another punch in the gut for people in the Lower Mainland. The impact on renters and homeowners is cruel to families trying to make a living and meet their costs. This costly coalition is to blame for this mess. Their unrestrained inflationary spending drove up costs and interest rates. The NDP-Liberals need to stop hurting B.C. with irresponsible spending and high taxes.

Will they axe the triple tax?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, just last week, the Insurance Bureau of Canada unveiled that storm Fiona caused more than $600 million of insured losses. These are not total damages. That makes it the most expensive storm in Atlantic Canada.

On this side of the House, we are fighting climate change and supporting Canadians. Just two weeks ago, we sent $186 to families in Ontario, $208 to families in Manitoba, $275 to families in Saskatchewan and $269 to families in Alberta.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we all remember the Liberal slogan about working for the middle class and those working hard to join it. In fact, the current President of the Treasury Board used to be the minister of middle class prosperity. That position no longer exists, by the way.

What is the end result of all that? Martin Munger, the executive director of Food Banks of Quebec, says that food bank use is currently up 33%. That is unprecedented.

Will the Prime Minister promise not to raise taxes so that people in the middle class can stay there?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, we understand that the cost of living is really high for Canadians right now. That is exactly why there is an opportunity today for all members of the House to support Canadians and Canadian families with the dental benefit and rental support. It is important that all members do that. Why? It is because the cost of living is high right now.

I hope that we can count on the Conservatives to stand with us in supporting families and Canadians across the country.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's decision to shutter the department of middle-class prosperity was an admission that he did not understand the economy. He even said, as members will recall, that he did not think about monetary policy and that budgets balance themselves.

However, the Royal Bank of Canada has confirmed that middle-class Canadians may well see their purchasing power decline by $3,000 in the first quarter of 2023. In Quebec, thousands of food bank users are children.

Can the Prime Minister be serious for once in his life and promise not to increase taxes?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, let us review what happened. In 2015, when we introduced the Canada child benefit, what did the Conservatives do? They voted against it. When we introduced support for child care, what did the Conservatives do? They voted against it.

We have lifted 450,000 children out of poverty since 2015. If the Conservatives really want to support families now, they have an opportunity to do so with the dental benefit.

Can we count on the Conservatives? Are they going to be there for families for the first time ever? I do not know.

Finance

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the year ahead is going to be rough. A further rise in the key interest rate yesterday will increase household debt. The cost of living remains astronomically high, and there are fears of a recession. The government will have to make some tough choices in the economic update it is supposed to deliver a few weeks from now.

Spending money left and right would add fuel to the fire. For the government to turn its back on its fundamental responsibilities would be a mistake. It has to choose between discipline and austerity. Controlling spending is discipline. Turning its back on our most vulnerable is austerity.

Will the government side with our most vulnerable?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for his question. He knows very well that the Bank of Canada is an independent institution in this country, an institution that has helped Canadians through tough times. Our responsibility is to manage the country's fiscal plan properly. We have gotten through the pandemic. We have a concrete plan to lower the cost of living, and it includes supporting the most vulnerable people.

We hope that the Bloc Québécois, the NDP and the Conservatives will vote in favour of Canadians and vote for Bill C-31.

Seniors

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that was not clear.

Some of the most vulnerable that the government cannot abandon are seniors.

According to Food Banks Canada, the number of visits this year has shattered records. The number of Quebeckers who needed to use food banks was up 33% compared to 2019.

The first people the organization sees in line are seniors who can no longer cope with inflation. Seniors cannot take any more.

Will the government stop discriminating based on age and increase old age security for everyone 65 and over?

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Minister of Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, we recognize the challenges seniors are facing with paying their bills and with grocery costs. That is precisely why we have been there for them from the very beginning. That is exactly why we are doubling the GST tax credit, putting more money in their pockets. That is precisely why we are helping nearly two million low-income renters who will receive financial relief. That is precisely why we increased the old age security for seniors.

We are going to continue to be there for seniors and Canadians.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, they are forgetting half of them. Abandoning seniors is not an act of discipline, it is austerity.

We are talking about people who worked for decades and then end up going to a food bank for the first time in their lives.

It is not true that the rising cost of living affects 74-year-olds and 75-year-olds differently. There are not two classes of seniors in real life. The only place there are two classes of seniors is in the federal government's support programs.

When will the government realize that the cost of living does not discriminate on the basis of age?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, that is a matter that is extremely important and worth debating.

Indeed, the Bloc Québécois had an opposition day to debate a subject that was truly important. I am very surprised and also disappointed that the Bloc Québécois chose a subject other than seniors or the fight against poverty.

Now it can make up for it. Will it support the government with respect to dental care and housing assistance?

Public Safety

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, throughout this RCMP political interference scandal, the minister has been using very specific legal words concerning ministerial directives to the RCMP, but whether or not he directed the RCMP commissioner does not preclude political interference or inappropriate pressure. It does not rule it out.

Did he or his staff have any conversations with the commissioner concerning the release of weapons information or the pending Liberal gun control legislation after the massacre and before the April 28 press conference, yes or no?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite's assertions are completely incorrect. The independence of police operations is a key principle in our democracy. It is one that our government deeply respects, one that I have always respected and one that I have always vigorously defended—

[The Speaker, Anthony Rota]

I am going to interrupt the member for a moment. It is pretty bad when I see people on one side who are trying to listen and are holding onto their earpieces because they cannot hear. I want everyone to be able to hear the answer.

The hon. minister will begin from the top, please, so that everyone can understand and hear what he is saying.

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, the member's assertion on this matter is completely incorrect. It is not surprising that the members opposite do not actually want to hear the facts, but here they are.

At no time did I or any member of our government attempt to interfere in police operations. To be very explicit and clear with words I hope the member might understand, I did not direct, I did not ask and I did not suggest to the RCMP commissioner to release information. When she testified under oath before the Mass Casualty Commission, she said, “I did not receive direction and I was not influenced by government—

[The Speaker, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Kildonan—St. Paul.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, we have on the audio recording the commissioner saying the minister's office requested that she do this. That is irrefutable. I am going to ask him again.

Did his office or he have any conversations with the commissioner concerning the Liberal gun control policy after that tragic massacre that killed 22 Canadians? Did his office politicize their deaths, yes or no?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness]

No, Mr. Speaker.