Debates of Oct. 3rd, 2022

Taxation

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I think we are all really glad to hear today from the member for Abbotsford, who is an MP we all know and respect. I listened to him carefully during the campaign, when he said:

I am deeply troubled by suggestions by one of our leadership candidates that that candidate would be prepared to interfere already at this stage in the independence of our central bank.

I wonder if the member for Abbotsford has persuaded his new leader to see the wisdom of his previous comment.

[Rob Morrison, Conservative, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this tax-and-spend government plans to raise the carbon tax from the current level of $50 a tonne to $170 a tonne by 2030. British Columbians are already stretched thin by an out-of-touch government that is now asking B.C. to triple its carbon tax, making life even more unaffordable.

Will the government back down from forcing B.C. to triple, triple, triple its carbon tax on gas, groceries and home heating?

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

Mr. Speaker, earlier during question period, I referred to the member for Durham, who spoke about the benefit of pricing carbon to fight pollution. I would also like to refer to the member for New Brunswick Southwest, who also urged his premier to adopt the federal system because “cheques will begin to roll out to New Brunswick families”. That is exactly right. We can work to fight pollution, work to fight climate change and help Canadian families. I agree with the member for New Brunswick Southwest.

[Richard Lehoux, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this government is out of touch with reality, with food prices being up more than 10% and the absurd tripling of the carbon tax. That is to say nothing of the 35% tax on fertilizer that many farms are still struggling with. Farmers want to help feed our families with safe and nutritious food, but their input costs just keep going up under this government.

Will the government stop its plan to triple, triple, triple the carbon tax on Canadian farmers?

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

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

I know it is a bit complicated, but the federal government's pollution pricing does not apply to Quebec because Quebec has its own cap-and-trade system. We have decided to respect that, and we will do the same for all the other provinces that want to have their own pollution pricing system.

Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, shots were fired in downtown Montreal again last night, and a body was found in the trunk of a burning car. Things are going from bad to worse. The year 2021 was the worst year of the decade for shootings; 2022 is on track to be even worse.

The first step to solving a problem is acknowledging it. The problem in this case is illegal weapons crossing the border.

Is the minister aware that he has not introduced a single measure to effectively tackle arms trafficking?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, our thoughts are with the victims' families. This is a very difficult time.

Over the past year, we have invested $321 million to strengthen the integrity of our border. That is exactly why we have made so much progress going after criminals attempting to import illegal firearms. This is an issue with a lot of challenges.

We will move forward with our plan, Bill C‑21, which will give the police more tools and increase the penalties for those involved in organized crime. We need to pass this bill as soon as possible.

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

Mr. Speaker, there has not been that much progress. Last year, 1,100 firearms were seized at the border, but at the same time Montreal and Toronto seized 2,500. That is more than double. It just proves that firearms are getting across the border and ending up in our cities.

Last week, Yves Francoeur, from Fraternité des policiers et policières de Montréal, said on the show Tout le monde en parle that it has become common to arrest young people with illegal firearms that they purchased out of fear, to defend themselves. That is gun culture. The more firearms there are around, the better armed you need to be. It is a vicious circle.

Does the minister realize that this culture is growing under his governance?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I completely agree with my colleague. We have to end this cycle. That is why we will continue to make investments in collaboration with Quebec, including $40 million to help police services, with $18 million going to prevent gun-related violence in Montreal.

We have to go even further by passing Bill C‑21, which seeks to provide more resources. We will do this work in collaboration with the Bloc Québécois.

Foreign Affairs

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this weekend, millions around the world protested the brutal dictatorship in Iran, demanding freedom. Students at Tehran's Sharif University are being brutalized and arrested by the regime. Fifty thousand people came together in Richmond Hill to demand that the IRGC be listed as a terrorist organization, and the Prime Minister did not even bother to respond to the invite.

MPs passed a motion in the House almost four years ago to designate the IRGC as terrorists. We need actions, not words, and broad sanctions, not a free pass. What time today will the government list the IRGC as a terrorist organization in this country?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, obviously we are standing with the courageous women and all the people of Iran who are standing up and fighting for their freedom and, I must say, for their future. That is why I raised this very issue not only at the UN last Monday, but also when I was in Washington on Friday at ICAO and over the weekend with key Iranian women. This morning we also met with families regarding flight PS752.

We will make sure to hold the regime accountable for this. We have imposed sanctions. We will do more. We will be imposing new sanctions very soon.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the virtue signalling of the government's fake feminist foreign policy needs to stop. Projecting lights on the buildings of Parliament is not going to punish the brutal dictatorship’s morality police from killing women. It will not get justice for the victims of 752.

The government has failed Iranian Canadians. It has failed to protect the freedom of women demanding it. It has failed to stand up against the tyrants in Tehran. Will it finally list the IRGC as terrorists today?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, this is not a partisan issue. We are all together in denouncing what is happening in Iran. I really hope I can work with my colleague on this and with all members of the opposition, because, of course, we are united in making sure to hold accountable the perpetrators in this awful regime.

We want to make sure that we do things right—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I am going to interrupt the hon. member.

I appreciate that some hon. members are trying to practice their French during question period, but not while somebody is speaking. It is just not parliamentary.

The hon. minister, please, from the top so we can all hear the answer.

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, obviously this is a very important question for Canada. We want to make sure that we work all together in this House. Indeed, we need to make sure that this is not a partisan issue. This is a question of making sure that perpetrators are held accountable at the international level. We need to make sure that we work all together on this. We will work with other countries in the world.

As for those who are going against these women, including those who are responsible for the killing of Gina Mahsa Amini, we will make sure they are—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the minister speaks about our being “all together”. We were all together four years ago when the Liberals voted with the Conservatives to immediately list the IRGC as a terrorist entity. The minister, the Prime Minister and the entire cabinet voted for my motion to immediately list the IRGC four years ago, yet they did not do it. That is the problem. We have more empty words from the minister and have four years of complete inaction.

PS752 did not move them to action. The murder of Mahsa Amini still has not moved them to action. We need to replace hollow words with real action. It is a—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. minister.

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, in the face of the atrocious violations of human rights, this government has taken concrete action by ensuring that the state is listed as a supporter of terrorist activity, by listing the IRGC Quds Force, because it is a purveyor of terrorism, and by last week ensuring that we sanction the morality police, which are responsible for the killing of Mahsa Amini.

We need to be united on this and we need to take—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I am going to interrupt the hon. member.

The hon. member asks a question and then shouts while the answer is coming back. I just want to remind him that if he wants to hear the answer, he is going to have to stop shouting. I would appreciate it if he would stop shouting while I am speaking as well.

The hon. minister, from the top.

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as I was saying when it comes to the atrocious human rights violations, in the face of that action, we have taken concrete action, including ensuring that Iran is listed as a state supporter of terrorism, ensuring that we list the IRGC Quds Force and ensuring, last week, that we sanction the members of the morality police who were responsible for the killing of Mahsa Amini.

We will never stop defending human rights when it comes to this side of the House. We need to be united on that and not play partisanship.

Justice

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, protecting all Canadians is an absolute priority for our government. It means working to have a justice system that is effective and fair, and, above all, one that is compassionate towards victims.

Given that it is vital that victims have a strong voice to represent them, can the Minister of Justice tell us more about the recent appointment of the victims ombudsman?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for London West for her question and excellent work.

I was proud to announce the appointment of Dr. Benjamin Roebuck as the new ombudsman for victims of crime. He is a renowned expert who has conducted research on victims' rights for 15 years. We will continue to support victims in our justice system in all possible ways, whether by investing in organizations to help them, appointing a new ombudsman with a high degree of expertise or using the system's resources to fight serious crime. We will always support victims.

Foreign Affairs

[Marty Morantz, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Mahsa Amini is dead for the high crime of showing her hair. Tomorrow marks 1,000 days since the IRGC shot down flight 752, killing 55 Canadians. The U.S. declared the IRGC to be a terrorist organization over three years ago. Sanctioning a few individuals today does not go nearly far enough.

It is time to send the tyrants in Tehran a clear message. When will the government wake up, see the IRGC for what it is and finally list this horrible terrorist entity?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, our government will continue to take concrete action to ensure that no one, whether from Iran or any place in this world, who violates human rights, who commits acts of terrorism or who commits the brutal killing of those like Mahsa Amini, of any other woman or of any other member of a vulnerable group, will have safe haven in this country. We will ensure that those responsible are sanctioned, and we will continue to explore all options to defend human rights here and around the world.