Debates of Oct. 3rd, 2022

Cost of Living Relief Act, No. 2

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Madam Speaker, the climate action incentive provides an annual credit for an individual in Ontario, my home province, of $373 for an individual and $186 for a spouse or common-law partner, and $93 per child under the age of 19. Every dollar raised through carbon pricing in Ontario goes back to the residents of Ontario. The less we pollute, the more we save.

When we are talking about affordability and helping Canadians, why does the hon. member want to take hundreds of dollars out of the pockets of Ontario families?

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I listened intently to my colleague across the way as she went on and on about the cost of living relief measures, which are being offered on a one-time basis to help people through today's economic times.

Her government has been in office since 2015. If it had made meaningful, significant investments over the past seven years, the housing shortage would not be as severe as it is today.

How does the member explain that to her constituents?

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, housing is an issue. Since we came into power, we have invested in the national housing strategy. I have seen first-hand an increase in the rental units. Through the rapid housing investments, we have been able to invest. In my own riding there has been an investment of 57 additional units, and we had a groundbreaking ceremony. The money is going into different housing projects. Investing $2.5 billion in modular housing is increasing rental stocks.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we stand in this place to talk about how dental care is so important for the health of children under 12, but it is also a financial benefit. It would be beneficial for our health care system, which is under attack and so overburdened, as children would not have to go for emergency care. We could do preventative work.

Could the member comment on the value of that, and perhaps how dental care is similar to things such as mental care and pharmacare, which are also very cost effective preventative measures against further hardships on our health care system?

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for her advocacy on dental care. Every Canadian deserves good oral health care. It is a key component to overall well-being. That is why we, as a government, are committed to working to build a comprehensive, longer-term national dental care program. It is really very important.

When I talk to families in my riding, it is very heartbreaking to see that some families cannot afford to take their kids to the dentist, even for a simple cleaning. I am really proud to stand in the House today to support the temporary dental benefit, which would provide up to $1,300 to families to take care of kids' dental needs.

German Heritage Month

[Valerie Bradford, Liberal, Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am excited to rise today to announce that October 1 marked the start of German Heritage Month. What better way to celebrate than by experiencing the Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest, which will be kicking off this Friday with the official keg tapping at Carl Zehr Square in front of Kitchener City Hall. This will mark the start of 10 days of excitement and activities throughout the Waterloo region, including the famous, nationally televised Thanksgiving Day parade on Monday, October 10.

Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest is the largest Bavarian festival in North America. Over its 53 years of existence, it has grown to include 40 family and cultural events. I invite all members of this House to join Onkel Hans at one of the six festhallen located throughout the region and enjoy wonderful German food, dance and beverages.

Oktoberfest is wunderbar. Prost.

Bradley Truman Noel

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

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I stand here today to pay tribute to the late Dr. Bradley Truman Noel. On September 10 of this year, after partaking in a motorcycle ride to raise money for the Keur Yermande House in Senegal, Dr. Noel lost his life in a moose-vehicle accident while returning home to Springdale.

Doc, as he was affectionately known to his students, was a pastor, teacher, mentor and friend to so many in our province. He had the ability to challenge beliefs on difficult subject matters with love and empathy. An example of this is his recent book, Tinder, Tattoos, and Tequila: Navigating the Gray Areas of Faith.

To quote one of his colleagues, “Brad was a mentor and friend to so many regardless of background, religion or age. His death has left a huge hole, but his life’s impact and legacy will live on in those he has invested in and mentored. That is the true measure of a leader.”

May the love of his life, Dr. Melinda Noel, his family and friends, and the hundreds of students who studied under him, know that our hearts and prayers are with them.

Soli Deo gloria.

Simeon Pompey

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to highlight Simeon Pompey's significant contribution to his community of Notre‑Dame‑de‑Grâce and to the students of Dawson College.

He was honoured by the Forces AVENIR recognition program for his mentorship of students at Dawson College and his extensive involvement in the community services provided by Comité Jeunesse Notre‑Dame‑de‑Grâce, the local youth committee.

Simeon has been a force for good through his leadership of the CJNDG community recreation services. Many of his students at Dawson College find employment at our community recreation centres and parks, where they lead summer camps, reading clubs for kids and bocce for seniors, and animate numerous park activities. Simeon has also expanded his love of golf to include a children’s life skills program called “First Tee”.

Simeon supports causes and communities with humility, hard work and a commitment to families. It is my great honour to recognize Simeon Pompey as a distinguished teacher, community leader and father in my community.

Sylvie Paquette

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this afternoon, one of my constituents, Sylvie Paquette, will receive the Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Early Childhood Education for her work as an educator for the Mamie Pom early childhood centre in Saint‑Césaire.

Quebec is proud of its early childhood centre model. It was established by Quebec's first female premier, Pauline Marois, and is the gold standard in early childhood development and in enabling women to go back to work.

Ms. Paquette is receiving this award in recognition of her efforts, her educational methods and her innovative spirit, as well as her dedication to ensuring that the children have every opportunity to get the best possible start in life. Equal opportunity is part of Quebec's social safety net, and we want to continue promoting it.

Congratulations to Ms. Paquette. I encourage her to continue her partnership with the families who trust her with their children, and I commend her for her creativity.

Weightlifting in Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure and pride that I rise to recognize the achievement of an athlete from my riding of Argenteuil-La Petite-Nation. Weightlifter Étienne Jolicoeur has made a name for himself by winning the North American Open held in Calgary on September 16 and 17, with lifts totalling 241 kilograms. At just 16 years old, he took gold in the 67‑kilogram category. He has a great athletic career ahead of him.

In addition, Matis Blais stood out in the 73‑kilogram category, taking 5th place.

Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation has a tradition of excellence in weightlifting. I would be remiss if I did not mention the important work being done by Guy Marineau, who trains young athletes of excellence in this sport.

Congratulations to Étienne and Matis. They are worthy ambassadors for Argenteuil-La Petite-Nation, and I admire them greatly.

New Democratic Party of Canada

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are getting sick and tired of this out-of-touch NDP-Liberal coalition government. Their support is plummeting across the country. Canadians see hope in a strong, unified Conservative team that will give them back control of their lives.

It is very telling that the NDP has signed a secret backroom deal to prop up the arrogant Liberal government until 2025, and Canadians will respond accordingly during the next election. It has gotten so bad for the federal NDP out west that its provincial comrades in Saskatchewan do not even want the member for Burnaby South, the current federal leader, around. I cannot believe it. The home of Tommy Douglas decided to uninvite the federal NDP leader to its provincial convention. What is the reason? It is because the NDP leader and his party would rather prop up the Prime Minister and the incompetent government than stand with the hard-working people of Saskatchewan.

Our leader and Conservatives will always put the people first.

Bill Blaikie

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when the larger-than-life Bill Blaikie, in full Scots regalia, piped in the Robbie Burns dinner, carved the haggis and called down the wrath of Burns in Gaelic, we were absolutely convinced that the perfidious English were storming Parliament Hill. A Scotsman's Scotsman, Bill could have been a stand-in for Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies.

I shared a few faith and politics panels with Bill, he the social gospel New Democrat, and me, an endangered species, an evangelical Liberal. Bill's faith and politics were well integrated, but, as I pointed out to him, it is a lot easier when one is in perpetual opposition. No milquetoast, Bill enjoyed carving up pontificating Liberal cabinet ministers as much as the haggis. In a pinch, a Conservative would do just as well. Many a House leader found that Bill knew the rules and procedures of the House better than they did, much to their chagrin.

He was a great man, a great bear of a man, a great parliamentarian and a great Christian. To the member for Elmwood—Transcona, we share in his family's loss.

Human Rights in Iran

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, freedom rallies are taking place around the world to protest the death of Mahsa Amini who went to visit relatives with her family, just like we would do. Instead of receiving a warm embrace from loved ones, she was stopped by the so-called “morality police”, taken into custody and beaten. She died three days later. Mahsa was just 22 years old with her whole life ahead of her, and her death is unforgivable.

To the brave women protesting the death of Mahsa Amini who are met with arrests and bullets, we see them, we hear them and we stand with them. There must be a prompt, impartial investigation into her death. Crackdowns on protesters must stop. Respect for human rights must be upheld, including freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and association.

Human rights are universal, non-negotiable and indivisible. Women’s rights are human rights.

Carbon Tax

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the new Conservative leader will put the people first: their paycheques, their savings, their homes, their country.

The carbon tax is an utter failure. The Liberal government would have us believe that it will drive emissions down, but emissions have gone up under its tenure. B.C. has had a carbon tax for 14 years and its emissions have gone up four megatonnes. Quebec has had a similar program for 12 years and its emissions have gone up four megatonnes as well.

The reality is that the carbon tax drives the price of everything up and it is punishing on Canadians who can least afford it. The Liberals would have us believe that they will get more money back than they pay, but the Parliamentary Budget Officer has said this is false and many Canadians will pay more. Still the Liberals are planning to triple the carbon tax in April of 2023. Clearly the Prime Minister is experiencing the carbon tax differently than hard-working Canadians.

Help is on the way. A Conservative government with its new leader will scrap the carbon tax.

Human Rights in Iran

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in recent weeks, many of my constituents have written to me to express their horror at the terrible situation currently unfolding in Iran. I was very shocked, as they were, to learn of the death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, after being detained by the police. Her crime was not wearing the hijab in accordance with government guidelines.

The protests that have erupted across Iran since Mahsa’s death have been met by unspeakable brutality on the part of Iranian forces, who in some cases have used live ammunition to disperse the crowds, killing dozens. My daughter-in-law's family is from Iran. While I am incredibly thankful that they are here in Canada, enjoying the freedom of our country, I am outraged to see so many innocent people lose their lives simply because they are peacefully protesting in the street.

I call on Iran to put an end to all forms of harassment and discrimination against women and to respect their citizens’ right to peaceful protest.

Zan, zendegi, azadi.

Cost of Living

[Scot Davidson, Conservative, York—Simcoe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the devastating impact the Liberals are having on our country will be deeply felt this Thanksgiving.

At a time of record-high inflation and rampant unaffordability, many Canadians will struggle to afford their Thanksgiving meals. Others will find it difficult to pay for fuel or fare to visit loved ones, and those travelling by air will be faced with delays and cancellations. Some will be seeing family for the first time in years after being forced apart by a government that cannot even provide basic services to its citizens.

These are the realities facing Canadians. The Liberals deny that they are responsible for any of it, but it is Trudeau.

This Thanksgiving, Canadians will overcome these challenges. They will make sacrifices to gather with family to share a meal and to give thanks. Their perseverance is inspiring and should serve as a reminder that it is not the government that makes Canada what it is.

That is why I am thankful that ordinary Canadians are committed to reclaiming the “can” in Canada.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Before we go on to the next statement, I just want to remind the hon. members that they are not to mention someone else's name. They can refer to them as their title or the riding that they come from, but not their name. If they are trying to be clever, they cannot do indirectly what they cannot do directly. I do not want to have to cut anybody off on their S.O. 31 because I know how important they are to each individual MP.

The hon. member for Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, people nowadays feel like they have lost control of both their wallets and their lives. Government spending is driving up the cost of living. This Liberal government has doubled our national debt, which is now more than that of all previous governments put together. It is the most spendthrift government in history. The more it spends, the more prices go up.

As a result, families are being forced to make changes to what they eat in order to deal with the 10% increase in the cost of food. Seniors are delaying their retirement and seeing their savings evaporate with inflation. Students are sleeping in shelters. Thirty-year-olds are living in their parents' basements because of the cost of housing. Single mothers are watering down their children's milk to cope with the 10% increase over the past year.

It is not surprising that people are worried. Most are barely keeping their heads above water. These are citizens of our country. Our duty is to serve them. We must give them hope.

The new Conservative leader will put people first: their paycheques, their savings, their homes and their country.

Éloizes Awards

[Serge Cormier, Liberal, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, Petit‑Rocher hosted last weekend's 22nd Gala des Éloizes, a celebration of the vibrant, high-quality, original creative work of our professional Acadian artists. This one-of-a-kind gala is Canada's only awards ceremony that hands out prizes for all artistic disciplines, from dance, theatre and music to visual arts, media arts and literature.

I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the nominees, especially the winners from my riding, Acadie—Bathurst: Monelle Doiron, artist of the year in dance for Les oiseaux; Le Dortoir at Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick for supporting the arts; Renée Blanchar, artist of the year in media arts for the documentary The Silence; and Édith Butler, winner of the lifetime achievement award in honour of her more than 50-year career.

I am grateful to the Association acadienne des artistes professionels et professionnelles du Nouveau Brunswick, its president, Philippe Beaulieu, its executive director, Carmen Gibbs, and their team for working so hard to promote and protect Acadian artists' rights and interests.

National Seniors Day

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to mark National Seniors Day, a day to celebrate the achievements of older adults and to give thanks for their contributions to society. They are a source of strength, history and support for their loved ones and communities.

I want to give thanks to the retirees who stepped up and joined the workforce during the pandemic to help us get through very difficult times. I promise to continue fighting to raise the bar of dignity for seniors who struggle to make ends meet.

Canada needs a national seniors strategy to ensure that all older adults can live independent, healthy, vibrant lives with access to safe, affordable housing in urban and rural communities, as well as having the financial ability to meet their essential needs. We must address and fix the long-term care crisis in this country so that all seniors can age with dignity.

Today I encourage everyone to think of an elder person who has significantly impacted their lives and thank them for it.

Quebec Election

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers have just under six hours left to go and vote.

I encourage everyone who has not yet done so to go and vote right away. I urge everyone to go, whether on foot, by bike or by car, whether alone or with friends, but do go and vote. Quebeckers must choose who they want to represent them in the National Assembly, the great institution of Quebec democracy.

I urge them to go and vote because they know what they want or what they do not want. I urge them to go and vote for health, for education, for the environment, for or against higher taxes, for their vision of the economy or because there is a party that resonates with them. There are no wrong reasons.

Election day does not belong to politicians. It belongs to the people. The people are having their say today. The louder their voices, the clearer the message.

We are extraordinarily fortunate to be able to vote freely and as we wish. I hope to see high voter turnout.

Human Rights in Iran

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, for too long we have allowed the tyrants of Tehran and Qom to terrorize the people of Iran and Rojhelat, to steal their rights, engage in extrajudicial arrests and disappearances, crush protests and target women.

The response of Tehran to massive protests at the murder of Zhina Mahsa Amini is the collective punishment of the Kurds in Rojhelat and the persecution of Iranian protesters for simply demanding their rights be respected. Over 2,000 arrests have followed beatings, hangings and a bombing campaign across Bashur and Rojhelat, hitting civilians in places like Koye, Oshnavieh, Marwan and Shno, and sites in Iraq, including areas near Erbil and Sulaymaniyah.

Fifty thousand Canadians took to the streets in Toronto and all across Canada to rally for a free Iran and democratic rights. Millions worldwide have joined in solidarity, demanding justice for Zhina Mahsa Amini. The tip of the autocratic spear oppressing the people of Iran and Rojhelat is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. There is only one moral, ethical choice for Canada: to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization in Canada.

Hurricane Fiona

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, on September 23, hurricane Fiona made landfall as the strongest hurricane in Canadian history. The 48 hours that followed are some that Atlantic Canadians will not soon forget.

Coastal communities where fishing is their primary livelihood have been devastated, with small craft harbours, fishing gear and boats destroyed. Agriculture and farming will take years to build back. In addition to the wrecked barns, silos, crops and equipment, the mental health of farmers who work every day to feed Canadians their quality products has taken a serious blow. Even P.E.I. itself looks different, with some of our iconic coastlines eroding upward of 30 feet. This extreme weather event, intensified by climate change, will affect every single Islander for years to come.

While there are many reasons to feel defeated, the community response has been truly heartwarming. First responders, line crews, Canadian Armed Forces and essential workers have been working around the clock. Municipalities opened reception centres across the island. Businesses donated food to ensure everyone had a hot meal, and neighbours opened their doors to one another to charge a device, use a freezer or have a cup of coffee.

As we rebuild and recover, I call on the federal government to continue to support impacted residents and communities in my riding and across Atlantic Canada every step of the way. I am proud to be an Islander.

Taxation

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, since the Liberals came to power, housing prices have doubled. According to the Royal Bank of Canada, it takes 60% of the average paycheque to cover monthly bills for an average house.

That is the highest level in history. The Liberal solution is to triple the carbon tax on gas, heating and groceries. Canadians cannot afford to pay more. Will the government cancel this plan to triple the tax?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the opposition leader for his question. It allows me to talk about the fact that our carbon pricing program is one of the most effective in the world, since it helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which have gone down by 9%, contrary to what we are hearing in the House.

What is more, 100% of the revenue generated from the carbon pricing program returns to the provinces that generated that revenue. That means 90% goes back to families and 10% goes back to businesses, municipalities and indigenous communities.