Debates of Nov. 1st, 2022

The Economy

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order. The hon. minister can begin from the top.

[Gudie Hutchings, Liberal, Long Range Mountains, NL]

Mr. Speaker, I am talking about Canadian lives. I am talking about the lives of people who have lost their homes or belongings and memorabilia. They have lost everything, and we have to do something on climate change. We have to do something now. We have seen the hurricanes in the Atlantic. We have seen forest fires. We have seen droughts.

The cost of inaction is only going to get worse. I hope nobody has to stand up in the House to talk about a life lost in their riding because of inaction on climate change. Everybody needs to act on this, and we need to act on it now.

Public Safety

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, at the Rouleau commission we learned that before the truck convoy even arrived in Ottawa, the government was planning to insult the occupants to wind them up. Text exchanges between Liberal employees show that it was strategic. They wanted to give interviews on the extreme elements of the convoy to make them look bad. This would, and I quote, bring out the nut jobs. Two days later, the Prime Minister did in fact insult the convoy, and the police confirmed that this inflamed the crisis.

Does the government realize that its strategy was dangerous and irresponsible?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, we invoked the Emergencies Act because the situation was unprecedented. The disruptions were very negative for workers, families and young people. That is why we worked with the police services. It was a necessary decision.

Now, we will collaborate with the commission and Justice Rouleau because transparency is an important part of the exercise.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, worst of all, when the Liberals saw the truck convoy driving towards Ottawa, they did not put any plans in place to stop them from laying siege to the city. They had no plan for how to get them to leave, either. The Liberals developed a communication strategy to escalate the crisis, because they thought they could score political points.

Not only did they allow the protesters to hold the city of Ottawa hostage, but their strategy led to over three weeks of tension. How can the minister justify his strategy to the people who were held prisoner in their own city?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, as soon as the illegal blockades began, the government was managing the situation using certain resources, including three RCMP facilities, which were assisting the Ottawa police as well as other police operations across the country. This was an unprecedented situation, and the decision to invoke the Emergencies Act was necessary to help Canadians who were suffering the consequences of this situation.

Justice

[Rob Moore, Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

Mr. Speaker, under the government's soft-on-crime agenda, violent crime has risen by 32%, but now there is more devastating news for victims and survivors. Last Friday, in a 5-4 split decision, the Supreme Court struck down the legal requirement that all sex offenders be listed on the national sex offender registry.

This is the part where the minister stands up to say he is studying the decision, but what Canadians and victims want to hear is a clear commitment from the government that all sex offenders will be listed in the national sex offender registry. Will the minister make that commitment?

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

Mr. Speaker, safety is a priority for our government, and certainly our hearts go out to victims of sexual assault and sexual violence. The registry was passed by a government, and unfortunately the Supreme Court of Canada found two provisions in that registry to be unconstitutional.

We are going to look at that decision. We are going to look at the options responsibly and move forward from there, but victims and the safety of Canadians will always be our priorities in this matter.

Public Safety

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Mr. Speaker, since the Prime Minister took office and implemented his soft-on-crime policy, violent crime in Canada has risen 32%, and 62% of Canadians have said that they have seen an increase in crime in their communities. Families are afraid to take their children downtown. Businesses that are barely hanging on are seeing a decrease in customers because Canadians are choosing to stay home and feel safe.

Will the Prime Minister do his job, punish violent criminals and protect innocent Canadians?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear, and I hope all members will share this sentiment, that we have to do better when it comes to protecting our communities. That is why I am proud of the work this government is doing in launching a national handgun freeze. I am proud of the fact we have launched a national ban on assault-style rifles. I am proud of the fact that we have launched a $250-million fund to prevent gun crime from occurring in the first place.

What have the Conservatives done? They have filibustered at every single stage, blocking important resources for law enforcement and smart sensible policy. They should come on side and do right by all of the victims and the survivors, who we meet far too often.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this Sunday, during Halloween festivities in Vancouver, five people were stabbed. The drug trafficking epidemic continues to get worse in British Columbia. Property crime is skyrocketing and small businesses are losing money because people do not feel safe going to visit those businesses. Across B.C., there is a pervading sense of lawlessness that is hurting the social fabric of our communities.

When will the government finally deal with prolific offenders and end its soft-on-crime approach?

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

Mr. Speaker, I know that this is a priority not just for British Columbians but, indeed, for all Canadians.

Recently, at a meeting of justice and public security ministers for the provinces, territories and federal government, we committed to looking at the question of prolific offenders and what to do. We are working with our provincial partners in order to find a solution. In all cases, keeping Canadians safe is our first priority.

Labour

[Yves Robillard, Liberal, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is committed to collective agreements that are reasonable for taxpayers and that provide employees with fair wage adjustments and provisions that reflect today's workplace.

Can the President of the Treasury Board inform the House of the new agreement that has just been reached?

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Marc‑Aurèle‑Fortin for his important question and for his contribution to his community.

I have good news. I am proud to announce that after a year of negotiations, the Government of Canada has reached an agreement in principle with the comptrollership group from the Association of Canadian Financial Officers. Thanks to the hard work and good-faith negotiations of both parties, this agreement is fair to employees and reasonable for taxpayers.

I thank both parties for coming to a successful resolution.

Taxation

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in Dawson City, Yukon, the cost of furnace oil has gone up almost 61% since last year, thanks to Liberal inflation and the carbon tax. Families will now have to pay over $7,600 to heat their homes. Yukoners should not have to decide between staying warm or buying groceries, all while Liberals have not met a single environmental target. They have a tax plan. We know that. It is not an environmental plan.

Why will the Liberals not give Yukoners a break and cut the carbon tax?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, certainly, affordability is extremely important. We have taken significant steps, including allocating a quarter of a billion dollars to replacing home heating oil with greener alternatives and doubling the GST credit. It is also the case, no matter how the Conservatives attempt to mislead, that eight out of 10 Canadian families get more money back in the rebate from the carbon tax than what they pay.

It also bears stating that Conservatives also misled Canadians during the recent general election, when they campaigned on putting in place a carbon tax. Given that position and the position they are taking today, each Conservative member in the chamber is, in fact, breaking a promise they made to the constituents who sent them here. How can Canadians believe—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound.

[Alex Ruff, Conservative, Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON]

Mr. Speaker, massive Liberal deficits have caused 40-year high inflation, resulting in major increases to the cost of living.

I have many seniors in my riding like Cathy who, at 68 years of age, has had to go back to work in order to pay for utilities, food and her mortgage payments. As well, a disabled constituent reached out to me by email this weekend, indicating that she is down to one meal per day and, in her words, is contemplating applying for assisted death instead of starving to death.

What is the government doing for 65- to 74-year-olds and will the Liberals stop punishing them and cancel all tax increases on gas, groceries and home heating?

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Minister of Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, I will not take any lessons from the party opposite, whose plan for seniors was to raise the age of retirement to 67 and attack their pensions.

On this side of the House, we restored that age back to 65. We enhanced the CPP. We increased the guaranteed income supplement, which lifted thousands of seniors out of poverty. We also increased the OAS by 10%. We are delivering on doubling the GST credit. With the payments that are going to be going out this Friday, we are going to continue to deliver for all Canadians, including seniors and those living with disabilities.

Public Services and Procurement

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, because of this government's non-stop spending, inflation keeps rising and families in Quebec have to cope with ever-increasing bills.

Instead of spending prudently over the past few years, the government kept spending recklessly. For example, it sank $54 million into the pricey ArriveCAN app, an app that could have been developed over a weekend for $250,000. The difference is astounding.

When will the government do the right thing and refer this matter to the Auditor General of Canada so she can get to the bottom of this wasteful spending?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague talked about families in Quebec. What those families need is government support. They need benefits for children, they need child care, they need support for workers. The Government of Canada has given them all of that.

I am curious as to where the Conservatives would cut. In technical terms, this is their “chop, chop, chop” strategy. What would they cut?

Foreign Affairs

[Yvan Baker, Liberal, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, recently, the Minister of International Development and I were in Ukraine to show Canada's steadfast support but also to learn what more Canada can do to help. We were there one day after Russian missile strikes targeted civilians across the country. During our visit, the minister and I each received the shirt I am wearing today. Everyone we met with told us that, after Russia's missile strikes, Ukrainians are more determined than ever to win this war decisively. Many also asked whether we would be there until the end, until Ukraine wins this war.

Can the minister share with Canadians the importance of this message? Will Canada stand with the Ukrainian people until they win?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, during our visit to Lviv, Ukraine, we had the opportunity to meet with youth from the Ukrainian Leadership Academy, and one thing is clear: Young people have contributed to Ukraine's resistance in the face of Putin's illegal war. These courageous students launched their own campaign called “Heroes Among Us”. They are telling the stories of ordinary people standing determined in the defence of Ukraine. It is inspiring to see their resilience and determination, and Canada will stand firm in our support for all Ukrainians. Slava Ukraini.

Northern Affairs

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, the outdated diesel power plant in Sanirajak resulted in the community being without power for four days as temperatures dipped to -17°C. Not only do the power plants harm the environment, but they are unreliable and outdated. The government continues to neglect the needs of communities and they must invest in projects such as the Kivalliq hydro link.

When will the government help Nunavut transition to reliable power solutions so people do not go without basic necessities?