Debates of Nov. 14th, 2022

Finance

[Pascale St-Onge, Liberal, Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec]

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague for her excellent work and for her question.

The government is listening to Canadians and it is working tirelessly to support them. For example, starting November 4, an estimated 11 million low- and modest-income current GST/HST credit recipients will receive an additional payment. We also introduced the Canada dental benefit, which will support families who need it, the Canada housing benefit top-up and other concrete measures.

The government is listening to the middle class, who are calling for action, and we will always do everything we can to support them.

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, Christmas is just over a month away and while most Canadians should be wishing for and shopping for presents, they are not. They are wishing that they can afford to pay their bills. They are wishing that they will not have to rely on a food bank to feed their families. This is Canada, and we can do so much better. People are struggling to feed their families.

I ask the Liberals today: Will they cancel their planned tax hikes on home heating, gas and groceries?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, for the past seven years, we have demonstrated compassion and responsibility. We have been there for Canadians and Canadian families, whether it is through the Canada child benefit, whether it is through child care, whether it is through the Canada dental plan or housing. What we have not done is provide completely irresponsible financial advice that would leave Canadian families devastated.

If the member and members opposite care, I hope they apologize to Canadians for the reckless advice their leader offered in terms of investing in cryptocurrency, because they would have seen their savings completely eviscerated. That is disappointing, and they should apologize.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals need to apologize to Canadians, because they have the highest use of food banks in history. One in three of them are children. We have fallen from 10th to 30th place in child well-being. That they should be ashamed of. That is disgusting.

I will ask again. Canadians have to heat their homes and spend $7,000. This is not a luxury. This is a necessity. Will the Liberals do the right and responsible thing? Show leadership and compassion and acknowledge the crisis that we are in. I know they must be receiving the same emails. Cancel the planned tax hikes.

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, there are two million Canadians, including 450,000 children, no longer in poverty under this government than when the Conservatives were in power. They had the opportunity to actually vote on measures that would help Canadian families, like the Canada dental benefit, like the Canadian housing benefit, like child care for families from coast to coast to coast, or perhaps the Canada workers benefit. These are all things that the Conservatives voted against.

They talk a good game, but when it comes to actually supporting Canadians they are nowhere to be found.

Health

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, this government spends without restraint and without keeping track.

La Presse reported that the government has purchased twice as many medical ventilators as are needed for Canadians' health. That is an expenditure of $403 million for nothing. Even worse, the government cannot figure out how to resell them or even give them back. What is wrong with this picture?

Are there any real managers in the government to sound the alarm on Liberal incompetence?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would say that a government's competency and responsibility lies with ensuring the health and safety of its citizens. That is the primary responsibility of any government, certainly in times of crisis such as we experienced in early 2020.

That is why we invested where we needed to invest because we knew that people were going to go through some tough times. We knew that we needed to protect their ability to afford the goods and services they would need, but we also knew that we needed to protect their health in the event they caught COVID-19.

International Trade

[Tim Louis, Liberal, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, one of Canada's great advantages as a country is a capable workforce and the strong economic relationships that we have with the United States.

When the U.S. passed the Inflation Reduction Act, we saw that Canada was successful in lobbying for a buy North America policy that protected our automotive sector.

Can the Deputy Prime Minister tell the House about how the fall economic statement represents the next steps in Canada's plan to seize economic opportunities of net-zero transition and maintain Canada's competitive advantage with the United States?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for the work he does for his constituents every day, which I have seen first-hand. It is very impressive.

In the fall economic statement, we introduced tax credits to encourage investment in clean technology and clean hydrogen. We advanced the Canada growth fund to attract private capital to fund the green transition. We invested in Canada's most valuable asset, our people, by moving the Canada workers benefit to an advance payment, and 4.2 million Canadians will get this important top-up.

Health

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals said they would ensure that mental health care would be treated as a full and equal part of Canada's universal public health care system. They promised to fund mental health supports.

However, that funding is again nowhere to be found in the fall economic statement. With rising costs and long wait-lists, struggling Canadians have been left with nowhere to turn but crowded emergency rooms. Today, the Canadian Mental Health Association called on the government to stop delaying and to deliver its promised mental health transfer.

When will the Liberals finally follow through on their promises and deliver the help that Canadians desperately need?

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, our government is engaging now with the provinces and territories to inform on the development of a new mental health transfer, a comprehensive evidence-based plan, including the timely sharing of health data.

We remain fully committed to investing an additional $4.5 billion over five years through the new Canada mental health transfer, and this ongoing engagement will ensure transparency and accountability to Canadians. We are still investing the $5 billion from the bilateral agreements and $600 million for mental health to provinces and territories every year.

Climate Change

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, as COP27 opened last week, UN Secretary General António Guterres said:

We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator.

Did the Prime Minister stay away because he knows he is over the speed limit? Did he stay away because he knows we are part of the problem and not part of the solution?

There is still time for the government to do the right thing at COP27. Stand up and announce that we have read the science. We understand we have to cancel the Trans Mountain pipeline, reverse the Bay du Nord decision and build a decarbonized electricity grid from coast to coast to coast.

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows that our Prime Minister has been front and centre on the most ambitious climate plan in our history.

We have invested over $100 billion since 2015 and $9.1 billion in our emissions reduction plan. It is a granular, detailed, sector-by-sector plan that is going to get us to our 2030 emissions and on our way to net zero by 2050. It has widespread support. We have taken that message to COP27.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I believe that if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for the following motion that, given that Canadians, particularly rural Canadians, ethnic groups and indigenous peoples, are vulnerable to misinformation campaigns, both foreign and domestic, to undermine our democracy, and the federal government must improve its strategy to support these specific groups, the House call on the government to employ a whole-of-society approach to counter disinformation and—

[Some hon. members]

No.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I do not believe we have unanimous consent.

I just want to remind the hon. members that, prior to bringing unanimous consent motions to the floor, they should shop it around and talk to each other to make sure that everything is in place. This way, we can guarantee success.

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development is rising on a point of order.

Arrival of Ugandan Asians to Canada

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, there have indeed been discussions among the parties and, if you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion:

That:

(i) After taking power in a military coup, in August of 1972, General Idi Amin ordered the expulsion of Ugandans of Asian descent, to take effect in 90 days;

(ii) That Canada answered the international call to provide safe haven to Ugandan Asians who had suddenly become stateless;

(iii) That in the Fall of 1972 the Canadian government and communities across the country mobilized to welcome 8,000 Ugandan Asians, among them people of various backgrounds and faiths, including Ismailis, Hindus, Sikhs, Catholics, Sunni and Shia;

(iv) That this initiative was precedent setting—representing the first time in Canadian history that a massive refugee resettlement of racialized persons from outside of Europe was undertaken; and

(v) That these refugees, who originally came here for safety, have also given back to Canada in immeasurable ways and continue to contribute to this very day.

Therefore, this House confirm that on the 50th anniversary of the Ugandan Asian expulsion, the arrival of 8,000 Ugandan Asians in this country has been to the benefit to Canada and our development as a nation.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

All those opposed to the hon. member's moving the motion will please say nay. I hear none.

The House has heard the terms of the motion. All those opposed to the motion will please say nay.

(Motion agreed to)

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I wanted to say this with regard to the first point of order seeking unanimous consent. The last one actually had the consent of the House and that had been sought beforehand.

I think that if we had a slight change to the wording formula, such as, “Mr. Speaker, if you seek it, I think you will find unanimous consent to the following motion, which has been approved by the House leaders of the recognized parties.” I think if that formula was used every time, as opposed to asking for unanimous consent without mentioning that statement of fact, we would end this nonsense of people standing up to read a motion for which there was no consent. I would strongly recommend you consider that.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I want to thank the hon. member for his input. I will leave it to the hon. members to do the best that they can to get their messages across.

The hon. member for North Island—Powell River.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am rising on a point of order regarding the official opposition members' shushing of the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development.

I believe that you would find, during the last sitting week and this week, that we saw the same thing and heard the same thing, a loud shushing of a member of this place.

I want to point out three things. The first is that we cannot do indirectly what we cannot do directly. Shushing is the same as telling someone to shut up, which we know is utterly unacceptable in the chamber. Secondly, the term is condescending. I do not think—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I think we are getting into debate here.

I want to comment on that. There was an issue during question period. Depending on which way we are looking at it, I was not sure whether they were shushing the minister, because they were very quiet about it, or they were shushing each other or mocking each other. Either way, it is very important that we respect each other. That is something that I say to all members on all sides. We are giving an example to the kids back home who are watching and the adults who are watching. Is this what we want them to learn from us? That is all I am asking.

The hon. member for Elmwood—Transcona.

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order related to a couple of the points of order that have been raised.

The first case is with respect to when the member for North Island—Powell River was presenting a unanimous consent motion. I know that sometimes members present things here and do not end up getting unanimous consent, but it is important that they are able to finish presenting their motion.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, people are free to disagree, but they do not need to shout me down.

Mr. Speaker, it is important to protect the right of members to put things to the House. If we establish a culture of cutting off members before they have a chance to put a question to the House, we are doing a serious disservice to their rights in this place. Therefore, I would ask people to contemplate that in their own minds, as well as you, Mr. Speaker, as you have the authority and power to rule on these things, because I am concerned about a culture here.

I respect what you had to say, Mr. Speaker, about decorum in the House and I thank your for that message, but it is also important that when members are raising points of order about anything, including decorum and events that have happened on the floor of the House, that they again be allowed to finish making the point. It is pre-emptive to rule on a point that has not been fully made. The member said she had three things she wanted to say about the behaviour that was being exhibited in this place and she was unable to finish speaking to the first thing she raised.

It is important that people be able to make their point to you, Mr. Speaker, so you are aware of all the facts they believe are relevant to that point before you rule on it, just as it is important for members to hear other members out when they bring a motion before saying no, because they do not even know what they are actually saying no to.