Debates of Nov. 16th, 2022

Small Business

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question. What we have heard from business groups in Canada, including the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, is that we have to support our small and medium-sized businesses.

In the fall economic statement, we announced plans to work on the credit card system to support small and medium-sized businesses by lowering credit card transaction fees charged by big institutions and big banks.

If we cannot negotiate a solution to this situation, we will introduce legislation. That is how we are supporting small and medium-sized businesses here in Canada.

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

Mr. Speaker, that is one thing the Canadian Federation of Independent Business is calling for, but there are other things as well. Are members aware that of the 4% of SMEs with an average debt of $150,000, 78% are experiencing persistent stress and 17% are thinking of closing permanently?

Small and medium-sized businesses are the heart of the Canadian economy, and they are clearly asking the Prime Minister to not increase Canada pension plan premiums and EI premiums, as well as other planned federal tax hikes.

Will the Prime Minister listen to Quebec entrepreneurs and businesses? Will he listen to them?

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

Mr. Speaker, what we are hearing about over and over again from small and medium-sized businesses is the issue of supply chains, which the member opposite mentioned. The Minister of Finance announced how we plan to address that in the fall economic statement. As she said, we will support our small and medium-sized businesses.

We will, for example, use an investment tax credit for clean technologies. We will also ensure that there are new sustainable jobs under the union training and innovation program.

The last part is critical to enterprises. What we are doing, by getting tough on share buybacks, is ensuring that people are supporting their employees and not their board of directors.

Official Languages

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Mr. Speaker, let me remind everyone of Michael Rousseau, the CEO of Air Canada, who was proud to have lived his entire life in Montreal without having to speak French. Bill C‑13 will ensure that he can continue to go on as before.

Bill C‑13 gives companies like Air Canada a choice. They can abide by the Charter of the French Language or they can continue ignoring it. Big surprise, Air Canada announced that it will not abide by it thanks to Bill C‑13.

Why do the Liberals and the NDP want to assure all the Michael Rousseaus of this world that they will never have to learn a word of French to work in Quebec?

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, it is extremely disappointing that the Bloc and the Conservatives continue to spread misinformation about Bill C-13.

Let us be clear. Bill C‑13 will ensure that companies like Air Canada show leadership on protecting and promoting French so that Canadians can work and be served in French at businesses in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada.

I hope that the Bloc and the Conservatives will listen to stakeholders and begin working with us to protect and promote French across Canada, including in Quebec.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec has given federally regulated businesses until December 1 to comply with the new Bill 101.

Unsurprisingly, Air Canada has not complied, and neither have CN, Via Rail and many others. They are waiting for Bill C‑13 to pass so they can be off the hook. That works out well. The Liberals and the NDP want to impose closure on Bill C‑13 to end the debate on December 1. What a coincidence. Michael Rousseau should buy a lottery ticket.

Seriously, why are the Liberals and the NDP scheming to allow these businesses to keep anglicizing Quebec?

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, again, it is disappointing that the Conservatives and the Bloc—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order. I am sure that the hon. member for La Pointe‑de‑l'Île wants to hear the answer.

I will ask the parliamentary secretary to start over.

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Nickel Belt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, again, it is disappointing that the Conservatives and the Bloc are spreading misinformation on Bill C‑13.

The Conservatives and the Bloc are the ones putting up barriers to the bill at the Standing Committee on Official Languages and preventing it from moving forward in the House of Commons, as they did on May 12. If they are going to take sides they need to stop playing politics.

We are going to focus on protecting and promoting French throughout Canada, including in Quebec.

Democratic Institutions

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government is refusing to answer a very simple question: Who are the 11 election candidates who, in the 2019 election, received hundreds of thousands of dollars funnelled by Beijing through its Toronto consulate?

Yesterday, the Prime Minister talked to President Xi about these 11 candidates, but the government and the Prime Minister have yet to tell the House who these 11 candidates are. What are they hiding?

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, any kind of foreign interference is a threat to our democracy. We must stand together. It is a threat to every single member of the House, and I implore the members on the other side to stand together with all members of the House to fight foreign interference, whose only goal is to sow chaos and destroy our democracy. We will never tolerate it.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we have been asking for years for a plan from the government to combat Beijing's meddling in our democracy, but it has failed to act, and now we have a situation where candidates are receiving illicit funds from Beijing funnelled through its Toronto consulate. Canadians deserve answers. Who are these candidates? Are they members of the House? Are they going to be candidates in the next federal election?

Again, who are these 11 election candidates?

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, again I will suggest that we need to step back and remember what is motivating foreign interference. Foreign interference is designed to sow chaos and destroy every fabric of our democracy. We are taking action—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I am sure the hon. member for Wellington—Halton Hills wants to hear the answer.

The hon. parliamentary secretary can start from the top so we can hear the whole answer.

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am disappointed that the hon. members do not want to hear the answer to that question.

Foreign interference is an attack on every single member of the House. It is an attack on the very fabric of our democracy. We must stand together. We must stand as one against any kind of foreign interference.

Our national security agencies continue to monitor and react to threats from foreign bad actors. Canadians expect us to work together on this and to stand united against foreign interference.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am extremely disappointed that the government is refusing to disclose the names of the 11 candidates who allegedly received funding from the communist regime in Beijing. That is the reality. The only way to stop the chaos and to not create chaos is to be open and transparent with Canadians and to tell the truth. The Prime Minister was informed in January of the names of the 11 candidates who allegedly received funding from the communist regime in Beijing. Why does he want to protect the names of those candidates? What is the Prime Minister trying to hide?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question.

I have a great deal of respect for him, but I think that we need to stick to the facts on issues like this one. I think it is dangerous to politicize an issue like this. We are talking about democracy and about foreign interference. I would invite my colleagues opposite not to play politics on these matters, which are very important to all the Canadians who are watching us today.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, transparency is not a game. We have been informed that the communist regime in Beijing funded a clandestine network of candidates in 2019. The government did nothing. In 2021, seeing no obstacles in its way, the communist regime in Beijing went right back to influencing elections. No one was prosecuted, and no one was convicted. A clear message needs to be sent to the communist regime in Beijing: We will never tolerate foreign interference in our elections. This is the foundation of our democracy.

What do the Liberals have to hide?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, we fully agree that transparency is required on an issue like this. However, I should point out to my colleague that neither side of the House will ever accept foreign interference in our democracy. All parliamentarians here agree on that point. We will act on it. I would urge every member of the House not to politicize an issue as fundamental as democracy in Canada.

Health

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, provincial health care systems across the country are collapsing. Pediatric emergency rooms are being overwhelmed and wait times are more than 12 hours. In Hamilton, McMaster Children's Hospital is currently at 140% capacity and there is a shortage of cribs and infusion pumps.

Children are suffering and parents are terrified, so will the government take immediate action now so that children get the emergency medical care they so desperately need?

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and to the Minister of Sport]

Mr. Speaker, we share the deep concerns of my colleague and parents across this country. These wait times are inexcusable. The shortage of drugs is unacceptable. We must do more, particularly for children in our ridings.

Right now, we have a really, really bad flu season. Right now, parents are going through this because the cold and flu are rearing their ugly heads. As we see an increase in these types of illnesses, we should all be protecting ourselves and those around us, so I encourage everybody to make sure they are up to date on vaccines and do everything they can. If they do not feel good, stay home.

Climate Change

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, people are worried about the climate crisis, especially since Canada just received embarrassingly low marks for climate action at COP27, scoring 58 out of 63 countries. Only Russia, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia and Iran ranked lower.

While people are losing their jobs, homes and lives during heat waves, flooding and forest fires, the Liberals keep handing out subsidies to big oil, breaking climate target after climate target.

When will the Liberals own up to their climate failure and stop giving away billions to big oil and gas?

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

Mr. Speaker, the report the hon. member mentions did not take into account some of our most recent action, but we agree with the general conclusion that we need to do more. That is why we are investing $9.1 billion in our emissions reduction plan. We have an ambitious plan to get to a 40% to 45% reduction in emissions by 2030. We are cutting methane emissions, we are eliminating fossil fuel subsidies, we are capping emissions on oil and gas and we are investing heavily in the clean economy.

Housing

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, we know that building more affordable housing must continue to be a priority, especially now as we see so many struggling to find the housing they need. I see how great the need is in my riding of Surrey Centre, and the same is true in so many parts of this country.

Can the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion please tell the House about the government's plan to build more affordable housing for Canadians?