House of Commons Hansard #123 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was wrongdoing.
Randeep Sarai Liberal Surrey Centre, BC
Mr. Speaker, immigration is not just good for the economy; it is essential, and Canadians agree. According to a recent Environics survey, 85% of Canadians agree that overall, immigration has a positive impact on the economy and the country.
My riding of Surrey Centre is embracing immigration, not only to reunite families, but also to ensure the future of our community. Could the Prime Minister please update us on the government's plan for immigration?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Surrey Centre for his hard work and his advocacy on the immigration file.
Yesterday, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship tabled our immigration levels plan, focused on attracting skilled workers who will contribute to the economy. Our plan will help cement Canada's place among the world's top destinations for talent, as well as fulfilling Canada's humanitarian commitments. We know that immigration grows the economy. That is exactly what we are continuing to do.
Matt Jeneroux Conservative Edmonton Riverbend, AB
Mr. Speaker, a new poll is out that suggests one in five Canadians are out of money, due to inflation. This means parents cannot afford to feed their kids and pay their bills, and they are terrified about where their next paycheque will come from. The Prime Minister just keeps making it worse. Canadians cannot afford this costly coalition. Will the Prime Minister stop his inflationary spending and stop raising taxes?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I wonder what the member opposite's constituents would say if they heard him saying that support for families who cannot send their kids to the dentist is inflationary and that extra support to help low-income renters to be able to afford their rent is inflationary spending.
That is the excuse the Conservatives are giving for not being there to help families send their kids to the dentist and for not being there to help low-income renters. These are things that will tangibly support Canadians, like our GST rebate, which is arriving in mailboxes as of this Friday. These are things that help. Why are they not helping?
Matt Jeneroux Conservative Edmonton Riverbend, AB
Mr. Speaker, I cannot repeat in the House what my constituents have said about that guy. These families are in their darkest hour, and now even future Liberal leader Mark Carney has stated, “[I]t's not all imported inflation. In fact, most of it is now domestically generated inflation.” That is how out of touch the Prime Minister is. Therefore, will he stop his inflationary spending and stop raising taxes?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, we will not stop ensuring that low-income families get extra help with their rental costs. We will not prevent Canadians from sending their kids to the dentist when they could not afford it before. These are measures we are putting forth that will help, in a meaningful way, millions of families across the country, yet Conservative politicians continue to stand against rental and dental support for Canadians.
If they really wanted to help Canadians in their ridings and across the country, they would step up and back our plan on rental and dental.
Melissa Lantsman Conservative Thornhill, ON
Mr. Speaker, here is the problem the Liberals do not understand: The Prime Minister cannot spend his way out of the inflation that he, himself, created. For the Prime Minister, $6,000 a night for a fancy hotel room is three months of rent for Canadians who cannot afford it. It is $12,000 a month for groceries at his house, while 1.5 million Canadians visited a food bank last month.
How can the Prime Minister pretend to understand the pain he is inflicting on Canadians, while simultaneously raising their taxes?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, in this House we have put forward measures the Conservatives ended up choosing to support, which is good on them, to deliver GST rebates to Canadians that will start landing this Friday. Why will they not reverse their position on sending dental supports, so families can actually send their kids to the dentists, or support for low-income renters? These are things the Conservatives continue to oppose, concrete help that will deliver for Canadian families right across the country. The Conservatives stand, cross their arms and say, “No, we are not helping Canadians.”
On this side of the House, we will.
Melissa Lantsman Conservative Thornhill, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is raising taxes on seniors trying to heat their homes. He is raising taxes on families trying to buy groceries, because he gave his Liberal buddy $250 million for ventilators we did not use, because he spent $54 million on an app we did not need, that did not work and that should have cost a quarter-million and could have been built in a weekend, and because he gave $133,000 to an anti-Semite and then covered it up for a month.
He is breaking the bank for his Liberal friends, while Canadians cannot break even. When will he just stop?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, Conservatives need to stop with the misinformation and the disinformation. The price on pollution delivers more money to most families in jurisdictions where it applies than it costs them in extra costs on pollution. The fact of the matter is that our initiatives to fight climate change actually not only fight climate change, but put more money back in the pockets of families that need it. That focus is exactly how we are growing the economy, supporting Canadians and building a better future for everyone.
Yves-François Blanchet Bloc Beloeil—Chambly, QC
Mr. Speaker, I wonder why the Prime Minister thinks he is smarter and more competent than Quebec. Is it because of the 1982 Constitution? Is it because of the fiscal imbalance? Is it because of spending power?
I am getting the impression that he is telling Quebeckers that they are no good and that he and his buddies are better. I think he is confusing collaboration with taking sick people hostage.
I challenge him to name one thing in health care that a Canadian does that a Quebecker is unable to do.
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, all Quebeckers are also Canadians. Until proven otherwise, his question is completely illogical.
All joking aside, the reality is that Quebeckers, like all Canadians, deserve a health care system that works. We are simply saying that the federal government will be there with more money. However, we must ensure that health care systems across the country see some improvement. It is not Ottawa that is calling for improvements, but Quebeckers and Canadians who are concerned about their seniors and their loved ones.
Yves-François Blanchet Bloc Beloeil—Chambly, QC
Mr. Speaker, for me, being Canadian is like swearing an oath to the King. I do not have a choice.
Negotiating, talking, centralizing, that all takes—
Yves-François Blanchet Bloc Beloeil—Chambly, QC
—time. Meanwhile, doctors are waiting, nurses are waiting, patients are waiting, parents are waiting, young people in distress are waiting.
What does the government have to say to people who are waiting for their own money, for health care, just because the Prime Minister thinks he is better?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, families in Quebec who are waiting for health care are not waiting for federal money. They are waiting for health care provided by the Government of Quebec. They are waiting for improvements to the system. Like all Canadians, they expect solid results from their health care system, which is broken and needs fixing.
We will be there to invest more money in health care across the country, but we have to work with the provinces to ensure these improvements make a real, tangible difference for people.
Rob Moore Conservative Fundy Royal, NB
Mr. Speaker, the national sex offender registry is used by police to track and apprehend dangerous predators. Until last week's Supreme Court of Canada ruling, registration of sex offenders in the national sex offender registry was mandatory.
Will the Prime Minister do today what the justice minister would not do yesterday and commit to victims, to survivors, that his government will do whatever is necessary to make sure that sex offenders are again listed in the sex offender registry, yes or no?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, what Canadians need is legislation that goes after criminals, that protects our communities and that holds up in court. It is crystal clear that the Conservative Party's supposed tough-on-crime legislation over 10 years failed to do just that. It has been struck down in court and it is not protecting our communities. We will not take advice or lessons from this failed Conservative Party's failed approaches.
Canadians deserve real solutions that will deliver to protect our communities, protect our kids, stay the course and hold up in court.
Raquel Dancho Conservative Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
Mr. Speaker, that answer is not nearly good enough for survivors of sexual predators. He is going to have to do way better than that for survivors. Crime in this country is up 32%, with over 124,000 more violent crimes last year than when he first became Prime Minister seven years ago. Clearly, his approach is failing.
How many more people in our communities are going to have to get beaten, mugged and murdered because of his soft-on-crime policies? When is he going to change course, take action and clean up our streets? How many more people have to get hurt before we see results from the Prime Minister?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, how many more supposed tough-on-crime laws passed by these Conservatives in the past decade need to be struck down by the courts before they understand that their approach is failing Canadians, is failing victims and has failed communities?
We are moving forward with real protections for Canadians that will hold up in court, that will keep people safe and that will continue to reduce the number of victims of crime in this country by keeping communities safe in real, tangible ways that will actually hold up in court.
Pierre Paul-Hus Conservative Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC
Mr. Speaker, I was in Montreal recently to meet with victims' groups, racialized community groups and police associations to talk about crime in the streets of Montreal. They are unanimous. Bill C-5 is a mistake. Doing away with mandatory sentences for gun crimes is a mistake. I am not the one saying it. It is all the groups that I met with. This does not make any sense.
The bill is currently in the Senate. Will the Prime Minister call his friends in the Senate and ask them to vote against Bill C‑5 and strike it down?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the measures set out in this bill increase maximum sentences for the worst offenders to ensure that there are real consequences. We are taking this approach to ensure that real criminals suffer real consequences, while recognizing that the best way to protect our communities is with bills that stand up to court challenges. That is something the Conservatives do not understand, because we keep seeing bills that they passed getting struck down by the courts because they do not protect Canadians or our communities.
Anju Dhillon Liberal Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC
Mr. Speaker, an independent press is one of the pillars of our democracy. This is fundamental, and I believe it is our duty to protect it. Protecting it begins with ensuring that these individuals are paid properly for what they do. Can the Prime Minister update us on what our government is doing to ensure the vitality of our media?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle for her important question and for her hard work.
I agree with her. That is why I am asking Conservative members to stop siding with the web giants and instead support our bill. I understand that the Conservative leader would rather not have to comment on his approach to bitcoins and misogynistic buzzwords. We on this side of the House will stand up to the web giants in support of a free and independent press that keeps politicians accountable to Canadians.
Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
Mr. Speaker, a parent’s worst nightmare is a sick child. A shortage of infant and children's Tylenol, Motrin and Advil from earlier this summer is turning into a full-blown crisis. Parents are now having to choose between taking their sick kids to an overcrowded emergency room and crossing the border to the U.S., where there are no shortages on these drugs, just to get basic medicine to bring down their kid's fever and relieve pain.
When does the Prime Minister intend to do something about this crisis?