Debates of Dec. 5th, 2022

Carbon Pricing

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, if we want to set the record straight and talk about which side of the House is putting more money in the pockets of Canadians, it is the government side.

The member and her colleagues, just last week, voted against tax cuts, tax breaks and supports directly to Canadians. Quite frankly, take a look at the remarks from Stephen Poloz, who said that our investments during the pandemic not only supported Canadians but prevented and staved off a period of deflation.

What is it that the Conservatives want, more or less? That is not clear. We are going to support Canadians.

Taxation

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, was he really just talking about inflation? The reality is that Canadians are grappling with the worst inflation crisis in 40 years, and it is having a direct impact on food, where it hurts the most.

Worse than that, the new year is not looking rosy at all. Four Canadian universities conducted a study that found that the price of food will increase by nearly 10% next year. It will cost nearly $1,100 more per family. For families that are already struggling, an extra $1,100 is huge. Will the government finally understand that raising taxes during a period of inflation is not a good idea?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleague opposite that his party is not even capable of acknowledging that climate change exists. The impacts of climate change are real. One only has to talk to people in the Gaspé or the Magdalen Islands. Three years ago, we were hit by hurricane Dorian, and this fall we were hit by hurricane Fiona. We will not be distracted by the drama they are creating. We must take action to protect our planet. We owe it to future generations. I can say one thing: We certainly will take no lessons from climate deniers.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what the minister and member for Gaspésie—Les Îles‑de‑la‑Madeleine just said is completely false. I would ask her to apologize for the second time for the outrageous comments she made on the Gaspé radio a few weeks ago, but that is her concern.

However, inflation is every Canadian's concern. The only G7 country that is raising taxes during inflation is Canada under the Liberal government. Will Canadians finally ensure that their government will not raise taxes? I have a very simple question. Will the minister tell us whether the Liberals are going to raise taxes next year, yes or no?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, even if we tripled the number of Conservative politicians who take the climate crisis seriously, the number would still be zero. There is no need to worry, because on this side of the House, we care about the planet, we care about our children, and we care about future generations.

We are acting for the good of Canadians and for the good of our planet. We are not going to do what the Conservatives do, which is constantly complain and never deliver.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in 2017, when the Prime Minister took to Twitter to invite all those fleeing persecution to come to Canada, he surely did not imagine that everyone would come through Roxham Road, but that is exactly what happened.

In October alone, 3,901 asylum seekers took that route, out of a total of over 30,000 this year. Meanwhile, do we know how many asylum seekers have used regular border crossings in Quebec? A total of 638 people out of 30,000. Will the minister suspend the safe third country agreement so that asylum seekers can go back to using the border crossings?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, with great respect to my hon. colleague, I expect he knows that people do not flee their country because of a tweet from a country's leader. They leave their country because they are fleeing violence, war and persecution.

We are going to continue to do what we can to support those who seek refuge in Canada, and continue to do so in an organized way. I am pleased to work with my colleagues on all sides of the House in order to treat those who are in search of safe haven with dignity and respect, while maintaining an orderly migration system at the same time.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the RCMP were also caught off guard by the Prime Minister's tweet. The RCMP was not expecting 90% of its border agents to be tied up handling Roxham Road. There are 117 land crossings with border services officers where asylum seekers could go instead of Roxham Road, if the minister were to suspend the safe third country agreement. That would allow the RCMP to do their job, their real job.

When will the minister suspend that agreement so the RCMP can focus on gun smuggling instead of Roxham Road?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, does my colleague really believe that people make a decision about the rest of their lives based on a tweet?

I have said many times that people who cross the border are generally people fleeing very difficult situations. These men, women and children are fleeing violence and discrimination. My colleague should consider the human aspect.

The Bloc Québécois is asking that the safe third country agreement be suspended whereas Quebec is asking that it be renegotiated. I do not know where they are coming from, but they are alone on this and should rethink their position.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about dignity.

Thanks to Roxham Road, 62% of all of Canada's asylum claims are made in Quebec. As a result, our schools are running out of room, immigration lawyers are at their wits' end and our community organizations are stretched to the limit.

We have to suspend the safe third country agreement so that asylum seekers can be given a dignified welcome by Canadians across Canada.

Why is it up to organizations in Montreal to do all the work instead of organizations in Vancouver, Winnipeg or Halifax?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois does not want to offer people a decent welcome. It wants to slam the door in their faces, with no regard for the fact that these are men, women and children fleeting extremely difficult situations. Nobody but the Bloc Québécois feels this way. Nobody.

We are saying we need to renegotiate the agreement, Quebec is saying we need to renegotiate, everybody, including the U.S., agrees that we need to renegotiate the agreement, but the Bloc Québécois wants to suspend it. It is the only one, and I wonder if it even knows what it is talking about.

Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, the Indo-Pacific strategy says, with respect to Beijing, that the government will push back “against any form of foreign interference on Canadian soil”. It is time to put those words into action. Today we learned about another two illegal police stations being operated by Beijing on Canadian soil, on top of the three we learned about last October.

When will the government put the words of the Indo-Pacific strategy into action, push back and expel diplomats responsible for this outrageous violation of our sovereignty?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I would have thought that my hon. colleague would be assured by the concrete action the RCMP is taking to root out allegations of foreign interference in this country as a means of protecting our national security.

I would have thought that my hon. colleague would be assured by the things we are doing around allegations of foreign interference, creating independent panels to assure the integrity of our elections and cracking down on foreign funding. We will continue to do whatever is necessary to protect our interests here and abroad.

Democratic Institutions

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Mr. Speaker, was the Prime Minister briefed about Beijing's election interference involving 11 candidates? The Prime Minister has been repeatedly asked this question and he has not answered it. He hides behind carefully crafted words such as saying he was not briefed about candidates receiving money from China, but that is not the question.

When will the Prime Minister stop his stonewalling, stop his word parsing and tell us what he knows about Beijing's election interference?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has been very transparent, as have all ministers in the government. Before the Conservatives were even interested in the real threat that foreign interference presents, the government took action. We took action in 2019. We renewed that action in 2021. We had a group of experts chaired by the Clerk of the Privy Council to examine these issues and assure Canadians that the election integrity was preserved.

We take this threat seriously and we are on the job.

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

Mr. Speaker, the same month the Prime Minister was briefed on foreign interference in our elections and decided to sit back and do nothing about it, the British secret service, MI5, publicly revealed the name of an agent of the Beijing regime who had funded and tried to influence British MPs.

Despite a directive from our national security agency to tell the public about the foreign interference, the Prime Minister prefers to hide behind a veil of secrecy to avoid answering our questions. As a result, despite numerous briefings and serious allegations in Canada, no one has been arrested or publicly identified.

Why?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, as I said several times, and as the Minister of Public Safety and the Prime Minister also said, we take the threat of foreign interference very seriously.

Obviously, we are on the job to protect the democratic institutions that are so important for Canada. The good news is that that is exactly what our government did.

Despite all the efforts of the conspiracy theorists opposite, I can assure the House that Canada's election was free and open and that the results are completely reliable.

Health

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in Quebec, pediatric emergency rooms continue to be overwhelmed. Occupancy is 150% in some hospitals. In pediatric care units, every overflow bed is full. The Centre mère-enfant in Quebec City was forced to postpone an extraordinary number of surgeries. Among the hospitalized children are the very young, under two, who are having respiratory problems. The situation is getting worse by the day.

What are the Liberals doing to help care for our children?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank our colleague for asking this very important question. Indeed, our children are very sick these days.

Respiratory viruses are spreading very quickly, causing tremendous damage to our families and causing parents and grandparents to worry. Our health care workers are having a very tough time.

That is why we need to procure vaccines, take public health measures. That is also why the Canadian government must continue to support the provinces and territories in doing the difficult work of taking care of workers and hospitals at this difficult time.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, sick kids in Alberta are waiting in heated trailers outside hospitals, and now hospice care for children is paused as staff are redeployed to deal with the health care crisis. Families are forced to scramble for help during their last days with their children. While Danielle Smith is distracted by her ridiculous sovereignty act, neither the federal nor the provincial government is protecting the most vulnerable Albertan kids. This is heartbreaking.

When will the government stand up for families dealing with this health care crisis and get sick kids the care they deserve?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Before the health minister answers, I just want to remind members about talking across the aisle. It is nice to see people getting along and talking well together, but it gets in the way of question period. I just want to remind them that if they really want to talk they can just take a couple of minutes, go outside and then come back when they have everything settled.

The hon. Minister of Health.

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

Mr. Speaker, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada, there have never been as many hospitalizations of children with the flu in the history of Canada as there are at the present time. That means we have to take care of our children.

Vaccination works. It is free for the flu and COVID-19 everywhere across Canada. Public health measures also matter and work. We at the federal level are going to continue to support provinces and territories with historic amounts invested in support of their important work.

Housing

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, for so many Canadians, finding housing that is affordable is becoming incredibly challenging. This is especially true in Scarborough and the entire city of Toronto. There is no question we need to continue to do more.

Can the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion please tell the House about the important progress our government is making to ensure every Canadian has affordable housing that meets their needs?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for her strong advocacy on housing in her community. We know how great the need is for affordable housing in various communities across the country, especially in the city of Toronto. That is why last week I was pleased to join the mayor in announcing a federal investment of $90 million to build, renovate, repair and retrofit 750 homes for indigenous peoples, women and children fleeing domestic violence and refugee families. This is just one example of how our investments are making a real and tangible difference in the lives of Canadians, including in communities like Toronto.

Public Safety

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, since the Liberals took office, violent crime has risen by 32% and gang-related murders are up 92%.

The Liberals are not addressing the real problem. They should have done something about the illegal gun trafficking at the border a long time ago. Instead, with the support of the Bloc Québécois, the Liberals want to prevent hundreds of thousands of Quebec hunters from participating in an ancestral tradition. The government needs to stop treating hunters like criminals.

When will the government punish the real criminals once and for all?