House of Commons Hansard #143 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was families.
Helena Jaczek LiberalMinister of Public Services and Procurement
Mr. Speaker, we are aware of the concerns surrounding the RCMP contract with Sinclair Technologies, and our government is reviewing them.
Public Services and Procurement Canada has a strong track record in managing the procurement of more than $20 billion in goods and services every year according to the requirements set by the client department. We will be taking all the necessary steps to ensure the integrity of our infrastructure.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, that answer was encrypted with bureaucratese. Maybe that would be a better way to protect our internal communications, but instead the government came up with a different plan. What it has done is given a contract to a company that is supposed to protect the RCMP from eavesdropping. That company is owned by another company that is charged with 21 espionage offences in the United States of America.
How on God's green earth did the government think it was a good idea to give a company accused of espionage control of our anti-espionage technology?
Marco Mendicino LiberalMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, we have put in place rigorous processes to screen for national security concerns when it comes to awarding contracts. I want to assure my colleague that we are looking very carefully at the way in which our independent public servants screened this particular contract. I share the member's concern. I think we can all agree that it is important to protect our national security. That is why we have cracked down on foreign funding and why we struck two independent, non-partisan panels to confirm the integrity of our democratic institutions, including our elections in 2019 and 2021. What is the distinction? We did these things. The Conservatives did not.
Alain Therrien Bloc La Prairie, QC
Mr. Speaker, is there anyone who has not heard the story of the man listening to the radio in his car who hears on the news that a dangerous driver is driving against traffic? He yells at the radio, “there isn't just one, there are a hundred”, because he does not realize that he is the dangerous driver. The Government of Canada is behaving in the exact same way, and it is not that funny.
Quebec, the provinces and, today, the Canadian Medical Association are asking the federal government to increase health care funding.
When will the government stop going the wrong way, start heading in the right direction and increase health transfers?
Mark Holland LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely essential that we protect our health system. We will focus all our attention on doing so.
It is absolutely essential that we protect our system. That is why we will continue to invest in our health care system. We will continue to do so every day.
Alain Therrien Bloc La Prairie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Medical Association asked for an increase in federal health care funding, but that has not happened. This is typical and has been going on for years.
Ottawa says it is co-operating, but that is not true. There is no co-operation. Everyone knows that the federal government is underfunding Quebec's health care system, but Ottawa is still withholding funding. Everyone knows that Ottawa knows nothing about delivering health care, but it still wants to impose standards.
Patients do not need lectures. Patients need health care.
Will the government increase health transfers, yes or no?
Carolyn Bennett LiberalMinister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health
Mr. Speaker, our government has a long history of working with the provinces and territories, not only to provide funding, but also to ensure a national vision for health care and systems that meet the needs of Canadians.
Since the start of the pandemic, our government has invested more than $72 billion to protect Canadians' health.
We will increase Canada health transfers by 10% in March 2023, which is in addition to the extra 5% increase announced a few months ago.
Jagmeet Singh NDP Burnaby South, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Bank of Canada announced another interest rate increase today, and it is going to mean a lot of pain for Canadian families. With the increase in interest rates, we know that many families are going to see an increase in their mortgage payments of over $1,000. That is not something most Canadian families can afford to pay in addition to the budgets they are dealing with right now.
So far, the approach to inflation has been to put more pressure on the backs of Canadians. When will the Prime Minister find a way to tackle inflation that does not create pain for workers but actually provides them the support and respect they need?
Randy Boissonnault LiberalMinister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, as the hon. leader of the New Democratic Party knows, the Bank of Canada is an independent institution that has been tasked, since December of last year, to get inflation back down to 2%.
The bank is doing its job. We are doing our job, which is making sure that we have the fiscal firepower to face what is to come, investing in Canadians and supporting the Canadians who need it the most. That is why we are helping Canadians to buy a new home, advancing the payments for workers' benefits and making sure that student loan interest gets removed forever.
This is the right thing to do. It is the responsible thing to do. It is why we hope that all parties vote with us on Bill C-32 today.
Jagmeet Singh NDP Burnaby South, BC
Mr. Speaker, the job of the Bank of Canada should not be to create more pain for Canadians, and the government should find a way to reduce that pain and step up for them.
Consumer debt is up 8% over last year. These are tough times. Consumer debt is quite high because of interest rates and the rising cost of living. Workers are bearing the brunt of all this pressure.
When is this government going to deal with inflation in a way that no longer puts pressure on workers?
Randy Boissonnault LiberalMinister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, we greatly respect the efforts that working men and women are making to build a prosperous Canada. We know that Canadians are going through a difficult time during this global inflationary cycle. That is why, here in Canada, the Bank of Canada is independent. Its role is to reduce inflation to a 2% target rate. As the government, we take action to put money in the pockets of Canadians who need it, when they need it.
That is why it is essential that every member of the House vote in favour of supports for Canadians and help us by voting for Bill C‑32.
Leslyn Lewis Conservative Haldimand—Norfolk, ON
Mr. Speaker, the wasteful spending of the Liberal government knows no bounds. Yesterday we found out that the Liberals paid out billions of dollars in COVID payments to people who were ineligible. Rather than accepting their mistake, they implied that the Auditor General cannot be trusted. However, it is Liberal waste that is causing the cost of living crisis in this country.
When will the Prime Minister take responsibility and stop the inflationary spending so Canadians can put food on their tables and heat their homes?
Carla Qualtrough LiberalMinister of Employment
Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we are very proud that the Auditor General confirmed that the emergency measures reached their goals of getting money into the hands of Canadians quickly, making sure that Canadians could stay home safely and avoiding a significant social and economic crisis.
The Auditor General also found that we got money to the people who needed it most: low-income workers and the most vulnerable populations. We will not apologize for that.
Leslyn Lewis Conservative Haldimand—Norfolk, ON
Mr. Speaker, everybody in the House agrees that COVID supports were necessary. We are talking about wasteful spending. This is about the abject failure of the government to manage COVID supports and ensure that the people who needed them received them. Instead, the Liberals sent cheques to dead people and to people in prison.
The government has wasted and mismanaged billions of dollars. Now Canadians are footing the bill with inflation and are worried about how they are going to survive.
When will the Liberal government give Canadians a break?
Carla Qualtrough LiberalMinister of Employment
Mr. Speaker, everyone in the House also agreed that we needed to get money to Canadians quickly, that we needed to do it through an attestation-based approach and that we needed to verify eligibility at the back end. That is exactly what we are doing.
Kerry-Lynne Findlay Conservative South Surrey—White Rock, BC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Auditor General tabled a damning report, finding $32 billion of waste. The Liberals borrowed and printed cash so they could give CERB cheques to prisoners, non-residents and paid civil servants. The minister tried to cover up her incompetence by then bludgeoning the Auditor General on her integrity.
The Conservatives believe in hope. With the huge increase today in interest rate hikes, when will the Prime Minister stop hurting Canadians and attacking those who tell the truth about the waste?
Diane Lebouthillier LiberalMinister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Auditor General and her entire team for her important work and for tabling her report in the House yesterday. I want to say that I have the utmost respect for the Auditor General, her role and her independence. As we have said before, we appreciate the fact that she has confirmed that our COVID-19 benefits were effective.
We will not be distracted. Canadians have given us a mandate and we will continue to be there to support them. I urge my colleagues to do the right thing and vote in favour of Bill C-32 this afternoon.
Kerry-Lynne Findlay Conservative South Surrey—White Rock, BC
Mr. Speaker, we do not get to pick and choose out of the report. The Auditor General found waste in the billions, and the minister then said that she changed her numbers under pressure from the opposition. Yes, she called the Auditor General's integrity into question. It is shameful.
Meals on Wheels in my community had to close because of high food costs and rising gas prices. Volunteers cannot afford to deliver meals. The $32 billion in government waste is an insult to those who have been stretching dimes into dollars.
Why should the Auditor General, seniors, workers and the vulnerable pay the price for Liberal waste?
Karina Gould LiberalMinister of Families
Mr. Speaker, the difference between us and the Conservatives is that we start from a place of trust with Canadians. We trust that when Canadians need support, they can access it. We trust that when Canadians are in a vulnerable position, they will have access to the benefits and supports they need.
Unlike the Conservatives, we start from a place of trust. That is how we are operating with the Canada dental benefit, the Canada housing benefit, child care and the doubling of the GST tax credit. When there is need, our government is responding, and we are going to keep doing that.
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
Mr. Speaker, here on this side of the House, we have confidence in the Auditor General, but the Minister of National Revenue, who was implicated in the Auditor General's report yesterday, is questioning her integrity.
What did the minister say? She said the Auditor General was pressured by the opposition and that it was not her fault that her numbers concerning wasteful government spending were exaggerated.
Yesterday, the Auditor General said, “the requirement to do the audit on the specific COVID benefits was included in an act.... That act...gave us a deadline to provide [the information] to the clerk”.
Who makes these laws? The government.
Why is the minister misleading the House? Will she apologize for the inappropriate remarks she made yesterday, yes or no?
Diane Lebouthillier LiberalMinister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, our government made courageous choices. We chose to save lives and save the economy by helping Canadians put food on the table and a roof over their heads.
It was either that or the Conservatives' “chop, chop, chop”.
Let me just say that I meet with organizations on the ground, and they all tell me the same thing. They tell me how fortunate it was that the Liberal Party was in power during the crisis.
We will be there to keep working for all Canadians.
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
Mr. Speaker, the only thing we are going to cut is Liberal taxes. That is what we are going to cut.
When the opposition asks the minister questions, she then goes and insults members in an interview with a local radio station in the Gaspé and refuses to apologize. When the Auditor General, an independent officer of Parliament, criticizes the minister's work, she questions the Auditor General's integrity. That is not even to mention her unacceptable reference to the Second World War yesterday.
Once again, I would ask the minister to do the only honourable thing left for her to do in the House, namely to rise and apologize.
Diane Lebouthillier LiberalMinister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, the only thing this party is good for is regurgitating what their leader tells them and repeating the word “triple”.
Imagine what would happen if, instead of singing from the same hymn sheet, they took a look at real issues such as tackling global challenges, supporting Canadians, supporting families, supporting seniors and protecting the environment. Then again, in order to do that, they would have to take on some real problems, and they are not capable of doing that.
I urge them to vote for Bill C-32 this afternoon.
Julie Vignola Bloc Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Mr. Speaker, barely a year ago, the government awarded Sinclair Technologies, a company held in part by China, a contract to secure RCMP communications and the confidentiality of the Prime Minister's communications.
This contract gives a Chinese government-owned company access to the RCMP's classified frequency. That would be like asking Dr. No to create gadgets for James Bond. It is as ridiculous as it is reckless. It is simply impossible to believe.
Will the government immediately cancel this contract?
Marco Mendicino LiberalMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, we have already put in place a very rigorous process to protect us from threats caused by foreign interference. We are proceeding with a review of the context of this particular contract.
However, we will continue to make investments. We will continue to provide all the tools the public safety and the security intelligence service need to protect all our institutions, including police services.