Debates of Dec. 7th, 2022

Firearms

[Gudie Hutchings, Liberal, Minister of Rural Economic Development]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague and many others that our government will fully support respectful, law-abiding hunters, including those who hunt traditionally, as they do in my province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and indigenous hunters, sports hunters and target shooters.

Sadly, yesterday, we all stood in the House and recognized the tragedy at École Polytechnique that happened 33 years ago. We all need to work together to make sure that assault-style weapons stay out of our country, and that is what we are going to do.

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC]

Mr. Speaker, when I asked the Liberal firearms expert Murray Smith at committee if hunting rifles would be banned as a result of Bill C-21, he answered, “Yes.” Since then, we have heard from thousands of law-abiding firearms owners and hunters across Canada. They are rightfully angry at the Prime Minister for giving them misinformation about his Liberal plan to ban hunting rifles and shotguns.

My question today is not to the Prime Minister. Instead, it is to all the rural Liberal MPs across the way. Will they stand up for their law-abiding firearms owners and hunters today or bow to this out-of-control Prime Minister?

[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 am the proud member for the rural riding of Brome—Missisquoi, where there are many passionate hunters. I can say for sure that our government has no intention of preventing hunters or indigenous peoples from practising their sport and maintaining their traditions. We are willing to work with all members of the House to make sure our bill achieves its objective of eliminating assault weapons and handguns, the type of weapons used in acts of terror like those at the Polytechnique and the Quebec City mosque.

[Richard Lehoux, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I hope to get an answer to my question.

Once again, the government has shown that it does not have its priorities straight with its amendments to Bill C‑21. Hunters and farmers in my riding are extremely concerned about their ability to put food on the table and, more importantly, to protect their livestock from predators and other threats.

When will the government stop targeting law-abiding gun owners and finally go after the real illegal gun traffickers?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I can tell you that, in the Gaspé region, during the hunting season, there are more people in the woods than there are along our shorelines. I would remind my colleagues that hunters hunt moose and deer; they do not to wage war on moose and deer. Their aim is to protect the meat. My father, who was a butcher, had the same goal. I hope my colleagues will support our bill.

Canadian Heritage

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, 2023 will mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Jean Paul Riopelle, one of Quebec's most outstanding artists.

He played an unrivalled role in Quebec's art history, but the National Gallery of Canada will not pay tribute to him because, according to them, he is an old white man artist.

According to La Presse, the gallery's CEO did everything in her power to prevent an exhibit in his honour from happening.

Can the minister tell us when his government decided to exclude the fine arts from the National Gallery's mandate?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I think my colleague, of whom I am very fond, is kind of out in left field.

Obviously, Riopelle will be celebrated. He is a giant among giants, one of our greatest artists, not just here in Canada but also in France, Europe and around the world.

Obviously, the government was there recently to celebrate Riopelle's centennial, just as the government will be there in the future to continue to celebrate this great artist.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to hear that. I assume that a quick telephone call by the Minister of Canadian Heritage would correct the situation. If he were to do nothing about the National Gallery of Canada, it would either mean that he approves or that gallery management is following his orders.

What is happening at the gallery is that the Liberals are literally turning it into an ideological propaganda tool rather than a place to preserve and promote the fine arts. That is how low they have stooped and I find it mind-boggling.

That is happening not just at the gallery but also at the National Film Board of Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts. Even the CRTC tried its hand at censorship a little earlier this year.

When will the minister stop acting like the minister of propaganda and start acting like the Minister of Canadian Heritage?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, “minister of propaganda”, that hurts. Those are harsh words from my colleague.

I want to assure him that we will be there to celebrate Jean Paul Riopelle, who, again, is a giant among our artists.

I had the opportunity to see several of his exhibits and I invite my colleagues to do the same.

We will be there to celebrate Jean Paul Riopelle.

Carbon Pricing

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Christmas is coming, a time for holiday cheer and warmth, but the Liberal carbon tax is leaving Canadians out in the cold. Seniors and those on fixed incomes are struggling, having to choose between buying groceries and heating their homes. Moms have to choose between putting their kids in dance class or paying the home heating bill.

This is not fair. Will the Liberal government have some compassion for Canadians and stop with its failed carbon tax on Canadians?

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Minister of Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, we recognize the challenges that seniors are facing, and that is precisely why we have been there delivering for them, whether it was the increase to the guaranteed income supplement, which has helped over 900,000 seniors and lifted 45,000 of them out of poverty, or the fact that we moved forward on increasing the old age security by 10% for those 75 and over, or the fact that we doubled the GST credit or provided dental and rental support.

On this side of the House, we are going to continue to deliver for seniors and all Canadians.

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that answer just proves that the Liberals are completely out of touch with reality. The reality is that the vast majority of Canadians will not see a cent from the programs they have announced. We are talking about the basic necessities of life.

Poor Liberal policy and reckless inflationary spending are going to cost Canadians an extra $1,000 on their groceries next year. That is an over 10% increase on food prices. A family of four is going to be paying more than $16,000 next year on groceries alone.

Will the government give Canadians a break and axe the carbon tax?

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

Mr. Speaker, all of us, on all sides of the House, are concerned about the affordability challenges of Canadian families, except on this side of the House we are doing something about it. The Conservatives can redeem themselves in just a few short minutes by voting for Bill C-32.

As the hon. member will know, as the price on pollution increases, so does the climate rebate. Unfortunately, the hon. Leader of the Opposition does not support that. He supports investing in cryptocurrency. Canadians are losing their shirts, and that is very unfortunate.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I will tell you what the Liberals are doing. They are forcing Canadians to the food bank. According to the Food Price Report, by 2030 a 5,000-acre farm will pay more than $150,000 in carbon taxes. Let me be clear: That will destroy the economic viability of the family farm. Dr. Sylvain Charlebois already said we are losing family farms because of the carbon tax. This is putting our food security at risk.

Will the Prime Minister cancel the carbon tax on food production, or is the Liberal goal simply to bankrupt Canadian farmers and force Canadians to the food bank?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I remind the hon. member that climate change is putting the family farm at risk. Since hurricane Fiona, I have visited farms in my community that have had silos turned down and their crops destroyed, and that are continuing to feel the financial pinch just as we head into the Christmas season.

I would further point out that the Conservatives talk a big game when it comes to affordability, but they voted against our measures to put more money in the pockets of seniors to help with the cost of housing. They opposed the Canada child benefit, and their leader hosted a press conference to call the programs we put in place during the pandemic big, fat government programs that Conservatives would not support.

We are going to continue to be there for families. I hope Conservatives will finally put their money where their mouth is and join us.

Post-Secondary Education

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, with the increase in the cost of living, students and recent graduates are having a hard time making ends meet. They are the future of this country, and we need to support them. They have expressed their concerns.

Can the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance tell the House what the government is doing to help students and recent graduates?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle for her question and her hard work.

With the increase in the cost of living, our government has been quick to act and provide support to Canadians who need it. We are continuing this support with our fall economic statement and Bill C‑32 by including the elimination of interest on student loans. This will help students and new graduates. We will ensure that Canadians have money in their pockets.

The Conservatives can support us here within the hour by voting in favour of Bill C‑32.

Finance

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, there are two billion dollars' worth of waste with respect to vaccines. The Liberal government would want us to believe that tracking these vaccines and their expiration dates is extremely difficult, because it has not been done before. In reality, quite obviously, thousands of businesses track their inventory every day. Once again, the government of inaction has failed Canadians. It is incapable of managing passports; it is incapable of managing border crossings, and it certainly cannot balance a budget.

Will the Liberal Prime Minister stand up and admit that his wasteful government is driving up prices for home heating, gas and groceries for all Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, there is one thing I would like to say. There is nothing more important than protecting the health and safety of Canadians, and that is what we did as a government. When we started in government, the fill-finish capacity at the beginning of COVID was around 30 million doses. Thanks to the investments we have attracted in this country, now we can produce and fill and finish more than 600 million doses, in case anything happens.

We did not choose the pandemic; we will not choose it if there is another one, but we choose to be better prepared on behalf of Canadians.

[Marty Morantz, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB]

Mr. Speaker, we have seen $52 billion in new inflationary spending and $500 billion in deficits in just two years. Yesterday the Auditor General reported that $32 billion in overpayments and suspicious payments just went out the door. The Governor of the Bank of Canada said that if Liberal spending had been less, inflation would have been lower, and today interest rates went up by another half a per cent.

The Prime Minister's big spending is now hurting Canadians. Will he stop the spending, stop the waste and get inflation under control finally?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would direct my hon. colleague to a Scotiabank report that says very clearly how our investments in the pandemic had no effect on inflation.

In fact, let us look at the Auditor General's report, which said this:

We found that the COVID-19 programs achieved their objective to help Canada avoid a more severe contraction of the economy and the social consequences of...a significant increase in poverty. This financial support allowed the economy to rebound and return to its pre-pandemic level.

That is the job of a government. That is what we did. The Conservatives do not like it, but Canadians sure do.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the job of the government is to make sure it is affordable for Canadians to pay for the essentials of life.

It is the job of the government to make sure the price of groceries does not rise by $1,100 next year. It is the job of the government to make sure it is not forcing Canadians to make a choice between heating their home and eating. Yesterday we heard the Auditor General talking about $4.6 billion going out to ineligible recipients.

Will the Liberal government stop its inflationary spending so that Canadians can afford to put gas in their tanks and food on their tables, and so they can heat their homes?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, actions speak louder than words. When Canadians needed us, and as they continue to need us, we have been there for Canadians. Nine million Canadians, at the height of the pandemic, accessed CERB. In fact, the Conservatives actually supported putting CERB out there, because we came together as a country.

Unfortunately, as we are going through the recovery, the Conservatives have voted against every single measure we have put forward to help Canadians.

Let me tell members something. Last Thursday we opened the Canada dental benefit for application, and over 35,000 Canadians have already applied for it. We are helping kids and helping Canadians.

Indigenous Affairs

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the news out of Winnipeg is horrific. We know that indigenous communities across this country are reeling.

Indigenous leaders have laid forth a path to save lives in the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which calls for specific steps to be taken. Every day of inaction means more lives are needlessly lost.

When will the Prime Minister take this genocidal violence against indigenous women seriously and put in place real action to save lives?

[Jaime Battiste, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Mr. Speaker, let me be clear, it is a serious issue in Canada. Indigenous women are 12 times more likely to go missing and be murdered, and that is why the government has invested $2.2 billion toward addressing this situation. In fact, in Winnipeg alone, for Manitoba indigenous women and 2SLGBTQ, just recently we made an announcement of $8.4 million for those supports.

We are going to continue to move forward. We know there is more work to be done, and we are going to work with the member opposite to make sure we get that done.