Debates of Dec. 9th, 2022

Non-Profit Organizations in Ottawa

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Orléans, ON]

Madam Speaker, on December 7, which also marks 101 years of women MPs in Canada, I had the honour to attend the Equal Voice fundraising gala.

People gathered from across the country to recognize and celebrate women who have made a significant impact in politics. Since 2001, Equal Voice has been advocating for equal representation of women in Canada's Parliament, focusing on equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility.

I truly want to recognize the leadership of Equal Voice in advancing women's participation in the political arena.

Yesterday, December 8, I also had the pleasure of attending a breakfast hosted by the Cooperative Council of Ontario to mark the official opening of their new offices, which are located not far from us here at Parliament. It was truly a great opportunity to discuss, in the presence of important stakeholders, how valuable they are to our community.

I would like to thank the Regroupement des gens d'affaires de la capitale nationale for their collaboration and partnership.

Phil Edmonston

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

Madam Speaker, many people believe that the first NDP MP in Quebec was the former NDP leader, Thomas Mulcair. While Tom won an impressive victory in the 2007 byelection in Outremont and was subsequently re-elected three times, he was not the first. Phil Edmonston was the first.

Phil won the 1990 byelection in Chambly with 67% of the votes. His background leading up to that was an unusual one. Born in Washington, he decided to immigrate to Montreal. He was a keen francophile, and initially worked as a writer and journalist.

He founded the Automobile Protection Association. As a tireless consumer rights advocate, he was involved in a number of battles to defend individuals against big corporations. For years, he published Lemon-Aid, a new and used car buying guide.

Sadly, Phil Edmonston left us a few days ago. He was an architect of Quebec's social democratic movement, an American who found a home here, in French, and who dedicated his life to standing up for others.

He will not soon be forgotten. We salute him. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime

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

Madam Speaker, December 9 is the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime. More importantly, it is an opportunity to resolve once again, as parliamentarians, to do everything we can to stop this heinous crime.

December 9 is also a day to remember the Uighur genocide. Just yesterday, I reminded the House that nearly two million Uighur and Turkic Muslims are currently imprisoned. These men, women and children have been abducted, raped and tortured, while others have been callously murdered.

I cannot stress this enough. As I stand before my colleagues in the House, the most horrific crime a government can perpetrate against its own people is taking place: genocide.

It is hard to hear that word. It is an unbelievably brutal crime, one that the Government of Canada stubbornly refuses to name. That is why, once again, I rise before my colleagues to stand up for human rights but, more importantly, as a matter of principle and justice. It is high time that justice prevailed for my Uighur friends.

Firearms

[Gary Vidal, Conservative, Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK]

Madam Speaker, it is clear the Prime Minister and his Liberal front bench have again been caught trying to divide Canadians for political gain.

Adding hunting rifles to Bill C-21 proves that the Prime Minister and his cabinet govern for themselves. First nations leaders from across our country are voicing their concerns with the sneaky and underhanded amendments to Bill C-21. Where was the consultation? Are constitutional rights to hunt and harvest for sustenance to be protected? Why is the Liberal government criminalizing a way of life?

Every time questions like these are put to Liberals, they claim Conservatives are spreading misinformation. Yesterday, the Assembly of First Nations' Special Chiefs Assembly passed an emergency motion opposing the Liberal hunting rifle ban. Are the Liberals going to stand up today and accuse the AFN of spreading misinformation, or will they just admit to all Canadians that they are guilty of covering their incompetence with deception?

Child Care

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Madam Speaker, child care is not a luxury; it is a necessity. That is why our government is establishing a Canada-wide early learning and child care system. All families should have access to high-quality, affordable and inclusive early learning and child care, no matter where they live, today and into the future.

As a single mom of two kids, I know from personal experience what a universal child care system means for a parent's ability to start a career, provide for their family and contribute to their community.

Bill C-35, introduced yesterday by the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, would enshrine the principles of our Canada-wide system into federal law. Families and child care educators like Anna Care, the director of Blaydon day care in York Centre, have been advocating for a national child care system for decades.

I encourage all my colleagues from all parties to join me in passing Bill C-35 quickly so that we can continue to work together to make life more affordable for families and give every child in Canada the best possible start in life.

Taxation

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Madam Speaker, the Liberal government constantly votes to increase taxes on Canadians. It voted to increase taxes on fuel. It voted to increase taxes on home heating. At a time when Canadians are struggling to put food on the table for their families and with 1.5 million Canadians visiting food banks in a single month, the Liberals voted to increase their carbon tax on food production.

When will they finally quit forcing their failed carbon tax on struggling Canadians?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, I understand that the Conservatives are still debating whether the climate crisis is real. I understand their economic policy can be summed up as cancelling the price on pollution. What I do not understand is that yesterday the Conservatives voted against a tax cut for small businesses. They voted against eliminating interest on student loans.

We have been there for Canadians. We have a strong and prudent fiscal policy in this country. I just do not understand why the Conservatives consistently oppose it.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Madam Speaker, what we oppose is their failed carbon tax plan. It is not an environmental plan. What we are voting against is, like the Auditor General saw, $27 billion in misappropriated COVID funds. What we are going to continue to vote against is the wasteful spending of these inflationary arsonists. The Liberals have not found a tax they do not love.

When will they finally get rid of their tax-and-spend ways and give Canadians a well-deserved break?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, I am not sure who the Conservative member is referring to when he calls people “arsonists”, but clearly the facts and the numbers do not seem to matter to the Conservatives.

If they bothered to look at the facts, they would see that we have the lowest deficit and the lowest debt of all G7 countries. They would also see that we continue to have a AAA credit rating, which means, and the the numbers bear this out, business investors are finding Canada to be the most prudent and responsible investment. Business investment is up in this country. I just wish the Conservatives would stop denigrating our economy.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Madam Speaker, because of the Liberal government, Christmas will be more expensive for Canadians than ever before. Of Canadians, 52% are worried about buying gifts this Christmas, 61% are worried about putting gas in their cars to go visit loved ones over the holidays, and 53% are worried about buying groceries for Christmas dinner.

This is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. When will the Liberal government give Canadians a break and axe the carbon tax?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, nobody is believing this feigned compassion on behalf of the Conservatives.

It is the government's policies that ensured that two million fewer Canadians are suffering from poverty in this country. It is the policies that we have we put in place that are helping Canadians make ends meet, whether it is the rental benefit that will become available in a few days' time, whether it is the dental subsidy that is already available to Canadian families, whether it is the supports for child care or whether it is doubling the GST tax credit. We have been there for Canadians, and we will continue to be there.

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

Madam Speaker, the Christmas holidays are two weeks away. Families will gather around the table. However, all families are worried about inflation right now. What is more, inflation is hitting them where it hurts the most: food, which is a basic necessity.

There is one thing that the government could do immediately that is entirely within its control. I am talking about taxes.

Will the government promise not to increase taxes in 2023, yes or no?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, the tax my colleague is referring to is the carbon tax, the price on pollution.

Quebeckers agree that polluters must pay. I must clarify, however, that the price on pollution does not apply to Quebec.

I would simply like to remind my colleague that we must be mindful of the facts. We must also ensure that the votes reflect the Conservatives' position. Yesterday, once again, the Conservatives voted against measures that would help Canadians.

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

Madam Speaker, I am talking about facts. I just want to point out that I did not mention the carbon tax at all. The member, who is not a minister, should know that she is the one who brought it up. Indeed, she knows full well that the Liberals are going to increase the carbon tax in 2023. This is not going to help anyone. While I am at it, I would like to remind her that her government, after seven years in power, is ranked 58th out of 63 for its effectiveness in fighting climate change.

I will repeat my question. Is her government going to increase taxes in 2023, yes or no?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, that is not fair. Yes, I made reference to the carbon tax because that is the only tax the Conservatives could be referring to. There is no federal tax on the price of food, and the member across the way knows it. The compassion my colleague seems to be displaying in the House today does not reflect reality, because yesterday, he voted against measures that are going to help Canadians.

Justice

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Madam Speaker, on Tuesday, the Chief Justice of the Quebec Superior Court, Marie‑Anne Paquette, criticized the fact that many trials have had to be postponed over the past few months because the Minister of Justice is taking too long to appoint judges. In one judicial district in the Montreal area, no hearings could be held for a month because there were no judges available. When the minister's office is asked about this, it responds that the appointments will be made in due course. Will the minister admit that due course has come and gone?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her question. I attended the Hon. Chief Justice Marie‑Anne Paquette's swearing-in ceremony a week and a half ago in Montreal. I can confirm that the bar association and the chief justices are very pleased with the quality and diversity of the people that we have appointed to the Quebec Superior Court. We appointed 10 people to that court this year, and there are still nine positions to fill. We are working on it. I hope to have good news soon.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Madam Speaker, when Justice Paquette tells the government that it needs to hire a dozen judges, the government replies that it is short just nine. It has appointed only 10 judges since the beginning of the year. At this rate, it will take another year to fill the remaining positions. I cannot say for sure, maybe the Liberals are running out of names on the Liberalist, but the problem is that this is undermining the public's trust in the justice system. The system simply does not have the capacity to respond anymore. When will the Liberals take the judicial vacancy situation seriously?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Madam Speaker, that is exactly what we are doing throughout Canada with vacancies. We have implemented a transparent and efficient process, and we are filling the positions as they come up. We are doing it in a diligent manner. As I said, the results are excellent. The diversity and quality of judges being appointed is exceptional.

Health

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Madam Speaker, average wait times in Ontario ERs have hit a record high of over 20 hours. All the premiers are meeting today about the crisis in children's hospitals and ERs across the country. However, guess who decided this was not important enough to show up for: the Prime Minister.

Our health care system is in crisis, and Conservative premiers are openly saying that their plan is to gut and privatize the public health care that Canadians rely on. Why does the Prime Minister not think this problem is important enough to warrant his attention? Why will he not even bother to show up to fix this crisis?

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

Madam Speaker, our system is indeed in a crisis. Our health workers are very tired. Backlogs due to COVID-19 are impacting not only COVID-19 patients, and there are many of them in our hospitals, but many other patients who have been suffering from backlogs in surgeries and diagnostics. That is why we have been there for provinces and territories, sending tens of billions of dollars in addition to the Canada health transfer over the last few months and years.

National Defence

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC]

Madam Speaker, every single month we lose a member of the Canadian Forces to death by suicide. Clearly, more needs to be done to prevent these tragic losses for the forces and for the families. One of the barriers to serving members getting the mental health supports they need is the fact that self-harm remains a disciplinary offence under the military code of conduct. For more than six years, the families have been asking this government to act.

Will the Minister of National Defence support my proposal to remove self-harm as a disciplinary offence so that serving members can get the mental health supports they need and deserve?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Madam Speaker, that is a very timely question. In fact, we have been working very hard on responding to the recommendations in the Arbour report, which involve examining our current law as well as law under the National Defence Act.

I take the member opposite's question with great earnest and interest. I look forward to responding to it as we examine the path forward for our armed forces and as we seek to build a military that is inclusive and that responds to the needs of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Finance

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Madam Speaker, the Liberals' wasteful spending continues. The $4-billion Canada digital adoption program has a stream called “boost your business”. The government has given a contract to an organization, Magnet, that will oversee placing more than 16,000 students in jobs. As of October 3, that organization has been paid $1.2 million, yet there have been zero job placements.

Will the Liberal government end its wasteful inflationary spending so that people can put food on their tables and heat their homes?

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

Madam Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her genuine advocacy on behalf of small businesses.

One thing that people learned in her part of the country and right around the country is that ensuring businesses adapt to online commerce is critical to not just their survival but their success going forward. That is why we launched a $4-billion Canada digital adoption program. That is why we are investing in ensuring that small and medium-sized businesses can do commerce online. That is a way of securing their future. That is what we will continue to invest in on this side of the House, ensuring the monies reach those businesses.