House of Commons Hansard #31 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was quickly.
Michelle Ferreri Conservative Peterborough—Kawartha, ON
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, during a press conference, the Prime Minister said, “Some people will say that we moved too quickly. Other people will say no, we should have acted weeks ago. The reality is this: The Emergencies Act is not something to take lightly. It's not the first thing you turn to, nor the second, nor the third.”
Can the Prime Minister please tell Canadians what first, second and third actions he took before invoking the Emergencies Act?
Bill Blair LiberalPresident of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, right from the outset of the blockades and the disruptions that were taking place in Ottawa, and then the blockades at our critical infrastructure at our ports of entry, our government has worked with municipal and provincial partners right across the country to ensure that they had the resources and the support they needed to keep Canadians safe—
The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
I am sorry, but I am going to ask the minister to repeat his answer. I am right next to the hon. member and I cannot hear because of the shouting.
I would ask the hon. minister to start from the top so that at least I can hear and hopefully the hon. member for Peterborough—Kawartha can hear the answer.
Bill Blair Liberal Scarborough Southwest, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am very glad to see that the Conservatives have once again changed their position on something important. First they supported these blockades, and now that this has been recognized as a largely foreign-funded, targeted and coordinated attack on Canadian critical infrastructure, they have flip-flopped. Good for them. We are all getting used to it.
Michelle Ferreri Conservative Peterborough—Kawartha, ON
Mr. Speaker, I think the party that has flip-flopped is the Liberals. Last week, they said they had all the tools they needed to do this, and now we have the Emergencies Act. We were told we would never need federal vaccine mandates, but that changed. Now they are saying it is just jurisdiction. How can we trust the government?
How much authority does the Prime Minister need from the unprecedented emergency measures act? How much authority does he need?
Bill Blair LiberalPresident of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, the evidence is clear. A largely foreign-funded, targeted and coordinated attack on critical Canadian infrastructure at our borders is hurting Canada and harming Canadians. It was equally clear that we needed to do more and would have to do what was required.
We have introduced measures that will create greater financial scrutiny and financial consequences for the people who are engaged in this criminal behaviour. The evidence of firearms at Coutts elevates the risk to Canadian security and safety, and we will do what is required to keep Canadians safe.
Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK
Mr. Speaker, last Friday, the Prime Minister said that the Ottawa police had enough resources to deal with the protesters, and on Monday he calls for emergency measures. Boy, that escalated quickly. He had 17 days to act, and after hiding in his cottage on his MacBook for the first week, he did nothing but divide and stigmatize.
My constituents in Saskatoon West want to know this: What changed in the Prime Minister's mind over the weekend to justify such drastic measures?
Marco Mendicino LiberalMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, I want to assure my colleague that the RCMP has been supporting and aiding the Ottawa Police Service to enforce public safety not only here in Ottawa but in Windsor, where we have reopened the Ambassador Bridge; in Coutts, where the border is reopened; and in Surrey, where the border is reopened. That is good. It is good for the economy and it is good for Canadians, who can get back to work. Yesterday's invocation of the Emergencies Act is meant to secure those gains so that we give the police all the tools they need for declaring certain zones that are adjacent to our borders and our national symbols.
It is important for the Conservatives to ask those participating in the illegal blockades to now go home.
Tony Baldinelli Conservative Niagara Falls, ON
Mr. Speaker, for too long the Conservatives have been calling on the government to remove the mandatory PCR test requirements for those entering Canada. In my riding of Niagara Falls, this policy has had a devastating impact on the economy. Visits from the U.S. are nowhere near the record levels reached in 2019, and these expensive costs put on our visitors and Canadians travelling prevent them from visiting their families and loved ones.
My residents want to know this: When will all federal travel mandates be ended?
Omar Alghabra LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for giving me the opportunity to share with him, all members of the House and all Canadians the great announcement that my colleagues and I made today. Today, based on the science and the public health advice we received, we eased our travel measures, including allowing incoming travellers to use an antigen test instead of the PCR test for the predeparture test.
Brian Masse NDP Windsor West, ON
Mr. Speaker, unlawful blockades at the borders across the country, including in Windsor and Coutts, have shown that the Liberals have not done the proper, serious work necessary to ensure that our borders are protected and that the citizens who live nearby are safe. These illegal blockades have hurt every Canadian and have stopped thousands of people from getting to work and supporting their families. We have long been calling for a safe border task force. Let us reinstate cuts from CBSA intelligence and make sure that municipalities are reimbursed for their costs.
Will the Prime Minister finally listen to our calls to ensure that safe borders are going to happen, or is he going to continue to listen to extremists? The bridge might be open now, but the threat has not stopped. Will he act?
Marco Mendicino LiberalMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, I share my hon. colleague's concern, and I can inform the House that I have been in routine contact with him and the municipal leaders in Windsor, including the mayor of Windsor. I have assured him that the government will continue to provide all the resources that the community of Windsor needs to keep the bridge open. That means, yes, making sure that police have the assets they need, be it tow trucks, barriers or whatever resources, so that we can keep the economy rolling and the bridge open and get Canadians back to work.
Heather McPherson NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Mr. Speaker, what about Alberta? Yesterday the RCMP arrested 13 extremists blockading the border at Coutts. They seized guns, ammunition and body armour, including assault weapons with thousands of rounds. This comes after convoy leaders raised millions of dollars from foreign donors, with a stated goal of overthrowing the government. While I am happy to see that the blockade appears to be ending in Alberta, the fact remains that we had an armed militia active in Alberta. This is unthinkable.
Why did it take 18 days and proof of an armed threat to make the government act and protect Albertans and Canadians?
Bill Blair LiberalPresident of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for that very important question. I think it does reveal, and we agree, that what we have seen in Coutts, Alberta, and in a number of these illegal blockades across the country is that the threat is not yet gone. That is precisely why these measures in the Emergencies Act that we introduced yesterday will increase, for example, the financial scrutiny and consequences for these illegal acts and will also make available equipment and authorities that our law enforcement officials need to maintain and restore public safety and to protect Canada's interests.
Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON
Mr. Speaker, since the Government of Canada announced its ambitious plan for a $10-a-day early learning and child care system across the country, we have signed agreements with nine provinces and three territories. Already in some provinces, families are seeing a reduction in their child care fees that is making life more affordable, while those in my riding of Davenport in downtown Toronto are left wondering when Ontario is going to sign on and when they too will be able to benefit from our national child care program.
Can the minister provide any updates on the federal government's efforts to reach a child care agreement with Ontario?
Karina Gould LiberalMinister of Families
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague from Davenport for that important question. We have now signed agreements with 12 provinces and territories across the country. That means that families from coast to coast to coast, except for in Ontario at this point in time, will have access to a 50% reduction in fees by the end of this calendar year.
I remain very optimistic that we will sign an agreement with Ontario. There is a fair deal on the table, with $10.2 billion that will go to helping families decrease the costs of child care and make life more affordable—
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are stressed. Paycheques do not buy what they used to. In fact, the costs of everything, including gasoline, groceries and housing, are at all-time highs. Families are getting left behind. Last April, I wrote to the minister to warn her of exactly that. I highlighted the dangers of uncontrolled borrowing and how excessive stimulus spending would stoke inflationary pressures. She either does not care or did not read my letter.
To the minister, what specifically is she doing to get inflation under control?
Chrystia Freeland LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives continue, in all aspects of Canadian life, to put forward a false narrative, and the latest false narrative we have been hearing today is about the economy.
The reality is that the Canadian economy is recovering strongly from the COVID recession. In the third quarter, our GDP grew by 5.4%. That is higher than the U.S., Japan, the U.K. and Australia. When it comes to our debt-to-GDP ratio, our AAA credit rating was reaffirmed in the fall by S&P and Moody's.
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
Mr. Speaker, we will never get inflation under control as long as the minister keeps borrowing and spending like there is no tomorrow. Not only did the minister ignore our concerns, but she also ignored the warnings of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, who questioned the wisdom of her stimulus spending, pumping more money into the economy when the cost of living is skyrocketing.
The minister is making the crisis worse. The problem is not transitory. Month by month, the inflation numbers are going up. When will the minister finally do something to protect Canadians against the skyrocketing cost of living?
Chrystia Freeland LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the real question is, when will the Conservatives stick with a policy or stick with a leader?
I was on the campaign trail in the summer, and so were the members opposite. They actually campaigned on proposed government spending that was higher than our own proposal. We proposed a deficit for 2021-22 of $156.9 billion; the Conservatives campaigned on a proposed deficit of $168 billion. I wonder if the party of flip-flops can tell Canadians where they stand today?
Tracy Gray Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC
Mr. Speaker, the excise escalator tax increase will crush the bottom line of wineries, breweries, cideries and distilleries. The excise escalator tax is automatic, and here is the kicker: It is based on the CPI index, meaning that because inflation is so high, the tax will be even higher than ever before, starting April 1.
This tax is based on inflation. It is taxing inflation, which will make inflation go up even more on these important value-added agricultural products. Will the Liberals commit to cancelling this inflationary excise tax increase?
Chrystia Freeland LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, it is a bit rich for the Conservatives to be talking about supporting small businesses of any kind in this country. After all, before Christmas, when we proposed absolutely essential support for small businesses to help them get through omicron, what did the Conservatives do at that crucial moment? They voted against our measures. We will take no lessons about supporting business from them.
Tracy Gray Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC
Mr. Speaker, that was not an answer to my question at all.
When Canadian winery, brewery, cidery and distillery workers and owners wake up on April 1, they will be hit with this automatic tax increase on excise, thanks to the Liberals. Of these producers, 95% are small businesses that have already been hit with payroll tax increases, labour shortages, increases in debt and slower sales due to perpetual lockdowns. Now is not the time to be increasing any taxes on small businesses, so will the Liberals cancel this bad April Fool's Day tax increase?