Debates of Feb. 15th, 2022

Taxation

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, let me tell members what hurts Canadian small businesses. What hurts Canadian small businesses is when, solely for the sake of partisan posturing, people who were elected to this House to support the small businesses in their communities oppose the small business support that small businesses themselves are calling for.

Do members know what else has hurt Canadian businesses, whether small or large? It is the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge. Members on that side of the House were giving supper and encouragement to those causing the blockade. That is unacceptable.

Public Safety

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today, February 15, is the day Canada celebrates its maple leaf flag.

What a way to celebrate. The flag is flying everywhere, more flags than ever before, in the streets of downtown Ottawa. It is being flown in demonstrations in the United States, in France, in New Zealand. The Canadian flag has literally become an international symbol of movements so unhinged as to seek the overthrow of democratically elected governments.

Does the Prime Minister realize that his reaction to the occupation of—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. minister.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for commenting on the anniversary of the maple leaf, the flag that unites every one of us, especially the proud government members from Quebec, who are also proud Canadians, but also the proud Canadians across the way. It think it is important to take this time.

I really want to express my deep gratitude to my colleague for bringing this to our attention so we can all celebrate the anniversary of the maple leaf together.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government's lacklustre response so far has made it not only an international laughingstock, but also a global incitement to disorder.

When questioned yesterday about how the crisis is affecting Canada's international reputation, the Prime Minister said he thought the turning point was the blockade at the Ambassador Bridge. The actual turning point, however, was when occupiers besieged his country's capital city, eliciting no response whatsoever from him.

After 19 days of inaction, he announced plans to deploy the statutory equivalent of a nuclear weapon: the Emergencies Act.

How can he possibly be that—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. minister.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, since we are still talking about the maple leaf, I think it is important to emphasize what it represents and symbolizes around the world.

It symbolizes pride, not only in being Canadian, but also in the role that Canada has played throughout history in conflict resolution and official development assistance. It represents the helping hand that all Canadians, including Quebeckers, are known for.

I thank my hon. colleague once again for reminding us that it is important to highlight and celebrate the maple leaf.

Health

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, for weeks, Canadians looking for hope have been looking for the Prime Minister to listen to their concerns and listen to their needs as the rest of the world opens up. Instead, they heard from a Prime Minister with an escalating tone that left them feeling traumatized, stigmatized and divided. Even today he is calling out and blaming other parties, which have been listening and showing real leadership instead of pitting Canadian versus Canadian.

Why do Canadians have to pay with their freedoms to cover up for the government's failed leadership?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I think we have different definitions of “division”. To me, when critical infrastructure is being blocked, when illegal protesters are outside and when we see swastikas and Confederate flags, going out and taking photographs and giving coffee is not healthy for the country.

Instead, what would be healthy is to say to those who would seek to divide us and those who would seek to exploit our differences that those kinds of radical views do not have a place in this country. It is time to go home, it is time to end this illegal activity and it is time to come together as a country.

The Economy

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I sent out a survey last month asking my constituents what their biggest concerns were. The cost of living was the number one issue. Rick, one of my constituents, wrote to me and stated, “food prices are out of my pay range”. Inflation is at record highs due to the Liberal government’s spending.

What does the Prime Minister have to say to Rick, who cannot afford to put food on his table?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, our government absolutely understands that affordability matters for Canadian families, and that is why we are there for them. We lowered taxes for the middle class and raised them on the wealthiest 1%. We created the Canada child benefit, which is indexed to inflation, and now a single mother with two children can receive up to $13,600 from the CCB. The climate action incentive gives the average family in Alberta $981 and in Saskatchewan $961.

[Adam Chambers, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, at the beginning of COVID, all the parties came together to support relief programs for Canadians and businesses. Now the economy is opening up, but the government's money printing press is still humming. Experts are now warning the government what members of this side of the House have been warning for some time: that the government’s future spending plans will lead to more inflation.

Let us give the minister one last chance. When will the government rein in its out-of-control spending?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, as I pointed out a moment ago, it is actually the members opposite, the members of the party of flip-flops, who campaigned on a platform that proposed higher spending in this fiscal year than we proposed. Let us remind Canadians of that. In fact, when it comes to supporting small business, it was his party, contrary to what the member just asserted, that opposed the essential supports small businesses needed that we proposed before Christmas.

Official Languages

[Taleeb Noormohamed, Liberal, Vancouver Granville, BC]

Mr. Speaker, parents in my riding understand that enrolling their children in French immersion programs enriches them culturally and gives them an advantage later in life. However, because of teacher shortages and long wait lists, it is often difficult for parents to enrol their kids in French immersion.

Could the Minister of Official Languages tell the House how our government is providing more children with the opportunity to learn French?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and colleague from Vancouver Granville for his excellent question.

Our government recognizes that providing students with the opportunity to learn French today means having more bilingual adults in the future. Budget 2021 includes investments to eliminate wait lists and to find ways to work with our provincial and territorial partners to continue to improve access to the French language.

We will continue working with communities.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Mr. Speaker, today more fishermen have been lost at sea, and our hearts go out to them.

Captains know the risk of sinking while fishing. What Adam Newell was not counting on was losing his vessel while tied up at the DFO wharf. Adam saw his vessel smash into the rocks tied to that wharf. DFO wharfs are falling into the ocean. Adam would not have lost his vessel if the government had not ignored four fishery committee reports to this House.

When will the government act so more vessels are not lost tied up at the wharf? Without wharves, we cannot fish.

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, 90% of Canadian seafood goes through small craft harbours, and Canada's fish harvesters depend on these facilities to support their livelihoods.

That is why, in budget 2021, we allocated $300 million to repair and replace these wharves over the next two years. We are working to make sure that communities have the harbours they need and that they are in good repair.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, members of the Furbacco family, three future citizens of my riding, have been waiting for months to get their permanent resident cards.

While other applicants have skipped ahead of them in line, the Furbaccos have experienced unending delays now exceeding 180 days. As a result, they have been unable to renew their health insurance cards in Quebec, despite the fact that they are working and paying taxes here.

Does the government think that is right? What will it do to resolve the problem?

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. I would like to point out some of the progress that has already been made.

We are back down to a 12‑month wait for spousal sponsorship applications. We have processed more than 500,000 new applications for study permits, which represents a 32% increase in our production.

It is no secret that pandemic-related closures in the world have had repercussions on our immigration system, but we will continue to invest in modernizing our system so that we have a more resilient system that continues to support our objectives to welcome more new residents—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Chatham‑Kent—Leamington.

[Dave Epp, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on Friday, I asked the government if it was their intent to place public health policy in direct conflict with immigration legislation. Once their working permits expire after February 28, some guest workers are trapped in Canada without status, separated from their families and separated from work.

The Minister of Immigration's response made it clear that the government had no apparent idea of this policy conflict. When will the Liberal government treat innocent people fairly and humanely, respect them and fix this Liberal fiasco?

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, as always, our commitment to modernizing our immigration system is relevant.

I was very happy to see that our government invested $85 million in improving our immigration system. We are more than happy to say, as we talk about some of the success of 2021, that we welcomed more than 405,000 new permanent residents last year. We are welcoming more skilled workers and international students.

We need to do better, and we are continuing to do—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Northwest Territories.

[Michael McLeod, Liberal, Northwest Territories, NT]

Mr. Speaker, the Gladue principles, in part, recognize that there is overrepresentation of indigenous peoples in the criminal justice system and that there are complex issues based on systemic discrimination that should be considered in sentencing.

They now have been used in the courts in sentencing for quite some time. However, in the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order. The hon. member for Manicouagan on a point of order.