Debates of March 21st, 2022

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government has created an emergency travel authorization for refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. It can count on the Bloc Québecois's support for that measure, but two weeks ago, we also said that it should charter additional flights to evacuate these individuals. As we speak, refugees are applying for the program and filling out the paperwork, but once they get through the process, no one is picking them up.

When exactly will refugees be airlifted out of Ukraine on federally chartered flights?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question and, in particular, for his co-operation on the Ukraine file.

We are prioritizing applications from Ukrainians. Since January, over 10,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada. Last week, I announced new measures that will make it easier and faster for Ukrainians to safely come to Canada.

I will continue to work with my colleagues to facilitate the entry of as many Ukrainians as possible to Canada.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the number of refugees—women, children and seniors—has reached 3.5 million, and that number is growing quickly.

Canada is home to the second largest Ukrainian diaspora in the world. This means that people will want to come here, and a lot of planes will be needed to accommodate them.

Imagine if Ukrainian families have all the proper paperwork but unfortunately remain stuck in refugee camps because of a lack of transport. That is inhumane. The minister's answer is not good enough. He says that in order to succeed the federal government needs to charter flights.

Here is my question. When will that happen?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has welcomed nearly 10,000 Ukrainians since January.

We are working with our partners, including the provinces and territories, the business community, the Ukrainian Canadian community and settlement agencies. This is the best way to support people arriving from Ukraine.

We are going to continue to work with partners to arrange the best way for people to get here as quickly as possible, regardless of what it takes.

I am very proud of the measures we have put forward. I am going to continue to work to get as many people here as quickly as possible.

The Economy

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, what is happening at CP is a lockout. The minister should be concerned to know why a company in the supply chain is locking out its employees under the current circumstances.

The cost of gas, groceries and housing continues to rise. Families are struggling, but banks, big oil, grocery and big box stores are making record profits. Wealth inequality is at its highest level in generations.

Will the Liberals deliver on their promise to make life more affordable for people by making the wealthiest pay their fair share?

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

Mr. Speaker, the opposition member is discussing the issue of affordability.

We lowered taxes for the middle class twice. We increased them for the wealthiest 1%, but the members across the aisle voted against. We created the Canada child benefit, which is indexed to inflation, but they voted against.

On this side of the House, we are here to address the issue of affordability, and that is what we will continue to do.

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians reeling from the pandemic are having a hard time making ends meet. From groceries to transportation, housing, corporate profits and CEO bonuses, everything is increasing except income and pensions. Canadians are frustrated with this rigged economy. The rich are getting richer and Canadians are paying the price. The NDP has a solution: Tax the rich. Tax the banks and use that money to offer relief to Canadians.

Will the government continue to stand with wealthy CEOs, or will it finally take action in support of Canadians who are struggling right now?

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

Mr. Speaker, our government remains committed to this platform initiative.

As it pertains to affordability, it is disappointing that the NDP chose to vote against providing more pandemic supports for Canadians and businesses in Bill C-2.

On raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% and lowering them for the middle class, increasing investments for the Canada Revenue Agency to combat tax evasion and increasing investments to combat international tax avoidance, we invite the opposition NDP to vote with us on Bill C-8.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, ever since this finance minister took charge, the cost of living has skyrocketed. Inflation is at a 30-year high. We know Canadians are struggling to balance their own budgets, and paycheques do not go as far as they used to. The cost of everything is out of control, including gas, groceries and housing, yet the minister does not seem to care. Things are not getting better for Canadians. They are getting worse.

When will the minister tell Canadians how she plans to fight inflation, and when will she table her next budget?

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

Mr. Speaker, since the hon. member has raised the issue of affordability, let us review what we have done since taking office. We lowered taxes for the middle class twice and raised them on the wealthiest 1%, and Conservatives voted against. We created the CCB indexed to inflation and Conservatives voted—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

Order.

I will just give it a minute. I know it has been a while. We have not seen each other in a while and we have not had a chance to heckle in a while.

The hon. Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance may give a quick answer.

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we provided seniors over 75 years of age with a one-time payment of $500 and the Conservatives voted against it. We are focused on affordability, and that is what we will continue to do.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the question was for the finance minister.

Inflation is raging across our country and Canadians are being left behind. The cost of everything is skyrocketing. I mentioned gas, groceries and the price of home heating. Worse yet, millions of Canadians have lost their dream of home ownership as house prices spiral out of control, yet the minister does not seem to care.

When will she finally tell Canadians what she plans to do about the affordability crisis, and when will she table a budget?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour and a privilege for me to share with the member opposite exactly what we are doing and will continue to do on housing. There has been $72 billion invested in the national housing strategy, $2.5 billion invested in the rapid housing initiative, and investments in every corner of this country and every riding, even the noisy ones, to make sure that housing is a right for everyone. We will continue to focus on Canadians, while the Conservatives focus on raising the temperature.

Housing

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Mr. Speaker, a few weeks back I alerted the House that the average home price in Canada had hit $720,000. Do members know what it is today? It is $868,000. I want to remind members what a house's price was when the Prime Minister came into office: $434,000. The Liberals officially did it. It took them six years, but they have doubled the average home price here in Canada.

How can the minister continue to ignore these numbers?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion]

Mr. Speaker, we remain committed to the important issue of housing affordability in Canada, and we have proposed solutions such as a new housing accelerator fund to speed up both the supply and the speed of housing construction in Canada, a new rent-to-own program to help renters become homebuyers, as well as a temporary ban on foreign buyers of non-recreational residential property.

We have moved to implement a 1% tax on non-resident and non-Canadian-owned real estate, and the Conservatives voted against it.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Mr. Speaker, all the programs the minister just spoke of fall under the CMHC. The CMHC is a government agency that, according to its website, is driven by one goal, housing affordability for all, yet newly revealed documents show that CMHC employees received $48 million in bonuses in the last year.

The average home price went up 21% in the last year. How can the minister award the CMHC bonuses, when Canadians cannot afford to buy a home?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows that no minister in my position has or will ever make decisions in terms of an independent Crown corporation's employee compensation system. CMHC, like every Crown corporation in Canada, is independent of political interference when it comes to the hiring and salaries of its employees.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Mr. Speaker, so many Canadians are struggling to find an affordable place to rent, let alone purchase a home. Why? It is because home prices have doubled since the Liberals took office, and they are up 43% since 2019 alone. Over the past two years, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, which reports to the Minister of Housing, has given out $48 million in bonuses.

Did the minister personally sign off on these bonuses, or is he simply going to try to pass the blame onto someone else?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows very well that no minister in my position has or will ever interfere in an independent Crown corporation's decisions when it comes to employment and salaries.

We are focused on federal investments in housing, making sure that more Canadians than ever before have a safe and affordable place to call home. In British Columbia, where the member's riding is, we have invested over $5.8 billion in affordable housing investments. These investments have helped over 128,000 families. This includes $34.5 million in 120 new units in West Kelowna in the member's riding.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this minister is supposed to be the Minister of Housing not the minister for “show me the money”.

What performance metrics could possibly justify doling out $48 million, an average of more than $12,000 per employee, to over 93% of employees during an affordable housing crisis? Will the minister show some spine and cancel these bonuses, or will he do what he always does and just blame the opposition for what happens on his watch?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows very well that no minister has or will ever interfere in the salaries and compensation of employees of an independent Crown agency.

We are focused on providing affordable housing solutions for Canadians. Every single time that we have brought more federal investments to the table, the member opposite has voted against them. The Conservatives are not serious about affordable housing. How do I know that? Their opposition day motion did not have the words “affordable housing” in it. Their election platform did not have “affordable housing” in it. They are not serious about this issue.

Public Safety

[Kristina Michaud, Bloc, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today, Montreal is recovering from a brutal weekend. Five armed attacks were committed within a 48-hour period. It is a sad reminder that the wave of violence afflicting our city did not resolve itself while our attention was elsewhere. Montreal is still in the grip of a gang war that has been escalating for the past three years.

However, judging from the government's apathy, it is as if the emergency does not exist. We have been talking about this for months, but nothing is changing on the ground.

What tangible action is the minister taking to deal with the gang war plaguing the Montreal region?

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, our government is firmly committed to building safer communities.

To reduce gun crime, we must address social conditions that lead youth to join gangs. We are working closely with municipalities and indigenous communities to provide $250 million over five years to bolster gang prevention and intervention programming. By investing in community programming, we will stop the cycle of gun and gang violence, and prevent youth from enduring a life of crime.