Debates of March 21st, 2022

Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, $250 million is good, but it is not enough.

The gang war that is going on right now is affecting the entire greater Montreal area. In Laval, gun violence has more than doubled over the past three years, but the flow of guns still has not been stopped. Illegal firearms continue to find their way in without the federal government taking any serious action.

This is a crisis. People are feeling less and less safe on city streets. One quick solution is to cut off access to guns and stem gun trafficking.

What is the Minister of Public Safety waiting for to take action?

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

Mr. Speaker, we absolutely take this crisis seriously. We know there are many prongs to solving the issue of guns and gangs.

That is why, just last week, the Minister of Public Safety was in Quebec, speaking with organizations, and announced funding for communities, for municipalities and for indigenous groups to deal with the scourge of guns and gangs.

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

Mr. Speaker, that is not enough. Every time there is a shooting, we ask questions. Every time, the minister answers that he is taking action, that he will take action or that he is aware of the situation. However, there is no sign of concrete action. We only hear rhetoric, and the situation is getting worse. This cannot go on any longer.

Montreal is telling us that the federal government is not doing enough. The Government of Quebec is telling us that the federal government is not doing enough.

When will the minister finally come up with a real solution to cut off access to illegal firearms?

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

Mr. Speaker, we know that protecting communities from gun violence requires a comprehensive and effective strategy to protect communities, not just in Montreal but across the country.

Our position is clear. One of those actions we have taken is that we have said assault-style firearms have no place in Canada. Through a mandatory buyback program, we will remove the threat these deadly firearms pose to our communities from coast to coast to coast.

The Economy

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the skyrocketing cost of oil is hitting families' pocketbooks very hard. In response, the government is doing absolutely nothing.

It actually seems to like this situation, since more money is flowing into government coffers. This allows the Liberals to do what they do best, which is spend, spend, spend. Meanwhile, families are struggling to pay their housing costs and put food on the table for their children.

When will the government take real action to help Canadian families?

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

Mr. Speaker, we recognize that Canadians are seeing higher prices at the pump.

The Conservative Party wants Canadians to think that this has something to do with the Canadian economy. However, the Conservatives seem to be ignoring the fact that global energy prices are high, in part because of the serious situation in Ukraine. It is highly likely that oil companies will not lower the price at the pump.

On this side of the House, we are focused on affordability. We encourage the Conservatives to join us and vote in favour of Bill C-8.

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

Mr. Speaker, members of Parliament come to this House to represent their communities and offer common-sense solutions on issues. Conservatives proposed a GST tax holiday on gasoline and diesel, something that would help my constituents in Kelowna—Lake Country, who are being hammered by gas prices as high as 214.5¢ this month. The Liberals are dismissing solutions.

If the ministers are so out of touch with the prices that Canadians are paying at the pumps, will they ask their drivers what they are paying as they escort them around?

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

Mr. Speaker, we recognize that Canadians are experiencing increased prices at the gas pumps. The Conservative Party would have Canadians believe that this is a consequence entirely of the Canadian economy. What the Conservatives seem to leave out is that this rise in energy prices is due, in great part, to the tragic circumstances under way in Ukraine.

Even if we implemented what the Conservatives are peddling, there is no guarantee that Canadians would see a reduction of prices at the pump. On this side of the House, we create long-term solutions. On that side, they continue to peddle political games.

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

Mr. Speaker, the cost of gas has reached record highs. I know the Prime Minister has never made a living in rural Canada, but rural Canadians need to fill up their gas tanks to live their lives. They cannot take the subway to work. They cannot walk their kids to hockey. They cannot take the bus to town. I think Canadians deserve a break.

Will the Prime Minister reduce the cost of fuel by removing the GST from gas and diesel?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives continue to talk down the Canadian economy and spin economic fiction, so let us talk about some facts.

Fact: last week, Statistics Canada showed that our annualized growth is 6.7%. Fact: our economy is the second-fastest growing in the G7. Fact: despite omicron, our debt-to-GDP ratio is the lowest in the—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

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

Order.

Sometimes it gets to a point where I just cannot hear a thing. I know everybody is excited to see each other. We are excited to hear the minister's answer. I am sure the government members are excited to hear the questions that they are going to be answering. Can we keep the temperature down a little and enjoy what is left of question period?

Let the minister answer the question.

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the third of many facts that I will share in this answer is that, at $2.5 trillion, our economy is exactly the same size it was before the pandemic. We are on track and we will continue to fight COVID inflation on behalf of Canadians.

Rail Transportation

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians want to see improved passenger rail but many were shocked to hear that the Liberals want to privatize service between Toronto and Quebec City. If the Liberals hand over their new rail project to a private corporation, it is ordinary passengers who will pay while wealthy investors profit. Ottawa's disastrous experience with LRT shows the risk of handing transit over to private companies.

Will the minister guarantee that passenger rail on the Quebec-Windsor corridor will remain publicly operated?

[Omar Alghabra, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for giving me the opportunity to stand here today and talk about the great news that I helped announce just last week.

Our government is committed to moving forward with the investment in the high-frequency rail along the busiest corridor in Canada, where 95% of Via passengers use the train to commute between Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and stops in between. This is great news for Via Rail. This is great news for Canadian travellers, and this is great news for public transportation.

Housing

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are faced with a housing crisis, yet under the Liberals' rental construction program, affordable housing often ends up being 30% to 120% above the average market rent. It is scandalous. Nearly half of the housing the Liberals promised is expected to come from this program, and 90% of the funding has gone to for-profit developers. Canadians deserve better.

Will the government change the requirements to ensure housing built under this program is substantially below market rent?

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

Mr. Speaker, the national housing strategy has a number of important programs, including the rental construction financing initiative. It is important to assess each program based on the needs of Canadians in different parts of the housing spectrum. The particular program the hon. member mentioned actually has conditions with respect to accessibility and energy efficiency, and it has minimum affordability requirements. It has led to the construction of tens of thousands of new affordable rental housing units across the country.

Tourism Industry

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the past two years have been hard on main streets across Atlantic Canada. Due to COVID, our community hubs have been forced to close or to be open for reduced hours. These closures have been especially hard on businesses in the arts and tourism sectors.

Could the minister responsible for ACOA tell this House what the government is doing for Atlantic Canada's main streets as pandemic restrictions start to ease?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to thank my friend and colleague from Halifax West for her excellent question. As Atlantic Canada's main streets reopen, our government will be there to help them and to help locals and tourists discover the incredible things that they have to offer.

Last week I was honoured to announce the “rediscover main streets” program, which is investing $10 million in helping these resilient businesses show off their amazing products, their services and experience. We have been there for Atlantic Canadian businesses since the pandemic started and we will be there with them to ensure that they become vibrant entities again.

Foreign Affairs

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after several requests, the Liberals have finally agreed to send lethal weapons to Ukraine.

Canada has sent 4,500 M72 rocket launchers, 7,500 grenades, 100 Carl Gustav M2 anti-tank weapons, and 2,000 rounds of 84-millimetre ammunition. This morning, the Minister of Foreign Affairs confirmed that all the weapons had reached Ukraine.

My question is simple: Have all the Canadian weapons reached the battlefield, or are they stuck somewhere in Poland?

[Bryan May, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, we are leaving no stone unturned to support our Ukrainian friends. We announced six tranches of military aid, both lethal and non-lethal, to Ukraine in February alone. This represents well over $100 million in military aid to Ukraine, and we are working tirelessly with our allies to deliver this aid. The minister continues to be in close contact with her Ukrainian counterpart and with NATO allies to see how best Canada and the alliance can continue supporting Ukraine.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is not an answer. We want to know if the weapons we sent have reached the battlefield.

Are Ukrainian soldiers using our Carl Gustavs, our M72s and our grenades, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs told Mario Dumont this morning on LCN?

It is a simple question: Are the weapons on the battlefield at this time, yes or no?

[Bryan May, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, we are working as quickly as possible to deliver new tranches of aid to Ukraine. Last month, nearly $10 million worth of lethal aid was delivered in full. We are working around the clock to get more aid to Ukraine as quickly as possible, alongside our NATO allies. Given the nature of this conflict, we will not be providing details about transit.

[Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Mr. Speaker, last week the Minister of Foreign Affairs told CTV that, “Canada is not a nuclear power, it is not a military power. We're a middle-sized power and what we're good at is convening and making sure that diplomacy is happening”, and in so doing, insulted every Canadian who has gone to war for this country or put on its uniform. It is not the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces who are not ready to do their job; it is the minister and the government that are incapable of doing their jobs.

Will the minister apologize to this country's veterans?

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I want to be very clear about this. Every single member on this side of the House not only supports the men and women in uniform today, but those who were in uniform yesterday.

While we are not a superpower, let me tell members what we do. Our men and women in uniform supported the people of Afghanistan. We supported the people of Syria and most recently, we have been on the ground and supported troops in Ukraine with training that has trained 30,000 military personnel. We will continue to be there, and that is what Canada does well.