Debates of May 16th, 2022

The Economy

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, at well over $2 a litre, British Columbians are paying the highest gas prices in North America. It now costs over $150 to fill up a minivan: more than a day's wages for many Canadians. They are worried and struggling to make ends meet. Other jurisdictions have responded by cutting fuel taxes, but the Liberal-NDP coalition voted against a Conservative motion to cut gas taxes and then made matters worse by raising the carbon tax.

When will the Liberals finally cut gas taxes and give Canadians a break at the pumps?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I would offer to my hon. colleague that to suggest that the rising gas prices are the result of action on climate change is just ridiculous. It shows that the Conservative Party still does not understand both how global economics work and how addressing climate change is important.

Energy consumers around the world are seeing a rise in petroleum products. Canada is not alone on this front. As we see, it is the illegal invasion of Ukraine that is driving global energy prices. We are working very hard to ensure that we can stabilize those prices, but consistent with that, we are continuing to fight climate change and, as the hon. member should know, the average Canadian family gets more money back than it pays.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

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

I want to remind folks that turning your mike on and trying to heckle online is not acceptable either.

The hon. member for Longueuil—Saint-Hubert.

Official Languages

[Denis Trudel, Bloc, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we saw several members of the Liberal Party of Canada at last Saturday's protest against Bill 96. As Quebeckers, it was their right to attend, but it does raise a question. It is high time members understood that responsibility for the language laws that guarantee the future of the French language as the only official and shared language of all Quebeckers lies only with the Government of Quebec. To be clear: As federal members, it is none of their business.

Does the Minister of Official Languages condone what these members have done?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, is my colleague saying that Liberal members from Quebec are somehow less Québécois than members of the Bloc Québécois?

Is he saying that they have no say in the matter?

Is he saying that it is wrong to ask questions and to reflect the positions of some of their constituents?

Are they less Québécois than members of the Bloc Québécois or do they have the right to express their views like every other Quebecker?

[Denis Trudel, Bloc, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, one would have thought that Ottawa had finally understood that the only official language in jeopardy in Canada is French. I thought that was clear to everyone.

However, it was not clear to the Liberal members who went to protest against a Quebec law that aims to protect French. By opposing the defence of French in Quebec, these members become little more than defenders of the anglicization of Quebeckers.

That is unacceptable. Will the government commit to not obstruct the application of the Charter of the French Language in Quebec?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, all Liberal members, including the 35 Liberal members from Quebec, recognize that French is under threat and that more needs to be done. That is what we are doing through the excellent work of the Minister of Official Languages.

We are seeking to protect French not only at home in Quebec, but also outside Quebec. The difference between us and the Bloc Québécois is that we care about linguistic minorities, both anglophones in Quebec and francophones outside Quebec. A Quebecker is a Quebecker, regardless of the language they speak.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Let us talk about it, Mr. Speaker. The Liberals claim to be staunch supporters of minorities. However, they appointed a unilingual English lieutenant governor in New Brunswick. The courts found that choice to be unconstitutional.

Imagine. The Liberals announced that they are going to appeal. They want to maintain the right to make unilingual English appointments in New Brunswick, Canada's only officially bilingual province.

The minister keeps repeating that she is from New Brunswick. Does she agree with the decision to appeal or does she agree with us that this is a slap in the face to Acadians and francophones?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question.

Our government remains firmly committed to protecting and promoting French across the country. The decision to appeal the ruling of the Court of Queen's Bench does not in any way compromise our commitment to protecting and promoting linguistic duality, which includes our modernization of the Official Languages Act.

Going forward, our government is committed to appointing bilingual lieutenant governors in New Brunswick, starting with the next appointment process.

Public Safety

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Safety has claimed numerous times that he invoked the Emergencies Act after a recommendation to do so by law enforcement. Last week, RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki told committee that, “There was never a question of requesting the Emergencies Act,” and that she could think of no other law enforcement body requesting it, either.

Can the minister tell Canadians what law enforcement asked him to invoke the Emergencies Act?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, let me clarify again for my hon. colleague what the commissioner said. She said:

...what I can say is that the Emergencies Act did give us the tools that we needed...to get the job done quickly.

She said:

I can tell you from an RCMP perspective, for example, that we were in the midst of trying to enforce at Coutts and we could not enforce, because we couldn't access any tow trucks.

Those are just two very clear statements from the RCMP commissioner who explained how the Emergencies Act helped to restore public safety.

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, that still does not answer the question. The RCMP commissioner may have said it was necessary, but she clearly refuted what the minister's claim was, which was that they had recommended it. On May 2, the Minister of Public Safety stated in the House, “At the recommendation of police, we invoked the Emergencies Act”. On April 28, he further stated, “It was on the advice of law enforcement that we invoked the Emergencies Act.”

Can the minister back up these statements by answering my question, or will he admit that these statements were false?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I am just finally glad that on Monday, May 16, my hon. colleague from the Conservative Party admitted that the RCMP commissioner's testimony was that the Emergencies Act was necessary in his own words. It finally happened. We have been waiting months for that admission. We invoked the Emergencies Act to protect Canadians. We invoked it and we will continue to participate now in the review exercise in a way that is transparent.

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

Mr. Speaker, with regard to the illegal protest in Ottawa, the Minister of Public Safety said on May 2, “At the recommendation of police, we invoked the Emergencies Act”. Last week, the RCMP commissioner said in committee that there was never a question of requesting the Emergencies Act.

The question is very simple: Who is telling the truth? Is it the minister or the RCMP commissioner?

Personally, I have a lot more confidence in the RCMP commissioner.

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, as I have already mentioned a few times, the commissioner said during her testimony that there were provisions in the Emergencies Act that acted as motivators and as deterrents for people to return.

What I can say is that the Emergencies Act gave us the tools we needed to get the job done quickly. Today, Monday, May 16, the Conservatives finally recognized that.

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, last year, Chantel Moore, an indigenous woman, was fatally shot by police during a wellness check. The inquest begins today, and we hope that her family and community get the answers that they deserve. On the current government's watch, police violence against indigenous and racialized people continues to cost lives. The government is not moving fast enough with police reforms that include indigenous oversight.

When will the government act to reform policing and make sure that what happened to Chantel never happens again?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I want to share our sympathies with Chantel and her family. I thank the member for his ongoing advocacy, and I agree with him wholeheartedly. We need to accelerate our work when it comes to reconciliation, which does include more indigenous representation not only in the oversight of the RCMP, but in the RCMP itself. I assure him and all members of this chamber that we are working very diligently with the commissioner of the RCMP not only to do those things, but to make sure that we implement all of the calls to justice as part of the meaningful work of reconciliation.

The Environment

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, the Nunavut Impact Review Board recommended that the government reject Baffinland's phase 2 proposal. The board said the adverse effects cannot be prevented.

People in several Nunavut communities have said that narwhal migrations have changed because of the Mary River project. The Mittimatalik Hunters and Trappers Organization has been trying to meet with current ministers for months. Marine mammals and wildlife are at risk. The livelihoods of Nunavummiut are at risk.

Will the government assure Canadians that the most-impacted communities will be heard by requested ministers?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague might know, today we launched the consultations on the first-ever national adaptation strategy. It will clearly focus on the most-impacted Canadians, which include, obviously, indigenous communities across the country and certainly racialized communities and the poorest among us. We are at the very beginning of the consultation, but I can assure the member and this chamber that the consideration of indigenous people and the people of the north, Inuit, will be taken into great consideration as we elaborate this national strategy.

Public Services and Procurement

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Whitby, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today is a great day for Canada and our Parliament Buildings. The design competition for Block 2, directly across from Parliament Hill, has concluded and the winner was announced today. The winning design brings together the past, present and future, mixing heritage-designated buildings with modern landscaped courtyards and a public square facing the Peace Tower. The preservation of heritage features and indigenous considerations are at the heart of the chosen design.

Can the Minister of Public Services and Procurement please tell us more about this very exciting design?

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

Order. Hold on a second. All of us want to hear what is happening here on the precinct.

The hon. minister.

[Filomena Tassi, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, Block 2 is one of the most prominent city blocks in the country. I was pleased to announce today that the winner of the design competition is the team consisting of Zeidler Architecture of Toronto in association with David Chipperfield Architects of London, U.K. Congratulations to them.

I wish to thank all design bidders for their participation, and give special thanks to the jurors in the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada for their hard work.

Canada Border Services Agency

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, boaters in my riding have been impacted by the public safety minister’s decision to suspend service at several small vessel reporting offices of the CBSA. Boaters are now required to travel many kilometres out of their way to check in. The additional travel will be a significant cost for an individual's wallet, up to hundreds of dollars per trip with these gas prices. This accomplishes nothing but punishment for law-abiding Canadians.

Will the minister reverse this decision and restore service so my residents can enjoy the summer on their small boats?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, first, I want to thank my colleague for the question. We are, of course, in the process of opening up a number of smaller ports of entry. We made tremendous progress.

Travel and trade are finally heading back in the right direction, as a result of the good work of Canadians, and we will continue to work with all members in the chamber so smaller ports of entry are able to facilitate travel throughout the summer. We are looking forward to making that progress in due course.