Debates of May 17th, 2022

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, let us look very carefully at what the Parliamentary Budget Officer has said: Eight out of 10 Canadians are better off with a price on pollution. I do not know why the Conservatives are so against a market mechanism that even Preston Manning said was the best way to reduce emissions.

We are focused on affordability. The Conservatives are playing politics. Canadians know that.

[Tako Van Popta, Conservative, Langley—Aldergrove, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Vancouver has the highest gas prices in all of North America. The gas station at the Vancouver airport is advertising regular gas at $2.34 a litre. The Minister of Finance keeps saying that inflation is a global phenomenon, yet we know it is the current government's policy to actually drive up gasoline prices through its taxation policy.

When will it quit blaming others, take responsibility and give us a break at the gas pumps?

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

Mr. Speaker, there is no evidence that removing the tax would be passed on to consumers. The House should be focused on getting Vladimir Putin out of Ukraine to restabilize energy markets. Canadians know that gas prices are higher because of the illegal war in Ukraine.

While the other side wants to play politics, we are focused on affordability, the CCB, child care and putting money in the pockets of Canadians. That is our job. The Conservatives can scream all they want. We are doing the hard work.

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

Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of gas coming from the government.

Lobster bait costs have more than doubled because of the decisions of the minister. Average fishing fuel costs have gone up 140% since the fall. The government's disastrous policies are increasing bait and fuel costs for fishing, making it more difficult to earn a living. Because of these increased costs, fishermen are now only able to go out every second day. In Nova Scotia, 70¢ from each litre of diesel goes to governments.

It is time to lower gas taxes. When will the government do the right thing and lower gas taxes?

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

Mr. Speaker, I will tell the House exactly which tax we lowered: on the middle class, twice. The Conservatives voted against it. We raised taxes on the wealthiest 1%. We created the Canada child benefit indexed to inflation. Now, a single mother with two children will receive up to $13,666. We increased the OAS by 10%, which is also indexed to inflation. That is the work we are doing in the House. The Conservatives are playing politics.

Indigenous Affairs

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, discovering burial sites outside former residential schools is difficult for indigenous peoples, and it should be for all Canadians. The government promised to provide support to indigenous communities looking for their children. Yesterday, the minister admitted that many of the promises the government made have no timeline for completion.

First nations and Inuit are still asking for resources to recover bodies and for help to heal from the trauma of these discoveries. Why is the government not delivering faster on its promises to support indigenous communities?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Mr. Speaker, I would highlight the fact that since the discoveries in Kamloops, the first anniversary of which is upcoming, this government has deployed over half a billion dollars to assist communities with this very painful step of deciding whether to go and search for lost ones. Not every community will work at the same pace. There are about 70 applications that are still in and fully funded, and we will continue to be with them. Some have said it could take up to 10 years, and the worst thing to see would be for any government to step away from that commitment. We will keep doing it, but at their pace.

Health

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, every day 20 Canadians die because of drug poisoning while the current government sits on real solutions. Policies that stigmatize do not prevent people from using drugs; they prevent people from taking steps to reduce risk or seek help. The government ignored its own Expert Task Force on Substance Use, which found that criminalizing simple possession feeds stigma and increases risk for people who use drugs.

Will the government finally listen to its own expert task force and support my bill, which will save the lives of Canadians?

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question and his ongoing advocacy. I did speak with the expert panel yesterday. As we know, the opioid and toxic drug supply crisis is heartbreaking and has taken a tragic toll on families, loved ones and communities. Our government recognizes that problematic substance use is a public health issue and we are working with partners to develop comprehensive health strategies to address it, including diversion away from the criminal justice system to other supportive health and social services, as well as safer supply. Our approach builds on previous actions, including investments of over $800 million in community-led harm-reduction, treatment and prevention projects.

Seniors

[Rechie Valdez, Liberal, Mississauga—Streetsville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we are all aware of the many impacts the pandemic has had on Canadians, especially seniors. The Minister of Seniors recently announced funding to support community organizations serving seniors as we continue to face the pandemic.

Can the minister please inform this house how this funding will help seniors in Mississauga—Streetsville and across Canada?

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Minister of Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend, the member for Mississauga—Streetsville, for her question and ongoing advocacy for seniors. I was pleased to announce yesterday that, through the new horizons for seniors program, we are investing more than $61.3 million and funding over 3,000 community-based projects to support seniors. These projects will help seniors across the country to keep active, stay informed and remain socially engaged during these challenging times.

I would also like to take the opportunity to thank all the organizations, such as those in my colleague’s riding, who have stepped up to serve seniors, especially those who are most vulnerable.

Service Canada

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we have all heard the Liberal talking points about hiring additional employees, but clearly, this has not come anywhere close to resolving the never-ending wait times at Service Canada. Time is ticking and Canadians' stress and frustration continues to grow. This is a process that the government is fully responsible for and a problem only a minister can fix.

The process is clearly broken, and Canadians deserve better. When will the minister do her job?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, as we have said several times in the House, we certainly understand the feelings of Canadians right now who, for the past two years, have done their part and followed public health advice and now are looking to travel again. Of course, over the past two years there have been many passports that have expired. While Service Canada is fully operational, every kiosk is open, and employees are working around the clock, evenings and weekends to service this demand, the demand is exceptionally high. We have not seen volumes like this since 2006 when the United States required passports, but all employees at Service Canada, including this government, are going to work extra hard to make sure we can serve Canadians as best as possible.

Passport Canada

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians across the country are anxiously waiting for their passports. The government’s passport website states, “processing requires 20 business days”, but that is not true as Canadians have been waiting for months for their passports. Now, thousands are being forced to cancel their travel plans because of the Liberal government's failed policy and preparation.

Instead of blaming Canadians for travelling, when will the government fix the passport crisis that it has created?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, as I just said to the previous member through you, we are experiencing an unprecedented demand. We recognize that Canadians want to travel. That is why, back in December, we started hiring 500 additional employees to meet this rise in demand. It is why Service Canada employees are working on evenings and weekends. In fact, for the past three weekends, almost a dozen Service Canada passport locations have been open in the busiest areas across the country to meet this demand. It is why there are employees here in the national capital region that are assisting with opening and processing applications. We are throwing—

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

The hon. member for Hastings—Lennox and Addington.

[Shelby Kramp-Neuman, Conservative, Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, early yesterday morning, I went to a passport office here in Ottawa to renew my family's passports. While I was waiting, I personally heard Passport Canada officials tell people in line to contact their members of Parliament for assistance in expediting their applications. My office has been told we do not have that capacity any more. We cannot submit applications like we used to. All we can do is check them over and ensure they are filled out properly.

Why is the Liberal government passing the buck to members of Parliament's offices when it knows full well it should be taking ownership and fixing its own mistakes?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, again, as I have mentioned several times in the House, and as I will repeat for the benefit of that member and all members, we are experiencing an unprecedented volume, the likes of which we have not seen since 2006, when the United States required a passport for Canadians. We have already taken additional measures, and we will continue to keep these measures in place as we recognize that there is a pent-up demand for travel. Service Canada and passport employees are working around the clock. They are working overtime evenings and weekends to do their very best to meet this increase in demand.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to tell the minister that her solution is not working. This government lacks vision. It is always reacting.

It was to be expected that there would be an unprecedented demand for the renewal of Canadian passports because of the pandemic. My riding office is seeing many cases, lots of Julies, Carls and Marie-Annes. According to the Passport Canada site, people can expect to wait 20 days to get their passports.

Why is this government causing people pointless stress and making them wait? Why is it not honouring its own deadlines?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, I have said this several times, but I will say it again. We know that demand is extremely high right now. As I have already explained to the House several times, we have taken many measures to try to meet that unprecedented growth in demand for Canadians. Our measures will remain in place to meet that demand, to meet Canadians' needs.

Public Safety

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we need to give the police the resources they need to deal with the gang war in the greater Montreal area.

Yesterday I asked the minister whether he had created an organized crime register to help police arrest gang members. The minister said that the short answer was yes, but he did not provide any details.

Today we want the long answer. Will the minister create an organized crime register, and if so, when?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, we have given police forces the tools to combat gang violence. We will continue to invest in our police forces.

I have had several very constructive conversations with my counterparts in Quebec, more specifically, Minister Guilbault, Mayor Plante and Mayor Marchand. We will continue working closely with Quebec. It is very important.

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the minister opened the door, but today he seems to be shutting it. Does he not see that there is a gang war going on in Montreal?

Police forces want some latitude to do their jobs. They want to be able to interrogate people, which would be possible with an organized crime register. With such a register, police officers could arrest any member of an officially recognized gang. I think this would be a good way to get these criminals to settle down.

After all of the shootings in recent months, why is the minister still hesitant to create an organized crime register?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, there are laws for the prosecution of criminal organizations. There are tools to support the good work of police forces, for conducting investigations on the ground and for reassuring everyone that we can ensure public safety.

On this side of the House, we will continue with a comprehensive strategy for fighting gun violence. We will be working with the Bloc and all members of the House on that.

Health

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I spoke to Todd, who worked for the federal government as an engineer. He is immunized for all his usual vaccines, except COVID-19. Of course, he has lost his job. He was worried about the short- and long-term effects of the new vaccines. Both Todd, the engineer, and his wife, the nurse, are leaving Canada as they cannot work or travel in their own country.

Is the exodus of professionals the goal of the Prime Minister's vindictive mandates?