House of Commons Hansard #67 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was quebec.

Topics

HousingOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Vis Conservative Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC

Mr. Speaker, despite all of the government's rhetoric, the reality is that the price of a home continues to be unattainable for many young families. You just have to admit you failed. Now the Liberals say they are going to address housing supply, yet they excluded any measure in the budget implementation act to address housing supply.

When will the government realize that promises and empty rhetoric do not build houses?

HousingOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Chris d'Entremont

I remind members to address the Chair and not members directly.

The hon. Minister of Housing.

HousingOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

York South—Weston Ontario

Liberal

Ahmed Hussen LiberalMinister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member for Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon is on record as saying that we should walk away from our leadership role and investments in affordable housing and just leave it to the provinces. That is the leadership he is suggesting.

He talks about housing supply. We are dedicated to housing supply through the housing accelerator fund for 100,000 new homes and making permanent, sustainable changes in permitting, zoning, intensification and infrastructure to make sure we build more housing for the future.

HousingOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Conservative

Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC

Mr. Speaker, this government seems to think that everything is going well.

Inflation has not been this high in 30 years, the deficit is huge, immigration is in a terrible state and every young Canadian's dream of owning property is shattered.

What is this government going to do so that our young people can believe in the future and own property? What is it going to do now, not in 10 years or five years?

HousingOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Edmonton Centre Alberta

Liberal

Randy Boissonnault LiberalMinister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives continue to talk down the Canadian economy with their false economic rhetoric.

However, the latest data from Statistics Canada shows that our GDP grew by 5.6% in the first quarter, exceeding market expectations, and the International Monetary Fund recently forecast that Canada will have the highest growth rate in the G7.

We are here to make life more affordable for Canadians. The economy is growing. Canadians should be proud.

Official LanguagesOral Questions

May 9th, 2022 / 2:35 p.m.

Bloc

Claude DeBellefeuille Bloc Salaberry—Suroît, QC

Mr. Speaker, Camille Laurin, father of the Charter of the French Language, would have turned 100 last Friday. To mark the occasion, every minister responsible for the French language over the past 30 years, across party lines, indicated how important it is to be constantly taking action to promote French. That proves that French is in danger.

Bill C-13 will reinforce institutional bilingualism and enable federally regulated businesses to use English instead of French. That is not what Quebeckers want.

Why is Ottawa continuing to undermine Quebec and the protection of French?

Official LanguagesOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe New Brunswick

Liberal

Ginette Petitpas Taylor LiberalMinister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question.

As a woman from New Brunswick who lives in an official language minority community, I know how important it is to protect and promote French across the country, including in Quebec, because French is in decline. That is why we are moving forward with a new version of Bill C-13.

This will ensure that we can do more to protect and strengthen our rights as francophones across Canada.

Official LanguagesOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Bloc

Claude DeBellefeuille Bloc Salaberry—Suroît, QC

Mr. Speaker, it is French that is in decline in Quebec, not English. It is French that must be protected, not bilingualism.

Bill C-13 prevents Quebec from imposing the Charter of the French Language and instead lets federally regulated businesses choose between French and the Canada-wide bilingual model. That is the very model followed by Air Canada and CN, two federal businesses located in Quebec that are required to provide services in French, but that, despite everything, could not care less about francophones.

Is this really the model that must apply throughout Quebec? If it is, that is unacceptable.

Official LanguagesOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe New Brunswick

Liberal

Ginette Petitpas Taylor LiberalMinister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

Mr. Speaker, first, I am not here to play politics. I am here to protect and promote French across the country, including in Quebec.

We have been very clear: French is declining in Canada, including Quebec. That is why we are moving forward with a new version of Bill C‑13, which seeks to protect and promote the rights of francophones across the country.

I hope that the Bloc Québécois will work with us to ensure that this bill is passed as quickly as possible, because it will make a real difference in the lives of all Canadians.

Official LanguagesOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Bloc

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

Mr. Speaker, if they want to work with us, then they need to listen to us a little.

With their new Bill C-13, the Liberals are denying French's uniqueness in a sea of hundreds of millions of anglophones. They are preventing Quebec from applying the Charter of the French Language to all federally regulated businesses. They are not protecting French. They are protecting bilingualism, which is not at all at risk in Quebec, any more than English is. Bilingualism is doing so well that it is undermining French as the common language.

Does the minister realize that her bill does not protect French but instead encourages anglicization?

Official LanguagesOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe New Brunswick

Liberal

Ginette Petitpas Taylor LiberalMinister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

Mr. Speaker, what I see is that the opposition member did not read Bill C-13 in its entirety. The exact opposite is true. We are moving forward to ensure that we do everything we can to protect and promote French across Canada, including in Quebec.

As a francophone who lives in an official language minority community in New Brunswick, I object to the question the member opposite asked because I protect and promote French every day.

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Conservative

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

Mr. Speaker, we know that our special forces King Air intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platform was monitoring the truckers convoy protest on Parliament Hill. The Prime Minister has called it a “training flight”. If the government was prepared to send up ISR aircraft over the protest, what was it doing to gather intelligence on the ground? One does not engage one without the other.

My question is this. What was the coordination between Public Safety, National Defence, the Canadian Forces, the Privy Council and the Prime Minister's Office during the protest?

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Oakville Ontario

Liberal

Anita Anand LiberalMinister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, I would like to reiterate what the Prime Minister said last week a number of times, for the benefit of my hon. colleague. He stated:

The flight in question was part of a Canadian Armed Forces training exercise that was planned prior to and was unrelated to the convoy protest.

The training had nothing to do with the convoy blockade, and we will continue to reiterate that fact.

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Conservative

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

Mr. Speaker, we know a special forces surveillance flight took place. We know the government even let the health agency spy on Canadians' liquor habits during COVID.

The Prime Minister has called it a “training exercise”. What does the government think an ISR does for training, just fly around in circles? It gathers intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance over a target, and that target clearly was the protest.

I have two questions: Who was that reconnaissance platform reporting to when it was gathering intelligence on Canadians, and what special policing authorities were granted to the Canadian Armed Forces at that time?

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Oakville Ontario

Liberal

Anita Anand LiberalMinister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, I would like to reiterate that the assumptions underlying that question are misguided. Again, the Canadian Armed Forces flight was part of a training exercise. The exercise was planned prior to and was unrelated to the presence of the protesters and the convoy. The opposition does not seem to appreciate or like this point, but it is the truth.

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Conservative

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

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence told my colleague that the special forces had planned the King Air flight over Ottawa long before the convoy. However, the operations, which lasted four days, were conducted while people were using cellular communications and moving around.

My question is simple. Was the intelligence gathered by the King Air during training used by the government, or was it destroyed?

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Oakville Ontario

Liberal

Anita Anand LiberalMinister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, as I said in English, the flight in question was part of a training exercise. The Canadian Armed Forces also conducted this exercise. The training had nothing to do with the convoy. Those are the facts.

Women and Gender EqualityOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

NDP

Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

Mr. Speaker, abortion and reproductive health services are not accessible across the country. Women, particularly in northern and rural communities, are forced to drive for hours to access essential health care services. Last year, the government promised $45 million for a sexual and reproductive health fund, but providers have not seen a single dollar for these essential services. It is not good enough for the government to say the right things; it must increase accessibility now. When will it actually deliver the promised funding for abortion and health services in Canada?

Women and Gender EqualityOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Québec Québec

Liberal

Jean-Yves Duclos LiberalMinister of Health

Mr. Speaker, I am very glad to hear this question, because defending the rights of women here and across Canada is absolutely essential.

We will be there every step of the way to do that. I look forward to making further announcements. I ask my colleague to be watching closely for what is soon to be news on that particular front.

Women and Gender EqualityOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

NDP

Daniel Blaikie NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, when it comes to delivering help to oil and gas companies, the government is far better at that than it is at delivering help for women who are looking for health services.

While the price of gas soars, Imperial Oil is making its highest profit in 30 years, and Cenovus saw its profits increase sevenfold. This is not just about companies passing along higher costs to consumers; it is about them taking home more profit on every litre sold.

Not only are the Liberals not doing anything to stop that price gouging, but they are also continuing to throw public money at companies like these that are already taking advantage of Canadians. When are they going to end public subsidies to oil and gas companies that are already making record profits?

Women and Gender EqualityOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

North Vancouver B.C.

Liberal

Jonathan Wilkinson LiberalMinister of Natural Resources

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows very well, the government has committed to phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. We are in the process of working through that now.

We have been working, though, with all sectors of the economy, including the oil and gas sector, but also including the steel sector, the aluminum sector and others, to ensure that they are able to reduce their emissions in line with what is required to achieve our targets and achieve the commitments we have made to the international community while growing a strong and healthy economy that creates jobs and economic opportunity for Canadians going forward.

That is exactly what we are doing.

Indigenous AffairsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Liberal

Michael McLeod Liberal Northwest Territories, NT

Mr. Speaker, today is National Indigenous Nurses Day.

Indigenous nurses play an integral role in society for indigenous people in Canada and for Canadians nationwide. Having nurses from first nations and with Inuit and Métis ancestry helps ensure that communities have someone who understands the importance of culture in healing and who is familiar with the health care system.

Could the Minister of Indigenous Services please comment on the significant role that indigenous nurses serve in Canada?

Indigenous AffairsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Thunder Bay—Superior North Ontario

Liberal

Patty Hajdu LiberalMinister of Indigenous Services and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Northwest Territories for his unwavering advocacy for the health of people in Northwest Territories.

Nurses have always been the backbone of our health care system. I think we can all say a huge thanks for the efforts of nurses, especially through the pandemic. They have put up such an effort to protect us all, and they have been unwavering in their commitment.

For over 47 years, the Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association has been a leader in supporting indigenous nurses and improving indigenous health. We are supporting their efforts by investing in programs to recruit and support indigenous students in health care across Canada.

I am thrilled to welcome the Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association today and applaud them for their work.

Passport CanadaOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

Dominique Vien Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC

Mr. Speaker, the delays in processing passport applications are completely unacceptable.

People are saying that it is chaos at Service Canada. People are getting abominable service, and some have had to cancel their travel plans.

However, this government has a ready-made solution: allow employees to return to work in person at the Service Canada passport offices. When does it plan to recall government employees?

Passport CanadaOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Burlington Ontario

Liberal

Karina Gould LiberalMinister of Families

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for the question.

I understand Canadians' frustration. It is truly frustrating. We are seeing an unbelievable increase in the number of passport applications.

However, this week, every passport office will be open. Employees are returning to the office and are working overtime on evenings and weekends to ensure that we can serve Canadians.