Debates of June 10th, 2022

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Ukrainians fleeing the war heard the government tell them they would be welcomed with open arms. Some 127,000 of them applied for emergency travel.

What has the Government of Canada done for these people, 107 days into the war? It chartered three flights, offered 500 plane tickets and says it is happy with that. They cannot be serious.

Will the government arrange a real airlift, or is it actually saying that Canada only welcomes people displaced by war who have money?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, again with respect to my colleague, I would point out that there are more than 30,000 Ukrainians who have already arrived in Canada. We have not seen this pace of arrivals of people who are fleeing war and persecution in any other initiative that could be comparable in the history of Canada.

It is extraordinary to see so many people who have been provided with safe haven so quickly, but it is not enough that we work to get people here. We have to support them when they land. We have arranged to have airport reception services through the Red Cross. We have arranged to give access to settlement services with 550 organizations across Canada. We have established income supports. We have established temporary accommodation supports. We are continuing to do what we can to make sure people get here and succeed after they arrive, as well.

Telecommunications

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, affordability issues are top of mind for all Canadians. Liberals like to compare their track record with those of other countries, but when it comes to telecommunications, it is an interesting story. Canadians are paying among the highest prices for services in all the world, and they could actually get worse with the Rogers-Shaw takeover. Canadians will pay the price while Edward Rogers and family will benefit from the takeover and another billionaire's family will also benefit. It is past time to act.

Will the government side with families or with billionaires who want to consolidate power, reduce competition, increase prices for Canadians during the summer and spend their time on yachts while Canadians are picking money out of their pocketbooks for an essential service?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, affordability, affordability, affordability: That is what is driving our government policy, and my colleague knows that very well.

My position has been made very clear. I have said I would not allow the wholesale transfer of licences from Shaw to Rogers. The matter is now under review by the Competition Bureau, and it is going to be looked at by the CRTC. I can assure the member that every step of the way we will make sure that Canadians continue to enjoy the affordability that they deserve, but at the same time that we foster competition across the nation.

Diversity and Inclusion

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, a year ago, the government held a national action summit on Islamophobia, and stakeholders provided clear recommendations.

I want to thank the local and national Muslim organizations, including the Youth Coalition Combating Islamophobia from London, whose members have been fighting in memory of lost loved ones. However, they are still waiting for the government to do its job and actually address the root causes of Islamophobia by bringing in legislation to address online hate, radicalization and violence.

Devastated communities like mine are doing the hard work, while the government provides only words and no action. Why?

[Paul Chiang, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion (Diversity and Inclusion)]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has seen an alarming increase in racism and hate crime targeting Muslim Canadians. Islamophobia in our country is a real and troubling fact.

Our government has taken concrete steps to address Islamophobia. This includes marking January 29 as National Day of Remembrance and Action against Islamophobia, and holding a national summit on Islamophobia this past summer.

We will continue to support community organizations and work closely with the Muslim community to end Islamophobia once and for all.

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, my constituents have never seen grocery prices so high, thanks to made-in-Canada inflation. One response to my recent grocery survey read, “I'm a 79-year-old widow on pension. My food and rent have gone sky-high.” As well, a recent online Castanet poll found almost 80% of respondents saying that rising prices forced them to cut back on what they buy. The Liberals cannot keep blaming everyone else for food inflation.

Is the government going to do anything to help cut the rising price of food, and if not, why?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, there are a number of measures that our government put in place that will help Canadians this year. Canadian families will be receiving up to $7,000 this year in the Canada child benefit, and cheques will start to come out in July. Over three million Canadian workers will benefit from the Canada workers program.

What we heard from the other side, from the Conservatives, were two policy proposals this week. One was to give a tax break to big oil and gas, and the second was to give a break to Russia and drop the sanctions against Russia. There is no solid, credible economic policy coming from the Conservative Party, and it is disappointing.

[Karen Vecchio, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, just to correct the record, we are asking for assistance to consumers. I just want to get that on the record.

Statistics Canada reported that 75% of Canadians are being impacted negatively by the ever-increasing cost of living. Food costs are up. Housing costs are up. Fuel is up. When the government had the opportunity to provide relief from the pumps, it turned it down.

Where is the help from the government for Canadians who are struggling with the dramatic increase in the cost of living today?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are proposing to give a tax break to oil and gas companies, not to Canadians.

We are providing direct payments to Canadians. Canadians who have trouble finding affordable housing would be getting a direct payment from our government. Canadians who are working at minimum wage would be getting a direct payment from our government. We are helping Canadians directly, and we will continue to do that.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Mr. Speaker, sky-high inflation, now at a 31-year high, is having a disproportionate impact on Canadians. The Prime Minister does not have to buy groceries or fill his own tank. However, Canadians on lower incomes are spending a disproportionately higher percentage of their incomes on necessities like bread, milk and sundries. Gas prices in North Okanagan—Shuswap are at $2.13 a litre. Some cannot afford to drive to work.

We know the Prime Minister does not think about monetary policy for Canadians, but do any of the other speNDP-Liberals think about it?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite cites a PBO report. The PBO report also confirms that inflation is a global phenomenon caused by the war in Ukraine and by bottlenecks in supply chains from the pandemic.

What we have done is put forward a number of measures in the budget that would help Canadians directly. What the Conservatives have done is delay the implementation of the budget, delay funding going straight to Canadians in order to help them with the cost-of-living increase, and it is shameful.

[Marty Morantz, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister keeps saying that the government took on debt during the pandemic so that Canadians would not have to. It turns out that it just did not work. Now the Bank of Canada reports that Canadians' biggest vulnerability is higher household indebtedness. In fact, interest rates are on the rise, and people are at risk of losing their homes.

This is a very important question. Will the minister finally admit that the Liberal government's irresponsible spending led to this cost-of-living crisis? Is that not right?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, a report just came out this week indicating that Canadians and investors have an extremely high confidence in the Bank of Canada and all of our financial institutions. That is certainly not thanks to the member for Carleton's comments or the Conservatives' comments impugning the independence of the Bank of Canada.

We will do everything to ensure that our Canadian economy continues to grow. Experts are forecasting that the economy here in Canada will grow at a higher rate than the rest of the G7 countries, both this year and next year. Our Stats Canada numbers from this morning indicate that unemployment is at its lowest levels historically in this country. We will continue to be focused on our economy and on Canadians.

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

Mr. Speaker, at $2.36 a litre, the price of gasoline in B.C.'s Lower Mainland is the highest in North America. We hear the Minister of Finance say that the price of gasoline is beyond her control, yet we know that it is the government's policy to actually drive up the cost of gasoline.

When will the government come clean and acknowledge that its policies are hurting ordinary Canadians and fuelling our cost-of-living crisis?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the only proposal from the Conservative Party is to cut taxes on the oil and gas companies themselves, with no guarantee that those tax cuts will be passed on to consumers.

What we are doing is providing direct support to Canadians so they can meet the increased cost of living that they are seeing as a result of the war in Ukraine. We will continue to be focused on Canadians themselves and not big oil.

Agriculture and Agri-food

[Gary Vidal, Conservative, Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK]

Mr. Speaker, input costs for farmers have soared. Fertilizer costs have nearly tripled and fuel costs have doubled, all while we face a food security crisis, yet Liberals intentionally hurt farmers' ability to increase production. A punitive fertilizer reduction policy, not based on fact or science, and a carbon tax increase are hindering investment in climate-resilient techniques that farmers were making long before Liberal ministers were Greenpeace activists.

Has the Minister of Agriculture misunderstood that she is supposed to fight for farmers instead of against?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, again, I want to reassure my colleague. Our government is the one that has supported producers the most.

We had a historic budget for the agricultural department last year of more than $4 billion. It did not happen with the previous government, I can assure the member, because it had cut the budget of the business risk management programs and many other programs, while we have increased the budget for the business risk management programs. We are at a $1.5-billion investment in agri-environmental programming.

Official Languages

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

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Quebec has taken the rare step of sending all parties a list of amendments that it is calling for respecting Bill C‑13 on official languages. All it is asking for is for them to be rational.

It is asking the parties to note that the French language is in the minority in Canada because of the predominance of English and that francophones and anglophones therefore have different needs. That seems obvious to me.

Will the government amend Bill C‑13 so it corresponds to reality?

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, we are the first federal government to recognize the decline of French across the country, including in Quebec.

We know that more needs to be done to protect and promote the French language, which is a goal we share with the Government of Quebec. Our government will continue to take responsibility for passing legislation within its own jurisdiction to support the vitality of French in our communities.

The members of the committee will also have the responsibility of studying the amendments presented by the Government of Quebec and stakeholders from across the country.

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

Mr. Speaker, that really is not a clear answer.

The Prime Minister had a moment of clarity in 2016. He said, “Quebec has to be French in order for Canada to be bilingual”. This is in line with the amendments to Bill C‑13 that Quebec wants.

Quebec is asking the federal government to commit to respecting Quebec's language planning model set out in the Charter of the French Language.

Will the government incorporate Quebec's demands into Bill C‑13 to affirm Quebec's distinctiveness and ensure respect for the Charter of the French Language?

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, Bill C‑13 is currently being examined by the Standing Committee on Official Languages. As I said earlier, we once again thank the Government of Quebec for its contribution to the legislative process.

Members of Parliament will be responsible for considering the amendments brought forward by national organizations and all parliamentary stakeholders. I am optimistic. We will find a way to move Bill C‑13 forward so that it can be passed as soon as possible.

I therefore ask all the parties to stop playing political games and to work to ensure that Bill C‑13 is passed as quickly as possible. It is important for communities across the country.

The Economy

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are experiencing economic challenges that they have not seen since Pierre Elliott Trudeau was Prime Minister. They are struggling through a cost-of-living crisis. Inflation is at 6.8%. Supply chain disruptions have Canadians waiting for months for essential items. Gas prices are over $2 a litre. A struggling stock market has Canadians' retirement savings disappearing.

Are we experiencing a return to Trudeaunomics or is this “just inflation”?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite cites a few statistics, and I will do the same. This morning, Statistics Canada confirmed that wages increased for Canadian workers at the highest rate since 1981, by nearly 4%. Canadians are taking home more money in order to meet the cost-of-living crisis they are facing, and our government is supporting vulnerable Canadians. With respect to seniors, for example, we increased our supports for seniors, which has helped lift over 450,000 seniors out of poverty. We are helping 900,000 seniors right now with our increased supports—

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

The hon. member for Calgary Rocky Ridge.