Debates of June 6th, 2022

The Economy

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I am going to interrupt the hon. minister. I am trying to hear what he is saying, but it is getting kind of loud and it is early in the session, so I want to remind everyone that the hon. member for Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola asked a question. I am sure he wants to hear the answer.

The hon. minister.

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, North Vancouver, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. l appreciate that.

Certainly we continue to be focused with our international partners on working to stabilize global energy prices. We have increased production and are in the process of increasing production and supply of 300,000 barrels a day by the end of the year to help to address the global crisis with respect to energy.

Here, with respect to affordability, we are doing enormous work through a range of different programs to put money back in the pockets—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for La Prairie.

Public Safety

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last year, Montreal and Laval smashed the record for false 911 calls reporting shootings. Citizens called 893 times because they thought they heard gunshots. That represents two and a half calls a day. Why?

It is because people are afraid. They might hear a jackhammer or a collision and, instinctively, they are afraid for their family's safety. It has become a scourge.

We do not want to know what is happening with legal weapons. We want to know when the government will do something about illegal weapons and criminal gangs.

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I completely agree with my colleague. It is unacceptable that there would be threats like those you mentioned.

That is precisely why we introduced Bill C‑21. I hope that the Bloc will work with the government to pass this bill as soon as possible. That is one of the concrete measures we can use to protect our communities.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, here is what Detective-Sergeant André Gélinas had to say on Saturday about everything the minister just said, and I quote, “This bill will not change anything on the ground simply because it does not target the right people”.

Legal gun owners are not the ones doing all the shooting. It is organized crime and gangs. There are two things that the government needs to do to fix this problem: tighten up border controls to thwart gun trafficking and create an organized crime registry. Time is of the essence.

When will the federal government finally stop with the rhetoric and crack down on criminal groups?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, Bill C-21 cracks down on criminal groups with concrete measures. For example, it imposes harsher penalties for criminals who engage in illegal gun trafficking at the border and gives the police more authority to prevent gun violence.

That is one of the measures that we can take in co-operation with the Bloc, but we need to study this bill, debate it and pass it as quickly as possible.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, today marks the first-year anniversary of the horrific attack in London in which the Afzaal family was killed. This was clearly an act of Islamophobia, and a year later, Muslim community members are wondering what has been done to make them safer in Canada.

A year later there have not been any concrete steps taken by the Liberal government. In fact, there is no law proposed to tackle online hate, there is no special representative named to deal with Islamophobia, and the neo-Nazi group linked with this attack has yet to be dismantled.

When will the Prime Minister take real steps to make sure the Muslim community is safer in Canada?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, first, I hope all members will join today in grieving with the Muslim community in London, who mark this first anniversary of the loss that has been experienced by them. There is no way in which we can sufficiently convey our grief and the sense of anguish and loss that they have had to experience.

Our government is taking concrete steps, but first and foremost, we must begin by condemning Islamophobia in all of its forms. I certainly hope that every single member in this chamber will join me in that, and in taking the concrete steps that my hon. colleague across the way has suggested as well.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, today marks the first year anniversary of the attack in London where the Afzaal family was killed. This was an act of Islamophobia, and a year later, the Liberal government has still not really done anything to make the Muslim community in Canada safer. It has not proposed any legislation to tackle online hate, and the neo-Nazi group linked to this attack has yet to be dismantled.

When will this government take real steps to address Islamophobia?

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

Mr. Speaker, we have taken a number of important steps in collaboration and conjunction with the Muslim community in Canada, including holding the first-ever national summit on Islamophobia and dedicating January 29 as the National Day of Remembrance and Action Against Islamophobia.

We have committed as a government to appoint a special representative to combat Islamophobia and we are the first government to put together a national action plan to combat hate as part of our broader anti-racism strategy, but most importantly, it also means working with Muslim Canadians and funding those on the ground and who are fighting Islamophobia every single day.

The Economy

[Adam Chambers, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, what do the Federal Reserve, President Biden, treasury secretary Yellen and the Bank of Canada all have in common? They have all taken responsibility for underestimating inflation. Secretary Yellen said she was wrong about inflation and President Biden released a plan to fight inflation just last week.

Where is the government's plan to provide immediate relief to Canadians and combat inflation?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, do we know what all of those countries have in common? In all of those countries, the rate of inflation is higher than it is in Canada.

In Canada, the latest inflation number is 6.8%. In the U.S., it is 8.3%. In the U.K., it is 9%, and in Germany, 8.7%. The OECD average is 8.8%. That is what they have in common and that is how they are different from us.

[Adam Chambers, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, all of those countries measure inflation differently, and perhaps it would not hurt the government to admit just a little bit of humility instead of being blinded by ideology, and recognize that the facts on the ground have changed and that it needs to change course to provide immediate relief to Canadians.

We have heard time and time again that the government is providing zero relief and is actually defending high gas prices. Despite a windfall of revenues, the government refuses to take immediate action.

Why?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, do we know who should have a little bit of humility when talking about central banks? A member of a party in which a candidate for the highest office has impugned the independence of the central bank, which is one of the key institutions in Canada, and Canada's strong institutional—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I am going to have to interrupt the hon. Deputy Prime Minister. I am having a hard time hearing today. Maybe it is my age, but I think it is more the voices in this place that are really getting echoey and quite loud. It is almost like a murmur that has a crescendo to it.

I am not trying to direct an orchestra here. Please keep it down.

The hon. Deputy Prime Minister, please proceed.

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we were talking about humility, and I was pointing out that a member of a party in which a leading voice is impugning the independence of the Bank of Canada precisely at the moment when our economy needs a strong, independent and well-respected central bank is a person who should demonstrate some humility.

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

Mr. Speaker, gas prices in my riding are $2.35 per litre. Drivers and transport of goods and services are all hurting. Huge diesel costs mean that it costs more for stores to get products and that already desperate Canadians pay more and more for groceries and essentials.

We are elected to serve and support Canadians, not make life so impossible that their already fragile mental health may collapse. There are common sense answers that this government ignores. When will the Prime Minister give Canadians a break and get rid of ever-rising carbon taxes?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, certainly, the issue of energy security and energy affordability are top of mind for Canadians and for people in many countries around the world.

We are working in partnership with the United States, Europe and others to ensure that we are increasing production to address the supply issue that is confronting the world right now. We are doing so in a manner that will help us to stabilize energy prices for the long term. That is the commitment we have made to Canadians, and it is a commitment we are going to deliver on.

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

Mr. Speaker, inflation, stagnation, frustration: these are common, everyday, kitchen table words now in Canada.

Inflation means higher costs of production for all food. For farmers and producers, as their costs go up, they cannot continue to absorb these losses. Consumers are stressed. Everyone loses. Food banks are overwhelmed. One out of five Canadians reports going hungry at night.

When is the government going to get serious, help Canadians and get Canada-created inflation under control?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians understand very well that inflation is a global phenomenon driven today very much by Vladimir Putin's illegal war in Ukraine.

Our government understands that the cost of living is a challenge for Canadians, and that is why we are taking concrete steps. Let me name a few of them: a $500 payment to those facing housing affordability challenges, dental care for Canadian families, doubling support provided through the first-time homebuyers' tax credit and a multi-generational home renovation tax credit.

[Jake Stewart, Conservative, Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB]

Mr. Speaker, pain at the pumps is a reality across Canada, including in my riding.

As Canadian gas prices soar to record highs, Putin fuels his war by selling Russian energy to the democratic west, yet the Liberal Prime Minister and the New Brunswick Liberal MPs are doubling down on a failed climate agenda that has not met a single emission target.

Will the Prime Minister admit the carbon tax has failed and give Canadians a break at the pumps?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my hon. colleague that according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, eight out of 10 Canadians are better off with carbon pricing. They receive more money from carbon pricing, and emissions are going down. He should look at the 2019 inventory and the 2020 inventory. Emissions are going down.

Our plan to fight climate change is working.