Debates of Oct. 17th, 2023

Oil and Gas Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, I have more good news for my Bloc Québécois colleagues.

Between 2019 and 2021, our greenhouse gas emissions in Canada declined by 50 million tonnes. That is the equivalent of removing 11 million vehicles from our roads. The pandemic was over in 2021, something my hon. colleague on the Conservative side fails to understand.

On this side of the House, we are committed to fighting climate change, developing an economy that will be there for decades to come and create tens of thousands of jobs across the country.

Housing

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, every day I hear from Canadians that after eight years of the Liberal-NDP government, they are unable to pay their bills. Recently, Rob wrote to me, telling me that he can barely afford his mortgage payments, so he and his wife have started selling off their personal possessions to pay their monthly bills. He realizes that the Prime Minister is just not worth the cost.

When will the Prime Minister stop his irresponsible spending, which is driving up inflation and driving up interest rates, so Canadians can afford their homes again?

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, the housing crisis, as we know, is underpinned ultimately by a crisis in supply or the lack thereof. What the government is doing is partnering with municipalities across the country. For federal dollars, municipalities have the chance to build more. In London, for example, 2,000 more units of housing will be built in exchange for a $74-million investment.

What we have also done is to put forward Bill C-56, which, if members look at it, is a serious bill that would remove the cost of taxes, of GST specifically, for rental construction. The Conservatives have nothing to say on that.

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the housing crisis is directly related to inflationary spending. This inflationary crisis is also impacting communities all across this country that are losing volunteers. Specifically, some volunteer firefighters have told me that they are unable to afford their mortgages, so they have stopped volunteering and have taken on second and third jobs just to make ends meet.

When will the Prime Minister admit that after eight years of the current government, they have failed Canadians and they are just not worth the cost?

[Jenna Sudds, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, it terrifies me to think of the reckless cuts that the Conservatives would make on the backs of Canadians. We have supported families with our national $10-a-day early learning and child care program, saving families hundreds of dollars, as well as the Canada child benefit. The best part is this: empowering parents by empowering mums and dads to get back into the workforce, giving them economic independence and contributing to our economy.

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

Mr. Speaker, after years years of irresponsible Liberal governance, inflation rates are rising, and so are mortgage rates.

However, let us remember that almost a year ago today, the Minister of Finance very proudly said that her government would balance the budget in 2028.

Six months ago, when the budget was tabled, that promise was scrapped. It was just not kept. Just last week, the Parliamentary Budget Officer determined that the next deficit will be 16% higher than expected.

Are the Liberals aware that their completely irresponsible management is hurting all Canadians?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I have a great deal of respect for my Conservative colleague, so I would like to correct him. Statistics Canada confirmed today that inflation in Canada has dropped.

With regard to his questions, I would also like to mention that our government will, of course, update the House on our revenues in this fall's economic statement. That is coming soon, as members know. My colleague will, of course, have access to the numbers and will be able to analyze them. I would be pleased to answer his questions after that.

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

Mr. Speaker, that is precisely the problem. This time last year, they said they were going to eliminate the deficit. That is not true at all. That is why we are very skeptical when they announce such things.

Anxiety is a growing reality among young Canadians. Today's Journal de Québec and Journal de Montréal report that 61% of young people fear they will never be homeowners. Claude Pinard, the head of Centraide of Greater Montreal, has said that many young people are realizing that they will never be able to buy a home, so they are giving up on their dream.

To be young and have your dreams crushed is very un-Canadian. Will this government finally understand that in order to curb inflation, the government must at the very least control its spending?

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

Mr. Speaker, I have a great deal of respect for my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent, but does he know what is really causing anxiety among young people? It is the idea of having the Conservatives in power, which means cuts, cuts and more cuts. That is what young people are afraid of. That is what my colleague does not understand.

We on this side of the House understand that we had to invest in Canadians, invest in the economy and invest to fight climate change. That is what Canadians expect from a responsible government. The last thing they want is a Conservative government.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my region has seen the largest increase of unhoused people on record, with a 106% jump in the Comox Valley and almost 70% in Campbell River. This is a catastrophe. The Prime Minister says housing is not a federal responsibility, while people and communities move beyond a crisis point. This is while Conservative council members at Campbell River have begun targeting non-profits that provide essential services to the unhoused.

When are the Liberals going to be an actual federal partner and build people homes?

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, in fact, if we look at the record not just in British Columbia but also across the country, we see that the federal government has been a partner. To not-for-profit organizations that are doing the outstanding work on the ground, the result is obvious. Sixty-nine thousand people who were on the street are no longer on the street. They are housed now, quite often with the wraparound supports that they need in order to transition to something better. Add to that 122,000 people who were very close to homeless who are no longer in that position. They are housed as well through the national housing strategy.

Grocery Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' out-of-touch plan of nicely asking rich grocery CEOs to lower prices has not worked. Wishing and hoping that rich CEOs will do the right thing will not help families put food on the table. Grocery prices are still going up after 22 months. Canadians expect action, but the Liberals are out to lunch, and the Conservatives are all words and have no real plan.

When is the minister going to get real about helping Canadian families, and support the NDP's plan to lower food prices?

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

Mr. Speaker, I can assure members that there was nothing nice about my meeting with the five grocery CEOs in Canada. I expressed the frustration of 40 million Canadians who are struggling to put food on the table, and I asked them, on behalf of all Canadians, to do their part to stabilize prices in Canada.

If all the members of Parliament want to do something to help Canadians, they can vote for Bill C-56. It is that simple: more competition, lower consolidation and more food on the table for Canadians.

Health

[John Aldag, Liberal, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians want a strong health care system that allows them and their loved ones to get the care they need when they need it. Last week, the government signed the first bilateral funding agreement with British Columbia, investing more than $1.2 billion over the next three years to improve access to family health services, support our health workers and increase mental health and substance use support in B.C.

Can the Minister of Health please update the House on how the recent agreement will help the health care system and impact the lives of British Columbians?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Cloverdale—Langley City, who continues to be a champion for better health and for health transformation. He is absolutely right. Last week was a huge week for British Columbia and a huge week for Canada. We saw the investment of $1.2 billion in collaboration over the next three years, but that is part of a 10-year plan to help transform health care in B.C. and, indeed, across the country.

It is going to mean reducing wait times. It is going to mean increasing support for health care workers. It is going to mean providing more support for mental health and substance abuse. It is also going to mean that people in B.C. would see in indicators exactly how their health system is getting better.

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, after eight years, the minister of industry has just admitted that 40 million Canadians are struggling to put food on the table. Eight years of out-of-control spending by the NDP-Liberal government has caused that inflation. This harmful inflation has pushed up interest rates, doubling and tripling mortgage payments and rent. Ninety per cent of Maritimers are having to make tough choices between eating, heating and paying the rent.

When will the Prime Minister stop harming Canadians with his inflationary deficits and balance the budget to lower costs on Canadians?

[Gudie Hutchings, Liberal, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, down east in Atlantic Canada, we have a saying: “Tory times are hard times.”

What people in Atlantic Canada tell me about is their fear of the Conservative cuts. I would like to remind members and give a little history lesson on what happened when the previous government was formed by the party opposite. It closed the marine search and rescue centre in St. John's, Newfoundland. That centre looked after over 500 call-outs every year. What did we do? We reopened that centre. We know how important search and rescue is for the Maritime provinces and Atlantic Canada.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal minister is talking about search and rescue when Canadians cannot put food on their tables.

Melody Horton of Bridgewater had to sell her dream home because of the increase in her mortgage costs. She does not agree with these Liberals that they have never had it so good. The new projected deficit of $46 billion for this year means higher costs and higher monthly payments for Melody and for all Canadians, including that Liberal minister's constituents.

The Prime Minister is not worth the cost. When will the Prime Minister stop harming Canadians with his inflationary deficits and balance a budget to lower costs on Canadians?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, what can we expect from the Conservative Party of Canada? We can expect cuts and more cuts. Being the minister responsible for Veterans Affairs, I know that, when its members were in power, they slashed our employees by 1,000. They cut nine Veterans Affairs offices, including one in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. When we formed government, that was the first office we opened because we recognize our veterans need the help and the support. We will be there for them.

Seniors

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Mr. Speaker, seniors, such as Ford Snow of Gander, are finding out after eight years that the Prime Minister and his Liberal-NDP coalition are not worth the cost. Reckless inflationary deficits have driven up interest rates, forcing landlords to raise their rents. They have had no choice. Ford's rent has gone up by 22% in a year. He is left without a nickel to spare.

Will the Prime Minister stop his inflationary spending to reduce interest rates and give renters like Ford a break on their rent?

[Seamus O'Regan, Liberal, Minister of Labour and Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, the poverty rate among seniors has gone down significantly since we formed government in 2015, and that is because we increased the OAS, increased the GIS and reversed the Conservative policy of increasing the retirement age to 67.

This was a policy that was not announced here in this chamber, nor was it announced in this country. It was announced by the prime minister of the day in Davos at the World Economic Forum, where the former prime minister also added in his speech that the Canada pension plan does not need to be changed. On this side of the House, we agree. The question is, do they?

Housing

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

Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers are worried about debt. Young people fear that they will never be homeowners. That is what we read this morning in a Quebec newspaper this morning. After eight years of this Liberal government, with the complicity of the Bloc Québécois, our young people are pessimistic about the future. They see that it is costly to vote for the Bloc, just as it is costly to vote for the Liberals.

What new measures will be taken now to help our young people realize their dreams of home ownership?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, the tax-free first home savings account is a perfect example of how we are working to help our young people become homeowners. It is a way for them to save money on their tax return and invest more in their down payment for their first home.

CBC/Radio-Canada

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we hear a lot of talk about the CBC's upper management these days, but never for the right reasons. There was the n-word incident, then there was the podcast translated in Paris because, as everyone knows, the Quebec accent lacks international appeal. The latest is a memo to reporters reminding them not to call Hamas terrorists. We all know that Hamas's horrific attacks constitute terrorism. Journalists know it, and they also know how to use words, even the most loaded ones.

Will the minister remind CBC management that newsrooms must remain absolutely free not only from political influence but also from ideological influence?

[Taleeb Noormohamed, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, our government has been clear. Hamas has been recognized as a terrorist organization and a terrorist group. We have said that repeatedly, and the Prime Minister has said that, but we also believe in an independent CBC. That is what the CBC is. It has been that way under Liberal and Conservative governments.

Conservatives may want to meddle in independent journalism. They cannot seem to keep their hands out of public institutions, but we will keep working hard to ensure that Canadians get access to—