Debates of Oct. 24th, 2023

Foreign Affairs

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, did the President of the United States talk to the Prime Minister about the need for at least a consensus within his own party so that Canada and Quebec can speak with a coherent voice internationally?

Speaking of consensus, the Prime Minister told me last week that he agreed to organize meetings between him and the leaders of the opposition parties to build up a bit of information flow and consensus on the voice of this Parliament. I have not heard anything since. Should I bring my agenda tomorrow?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are extremely busy with all the work that people expect us to do. Yes, we will create a time so that we can sit down with party leaders to talk about this extremely difficult situation and how we can bring Canadians together. I understand that a lot of people are grieving, a lot of people are angry and a lot of people have very legitimate and understandable emotions. However, our role as politicians and as leaders is to bring people together and find consensus, and that is what we are going to work on.

Housing

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Bank of Canada's interest rates are hurting Canadians such as John Cufflin, a 76-year-old man who had to sell his home because his mortgage payment went from $1,000 a month to $2,600 a month. Now he is not sure he can find a place that he can afford to rent that is in his budget. Tax incentives to private developers alone will not solve this crisis.

When will the Prime Minister get serious about building homes that people can actually afford?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to be in the member opposite's hometown of Brampton just the other day to deliver great news for Bramptonians, in line with the great news we have been announcing across the country: 24,000 homes over the coming years in Brampton because of the housing accelerator fund that we put on the table. That is $4 billion that councils across the country are talking about and passing motions and debating on because of the federal initiative that is putting more homes on lots and creating construction opportunities across the country. We look forward to continuing to step up with municipal partners right across the country.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, we already know that tent cities spring up faster than houses. Take a look on the other side of the river, in Gatineau. What is the Prime Minister doing tonight? He is holding a $1,500-a-head fundraiser in Gatineau. Could he be any more out of touch?

Is the Prime Minister's plan to go chat up wealthy developers again and ask them nicely if they will build affordable housing?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are very pleased to have been able to sign a new housing agreement with the Province of Quebec. The Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities will have more to say about that unprecedented agreement. We will continue to work in collaboration with the Quebec government to put forward a plan that works for Quebeckers and that will enable the construction of more housing, more quickly.

That remains our priority. That is why we are working not just in Quebec, but across the country with the housing accelerator. We are delivering for Canadians, and we are going to continue to do so by working together, not by bickering as others would have us do.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when NDP MPs are not busy covering up for the Prime Minister's scandal, they are busy defending anti-Semites. Just yesterday, the NDP member for Hamilton Centre wrote a letter in support of an anti-Semitic MPP whom even the Ontario NDP had to expel. Does the leader of the NDP support his member's letter, and does he support the position of this Ontario MPP?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I remind colleagues that a member of an opposition party cannot answer in question period. Unless a member of the government wants to reply, we are going to move on.

The hon. member for Calgary Forest Lawn.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of Liberal-NDP incompetence, the national debt has doubled, resulting in the most rapid mortgage interest rate hikes in Canadian history and putting Canadians most at risk in the G7 for a mortgage default crisis. Around 70,000 mortgages are renewing every month with, at a minimum, a doubling in interest rate. Expensive photo ops, such as a $4-billion housing photo op that built a whopping zero homes, do not help either. The member for Vancouver Granville probably flipped more homes than that.

The Prime Minister is not worth the cost. Will he stop his inflationary deficits and balance a budget so Canadians do not lose their homes?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, it has been fascinating to watch the Conservatives make misguided criticisms about the housing accelerator fund. They fear that it is actually going to create more homes for Canadians. They are rooting against homebuilding in this country for their political interests, rather than supporting policies that will put a roof over their neighbours' heads.

Where the Conservatives promise to cut funding for housing, we will continue to make the investments necessary. It is the right thing to do. It is the only way to approach the housing crisis, and Canadians will find relief from the measures that we are putting forward on this side.

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the housing accelerator fund closed on August 18, with no money left and no bright ideas coming from the Liberal government. However, after eight years of the NDP-Liberal government, seniors in my riding are losing their homes and joining the ranks of the homeless. Everything is being driven up in cost by the Liberals' inflationary spending.

Bloomberg reports that over half of Canadians are saying they are worse off this past year. With winter coming and the carbon tax piling up, people know that this Prime Minister is just not worth the cost. Will the government stop its inflationary spending so Canadians can have a roof over their heads?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, it is hard to know where to start with the various pieces of misinformation baked into my colleague's question. With respect, she suggested that seniors need to have more homes, but her housing plan literally includes zero mention of seniors. She suggested that the housing accelerator fund has no money left in it. I would invite her to tune into an announcement that we will be making in Kelowna tomorrow.

We are going to continue to make the investments necessary by reducing the cost of building and investing in the ability of communities to build homes. Where we will make investments, the Conservatives will make cuts. They are simply not worth the risk.

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, announcements do not build homes. The government has built fewer homes than were built in 1972. However, in my riding, I have people who are both working, yet are not able to have any heat in their house for the last two months, because of the price that the government continues to drive up with its inflationary spending. The Liberals are so out of touch, they are pouring money on the inflationary fire and causing misery.

Will the Prime Minister rein in his inflationary spending, or is the truth that the government and the Prime Minister are just not worth the cost?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, just last week the member for Sarnia—Lambton repeated some myths about EVs here in this House. She said that they routinely catch on fire and do not work in the winter.

I think it is important that we actually stay grounded in the facts of what the government is doing and will continue to do. That includes lifting 2.7 million Canadians out of poverty, with 650,000 children among them. It means putting a price on pollution and making sure that we are there for Canadians as the climate crisis persists.

We are there and we have their backs.

Carbon Pricing

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

Mr. Speaker, according to an Angus Reid report, half of Canadians are worse off financially than last year, and it is expected to be even worse this year. That is the reality after eight years under this government. It gets even worse. The Bloc Québécois, the Liberals' ally, is pushing for a drastic increase in the carbon tax, driving up the cost of gas and food. It is costly to vote Bloc Québécois.

Will the Liberals show some compassion and promise not to increase the carbon tax that the Bloc Québécois is calling for?

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity]

Mr. Speaker, there is no federal carbon tax in Quebec. It is false to claim otherwise. Canadians are concerned about the cost of living, climate change and the impact of natural disasters on our health and our economy. That is why we have put in place a pollution pricing system that addresses those kinds of concerns.

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

Mr. Speaker, what we know is that, after eight years under this Prime Minister, people are worried about ending up on the street. Not once, but twice, the Bloc Québécois voted against a motion to cancel the two carbon taxes, namely the federal carbon tax and the clean fuel regulations, which drove the price per litre up by 17¢ for Quebeckers. Twice the Bloc Québécois said no.

The Liberal member for Avalon, Nova Scotia, asked the Prime Minister to cancel the carbon tax, which is driving costs up for all Canadians and Quebeckers. Will he do it?

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity]

Mr. Speaker, I really have to reiterate that there is no federal carbon tax in Quebec. The Conservatives' campaign platform included a clean fuel standard that was almost identical to the one our government put forward. Now they are against it. On top of being hypocritical, that attitude shows they cannot be trusted to keep their word on climate action.

Small Business

[Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, Bloc, Terrebonne, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there must be a limit to the federal government's intransigence. We are talking about 250,000 businesses that could go bankrupt as early as 2024 if the government does not postpone repayment of the CEBA loans. That is 250,000 bankruptcies and countless job losses. No government in the world would stand for that. That is why, on Friday, the premiers of Quebec and the provinces demanded that the repayment of the CEBA loan be deferred for one year.

Will the government finally offer our businesses some flexibility?

[Rechie Valdez, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, we are offering additional flexibility to small businesses in repaying their Canada emergency business account loans. This includes a full one-year extension of the term loan repayment deadline, more refinancing flexibility and more time to access the loan forgiveness, which is both a balanced and fiscally responsible approach.

The Bloc Québécois did not vote to lower credit card fees. We are always prepared to work with the Bloc Québécois, because our main objective is to help small businesses across the country.

[Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, Bloc, Terrebonne, QC]

Mr. Speaker, no one is satisfied with that answer. The premiers of Quebec and the provinces and territories are all calling for a one-year extension. All parties in the Quebec National Assembly are calling for an extension. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is calling for an extension. The Bloc Québécois wrote to the Minister of Finance today calling for an extension. It is unanimous. Everyone understands that we cannot afford a wave of bankruptcies and job losses in this economy. It is so obvious.

When will the government finally understand?

[Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Liberal, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. As she is well aware, 99% of Quebec's economy is made up of small and medium-sized businesses. We know that the global inflationary environment is difficult. That is why we are offering additional flexibilities for small businesses to repay their CEBA loans.

We have been there, we are there, and we will be there. On Friday, I was in Bromont to give funding to Stûv America, a company that will create new jobs and promote growth. Canada Economic Development is helping many businesses in Quebec. We are talking about 1,300 projects since last year.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, our farms are among the 250,000 SMEs at risk of shutting down. High interest rates, the price of fuel, the damage that climate change is doing to crops, and I could go on, have left them teetering on the brink.

If the federal government tops it all off with the Canada emergency business account, it will force them into bankruptcy. The government must postpone repayment of emergency business account loans for a year. Our farmers need this flexibility.

Will the government finally do what everyone is asking it to do?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleague that our government was there to help people and businesses during COVID‑19. Nine out of every 10 aid program dollars came from the federal government.

We have already granted one extension and provided clarification to ensure that businesses subsequently made sound decisions. Together with Economic Development Canada and the other regional development agencies, we are there to support them.

Carbon Pricing

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of an incompetent government managing Canada's real estate market, more and more Quebeckers who are struggling to make ends meet are being forced to live in their cars because they cannot afford their rent. These are the repercussions of a Liberal government that is mismanaging our finances.

The Bloc Québécois's endorsement of the Liberals' plan to radically increase the carbon tax will make Canadians' financial difficulties even worse. Voting for the Bloc is costly.

Why is the Liberal government always taxing Canadians more and more?