Debates of Oct. 25th, 2023

Public Services and Procurement

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, both the RCMP and the CBSA's professional integrity division are investigating, and the CBSA has also launched an internal audit to look into contracting at the agency.

Once again, when the Leader of the Opposition talks about dividing Canadians, he does not want to accept that over 80% of Canadians chose to get vaccinated during the pandemic. He continues to play divisive games to try to divide Canadians on a matter core to public health and public safety. We have always stood up for the safety of Canadians while he chooses to wear a tinfoil hat.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Colleagues, I encourage you once again to take note of my declaration from last week encouraging members to avoid statements that could disrupt the proceedings of the House of Commons.

The hon. member for Beloeil—Chambly.

Small Business

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister says he will continue to try to consider the priorities of Quebeckers. I will tell him about one priority that Quebeckers have and it is the subject of a motion in the National Assembly of Quebec. I am talking about extending the deadline for the repayment of emergency loans that were issued during the pandemic that, at this point, are threatening the survival of tens of thousands of businesses in Quebec and Canada.

Does the Prime Minister agree that these businesses, in the interest of the economy both in Canada and Quebec, need an extended deadline or more flexible terms of payment?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we know that small businesses were hard hit by the pandemic and that many are still going through a tough time today. The emergency business account was a lifeline for small businesses. That is why we announced extended deadlines, providing an additional year for term loan repayment and additional flexibilities for loan holders looking to benefit from loan forgiveness.

We will continue to be there for small businesses in Quebec and across the country.

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

Mr. Speaker, what all the businesses, all the provinces and Quebec are saying is that it is not enough time and there is a risk of closures. If the government does not do it, it stands to lose more money than it will save.

There are two options: Will the Prime Minister agree that businesses need more help or will he agree that it turns out Quebec should take its own money and manage its own economy independently?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the House that, during the pandemic, in Quebec and everywhere else in Canada, $8 out of $10 of assistance to Canadians came from the federal government. SMEs are the backbone of our economy.

We were there for businesses during the pandemic and we will continue to be there for them as they recover. We have a fiscally responsible approach, but we also provide some leeway to those who wish to avail themselves of our loan forgiveness option.

Foreign Affairs

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, The Wall Street Journal revealed today that mere weeks before Hamas terrorists unleashed the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust, they went to Iran to take training and direction from a terrorist group, the IRGC. Strangely, given that this group is probably the most dangerous terrorist outfit on earth, it is perfectly legal to raise money for it and organize and recruit for it right here in Canada.

Will the Prime Minister ban the IRGC today?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, for years, during the previous Conservative government's attacks and rhetoric against Iran, including the closing of the embassy, the Conservatives never moved forward on banning the IRGC and declaring it a terrorist organization. We know there is a rigorous process to do that. We are pursuing and looking at all options around it.

What we did do is use rarely before used measures in the immigration department, which were used in the case of war crimes in Rwanda and elsewhere, to ban, for life, senior members of the IRGC from ever being able to come to and find solace in Canada. That is a strong measure, and we are always open to doing more.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the same people he claims are banned are present in Canada today. They are terrorizing Persian Canadians. Many Jews feel that their safety is at risk knowing that there are people with links to the world's most dangerous and anti-Semitic terrorist organization legally operating on the ground here in Canada.

The Prime Minister has the legal authority embedded in law today, with a stroke of a pen, to criminalize the IRGC. Will he do it, yes or no?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, if I start correcting the hon. Leader of the Opposition on the facts, we will be here all day. The fact of the matter is that the listing of an organization as a terrorist organization is actually a meticulous process led by intelligence and security agencies and carefully calibrated to do no harm to Canadians or Canadian military members serving overseas. We will continue to take all measures to hold the murderous regime in Iran to account. We will continue to stand with the community. We will stand against anyone who is attempting to harm or intimidate Canadians on Canadian soil. We are always open to doing more. That is what we are continuing to work on.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Before giving the floor to the Leader of the Opposition, I would like to remind the hon. member for South Shore—St. Margarets to yield the floor to those who are entitled to speak during Oral Questions.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has had plenty of time to go through that meticulous process. Under the anti-terror law adopted in the aftermath of 9/11, the public safety minister, who reports to the Prime Minister, has the ability to put groups on the list. There are dozens that have already been added, but the most dangerous terrorist group of all, the IRGC, can still legally fundraise, coordinate, organize and propagate its message here on Canadian soil at great risk to Canadian Jews and Persians.

Will the Prime Minister put his intransigence and stubbornness aside, protect Canadians for once and ban the IRGC?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have taken, and will continue to take, significant actions to hold the murderous regime in Tehran to account. We continue to recognize them as supporters of terrorism around the world. We continue to take more tools in terms of doing that. All options, as always, are on the table. We need to make sure we are doing it in a way that protects Canadians, including Canadians of Iranian descent, and also military members in CAF serving around the world. We will continue to do the right things to keep all Canadians safe and hold the Iranian regime to account.

Seniors

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, our seniors are feeling the effects of inflation.

Whereas the opposition is trying to cut all the services they depend on after making their lives a constant hardship during its time in power, can the Prime Minister explain to the seniors of my riding and across Canada how we have supported them and will continue to support them?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle for her important question and for her work with seniors.

When it comes to seniors, we are proud of our track record since 2015. Instead of raising the retirement age, we decided to keep it at 65. We increased the guaranteed income supplement. We enhanced the Canada pension plan. We increased old age security.

Older Canadians remember the Harper years, and this is exactly where they would end up again under the Conservative Party. We cannot run that risk.

Foreign Affairs

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Americans banned the IRGC in 2019. President Biden reaffirmed that decision just last year. The Liberal caucus even voted in this House in favour of banning the IRGC, but the Prime Minister blocked that from happening. He has the legal authority to do it. This is the world's most dangerous terrorist group. It helped orchestrate the hideous attacks on the people of Israel just weeks ago.

Will the Prime Minister finally do the right thing and ban the IRGC?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as the Leader of the Opposition should know, the Americans have a very different regime from us when it comes to banning various organizations. We continue to have all options on the table, as we have said. We continue to do everything necessary to hold this murderous Iranian regime to account. We will continue to move forward with measures to do just that.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, actually the regime is really not that different when it comes to listing. We both have the power of the executive branch to identify terrorist groups and put them on a list of banned entities, banning them from raising money, recruiting, coordinating and arranging attacks on other people around the world. That power exists in Canada. Because the Prime Minister has not been willing to exercise that power using his executive authority, Conservatives have a helpful private member's bill that would do it for him.

Will the Prime Minister adopt the Conservative private member's bill to ban the IRGC?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we will continue to do everything we can to hold the Iranian regime accountable for its actions. Our actions have included having sanctioned hundreds, over 368, in fact, of Iranian individuals and entities, including the IRGC Quds Force, and we are listing the regime under the most powerful provision of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

We are, of course, working on a way to recognize the regime to continue to be what it is, which is a regime that spreads terror. We are working to find a way that does not unfairly affect those who may have an association with the IRGC through no choice of their own or puts at risk members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, there are plenty of ways to protect people who are unintentionally forced to participate in terrorist groups. That is what we do with all the listed banned terrorist entities that are already on the list. Therefore, those tools already exist. The Prime Minister has had eight years. He is not worth the cost. He is not worth the risk to our safety.

Will he adopt the common-sense Conservative proposal to criminalize the IRGC terrorist group today?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, no one in this House disagrees that the Iranian regime is murderous, is a sponsor of terror and is bloodthirsty against people around the world and, indeed, against its own citizens. I remember well having held in my arms families of the victims of PS752, broken-hearted because of what this murderous regime is capable of doing against its own citizens, let alone against citizens around the world.

That is why we have continued to pursue every available means to hold the Iranian regime to account, to support people fighting for freedom in their country and to support Iranian Canadians. We will continue to do just that.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I would like to remind the member of Parliament for Cumberland—Colchester to please allow the question to be answered and the person who has the floor to answer the question without interruption.

The hon. member for Davenport.

International Trade

[Julie Dzerowicz, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the residents in my riding of Davenport are proud of Canada's unwavering support of Ukraine as it is fighting an illegal, brutal invasion by Russia. The opposition is questioning the need for the important Canada-Ukraine trade legislation that is currently before this House, calling it “woke legislation”. This puts into question its support toward Ukraine.

Can the Prime Minister inform this House how we are committed to supporting Ukraine in its fight for freedom and why this trade legislation is so important?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Davenport for her unflinching advocacy on this important issue.

We have been steadfast in our support of Ukraine since day one of Russia's illegal invasion. The modernization of our trade deal with Ukraine is another important area of co-operation between our two countries, which is why it is so disappointing to hear the member the Speaker just called out, the member for Cumberland—Colchester, refer to the Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement as “woke legislation”.

On this side of the House, our support for Ukraine has been unwavering. The leader of the Conservative Party cannot say the same.