Debates of Nov. 9th, 2023

News Media Industry

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, honestly, I think the media and culture sector has had it with people laying blame left and right. It is time for the government to step up. When I talk to people in media and culture, they agree that the Liberals have nothing to be proud of right now. People need concrete action, and they need it right away. Our newspapers, radio stations and television stations need help now. We saw what happened at TVA last week, and we know that the same thing will happen to other media outlets. Either the government does nothing and our media industry fades away, or it takes action immediately and finds long-term solutions.

Will the government set up an emergency fund, or will it sit idly by while the crisis buffets our media industry?

[Pascale St-Onge, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, our government has never sat idly by. We have set up programs, and I remain open to any idea or solution that could help the sector. That is something the Conservatives never did. They never sided with cultural workers. They have been against them every step of the way, and we are seeing the consequences of that now. We have been unable to modify the regulatory framework for the audiovisual sector for three years now. This is costing jobs, and that is their fault.

We will see the Conservatives' true colours when the anti-scab bill is tabled. Will they side with workers and the people, or will they once again be in the pocket of big corporations and wealthy Canadians?

Public Services and Procurement

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Prime Minister, Liberal insiders, officials and members behave like the law does not apply to them. They mislead committee, threaten co-workers and funnel taxpayer money through ghost contractors and even through their own companies. The $54 million on the arrive scam app is only the tip of the iceberg. Now the RCMP is investigating corruption with the NDP-Liberal government. The Prime Minister is not worth the cost.

Canadians have had enough of this blatant misuse of taxpayer money. Is it finally enough for the Prime Minister?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said time and time again, we expect all contracts to be issued following the law and procurement regulations. Any actions of misconduct will come with consequences.

We look forward to the report and the investigations that are ongoing, but once again, our expectations are that contracts are fulfilled and issued following the law.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the government has been in power for eight years, and there is a profound dissonance between those alleged expectations and what they have been delivering and doing these eight long years.

Arrive scam hearings have been explosive. This week, senior government officials accused each other of lying because the Liberal minister wanted someone else's head on a plate.

This government is destroying trust in our public servants, and the Prime Minister is clearly not worth the cost. Instead of trying to blame others, why will the Prime Minister not take responsibility for his arrive scam disaster and commit to co-operating with the RCMP investigation?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, once again we see the Conservatives trying to attack instead of focusing on the facts. The fact is that any allegations of misconduct will come with consequences.

We welcome the investigations that are ongoing. The CBSA has put in place measures addressing these procurement issues, and we expect all contracts to be fulfilled following the law.

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

Mr. Speaker, as if losing $173 million to Medicago, which up and left the country at the beginning of the year without warning, was not bad enough, we now learn that the Public Health Agency of Canada has lost another $150 million to this company. This means the agency burned through a total of $323 million, money that vanished into thin air.

My question is for the member for Québec, who has been here for eight years. Not only is he responsible for this file, but this happened in his riding. At that time, he was Minister of Health; today, he is Minister of Public Services and Procurement. Where is that money and what is he going to do to get it back?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the pandemic was a really difficult time. It was impossible to imagine that there would ever be a vaccine available for the entire population. At that point, the government made sure to make a choice that took into account every legitimate option. As a result, our response to the pandemic was one of the best in the world. The vaccine was available to all Canadians. We are really proud of that.

Persons with Disabilities

[Francis Scarpaleggia, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we all sympathize with the additional challenges that people with disabilities face when they travel, particularly by plane.

Recently, we have seen media reports of several cases involving the unacceptable treatment of people with disabilities who were travelling by plane, specifically with Air Canada.

The Minister of Transport called a meeting with Air Canada to hear about its detailed accessibility plan. Can he share the highlights with us?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent work. This morning, I had a very productive meeting with my colleague, the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities, and representatives from Air Canada, including the CEO, Michael Rousseau.

We told them that what happened is unacceptable and that we wanted to know what they intend to do to remedy the situation. Air Canada committed to investing in specialized equipment and training and to improving boarding and disembarking processes. We told them that we would see them again in December to find out what they have accomplished.

Public Services and Procurement

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's hand-picked chair of his billion-dollar green slush fund says that she followed all conflict of interest rules, but we learned at committee yesterday that she was the one who moved a motion that funnelled hundreds of thousands of dollars to her company, which she then took a $120,000 payday from. After eight years, it sure pays to be an insider with the NDP-Liberal government, and it is clear to see that the Prime Minister is just not worth the cost.

Canadians want to know if the NDP is going to support Conservatives in their calls for more hearings on this scandal, and they want to know who else got rich.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I do not see a minister rising to answer this question, which was directed to the fourth party in the House.

The hon. member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is not surprising they will not get up to tell us who got rich. The question was obviously for the minister, and if he is too afraid to tell Canadians which of their insiders are getting paid, we learned yesterday from the hand-picked chair that she got $120,000 after moving a motion to get $200,000 paid directly to her company. Millions of taxpayer dollars are being funnelled to ineligible companies through corruption and conflicts of interest at this very minute.

The minister's officials said that heads would roll and people would be fired; they lost confidence in the board. They found out it was a political problem and decided they would not fire anyone. The Auditor General is investigating, so should Parliament. We want to know who got rich.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to answer any and all questions the member has.

Let me bring facts to the story. By the way, this organization existed for 10 years during the Harper government. Let us bring some facts to the table. One thing Canadians at home should know is that the moment allegations were brought to my attention, we launched a third party investigation. On the basis of that report, we took immediate action to restore governance at the organization. We will not shy away from taking any and all actions needed to make sure there is proper governance at the institution.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Colleagues, when the Speaker recognizes a person to ask or answer a question, there is an expectation, which as a matter of fact is in the regulations, that all members are not to speak until that person is finished speaking.

I ask the member for South Shore—St. Margarets, who had a question today, to please be respectful so that all members can listen to the members asking or answering questions.

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

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of this Liberal government, the list of conflicts of interest is growing at the speed of light.

A federal green fund paid $217,000 to the firm owned by the chair of the board of Sustainable Development Technology Canada. That she could approve public funding from a federal foundation for her own company points to a clear conflict of interest.

Will the Prime Minister continue dragging his feet before firing the board of directors? This is yet another Liberal scandal.

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

Mr. Speaker, I do not think he will be able to use that clip because that corporation existed for 10 years under the Harper government. Just think, 10 years under the Harper government.

On this side of the House, what did we do? As soon as we were made aware of the allegations, we asked an external firm to investigate them. When we received the report, we asked that corrective measures be taken. We expect the highest level of governance from every agency that receives funding from the Government of Canada. We will get to the bottom of this.

Labour

[Valerie Bradford, Liberal, Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON]

Mr. Speaker, replacement workers distract from the bargaining table for long disputes and can poison workplaces for years after. The best deals are made at the bargaining table, and our economy depends on employers and unions staying at the table to reach the best, most resilient deals. That is why in 2021, our Liberal team committed to banning the use of replacement workers.

Today marks a historic milestone. Could the minister advise this House how we are delivering on this commitment?

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

Mr. Speaker, we were glad to work with the NDP on this piece of legislation. It fulfills a promise that we made on page 22 of our platform in 2021. It is very much in keeping with the spirit of tripartism, which this country is built on, where business, unions and government work together on major issues that affect this country.

May I say it is richer and better for having worked with the NDP on this legislation. I look forward to continued debate by members in this House.

Persons with Disabilities

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are abandoning caregivers again. They promised to make the Canada caregiver credit refundable, yet people are still waiting. We are in an affordability crisis. Unpaid carers are struggling to keep up with the cost of living. Meanwhile, the Liberals are missing in action. Caregivers deserve better.

Will the Liberals finally live up to their promise and immediately deliver the refundable tax credit?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to reassure my colleagues.

The Canada Revenue Agency does have a tax credit for caregivers. We are doing everything in our power to promote this tax credit and to ensure that people are well informed. We use tax clinics with our volunteers to promote this program and serve the people who need it most.

Oil and Gas Industry

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I mentioned when I got a chance to speak to the House on another occasion that I wanted to run around and hug everyone. I have not reached all of my colleagues yet, but I am very happy to be back.

My question for the hon. Minister of Environment, who may not be so happy to see me back, is based on the report from the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development. The report says clearly, “The 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan is insufficient to meet the 2030 emission reduction target”, to which I add that the 2030 emissions reduction target is too weak to meet our global share of responsibility for the Paris Agreement goals of holding to 1.5°C and as far below 2°C as possible. However, the commissioner did say there is barely enough time to do more to meet the weak target.

Will the government cancel the TMX pipeline, ban fracking and put in place an excess profits tax on the oil and gas industry?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is good to see my colleague in the House.

I agree with the findings of the commissioner. We need to do more. Our plan shows that we are at 34%, towards a 40% emissions reduction target. Since the environment commissioner did the study, we have put up a number of new measures to help fight climate change and accelerate the reduction of climate pollution, including a zero-emission vehicle mandate and new methane regulations. By the end of the year, as the Prime Minister announced in New York, we will also have a framework to cap the emissions of the oil and gas sector.

Bernard Lemaire

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties, and if you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent to adopt the following motion:

That the House salutes Bernard Lemaire's immense contribution to the development of the Quebec business community and the green economy in Quebec, Canada and around the world, and offer its condolences to his family and loved ones.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

All those opposed to the hon. member's moving the motion will please say nay.

It is agreed.

The House has heard the terms of the motion. All those opposed to the motion will please say nay.

(Motion agreed to)