Debates of Dec. 6th, 2023

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

It being Wednesday, we will now have the singing of the national anthem.

[Members sang the national anthem]

Ray Sawada

[Parm Bains, Liberal, Steveston—Richmond East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, recently the Richmond Sockeyes Junior Hockey Club honoured a local hero as they retired the jersey of Ray Sawada, who passed away at the age of 38 while playing a recreational hockey game earlier this year.

Ray Sawada played junior hockey for the Richmond Sockeyes from 2001 to 2003, and he was selected 52nd overall in the NHL draft by the Dallas Stars in 2004. Ray retired from professional hockey in 2016 and became a Burnaby firefighter. He lived with his wife, Nicole, and their two daughters in Richmond.

Richmond’s Minoru Arena was standing room only, with friends, family, the local hockey community and firefighters, as we all witnessed Ray's jersey raised to the rafters.

The Burnaby Firefighters Charitable Society presented a donation for $27,000 in Ray Sawada's memory, to set up a bursary subsidizing hockey players, with $1,000 per year for 27 years. Firefighters also presented Ray's jersey from the World Police and Fire Games, held in Winnipeg this year, to Richmond native Doug Patterson, the first captain and current president of the Richmond Sockeyes.

The memory and legacy of Ray Sawada will continue forever in Richmond.

Season's Greetings

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share the joy and spirit of Christmas, which is deeply woven into the fabric of our communities in Lambton—Kent—Middlesex.

In our communities, Christmas is more than a holiday. It is a celebration of Christ's birth. It is a season of unity and warmth that brings together families and neighbours, echoing the rich traditions and vibrant culture that define us.

This year, I had the immense pleasure of attending Santa Claus parades in many of our communities. Each parade was a spectacular display of community spirit and festive cheer, showcasing the unique charm of each town. The festive spirit is alive and well in our communities.

In the coming days, I look forward to attending more celebrations throughout the region, where our sense of community and shared joy truly exemplifies the spirit of the season.

As we come together to celebrate, let us continue to spread kindness, laughter and joy. After all, it is the most wonderful time of the year. I wish everyone a merry Christmas, a happy Hanukkah and a season filled with happiness, health and prosperity.

UNITE Network

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, parliamentarians can achieve a lot when they work together. When it comes to global public health, we can do exactly that through UNITE. This is an international interparliamentary network for global public health.

UNITE members are committed to working towards the promotion of efficient and sustainable policies for improved global health systems in alignment with the United Nations' sustainable development goals. As the North American director, I worked with representatives from more than 100 countries, highlighted Canada's leadership and discussed best practices.

By working together, parliamentarians can play a key role in strengthening public health in Canada and around the world.

École Polytechnique Tragedy

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we have a duty to remember the Polytechnique tragedy out of respect for the victims and their loved ones and to make sure that it never happens again. Since 14 women were slaughtered in 1989 by a fanatical misogynist, every year we say, “never again”.

Nevertheless, we are seeing an ever-increasing number of femicides every year. We have an obligation to find a solution to put an end to this downward spiral.

We owe it to Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault and Annie Turcotte.

Thirty-four years later, now more than ever, we say, “never again”.

25th Anniversary of Loisir sport Outaouais

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today is the 25th anniversary of Loisir sport Outaouais. Its mission is truly commendable, because it enhances the vitality of our communities.

For 25 years, Loisir sport Outaouais has made sure that youth, people with reduced mobility and seniors can enjoy quality recreational and outdoor activities. It supports municipalities' efforts to offer their citizens vibrant living environments.

I sincerely thank the entire team for their commitment. I salute Loisir sport Outaouais's remarkable contribution to the Outaouais delegation's participation in the Quebec Games. The youth of our region will remember that forever.

Happy 25th anniversary to Loisir sport Outaouais.

Congress of Aboriginal Peoples

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is with great honour that I welcome the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples to Parliament Hill this week.

The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, or CAP, is one of five national indigenous representative organizations, and it advocates for over 800,000 Métis, status, non-status and southern Inuit indigenous people living off reserve in Canada.

CAP National Chief Elmer St. Pierre emphasizes the pressing need for reconciliation to translate into action, as critical issues affecting indigenous peoples off reserve are often overlooked. CAP's dedication to raising concerns, from housing to missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, health care and the overincarceration of indigenous individuals, underscores the gravity of the challenges indigenous peoples face daily. The reminder that the government must ensure equal opportunities and access to programs for all indigenous peoples is a call for justice and inclusivity.

After over five decades of advocacy, CAP remains steadfast in its commitment to indigenous people and their needs. I welcome CAP to Parliament Hill.

Halifax Explosion

[Andy Fillmore, Liberal, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, today in my home city of Halifax, we pause to acknowledge the 106th anniversary of the Halifax explosion. On December 6, 1917, as World War I raged on, the collision of the SS Mont-Blanc and SS Imo in the Halifax harbour resulted in the greatest human-made explosion to that point in history. Two thousand people were killed, 9,000 more were injured, hundreds of acres of our city were immediately erased, and our north end vanished from the map.

In the immediate wake of the disaster, citizens rallied together. Neighbours became first responders, navigating the wreckage to aid those in need. This collective response showcased the strength and unity embedded in the fabric of Halifax as we know it today.

Our journey from tragedy to triumph is not just a historical chapter we acknowledge on this day once a year; our ongoing resilience is a living testament to the enduring strength of our community, which was forged on that day. Today in Halifax, we pay our respects to those lost by building a city that honours their memory.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

[Sameer Zuberi, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Sunday marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

The United Nations' theme for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities focuses on Sustainable Development Goals.

It is important that we make sustainable development a reality for persons with disabilities. The principle of “Nothing Without Us”, which means we work in partnership with the disability community, is what guides the government. It is what guides disability inclusion and helps us achieve our goal.

Recently we launched an online tool that will allow Canadians to give their input on how the regulations for the disability benefit will be implemented. The benefit is a cornerstone of our disability inclusion plan. It helps to reduce poverty. It will be a supplement to and will not replace existing supports.

Together, we will do this. We need to do this.

Gender-Based Violence

[Karen Vecchio, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on December 6, 1989, we lost 14 women in the Polytechnique massacre. These women lost their lives to violence, simply because they were women. This cowardly act violated our core values as Canadians and robbed these women of their freedom and lives.

It is our duty to remember their memory, their loved ones and all victims of gender-based violence. This tragedy reminds us that, 34 years later, women continue to be the main victims of violence. We must continue to fight hatred and violence against women in all its forms, including harassment, sexual assault and intimate partner violence.

I stand up to declare loudly and clearly that we will never forget their names: Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault and Annie Turcotte.

In their memory, we will continue to fight to end violence against women.

Gender‑Based Violence

[Élisabeth Brière, Liberal, Sherbrooke, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the attack at École Polytechnique on December 6, 1989, remains a tragedy forever etched in our memories. Fourteen smart, determined young women were killed simply because they were women. Today, we are still haunted by the pain, outrage and incomprehension we felt back then.

Let us honour their memory by continuing to work together to eliminate all forms of gender‑based violence and create a safer environment by banning certain firearms. This touches us all, and we should all be involved. Every woman has the right to live and follow her dreams without fearing violence.

On this National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, let us condemn this violence and reaffirm our commitment to making a Canada a place where the rights of women are fully respected, where everyone feels safe, and where diversity is celebrated in the spirit of mutual understanding and inclusion.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Mr. Deputy Speaker, the Speaker has lost the moral authority to preside over this House.

The role of Speaker requires impartiality and non-partisanship. The Speaker betrayed the trust of this House when he gave greetings at the Ontario Liberal convention—

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

We do have a process which we are following about this particular issue. Talk of the Speaker in the chamber outside of within those rules cannot happen. We cannot talk about the Speaker during this time.

I apologize to the hon. member, but I am going to have to call that out of order.

Carbon Tax

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, now that the environment minister’s job is on the line, Liberals are increasingly more desperate to kill the carbon tax carve-out in Bill C-234.

Just in time for Christmas, this panicked Prime Minister ordered his hand-picked senators to exclude barn heating from any carbon tax relief in the bill. It is ideology above all else for the Liberal government. It would rather see millions of Canadians go hungry than provide farmers with carbon tax relief.

Bill told me that he paid $14,000 in carbon taxes this fall, and that in this environment of rising costs and declining revenues, it is a huge hit to his farm. The Prime Minister is not worth the cost. He is taxing farmers who grow our food, the truckers who ship the food and the stores that sell the food to everyday Canadians who are struggling to buy food.

Liberals and their coalition allies are punishing Canadians by making everything more expensive. Enough is enough. Conservatives will grind their high-tax agenda to a halt until the Prime Minister removes the carbon tax on farmers, families and first nations.

Students from John Abbott Cégep

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the nine students from Cégep John Abbott who have distinguished themselves by being the only students from North America to sit on the jury for the Prix Goncourt des lycéens. The Prix Goncourt des lycéens enables nearly 2,000 French students, with the exception of one cohort from abroad, to read and study a selection of novels that are in the running for the Goncourt award and to post their favourite.

Inspired and guided by their teachers Ariane Bessette and Daniel Rondeau, these nine francophiles with a passion for literature volunteered to devour 16 books in eight weeks. I am proud of them. With a large number of anglophones and allophones, this group truly reflects the great diversity of Montreal's West Island.

Congratulations to Alexa Bowers, Kamila Michelle Contreras Zarate, Anna Molins, Nahid Nowrozi, Stefaniya Pilicheva, Jeremy Plante, Sophia Qiu, Andrea Sanchez Benitez and Magali Shimotakahara.

Foreign Affairs

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

Mr. Speaker, with the guns silenced, the bombs and missiles grounded, it was a ceasefire by any other name. For a few days, there was some sense of peace in Israel and Palestine, but now the killing has begun again in Gaza. Once again, innocent civilians, children and women are dying at a horrendous rate. Where is Canada? Where is the world?

We now say we are concerned about the number of Palestinian civilians killed. We hear the talk again of a two-state solution. How much of it is talk when the Prime Minister of Israel is telling Israelis that he is the only thing standing between them and a two-state solution?

Canada must be an unequivocal voice for peace and diplomacy. It starts with ending our complicity in the arms trade and in providing ongoing diplomatic cover for those who have no intention of supporting peace, security and justice for Palestinians.

Have we not learned from history? This is a conflict that will repeat itself over and over again, unless there is a political solution.

350th Anniversary of City of Terrebonne

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

Mr. Speaker, this year we are celebrating Terrebonne's 350th anniversary.

The Corporation des fêtes du 350e anniversaire de la Ville de Terrebonne was tasked with organizing the festivities. The corporation organized nine Signatures events with a turnout of nearly 100,000 people, and it supported 20 or so community projects.

In addition, the city also stepped up its event planning. I want to thank from the bottom of my heart the people who worked tirelessly for our city over the past few months and who are now here in Ottawa. I am talking about the mayor of Terrebonne, Mathieu Traversy. I want to give special thanks to Céline Durand, the director general of the Corporation des fêtes du 350e anniversaire de la Ville de Terrebonne. I also want to acknowledge the presence and impressive work of Mr. Mayer, Mr. Dufresne and Mr. Lévesque. Thanks to them, their teams, the hundreds of volunteers and everyone who participated, we were able to celebrate the great pride we have for our city.

Let me say 350 thank-yous to the organizers. We are looking forward to the 400th anniversary of Terrebonne, and for the last time in the House of Commons, I wish Terrebonne a happy 350th anniversary.

Carbon Tax

[Arpan Khanna, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last night, the Liberal-appointed senators gutted Bill C-234, which will cost our farmers nearly $1 billion in carbon tax by 2030.

Farmer Gord in Oxford paid $50,000 for the carbon tax just to run his farm. Thanks to the Liberals, it is now cheaper to buy Mexican asparagus shipped from 3,800 kilometres away than it is to buy asparagus grown in Oxford.

After eight years of this Prime Minister, Canadians are struggling to put food on their tables. We are facing a cost of living crisis like never seen before, with tent cities popping up across our communities and homelessness increasing. More and more hard-working Canadians are now relying on food banks, but instead of axing the carbon tax to lower food prices, this panicking Prime Minister spent the weekend begging his senators to kill this bill.

The Liberal government has ruined Christmas for our families and our farmers, but Conservatives will stand up, fight back against this radical Liberal agenda and axe the tax and make sure we have provided relief to our farmers, families and first nations.

Gender-Based Violence

[Lisa Hepfner, Liberal, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on this day in 1989, a man entered a quiet university library in Montreal and deliberately murdered 14 women because they were women.

Decades later, we are still holding vigils for women and girls murdered because of their gender. There were 184 femicides in Canada just last year. That is one woman or girl killed every 48 hours.

My city of Hamilton, like more than 40 other Canadian cities, has declared gender-based violence an epidemic and not just physical violence, but psychological abuse and economic coercion. These affect a woman's ability to provide for herself and care for her children, and they lead to more homelessness among women. Women's shelters in Canada are overfull.

Our government's national action plan to end gender-based violence directly supports frontline organizations. We are making housing more affordable, and we are addressing mental health. We are bringing men's voices into the solution, because gender-based violence is not a women's issue.

Taxation

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, today we honour the victims of the Polytechnique shooting and dedicate ourselves to ending violence against women.

Today, we are also thinking about those who will not have enough to eat this Christmas. There are reports of young people writing letters to Santa Claus not asking for presents, but for food. Some 25% of young Canadians and Quebeckers are telling pollsters that they cannot afford to eat.

Why did the Prime Minister force his senators to maintain a tax on Canadians' food?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, today we honour the memory of 14 young women who were murdered at École polytechnique de Montréal simply because they were women. We honour their memory by continuing to fight against inequality and gender-based violence. We all need to continue to pursue reforms against assault weapons, the implementation of red flag and yellow flag laws and the fight against femicide.

We must make sure that a tragedy like the one at Polytechnique never happens again.

Housing

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, this Prime Minister is not worth the cost of housing. He has doubled the cost of housing since he took office.

Yesterday in the Senate, a senator asked the president of the federal government's housing agency if there was a plan for building the 3.5 million homes needed to make housing affordable. The answer is no. That did not come from me. It came from the president of the federal housing agency.

When will the Prime Minister watch my brand new documentary to come up with a common sense plan and eliminate taxes and red tape so houses can be built?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are clearly not fooled by the Conservative Party's YouTube hashtag games.

This Conservative leader has never seen a social program that he did not want to cut. He did not support Canadians and small businesses during the pandemic. He will have no credible plan to build housing or stabilize grocery prices. He does not even recognize that climate change is real. Maybe he thinks Canadians are fools, but we know who he really is.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, what Canadians know is that the Prime Minister has doubled the housing costs, doubled the rent, doubled mortgage payments and doubled the needed down payment. After eight years, our housing costs have worsened at a greater rate than all but one OECD country.

Yesterday, a senator asked the head of the Prime Minister's own housing agency if there is a federal government plan to eliminate the 3.5 million home deficit that we have in Canada. The answer: No. It is not me saying that; it is his own housing agency. Given that he does not have a plan, why does he not watch the common-sense housing documentary I put forward so that he can see a common-sense plan to cut bureaucracy and build homes?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is shameful that the Conservative leader is exploiting the very real anxieties and fears of Canadians for clicks and views. The leader continues to demean co-ops as “Soviet-style” housing. He called a Niagara family's home a “shack”, and he keeps using homeless people as props.

A responsible leader acts on the concerns of Canadians instead of exploiting them for political gain just so he can get his 15 minutes.