Debates of Feb. 1st, 2023

Public Services and Procurement

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, with so many conspiracy theories rattling around the Conservative caucus one can understand where the member would misunderstand me. I was referring to the approach that the Conservative leader is taking against harm reduction, against science and evidence in supporting people facing the tragedies of the opioid epidemic.

We need to put a public health lens on this. We need to be grounded in science and data as we look to care for the most vulnerable, not have a criminal approach, and not be grounded in things that sound good but actually would be harming the most vulnerable people. That is what I was calling out on the Conservative side.

Government Appointments

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

Mr. Speaker, since it is a question of building bridges, since some of his MPs are going to the front lines in Quebec to defend the most indefensible decisions, and since some MPs, specifically the member for Honoré-Mercier and the member for Saint-Maurice—Champlain, have expressed concerns, I would like to know what the Prime Minister said to his members from Quebec, other than that he supported his own appointee nothing short of 100%.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to be a member of the Liberal Party of Canada's Quebec caucus, and I can say that we are here to have difficult conversations with one another, with our colleagues and with Canadians. I know that the issue of Islamophobia is a sensitive topic all across the country. It exists everywhere, not just in Quebec. That is why we are here to dialogue with our colleagues, to talk about how we can create more harmony across the country and continue to be there for each other. I was very proud to be in Sainte‑Foy on Sunday night, and we will continue to be there for the Muslim community.

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

Mr. Speaker, if we make a distinction between secularism and racism, and because what he proposed or announced falls somewhere between “not very good” and “really bad”, and without judging what anyone has to say since that is not really up to us, given that public opinion will take care of that, and without impugning anyone, I have a tough conversation to propose to the Prime Minister.

Why not meet with me so that we can come up with an alternative to what seems to be a mistake?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, opposition parties have a responsibility to oppose what the government is doing. Sometimes we manage to see eye to eye, other times we are in disagreement.

On this side of the House, we know that we made the right choice in appointing Amira Elghawaby as special representative on combatting Islamophobia, and we support her in the important work she has ahead of her in the months and years to come.

Government Priorities

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years under the Prime Minister, mortgage payments have more than doubled, going from $1,500 a month to over $3,000 a month. After eight years under the Prime Minister, rent has more than doubled, going from about $950 to over $2,000. After eight years under the Prime Minister, a fifth of Canadians are skipping meals or cutting groceries because they cannot afford the inflationary carbon tax he has imposed on our farmers. After eight years, 30,000 people have died of the hopelessness of drug addiction.

Egged on by McKinsey, which promoted the opioid crisis in this country, why does the Prime Minister keep governing for the super rich instead of the ordinary Canadian?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, over the past eight years, we have consistently stepped up for the middle class and people working hard to join it, with the Canada child benefit that Conservatives voted against, with child care agreements across the country that Conservatives campaigned against, with investments in rental benefits for low-income renters and with investments so that all families could take their kids to the dentist.

These are the kinds of things that we have invested in. They have not only benefited Canadians but also created a strong and growing economy. The Conservatives have had nothing to offer but a recommendation around Bitcoin.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, a strong economy? It is like the Prime Minister is telling Canadians that they have never had it so good. Why does he not talk to the 1.5 million Canadians going to food banks in a given month? Some of them are asking food bank presidents for help committing suicide, not because they are sick but because they are too hungry.

It is as though he has not spoken to the nine in 10 young people who do not own homes and believe they never will because mortgage payments have doubled under his watch. It is as though he has not spoken to the 30,000 families who have lost loved ones because of the record overdoses that have happened under his watch.

Why will the Prime Minister not take responsibility for this disaster?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I have been very clear that the Liberal government is very aware of the difficult times Canadians are facing right now.

That is why we have stepped up with direct, targeted supports for people who need it and why we continue to invest in Canadians, despite Conservative politicians continuing to call on us to do less, to spend less and to support people less. That is why Conservatives voted against support for the lowest-income renters just a couple of months ago. That is why they voted against support for families who could not afford to send their kids to the dentist.

We will stay on the side of Canadians while Conservatives abandon the middle class.

Public Services and Procurement

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, it is the middle class that is left paying the bill.

He has doubled our national debt by adding more debt than all other prime ministers combined, causing the inflation rate to spike to the highest levels in 40 years. The more he spends, the more Canadians pay. It is “justinflation”, and Canadians are paying the bill.

What do we get? We get more people visiting food banks, more people living in poverty, and more money for his friends at McKinsey.

How much did McKinsey get?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I notice that the Conservatives do not mention the pandemic when they talk about the challenges that Canadians have faced over the past few years.

Perhaps that is because, if the Conservatives had had their way, we would not have invested to support Canadians during the pandemic. Without that help, thousands of small businesses would have closed their doors, and thousands of Canadians would not have received the support they needed to get through the pandemic.

While they sowed doubt about vaccination, we made investments that helped Canadians get through the pandemic.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, it is not me who says that the Prime Minister overspent; it is Bill Morneau. Do members remember him? My old friend Bill Morneau is the one who said the Prime Minister spends too much. The future Liberal leader, Mark Carney, is the one who, along with the current Governor of the Bank of Canada, says that this overspending is contributing to inflation. Forty per cent of the spending had nothing to do with COVID. In fact, much of it went to Liberal cronies and Liberal friends, nearly doubling the amount of money that goes to high-priced consultants like McKinsey.

If he has nothing to hide, then he has one more chance to tell us: How much did he pay McKinsey?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, you know the Conservative leader is stumbling over himself when he starts quoting random Liberals.

The reality is that we will continue to move forward on investing in Canadians—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order. Members should please listen to their whips.

The right hon. Prime Minister, from the top, please.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we are not able to lift the Conservatives out of the funk they seem to be in.

We are going to continue to stay focused on investing in Canadians. We are going to continue to stay focused on being there for people. While Conservatives continue to push austerity and cuts and criticize us for having supported people through the pandemic, we are going to demonstrate our understanding that building a strong economy involves investing and supporting people, which is why, apparently, they voted against support for renters and support for dental care for young kids.

These are things that we disagree with them on. They will continue to try to fling mud. We will continue to stay focused on Canadians.

Housing

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, everyone in this country should be able to find a home that meets their family's needs and that is in their budget. Sadly, that is not the case. People are struggling to find a home they can afford, and rent under the Prime Minister, since he has taken office, has gone up by 60%. It is a massive increase, and people are struggling. The Prime Minister has not built the homes he promised he would build, nor has he tackled speculation that is driving up the cost of housing.

Why has the housing crisis gotten worse, not better, under the Prime Minister?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we know that housing affordability is a real concern, and we continue to be committed to tackling it. This is why we have introduced the first-time homebuyer incentive. It is why we committed over $82 billion to the national housing strategy and supported the creation and repair of almost half a million homes. We announced a rent-to-own program. We have helped more than 2.6 million families get the housing they need, and we are working to ensure that every Canadian has an affordable place to call home.

We understand there is more to do, but we are continuing to do it.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, everyone should be able to find affordable housing. Sadly, that is not the case. It is getting harder and harder for people to pay their bills and their rent. Since the Prime Minister took office, rent has gone up by 60%. That is a massive increase. The Prime Minister promised to build more affordable housing, but he has not done so.

Why has the housing crisis gotten worse under the Prime Minister?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are well aware that many people are worried about the cost of housing crisis, and we are firmly committed to continue working to solve this problem.

That is why we introduced the first-time home buyer incentive. We invested over $82 billion in the national housing strategy. We supported the construction and renovation of almost half a million housing units, and we announced a rent-to-own program. We have helped over 2.6 million families get the housing they needed, and we will continue to do everything we can to meet the housing needs of all Canadians.

The Economy

[Charles Sousa, Liberal, Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when I talk to my neighbours in Mississauga—Lakeshore, they say they expect their government to have their backs during tough times in a responsible way. They want us to promote economic growth to sustain programs that are important to them. They certainly do not want indiscriminate Conservative cuts that put them in harm's way.

Can the Prime Minister please tell this House what our plan is to support the middle class and continue growing an economy that works for all Canadians?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to congratulate the member for Mississauga—Lakeshore for becoming the newest member of this House. His constituents can rest assured that we will take no lessons from the Conservative Party's record of austerity and cuts when it comes to supporting people.

While the Conservative leader promotes Bitcoin to Canadians dealing with inflation, we have cut child care fees in half across this country. We have eliminated the interest on student loans. We have made sure parents do not have to choose between buying groceries and taking their kids to the dentist. These are all measures the Conservatives voted against.

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

Mr. Speaker, eight years of the Prime Minister's overspending has led to the current inflationary crisis. Canadians have never struggled more with paying for food, fuel and shelter. Former finance minister Bill Morneau, former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney and current Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem all agree that the Liberals have overspent and Canadians are suffering as a result.

When will the Prime Minister rein in his inflationary spending so that life in Canada can once again become affordable?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, that was the excuse Conservatives gave when they voted against rental benefits for the most vulnerable renters. That was the excuse they gave when they said, “no, we are not going to make sure that all families can send their kids to the dentist in this country”. They said, “oh, no, that is too much spending”.

We have the strongest balance sheet in the G7. We have an enviable fiscal position. This government is choosing to use that to support Canadians in targeted ways that are going to help them through these difficult times while Conservatives stand there and vote against it.

We will take no lessons from them.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister should learn the lesson that he has not acted in the best interests of Canadians, with eight years of wasteful inflationary spending. Now the government wants Canadians to just trust it and give it a blank cheque for $2 billion to invest in a company that does not even exist. Well, we heard that before when the government wasted $35 billion on an infrastructure bank that has not completed even one project in six years.

Will the Prime Minister admit that because his government wasted billions—