Debates of Feb. 1st, 2023

The Economy

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The right hon. Prime Minister.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, one of the areas in which I know the member opposite feels we wasted money over the past years is in procurement of vaccines, in trusting science and evidence in our approach to keeping people safe right across the country. Indeed, it has been shown that the approach she was pushing during the pandemic would have resulted in tens of thousands of deaths more than we actually had, as well as a much slower economic recovery.

We made the choice during the pandemic to step up, to follow science and to be there for Canadians. That is exactly what we did. We can understand how she—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of this government, Canadians are struggling. Every month, inflation takes more and more of their paycheque, and 1.5 million people used food banks in one month. Students are living in shelters. Mothers have to choose between feeding the child they have or the child they have on the way.

What is this out-of-touch government telling us? It is saying that Canadians have never felt so good. What will it take for the Prime Minister to see and hear that Canadians are suffering?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Nothing could be further from the truth, Mr. Speaker. We know full well that Canadians are facing tremendous difficulties and that is why we have brought in initiatives such as help for low-income renters and help so that families can bring their children to the dentist.

Unfortunately, despite the rhetoric and comments from my colleague across the way, she voted against those clear-cut measures to prevent mothers from choosing between sending their child to the dentist or buying groceries. That is not responsible leadership. That is what we are doing. We will always be there for Canadians.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we do not need to spend more, we need to spend better.

According to the Food Price Report, an average family of four will have to pay $1,065 more for groceries in 2023. Canadian families are already struggling to get by. In 2023, more and more families simply will not make it.

Can the government that has been in power for eight years, as I like to keep saying, look Canadians in the eye and tell them they have nothing to complain about?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague just suggested that money needs to be spent wisely, not on helping families send their children to the dentist. That is certainly a debate we could have, but it is not the one they chose to have.

The Conservatives are hoping that Canadians do not find out that they voted against helping send kids to the dentist. Instead, they are talking about austerity and cuts and saying that is the way to address the challenges facing Canadians.

We on this side of the House disagree with that. We are going to continue to be there for Canadians despite the austerity that the Conservatives are pushing.

Health

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec, the provinces and the Bloc Québécois have been demanding this for years, and now the Prime Minister is finally inviting his counterparts to a meeting to discuss health transfers on February 7.

The Prime Minister does not have the right to turn this meeting into a PR stunt. February 7 should mark the beginning of the end of the crisis. On February 7, the Prime Minister needs to prove to both patients and care providers that fixing health care starts now, not in 2024, not next spring, but now.

Will the Prime Minister bring his chequebook on February 7?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, yes, we will be there with additional investments in our health care system. That is what I have been saying for months—years, even.

What matters to Canadians is getting quality health care. We need more family doctors, more mental health support and more ER staff, and that means investing in the health care system. I am looking forward to sitting down with provincial representatives to move forward on this so we can help Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what the Prime Minister cannot seem to understand is that health transfers are not a strictly political issue, but rather a human issue.

Burned-out nurses thinking about quitting their jobs, people on waiting lists who are worried about their health, people who are unable to see a doctor for treatment: these people are waiting for a concrete solution that includes a substantial and recurring increase in federal funding, not a PR stunt or political ploy.

After Tuesday's meeting, will the Prime Minister put an end to his chronic underfunding of health care?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, what Canadians do not want is bickering between the provinces and the federal government. What Canadians want is for us to work together to deliver the best health care service, and that is exactly what we are doing.

Yes, there will be more money, but we also want to see results for Canadians. We want more family doctors, more help for mental health care, more help in our emergency rooms, and fewer delays for essential surgeries.

We all know what Canadians need. We will work together to get it done.

Justice

[Rob Moore, Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of a soft-on-crime Liberal government, Canada's justice system is badly broken. A young police officer was shot and killed by someone with a lifetime firearms ban and a serious criminal history, yet they were out on bail. The Liberals' broken bail system is putting Canadian lives at risk, yet the justice minister refuses to answer the call of all 13 premiers, and police associations across the country, to reform the bail system.

Will the Prime Minister take the opportunity today to do what his justice minister has refused to do and commit to reforming the Liberals' broken bail system?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the increase in violence in so many of our communities is heartbreaking to see and continues to be a priority for us to respond to. We will always look at what more we can do alongside the provinces, territories and municipalities.

The Minister of Justice and Attorney General met with his counterparts and discussed this issue just this past fall, and experts at the federal and provincial levels have been working together on bail reform since. The minister has asked these experts to do whatever they can to speed up this work to make sure we are doing everything we can to keep Canadians safe.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, last fall the Liberals celebrated eliminating mandatory prison time for those convicted of sexual assault. Now a man convicted of raping a Quebec woman will get zero days in prison and, instead, will serve his sentence from the comfort of his home.

After eight years of Liberal government, Canada has become a place where men who rape women get zero days in prison. This is not justice. Will the Prime Minister bring back mandatory prison time for rapists?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, one of the strengths of our justice system is that there is a possibility for appeals and for opinions to be scrutinized and reversed. We trust our justice system in this case and in all cases.

We are going to continue to ensure that we are keeping people safe across this country. We continue to make investments. Where Conservatives cut investments in policing and in our justice system, we are going to continue to invest in solutions that are going to keep people safe.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, for eight years we have heard the Prime Minister falsely proclaim that he is a feminist. After eight years, violent crime against women has never been higher.

A Crown prosecutor in Quebec had the courage to speak out after a rapist received a 20-month sentence that he could serve at home, in the community, because Bill C‑5 had been passed in the House by the Liberals with the help of the NDP and the Bloc.

This prosecutor said that the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice “will have to answer to the victims of sexual assault”.

Can the Prime Minister look victims in the eye and tell them that he is satisfied with the sentence that was handed down?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have an independent justice system in this country, which provides for appeals and legal recourse when people disagree with an outcome.

It is not up to politicians to say what they think, it is up to them to create the conditions for public safety. That is exactly what we are doing and will continue to do with laws that will keep people safe and protect public health and public security.

Seniors

[René Arseneault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the pandemic has highlighted long-standing systemic challenges in Canada's long-term care system.

Can the Prime Minister tell us how our government is ensuring that seniors have access to safe, reliable, high-quality long-term care facilities across Canada?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Madawaska—Restigouche for his question and his hard work.

In fact, the pandemic has made us realize the extent of the problems facing our seniors in long-term care facilities across the country.

That is why, in 2021, I mandated the Minister of Health and the Minister of Seniors to develop national standards for safe long-term care to ensure that seniors receive the care they deserve.

With this important step taken, I look forward to seeing their bill introduced in the House when it is ready.

Ethics

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

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of this Prime Minister, Canadians have never had it so bad, but Liberal insiders and high-priced consultants and friends of the Prime Minister have never had it so good.

We can just look at the Minister of International Trade. While Canadians were lined up at food banks, she had her BFF lined up to receive lucrative contracts that turned out to be illegal. That is a record fifth ethics violation for the Prime Minister and members of his cabinet.

Canadians want accountability. When will the Prime Minister ask for that minister's resignation?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we support and respect the commissioner and the work his office does. The minister in question has taken responsibility and has apologized.

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

Mr. Speaker, now it is time to respect taxpayers and Canadians and have some ministerial accountability across the aisle. That means resignations of ministers who break Canadian laws. It is not a surprise from the Prime Minister because he has twice been found to have broken the ethics laws of this country to help out his buddies and Liberal insiders.

After eight years of this Prime Minister, people can bet that, if they are a Liberal insider, things are looking pretty great, but this is not so for the rest of Canadians. Therefore, when will the Prime Minister and the Liberals finally put Canadians first and put the corruption and law-breaking aside?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, while Conservatives engage in attacks, we are engaging in supporting Canadians directly with things that Conservatives have opposed, including things like delivering rental supports to the lowest-income renters, which Conservatives voted against. We have stepped up with help so that all families can send their kids to the dentist. Unfortunately, Conservatives stood against that too.

No wonder they talk about anything other than their abandonment of the middle class. We are going to continue to be there to support Canadians throughout.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, that was another bad answer from a random Liberal.

After eight years of the Prime Minister, Canadians are struggling like they never have before, but if one is a Liberal lobbyist or a high-priced consultant, it has never been better.

For the fifth time, these Liberals have been found guilty of breaking our ethics laws, which was done twice by the Prime Minister. This time, the trade minister was caught shovelling money to her good friend and CBC pundit Amanda Alvaro, who was also on the trade minister's campaign team.

Will the Prime Minister fire the trade minister and make her pay back the $17,000 she gave to her BFF?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the minister has taken full responsibility and has apologized.