Debates of Feb. 10th, 2023

Canada Revenue Agency

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Madam Speaker, the government says it is not worth collecting $15 billion from its well-connected, wealthy corporate friends. Today, the Liberals are standing by that. If someone’s grandmother owed $15, the CRA would call that grandmother until she paid back every last cent, but $15 billion is not worth it. They must be kidding.

Will they commit to getting the illegal money back from big corporations so that Canadian families can afford to pay their bills?

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue]

Madam Speaker, it turns out the Conservatives apparently are following the lead of their leader, who was staying up very late at night, as we understand, watching crypto episodes on YouTube. What he is missing as a result of that, and what they are missing, is the public record.

At the public accounts committee last week, the commissioner of the CRA made it very clear that the verification work is ongoing with respect to determining whether individuals and businesses were actually eligible for the support they received. This work is vital. We committed to it as a government and they supported it, so let us let it continue.

The Economy

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Madam Speaker, they have not changed a thing. The Auditor General said so. There are $15 billion of illegal payments to corporations and more taxes for ordinary Canadians.

After eight years of the Prime Minister, Canadians are the ones cutting back. They are cutting back on meals; one in five is skipping them. Seniors are turning their heat down because of the Prime Minister's punishing carbon tax. They are cutting back on the things they want after eight years of the Prime Minister making everything they need more expensive.

Canadians are the ones feeling the Liberal government's austerity. Will it take responsibility or get out of the way so we can fix it?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, we reduced taxes for middle-class Canadians on two separate occasions, and both times the Conservatives voted against it.

I would like to address the Statistics Canada report of this morning, which indicated that 150,000 new jobs were created in January alone. This is well above market expectations, and we know that the best thing for Canadians struggling to meet the rising cost of living is to have a good, well-paying job.

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

Madam Speaker, after eight years under this Prime Minister, inflationary policies have shattered the dreams of middle-class Canadians. They are the big losers of this government's decisions. Middle-class Canadians are excluded from the Liberals' aid programs because they are too rich, but they are not rich enough to benefit from the Prime Minister's generosity to his friends. Nine out of 10 young Canadians will not be able to fulfill their dream of home ownership, which is really sad.

Will the Prime Minister take responsibility so that we can finally give Canadians the right to dream and have a better future?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, the Conservatives are talking about the middle class. We cut taxes for middle-class Canadians twice. The Conservatives voted against those measures. This morning, we learned that 150,000 new jobs were created in Canada. One-third of those jobs, or nearly 50,000, were created in Quebec. Our priority is to ensure that we have good, well-paying jobs for Canadians, and this morning's figures are proof of that.

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

Madam Speaker, what we voted against are this government's inflationary policies of the past eight years.

This week, the big grocery store chains announced that the price of groceries is going to increase again in the next few months. Last year, prices went up by 11%. This year, the average family is going to pay $1,000 more for groceries, so they can eat, so they can put butter, bread, meat and vegetables on their table.

That is the reality that the Liberals do not want to see, but that is how it is right now in Canada. Will the Prime Minister admit—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. Minister of Sport.

[Pascale St-Onge, Liberal, Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec]

Madam Speaker, our government is taking a responsible attitude and helping the people who need it the most.

For example, we created the Canada dental benefit for children under 12. We introduced a $500 top-up to the Canada—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

I have to interrupt the hon. minister for a moment.

The hon. member will please allow the minister to answer the question.

The hon. minister.

[Pascale St-Onge, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Madam Speaker, I was saying that our government is taking a responsible attitude by helping those who are most in need at this difficult time.

What we do not understand is why, every time we want to do something to help Canadians, the Conservatives oppose it, just as they did when we cut taxes for the middle class twice.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

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

Madam Speaker, we knew that New York was paying for bus tickets to Plattsburgh for asylum seekers making their way to Roxham Road.

Today, however, CBC/Radio-Canada revealed that, once they get there, U.S. border patrol agents are personally bringing those asylum seekers to Roxham Road. Some U.S. border patrol agents have even turned this into a black market enterprise. The Americans are thumbing their noses at the federal government. Their own government employees are smuggling people through Roxham Road.

When will the government put an end to this bad joke and suspend the safe third country agreement?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Madam Speaker, the decision to suspend the agreement with the United States will only shift the problem elsewhere. There is no magic solution.

It is essential to continue our work with our American partners to modernize our agreements with them. At the same time, we must continue to co-operate with our counterparts in the province of Quebec to support their efforts.

This is an important issue. It is being treated extremely seriously. We are going to be there for our provincial partners and work with our international partners to find a lasting solution.

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

Madam Speaker, Canada must respect its obligations to asylum seekers, but it does not have to do the Americans' job for them. When talking about traffickers at Roxham Road, who would have ever believed we would be referring to U.S. customs officers.

It is illegal to exploit asylum seekers. It is illegal to help people make an irregular border crossing.

Can the Minister of Public Safety pick up the phone, call his American counterpart and demand that he manage his own employees who are committing crimes at Roxham Road?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. It is vital that we continue to work with our partners. My department's representatives have had many discussions with our American counterparts about modernizing the agreement with the U.S. and finding a permanent solution.

At the same time, we must continue to work with the Province of Quebec. It is important that we meet our obligations to support asylum seekers and also fulfill our domestic and international obligations.

Foreign Affairs

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Madam Speaker, Afghan women and girls cannot go to school. They cannot see a doctor. They are prisoners in their own country. For 18 months, these women and girls should have been getting help from Canadian organizations. Instead, Canada's so-called “feminist government” continues to fail Afghans by delaying a humanitarian carve-out.

How much longer will the Minister of Public Safety make women and girls in Afghanistan wait? How many more women and girls in Afghanistan will die before he acts?

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the President of the Treasury Board]

Madam Speaker, the situation in Afghanistan, in particular for Afghan women and girls, is terrible. We condemn the Taliban's treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan and the treatment of women's liberty there. Access to education, as we all know, is a fundamental human right, and one that should be respected. The Taliban will be judged by its actions in this regard.

Health

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

Madam Speaker, nurses and health care workers are run off their feet, exhausted and burning out. They are mainly women, disproportionately racialized women, yet they have never been paid fairly. This discrimination is wrong and the Liberals let it worsen over the last seven years. Our nurses and health care workers are underpaid and undervalued. They deserve better wages, better working conditions and respect.

Why does the Liberals' health care offer to provinces not include real funding for raises to finally give care economy workers the respect they deserve?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, our colleague is exactly right. For workers to care for people and patients, we need to care for them. It has been very hard during COVID-19 until now. All the pressure, mental health challenges and the physical damage that COVID has had on workers has left a large number of them sick or tired. We need to care for them if we want them to keep caring for us.

The Economy

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Madam Speaker, eight years of Liberal deficits, waste and corruption have driven inflation to record highs, and nowhere is that more obvious than in the grocery aisle. The Prime Minister likes to try to blame everyone else, but even the Liberals are now admitting that inflation is caused by domestic factors. One of those factors is the carbon tax. It makes everything farmers use to grow their crops more expensive, and those costs get passed onto consumers. The government is now going to triple that carbon tax.

Why should Canadians believe anything the Liberals say about addressing the cost of living crisis, when they are deliberately making Canadians pay more for food?

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Madam Speaker, let us talk about the rising cost of food. Let us talk about what families are facing. Let us talk about families like mine. When I am at the grocery store with my son Nitin and he wants a particular cereal or particular dessert, I talk to him about the rising cost of groceries. I also explain to him what we are doing to help Canadians, and I tell him that we are targeting our—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

If an hon. member asks a question, please give the other hon. member answering it the courtesy of keeping silent.

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Madam Speaker, when I speak to my son, I explain what we are doing, in a targeted way, to help Canadians who are struggling with the cost of those groceries, those expensive items, as we walk down the aisle in grocery stores. I tell him we are using targeted benefits, such as dental care benefits and affordability benefits—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Regina—Qu'Appelle.