Debates of Feb. 13th, 2023

Canadian Ski Marathon

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the 57th Canadian Ski Marathon, North America's longest and oldest cross-country ski tour, wrapped up yesterday.

This year's edition marked a comeback to the traditional westward route. The 160-kilometre trail began in the Mont-Tremblant region and ended in Buckingham in the Outaouais, traversing much of my riding. The Canadian Ski Marathon is more than just an athletic competition. It is an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to athletic excellence and our desire to celebrate our athletes' achievements. The event brought together over 1,000 athletes from around the world and close to home, including my neighbour and friend, Josée, all of whom celebrated their love of cross-country skiing and their determination to achieve their goal.

I want to thank the organizers and all our athletes for putting this sport in the spotlight, and putting my wonderful riding and our wonderful country on the map.

Syrian Refugees

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express solidarity with all those hard hit by the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey and to draw attention to the plight of Syrian refugees stuck in the region despite already approved sponsorship applications.

Many Canadians, like my constituent Bishr Bakro, have worked hard to get friends and family to safety, and now their circumstances are even more dire. Bishr contacted me about Abdullah, his wife, and his daughter, who were in Turkey when the earthquake hit. They escaped the collapse of the building they were staying in but lost all of their possessions. This family has been approved as refugees, but they are awaiting approval of their permanent residence applications so they can travel to Canada.

I salute the many refugee sponsorship groups working so hard to provide support to those at risk. We echo their concern that the earthquakes have made urgent action on these applications even more necessary. I know that the member for Vancouver East has raised these delays with the Minister of Immigration but, given this new humanitarian crisis, Canadians are calling on the government to take action now.

International Epilepsy Day

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today is International Epilepsy Day, which is observed by more than 140 nations around the world, including Quebec.

I rise to speak to this issue as an MP, of course, but also because this day has special meaning for me, like others here, because my youngest son Ulysse was born with epilepsy. Although epilepsy affects 50 million people around the world and is one of the most widespread neurological diseases, people still do not know a lot about it. That is why it is important to talk about it and to raise awareness so that people with this disease can live better and live well.

To all those with epilepsy, to all the parents and loved ones who take care of them day after day, and to all the caring professionals who support them, thank you. You can count on my support. I encourage all my colleagues to do the same. This international day is not just about raising awareness. It is about showing love and solidarity.

The Economy

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years under the current Prime Minister, we live in a country where parents are actually watering down their baby formula in order to make ends meet and seniors are turning down their thermostats or choosing to skip meals in order to be able to pay their bills.

The Liberals continue to shrug their shoulders and say they are not responsible. When asked about the carbon tax, a Liberal MP quipped, “There needs to be a bit of pain there. That's the point”. I guess the Liberals are achieving their goal.

Canadians are definitely feeling the pain. A young mother recently came into my office and shared with me that when she opens her home heating bill, it feels like a gut punch. She has to choose between properly feeding her family and paying the bill.

Canadians are out of money and cannot afford to eat, heat or house themselves. They are without hope and living in a broken Canada.

Canadians deserve a brand new government that will put control back in their hands. Conservatives will keep the heat on and take the tax off.

Ukraine

[Yvan Baker, Liberal, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, February 24 will mark one year since Russia began its further invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian people have been outnumbered and severely outgunned, but they have shown tremendous courage in defending their homeland. I believe that courage has inspired Canadians and people around the world.

Nevertheless, the situation is dire. Russia is committing genocide every day. There are millions of refugees. Hundreds of millions of people are facing food shortages and famine, primarily in the global south. This is the primary cause of food and energy inflation around the world; it is not only a threat to Ukraine’s security but also to global security and Canada’s security.

Canada's support for Ukraine has been unwavering. However, if we want to stop genocide, inflation and starvation and secure our own sovereignty, then we must do everything we possibly can to ensure Ukraine achieves a decisive victory that includes all its territory.

The Ukrainian people are fighting for us. We need to keep fighting for them, not for a day, a week or a year, but as long as it takes until they win, until we all win.

Slava Ukraini.

The Economy

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals keep saying everything is just fine and Canadians should be thankful. How out of touch could they be? A new report from Stats Canada says that over one-third of Canadians are experiencing financial difficulties, over a quarter could not cover an unexpected expense and nearly half are worried about their ability to pay rent. This is the Liberals' legacy after eight years, and there is no one left to blame. Canadians are struggling and the PMO is covering up the Prime Minister's charging $6,000 a night for a hotel room. Are they kidding?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we know that many Canadians are facing real challenges. This is why our government has a plan that is both compassionate and responsible. Here is what we are doing: We have doubled the GST credit; we have provided a $500 top-up to Canadian renters; we are providing dental care to Canadian children; and we are permanently eliminating the interest on student loans. Do you know what, Mr. Speaker? The Conservatives voted against each one of these compassionate and necessary measures.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of this Liberal Prime Minister, Canada feels broken. It is not just because we say so; it is because Canadians know so. According to a Leger poll, two out of three Canadians say that. Eight years of this Prime Minister has given Canadians record prices for rent and housing, home heating, gas and groceries. These are not the right records to be breaking. Will the Liberals take some responsibility for the pain that they have caused millions of Canadians, or will they just keep pretending nothing is wrong?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, it is the Conservatives who need to take responsibility for their reckless and irresponsible plan for the economy. They are saying to Canadians that crypto is a way to opt out of inflation. They want to eviscerate the EI system that so many Canadians depend on. They want to jeopardize seniors' pensions. They voted against early learning and child care for all Canadian children and families.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, if the Liberals do not want to listen to Canadians whom they do not know, perhaps they will listen to Liberals they do know. Random Liberal Bill Morneau said the federal government lost the agenda; Mark Carney, who is about to be a random Liberal, called inflation homegrown. The call is coming from inside the House. Will the Prime Minister finally admit what everybody knows and take some responsibility for the affordability crisis that the Liberals have created, or will he get out of the way so we can fix what they broke?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, our government absolutely understands that many Canadians today are struggling with the cost of living. We also know that the best way to pay the rent and put groceries on the table is by having a job. That is why our government has focused relentlessly on jobs and why the job data for January, when 150,000 jobs were added, is so important. It is important for all of us to recognize that we have recovered 126% of the jobs lost to COVID compared with just 112% in the United—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Mégantic—L'Érable.

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

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of this Liberal Prime Minister, Canadians are worse off than ever. Food inflation is at a 40-year high. People are being forced to eat less meat and fewer vegetables, foods that are essential to our health. According to the major grocery chains, it is not over. Prices will continue to rise in 2023.

Why is the Prime Minister looking down on the middle class and ignoring their pain and misery, rather than taking responsibility and helping them?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we understand that many Canadians are facing real challenges when it comes to affordability. That is why our government has an approach that is both compassionate and responsible.

This is our plan: We have doubled the GST credit, we have provided a $500 top-up to renters, and we have provided dental care to Canadian children.

The Conservatives voted against all of these measures.

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

Mr. Speaker, after eight years, what the Conservatives voted against were the government's inflationary policies, which are making absolutely everything more expensive in this country, making things harder and harder for every family. That is the reality. Students have to cram into tiny apartments with many others because they cannot afford to pay rent. It takes some nerve to say that everything is fine in Canada. Canadians are paying the price for eight years of inflationary policies under this government.

Will the government take responsibility once and for all so we can finally give Canadians some hope?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives seem to need a lesson in economics. First of all, money does not grow on trees. It is not like cryptocurrency, which multiplies endlessly. If they believe we have spent too much, they need to say where they would make cuts. What are they going to cut? Will they cut assistance to students, to seniors or to families? Will it be in the child care program or the wage subsidy? Where will they cut?

Official Languages

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, according to what Chantal Hébert stated this morning, the anglophone Quebec wing of the Liberal government would rather see Parliament prorogued than pass Bill C‑13 as amended by the opposition, because, horror of horrors, it would recognize the Charter of the French Language. All House business would have to stop because a few West Island MPs do not want to protect the French language. Those members do not want to protect French on the West Island, in Quebec, in Acadia, or in the rest of Canada.

Can the Prime Minister assure us that Bill C‑13 will not end up in the circular file?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, it is quite the opposite. We look forward to seeing Bill C-13 passed, as do stakeholders across the country. That is why we have introduced an ambitious bill that that will make a real difference in the lives of Canadians. We are the first government to recognize the decline of French across the country, including in Quebec. I look forward to the passage of this bill. As I said, it is a bill that will make a real difference for all Canadians.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, she needs to convince her crew of that. In the same column, it was suggested that anglophone MPs from Quebec who are opposed to the Charter of the French Language might go so far as to quit the Liberal Party rather than vote for Bill C‑13. To hear them talk, life as an anglophone Quebecker in Montreal is really tough. They make Westmount and Mount Royal sound like the gulag.

There are francophone and Acadian minority communities that are desperately waiting for Bill C‑13, but the Liberals might let it die in order to appease the West Island. Who is going to put these members in their place?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I advise my colleague to worry about his own caucus. He has enough to worry about. The Bloc Québécois is not the least bit interested in Bill C‑13. It has been stalling the bill from day one. It does not support the bill and will vote against it. I will say one thing: The members from Quebec will stand up and defend French in Quebec and across Canada, regardless what the Bloc does.

Telecommunications

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians already pay some of the highest prices in the world for telecom services. The Rogers-Shaw merger will lead to decreased competition, a greater monopoly, job losses and higher prices for everyone. It is not too late to stop this merger which will only hurt Canadian families whose budgets are already very tight.

Will the minister side with major corporations or defend the interests of Canadians by blocking this merger immediately?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent question. We will always side with Canadians. That is exactly what I said, because the goal is to lower prices in Canada. The best way to do that is with competition and with a fourth major player across Canada. I have already rejected the transfer of licences from Shaw and Rogers. As I indicated, I will be looking at the ruling by the Federal Court of Appeal in the interest of Canadians.

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, if the minister is ultimately going to say no to the merger, why does he not just come out and say it? We already know that Canadians pay among the highest prices for telecom services in the world, and we know that less competition in the market is not going to lead to lower prices. The answer is pretty clear; he is hinting at it. When is he going to reassure Canadians who are already struggling with their household budgets and cannot afford to give up their cellphones? When is he going to do the right thing and say no to the merger?

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

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, I will not take lessons from colleagues when it comes to fighting for Canadians. We do that every day on this side of the House. We understand that the best way we can do that is by making sure that we lower the price of cellphone bills in Canada, that we have more competition and that we have a fourth national player.

It is Monday today. Canadians watching at home know we stand on their side and will do everything to protect their rights by making sure the cellphone bill prices come down in Canada.

Carbon Pricing

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of Liberal failures, families cannot afford groceries. Eight years ago, $200 went a long way at the grocery store. Today, after Liberal inflation, $150 barely gets three bags.

Not only are the Liberals going to take more in taxes, but they are going to drive up the cost of groceries when they triple their failed carbon tax. One in five Canadians is already skipping meals. Imagine how much worse things are going to get.

Will the Liberal Prime Minister finally take some responsibility for causing this inflationary crisis, stop breaking Canada and axe his failed carbon tax?