Debates of Feb. 7th, 2023

Carbon Pricing

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, we know that Canadians are struggling, and that is why we continue to advance programs that put more money in their pockets.

I have spent seven years in this chamber watching the Conservatives use the families that might be in need as an excuse to do nothing on climate change because they do not see that climate change is costing families dearly. They should come to my community. They will see houses that have been swept into the ocean. They will see farms with silos that have been torn apart. They will see farmers who are out hundreds of thousands of dollars because of the impact of hurricane Fiona on their crops.

We have designed a program that puts more money in the pockets of eight out of 10 Canadian families and reduces pollution. I hope they get behind it instead of—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Mégantic—L'Érable.

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

Mr. Speaker, the government has been in office for eight years. However, after those eight years, it seems that the Prime Minister has learned nothing.

Interest rates are driving up the cost of mortgages. Young families are paying up to $600 more a month for housing. The cost of groceries is going up every week. Everything costs more: heating, eating and housing. After eight years in government, the only solution the Prime Minister has come up with is to triple the carbon tax. Why does the Prime Minister want to line his own pockets at taxpayers' expense?

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

Mr. Speaker, not only do the Conservatives never come up with solutions to help Canadians deal with the hardships they are facing because of higher interest rates, but they also have no solutions to help Canadians fight climate change and deal with its impacts.

That is irresponsible, but, more than that, it shows that the Conservatives are incompetent when it comes to helping Canadians face the challenges ahead of us.

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

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of this government, the effects of its incompetence on the daily lives of every Canadian family are plain to see. Fully 22% of Canadians do not have enough money to deal with the worst cost-of-living crisis in 40 years, and 28% of women cannot make ends meet.

When we talk about an incompetent government, this is what we are talking about. This is what Canadians are so concerned about.

According to the Liberals, everything is fine, and it is everyone else's fault that everything is broken in this country. Why do they insist on emptying Canadians' pockets with the carbon tax instead of helping them by cancelling it?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleagues on the other side, the Conservative Party, of a few facts.

First of all, carbon pricing was implemented in 2019. It has not been eight years; it has only been three years since this pricing was put in place. Second, it does not apply in Quebec, because the Quebec government's cap-and-trade system applies in Quebec. My colleague from Quebec is completely wrong on this issue. Third, we give more money back to eight out of 10 Canadians than we take in through carbon pricing.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, are you tired of the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple? Pollution, crime and city noise getting you down? You need the all-inclusive Roxham tour. Hop on a free bus to Plattsburgh, where a taxi will take you to fabulous Roxham Road. Once you are on the other side, take advantage of free housing, welfare, health care and education for your kids. The all-inclusive Roxham tour is just waiting for you.

Is the Minister of Immigration not tired of being laughed at? When will he suspend the safe third country agreement?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, this is no laughing matter. Debates in the House of Commons should be taken seriously.

Our government collaborated with the Province of Quebec. It participated in talks to modernize the agreement with the United States and come up with a permanent solution.

My friend is trying to pick a fight, but what I have to offer is a solution.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, let us be serious, then.

It is our moral duty to take in asylum seekers. It is a matter of human decency. If the life of a man or a woman is in danger in their country of origin, we need to answer their call for help.

However, the situation at Roxham Road verges on the absurd. Now the Americans are using this irregular point of entry to wash their hands of their own responsibilities and are inviting refugees to leave for Quebec for reasons that are, sometimes, anything but humanitarian.

When will the government suspend the safe third country agreement?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the solution my friend is proposing would only shift the problem elsewhere. There is no magic solution here.

Serious solutions are needed. Last week, I met with my Quebec counterpart to discuss both a solution and the federal government's role in supporting the Quebec government's efforts.

Meanwhile, our government is continuing its work to modernize the agreement with the United States.

This is a serious situation. We are going to continue to treat it seriously, no matter how big a joke the members of the Bloc seem to think it may be.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the immigration minister, I do not see talking about migrants as a problem. While New York is sending buses of people to Roxham Road, there are tragedies unfolding as well.

La Presse reported this morning that dozens of children are crossing at Roxham Road alone. These are children as young as 10 years old who are unaccompanied. This is no joke.

The government has known this for years. In 2018, it even added a team to deal with the children. Minors walking through the forest in the winter, risking their lives, is no joke. To let this happen is completely irresponsible.

What will it take for this government to find a safe way to welcome asylum seekers, including these children?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is right in what he said, but I am puzzled by his first question. I know my colleague from the Bloc Québécois, and I have a great deal of respect for him. I know how seriously he takes all this, but it was inappropriate to make jokes with his first question.

Now is not the time for jokes, not when we are talking about children crossing alone, as well as men, women and children being uprooted and leaving their countries under extremely difficult conditions. Any time we are talking about migrants who are suffering is certainly not the time to make jokes. We must be there to support them.

Justice

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Prime Minister, Canadians are living in fear. Under his watch, violent crime is up 32%; gang-related homicide is up 92%; and in Toronto last year, 50% of all shooting deaths were committed by those already on bail. However, just yesterday, the Liberals voted against our Conservative motion to fix the bail system that they destroyed.

When will the Prime Minister admit that his flawed bail policies are jeopardizing the safety of all Canadians?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve to feel safe and they deserve to be safe.

The laws on bail are clear. If somebody poses a threat to public safety, he or she should not be out on bail. I have undertaken with the provinces and territories to look at what we can do at the federal level with respect to bail. Our priority remains keeping Canadians safe. We will move with the provinces together on not just changing the law but also administering the bail system in a better way.

[Frank Caputo, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the laws on bail are clear? I think the minister meant to say that the laws on bail clearly are not working.

While the minister was in the classroom, I was in the courtroom running bail hearings. I have looked victims in the eye who were victimized by people who were on bail. The reality is that violent crime is up 32%. Thugs and gangsters with guns are running wild on our streets.

When will the minister, after eight years of Liberal inaction, end catch-and-release?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I acknowledge the hon. member's previous service, but I would suggest he go back to the classroom.

As the hon. member will know, what Bill—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order, please. I am not sure how much sugar was in everyone's lunch today, but I think there was an overdose. I want everybody to take a deep breath and calm down.

The hon. minister, please continue.

[David Lametti, Liberal, LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member will surely know from his experience, what Bill C-75 did was codify Supreme Court of Canada jurisprudence and it tightened bail provisions by adding a reverse onus for intimate partner violence. There was already a reverse onus on prohibited weapons.

Notwithstanding that, we are willing to work with the provinces to see if there are additional measures we can take. Certainly, we will help the provinces in the administration of the bail—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo.

[Frank Caputo, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know that I can imagine a comment more out of touch than that which the Liberal minister just said. I will remind the minister that, like him, I also taught at a law school. Unlike him, I do not have to go back to school to see people on the streets who are victimized, to see the statistics of gangland homicides and to see police officers on our streets being killed by people who are on bail.

Will the minister stay out of touch or will he end the catch-and-release to keep victims safe after eight years of failed Liberal policies?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition is yelling “eight, nine, 10, you are out” as if this is a sporting event. There is not a person in the chamber who has not been touched by violence. There is not a person in the chamber who does not care about the safety of our communities. There is not a person in the country who does not want to make us be successful in ensuring that every Canadian is safe and not victimized.

The idea that anybody in the chamber, let alone anybody in this government, does not care about victims is a deeply offensive concept and is totally unhelpful to the debate at hand.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of this Prime Minister, Canada has become unrecognizable, but for all the wrong reasons. Writing on the subject of the Prime Minister's Bill C-5, columnist Joseph Facal of the Journal de Montréal wrote that “fanatical lunatics have taken over the asylum”.

He cited as an example the recent case of a 31-year-old woman who was found guilty of repeatedly beating her 11-year-old stepson and depriving him of food and urgent medical attention. She was sentenced to serve 15 months in the comfort of her home.

Why does the Prime Minister always defend criminals instead of helping victims?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, no other government in Canada's history has provided as many resources as we have to help victims. Serious crimes deserve serious consequences. That is the spirit behind our amendments to the Criminal Code.

We stand with victims. We are overhauling the system so it is more flexible, welcoming and supportive for victims, and we will succeed.

Disaster Assistance

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the devastation we have seen in Turkey and Syria is horrific. This earthquake comes after nearly 12 years of war and total suffering in Syria. Children are still being pulled from the rubble; it is heartbreaking.

Survivors will require an incredible amount of assistance urgently. The government's announcement this morning is a good start, but the scale of this crisis will require more. The Humanitarian Coalition has launched a joint appeal, as has the Red Cross, and I am certain that Canadians will contribute generously.

Will the government commit to a matching fund to amplify the generosity of Canadians?