Debates of March 29th, 2023

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians who are watching us from home today saw a disconnected Leader of the Opposition.

We listened carefully to Canadians. They asked us to do three things: take action to tackle the cost of living and, of course, the cost of food; invest in health care and dental care; and invest in the green economy to create the jobs of the future.

That is exactly what Canadians said. That is exactly what we are doing. We are building the future with Canadians to be a leader in the economy of the 21st century.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, they admitted that deficits drive inflation and promised restraint. Instead, what they delivered was $60 billion of brand new spending. That is $4,200 for every family in Canada. These are families that are already skipping meals because they cannot afford food, and 35-year-olds are living in their parents' basements because they cannot afford housing.

How will Canadian families carry on their backs an extra $4,200 in government costs when we are already going broke as a country?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

What is really disappointing, Mr. Speaker, is that the Leader of the Opposition has already told Canadians that he is voting against this budget and he is voting against them, because what he is voting against is a grocery rebate for 11 million Canadians. What he is voting against is dental care for nine million Canadians, including children, seniors and people with disabilities. What he is voting against is a tax-free savings account for first-time homebuyers.

He is not there for Canadians. We are.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, we had eight years of these multi-billion dollar government programs, and what has it given us? We have 40-year highs in inflation, one in five Canadians skipping meals because they cannot afford groceries, nine in 10 young people stuck in their parents' basements because they cannot afford housing, and students living in homeless shelters because the cost of living has risen so fast. These hard-working Canadians who do the work deserve a country that works for them, not an out-of-control tax-and-squander NDP budget like the one we have before us today.

When will they rein in their spending so Canadians can pay their bills?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, what Canadians deserve is a government that is going to respond to them in their time of need. That is exactly what we are doing with this budget, and that is exactly what we have been doing for the past seven and a half years. Just as the Conservatives voted against the Canada child benefit, which provides up to $7,000 a year for vulnerable families, they are voting against Canadians who need help in this difficult time. They are going to vote against a grocery rebate that is going to help 11 million Canadians. If they care about these issues, they have a simple option: reverse course, support this budget and support Canadians.

Oil and Gas Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, as it stands, carbon capture is not green, grey hydrogen is not green, nuclear energy is not green and Arctic offshore oil is not green.

Will the government admit that the big news in yesterday's budget, approximately $17 billion, is intended exclusively for oil companies?

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

Mr. Speaker, the short answer for my colleague is no. We will admit no such thing since that is not the case.

I would like to quote the David Suzuki Foundation, which said yesterday that investments in renewable electricity in budget 2023 could position Canada as a global leader in the clean economy.

I could also quote Greenpeace Canada, which talked about “unprecedented federal investments” in greening the grid, which will allow us to end our reliance on fossil fuels.

We agree with the Suzuki Foundation and Greenpeace but not with the Bloc Québécois.

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

Mr. Speaker, the National Assembly, which speaks for Quebec, adopted a unanimous motion asking that no more money be invested in subsidies for the oil industry. However, that is just what Ottawa is doing.

Incidentally, Quebec also asked that the federal government not interfere in provincial jurisdictions, including dental care. That is exactly what Ottawa is doing.

Will the government admit that the budget it has tabled—which essentially caters to oil companies and the NDP—is a budget that does not work for Quebec?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for allowing me to continue the list of organizations that praised yesterday's federal budget.

I would like to quote the International Institute for Sustainable Development, which said that Canada is making historic investments in clean electricity and fresh water throughout the country.

I agree with the International Institute for Sustainable Development, but not with the leader of the Bloc Québécois.

Housing

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, New Democrats are proud that we forced the government for a historic expansion of medicare to include dental care for the first time. That, alongside our push to double the GST rebate, means that families will save up to $1,700 on average per year. We have also forced the government, for the first time ever, to have strings attached to investments to fight the climate crisis, which require guarantees of good wages and good union jobs. If the government is running out of ideas, we have more.

Will the government take the housing crisis seriously and finally build more homes that people can afford faster?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion]

Mr. Speaker, I direct the hon. member to look at our national housing strategy, a record number of investments to make sure we build more affordable housing in this country, including the $4-billion recently announced housing accelerator fund to set us as a country to double housing construction and pay particular attention to affordable housing. In addition to that, we are making sure we are protecting renters and helping them, through the Canada housing benefit and the top-up of $500 for almost two million Canadian renters to help them with the high cost of rent.

Employment Insurance

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the government is not meeting the urgency of the crisis with the steps required.

We are proud we forced this government to create a dental care program. We are proud we forced this government to double the GST credit, which will save families a lot of money. However, there is more work to be done. Economists have made it clear that a recession is very likely coming our way.

When will this Prime Minister introduce an EI system that covers all workers?

[Irek Kusmierczyk, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, we know that Canada's EI system is complex, and that is why we are focused on improving it. Budget 2023 invests in seasonal workers so that they have five additional weeks of coverage, for a total of 45 weeks. Also, in budget 2023, we propose establishing a new independent tripartite board of appeal, to hear cases regarding employment insurance claims.

In the past two years, the minister has led more than 35 national and regional round tables with workers, employers and academics. EI reform is a priority. We are on it and we will get it done.

Public Safety

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister fled the House of Commons instead of answering questions about public safety.

The current crime wave is the direct result of Liberal-NDP policies that put the criminals who are usually considered the most dangerous back on the streets. Half a dozen people have been murdered in the past week, including a police officer in Quebec.

Will the Prime Minister reverse the policies that set the most dangerous offenders loose? Will he protect the safety of Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that my hon. colleague did not hear the response from yesterday. I will repeat it.

We have worked with the provinces and territories to make changes to the bail system in order to address the issue of serious repeat offenders and to give the community a role in bail decisions.

Together we will address this issue and find solutions.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, still the Prime Minister does not have the guts to stand up and answer the question. Of course not. He is protected by armed men every single day, so he is not worried about the streets that are turning into savage chaos since he brought about catch-and-release bail.

We do not need to work with the provinces to change the bail laws. They are exclusively federal jurisdiction, right in the Criminal Code. The Prime Minister has unleashed a 32% increase in violent crime since he brought in the catch-and-release bail policies.

Will he finally summon the courage to stand on his feet, admit he was wrong, reverse the policies and choose jail, not bail, for violent offenders?

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

Mr. Speaker, what we see the Leader of the Opposition do, time and time again, is launch personal attacks and make outlandish allegations, like saying the Prime Minister of this country does not care about victims and does not care about those who are victimized.

I can tell members right now that the policy advocated by the Leader of the Opposition was tried. In fact, in the United States, Newt Gingrich, when we go back to the Contract with America, said that the biggest mistake he made in his career was following the policies that the member is advocating. They were an abject failure. They did nothing for public safety, and neither will personal attacks on the Prime Minister or any other member of the House.

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

Mr. Speaker, the policies of the Liberal government have led to this: on Saturday, another stabbing death on the TTC in Toronto. A sixteen-year-old boy was murdered. On Sunday, a 37-year-old man was stabbed to death at a Starbucks in Vancouver. On Monday, a police officer was killed in Quebec while responding to a call. On Tuesday, a teenage girl was shot to death in a car in Calgary. Today, a woman was stabbed and severely injured on a train in Calgary.

Violent crime is up 32% as a result of the Liberals' catch-and-release policy. What is it going to take? How many people have to die before they step up and fix it?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear that our hearts go out to every single victim who has been impacted by violent crime.

The Conservatives heckle. They speak a lot about common sense. I will tell them what common sense is. Common sense is not returning to the stale and failed policies that led to police cuts by Conservatives, which led to weakened borders as a result of the Conservative cuts, and that saw Conservatives give up on vulnerable Canadians, while this government continues to support them.

Drop the slogans. Let us focus on solutions. Let us do this work together so we can protect our communities.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal minister can make up whatever stories he wants, but the proof of the priority, or lack of priority, on fighting violent crime is in black and white in the Liberals' budget. There was not one mention of fighting violent crime in the budget yesterday. It is not a priority for the Liberals.

The reality is if Canadians want repeat violent offenders out of our communities, the Liberal government is the very last government that is going to do it. Its eight-year record of catch-and-release policies proves that. Is that not right?

It is never going to fix this and it is only going to make it worse. Is that not right?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague purports to care about victims. Where was she when there was an opportunity for her to support the $450 million invested in the CBSA to stop the illegal flow of guns into our country? Where was she, and the rest of the Conservative Party, when it came to supporting law enforcement with over $360 million? What did they do? They voted against it. Where was she when it came to the $250 million under the building safer communities fund to support vulnerable Canadians with mental health supports? They voted against it. I invite the Conservatives to get on board so we can protect our communities.

Justice

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

Mr. Speaker, Tuesday, in Calgary, a teenage girl was shot while sitting in a car. No one knows why. The night before in Louiseville, Sergeant Maureen Breau was killed in the line of duty. Violence in on the rise everywhere in Canada. In order to deal with this issue, the Prime Minister passed Bill C‑5, which allows violent criminals to serve their sentence from the comfort of their own home and in the communities where they committed their crimes.

I introduced Bill C‑325 to correct the monumental error that is Bill C‑5. Will the Prime Minister and his caucus support it?

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

Mr. Speaker, what the hon. member is saying is entirely false. Serious crimes deserve serious consequences. Bill C‑5 allows for such sentences only in cases where there is no threat to public safety. We are working with the provinces and territories to address the problems in the system. We will improve the system by working together. Sloganeering does not help. It is by working together that we will find the solution.

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

Mr. Speaker, what the Minister of Justice just said was preposterous. Before the holidays, as soon as Bill C‑5 passed, Jonathan Gravel, a man who had violently sexually assaulted a woman, was given a 20-month sentence that he could serve at home, while watching Netflix, rather than going to prison. If not for Bill C-5, that guy would be behind bars.

I just introduced Bill C-325, which would correct those kinds of appalling situations. These cases are really shocking. Will the Minister of Justice try to understand that and agree to support my bill?

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

Mr. Speaker, the purpose of Bill C‑5 was to address the problem of systemic racism and the systemic overrepresentation of indigenous and Black people in the justice system. Serious crimes always deserve serious consequences. If my hon. colleague wants to attack a judgment handed down by a judge in our system, he is free to do so, but I think it would be far more productive to work together to come up with solutions to other problems in the system.