Debates of April 25th, 2023

Ethics

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Before I recognize the Prime Minister, I would like to remind members not to make fun of each other, which is unparliamentary. We do not call each other names. This is a reminder to members on both sides of the House for the upcoming questions and answers.

The right hon. Prime Minister.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, while the Bloc Québécois continues to attack the Trudeau name in every way possible, because they have been attacking my father and now me for a very long time, I will continue to do the job that Quebeckers and Canadians elected me to do, which is to meet expectations on the cost of living, to create a stronger and greener economy at the same time and to continue that work.

As the member opposite knows, I have had no direct or indirect involvement with the Trudeau Foundation for 10 years.

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

Mr. Speaker, among the people I identified, I am not sure who should be most concerned.

I am not taking issue with the Prime Minister's father because the Prime Minister's father did not receive five deputy ministers and the Trudeau Foundation in his office and then claimed he did not know what was going on.

Now that the Prime Minister knows that this occurred, should he not, at the very least, tell us what happened in that office at that meeting, since he hardly called five deputy ministers into his own office for no reason? This concerns us.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as I said and as I will keep saying, for 10 years I have had no direct or indirect interaction with the foundation that bears by father's name.

On this side of the House, we are focusing on the cost of living, creating a greener economy, allocating money to help get results with respect to health care and dental care services. Those are our priorities.

While the opposition parties are focusing on me, we will continue to focus on Canadians and Quebeckers.

Labour

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, public servants have been waiting over two years for a fair contract. After two years, there is nothing.

They are making a simple demand. They want a salary that is in line with inflation. That is what we want for all workers. However, it is clear that the minister is not doing the work required.

Is the Prime Minister prepared to get involved for once to break the impasse?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we all recognize how hard public servants have worked over the past few years and what a great job they did in providing the services Canadians needed during the pandemic.

That is why we are with them at the bargaining table to find the best way to move forward, to recognize the excellent work that they continue to do and to ensure that we come to a fair agreement that is reasonable for taxpayers.

That is what is happening at the bargaining table, where the negotiators and the unions will stay to do their job.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister likes to talk a good game when it comes to workers, but when it comes down to it, he does not actually follow through. In fact, he often says one thing and does the opposite.

These are public sector workers. These are his workers, and the Prime Minister has a responsibility to make sure that they have a fair contract. These workers are asking for something very basic. They are fighting a war against inflation, and they want to win. They want to have salaries that keep up with inflation, which is something that all workers deserve.

Will the Prime Minister finally take workers seriously, do his job and get these workers a fair contract?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I am now a little worried about the leader of the NDP. He may not understand that the important job we are doing right now is sitting at the bargaining table, where deals get made, and working on those negotiations.

I am sure he does not want to disrespect the important process that happens at the bargaining table; that is exactly what we are busy supporting. Yes, these negotiations are sometimes difficult, but they are always important. They are always a fundamental right of workers across this country. That is why we are participating fully and making progress. We are going to get the right deal for the public servants and the right deal for Canadians.

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, over the past few days, we have witnessed the largest public service strike in over 40 years.

Canadians are suffering because of the Liberal government's incompetence. More than 1,100 students are locked out of school on the Six Nations of the Grand River because of this strike. Education is an essential service. It is unacceptable that children cannot go to school because of this strike. The Liberal government is to blame.

What is the Prime Minister going to do to ensure that indigenous children can go back to school?

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I published an open letter so that we could update Canadians and public servants on where we are at in terms of the bargaining table.

We have been working tirelessly to get from 570 demands to a few that we need to get done. We are doing so because we are at the bargaining table. We will continue to work tirelessly until we get a deal.

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, they are not working hard enough. The tax deadline is just a few days away.

Because 35,000 CRA employees are on strike, Canadians are left without the support that they need to file their taxes. It is the lowest-income Canadians who will suffer the most from this strike. Millions of Canadians are suffering because of the Liberal government's incompetence and its failure to prevent this strike.

When will the Prime Minister reverse course, and how much is it going to cost taxpayers to fix the mess that he has created?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, our government understands that any potential work disruption can be stressful for Canadians who depend on important government services.

The Canada Revenue Agency will not extend the deadline for filing tax returns. A potential work disruption will not prevent Canadians from filing their tax returns electronically or by mail before the May 1 deadline.

We encourage all Canadians to file their taxes electronically. To reassure my colleagues, I can tell them that this is the best tax season we have had since 2015.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are in desperate need of their tax refunds.

After eight years of the Liberal government, Canadians are receiving poorer services despite a 50% increase in the bureaucracy. Outside these doors, we have the largest public service strike in the history of Canada.

Will the Prime Minister take responsibility for the countless Canadians who are counting on their tax refunds and end this strike?

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, I published an open letter yesterday to update public servants and Canadians. We are now a few items away from getting to a deal.

We know many services are being affected right now, and we respect workers who are on strike. We know that this is hurting Canadians. That is why I am working tirelessly with my negotiating team to get to a deal.

We are going to get to a deal as soon as we can.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, an open letter does not cut it. We need a negotiated agreement to end this strike. The Prime Minister had two years to come to a negotiated agreement, and he failed. As a result, we have seniors who are mailing in their tax returns and do not know when they are going to get their refunds. We have Canadians who are calling the CRA, but no one is picking up the phone to answer the most basic of questions.

Will the Prime Minister show some compassion for Canadians, who deserve basic services, and end this strike?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the Conservatives, we respect the right to collective bargaining and we respect the right to strike.

We also respect Canadians, and that is why, unlike the Conservatives, we brought in the Canada child benefit, which has helped lift 450,000 children out of poverty. Unlike the Conservatives, we increased the guaranteed income supplement, which has helped lift thousands of seniors out of poverty.

We are going to get a good deal at the negotiating table, because that is where they happen. We respect Canadians, we respect public servants and we are going to make sure we get a good deal for both the public service and Canadians.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the public service strike is another example of Liberal incompetence.

The Minister of National Revenue is affected very directly by the federal public service strike. The revenue minister does not seemly overly concerned about tax season, which ends on May 1.

Can the minister assure us that Canadian taxpayers will receive their tax refunds quickly?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I can say that I have nothing to learn from the Conservatives when it comes to tax season.

This is the best tax season we have had since 2015. Fully 95% of tax returns are being filed electronically, and people receive their refunds just a few days later.

We are doing excellent work. I want to thank all CRA employees for all the work they did during the pandemic and since the beginning of tax season.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister's answer seems like a promise worthy of Pinocchio. The minister should check if her nose is growing.

Canadians are right to worry about the services being delivered by this government. Many departments are falling behind, and wait times are endless. We are fed up with Liberal incompetence. When will the government take responsibility and send Canadians their tax refunds?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, let me reassure my colleague that I have no problem with my nose. My nose is just fine.

That said, restoring and maintaining a respectful relationship with the public service is an ongoing commitment for our government. We recognize the important role that employees play in delivering—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order.

I apologize for interrupting the minister, but I can barely hear her answer, so I will ask everyone to breathe. Then, we will listen to the minister's answer. I would like to hear everything she says and I am going to ask her to start her intervention from the beginning.

The Minister of National Revenue.

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Gaspésie—Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, I would like to reassure my colleague: My nose is just fine.

Restoring and maintaining a respectful relationship with the public service of Canada is an ongoing commitment for our government. We recognize the important role that employees play in the delivery of services to taxpayers.

We will respect the collective bargaining process and we will not be commenting on negotiations which are in progress.

Democratic Institutions

[René Villemure, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, to paraphrase what Isabelle Hachey said in La Presse this morning, the Trudeau Foundation is a catalogue of friends of the Liberal Party of Canada.

This catalogue is not subject to the legislation governing political party financing. What a great way for a foreign power to contribute to this catalogue of friends of the Liberal Party, when the Liberal Party is in power. That is exactly what China did.

Why does this government refuse to recognize that the only reason the Chinese authorities would donate to the Trudeau Foundation is to curry favour with the Prime Minister?

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

Mr. Speaker, I served as executive director at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. That is a foundation.

For any type of foundation, the rules in Canada are incredibly strict so as to ensure that all foundations are independent and free from any influence. That is the case here.

The foundation that the member opposite attacked is a foundation that provides scholarships to students. It is an independent foundation.

[René Villemure, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we are not about to be lectured on independence.

The connection between the Liberals and the Trudeau Foundation is so obvious that even its alumni are now embarrassed to be associated with it.

It is obvious, given that we know that the foundation was invited to a meeting at the Prime Minister's building. It is obvious, given that we know that the PMO asks about the donations the foundation receives.

It was through this foundation that the Prime Minister found his rapporteur on Chinese interference. Everyone knows that it will be impossible to get to the bottom of this interference when someone from the foundation that itself benefited from said interference is in charge of the investigation. Everyone knows that but the Liberals.

What do they not understand?