Debates of April 26th, 2023

Labour

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, all he has delivered is a bureaucracy that costs $20 billion more per year. That is $1,300 per Canadian family, a 50% increase, and for what? It is for immigration services not being delivered, for veterans who cannot get answers to their requests, and now for taxpayers who will not be able to get answers to their tax questions before the filing deadline on Monday.

Given that Canadian taxpayers are not getting the services they pay for, is it time for them to go on strike as well?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we will take no lessons from the Conservative Party of Canada. Its approach on services to Canadians was to close Veterans Affairs offices; cut services to women; fight with the unions, including with legislation that was anti-union, like Bill C-525 and Bill C-377, which the member voted in favour of; or, furthermore, continue to make cuts across the board.

We have stepped up to support Canadians. Our public servants stepped up to help Canadians through the pandemic, and now we are in negotiations to make sure we get the right deal for them and the right deal for Canadians.

Ethics

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, this guy is so out of touch. Here we have 150,000 people on strike and the biggest federal strike in Canadian history. Canadians cannot get their services. Their housing costs have doubled, and crime is ravaging our streets. What is he going to do today?

Well, “Start spreading the news, [he's] leaving today. [He] wants to be a part of it, New York, New York—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I remind hon. members that singing is not allowed. Whether it is good or bad, it is not allowed.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, these are small-time blues. They are melting away. I will make a new start of it in old New York.

I cannot sing very well, but at least I pay for my hotel rooms.

Will he pay for his hotel costs when he goes to New York tonight?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, over the past number of years, we have spent time across the world promoting Canada and Canadian workers. We have been talking about the leadership on environmental responsibility, the reconciliation with indigenous—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I am going to have to interrupt the right hon. Prime Minister.

The Leader of the Opposition has everyone excited. I just want everybody to calm down, take a deep breath and listen to the answer.

The right hon. Prime Minister from the top, so we can all hear the answer.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, over the past number of years, as Canadians know, we have been talking about what we are doing here in Canada. We have been singing the praises, quite literally, of Canadian workers, of Canadian companies and of Canadian know-how. We do this as we lead the fight against climate change, step up on indigenous reconciliation and invest in the middle class, with such measures as dental care and cuts to middle-class taxes, which the Conservatives voted against.

That has led to Volkswagen, Michelin and other companies investing in Canada because they see what we are doing. We will continue to promote Canada and Canadian workers right across the country.

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

Mr. Speaker, please forbid members from singing.

Moving on, I have some big news: The Prime Minister has had no direct or indirect contact with the Trudeau Foundation for 10 years. Remind me not to go to his Christmas party, because I am guessing that it must be fairly tense.

We now know that five deputy ministers were recruited to go to the Prime Minister's office to talk to the Trudeau Foundation. He must have been at least a little bit curious. Ignorance is not a virtue for a prime minister. What was decided at that meeting?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as we have said before in the House, neither I nor my staff were present at that meeting. It was a meeting that took place with public servants in a building where public servants work.

The member opposite may not understand that, after a decade of the Harper government, the lines were blurred between the government and the public service and the Prime Minister's Office. However, we are keeping them separate, and we will continue to do the work that Canadians expect us to do.

Democratic Institutions

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

Mr. Speaker, we have a Prime Minister who boasts about his ignorance. What are things coming to?

Let us say that we pretend to believe him because he is becoming more and more convincing in the role of an ignoramus. The fact that he wants to remain ignorant is another problem, as is the fact that he does not ask any questions. This just goes to show that he cannot participate in the decision on who will chair the much-needed commission of inquiry into Chinese interference in Canada.

Does the House not agree?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I would like to remind members that there is a fine line between insulting someone and commenting on the situation they are in. I would like members to pay attention to what they are saying.

I know that the members of the House are very competent and that they speak eloquently, so I just want to remind them not to insult people.

The right hon. Prime Minister.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are all well aware of how the Bloc Québécois feels about Canadian institutions, but the reality is that these unfounded attacks on the integrity of a man like David Johnston, our former governor general, are not befitting of this place. He is a man who put his heart and soul into serving this country. He has always demonstrated a great deal of integrity. That is why he is the right person to be an independent expert to look into this important issue of foreign interference.

Labour

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, with each day of this strike, the government's mask is slipping, and what it reveals is not pretty. What the workers want is simple. They want salaries that keep up with inflation. However, this government is not addressing the workers' needs. Will the prime minister wake up, give his minister a push, do his job and offer these workers a fair contract?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I must admit that I am a little perplexed to have to explain to a member of the NDP how union negotiations work. It has indeed been eight days. There are challenges at the bargaining table, but everyone is constructively and productively engaged in the process. In fact, the government's negotiators have just put an offer on the table that aligns with a third-party expert's recommendations. This offer provides a solid basis for moving forward. The talks are advancing. This is the way things work when unions are respected.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, if the Prime Minister were serious about respecting these workers, he would not be jetting off to New York at a time when we have the biggest strike in our country's history. That does not show respect for workers.

Workers are not buying it. We are not buying it. If the Prime Minister were serious about this, he could show some leadership and certainly not allow the minister who put us in this mess to continue to do this work.

Will the Prime Minister accept that this is serious, that it requires the full attention of government and that he has to get serious about getting a contract for these workers now?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I do find it a little odd that I am having to explain to a member of the NDP how collective bargaining works. Sometimes it takes time, and the work is being done constructively at the negotiation table. This includes the fact that we put forward, just yesterday, an offer that aligns exactly with the recommendations of a third party expert on this issue. This is the basis for a good deal moving forward that will respect our public servants while being fair for taxpayers.

That is what we are going to continue to work on.

Carbon Pricing

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister cannot believe he is having to explain something to the leader of the NDP. Talking down to a member of his own coalition government just demonstrates how arrogant and out of touch this Prime Minister has become.

Today, for example, he will hop on his private jet and fly off on vacation to hang out with the stars and give self-important and self-indulgent speeches at Canadian taxpayers' expense. He will do this while he is putting in place a 41¢-a-litre carbon tax that will cost the average family $1,500 more.

Why does he not axe the trip and axe the tax?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, $976 is what an average family of four in that member's riding will be getting this year with the climate action incentive. That is because we are not only moving forward with a price on pollution that helps fight climate change but also giving money back to average families in jurisdictions where it applies. Across the country, this will leave eight out of 10 of them better off. This is how we fight climate change and support families while drawing in global investments like those from Michelin, Volkswagen and others that want to be part of Canadian workers' successes.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, when he said $900-and-something, I thought for a moment that this was the price of his New York hotel room. Then I thought, “No, that cannot be true. It will be in the thousands.”

He is spreading disinformation again. He promised he was going to censor misinformation. Why does he not censor himself?

We can look at the information coming from the Parliamentary Budget Officer that he appointed. This demonstrates that the average Canadian will spend at least $1,500 more in taxes than they get back in rebates. The Liberals call this report a prop. It is from the Parliamentary Budget Officer that they appointed. They are called facts.

Will he finally listen to them?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I feel that I am explaining a lot today. If you are reading from something, as I am right now, it is a resource. If I hold it up like this, it is a prop. Nobody wants to hold up a prop.

The Right Hon. Prime Minister.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I can tell you he was not reading from the PBO report. The PBO has actually decried the fact that the report is being deliberately misinterpreted by the Conservatives. The reality is that eight out of 10 families in jurisdictions where the price on pollution applies do better with this price on pollution. The report is very clear about this.

What the Leader of the Opposition does not want to talk about is the fact that having no plan, which he does not, to fight climate change is not going to create jobs for Canadians, create growth for the economy or leave Canadians better off in the coming years.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, it is now clear why he wants to censor the Internet. He does not want Canadians to go and find out which of us is telling the truth. It would be very easy for them.

I encourage them to google “A Distributional Analysis of the Federal Fuel Charge under the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan” and go to page 3. Anyone watching can google it now and see that the Prime Minister is deliberately misinforming the House of Commons. He is stating that Canadians will be better off, when clearly the average household will pay $1,500 more in taxes than they get back.

Would the Prime Minister like me to have one of the pages send this document over so he can read it?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative opposition still chooses to—