House of Commons Hansard #195 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was quebec.

Topics

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Bloc

René Villemure Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister meets with CSIS once a week. If we do not include his vacations and his many foreign missions, we can presume that the Prime Minister was given at least 50 briefings since 2021, when CSIS was informed of the threats against the member for Wellington—Halton Hills. In all those briefing sessions, no one apparently addressed an issue as important as threats against one or more MPs. Come on, that is unbelievable.

Of the fifty or so weekly meetings with CSIS, how many of them addressed the threats made against one or more elected officials?

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Eglinton—Lawrence Ontario

Liberal

Marco Mendicino LiberalMinister of Public Safety

Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister already stated earlier this week, CSIS decides what information it shares with departments and with the Prime Minister. The 2023 budget provides funding for the establishment of a national counter-foreign interference coordinator and for the RCMP. That is how to protect not only democratic institutions, but also all Canadians

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Bloc

Marie-Hélène Gaudreau Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC

Mr. Speaker, when the Prime Minister was notified by CSIS that candidates in his party might be getting support from Chinese authorities, he did nothing and said nothing. When he was notified by CSIS that members of Parliament and their families were victims of threats and intimidation, he did nothing and said nothing.

Can the Prime Minister tell the House with a straight face that if the threats against the member for Wellington—Halton Hills had not been made public, he still would have expelled the Chinese diplomat?

Public SafetyOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Beauséjour New Brunswick

Liberal

Dominic LeBlanc LiberalMinister of Intergovernmental Affairs

Mr. Speaker, we have said many times that we are a government that takes the threat of foreign interference extremely seriously. We have been announcing measures since we formed government, and we have enhanced them. As far as threats against members, senators or parliamentarians are concerned, obviously this is completely unacceptable. We gave a clear directive to the authorities and intelligence agencies to share this intelligence, and we will always follow up as needed.

HousingOral Questions

3 p.m.

Conservative

Eric Duncan Conservative Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Liberals, this is where housing is at in Canada: Housing prices, rent and mortgage payments have all doubled. At a time when we need more housing built, the Liberals' own statistics show they are down 32% in housing starts.

The Liberal response has been that they are spending record amounts of money, and now we know where that money is going. The housing minister signed off on $51 million in performance bonuses for gatekeepers at the CMHC. Can the Liberals explain why they are giving bonuses to housing gatekeepers who are failing by every possible measure?

HousingOral Questions

3 p.m.

York South—Weston Ontario

Liberal

Ahmed Hussen LiberalMinister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows that independent Crown corporations are responsible for the compensation of their staff.

When it comes to the housing supply, we are supporting Canadians struggling with the cost of housing and protecting the dream of home ownership by including things such as a $4-billion housing accelerator fund to speed up the construction of new housing, a federal top-up to the Canada housing benefit to help millions of Canadians, our $40,000 first-time homebuyer tax-free savings account and new guidelines to protect Canadians who already have mortgages.

All of these measures are helping Canadians, and what did the Conservatives do? They voted against each one of them.

HousingOral Questions

3 p.m.

Conservative

Scott Aitchison Conservative Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON

Mr. Speaker, we already know that the Liberals' $80-billion housing plan has only made the crisis worse. In fact, as of a few weeks ago, the CMHC has raised government fees on new rental construction. Countless housing providers have abandoned new projects because of the red tape and endless delays at the CMHC.

We have now learned that every single executive at the CMHC got a fat bonus. Why do the Liberals reward executives who are actively making the crisis worse?

HousingOral Questions

3 p.m.

Beauséjour New Brunswick

Liberal

Dominic LeBlanc LiberalMinister of Intergovernmental Affairs

Mr. Speaker, intergovernmental affairs allows me to work with the mayors of Canada's cities and towns. One thing I can say is that they want a partner who will help them with the housing crises in their communities. That is exactly what our government has done.

I will tell members what we have not done. We have not decided that it would be a successful housing strategy to insult the mayor of Montreal, the mayor of Toronto and the mayor of Vancouver. They want a government that will work with them on the housing crisis. That is what my colleague, the Minister of Housing, is doing, and that is what our government will continue to do.

HousingOral Questions

3 p.m.

Conservative

Scott Aitchison Conservative Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON

Mr. Speaker, maybe the minister should come with me as I criss-cross the country talking to community groups whose members have given up. They come to me in tears because of the disastrous housing policy the government has presented.

They have handed out $26 million in bonuses. How many homes could we build with an extra $26 million?

HousingOral Questions

3 p.m.

York South—Weston Ontario

Liberal

Ahmed Hussen LiberalMinister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion

Mr. Speaker, as we explained our housing plan to the leader of the official opposition, we could see from his face that it was the first time he had heard of the plan. When we launched the housing accelerator fund, that same afternoon, the Conservatives launched a half-baked plan that basically mimicked our plan.

For the last two years, we have been connecting infrastructure to housing. We are working with municipalities to speed up housing supply. We have been helping first-time homebuyers, and we are investing in affordable housing.

The problem is that the Conservatives keep voting against all these measures, and then they get up to talk about how they are talking to communities and want to do something about housing, but when it comes time to take action, they fail every time.

Women and Gender EqualityOral Questions

3 p.m.

Liberal

Anju Dhillon Liberal Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC

Mr. Speaker, abortion is health care. A woman's right to choose is hers and hers alone.

However, as we speak, anti-choice activists are gathering on Parliament Hill in hopes of rolling back our basic rights. Their goal is very clear. They want to impose abortion restrictions on Canadian women.

Can the minister inform the House of what the government is doing to protect a woman's right to choose?

Women and Gender EqualityOral Questions

3 p.m.

Gaspésie—Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine Québec

Liberal

Diane Lebouthillier LiberalMinister of National Revenue

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle for her important question.

We know what happens when right-wing activists team up with anti-choice politicians to try and take away our basic rights. The only possible outcome is restricting women's rights.

Our mothers and grandmothers fought hard for us to have these rights. All women should have freedom of choice and should have access to services.

I have a bit of news for the Conservatives: There is no going back.

The EconomyOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Conservative

Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are out of money, while the Prime Minister is out of touch, and soon he will be out of a job. Why is that? It is because the Liberal government is driving up the cost of living through its inflationary spending and higher taxes.

It used to be that Canadians who worked hard and made the right decisions would get ahead in this country. Unfortunately, more and more Canadians are falling behind. Many low- and middle-income families and Canadians are paying marginal tax rates in excess of 50%, 60% and 70%. As if that was not enough, the Prime Minister is going to add another tax, a new carbon tax, on top of a 41¢-per-litre tax, raising the cost of home heating and food.

Will the Prime Minister finally give Canadians a break and axe both the taxes?

The EconomyOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Edmonton Centre Alberta

Liberal

Randy Boissonnault LiberalMinister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, we have just gone from the sublime to the ridiculous. Why does the hon. member not add 80%, 90% or 100% tax in this fictitious world he lives in?

For heaven's sake, that is absurd in the extreme. I have seen commedia dell’arte in my life, but I have never seen such a farce in the House of Commons.

The EconomyOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

I just want to remind the hon. members, only one question at a time. Members cannot come up with a supplementary while their question is being answered.

The hon. minister has 15 seconds left, if he wants to continue.

The EconomyOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Liberal

Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB

Mr. Speaker, I have nothing to add.

PassportsOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Conservative

John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON

Mr. Speaker, the Battle of Vimy Ridge united Canada as a nation through the service and sacrifice of 3,598 Canadian soldiers. Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope leaves a legacy that lives to this very day for our nation. Nellie McClung pushed our nation forward with more equality and human rights as a suffragette leader.

Instead of honouring the great moments in our country's history, these Liberals are instead focused on man with wheelbarrow and squirrel with nuts.

Why is the Liberal government so intent on erasing Canadian history from our passport?

PassportsOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Burlington Ontario

Liberal

Karina Gould LiberalMinister of Families

Mr. Speaker, this is emblematic of how the Conservatives acted when they were in government. They spent more time on symbols than on action.

When it comes to our veterans, what did they do? They closed nine veterans offices across the country. When it came to cancer, what did they do? They did not make any investments.

What did we do? We invested in the Terry Fox Foundation. When the Terry Fox statue was being desecrated, what did they do? They cheered on the convoy. When it comes to women's rights, what did they do? They campaigned on the Hill and they introduced legislation to make it harder for a woman's right to choose. Give me a break.

PassportsOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

FinanceOral Questions

May 11th, 2023 / 3:05 p.m.

Conservative

Jacques Gourde Conservative Lévis—Lotbinière, QC

Mr. Speaker, there are two worlds, two realities.

On the one hand, we have a princely Prime Minister indulging in luxury holidays at the expense of Canadian taxpayers. On the other hand, we have overtaxed Canadians being forced to tighten their belts in order to pay their rent and bills.

Can the Prime Minister stop having his rich whims paid for by all hard-working Canadians?

FinanceOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Edmonton Centre Alberta

Liberal

Randy Boissonnault LiberalMinister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Liberals showed up at the Standing Committee on Finance to work hard and move forward with support for Canadians.

The Conservatives continue with their misguided plan to filibuster. If the Conservatives are genuinely worried about the cost of living, they can stop the filibuster and work with us to pass the budget implementation bill.

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions

3:05 p.m.

Liberal

Salma Zahid Liberal Scarborough Centre, ON

Mr. Speaker, I have heard concerns from many constituents and members of the Pakistani community in Canada about processing times for temporary resident visas for Pakistani applicants. Currently the IRCC website gives a wait time of 802 days, compared to a few weeks for nearby countries.

I know the Minister of Immigration is personally engaged on this issue. Could he please explain why this number is misleading, and what is really happening with processing times for Pakistan?

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions

3:10 p.m.

Central Nova Nova Scotia

Liberal

Sean Fraser LiberalMinister of Immigration

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for her advocacy on behalf of the Canadian Pakistani community, as well as my other caucus colleagues who recently approached me to discuss this issue.

I have good news. Today an application for a TRV from a Pakistani applicant is expected to take 60 days. We anticipate, very soon, returning to the 30-day standard we enjoyed before the pandemic.

The website shows an extended period because we have gotten through such a significant volume, about 80,000 cases in recent months, that we are now tackling applications that were submitted during the pandemic when travel was not allowed. That is why we see an inflated wait time on the website, but the truth is things have improved dramatically and people should expect timely resolutions to their immigration decisions.

Women and Gender EqualityOral Questions

3:10 p.m.

NDP

Bonita Zarrillo NDP Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC

Mr. Speaker, reproductive health rights are at risk. Generations of women are exhausted by their continued fight to protect and improve access to reproductive health care.

The Liberals claim they are feminists but they have not invested to deliver the health care services women and diverse genders need. In B.C., the NDP government has taken the important step of making prescription contraceptives free. Why will the Liberals not do the work and make this a reality for all Canadians?

Women and Gender EqualityOral Questions

3:10 p.m.

Kanata—Carleton Ontario

Liberal

Jenna Sudds LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth

Mr. Speaker, I am glad my colleague across the way mentioned B.C. because earlier this week we are able to announce a $4.2-million investment to SCI Action Canada Lab and UBC so that they can continue to serve women with vital, reproductive health care and access to abortion. On this side of the House, we will continue to do everything possible to ensure access to reproductive health care.