Debates of May 8th, 2023

Democratic Institutions

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

Mr. Speaker, that is not what the resolution said.

Last week, the Prime Minister blamed CSIS for failing to inform the member for Wellington—Halton Hills that he was the target of threats from China. That is false. CSIS warned the Prime Minister's Office as early as 2021. The top security adviser to the Prime Minister confirmed this to the member. Why is this important? It is important because, once again, when it comes to Chinese interference, the Prime Minister is telling the opposite of the truth. What he has been saying since day one flies in the face of the truth. He has no credibility to get to the bottom of this.

When will there be an independent public inquiry?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague is well aware, we appointed an independent special rapporteur, the Right Hon. David Johnston. He is working on this as we speak. He has been reviewing all of the issues presented by the intelligence agencies for several weeks now. He has full and free access to the necessary information. We look forward to hearing his recommendations before the end of May. They will be precisely what my colleague's question is all about.

Firearms

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, one of the mass casualty commission's recommendations directly reflects the Liberal ban on firearms, Bill C-21. This bill would add firearms without consultation, and even use this tragedy to its advantage. The opposition was fierce; however, a revamped version has reared its ugly head. What we know clearly is that the monster from this tragic event was not a legal gun owner, and nor were his guns legal. In a recent op-ed, the authors state that the focus should be on securing the border, providing mental health support and diverting at-risk youth from gangs.

When will the Prime Minister start addressing violent repeat offenders and stop attacking grandpas who own a hunting rifle?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, respectfully, that is exactly what the government is doing. Last week, I was very proud to see that members of our caucus had put forward amendments to Bill C-21 that would strengthen the national ban that the government put into place on AR-15 style firearms, which have absolutely no legitimate recreational purpose in any of our communities. It is only the Conservatives who continue to put forward policies that amount to legalizing AR-15 style firearms. That is the wrong path. They need to get behind Bill C-21 so we can save lives.

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP-Liberals are at it again. The minister wants to talk about saving lives, but, under his watch, we have seen a violent wave of crime across the country. The Liberals have failed to fix the broken bail system. They are failing to address violent repeat offenders. What they are doing is bringing forward a confiscation plan that would only hurt hunters and sport shooters. In fact, I received a text this morning from Chief Rudy Turtle, a former NDP candidate, who told me that he is against any gun law that would impact their traditional practices.

When is the coalition finally going to target criminals and not—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. Minister of Public Safety.

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, there they go again; Conservatives are trying to stoke fear. If my colleague had actually read the amendments that are part of Bill C-21, he would have seen that we included a non-derogation clause specifically for indigenous persons, but he did not read them. Instead, the Conservatives are just filibustering. They are about their record of putting cuts to police budgets. They are about weakening our borders.

On this side of the House, we are going to keep our communities safe by strengthening our borders, by putting more resources into law enforcement and by passing strong gun control laws.

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

Mr. Speaker, every time a criminal uses a firearm in the commission of a crime, it costs society half a million dollars. A study published by Yanick Charette, a criminology professor at Laval University, states that the most expensive crime is homicide, costing an average of $10 million per murder committed with an illegal firearm. Instead of addressing the source of this problem, the great Liberal-NPD-Bloc Québécois coalition would rather spend billions more on buying up legally owned guns from harmless hunters.

When are we going to stop the partisan games and actually work for public safety?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives are out there with their tough talk, yet they did not take any real action during their time at the head of the previous government. Our government is making investments to support policing. This morning in the Peel region, my colleagues and I announced another $390-million investment to protect our communities.

The Conservatives are the ones who cut police budgets. Our government will continue to support the good work of police services.

Labour

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, public servants from the Canada Revenue Agency work hard to provide important services to Canadians. The Government of Canada believes in the collective bargaining process. The best deals are always the ones that are reached at the table.

Could the Minister of National Revenue update the House on the agreement in principle?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

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

After many weeks of hard work, the Canada Revenue Agency reached an agreement in principle with the taxation employees' union. We appreciate Canadians' patience and understanding during this time.

The best deals are reached at the bargaining table. These deals are fair, competitive and reasonable, and we are deeply grateful for the public servants who work hard to serve Canadians.

Finance

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are fed up with the insulting cost of the Prime Minister's joyrides and the luxury vacations he takes at the taxpayers' expense while everyone else is struggling to pay their bills.

Could the Prime Minister stop living it up and lead by example by not recklessly spending Canadian taxpayers' hard-earned money?

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

Mr. Speaker, yes, the Prime Minister took a vacation with his family at Christmas. Is the opposition member's position that it is unacceptable for the Prime Minister to take a vacation at Christmas with his family? Is that the position of the member across the way?

The vast majority of the cost was for security. Does the member think that the Prime Minister does not need security?

The Economy

[Terry Dowdall, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Mr. Speaker, inflation remains at a 40-year high, and gas prices are unaffordable and intentionally being made worse. Under the government, housing costs have doubled. Seniors are having to sell their home just to get by. Canadians struggle, while the Prime Minister continues his jet-setting ways, with a couple of days in New York with some celebrities and a week in Jamaica with a Trudeau Foundation donor. It is a good life for anyone who does not have a country to run.

When is the Prime Minister going to stop his wannabe celebrity ways and get serious about the affordability crisis?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives continue to talk down the Canadian economy, but the reality is that Canada is the best country in the world and is coping better with the challenging global economic environment than any country anywhere on the planet. Our economy grew by 2.5% in the first quarter. Last month, we added 41,000 jobs. That means we have added 900,000 jobs since the pandemic, with 129% of the jobs recovered in Canada, compared to 115% in the U.S.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal government, Canadians are now desperate. Many are struggling to decide which bill to pay first. The government has driven up the cost of living, making everything more expensive. Vacations are simply out of the question for most Canadians, yet the Prime Minister spends enormous amounts in taxpayers' dollars taking luxurious foreign vacations.

Here is a novel idea: Would the Prime Minister consider staying home to actually help Canadians?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, what Canadians are desperate about is the gloom and doom and the talking down of Canada and the Canadian economy that they are relentlessly hearing from the grouchy members opposite.

[An hon. member]

Oh, oh!

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

The reality is that Canada is a fantastic country and Canada is doing really well. Inflation in March was 4.3%. It has been going down for nine consecutive months, and the Bank of Canada is forecasting that it will be at 3% in the summer and below 3% by the end of the year. Canada is recovering remarkably.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I just want to remind the hon. members that we are in Parliament, and calling each other names really does not help the argument on either side.

The hon. member for Calgary Skyview.

Emergency Preparedness

[George Chahal, Liberal, Calgary Skyview, AB]

Mr. Speaker, over 100 wildfires are burning in Alberta right now, threatening communities and forcing nearly 30,000 people from their homes. The situation has become so severe that the provincial government has declared a province-wide state of local emergency. While we are expecting more favourable conditions over the next few days, this will likely continue to be a major crisis.

Can the minister update the House on the government's conversations with Alberta and what is being done to help those affected?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me thank my hon. colleague, the member for Calgary Skyview, for his question on behalf of the people of Alberta. If I may, I would like to express my gratitude to the firefighters, first responders, emergency management individuals and indigenous leadership right across Alberta.

Canadians are there for each other. We have been working very closely with the Province of Alberta throughout this event. This afternoon, we received a formal request for assistance, and we have been working all weekend to identify the appropriate resources.

If I may, I would also like to point out that this week is Emergency Preparedness Week, and we urge all Canadians to know their risks and be prepared.

Indigenous Affairs

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the human rights tribunal ordered the government to ensure that indigenous children are given access to care and services they deserve in a timely manner, upholding Jordan's principle.

However, the government is evading that obligation by simply refusing to pay. We have had child therapists and speech pathologists who have been pushed to the point of bankruptcy because the government refused to pay the bill. The backlog in one of the latest cases is $450,000 of deadbeat non-payments. These are children's lives that we are talking about.

Why is the government ignoring its legal obligations under Jordan's principle?

[Jaime Battiste, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Mr. Speaker, this question is a really important one. Jordan's principle continues to offer important services all across Canada, but it is important for us to focus on the investments that we are making for children across Canada. That is why I am really happy to talk about the $43-billion indigenous settlement, the largest that we have had, to make sure that we are getting it right when it comes to children moving forward.

I continue to want to work with the member opposite to make sure that we are not only supporting Jordan's principle but also supporting the children of indigenous communities all across Canada.

Electoral Reform

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this weekend, Liberals overwhelmingly supported a policy motion that is very similar to and consistent with Motion No. 76, put forward by my colleague, the hon. member for Kitchener Centre. This is extremely positive news, but the Prime Minister is quoted as saying that it would, despite the support of his party, never be a priority for the Prime Minister, because, he says, “The fact is, there is no consensus”.

This motion calls for a national, non-partisan citizens' assembly to find that consensus.

Is “consensus” defined by the Prime Minister as including himself, and otherwise, there is no consensus?