Debates of June 16th, 2023

Public Safety

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

Madam Speaker, many people in the House are parents, and I am a father. The—

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Do you have a daughter? What would you do if your daughter were a victim?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax, ON]

Yes, I am the father of a daughter, and they are yelling out to ask about my child.

Madam Speaker, the idea that I would find those crimes anything other than repugnant, and that I or any member of the House would not do everything in their power to ensure public safety, is repulsive. The difference is that we will not mis-characterize information. We will not torque. Saying something that is not true, that a bill that has absolutely no impact on this matter is involved, is politicizing this, and that is something that should not be done.

Canada Post Corporation

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Madam Speaker, post offices are the heart of rural communities. We rely on them to keep in touch with loved ones and to pick up essentials, but consecutive Liberal and Conservative governments have been starving them of resources.

It started with making postmasters find their own facilities. When that fails, the Liberals privatize our mail, destroying union jobs. Shockingly, when privatizing government services does not work out, they just plop in a mailbox and call it a day. What is the minister's plan to stop the privatization scheme, save rural community hubs and save well-paying union jobs?

[Helena Jaczek, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Madam Speaker, as the member opposite knows very well, Canada Post is a crown corporation at arm's length from government. However, of course, ongoing discussions do occur between me and the chair of the board at Canada Post.

As is the case with many other postal carriers around the world, Canada Post is evolving to meet changing customer needs and expectations. There is a top priority in keeping its employees in the communities that it serves, and it will continue to serve Canadians with the service they can rely on.

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Madam Speaker, with all due respect, that answer was not good enough.

The government's policy on postal service is failing rural communities. It is not working in Atlin. It is not working in Telegraph Creek, and it did not work in the 120 communities in rural Canada that lost have their post offices since the government took office in 2015.

Therefore, I would like to give the hon. minister another chance to answer this question: Is she aware of the impact her government's policy is having on rural communities when it comes to post offices? If so, what is she going to do to ensure that not a single additional community loses its post office?

[Helena Jaczek, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Madam Speaker, I suppose I need to reiterate that Canada Post is a crown agency at arm's length from government. However, we do work together to always ensure that the corporation provides the high-quality service that Canadians expect, at a reasonable price, and that reaches Canadians across the country. We will continue to work with Canada Post to ensure that the corporation continues to meet the evolving needs of Canadians, including changes brought on by the pandemic.

Diversity and Inclusion

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Madam Speaker, this month is pride. Just last week, the pride flag was raised on Parliament Hill, showcasing our tremendous support of members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community, who continue to face systemic barriers.

One in four entrepreneurs have faced discrimination or lost their businesses because of their 2SLGBTQI+ ownership. Can the Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development update Canadians on yesterday's historic announcement?

[Mary Ng, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Madam Speaker, the entrepreneurs and businesses of the 2SLGBTQI community contribute tremendously to Canada's economy, contributing $22 billion and employing half a million Canadians, yet they face discrimination. A third lose business because of who they are, and 40% are not able to get access to capital or funding.

Therefore, yesterday I announced $25 million to help these incredible business owners, businesses and entrepreneurs from the 2SLGBTQI community to empower them to grow their businesses across Canada and contribute—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock.

Public Safety

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Madam Speaker, Paul Bernardo is a serial killer and rapist. Vile monsters like him are living more comfortable lives because the Liberals are soft on crime. If they were not, the government would have supported the member for Niagara Falls' motion yesterday to keep mass murderers where they belong, in maximum security.

This minister has yet to explain to Canadians how he could sit on the news of Bernardo's transfer to medium security for three months. When will the Prime Minister find the courage to stand up for the victims of monsters like Bernardo?

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

Madam Speaker, first of all, all of us stand up against monsters like Bernardo. That is why we ran: to keep our communities safe. The principle difference is that we are saying we have to use evidence and make sure we use reasoned, levelled arguments. The Correctional Service has always been independent.

Yesterday there was UC motion. I find this interesting because when I talk to the opposition House leader, he often tells me that we cannot use UC motions to just blow through the process. He complains that they are used in that way, and then they move a massive change that would change how we deal with corrections. They have said that they should not be used that way.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Madam Speaker, three indigenous police services in northern Ontario are out of money because the public safety minister did not bother to renew their contracts. At first I thought it was his staff who did not tell him. However, yesterday that same minister rejected a Conservative motion to keep rapists such as Paul Bernardo where they belong in maximum security.

The minister cannot hide behind his staff any longer. When will the minister stand in the House to explain to the victims of Paul Bernardo why he is okay with this monster having more freedom and comfort?

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

Madam Speaker, I will say to the victims, not just of Paul Bernardo but of anybody who has faced crime, that we will meet the horror and trauma they are faced with with the best evidence to keep them safe and to make sure that we restore to the best condition possible after what they have gone through.

That requires us being reasonable. It requires us not playing politics or attempting to extract partisan gain in dealing with this debate. These are deeply serious crimes, some of the most awful crimes that have ever happened in this country. We cannot and should not play partisan games with them.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Madam Speaker, it was this government that introduced into Bill C-83 section 28, which states that all offenders must be placed in the least restrictive environment for them.

That is why, yesterday, the member for Niagara Falls asked the House to adopt a unanimous motion to repeal this portion of the section and ensure that offenders such as serial rapists are placed in an environment that contains the necessary restrictions. That is simple. We could have taken action.

Yesterday, the Liberals refused. Why?

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

Madam Speaker, Bill C‑83 addressed the issue of solitary confinement. We changed the system to introduce structured intervention units. The Correctional Service of Canada has always had the authority to make such decisions. It is an independent service. It has to be that way.

We were open to the idea of reviewing the situation. As the government House leader just said, we have to study bills the right way.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Madam Speaker, it is so independent that when the Liberals got caught, they requested a process to review the decision by CSC. If it is so independent, then why did they request a review of the process? They found out about it three months ago.

The Prime Minister's Office, his staff, the office of the Minister of Public Safety found out three months ago that Paul Bernardo, that serial rapist, would be transferred to a medium-security institution. That is unacceptable. The victims had the right to know.

Why did they refuse to do the right thing and ensure that Mr. Bernardo was returned—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. Leader of the Government in the House of Commons.

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

Madam Speaker, let me again clearly explain that the choice to transfer a person who is incarcerated is a choice that is made independently by the correctional service. It is essential that Correctional Service Canada operate independently, free from politics.

Now, we are asking Correctional Service Canada to conduct an investigation to determine whether it is possible to change this decision. In two weeks, we will have a response.

Veterans

[Luc Desilets, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Madam Speaker, Veterans Affairs Canada has a backlog of 8,365 disability claims. These 8,365 claims exceed the already long service standard of 16 weeks. The Parliamentary Budget Officer presented the solution in 2020, however. Ottawa needed to hire just 400 permanent employees, but it made half of those positions temporary.

The result is that thousands of veterans are still seeing these unacceptable delays. Will the minister finally hire permanent employees—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. Minister of Veterans Affairs.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence]

Madam Speaker, our government has invested nearly half a million dollars to allow us to hire hundreds of new staff and speed up the process to ensure that veterans receive what they deserve more quickly.

As of last week, the backlog is currently under 6,000, and we have seen a significant decrease of over 70%. However, there is still more work to do, and we will continue to do it.

[Luc Desilets, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Madam Speaker, the Bloc Québécois had to put the pressure on in 2021. It used to take 57 weeks to process initial disability claims for francophones. This number is now down to 29 weeks. That is not bad.

However, the service standard is still the same, which is 16 weeks. That is still well above demand. Behind these numbers are veterans who are suffering, veterans who are waiting, and veterans who feel totally abandoned by the government.

Can the minister say what he is going to do today to speed up claims processing?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence]

Madam Speaker, we have reduced the gap in the wait between francophone and anglophone veterans by 80%. Now, the average French-language application takes about 2.4 weeks longer than an English application, compared with a 15-week gap in 2021.

I agree with my hon. colleague that it is longer than it should be. We are working to make sure that these applications are processed as quickly as every other application. I appreciate my hon. colleague's input and help at the committee to make sure that all veterans receive what they should in an appropriate manner.

Housing

[Scott Aitchison, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Madam Speaker, earlier this year, the Liberals own officials predicted a major decline in new housing construction thanks to inflationary spending, interest rate hikes and labour shortages. They were correct. Yesterday we learned that new housing construction is down 23% from this time last year.

That does not sound like the life-changing housing plan that Canadians were promised by the government, so when will it admit that its borrowing of billions of dollars is actually making the housing crisis worse?