Debates of June 9th, 2023

Finance

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, as I just said, Canada is forecast to have the strongest economic growth among G7 countries this year and next.

One thing my hon. colleague did not mention is the fact that just today, almost 900,000 more Canadians have recovered the jobs they lost during the pandemic. There are 128% more jobs than there were before the pandemic.

Canadians can be confident about their future.

Democratic Institutions

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about Chinese interference, or rather, let us talk about those who are the victims of it, those who the government refuses to talk about. Let us talk about the defenders of democracy from Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Solomon Islands. Let us talk about the Uyghurs and the Tibetans. Their representatives all rallied with the Bloc Québécois to demand a public and independent inquiry into Chinese interference, not because they are picking a side in a partisan dispute, but because they want to protect their community and they feel abandoned by this government.

When will the government stop ignoring their request for a public and independent inquiry?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect all parliamentarians in this place to take the issue of foreign interference extremely seriously. It is not a partisan issue. Part of that is actually doing the work that comes with Mr. Johnston's report. I note that the leader of the Bloc has decided to not actually look at the information that has been provided to him, which is the basis of Mr. Johnston's report.

If opposition members want to criticize the work of Mr. Johnston, they should first look at the documents included.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the situation speaks for itself. No pro-democracy groups and no representatives of the victims of the Chinese regime support the government's initiative. None. The government would know that, had its special rapporteur taken the time to talk to them before publishing his report. They are all calling for a public inquiry led by an independent commissioner with the power to issue a summons. They want the government to finally get to the bottom of things, to deal with Beijing's interference tactics.

When will the government finally listen to them?

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Rural Economic Development]

Mr. Speaker, protecting Canada's democracy is a responsibility that we take extremely seriously. While the opposition is playing politics, we are taking very serious measures.

We want to implement a transparency registry on foreign influence and strengthen oversight mechanisms because the protection of our institutions is our top priority.

Housing

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Bank of Canada's ninth interest rate hike is hitting Quebeckers hard. Someone may have worked very hard for years to be able to realize their dream of purchasing a home and then a few years later is forced to sell it because their monthly payment has increased from $2,300 to $3,780, a 64% increase in one year. That is the harsh reality of families in Quebec and right across the country.

What will the Liberals do to help families that are about to lose their homes?

[Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion (Housing)]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

We all agree that Canadians are grappling with higher rent prices and that times are tough when it comes to housing.

The federal government has put in place a national housing strategy as well as programs for municipalities, because everyone must be at the table to make decisions.

In budget 2023, we also proposed measures and guidelines to protect Canadians who took out mortgages in exceptional circumstances.

Employment Insurance

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, every time the Bank of Canada raises the interest rates, workers pay the price. While bosses and CEOs cashed in on their quarterly profits, Canadians lost 17,000 jobs in one month alone. To Liberals and Conservatives, economic recovery just looks like somebody else's unemployment, but for everyday people, it looks like economic punishment.

At a time when there is deep despair, why does the Liberal government refuse to fix unemployment insurance while so many Canadians continue to lose their jobs?

[Irek Kusmierczyk, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's economy remains strong. We have experienced the strongest economic growth in the G7 over the last year. Our unemployment rate remains low, at 5.2%. We have recovered 128% of the jobs lost since the start of the pandemic. However, we are also working hard to make sure that we are looking after all workers, including those who have lost their jobs. We are making record investments in skills training and affordable housing. We are partnering with labour and industry on generational investment in the VW plant in St. Thomas and the Stellantis plant in Windsor, and we are modernizing the EI system to make sure that it is there for all workers when they need it.

Democratic Institutions

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in a growing conflict of interest, the Prime Minister's rapporteur and one of the people he was supposed to be investigating were paying the same firm for advice. That person, of course, is the former Liberal member for Don Valley North. He left the Liberal caucus amid a foreign interference scandal, and Johnston did not even interview him. Canadians do not trust this process, and they cannot believe Johnston's report.

Will the Prime Minister finally call a public inquiry as, the House has called on him to do three times?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately what we see is another Conservative taking a page out of the Trump playbook, where it is just personal attacks when they do not like the outcome. The Conservatives made the conclusion prior to Mr. Johnston's report. They were never going to accept it. They are pretending now that it is the process they are upset about, when it is all partisan games.

On this side of the House, we take the importance of our democratic institutions seriously. That is why we appointed someone with Mr. Johnston's credibility to this position.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, if they took democratic institutions seriously, they would respect the will of the democratically elected people in this House, who voted three times for a public inquiry. Instead, they wanted a Liberal solution to a Liberal problem. That is why they appointed a member of the Trudeau Foundation, who then hired some Liberals to help him out. When he thought he was in a conflict of interest, he asked another member of the Trudeau Foundation to say that he was not. Now we learn, of course, that he and the person he was supposed to be investigating were both getting advice from the same firm.

It is levels of conflict of interest with the Liberals. Canadians have had enough. A majority of them want a public inquiry. Will the Prime Minister finally call one today?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, once again, Canadians can see on full display that the Conservatives are not serious about foreign interference. What they would rather do is just make personal attacks.

Another proof point of this is the fact that we had David Johnston at PROC for over three hours, and in their precious questioning time, the Conservatives did not ask a single foreign interference question in over 15 minutes' worth of time. Instead, they went for personal attacks. To them, foreign interference is a partisan game, but to Canadians, it is serious business.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Mr. Speaker, for the Prime Minister's loyal rapporteur, it is conflict after conflict. He hired the crisis management firm Navigator. This was the same firm hired by the member for Don Valley North, who happened to be the subject of the rapporteur's investigation. The rapporteur conveniently exonerated the member without even interviewing him. This conflict goes to the heart of the rapporteur's questionable conclusions. His report has no credibility. He needs to go.

When will the Prime Minister fire him and finally call an independent public inquiry?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, once again the Conservatives question Mr. Johnston's report, yet their leader—

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

We will hold on while things quiet down.

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Pickering—Uxbridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, they are cheering the fact that they live under a veil of ignorance and they are proud to do so. They question Mr. Johnston's report, even though their own leader has said he refuses to read the information it was based on.

If Canadians want to see somebody who is serious about foreign interference in the House, they should not look to the Conservatives, because all we hear is personal attacks in question after question.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Mr. Speaker, enough is enough. The conflicts are everywhere. The rapporteur is a family friend of the Prime Minister. He is a member of the Beijing-financed and compromised Trudeau Foundation. He hired a team of Liberals to draft and defend the conclusions of his report, and now this.

How many conflicts with this rapporteur is the Prime Minister willing to ignore? When will he fire him and finally call an independent public inquiry?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, what I find highly suspicious is the fact that the members opposite sit and make nothing but personal attacks while offering no solutions, no suggestions, on how to actually strengthen our democratic institutions.

The Conservatives have nothing more than conspiracy theories and personal attacks, just like the Trump administration did. On this side of the House, we take these issues seriously, because that is what Canadians expect.

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

Mr. Speaker, in the scandal of Beijing's interference in our democracy, we saw it all this week. First, the loyal Liberal rapporteur said that he saw no conflict of interest between his role and the fact that he is a close friend of the Trudeau family and a member of the Trudeau Foundation, that he has sought advice from another friend of the Trudeau Foundation, and the list goes on.

Then we heard the special rapporteur say he had omitted important facts and witnesses from his report. Yesterday, we learned that the loyal rapporteur and a Liberal MP who was a subject of his investigation had hired the same crisis management firm.

How can the Liberal members blindly follow the Prime Minister in yet another conflict of interest? When are they going to fire the special rapporteur?

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Rural Economic Development]

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about the special rapporteur. I have a quote here from the Conservative leader, who said, “we are dealing with a very credible individual and I think that history bears little relevance to the fact that he has a very distinguished career”.

At some point, the Conservatives decided to turn this into a political game. They could simply accept the briefing they have been offered and learn all the details of the situation.

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

Mr. Speaker, since then, he has gotten caught in the Prime Minister's trap.

Sacha Trudeau, Sheila Block, Valérie Gervais, Don Guy, Pierre-Elliott Trudeau, David Johnston, Frank Iacobucci, Morris Rosenberg, the MP for Don Valley North and a crisis management firm, all these people or organizations have connections to the Prime Minister.

The problem is that they are all key actors in the play being staged by the Prime Minister in order to avoid launching an independent public inquiry into Beijing's interference. No one believes in Mr. Johnston's independence any more.

When will the Prime Minister do the right thing, fire his friend Johnston and launch a real independent public inquiry?

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Rural Economic Development]

Mr. Speaker, once again, my colleague wants to play politics. Protecting Canadian democracy is a responsibility we take very seriously. While the Conservatives focus on playing political games, we are taking strong action.

The person in question is highly qualified. Frankly, I have not heard anyone in my constituency tell me that he is not credible. We are working with someone who is reliable. He knows about foreign interference, he is the one we will be working with, and we will do good work.

Labour

[Louise Chabot, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after nine months of lockout at the Port of Quebec, employees have just received their first offer from management. It was rejected by 98% of membership. How is that possible?

It is simple. At the federal level, the employer does not need to negotiate. It hires strikebreakers. It replaces workers with scabs, like in 1920. The federal government is responsible for stalling this dispute with its antiquated labour laws.

When will it finally join the 21st century and prohibit the use of strikebreakers?

[Terry Sheehan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, the government has done more for Canadian workers than any government in the past did.

We are continuing to support workers and the bargaining process, both the employers and the workers, and we are on track to ban replacement workers by the end of this year. It is part of the budget, and we are on track to do it.