Debates of Sept. 26th, 2023

Small Business

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, let us be clear and look at the facts. We were here to support businesses during the pandemic. We are now in the post-pandemic period, and we have been very clear about what we are going to do for businesses that used the Canada emergency business account. We will be there to support them. We will also be there to support the people behind the businesses. We were there for entrepreneurs, and we will continue to be there for them.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, nearly 2,000 small businesses in Quebec have already declared bankruptcy in the past year. According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, this is just the beginning. One in five businesses expects to close within the next year. However, the elephant in the room is that 60% of bankruptcies across Canada happen in Quebec, because small business is an economic model there. If the government does not show more flexibility, that entrepreneurial spirit and support for local entrepreneurs is going to suffer.

When will the government wake up instead of pushing our small businesses to the brink of bankruptcy?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, before entering politics, I was an entrepreneur. I know very well what it is like to pay bills and make sure people get paid. I have a lot of empathy for businesses in Quebec, which is why our government has been very clear about the plan for people who have to repay the Canadian emergency business account program. We are going to give them up to three years to repay the loan. We are here to support businesses, and we are here to support entrepreneurs, too. That is our plan, and we will see it through.

Guests in the House of Commons

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, that a member of the Nazi Waffen-SS was even invited to attend an event in the House of Commons is appalling. That he was honoured during the address of the Ukrainian president is an inexcusable failure for the Liberal government. The Waffen-SS committed numerous atrocities in Poland and members of the Polish government have now demanded an apology for this international embarrassment.

This has become a diplomatic disaster, requiring immediate action from the Prime Minister. Will he finally take responsibility, do the right thing and apologize?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite knows full well, it was the Speaker of the House who invited this individual, who chose to recognize him without informing a single member in this House, the government, the Prime Minister or the Ukrainian delegation. This has caused enormous hurt to communities across this country, including Polish Canadians, and for that the Speaker has apologized. He has resigned. That was the right thing to do.

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and his office organized President Zelenskyy's visit, down to the most minute detail. Every moment of the visit was planned, and every guest in the House should have been or was vetted by the Prime Minister's Office, but somehow a member of the Nazi Waffen-SS was not only allowed to attend but also was celebrated on the floor of the House.

The Prime Minister's Office organized the entire event. The Prime Minister's Office vetted the entire guest list, so when will the Prime Minister finally take responsibility, come out of hiding and apologize?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, my Conservative colleague opposite continues to spread false information.

We know the Speaker has admitted it. He has apologized and he has resigned because it was he and he alone who invited this individual and recognized him. The guest list was vetted by the Parliamentary Protective Service, which followed all security protocols. The member opposite knows that the Speaker has a Speaker's gallery to which he invited this individual. No one in the chamber knew ahead of time.

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

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Prime Minister has embarrassed all Canadians, and the indignation is global. His lack of judgment, his negligence, and his incompetence are making news around the world.

The news shames us everywhere. In France, a headline in Le Monde reads, “Unfortunate tribute to a former soldier in a Nazi division during Zelenskyy's visit to Canada”. In the Czech Republic, they are saying that this gives ammunition to the Russians. In Canada, we read that a Nazi veteran was applauded in front of Zelenskyy.

Will the Prime Minister take responsibility for once and apologize for embarrassing all Canadians around the world?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, today, every member of the House has called for the Speaker of the House to resign because everyone recognizes that it was his actions that led to what happened on Friday and he was responsible. This was deeply shameful for us as MPs and as Canadians.

I would once again ask my Conservative colleagues not to politicize this issue and to stick to the facts.

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

Mr. Speaker, what is at stake is Canada's reputation, not the reputation of the Canadian Parliament.

In Finland, they say that the Parliament of Canada committed an embarrassing mistake during a visit by Ukraine's President, when it turned out that the guest of honour once served in Nazi Germany. In the Netherlands they are reporting that a former member of the SS got a standing ovation in Canada's House of Commons. In the United Kingdom, they are saying that the ridiculous Liberals have shamed Canada by honouring a Nazi in Parliament.

The news travelled around the world. The Liberal Prime Minister, who personally invited President Zelenskyy to address the House, is solely and ultimately responsible for this embarrassment and for the damage it caused to the people of Ukraine and to Canada's reputation.

When will the Prime Minister come out of hiding and apologize for this humiliating democratic disaster?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I have already answered this question. Conservative members are aware of the facts.

I would like to ask them once again to stick to the facts and not to say things that are untrue.

Diversity and Inclusion

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, people are seeing a rising tide of organized hate and hate-related violence. This week, a “Whites-only Moms and Tots” poster was put up at a bus stop in my community. The residents of Port Moody, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Anmore and Belcarra are outraged. They want the government to take stronger action against hate in their communities, yet the Liberals are nowhere to be found.

Will the government listen to Canadians and take concrete action to combat all forms of hate, discrimination, racism and violence?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, we too are outraged by what we have recently learned. We take the issue of hate and discrimination in all forms extremely seriously. We are going to continue to work with local communities on how best to take concrete action. Make no mistake: We as a government feel that hate has no place in this country, and we will do everything we can to ensure that communities remain safe.

Pensions

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Danielle Smith and her Conservative government are threatening to take Albertans out of the Canada pension plan. This is a page that comes directly from the Leader of the Conservative Party when he said he would cut the CPP. People need to know that their futures are secure. Of course, we have heard nothing from the Conservative Leader of the Opposition.

Canadians do not want Conservatives risking their pensions. This is not Smith's money. This is not the Conservatives' money. This is Canadians' money.

Will the Prime Minister do everything he can to protect the pensions of Albertans and Canadians from this absurd plan?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, let me and the government be very clear: Canadians, including Albertans, value the Canada pension plan.

Every single Edmontonian and every single Albertan I have spoken to on this issue, including through email in my inbox this very day, says it is about the Government of Alberta keeping its hands off Canadian pensions and making sure they stay under the management of Canada. People have paid into the Canada pension plan; they want it to be there in their retirement. We will do everything in our power to keep the pensions in the hands of Canadians and in the CPP.

Disaster Assistance

[Michael McLeod, Liberal, Northwest Territories, NT]

Mr. Speaker, this year marked Canada's worst wildfire season on record, especially in the Northwest Territories, with three of our four largest communities and nearly 70% of our population evacuated. The $28 million recently announced for the NWT by the Government of Canada is very much appreciated, but along with the real costs of fighting the fires, the evacuation resulted in many businesses having to close down for weeks.

Can the Minister of Northern Affairs please give an update on the government's plan to support businesses in the Northwest Territories as they get back up and running again after the evacuations?

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Minister of Northern Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I first of all would like to thank the member for his incredible work in helping his constituents during an unprecedented wildfire season in the Northwest Territories.

As the member mentioned, the government has been there during the worst of the fires, and will continue to be there as the communities continue to bounce back from the wildfires. As northerners know, small businesses are the backbone of the economy, and I can guarantee the member for Northwest Territories that more support is on its way.

Guests in the House of Commons

[Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Mr. Speaker, What do Global Affairs, the Privy Council, the diplomatic protocol office and the RCMP all have in common? First, they have massive resources to vet visitors in this place. Second, they all report to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is trying to shift the blame to the Liberal Speaker, but it is he and he alone who bears the responsibility for a successful state visit.

The Prime Minister is in Ottawa today. Will he take responsibility today for his international diplomatic disaster and apologize to Canadians and our allies?

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

I want to make a quick comment that the Speaker is just the Speaker. We do not belong to any party when we are in this position.

The hon. government House leader has the floor.

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, this question has been answered several times. The member knows that what she is alleging is not true. The truth of the matter is that it was the Speaker who took these actions. It is why he took responsibility. It is why he resigned. In fact, it is why every member of the House asked for his resignation.

[Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the government House leader lost all credibility when she moved to whitewash the official record and asked all of us to pretend this diplomatic disaster never happened. It did happen. The whole world saw it. It happened under the Prime Minister's watch, and he is refusing to take responsibility.

He is in Ottawa today. Will he do the honourable thing, the right thing, and stand in this place and apologize?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite would know that when egregious acts happen in this place, they are sometimes struck from the record. In fact, when the member from St. Albert read some very inappropriate remarks into the record, they were struck from the record. That is something we took seriously.

The House decided not to do this. Again, had members of the House been aware of what they were doing at that time, I feel very confident no one would have stood and applauded this individual.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is not just the reputation of Parliament that has been sullied; it is the reputation of this country on the world stage. This is not just a parliamentary issue; it is a full-blown diplomatic one. Ian Bremmer of Eurasia Group said yesterday that this was the “worst week for Canadian diplomacy in I can't remember how long.”

Diplomacy is the responsibility of the Government of Canada, so when will the Prime Minister take responsibility for this diplomatic disaster?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I do not think any member of the House disagrees with how horrific what happened on Friday was. In fact, that is why every single member of this place called for the resignation of the Speaker, because he brought shame and embarrassment not only to this Parliament, but also, indeed, to all Canadians. As I have said several times in the House, that is why he has apologized. It is why he has resigned. Now we must move forward, but we recognize the hurt this has caused to communities across this country as well as around the world.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Speaker bears responsibility, but so too does the Prime Minister. It was the Prime Minister and his office who made a decision on short notice to request a joint address for President Zelenskyy on the floor of the House. That decision came with consequences. That decision came with responsibilities. We are witnessing some of these around the world today.

Again, when will the Prime Minister for once take some responsibility for this diplomatic disaster?