Debates of Sept. 29th, 2023

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Madam Speaker, fall is upon us, and in my rural Manitoba riding, farmers are wrapping up harvest with most crops safely in the bin. The fall calf run has started with roundup under way on our ranches. Commercial fishers are busy landing their catch on Lake Winnipeg.

This should be a time of Thanksgiving, but sadly, Canadian farm, ranch and commercial fishing families are being overtaxed and over-regulated by the NDP-Liberal government. This costly coalition is quadrupling the carbon tax, making it more expensive every time hard-working families fuel up their tractors, combines, trucks and boats.

These misinformed Liberals have unilaterally implemented draconian trucking and fertilizer regulations, which will lower farm productivity and increase food insecurity. When we tax the people who grow the food and tax the people who truck the food, it costs us more to buy the food.

After eight long years, Canadians cannot afford this Liberal mismanagement anymore, but better times are ahead. Soon there will be great Thanksgiving and celebration across the land when we get rid of these out-of-touch Liberals and replace them with a common sense Conservative government, which would put Canadians first.

Offshore Renewable Energy Sector

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

Madam Speaker, I stand today in the House to strongly encourage my Conservative colleagues to support Bill C-49, an important bill for Nova Scotia's future. The proposed amendments in the Atlantic accord would create a framework for the offshore renewable energy sector under the act for the province of Nova Scotia.

With an estimated $1 trillion to be invested in the sector globally by 2040, it is crucial that Canada position itself to attract investment and become world leaders in clean energy. Despite having the longest coastline and best wind speed in the world, Canada does not have one commissioned offshore wind project to show today.

Passing Bill C-49 would go a long way towards meeting our emission targets and decarbonizing the power grid, and it would bring great jobs to Nova Scotians.

Truth and Reconciliation

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Madam Speaker, to kill the Indian in the child was the goal of Canada's horrific residential schools. It was a brutal policy, made in this place, which stole thousands of children, including my kokum Christina, and subjected them to cruel torture and neglect, which has resulted in serious trauma and death.

Intergenerational trauma haunts families of residential school survivors today, and it is up to all of us to stand with them, acknowledge our inheritance and ensure we end this ongoing genocide. Survivors have come forward and have done the impossible. They have told their stories, reopened wounds and shared with us solutions manifested in the 94 TRC calls to action. To date, we have only accomplished 13 of those calls to action. At this rate, it will take us until 2065 to accomplish all of them.

Let us not repeat the mistakes of the past. Let us act diligently and fulfill our country's promise of truth and reparations. Then, and only then, will we have reconciliation.

Francophone Community in Kingston

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Madam Speaker, I rise today to draw attention to the magnificent new building that opened this fall and that will serve Kingston's francophone community.

On September 13, a grand opening ceremony was held for the building that will be home to Kingston's two French-language high schools, École secondaire publique Mille-Îles and École secondaire catholique Sainte-Marie-Rivier.

The two schools have roughly 500 students, and their shared space showcases French-language education in Kingston. The new facilities unite our region's francophone and francophile community, providing an inclusive space to celebrate French-language education, arts and culture.

Congratulations and best wishes for a successful first year in these new facilities.

Baseball in Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound

[Alex Ruff, Conservative, Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON]

Madam Speaker, this past summer, there was some real talent on the baseball diamonds in Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound. Two softball teams from my home town in Tara, Ontario, were crowned Canadian champions.

The under-17 Tara Twins took the Canadian Fast Pitch Championship tournament in Fredericton, New Brunswick by storm, winning the gold medal against the Plattsville Lightning. The under-15 Tara Longhorns headed to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, for their Canadian championships, where they defeated the Newfoundland Selects to bring the gold medal back home to Tara too.

Tara was also honoured to host the under-13 Ontario Amateur Softball Association provincial championship. It was great to see so many keen baseball players from across Ontario make it out to our booming town. With all the visitors, I am sure we even cracked 1,000 people that weekend.

Finally, I want to take the time to thank all of the coaches, parents and volunteers who were involved in putting together a successful season for the Twins, the Longhorns and all the other local sports teams. Their efforts and tireless dedication to youth sports are critical in ensuring our youth live healthy and active lifestyles.

Once again, I send my congratulations. Play ball.

Youth Employment

[Lisa Hepfner, Liberal, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise for the first time in the House as the parliamentary secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth.

Our government does great work empowering our next generation of leaders through programs such as Canada summer jobs, youth employment and skills and Canada Service Corps.

Like many MPs, I spent this summer touring organizations and small businesses, meeting participants and hearing about how many young people fruitfully employed in Hamilton Mountain today started their careers as summer students through federal programs in years past.

In my consistency office, our summer leadership program participant Sarphina organized more than 30 engaged students to form a Hamilton Mountain constituency youth council, which is working on a project to benefit the whole community.

It is not just our youth who need these programs for a good start in life. The benefit is mutual. When young people apply their energy, ideas and diverse skills to our businesses and organizations, our collective future is brighter.

Youth in Policing

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Whitby, ON]

Madam Speaker, I would like to start by taking this opportunity to recognize and appreciate our new police chief in Durham region, Peter Moreira.

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to attend the Durham Regional Police Service's youth in policing program graduation ceremony, where they recognized the remarkable achievements of 85 young graduates. Members should have seen it. This diverse group of youth and their families from across Durham region were beaming with pride and overflowing with self expression after a challenging eight-week program where the youth overcame much, learned essential life skills and demonstrated leadership through organizing projects that contributed positively to our community. These projects included organizing a youth soccer tournament, hosting a youth forum and raising over $10,000 for the Hearth Place Cancer Support Centre.

I invite all members of the House to join me in sending the heartiest congratulations to the graduates on their achievements and letting them know that we anticipate truly great things from them in the future.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

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

Madam Speaker, September 30 marks the day put aside to remember the tragedies of the residential school system, the unjust colonial practices of Canada's past, and the trauma and lost opportunities of generations of indigenous peoples. It is crucial to understand that reconciliation is a path, a process that requires our sustained commitment and dedication. It begins with acknowledging the truth and the pain inflicted upon indigenous peoples, and it continues with meaningful actions that address the ongoing disparities and inequities indigenous peoples have faced for far too long.

To truly honour the spirit of reconciliation, we must address this by creating equitable opportunities for indigenous peoples in areas such as employment, education, entrepreneurship and resource sharing. It means dismantling the barriers that have hindered economic progress for indigenous communities and empowering them to shape their economic futures.

Let us commit to indigenous self-determination and prosperity, and to a more just and equitable future to remember the past, honour their survivors and commit ourselves to a future where reconciliation is not just a dream, but a reality for all.

Public Safety

[Terry Sheehan, Liberal, Sault Ste. Marie, ON]

Madam Speaker, public safety is an issue that is important to each and every member of the House and one which I have heard about from my constituents. This is why I am proud that our government is implementing reforms to the bail system that would help keep repeat offenders off of the street.

Bill C-48, which passed the House last week and is moving swiftly through the Senate, creates a reverse onus for repeat offenders and those accused of crimes with a firearm and a knife.

It examines the onus on those accused of intimate partner violence and requires the courts to consider whether an accused person has a history of convictions involving violence when making a bail order. This bill was crafted responsibly, with input from all relevant stakeholders, and has the supports of provincial and territorial leaders.

It sends a strong message that judges ought to seriously consider the public safety risks posed by repeat offenders at the bail stage.

This bill is just one of a suite of measures that our government has introduced to protect the public from violent offenders and to ensure the people of the Sault and all across this country are safe on the streets.

Carbon Tax

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

Madam Speaker, Quebeckers have seen how acrimonious the leader of the Bloc Québécois has been over the past few days. He has been using words like “crook”, “cockroach” and “knock-off lobbyist” more and more regularly to describe those who do not think like him. The leader of the Bloc Québécois is clearly at war, but he is not at war against the Conservatives. He is at war against Quebeckers who do not want to pay more at the pump.

Yesterday, we moved a motion to do away with the carbon tax hikes in order to leave more money in the pockets of young Quebeckers who are living from paycheque to paycheque. Every dollar paid in tax at the pump is a dollar less to buy groceries, and yet all of the Bloc members agree with a tax hike on gas. What is worse, the Bloc member for Longueuil—Saint-Hubert is calling for a drastic hike.

I will close with a quote from a speech that the Conservative leader gave in Quebec City. He said, and I quote:

I have a message for you gentlemen [the Liberal Prime Minister and the leader of the Bloc Québécois]. People in the regions, particularly farmers, need their trucks and fuel every day.

You do not have the right to take money out of their pockets again.

I am going to abolish the [Bloc-Liberal] tax to bring prices down and put an end to the war on cars. That is common sense.

Freedom

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Madam Speaker, Canadians are fed up with the woke NDP-Liberal policies that censor Canadians and attack their basic freedoms. Whether it is the freedom to dream of a vibrant future, the freedom to watch the YouTube channel they wish to, or the freedom to access news online, the current federal government has exercised an inordinate amount of autocratic power for the last eight years.

However, I am encouraged by the growing number of Canadians who are dreaming of a better and more vibrant future, a future that only freedom can deliver. Imagine what Canada would look like if the Canadian people were put before government, if attacks on personal liberties were relinquished and if hard-working people were freed up to earn powerful paycheques that would buy affordable gas, groceries and homes.

This is the type of Canada we can create, and we can do so by generating opportunity for each and every person to reach their greatest potential. It is time to bring home freedom.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Madam Speaker, September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Tomorrow, we will gather on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe Nation to commemorate the immense significance of this day, as we come together to remember, to reflect and to take collective action.

To be clear, this is not a one-day conversation. It is a call to become lifelong learners, constantly striving to understand a painful history and its ongoing impacts. This day is a time to dive deeper into the complex relationship between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples. It is an opportunity to learn, show empathy and grow together.

Today, tomorrow and every day, let us take a moment to reflect on the resilience of indigenous communities. Let us commit to standing by their side as we work together to create a better future. Change begins with each of us. Together, we can honour the strength and spirit of indigenous communities by working to create a Canada where reconciliation is more than a word, it is a reality.

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Madam Speaker, this Saturday, September 30, is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

In my community, on the homelands of the Lekwungen people, the Songhees and Esquimalt nations, the second annual South Island Powwow will be taking place at Royal Athletic Park. The Songhees Nation is partnering with the City of Victoria to host this event to honour survivors and their families and to celebrate traditional indigenous culture through song and dance.

First nations far and wide will be joining the Songhees Nation to celebrate in its time-honoured powwow. Last year’s powwow brought over 10,000 people to witness, participate and stand together on Orange Shirt Day. Eddy Charlie and Kristin Spray, the organizers of Victoria Orange Shirt Day, will be there. I want to thank Eddy for his tireless advocacy to make September 30 a national holiday.

I will be at the South Island Powwow this weekend, but wherever people are, I hope they take the opportunity to remember the children who never came home, to recognize survivors and the intergenerational impacts of residential schools and to honour the strength of indigenous communities and the power of indigenous culture.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Madam Speaker, September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a first nations initiative to commemorate the painful history of residential schools. It is an opportunity to remember all those who suffered trauma that then followed them throughout their lives. It also gives us an opportunity to think of all those children who never returned home, as well as their families.

On this occasion, everyone is invited to show their solidarity by wearing the colour orange, which, for indigenous peoples, symbolizes truth and healing. There is still more work to be done to uncover the truth about residential schools and bring it to light. We need to know the truth in order to understand the terrible multi-generational consequences of this systematic cultural dispossession.

Time alone is not enough to heal the wounds. Healing requires meaningful acts of reconciliation towards first nations, Inuit and Métis people. Only they can tell us what form those acts must take. It is up to us to demonstrate the respect that has too often been lacking throughout our history. In order to write the next chapter together, we must show them that respect.

[Member spoke in Innu]

Justice

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Madam Speaker, crime and chaos are running rampant on the streets of our country due to this Prime Minister's soft-on-crime approach. Nowhere is this more apparent than in my home province of British Columbia. The B.C. NDP, with the support of the NDP-Liberal government, is now actively involved in the illegal drug trade. Overnight, we learned that the B.C. NDP is funnelling hundreds of thousands of dollars to a group that buys drugs on the black market and then distributes them on the streets of my province.

After eight long years of this Prime Minister, this shocking story should come as no surprise. Rather than creating real solutions to the opioid and overdose crisis, the Prime Minister prefers to take the easy way out and to transfer Canadians' hard-earned money to illegal drug dealers instead. With overdoses now the leading cause of death among people aged 10 to 59 in our country, it is clear to Canadians that this Prime Minister is out of touch and just not worth the cost.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

[Jaime Battiste, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Madam Speaker, I rise today to reflect on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. I cannot overstate the harms that the Indian residential schools caused. For comparison, during World War II, one in 26 solders who went over to fight did not come home; with respect to the Indian residential schools, one in 25 children did not come home. Those who came home struggled, many having lost language, culture and family values. Tomorrow I ask Canadians if they meet a survivor to show kindness and compassion because they do not know what they have been through.

I think about so many members of my community and my family who went to the Shubenacadie Indian Residential School. We have so much work to do in this country and we have so much to learn about our shared history. Tomorrow and every day after, let us walk the journey of reconciliation together.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I am going to allow the hon. member for Hull—Aylmer to redo his statement because, between the official opposition and the government, there were conversations going on right across from where he was speaking.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Madam Speaker, September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Tomorrow we will gather on the unceded territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation to mark the profound meaning of this day, as we meet to remember, reflect and act in solidarity.

Let us be clear, this is not a one-day conversation. It is a call to become lifelong learners, seeking to understand the harms of the past and their ongoing implications. This day invites us to delve deeper into the complex relationship between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples. It is an opportunity to learn, show empathy and grow together.

Today, tomorrow and every day, let us take a moment to reflect on the resilience of indigenous communities. Let us commit to being by their side as we work together for a better future. Change starts with each and every one of us. Together, we can honour the strength and spirit of indigenous communities by working for a Canada where reconciliation is not just a word, but a reality.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Again, I just want to remind members that during Statements by Members, some of the statements are very emotional and touching. It is really important that when members come into the House they keep their voices very low and if they want to have conversations to please take them outside. Everybody has the right to ensure that their statement is not disturbed.

Government Accountability

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister said that it is not his job to control the inflationary spending, the out-of-control cost of living or the sky-high interest rates that he has caused. He said that it is not his job to bring down the price of gas, groceries or home heating. Instead, he is raising the carbon tax. He said it is not his job to take personal responsibility for our diplomatic relations or to vet the people who come in contact with a wartime leader. He said that housing is not his job either, while the housing crisis is getting worse.

If it is not his job to do any of these things, what is his job?

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing]

Madam Speaker, I find that rather rich, with all due respect to the member, when it was the Leader of the Opposition's responsibility to put forward constructive policy. When he was in government as the minister responsible for housing, he put forward a plan for $300 million, with fewer than 100 homes built. His plan on housing today is full of holes. If he taxed builders, for example, nothing would get built under his watch.

Housing

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Madam Speaker, the Liberals have spent almost $90 billion to double the price of a home, to double the price of rent and to double the price of a mortgage. In Toronto, it now takes 80% of what Canadians take home to keep a roof over their heads.

More Liberal spending equals higher inflation, which leads to higher interest rates, which leads to higher mortgages. How many Canadians have to be in jeopardy of losing their homes before the Liberals stop spending, stop raising taxes and actually start building homes?

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing]

Madam Speaker, Canadians are having a difficult time. That is why during the pandemic we put forward emergency programs to sustain the economy, individuals and families, when the Conservative Party did not want to do any of those things.

Today, we see a government that has put forward a plan to get more homes built. How? In partnership with provinces and municipalities. That is how we are going to get things done, not by the measures on the other side that instill nothing but fear in the wider Canadian economy and the wider Canadian society. That is not responsible leadership.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Madam Speaker, homebuilding is down. Just because the Liberals have a fancy program or a new acronym every month, it does not mean that any of this is working.

The government had a plan in 2015 to build housing on surplus land. Do members know how many homes it has built since 2015? Thirteen. That is fewer than two a year. Liberal MPs have flipped more houses than that since 2015.

It has been eight years. We need shovels in the ground, not pies in the sky. Will the Liberals finally support a common-sense Conservative plan to actually build homes Canadians can afford?

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing]

Madam Speaker, talking about common sense, it is a shame the member was not at yesterday's finance committee. Witnesses from the Ministry of Finance confirmed that if the Conservatives' idea for housing were to be put in place, fewer homes would be built compared to our particular plan, which is a plan that takes taxes off. The GST comes off, for example, which incents greater building. Combine that with the approach they have taken to municipalities, to provinces. When it comes to ending things like exclusionary zoning, we want to work with those municipalities. We are doing that through the housing accelerator fund, which will continue, and the result will be 200,000 to 300,000 homes built as a result.