Debates of Jan. 31st, 2024

Housing

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the question was about rent in Canada. Rent prices have doubled after eight years under the Prime Minister. They have tripled in his home city of Montreal. Now, according to the homebuilders of Canada, they expect that construction numbers will actually plummet this year relative to prior years. They say that this will lead to higher prices, and they say we require “policy changes” to reverse it.

Will the Prime Minister finally accept a common-sense plan to build the homes so Canadians can afford the rent?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, once again, I did not hear an apology to Ukrainians. I encourage him to do that. People are waiting for it.

At the same time, I can remind this House that we have signed dozens of housing accelerator fund agreements across the country that are leading to the construction of hundreds of thousands of new homes in the coming years. We have eliminated GST from purpose-built rental apartments, and we are moving forward on an interest-free savings account for first-time homebuyers.

Again, I encourage the Leader of the Opposition to apologize for referring to Ukraine as some faraway foreign land.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, it just proves what I said earlier. He is not interested in Ukraine. When I asked about rental prices, he started spreading disinformation about Ukraine. He could not care less about the war effort over there. He only cares about distracting from his failures at home.

One of his failures is that rents have tripled in Montreal. The builders association says that this year will be one of the worst.

Why has the price of housing gone down in the United States while it is ballooning here in Canada?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, for well over 150 years, this House has been here to recognize the debates and follow what people have been doing. Hansard is the official record of this House. If the Leader of the Opposition is suggesting that Hansard, in which he said that Ukraine is a faraway foreign land, is somehow misinformation or disinformation, then he should come right out and say so.

As far as housing is concerned, we continue to invest across the country, including in Quebec. Quebec is matching the $900 million we proposed to help create housing—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

The hon. member for Alfred‑Pellan.

Finance

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, affordability is a major concern for all Canadians. To support them and ensure that help is available, the Minister of Finance presented the fall economic statement.

Can the Prime Minister remind the House of the important measures contained in the fall economic statement and why the House needs to adopt them quickly?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Alfred‑Pellan for the question.

The Leader of the Opposition spends a lot of time talking about affordability, but we have not seen a hint of a proposal or a real plan. If the Conservative leader wants to help Canadians in a meaningful way, he can vote in favour of the fall economic statement, which cuts the GST and HST on psychotherapy, cuts the GST on the building of co-operative housing and creates a new employment insurance benefit for adoption. Either he supports Canadians by voting for the statement, or he continues to push for cuts and austerity.

Housing

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, austerity is something Canadians are already very familiar with because rent has doubled everywhere in Canada under this Prime Minister's eight-year tenure. He promised to reduce costs, but he increased bureaucracy.

Yesterday, the builders' association reported that record low builder sentiment foreshadows troubling housing starts, underscoring the need for housing policy changes.

The problem is getting worse by the year. Will the Prime Minister agree to our common-sense plan and cut red tape in order to increase housing starts?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative plan involves cutting dental care for Canadians, dental care that has already helped 400,000 children and that recently expanded to cover 400,000 seniors.

Their plan involves campaigning against cutting child care costs in half. It involves voting against our measures to provide concrete help to Canadians. Their plan offers cuts and austerity, not solutions.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the question was about rent and instead he turned and made false attacks against me. Apparently, I am living rent-free in his head.

Here is the reality. Rent is going down in the States while it is coming up in Canada. Housing costs have risen 40% faster compared with the incomes of Canadians. Canada has the worst record in the G7 and the second worst in the OECD. If the Prime Minister's plan were really working, why is it that housing costs have doubled and our housing is becoming less affordable than that in almost any developed country in the world?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I am going to leave aside the question of where exactly he is living rent-free and focus on the supports we are giving to Canadians.

We are continuing to invest in meaningful ways in partnership with municipalities, with unions and building trades and with provinces across the country to solve this housing crisis that Canadians are feeling so acutely. Whether it is cutting the GST from purpose-built rentals, whether it is moving forward with the tax-free savings account for first-time homebuyers or whether it is putting $4 billion in the pockets of municipalities across the country to increase density and cut red tape, we are taking action on housing.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, yes, he is taking a lot of measures to drive up the cost of housing. The cost of rent has doubled, as has the cost of a mortgage. I saw a headline today that said, “CMHC report on the rental market: Rent continues to rise at a staggering rate in Quebec”.

Meanwhile, housing starts are in serious decline. Will the Prime Minister finally stop building bureaucracy so that we can start building housing?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative leader's housing plan mainly consists of accusing Quebec's elected representatives of being incompetent. The reality is that we are going to work with provincial and municipal elected officials in Quebec to make investments.

I also want to point out that the Government of Quebec doubled the $900 million that we put toward accelerating the construction of housing in Quebec to ensure that municipalities can do even more to address this housing crisis. That is a real plan, not insults.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the MP for Dufferin—Caledon applauded the housing minister for moving quickly on his file.

He said that there were new programs, new initiatives and new plans, despite the fact his own leader has obstructed every measure we brought forward to support Canadians.

Can the Prime Minister stand in support of the MP for Dufferin—Caledon and update Canadians on what new housing programs, initiatives and plans this government has announced this week?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, thanks in part to the advocacy of the member for Halifax West, we announced the housing accelerator agreement of nearly $80 million in Halifax to unlock 9,000 new homes.

While the Leader of the Opposition is picking fights with municipalities, we are working directly with them to reduce red tape and revolutionize the way homes get built in cities across the country. On this side, we are bringing forward real solutions to address housing affordability, while he spends his time attacking and insulting.

Northern Affairs

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, Nunavut athletes who earned their spot at the Arctic Winter Games in Alaska risk missing out because Service Canada does not process passports in Nunavut.

My office was helping until the government put up even more barriers.

Families are now forced to pay thousands of dollars to fly down south to get their passports expedited or not compete at all.

Can the minister ensure that Nunavut has access to the same services as the rest of Canada?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, qujannamiik to the member for the question. I know it is an important one for families across Nunavut. That is why we are committed to working to resolve this issue. I was just up in Nunavut for a historic announcement around devolution a few weeks ago, working directly with the premier to demonstrate how we build a stronger future together.

This is an issue that I know the minister is engaged with. We will look for solutions. We want to make sure that our young Nunavut athletes show what they are capable of at the Arctic Winter Games.

Go Canada go! Go Nunavut go!

Foreign Affairs

[Mike Morrice, Green, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in 2022, Canada sold more than $20 million of military equipment to Israel. Last week, the ICJ ordered Israel to take steps to prevent acts of genocide.

As a signatory to the genocide convention, Canada is bound by this decision. Our own Export and Import Permits Act also forbids these sales if there is a substantial risk they could be used to violate international law.

Given Canada supports the ICJ, will the government put in place an embargo on military exports to Israel?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has one of the strongest export control regimes in the world that puts human rights and protection of human rights at the centre of all our decision-making. It has always been the case. We have been consistent in making sure that we are responsible in the way we do that and will continue to be so.

The House resumed from December 14 consideration of the motion, and of the amendment.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

It being 3:20, the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the amendment to the motion to concur in the first report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-food.

Call in the members.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

The question is as follows. May I dispense?

[Some hon. members]

No.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

[Chair read text of amendment to House]

(The House divided on the amendment, which was negatived on the following division:)

Vote #615