Debates of Jan. 31st, 2024

Public Safety

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, he stumbles and bumbles when he does not know what he is talking about, and he does not know what he is talking about because he does not care about what he is talking about.

He has still not banned those guns years, after promising on the election trail that he would. They are still legally in the possession of their owners at this stage. He says he will not be able to do it until a week after the next election. Meanwhile, he tried to publish 300 pages of hunting rifles he wanted to ban, blaming first nations hunters for crime in downtown Toronto.

Why does he want to protect turkeys from hunters instead of Canadians from criminals?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as of a number of years ago, it is illegal to buy, sell, use or bequeath assault-style weapons in this country. We did that. We banned over 1,600 models of assault-style weapons. The Conservative Party wants to make those assault-style weapons legal again, and everything it does is focused on misinformation and disinformation, bringing in hunters who are not targeted by these measures to try to justify its anchoring on the NRA.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, there is more stumbling and bumbling. The guns he talked about are not banned, and he says they will not be banned until one week after the next election because he cannot figure how to ban them years after he announced it. Meanwhile, he is spending billions of dollars going after licensed, law-abiding, trained and tested people, who have proven they are statistically the least likely to commit crime, and what has been the consequence? In eight years, we have had a 100% increase in criminal shootings.

Why does he always go after the good guys instead of putting the bad guys in jail?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, in May of 2020, we rendered it illegal to buy, sell, use or bequeath 1,600 different models of assault-style weapons in this country. That is still the case. In the coming year, we will be bringing in a legacy program, while we are extending the amnesty, to bring in a buyback for the owners of these weapons. We are moving forward on gun control when he wants to bring assault-style weapons back to Canadians.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, let us say that my neighbour comes by and I ask him to do me a favour and pay the people who are coming to install my heat pump. I promise that I will pay him back the next day. The next day, when my neighbour comes to see me and asks me to give him back his $1,000, I tell him that I will not or that I will give him only a fraction of the amount. That is what is happening with immigration.

Quebec has been told to foot the bill for asylum seekers and reassured that it will be reimbursed later. Ottawa then says that it will not pay Quebec back or that it will maybe pay back only a fraction of the amount. Will the Prime Minister acknowledge his debt and commit to paying Quebec back?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have recognized from the very beginning that Quebeckers are shouldering a heavy burden when it comes to supporting irregular arrivals. First, it was through Roxham Road, and now that we have worked with the Americans to resolve that issue, these immigrants are arriving via airports. We are here to help.

We are working hand in hand with the Government of Quebec. We are in discussions with that government to determine how we can support it properly. We have seen the Government of Quebec's request for funding and we are working with Quebec because we recognize that, yes, Quebeckers are shouldering that burden, and we will be there to help.

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, take a good look at his hand. The only hand he is holding belongs to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.

Does the Prime Minister really want to make that commitment in an election year? Does he want Canadians and Quebeckers to think that when he gives his word, it cannot be believed? Does he want to make them question whether his word is worth anything, whether he is reliable or trustworthy?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, at every step, we are always there to work respectfully with the provinces and territories, with Canadians and governments across this country.

It is true that, at times, we have to navigate differences of opinion and different perspectives, but, at every step, we know how to work respectfully, while keeping our word and focusing on what is in the best interests of citizens across this country. We will continue to do so.

Yes, we can be a trustworthy partner, and we have demonstrated time and again that we always will be.

Carbon Pricing

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has hit Canadian farmers with a carbon tax that drives up food prices at the grocery store, food prices that are rising again only months after he promised they would come down. I asked him late last year if he would talk to the Medeiros farm about their rising carbon tax bill. They just got their bill for December, and it is $21,000 in carbon taxes alone.

I ask now, as I asked back then, how exactly will the Medeiros family pay this bill when it quadruples to over $80,000 a year?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the Conservative leader is asking the government to help out the Medeiros family farm now, because, back in 2014, when the Medeiros family came to him in government and asked him for some support as they were trying to make investments and trying to continue to move forward, he told them that their project needed to “stand on its own two feet”. That is what he told that farm.

We are there to support farmers right across the country, with $1.5 billion over the past few years in investments and supports. We are going to continue to be there for farmers as they fight climate change.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, actually, when the Medeiros family asked me for help, I went to Enbridge and helped them to get lower-cost natural gas to power their operation. That is the real story.

Instead of reading the disinformation from the kids in short pants over in PMO, why does he not deal with the thing that is really hurting that family right now, a $21,000 monthly carbon tax bill that is passed on to the trucker who ships the food and the grocer who sells the food?

Once again, how much will Canadians have to pay in higher food prices when he quadruples the carbon tax?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, back in 2014, he told that farm family to stand on their own two feet. We know what is making farmers vulnerable across this country. It is climate change. It is the fact that a changing climate causes droughts, floods and fires. Droughts, floods and fires end up hurting crops and end up hurting growers.

That is why we are stepping up on fighting climate change. Farmers across this country know how important it is to sustain and protect our land. That is exactly what we are doing. That is exactly what we are going to continue to do.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, he mentions drugs. That is another crisis that he has caused.

Going back to the cost of food, heat and groceries, the Prime Minister plans to raise the carbon tax again on April 1: another hike to the gas, the heat, the grocery bills; another hit to the Nova Scotia families who cannot afford to pay their utility bills, and another hit to working-class families while he jets around the world carbon tax-free.

If he cannot have the common sense to axe the tax, will he at least cancel his plan to hike the tax on April 1?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, what is the Leader of the Opposition proposing to cut for Canadians? It is the carbon rebate, the cheques that Canadians get while the price on pollution is in place, which they are relying on to enable them to both fight climate change and support their families. We are going to continue to be there to fight climate change and put more money in the pockets of eight out of 10 Canadian families.

When he talks about cutting climate action, he is also talking about cutting those cheques that arrive in families' bank accounts four times a year.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, 60% of Canadians are paying more in carbon tax than they get back in rebates, and now we learn that 40% of Nova Scotia households are struggling to pay their electricity bills. The carbon tax, of course, applies on the share of electricity that is generated through traditional hydrocarbons and other fossil fuels. The Prime Minister is going to hit Canadians with yet another tax hike on April 1.

If he cannot summon the common sense to axe the tax, will he at least cap the tax so Canadians can afford to heat?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are fighting climate change and creating a stronger economy at the same time as we ensure affordability for Canadians. The carbon rebate cheques that go right across the country in areas where the federal price applies help out eight out of 10 families with more money than they pay for the price on pollution.

We will continue to be there to both invest in families and support them, while the Conservative leader proposes to cut rebate cheques to Canadians. We are going to keep doing it while we fight climate change.

Foreign Affairs

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, millions of Gazans rely on UNRWA for food, water and shelter. People are starving. Children are eating grass just to survive. Yes, serious allegations need to be investigated and prosecuted. No, children should not pay for this.

Why is the Prime Minister fuelling this war with Canadian arms and punishing Palestinian children who did not commit a crime?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are, of course, deeply concerned with the devastating scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We recognize UNRWA's essential role in providing life-saving assistance under dangerous conditions, so we will work with the agency and other donors to support the investigation into the serious allegations against its staff.

Let me be extremely clear: Our determination to provide relief to Palestinian civilians has not changed, and our work with our partners is constant. We are looking at ways to continue to provide additional support to those desperately in need, in addition to the $40 million we just announced yesterday.

Grocery Industry

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister knows well that no other group can do this work.

I want to talk about Halifax. Halifax has the highest rate of poverty in Canada: One in five children live in poverty. Only once has a Liberal MP for Halifax raised the issue of skyrocketing food prices in the House. How out of touch is that? That is the problem with the Liberals. They pretend that everything is fine if everything is fine with their rich CEO friends.

When will the Prime Minister stop working for Galen Weston and start working for Haligonians?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are working closely with the Competition Bureau. We are making sure we are passing legislation that strengthens its ability to go after the large grocery chains in this country, which are making record profits while Canadians are struggling with food prices.

We will work with communities. We will work with individuals. We will work with the Competition Bureau to ensure that actually happens. We are continuing to be there for Canadians with initiatives like dental care, like increasing the Canada child benefit and like cutting child care costs in half across the country. We will continue to be there for people in Halifax and right—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

The hon. member for Etobicoke Centre.

Foreign Affairs

[Yvan Baker, Liberal, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister on our support for Ukraine. Ensuring Ukraine's victory is vital to Canada's security. Ukraine must win, otherwise Europe, the U.S. and Canada will be next in defending ourselves against Russia's aggression.

Every Ukrainian fighting today is one less Canadian who will have to fight in the future. Every dollar we spend today means millions of dollars less that we will have to spend in the future. We understand this, but Conservatives continue to vote against support for Ukraine and against support for Canada's national security.

Can the Prime Minister assure Canadians that this government will stand with the Ukrainian people until they win, until we all win?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Etobicoke Centre is right. Before the holidays, Canadians all witnessed the Leader of the Opposition forcing his caucus members to turn their backs on Ukraine. They turned their backs on fundamental Canadian principles and bowed down to the pro-Russian narrative.

I know the leader will not change his mind, but Ukrainian-Canadians across the Prairies are hoping that at least some brave Conservative MPs will do the right thing and vote with their conscience and their principles.

Let everyone in this House who stands with Ukraine stand up and be counted.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I know it is Wednesday; I know it is caucus day and I know that people are primed, but I am going to ask members to please restrain themselves so that we can hear the questions and we can hear the answers.

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, what the Prime Minister has is a pro-Russia energy policy that forces Europeans to buy their energy from Russia by denying Canadians the ability to sell our own.

He prefers military equipment for Putin instead of paycheques for Canadians. He does want to export detonators and turbines to Putin, so he can pump his gas and power his landmines.

Why does the Prime Minister not stop using Ukraine as a political tool and actually do something to stand up and help win the war?