Debates of Oct. 11th, 2024

International Trade

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, our two Peters were once negotiators themselves. That is why, instead of protecting farmers, they are protecting negotiators. Our kinglets are putting the privileges of people like them ahead of the common good, ahead of democracy and ahead of farmers. That is what the Senate is all about. It is an archaic, monarchist and arrogant institution.

This is what happens when unelected officials with fat salaries and guaranteed positions, who are not accountable to the public, come to believe that they are more important than everyone else.

Will the Liberals ask their majesties to come back down to earth and do something for our farmers?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, all senators appointed since 2015 are independent. However, the senators who were appointed before that by the Harper government are not independent. They show up on Wednesday mornings to be told what to do, what to say and how to vote.

My question, especially for my Conservative colleagues from Quebec, is whether they are doing their job and encouraging Conservative senators to vote in favour of this bill.

Carbon Pricing

[Martin Shields, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of NDP-Liberals, taxes are up, costs are up, crime is up and time is up for this Liberal carbon tax grab.

New data confirms that Alberta families will be worse off by nearly $2,000 after the carbon tax is quadrupled. That is money coming out of Alberta and into government pockets to pay off Liberal insiders.

Will the Prime Minister apologize for the public smearing of the independent budget officer for telling the truth, and finally call the carbon tax election?

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity]

Mr. Speaker, it is on page 1. The Conservatives clearly did not get past the table of contents.

It says clearly that the PBO estimates the average household in each backstopped province will see a net gain, receiving more from the Canada carbon rebate than the total amount they pay in the federal carbon charge. October 15 is next week, and that is when Canadians will receive their next installment of the Canada carbon rebate, and that is good news because it is supporting affordability.

Interest rates are down, inflation is down and emissions are down. This plan is working. When will the Conservatives get it?

[Michael Kram, Conservative, Regina—Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of these NDP-Liberals, taxes are up, costs are up, crime is up, time is up and the carbon tax is way up.

Yesterday, the Parliamentary Budget Officer released an updated carbon tax report that shows that once the NDP-Liberals quadruple the carbon tax, Saskatchewan families will be paying $2,000 per year.

When will the Prime Minister call a carbon tax election so Canadians can decide if they want to continue to pay his carbon tax?

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity]

Mr. Speaker, as a reminder to the constituents in my colleague's riding in Saskatchewan, they will be receiving $376 on October 15 for a family of four. That is good news for affordability, and eight out of 10 families across Canada get more back from the Canada carbon rebate than they pay.

It seems like the Conservatives do not want to talk about the economy anymore, and it is probably because Canada's economy is doing really well. We added 47,000 jobs in September alone. Interest rates are down because inflation is down. Gas prices are down and emissions are down.

The Conservatives do not want good news. They do not want to cheer for Canadians. They just want bad-news stories.

Financial Institutions

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the Liberal-NDP government, it is not worth the corporate crime and corruption.

TD Bank has been ordered to pay over $3 billion by U.S. regulators because it was found to be in a conspiracy to violate the Bank Secrecy Act and commit money laundering for criminals who traffic in drugs that end up on our streets.

I have a simple question for the government: When will it take money laundering seriously?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I want to wish the member opposite and his beautiful family a wonderful Thanksgiving.

We take money laundering very seriously. That is why we have acted to give the Superintendent of Financial Institutions more powers to oversee Canada's financial institutions. I would urge all members interested in this important issue to look to the statement he has made on it. We have also been investing in FINTRAC and increasing its resources and authorities.

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the problem is that the Liberals are not taking it seriously.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said of TD Bank, “By making its services convenient for criminals, it became one.” Why do the Americans have to catch chartered Canadian banks and charge them with money laundering linked to fentanyl, terrorism and human trafficking?

Could the minister stand up and tell us what charges and what sanctions TD Bank will face in Canada?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, it is entirely reasonable for Americans to police activity that happens in America. That is how sovereignty and jurisdiction work. It is also the case that in May, FINTRAC levied a significant penalty against TD for non-compliance with money laundering measures.

I have a question for the member opposite. The Conservatives in this House voted against measures to protect Canada's financial systems. Why?

Indigenous Affairs

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, Red Fish Arts Studio diverts youth out of the criminal justice system by teaching them skills. The government promised Red Fish funding last April, but when the Prime Minister shuffled his cabinet, the new minister cancelled not only its funding but the much-needed funding for indigenous languages.

Indigenous peoples deserve better than broken promises. Will the minister reverse his decision and fund both the Red Fish Arts Studio and the indigenous languages program?

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

Mr. Speaker, indigenous skills training is absolutely vital; it is absolutely critical. We have made record historic investments through the indigenous skills and employment training program. We will continue to support young people and indigenous people and their education, training and skills training.

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Jon Wells was known by his family and fellow Blood Tribe members as a cowboy, kind and respectful, but that did not stop Calgary police from assaulting, tasing, pepper-spraying and sedating him while he was lying face down. He died before he ever made it to a hospital.

Racism, colonialism and systemic violence continue to murder indigenous people today. When will the minister act to bring justice and accountability to policing that kills?

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the circumstances that my colleague from the NDP just described are deplorable and reprehensible. We all need to do better as a nation, including all law enforcement members at every level in this country, in addressing anti-indigenous racism and addressing the harms that are caused in interactions between law enforcement and indigenous people on this land. That is work we are committed to doing, in conjunction with the member and all members in this place who see a better vision for a future where reconciliation includes the fight against anti-indigenous discrimination.

Women and Gender Equality

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last week at the United Nations, we heard the Minister of Foreign Affairs say:

Often, the people who claim to speak for freedom are the same people who want the government to decide who people can love, who they are or even what they can wear.

We see it in our country. We see it around the world....

In Afghanistan, we see it taken to its extreme as the Taliban continue to impose inhumane rules against women and girls....

Today, on the International Day of the Girl, I asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs if she can reaffirm our government's commitment to girls.

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is a country that values freedom from oppression, not freedom to oppress others. The rights of women and girls, including the right to choose, is put in danger by the far right, including some members of the Conservative opposition. A Liberal government will always support and protect women's and girls' rights here at home and around the world.

Along with Germany, Australia and the Netherlands, we will hold the Taliban regime accountable for its violations of women's and girl's rights in Afghanistan. We will always be there for women at home and around the world.

Emergency Preparedness

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, for seven years, the Liberals knew Jasper was a tinderbox. Damning testimony has proved the Minister of Environment's negligence. He failed to do everything he could to protect homes, businesses and this beloved national park.

To stop a raging wildfire, we need to do two things: remove the heat and apply water. We know beyond a doubt that the minister did neither. A tiny fraction of the dead trees were removed, and shockingly, firefighters were even turned away.

How much incompetence does it take to get fired from Liberal cabinet?

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his collaboration on the environment committee, where we have been hearing about the circumstances that led to the Jasper wildfire situation.

I would like to point out that the overpoliticization of this issue, the tabloidization of it, and what the Conservatives are saying on social media have been absolutely unacceptable. As a result of some of their tweets, public servants have received death threats from people who are enraged by the Conservatives and their attempts to politicize this issue.

A natural disaster is not a political issue, and our government did everything it could to prevent the wildfire.

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the only thing the Liberals are good at is trying to deflect and distract from their own failures, so let me tell members the facts about the Jasper fire investigation. They knew about the risk for seven years and failed to do everything they could to mitigate it. Twenty fire trucks and 50 firefighters were turned away. Parks Canada bought hydrants that did not even have the proper hookups.

It is clear that this fire was a result of negligence or incompetence. When will the Minister of Environment be shown the door so that other at-risk communities do not face the same fate as Jasper has?

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity]

Mr. Speaker, the Jasper wildfire was started by lightning, and the people who live in Jasper underwent an incredibly difficult summer. To politicize this issue is unacceptable.

Arctic Fire, the organization that my colleague mentioned, is a private for-profit company under direct contract with Alberta Wildfire. It had no direct relationship with Parks Canada, but it did supply Alberta Wildfire with two trucks for four days, not 20 trucks and not 50 firefighters, as my colleague pointed out. Under the advisement of the Government of Alberta, they were released by unified command, not the federal government.

Democratic Institutions

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

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence, who was then the minister of public safety, slow-walked the issuance of a CSIS warrant to investigate a former Ontario Liberal cabinet minister. The minister stalled the issuance of a warrant for 54 days, a warrant that national security officials say should have been issued within four to 10 days. What is the minister's explanation for this highly suspicious delay?

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, for Canadians watching, I will say quite clearly that we take foreign interference extremely seriously on this side of the House. That is why we have a foreign interference inquiry unfolding before Canadians' eyes as we speak. That is why ministers have been attending it and providing answers and clarity for Canadians.

We will not take lessons from that side of the House about how to conquer and address foreign interference, because this is a priority for our government.

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

Mr. Speaker, talk about a non-answer from the minister. It was 54 days of delay to issue a CSIS warrant to investigate a former Ontario Liberal cabinet minister, and this is at the time when the minister was issuing other warrants within a matter of days. Is it just a coincidence? Come on.

Again, what is the explanation for this highly suspicious delay?

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, we have the foreign interference inquiry unfolding. It is a commission that we established on this side of the House. We had the minister testify as to this very issue at the foreign interference commission. He indicated that when he was presented with the warrant, he addressed it promptly.

Seniors

[Sylvie Bérubé, Bloc, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, time is running out for the Liberals. October 29 is almost here. They will have to stop dodging the issue of raising OAS for seniors aged 65 to 74. Seventy-nine percent of Canadians support the pension increase. The House supports the pension increase. Seniors' groups support the pension increase. Every time we ask the Liberals about it, however, they sidestep the issue by making partisan attacks.

Are they going to increase OAS for seniors aged 65 to 74, yes or no?