Debates of Oct. 21st, 2024

Government Accountability

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years, we have more proof that the costly NDP-Liberal coalition is not worth the cost, crime or corruption. The Speaker has ruled that the government has violated an order of the House. The Liberals are paralyzing Parliament to hide $400 million of corruption.

The Auditor General has found that 186 contracts went to Liberal appointees, contracts that must be turned over to the police. These contracts are not just documents; they represent money stolen from the pockets of Canadians and given to the friends of the Prime Minister and his cronies, money that Canadians could have used for rent, groceries and gas.

The solution is simple: The Liberals need to obey the Speaker's ruling, turn over the documents and make Parliament work. This is the common-sense plan, the Conservative plan. Common-sense Conservatives are here to deliver solutions for the doubling of housing costs, food inflation and the crime and chaos on our streets. It is time for common sense. It is time for ethics and integrity. It is time to bring it home.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

It is very good to welcome and recognize the hon. member for Etobicoke North.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

Support for the Fight Against Cancer

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to be with friends and colleagues and am thankful for the support so many of them have shown me. I am looking forward to being back with everyone. I am especially grateful to doctors, scientists and health care professionals for their medicine, research and caring, which have allowed me to work every day for the community I love, through multiple surgeries, radiation and ongoing chemotherapy.

I know there are people on the Hill who have gone through cancer or are going through it now. My heart is with them. Cancer touches all of us, and it is hard. Sometimes the fight is week by week; sometimes it is hour by hour. It can be lonely despite having the best support system.

Those who are hurting should know they have one more person in their corner. I understand and support them and I walk beside them and their families as they climb every hill.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

The Economy

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years, this Prime Minister has doubled the debt and the cost of housing to the point where a monthly mortgage payment in Quebec is $1,055 higher than it was five years ago. That is a 74% increase. On top of that, two million Canadians are relying on food banks while the government wastes our money. Now Parliament is paralyzed by an attempt to cover up a $400‑million scandal.

What is the Prime Minister doing? He is trying to save himself from his own caucus.

Will he call an election so we can fix what he has broken?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am glad the Conservatives are starting off with a question about the Canadian economy. I think we can all be happy knowing that inflation dropped to 1.6% in September, which is a major success story for all Canadians. This will really make a difference in Canadians' lives.

However, the Conservatives do not want to talk about Canadian success stories.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, while Canadians are going through hell because rent has doubled and the cost of living is out of control, what is the Prime Minister doing? He is trying to save himself from his own caucus, which is now revolting against him. He is not working for Canadians. He is working to save his own skin.

The funny thing is that the Liberals may not have confidence in this Prime Minister anymore, but the leader of the Bloc Québécois still does.

Will the Prime Minister finally call an election so that we can fix what he has broken?

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

Mr. Speaker, the real question is, why does the opposition leader keep obstructing the work of the House? I think it is because he is afraid to lose another confidence vote in the House.

We have won two confidence votes. The Conservatives are the only ones who do not want another confidence vote because they will lose again. The House does not have confidence in the Leader of the Opposition.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, this weekend in Cloverdale, 15,000 people lined up in the pouring rain with the hope that they might get a few rejected potatoes. It was Ugly Potato Day in that city, and 15,000 British Columbians are so hungry and desperate that they needed to collect rejected foodstuffs.

Two million Canadians are lined up at food banks. There are 1,400 homeless encampments in Ontario today. What is the Prime Minister doing? He is working to save his political skin from his revolting caucus.

This cannot go on. Will he call a carbon tax election now?

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

Mr. Speaker, I really hope that every single MP in the House agrees that in our great country, no one should ever go hungry. However, when the Conservatives talk about the most vulnerable, they are crying crocodile tears. How do I know that? I know that because they have had the gall to vote against a national school food program, a program that will feed 400,000 Canadian kids. How can the Conservatives look themselves in the face when they oppose feeding Canadian kids?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, that program, though it has cost millions, has not fed a single hungry child. It has fed bureaucracy, which is all it ever was intended to do. Meanwhile, two million people are lined up at food banks. We watched 15,000 people line up for an ugly potato because they cannot afford to eat. Diseases like scurvy are back, and one in four kids goes to school hungry after nine years of the Prime Minister, yet his priority is saving his political career from his revolting caucus.

This cannot go on. Will the Prime Minister call a carbon tax election?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are damning themselves with their own words. I was at a school in downtown Winnipeg on Friday with Premier Wab Kinew, and we gave those beautiful, wonderful children some bannock, a little carton of milk, some jam, some butter and a banana. That was not bureaucracy that fed those kids; that was the deal we did with Manitoba.

The Conservatives are against feeding kids. How could they stand up and be in favour of not feeding kids?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, is she kidding me? She says that Canadians should be happy. While one in four kids go to school hungry, while two million people line up at food banks, while scurvy is making a comeback after nine years of this government, Canadians should be grateful that she showed up with a few snacks and a photo op at one school.

This is the same finance minister who has just blown $7 billion past her deficit target, meaning more inflation and higher rates. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister hides in a fetal position under his desk. Will he call a carbon tax election now?

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

Mr. Speaker, we have clearly knocked the Leader of the Opposition off his game this afternoon. How can he have the temerity to talk about actual meals fed to actual children as bureaucracy? That tells us how cynical these Canadians are and how low they go. Then he talks about inflation. It has been in the Bank of Canada's target range for nine months in a row. It fell below 2% in September and rates have come down three times. That is what is happening with inflation.

Seniors

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, who is flying the Liberal plane?

It is October 21. There are eight days left to pass Bill C‑319 and increase OAS for seniors; otherwise, the Liberals are risking an election. The idea of increasing pensions is supported by the Conservatives, the NDP and 79% of the population. Even the Liberals in committee agree.

There is clearly no one flying the Liberal plane. Everyone supports this initiative, but nothing is being done about it. The deadline is eight days away.

Is that why the Liberals want their leader out?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Labour and Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Government of Canada, the Liberal government, we were able to lower the retirement age to 65, increase the GIS and help hundreds of thousands of Quebeckers by providing dental care for seniors.

As a result, we were able to lower seniors' poverty rates well below the national average, all without the support or help of the Bloc Québécois.

International Trade

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, guess who has not yet said a word about Bill C‑282, which is being blocked by two senators? I am talking about the Prime Minister himself.

He has never asked Peter Boehm or Peter Harder to do their job. He has not said a word. He is too busy pulling all the knives out of his back. Not only is he the one who appointed those two senators, but one of them is even a friend, specifically, Peter Harder, whom he often calls for advice.

Could he pick up the phone now, call his buddy Peter and tell him to do his job?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, perhaps my colleague is aware that the reason we can talk about supply management in Canada is that 50 years ago, it was a Liberal government that introduced supply management for farmers in Quebec and across Canada.

The reason we are still talking about it now is that, during negotiations with President Trump, it was a Liberal government that defended the interests of farmers by defending supply management at all costs for Quebeckers and Canadians, contrary to what the Conservatives wanted to do.

Public Safety

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, country first, party second.

According to the RCMP, the Indian government hired thugs to terrorize Canadians.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

The Conservatives are laughing about this, but people have died as a result, and they have meddled in our politics. The Prime Minister has said that there are multiple Conservative MPs and/or candidates compromised. They may be sitting in the chamber right now, but the Conservative leader chooses ignorance. Has the Prime Minister directly urged the leader of the Conservatives to get his security clearance?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, we have been clear. We think all party leaders in this House should have the required security clearance so that they can receive information concerning the threats to this House or threats to Canada involving foreign interference. We also take the comments of the leader of the NDP very seriously with respect to protecting Sikh Canadians and protecting those who have been victims of this foreign interference by the Government of India.

My responsibility as public safety minister is to ensure the safety of all Canadians, and that is exactly what we are going to continue to do.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I repeat, country first, party second. I dare the Conservatives to laugh again. I see they are not. They are quiet.

Narendra Modi must not see that a Canadian leader is willing to turn a blind eye to crimes committed against Canadians. Every member of the House must condemn India's interference. There must be consequences for any parliamentarian involved.

Has the Prime Minister directly urged the Conservative leader to get his security clearance?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has been clear. We fundamentally believe that all party leaders in the House should have the appropriate security clearance so that they can find out the information they need to manage their parliamentary caucus and understand the threats facing Canadians.

I wholeheartedly endorse the sentiments of the NDP leader concerning the need to condemn the Government of India's interference. I congratulate the RCMP on a job well done. I know that investigations are under way. We have full confidence in the work of the RCMP.