Debates of Oct. 28th, 2024

The Economy

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians will not stand for that gaslighting.

In the last five years, food bank usage has doubled. It is the highest in history. People who used to volunteer at the food bank are now lining up to use it. Food banks are running out of food in Canada.

Please, for the love of God, let the Liberals call a carbon tax election. The Prime Minister does not seem to understand the human consequences of his policies: When we tax the farmer who grows the food and the trucker who ships the food, we end up taxing into poverty the Canadian who has to buy the food .

It is enough. Let us call a carbon tax election.

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

Mr. Speaker, at $7,782 a year tax-free, the Canada child benefit has helped lift over 450,000 children out of poverty. What the member is calling gaslighting is real money that is helping real Canadians.

Who is doing the gaslighting? It is the Conservative members of Parliament, who want to sell slogans instead solutions. It is they who say they can fix things while cutting the services and programs that Canadians rely on.

We are going to do real things that help real people. That is what we do on this side of the House.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I would ask the hon. member for Dufferin—Caledon to not take the floor unless he is recognized by the Speaker.

The hon. member for Montcalm.

Justice

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on October 30, Quebec will finally allow requests for medical assistance in dying. However, the Minister of Health still wants to put on the brakes. He said last week that Quebec was moving too fast and even suggested that he might challenge its decision.

Quebec is not moving too fast. It has been preparing for this for years. Patients like Sandra Demontigny have been working toward this day for years.

Will the minister work with Quebec instead of standing in the way?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, we always work with others. On an issue as sensitive as advance requests, it is absolutely crucial that we engage in a national conversation and make sure our system is ready.

We need to take our time on this matter because it is absolutely essential to make sure that the government is doing the right thing.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, October 30 is just two days away, and the federal government is still hindering access to end-of-life care.

For the past six months, six professional bodies have been calling on the government to align the Criminal Code with Quebec's legislation. The deadline is two days away, and doctors are concerned about the legal uncertainty because the federal government has done nothing.

Will the federal government amend the Criminal Code and stop jeopardizing sick people's access to care?

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

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question and I appreciate the Bloc member and his hard work on this file.

I want to emphasize what was said by the Minister of Health. We are well aware of what the Government of Quebec wants. We are also well aware that we need to consult all of the other provinces to come to a national consensus on this issue. That is the prudent thing to do.

That is the approach we have taken to date, and we will continue with that approach.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Ms. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is not proposing preferential treatment under the Criminal Code. It is proposing a procedure to strictly regulate end-of-life care.

Our Bill C‑390 simply allows provinces that have passed legislation, and that are ready, to move forward with advance requests free from risk. It respects the provinces' pace. It respects health care workers. It respects the right of sick people to control their own bodies and receive care. The government has been dragging its feet for the past year and a half.

When is it going to take action?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I greatly appreciate my Bloc colleague's work.

I lost my grandmother to Alzheimer's. It was a very difficult time for my family. I am familiar with the subject and I know that it is an extremely delicate matter. A national conversation is absolutely vital.

I need time to talk with my provincial and territorial counterparts and make sure that the system is ready.

The Economy

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years, the NDP-Liberals are simply not worth the cost.

Low-income Canadians are now spending 80% of their income on housing and food. The NDP-Liberals' housing and food inflation is forcing millions of Canadians to rely on food banks. Still, the Liberal government is hell-bent on continuing to increase the cost of groceries with its punishing carbon tax.

Will the Prime Minister give Canadians the carbon tax election they so desperately need?

[Jenna Sudds, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we are making investments to help support families and children across this country. We have seen almost one million families benefit from our $10-a-day national child care program. We have seen 3.5 million families receive our Canada child benefit each and every month, providing much-needed support. We have seen CCB help lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty. These are investments we are making on this side of the House to ensure we are there for Canadians and families.

Carbon Pricing

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government is pushing Canadians to the brink. The Liberals should be ashamed of their carbon tax fixation, which has made life's basic necessities unaffordable. Housing costs have doubled and food bank usage has soared past two million visits per month. It has gotten so dire that 30% of food banks are now running out of food.

It is quite simple. Will the Prime Minister call a carbon tax election so Conservatives can offer Canadians some relief?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is getting a little difficult to take seriously anything that comes from that side of the House. If there was a volition to address child poverty, maybe the Conservatives would not have sent checks to millionaires and then taxed that money back. If there was a volition to address child food security, maybe they would get behind the national school food program.

All they knows is cuts. What does that mean? That means cuts to taxes for the rich and cuts to services for those who have less. That is not what we stand for on this side of the House. We will continue to fight for Canadians.

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years, the NDP-Liberals are not worth the cost, and Canadians are hurting. The government has made life miserable for Nova Scotians, with a crushing carbon tax that has increased food prices by 23%. Of course, on top of that, it plans to quadruple the carbon tax. What is the result? Some 53% more Nova Scotians are going to food banks now than five years ago. Almost 40,000 Nova Scotians rely on food banks every month, 12,000 of whom are children.

Will the Prime Minister call a carbon tax election?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, it is extremely difficult to take a question of that nature from a Conservative member who himself goes on trips worth tens of thousands of dollars and sips $1,700 bottles of champagne, while at the same time coming to Ottawa so he can oppose policies that give free food to kids in school.

Taxation

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, do members know how many people are turning to food banks to be able to eat? What would be a good guess? We are talking about two million people, which is 90% more than five years ago. While people are going hungry and community groups are overwhelmed, the Liberals just sit there, looking smug.

When will they have the courage to go after the ultrarich, who are stuffing themselves silly while people are going hungry?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would say that it takes both courage and heart. My colleague is quite right to highlight the difficulties facing many families, including in my own riding. That is why having a heart means supporting programs like the national school food program, which the opposition member is quite right to support.

Why, then, do the Conservative members oppose the Breakfast Club of Canada and La Cantine pour tous, organizations in my riding that feed children every day? Why are they saying these organizations just create bureaucracy?

Persons with Disabilities

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, from Halifax to Port Moody—Coquitlam, all Canadians should be able to get where they need to go on public transit, but for people living with disabilities, public transit often comes with barriers. The Liberals told people with disabilities they would make sure cities had funding for accessible transit, but just as with every Liberal promise, it has been delayed and forgotten.

Will the Liberals finally deliver the promised funding for accessible public transit or will they keep leaving persons with disabilities behind?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, it is important that we make investments in public transit, because we know the disproportionate impact it has on low-income families, seniors and, yes, Canadians living with disabilities.

We are moving forward with what will be the largest investment in the history of this country when it comes to public transit. This includes new baseline funding that will provide long-term, reliable, allocated funding to municipalities. Information will be made available to partners over the next number of weeks. We are also launching large regional plans to allow massive expansions and have significant new investments in active transportation zero-emissions vehicles and transit systems that will be accessible to make sure that every Canadian has the ability to navigate their needs in their community.

Democratic Institutions

[Francesco Sorbara, Liberal, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, foreign interference poses a real threat to Canadians and our democracy. In this context, it is alarming that all but one of the opposition leaders obtained their security clearance.

I have a simple question for the leader of the Conservative Party. When is he going to get his security clearance, address risks within his own party and put—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

As the hon. member knows, questions in question period need to be directed toward the administration of government.

The hon. member for Vaughan—Woodbridge.

[Francesco Sorbara, Liberal, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, foreign interference poses a real threat to Canadians and our democracy. In this context, it is alarming that all but one of the opposition leaders obtained their security clearance.

I would ask the federal government what we are doing to ensure that the security of our democracy is protected and that all opposition leaders get their security—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

The hon. Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

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

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague pointed out, foreign interference poses a real threat to Canada's national security. Foreign actors want to create uncertainty in our institutions. It is time for all of us to take foreign interference seriously and stop the spread of that uncertainty. This includes the Conservative leader.

Once again, I have a simple message for the leader of the Conservative Party, in three-word phrases that he is sure to understand. It is time to get the clearance, take the briefing and protect the country.

Housing

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberals, they are not worth the cost of housing. They doubled rent, mortgage payments and down payments, and homeless encampments have opened in record numbers across Canada.

Most young adults believe they will never afford a home. The federal GST adds a staggering cost to home costs, and the common-sense Conservatives said today that we would axe the federal sales tax on new homes sold. For example, on an $800,000 house, this would save homebuyers $40,000.

Will the NDP-Liberals axe the federal tax on housing, or will they continue to fund their housing photo op programs?