Debates of Oct. 29th, 2024

The Economy

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years, the NDP-Liberals are not worth the cost. Yesterday, Food Banks Canada reported that the need for food banks is spiralling out of control, with two million Canadians per month depending on them. Demand at Bridges to Hope food bank in St. John's is expected to surge 30% compared to 2023. Despite record-smashing food bank usage, the NDP-Liberals increased the cost of groceries by raising the carbon tax 23%.

Instead of quadrupling the carbon tax, will they axe the tax so people can afford to eat?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, regarding what they would axe in a place like Newfoundland, let us remember that the Conservative leader said the dental care program did not exist. He said it is not going to work and not going to happen. Newfoundland now happens to be one of the leading places in the country for people getting care, and on average, the program is saving them $730.

Do they know what is going to save our emergency rooms and create space? It is $1.8 billion for the opportunity to serve emergency rooms. Imagine those savings. That is what they are going to cut. When they look vulnerable people in the eye, they should tell them the truth and tell them what they are going to do. They are going to take away their dental care. They are going to make sure people do not get the diabetes medication they need and that is going to cost some big money.

Democratic Institutions

[Viviane LaPointe, Liberal, Sudbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition is refusing to take our national security seriously. Every other party leader has received their security clearance, but not him. If the Conservative Party leader is unable to grasp the importance of obtaining his security clearance, could the government tell all the other Conservative members why protecting our democracy is important?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Sudbury for her question. Our government recognizes the importance of protecting our country and our democratic institutions from the threat of foreign interference. That is why we offered every party leader the opportunity to get their top secret security clearance.

The Conservative leader is the only one running away from his obligations. Why? If he has nothing to hide from Canadians, he can get his security clearance and secret briefing right away. Unfortunately, the Conservative leader is only in Ottawa to do what he has done best for 20 years, and that is to serve his own interests at the expense of Canadians and their safety.

Public Safety

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of Liberals, crime is up and small businesses are fed up. The Liberal Prime Minister changed the laws to make it easier for violent repeat offenders to get bail, and now break-and-enters, thefts and vandalism have become everyday realities for small businesses in Canada. Nearly 60% of small businesses in B.C., for example, are being directly impacted by crime; eight in 10 are worried about their personal safety. This has cost businesses thousands of dollars, driving up costs of food and goods for their customers.

When will the Liberals reverse their catch-and-release policies so Canadians can shop safely and affordably once again?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I spent 39 years fighting crime in the city of Toronto. One of the things I learned in that 39 years is that cops count.

Today there are 700 fewer police officers in the city of Toronto than when I was the police chief. Those are the same cops, by the way, who fought guns and gangs, gave evidence at bail hearings and kept our neighbourhoods safe. Just like the Harper government that cut 1,000 RCMP positions, Conservative mayors and premiers have frozen police hiring. This is the price we are all paying for reckless Conservative cuts. If the Conservatives are looking for causation of the rising crime, they should look in the mirror.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, with its soft-on-crime policies, the Liberal government is proving once again that it puts the comfort of criminals before the safety of children.

Journalist Paul Arcand is reporting that André Faivre, a pedophile who ran a “social club” of child abusers to teach them the best ways to lure and groom young people, has been released by the Parole Board yet again.

The minister appears to accept the assessment of leading experts who say this man's risk of reoffending is low, even though he has a history of repeatedly breaching his parole conditions over the past 50 years.

Is the minister aware of this? If so, why is he not doing anything about it?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows perfectly well that the Parole Board operates at arm's length from the government. It makes good decisions, and the most important criterion it uses is, of course, public safety. We will not comment on cases before the Parole Board. We have confidence in its work.

However, as my colleague, the Minister of National Defence, just said, we are a bit surprised that the Conservatives, who cut staff so drastically at the RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency, are now claiming that they want to go after criminal gangs.

Public Services and Procurement

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

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

The Liberals have allowed fraudulent, non-indigenous insiders and shell companies to steal contracts that had been earmarked for indigenous businesses. Now that companies like the Canadian Health Care Agency and Dalian Enterprises, which got over $100 million each, have been removed from the indigenous business list, they should pay back the money that had been set aside for indigenous companies.

When will the government get our money back from bad actors who pretended to be indigenous?

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows full well that investigations are regularly carried out to ensure that things are being done properly at my colleague's department.

However, something that my colleague has never said is whether he is in favour of the minimum target of 5% of all procurement contracts being awarded to first nations companies and business owners across the country.

Health

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

Mr. Speaker, protecting a woman's right to control her own body includes access to clear and transparent choices in health care. Far too often, we see bad actors operating in the charitable health care sector, victimizing vulnerable women seeking sexual and reproductive health services.

Can the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance update the women of this country on what this government is doing to ensure they are protected from these nefarious predators?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to sincerely thank my colleague from St. John's East for her hard work for Canadian women. She is a nurse and knows what she is talking about on this issue.

Today, we introduced legislation that would deny charitable status to centres that fail to disclose services they do or do not offer. This is about telling the truth. It is about women and girls across our country having control of their own bodies. That is what our government is proud to stand up for.

Foreign Affairs

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this week, the Israeli Parliament banned UNRWA from operating in Israel-occupied East Jerusalem and designated this life-saving organization—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Greg Fergus]

Colleagues, I need to hear the question.

The hon. member for Edmonton Strathcona, from the top.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this week, the Israeli Parliament banned UNRWA from operating in Israel-occupied East Jerusalem and designated this life-saving organization as a terrorist organization. Millions of Palestinians are living through hell and need aid, and there is no aid organization that can do what UNRWA can do on the ground.

Canada must act now. We cannot tolerate these outrageous attacks on the United Nations and international law.

Will the government finally sanction Netanyahu and his extremist cabinet?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of International Development]

Mr. Speaker, we expressed serious concern about the passage of legislation by the Israeli Parliament that undermines the operations of UNRWA. As the member opposite stated, UNRWA is the backbone of the humanitarian response that supports over two million civilians in Gaza, Palestinian civilians. This poses a significant risk and an obstacle to more aid going in.

We urge the Israeli government to allow UNRWA and the organizations that depend on UNRWA's network to do the work that is necessary and continue to deliver aid without obstruction.

Diversity and Inclusion

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, that response did not respect the seriousness of what is going on and the dire situation going on.

I want to take a moment to talk about one of the premier events in Toronto, something that many people come to. It brings millions of people together and creates thousands of jobs. It is the Toronto Caribbean Carnival. It is one of the most important events in Toronto, but sadly, because of Liberal government underfunding, this festival is at serious risk.

Will the Prime Minister commit today to the appropriate level of funding to protect this vital festival, which celebrates Caribbean culture and the Caribbean diaspora in the GTA?

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Minister of Diversity]

Mr. Speaker, for the last few years, this government has been proud to support the Toronto Caribbean festival. It brings hundreds of thousands of people from around the world to the city of Toronto. We are going to continue to work with the organization to support the work it does in celebrating the Caribbean festival in this country.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. While my colleague was answering a question, the member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, in reference to his former Conservative Party colleague, the member for Richmond—Arthabaska, used language that was not only unparliamentary, but also disgraceful. I would ask him to withdraw his comments and apologize to the member.

[The Speaker, Greg Fergus]

I thank the member for this point of order. The Chair will verify the record of the House of Commons and return with a ruling if necessary.

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. When my hon. colleague was answering a question, my name was up on the screen. I know that we are both of similar backgrounds, but we are different people, and I would appreciate it if the correct name is shown when the other person is speaking.

[The Speaker, Greg Fergus]

I appreciate the hon. minister raising this point. We always strive to make sure that we are accurate in what we do. We apologize to the two hon. ministers. We will take measures to ensure that it does not happen again.

The House resumed consideration of the motion, of the amendment and of the amendment to the amendment.

Canadian Heritage

[The Speaker, Greg Fergus]

It being 3:19 p.m., the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the subamendment of the hon. member for Dufferin—Caledon to the motion to concur in the eighth report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.

Call in the members.