House of Commons Hansard #348 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was documents.
The Speaker Liberal Greg Fergus
For the second, and I hope the last, time, I am going to ask the hon. member for Brantford—Brant to please not take the floor unless he is recognized by the Chair.
The hon. Leader of the Government in the House of Commons.
Karina Gould LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, obviously, when witnesses testify before committees, they are obliged to provide the information that is asked of them.
Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB
Mr. Speaker, well, where is Randy?
Speaking of not being forthcoming at committee, the minister testified that he had absolutely no communications with his shady business partner at or around the time of the half-million-dollar shakedown. However, now that phone records have proven otherwise, the minister has been forced to admit that he phoned and texted his shady business partner at the very same time.
If the minister is not Randy in the text messages, then why did he hide this material fact from committee?
Karina Gould LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, as I stated earlier, if a witness is asked to provide information to a committee, we expect that they provide it.
Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB
Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the Liberal-NDP government, taxes are up, costs are up, crime is up and time is up.
Now, the government is no stranger to the bait and switch. It was the Prime Minister himself who said that sunlight is the best disinfectant, yet all Canadians have received is fraud and corruption.
I was happy to see that the procurement ombud is going to undertake a study of the bait and switch practices of the government, but why does it always take another hand to force the government to do the right thing?
Karina Gould LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I would actually turn that question around on my hon. colleagues who have decided to abuse the power of this place and to use their powers to upend and override the charter rights of Canadians.
If Conservative Party members want to ask themselves how they can do the right thing, it is to make sure that they do not abuse the powers of this place and protect the charter rights of Canadians.
Joyce Murray Liberal Vancouver Quadra, BC
Mr. Speaker, this fall, thousands of young Canadians are starting their post-secondary journey, including those at UBC in my riding in Vancouver Quadra.
These students are our future, and our government recognizes that we have a role to play in helping them with the cost of living. They should not be stressed out about paying tuition and rent, but rather they should be able to focus on their classes.
Will the Minister of Employment and Workforce Development please tell the House just what our government is doing to support students right across the country?
Randy Boissonnault LiberalMinister of Employment
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Vancouver Quadra for her question, and I thank the Conservative members in the House for congratulating us for all the work we are doing to make life easier for students. Whether it is taking off federal interest on student loans or doubling those student loans, we are making sure that apprentices are trained from coast to coast to coast. We have increased student loans. We have taken off the federal student debt. Why did we do that? It is because we are there to support students every step of the way.
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are heckling us every step of the way. We are supporting students to build Canada and make sure we have an economy that is fair for every generation.
Leila Dance NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB
Mr. Speaker, for years, working families in my home province of Manitoba suffered from Conservative cuts to the health care system and social programs. Under the government, the cost of rent and food has shot up. That is why the NDP has fought to deliver dental care and pharmacare, help lower costs for Canadians, and bring in anti-scab legislation to empower workers for better wages.
While the NDP fights for measures to help people, why does the government refuse to crack down on corporate greed and stop ripping off the hard-working members of Elmwood—Transcona?
Mark Holland LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I welcome my hon. colleague to the House. I look forward to her contribution.
We may disagree on how we get to solutions, but it is really wonderful to work with parties that are focused on solutions. We have parties that are really interested in finding common ground, like with dental care, which has seen 800,000 people get care, and finding solutions like affordable medicine.
We then have a party obsessed with slogans that have nothing behind them. It will not even admit it has no plan whatsoever for a senior who needs dental care or a person who needs essential medicine. The Conservatives' message is that people are on their own, but they have a fun slogan.
Mike Morrice Green Kitchener Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, this year in my community, we have already lost 64 people to poisoned drugs. The federal government has a $359-million program to support prevention, harm reduction, and treatment initiatives called SUAP. The government has previously funded programs in Waterloo region, but this year, while multiple organizations submitted applications, zero SUAP dollars have been committed to any programming in my community to date.
Will the minister commit to reviewing SUAP funding decisions to ensure hot spots, such as Waterloo region, are not left unfunded?
Élisabeth Brière LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families
Mr. Speaker, I know the member is a strong advocate for his community. I also know he has recently had exchanges with our department and that another meeting has been scheduled to discuss this further.
We know that all communities across Canada are impacted by substance use, including in the Kitchener and Waterloo region, and that is why we have invested in more than 400 projects through the SUAP program, making a real difference in Canadians' lives.
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order.
One thing we want to acknowledge, as you have said on numerous occasions, is the importance of words, but along with the importance of words is a demonstration of consistency. I bring this up in the most positive way I can. The leader of the Conservative Party used the word “wacko” and was not told that it was inappropriate, whereas the word “unhinged” was used and you stood up in your place. We suggest that words matter, and we want to follow and abide by what the Speaker is saying.
The Speaker Liberal Greg Fergus
I thank the hon. parliamentary secretary.
As I mentioned, the formulation of the words was correct. I was pointing out to members, as I pointed out yesterday, that we were skating close to the line, and I was asking members to take great care in how they express themselves. As to the first example the hon. member used, that comment was clearly considered unparliamentary and was dealt with at the time.
The hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands is rising on a point of order.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, this has to do with unparliamentary language. I have to admit that I would appreciate your help, because I imagine that once I open my mouth, it may be hard to continue.
The leader of the official opposition used the word “dirtbag” in relation to someone accused of a crime who was out on bail. I think we all need to watch our language carefully and think of the case of Umar Zameer, who was accused of homicide in the death of a police officer, only to find after examination that he was accused wrongfully. Being out on bail does not mean that someone has done something wrong. It means a judge has assessed that conditions allow them to—
The Speaker Liberal Greg Fergus
I am going to allow the hon. member to continue. If members do not appreciate the point of order, I invite them, at their turn, to rise on a point of order. Otherwise, I invite them to allow the Chair to listen, uninterrupted, to the member.
The hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate your assistance.
I know that this is a difficult topic. Everyone here is grateful to police officers across this country and grateful and vastly relieved that the police officer in Toronto is recovering well and is reported to be in good spirits. No one would wish a police officer to come to harm, but for those involved in altercations with the police, especially when they are still under investigation by the Special Investigations Unit, we should not in this place jump to conclusions, as the hon. leader of the official opposition has done, and attribute a term like “dirtbag” to them when we know nothing about their lives and know nothing about their circumstances. We know that something has occurred, which is most unfortunate, but we must not treat people who are out on bail as though they are subhuman or we demean our own humanity.
The Speaker Liberal Greg Fergus
The hon. Minister for Indigenous Services is rising on the same point of order. The Chair has heard some good conversations about this and will come back on it, so I would ask the hon. member to be brief and to the point.
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
Mr. Speaker, I will be brief.
I have noticed over the last several months a decline in the tenor of the House. It is disturbing to me as a member of Parliament to hear other members of Parliament use names and slurs toward constituents. These are Canadians we are talking about. When we are calling each other names and calling constituents names, we can do better. I am the member of Parliament for Thunder Bay—Superior North, and I am immensely proud of the citizens of my riding, and I would never, ever consider calling any of them a name.
The Speaker Liberal Greg Fergus
The hon. member for Calgary Nose Hill is rising on the same point of order. The Chair has heard a fair bit of comment, and I know that members have important work to continue, so I will ask the hon. member, just as I asked the hon. minister, to be brief and to the point.
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Mr. Speaker, I would just like to put on the record that I am very comfortable with calling a cop killer a dirtbag.
The Speaker Liberal Greg Fergus
Colleagues, thank you for your input. I appreciate what you have raised.
The Chair, on a number of occasions, and not only this Chair but previous people who have held this position, has raised the importance of using language that is befitting of this place and the people who sent us here.
I always encourage members to exercise some restraint when talking about people who are not in the House to defend their point of view. That said, as I mentioned last week, public figures can face political criticism here in the House.
Nonetheless, again, it is important for us to use language that is befitting of the people who sent us here, and I encourage all members to do so.