Debates of Oct. 3rd, 2024

Forestry Industry

[Jake Stewart, Conservative, Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB]

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

Just weeks after the U.S. slapped Canada with a 14.5% tariff, the Prime Minister dismissed his failures on softwood lumber as a “small” issue. The doubling of softwood lumber tariffs puts thousands of Canadian jobs at risk.

Forestry is New Brunswick's largest industry. It contributes $1.5 billion to the New Brunswick economy and employs 24,000 workers.

Over the past nine years, and three U.S. presidents, the Prime Minister has failed to get a deal for Canadian forestry workers that former Conservative Prime Minister Harper did in his first 80 days. A common-sense Conservative government will get a deal done with our American neighbours to bring home powerful paycheques for our Canadian forestry workers.

Small Business Month

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

Mr. Speaker, October is Small Business Month, and with over 19,000 businesses in Vaughan, our city's entrepreneurial spirit is second to none. We see it from family-run businesses like Sweet Boutique to innovators like Summer Fresh Salads and dedicated visionaries like Quality Cheese, all in Vaughan—Woodbridge.

Vaughan is York Region's economic engine, fuelled by its entrepreneurs. They have everything Canada needs, and I will always have their backs.

To help Canadian businesses thrive, we have invested in them through the Canada summer jobs and my main street programs. We lowered the small business tax rate from 11% to 9%, saving businesses $6 billion every year.

By this year end, we will be delivering to them $2.5 billion through the Canada carbon rebate for small businesses and cutting credit card transaction fees by up to 27%, or $1 billion over five years.

This is what real leadership and commitment to economic growth and prosperity for small businesses looks like.

Bloc Québécois

[Richard Lehoux, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as expected, the Bloc Québécois motion was rejected by the Liberal government yesterday, proving once again that everything they said over the past few weeks was meaningless.

What is the point of the Bloc Québécois? Spending is higher than ever and there are more public servants than ever before, all paid for with Quebeckers' money.

What is the Bloc Québécois's objective today? They voted with the Liberals and the NDP to keep this government in place. This is a government that is always infringing on provincial jurisdictions.

The Bloc Québécois had the chance to work with the future Conservative government to bring down the current government, or at least to negotiate on behalf of Quebeckers on the woodland caribou issue. The Bloc must be the worst negotiator in history. The Bloc Québécois is selling its soul to the Liberals and getting nothing for Quebec. The Bloc Québécois now wants people to believe that it will bring down the government on October 29.

Does the Bloc not realize that all Canadians, including Quebeckers, want an election?

People can rest assured that once the election is called, the Conservatives will be there to stand up for Canadians and bring home common sense.

Carbon Tax

[Richard Bragdon, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of this NDP-Liberal government, taxes are up, costs are up, crime is up and time is up.

This punitive and ineffective carbon tax is hurting New Brunswickers, whether it is our seniors trying to keep up with the ever-increasing cost of living while on a fixed income, young families trying to make ends meet, or those who keep our land, and grow and haul our food. They are all suffering under the weight of this cumbersome and burdensome tax so much so that New Brunswick's courageous and common-sense Premier Blaine Higgs is fed up and has announced that he will be launching a legal challenge against the Liberals' quadrupling of the carbon tax. We could not support him more.

Premier Higgs, alongside seven out of 10 premiers across the country, is saying enough is enough. We simply can no longer afford this costly coalition. However, I have hope that help is on the way. I hear a train a-coming, and under the leadership of our great conductor, we will axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime. Let us bring it home.

Foreign Interference

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I have some concerns about foreign interference. The CBC reported over the summer that “A report from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) says there were two instance of alleged interference by China in Conservative Party of Canada leadership races.”

This begs the question: Why is it that the far-right leader of the Conservative Party refuses to get the security clearance that is necessary?

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Colleagues, Statements By Members is an important standing order in this place for us to be able to speak to our constituencies or to offer messages that each member has designed.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I would ask the hon. member for Wellington—Halton Hills to not take the floor until he is recognized so that members can make their statements without interruption.

I will invite the hon. member for Winnipeg North to start from the top.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I am concerned about foreign interference.

Over the summer, we had an interesting report from CBC, which said that “A report from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) says there were two instance of alleged interference by China in Conservative Party of Canada leadership races.”

I wonder why the leader of the far-right Conservative Party today does not want to get the security clearance in order to get to the bottom of security issues dealing with foreign interference. It got me thinking whether there was something about the past from the leader of the Conservative Party that he believes will disqualify him from getting the clearance.

Why will the leader of the Conservative Party today not get the security clearance so that he can get a better understanding of what the reality of foreign interference is really about?

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

After asking one member to please not raise their voice, I am going to ask the hon. member for Niagara Falls to please not do so as well, as well as all other members. There are several tools available to the Speaker to ensure order, and it would be a real regret to have to use them.

The hon. member for Elmwood—Transcona.

Member for Elmwood—Transcona

[Leila Dance, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to rise for the first time as the new MP for the riding of Elmwood—Transcona. I humbly thank the voters for sending me here to be their voice in the chamber. I want to thank the volunteers and the great campaign team for their dedication and hard work. I would not be here without their help. From the bottom of my heart, I thank them.

Elmwood—Transcona has been my home for my whole life, and I am proud to say I love my community. I assure the people of Elmwood—Transcona that I will dedicate myself to fighting for the issues that matter to them day in and day out.

For the past 25 years, I have worked to create connections with community and to support and build local programs that improve the lives of my neighbours. As the new member of Parliament, I will continue to do that on their behalf.

Union des producteurs agricoles du Québec

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Union des producteurs agricoles du Québec marked its 100th anniversary this week. It is celebrating 100 years of solidarity, 100 years of pooling resources, 100 years of standing together, because we are stronger together, and 100 years of providing inspiration.

I want to thank and congratulate the organization for all these years of hard work to help our regions and communities grow. Solidarity is a guarantee of success, and most importantly, it is a guarantee that the fruits of that success will be shared along every link in the chain. That is really wonderful because it allows the people who feed us to make a decent living.

The Union des producteurs agricoles du Québec has fought many battles over its history, with many more to come. The group's strength will ensure its continued success. Happy 100th anniversary.

Government Accountability

[Eric Duncan, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of NDP-Liberals, taxes are up, costs are up, crime is up and time is up for the endless corruption and stonewalling. The Liberals are so desperate now that they have ground the House to a halt all because they refuse to turn over all documents to the RCMP to fully investigate their latest scandal involving Liberal insiders.

Let us be clear about the magnitude of this corruption. The Auditor General found $400 million in taxpayer money either for projects that were not eligible or for conflict of interest cases, where Liberal insiders were approving millions of dollars to their own businesses. Zero dollars have been returned to the Canadian taxpayer. All of this is while millions of Canadians suffer under the cost of living crisis caused by the Liberal-NDP government. There are 24 million people using a food bank every year and thousands of encampments in the country.

The Liberals are putting insiders before Canadians who are suffering. It is like the sponsorship scandal that defeated the last government. It is time for an election for Canadians to do the same thing again.

Freedom of Religion

[Terry Duguid, Liberal, Winnipeg South, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I am deeply troubled by the recent series of harassing and Islamophobic phone calls made to a Winnipeg mosque over the past several weeks. Places of worship should always be spaces of peace, safety and community. The targeting of any religious group is an attack on all of us, and we must be united in denouncing such hatred.

I stand with Winnipeg's Muslim community and, indeed, all communities facing hate speech during these challenging international times and conflicts worldwide.

Our government recently launched our action plan on combatting hate, which includes helping communities prevent and address hate, while protecting vulnerable individuals and raising public awareness. Together, we all have a responsibility to promote unity and understanding and build a more inclusive society where everyone is free to practise their faith without fear.

Government Priorities

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, this is the most centralizing and costly government in our history. This government is bad for Quebec. It has broken the immigration system, doubled the cost of housing and doubled the debt.

That is why it is so bizarre that the Bloc Québécois leader has become the worst negotiator in Canadian history. Twice he has decided to vote confidence in the government to keep it in power, without getting anything for farmers or seniors.

Would the government like to thank the Bloc Québécois leader for his generosity?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative leader was calling something bizarre. Let me tell him what is bizarre.

So far, 2.4 million seniors in Canada have received their Canadian dental care plan card, including 800,000 in Quebec. Hundreds of thousands of people have already been able to receive affordable and accessible dental care, some of them for the first time in years. What is bizarre is that the Conservative leader says the Canadian dental care plan does not exist.

Innovation, Science and Industry

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Parliament's work has ground to a halt because the Prime Minister is violating your ruling ordering him to hand over evidence to the RCMP concerning another Liberal scandal. The scandal involves Liberal-appointed executives who gave their own companies $400 million in at least 184 cases of conflict of interest, according to the Auditor General.

Why is the Prime Minister violating your ruling to cover up the criminal evidence of another Liberal scandal?

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

Mr. Speaker, what the Leader of the Opposition is saying is completely false.

What the Conservatives are doing right now is trying to end rights protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms using the extraordinary powers of the House. They want to end police independence in our society, and they have no idea what a dangerous precedent they are setting.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Parliament is paralyzed, unable to work on the problem of doubling housing costs or two million people at the food bank, because the government is refusing to respect the Speaker's ruling to turn over evidence in the criminal investigation of the latest Liberal scandal. At issue is that Liberal appointees directed $400 million to companies they own, involving 184 conflicts of interest, according to the Auditor General.

Why is the Prime Minister breaking the Speaker's ruling to cover up criminal evidence in the latest Liberal scandal?

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

Mr. Speaker, again, the Leader of the Opposition is neglecting to tell the whole truth to Canadians. The Conservatives are trying to use the extraordinary powers of this place to circumvent the judicial requirement of police to protect the charter rights of Canadians.

I want to believe that the Leader of the Opposition does not understand what he is doing, but I am even more concerned that he does understand and the charter rights of Canadians are not important to him.

Public Safety

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, it should be no surprise that Liberals believe that white-collar criminals can hand over $400 million to their own companies, because we see the case of the dirtbag Tibor Organa who shot a police officer in the stomach yesterday while he was out on bail, after having been arrested for two dozen offences he committed while he was out on probation.

Let us get this straight. He was out on probation for many crimes, he gets arrested for violating probation, so he gets released on bail and shoots a police officer.

When will the government finally accept that its hug-a-thug catch-or-release system is putting our people at risk?

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

Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the police officer. No police officer should be hurt in the line of duty. However, what is extremely concerning is what the Leader of the Opposition is doing in the House today. He is trampling the charter rights of Canadians. Whether it is in the House or whether it is outside, Canadians need to be extremely alarmed about the fact that when it comes to their rights, his first instinct is to trample over them.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals think people have a charter right to get released after two dozen offences while they are already on probation and shoot a police officer in the stomach. I am more worried about the charter rights of the police officer who is recovering from the gunshot wound.

This is what the police officer said, “Almost everyone we arrest is out on bail. No one stays in jail where they belong....The city and the feds just don’t care, it just doesn’t bother them, it doesn’t matter how many die or if a cop gets shot.”

What is wrong with you people?