Debates of Oct. 4th, 2024

Innovation, Science and Industry

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, let me pick up on when the member made reference to disrespect. What I see as disrespect is when the official opposition and the leader of the far-right Conservative Party completely ignore the advice that is being provided by the independent institution of the RCMP and by the independent Auditor General. I think it is irresponsible. It is ridiculous that the leader of the Conservative Party ignores the information.

At the same time, when we talk about corruption, talk to me about the individual who walked away in leg irons because of Conservative—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères has the floor.

Seniors

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Madam Speaker, the House voted to end the two-tier approach to seniors by increasing the OAS pension for seniors aged 65 to 74 by 10%. Seventy-nine per cent of the population agrees with us. The Minister of Seniors will have to explain himself.

According to the new electoral map, he is penalizing more than 12,000 seniors in the riding of Gatineau and 30,000 in the Gatineau census division he represents as a member of Parliament.

Can he tell these people why he would rather go to the polls than give them one penny more?

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

Madam Speaker, I thank the member for correcting the math and statistics on the wonderful riding of Gatineau today. However, I did not hear an apology.

I encourage him to consider at another mathematical figure, the number 10,000. In his riding alone, 10,000 people are now eligible for the federal dental care plan that we put in place and that is helping so many people, even though he voted against it.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Madam Speaker, soon there will be an opportunity to apologize to many seniors.

What good are the Liberals to seniors? The Minister of Seniors is holding back 10% of the OAS pension from 12,000 seniors in Gatineau. The Liberals' Quebec lieutenant is doing that to 14,000 seniors in the riding of Québec. The Prime Minister is denying 8,000 seniors in the riding of Papineau their pension increase. We in the Bloc Québécois are going to do everything we can for those seniors.

Sometimes these Liberals make us wonder if we would not be better off having an election.

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

Madam Speaker, not only have we helped seniors by targeting the most vulnerable seniors, but we have also invested in housing. We are proud to have increased old age security and raised the income exemption to help seniors who still want to stay connected to the workforce.

Does anyone know who voted against all those measures? That member and his party, the Bloc Québécois, did.

Innovation, Science and Industry

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Madam Speaker, after nine years of these NDP-Liberals, taxes are up, costs are up, corruption is up and time is up.

Now it is confirmed that the RCMP is doing an investigation into this Liberal green slush fund. Taxpayer funds, $330 million, were paid out in 186 cases of conflicts of interest. It is despicable that Liberal insiders lined their own pockets.

Those who broke the law must be brought to justice, so when will this scandal-ridden government hand over all the documents to the RCMP and recover every last dollar of embezzled funds?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, when will the Conservative Party actually start respecting the independence of the RCMP? When will they start respecting the independence of the Auditor General? When will they actually start to work for Canadians inside the House of Commons by stopping talking so that we could actually get on to government legislation and do what the motion that they brought forward says, which is to see the motion actually go to the standing committee?

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Madam Speaker, nine years of this Liberal government has meant nine years of scandals. The RCMP has just opened another investigation. Corruption has become synonymous with this Liberal government.

Canadians are still waiting for answers about the Liberal green fund that doled out $390 million in 180 conflict-of-interest cases. This is Canadians' money we are talking about. Canadians cannot afford housing or food, yet Liberal cronies have been lining their pockets.

When will this corrupt Liberal government allow Canadians to see their money again?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, I have had the opportunity to answer this question, and I think in fairness what I would like to suggest to the members opposite is that they really do listen to what the RCMP and the Auditor General have to say on the issue. I want to do a comparison, as I have tried to highlight the many different scandals of the Stephen Harper era, in which the leader of the Conservative Party today was a part of the cabinet. I think that they need to start reflecting internally on their behaviour, because not once did they ever make the type of inquiry or demand, rather—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Red Deer—Lacombe has the floor.

Emergency Preparedness

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

Madam Speaker, after nine years of this NDP-Liberal government, taxes are up, costs are up, crime is up, time is up and incompetence is up. The Minister of the Environment ignored the science, and as a result, Jasper burned. The proof is that his own executives were caught discussing cancelling prescribed burns for political optic reasons, yet prescribed burns are an essential tool for preventing wildfires.

Will this minister accept responsibility for his failure and apologize to the 2,000 residents of Jasper who have lost their homes and their businesses?

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

Madam Speaker, what the member opposite just said is simply not true, and if I was not in this House, I would probably be using another word. There have been 15 prescribed burns in the last 10 years, and the email he is referring to is Parks Canada employees discussing whether to use mechanical removals or prescribed burns.

What he is saying is absolutely false, and he should be ashamed.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

Madam Speaker, the Minister of Environment claims to be proud of his preparations for the catastrophic Jasper wildfire, yet one-third of Jasper was destroyed, there was $1 billion in damages and 2,000 people were left homeless. It can hardly be described as a success. Everyone knew Jasper was a tinderbox. My former colleague Jim Eglinski even tried to warn the government in this house as far back as 2016, yet not enough was done to protect the town of Jasper.

How many more parks need to burn down before this minister is replaced by somebody who knows how fire works?

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

Madam Speaker, let us talk about what we are doing on this side and what they did when they were in power. The last year that party was in power, there was $2 million to fight forest fires with Parks Canada. What we have done in the last few years is $85 million to help fight forest fires and to give the means to our forest firefighting force at Parks Canada to work with the Alberta government, to work with the city of Jasper.

It was $2 million on their side and $85 million on our side.

Indigenous Affairs

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, indigenous elders endured genocidal policies resulting in indigenous women and girls being missing and murdered. Thanks to the Liberals, Wiikwemkoong first nations elders are on the verge of exile. Long-term care facilities are important for passing on intergenerational love and knowledge to keep indigenous peoples alive.

Liberals are refusing an act of reconciliation. When will this government deliver the funding needed for the Wiikwemkoong elders' home?

[Jaime Battiste, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Madam Speaker, it is true that elders are an important part of indigenous communities. We know that it is important to continue to support indigenous women, especially on Sisters in Spirit Day.

I would also like to congratulate the Nova Scotia Native Women's Association on their brand new indigenous women's Resilience Centre, which opened last month. It is the first ever in provinces across Canada. Congratulations to the Nova Scotia Native Women's Association on an amazing achievement.

Persons with Disabilities

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

Madam Speaker, the minister said the government would hold back the Canada disability benefit until July 2025. What a disgrace. Over a million people with disabilities live in poverty today. They need support to pay for rent, groceries and medication. The Conservatives are no better. They will cut dental care, health care and essential services that persons with disabilities are entitled to. The government needs to act now, not next year.

Will it stop the delay and deliver the Canada disability benefit immediately?

[Sameer Zuberi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity]

Madam Speaker, the Conservative Party will do nothing at all for persons with disabilities. We are the party that has stood by persons with disabilities. In our budget, we have $6.1 billion to help lift people with disabilities. It is the biggest line item. We are proud of the Canada disability benefit. We are standing with the disability community, working together to uplift people. We are the government that is doing this.

Air Transportation

[Helena Jaczek, Liberal, Markham—Stouffville, ON]

Madam Speaker, Canadians deserve reliable and safe travel options. That means efficient airports that can adapt to high demand. It also includes targeted investments in regional airports, such as at the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport located on the beautiful Toronto Islands.

Could the Minister of Transport update this House about a recent announcement that will benefit Canadian travellers and improve connectivity?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Transport]

Madam Speaker, Canadians are asking for better service at airports. Last week, I was pleased to make an announcement at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport about pre-clearance at that airport. Canadians can expect smoother travel between Canada and the United States, more travel options, more economic growth, more tourism, more trade and more security. That is what it is all about. Unlike the opposition, we are here for Canadians. We are here for productivity—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for St. Albert—Edmonton.

Ethics

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Madam Speaker, the minister from Edmonton misled committee when he testified that he had no communications with his shady business partner at or around the time of an alleged half-million dollar fraud implicating a “Randy”. When phone records demonstrated that that was not true, he changed his story and admitted to phoning and texting the shady business partner at that very time.

If the minister is not the Randy implicated in the alleged fraud, why did he mislead committee?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, it is all about character assassination from the Conservatives. Not once, but twice, the minister in question has actually been cleared by the Ethics Commissioner.

Having said that, instead of attacking personalities day in and day out, maybe the Conservative Party should start listening to what Canadians are wanting to deal with. Why is the Conservative Party not being a little bit more forthright on what its hidden agenda is really about? Canadians want to see a dental program, a pharmacare program, a school food program, a child care program and a health program.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Madam Speaker, let us get this straight: text messages implicating Randy, the minister's shady business partner cannot identify another Randy, we know that the minister contacted his shady business partner at the time of the alleged fraud, and text messages place the Randy in Vancouver at the same time as the minister.

How much evidence is it going to take for the Prime Minister to fire this corrupt minister?