Debates of Oct. 7th, 2024

Government Accountability

[Doug Shipley, Conservative, Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years, the NDP-Liberal government is not worth the cost, crime or corruption.

We know the Liberal government took a legitimate federal foundation called Sustainable Development Technology Canada and turned it into a green slush fund for well-connected Liberal cronies and buddies. These Liberal insiders who were appointed to the board of SDTC gave nearly $400 million in tax dollars to their own companies and friends at a time when Canadians could not afford to eat, to heat and to house themselves. Conservatives passed a motion ordering the Liberal government to assist the ongoing RCMP investigation by handing over all documents related to this scandal. The Speaker has found that the Liberal government has breached this order, which has now ground Parliament to a halt.

Canadians do not have confidence in the Prime Minister, who has previously been found guilty of breaking ethics laws twice. It is time to axe the tax, cut the corporate corruption and let Canadians vote in a carbon tax election.

Foreign Affairs

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, one year ago today, Hamas committed the greatest massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust. The attack should have woken all of us up to the fact that the terror regime in Tehran and its proxy groups seek the destruction not only of the Jewish people but of democratic values around the world. These groups care nothing for the lives of the people subjugated under their rule, and they subject them only to death and misery.

The genocidal regime in Iran and its proxy terror groups are the foe today, which failing hands threw us the torch to guard against. In that, we must know that the promise of Canada does not self-perpetuate. We must fight for it every day. That means rejecting feckless leaders who placate lawless mobs within Canada's streets. It also means defending the right of Israel, a democratic nation, to protect itself from the same terror groups that also seek death to our Canadian way of life.

I remind my colleagues that peace never comes through appeasement. It only comes through strength. Am Yisrael Chai.

NATO

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Orléans, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last week, the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities and I had the great pleasure of officially opening the new NATO DIANA centre in Halifax.

NATO DIANA will help develop dual-use technologies that address challenges affecting security and defence. This initiative puts Canada at the heart of NATO's efforts to maintain its technological edge and preserve peace and security. This $26‑million investment is a demonstration of Canada's commitment to the NATO alliance and to our defence.

I want to congratulate Major-General Paul Peyton, who will be the Military Deputy Director for North America for NATO DIANA. I will conclude by saying thank you very much to all my Liberal colleagues in the Atlantic caucus for all their efforts over the years, especially the Liberal members from Nova Scotia who worked tirelessly to bring DIANA to Halifax.

Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory

[Carol Hughes, NDP, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

Mr. Speaker, elders, health care workers, the band council and family members of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory are working exceptionally hard to replace their aging long-term care home. Built in 1972, the current elders' home is at capacity and no longer meets current regulations. Detailed plans have already been designed for an expanded facility, but they need further investments to ensure that elders can age with dignity close to family and friends, as the licence is set to expire in June 2025.

The community has secured $49 million for this project and needs Indigenous Services Canada to cover the funding shortfall. The existing facility must not close without having another one ready to transition current residents within the community. Failure to do so would retraumatize residents, who are residential school survivors, and reduce their ability to pass on their historical knowledge and teachings. Time is of the essence. Indigenous Services Canada and the finance minister must ensure the $20 million requested is advanced for this new elders' home.

Foreign Affairs

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today, October 7, marks the end of a year of horror. It has been a year since Hamas terrorists massacred over 1,200 people in Israel. It has been a year since Hamas took nearly 250 people hostage, including dozens who are presumed to be alive but who are still missing. It has been a year since the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.

Last October 7, Hamas committed acts of incredible barbarity that plunged the Middle East into a spiral of violence with no end in sight. The world has every right to deplore this spiral of violence, but we must not forget the October 7 victims, the innocent men, women and children. We must not forget the hostages and their families, who no longer know rest.

On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I want to reiterate my solidarity with the entire Jewish community, who deserve to be able to commemorate this tragedy safely and with dignity.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, one year ago, the Jewish people were savagely attacked in the deadliest act of sadistic barbarism since the Holocaust. Over 1,200 souls were raped, murdered and taken hostage by a radical death cult backed by the clerical regime in Tehran, seven Canadians among them. Today, 101 remain in the grips of terrorists hidden in the tunnels of hell.

One year ago, the glory of living a peaceful and safe existence in this country as a Jew ended. They have placated the mob of woke radicals and the anti-Zionist Jew haters that reign free in our streets and reward terror. We used to be a country that was clear and unequivocal about eradicating anti-Semitism here and destroying terrorists, without conditions, everywhere.

For those who remain captive, those waiting for their loved ones to come home, those who never made it back, we remember them. For those horrified at the state of our country, we will fight to restore the Canada we know and love, even when they will not.

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, one year ago, over 1,000 Israelis were killed in a terror attack by Hamas. Since then, Netanyahu's regime has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and victimized hundreds of thousands in the region. As long as this continues, so too does the harm in our Canadian communities.

Over the past year, our local synagogue has had to ask police for support during Shabbat and this past weekend during Rosh Hashanah. Palestinian Canadians who have lost entire generations of family members are afraid to grieve openly and continue to be targeted for their heritage. This is unacceptable.

No matter one's identity, people deserve to feel safe and to be able to grieve in our country. This is not a political issue; this is a humanity issue. If members in this House continue to make this tragic loss a partisan issue, we risk losing a part of our own humanity.

Today is a horrific anniversary for Jewish and Palestinian Canadians alike. Today is a day of grief.

Innovation, Science and Industry

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, we have further proof that the Prime Minister is not worth the cost, the crime or the corruption.

The Liberals have paralyzed Parliament by refusing to respect your ruling that the government must hand over documents to the RCMP regarding a $400-million scandal. Liberal-appointed executives funnelled money to their own companies, which implicated them in 186 conflicts of interest, according to the Auditor General.

Will the Prime Minister comply with your ruling and hand over the evidence to the RCMP so we can get back to work?

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

Mr. Speaker, what the Leader of the Opposition is saying is false. Your ruling was to refer this matter to committee for further study.

Will the Conservatives comply with your order?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, this is proof that after nine years, the NDP-Liberals are not worth the cost, the crime or the corruption. The Prime Minister has ground the work of Parliament to a halt by refusing to respect your ruling. The government must hand over evidence to the police, concerning the $400-million spending scandal that saw Liberal appointees give millions of dollars to their own companies. The Auditor General says there are 186 conflicts of interest in this scandal.

Will the Prime Minister end the cover-up, respect your ruling, and give the police the information so we can have accountability and get back to work?

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

Mr. Speaker, what the Leader of the Opposition is saying is demonstrably false because your ruling was to send this matter to the procedure and House affairs committee for more study. In fact, it is only the Conservatives who are now obstructing their own obstruction. They do not want this to go to committee because it would demonstrate they are trying to upend charter rights and override police independence.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Parliament can get back to work this minute if the government will just hand over the evidence to the police about this $400-million Liberal spending scandal. I found it interesting that the Liberals said everybody is going to lose their charter rights if the police get evidence into this $400-million Liberal spending scandal. No, what will happen is that the Liberal nominees and appointees who engaged in 186 conflicts of interest to stuff their own pockets will be held criminally accountable, and Canadians might get their money back.

Why will they not hand over the evidence and respect your ruling so we can get back to work around here?

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

Mr. Speaker, what is interesting about this is that there is actually proof that what the Leader of the Opposition is saying is false. In your ruling, you said this matter needs to go to the procedure and House affairs committee for further study. What the Conservatives are putting forward is unprecedented because, as the RCMP mentioned, it would upend charter rights and it would blur the lines between judicial and legislative independence.

The Conservatives can follow your ruling and we can all go back to work, which is exactly what Canadians want us to do.

Foreign Affairs

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, a year ago today, a sadistic and genocidal death cult, Hamas, carried out the biggest attack on Jews since the Holocaust and has 100 more hostages. Bring them home.

Here at home, though, our Jewish friends and neighbours have been doubly victimized as anti-Semitic mobs take to the streets shouting, “From Palestine to Lebanon, Israel will soon be gone” and “There is only one solution: intifada, revolution.”

Will the government clearly and unequivocally condemn these genocidal chants from hateful mobs on our streets?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, Judih Weinstein, Vivian Silver, Ben Mizrachi, Netta Epstein, Shir Georgy, Alexandre Look, Adi Vital-Kaploun, Tiferet Lapidot, may their memories be a blessing. It was my honour to have met with their families here at home and in Israel. On the anniversary of Hamas's horrific attacks, my promise to their loved ones is the following: Year after year, Canadians will honour their memories. We stand with Jewish people. We will not relent until the last hostage returns home.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the minister does relent, every single day, just like her leader.

I asked a very simple question. Mobs have taken to the streets in front of Jewish homes, hospitals and businesses to shout anti-Semitic hate slogans. I quoted a number of them and invited the minister to rise to her feet and specifically condemn them, to stand with Jews against the anti-Semitism that has been allowed to proliferate on our streets.

Once again, will she condemn these anti-Semitic chants?

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

Mr. Speaker, today is October 7, the anniversary of a horrific attack on Jews, with 1,200 people killed and over 200 people taken hostage. Our solidarity is with Jews in Israel and with Jewish people in Canada and right around the world.

What we stand up against, absolutely, is the amount of hatred that we have seen in this country and countries around the world. People have targeted Jewish Canadian schools, day cares and synagogues for acts that they have a problem with on another side of the world. We are better than that in this country. We need to stand up against that kind of hatred in support of Jewish people and for all people who defend their ability to worship how and whom they choose.

Seniors

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last week, seniors came to Parliament Hill to ask for a 10% increase to their pension plan. One poll tells us that 79% of the population agrees with that increase. Elected members voted in favour of it. The government just needs to give the royal recommendation to Bill C‑319, but it does not want to. Why? Because it says that this is not how things usually work.

We are talking about the plight of seniors and the government is talking about procedure. When will it stop messing around and give the royal recommendation?

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

Mr. Speaker, I visited a lot of seniors in my riding on the weekend. Obviously, I take the time to have a good conversation with them. I hope, knowing my hon. colleague, that he said the same thing and was very clear with the seniors, especially when it comes to his opposition to lowering the age of retirement to 65. The Bloc Québécois voted against that. When we increased the guaranteed income supplement, the Bloc Québécois voted against that. When we brought in dental care for hundreds of thousands of seniors in Quebec, the Bloc Québécois voted against that.

Government Priorities

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, seniors are coming together to improve their pensions. Some 79% of the population agrees. All parties voted in favour of this in committee. However, the Liberals refuse and only want to talk about procedure.

The same is true when it comes to supply management. Farmers are coming together in support of Bill C‑282. All parties support it, but it is being held up in the Senate. The Liberals refuse to get involved. They talk about procedure. There are two procedural problems.

At the end of the day, is the real problem not this Liberal government's lack of political will?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is well aware that it was our party that initiated the supply management program. It is our party that has supported the supply management program throughout its history. It is a very successful program.

We supported Bill C-282. We urge the other place to move on this legislation.

Housing

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, housing is a fundamental right, but since the Liberals have been in power, the housing crisis has only gotten worse.

The Liberals and the Conservatives before them sold over one million affordable housing units to wealthy developers who got rich off the backs of families. The Liberals let rents double. The Conservatives lined the pockets of their donors in the real estate industry. Both of these parties are to blame for the housing crisis.

Why do they want families to pay the price?

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

Mr. Speaker, our colleague is quite right to criticize the Conservatives' role in the fight for affordable housing. When he was minister responsible for housing across the country, the Conservative leader built six affordable housing units.

My NDP colleague is also right to point out just how cynical the Conservative leader is. He says that helping seniors who live in low-income housing and co-ops is encouraging Soviet-style housing. We should not help them, because that encourages a Soviet way of life.

What are we to make of that?

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the housing crisis in indigenous communities continues to be a stain on the government's record. Over 300,000 indigenous people continue to live in unsuitable housing. The Liberals promised to build homes for first nations, Inuit and Métis communities and broke it. To make matters worse, indigenous people are still reeling from the Conservatives' cuts to housing to this day.

The Liberals break promises, the Conservatives gut and cut, and indigenous people pay the price. When will the government finally act to build the homes indigenous people desperately need?

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

Mr. Speaker, our colleague is entirely right. That is why we have built tens of thousands of homes for indigenous Canadians and other Canadians in the last nine years.

If we had built on the record of the Conservative leader, with six affordable apartments in his entire mandate, we would be a long way from what is needed for indigenous Canadians in 2024. In addition to that, as I said in French, the Conservative leader does not want to support seniors and indigenous Canadians when they live in low-rent housing because he believes it encourages a form of Soviet-style housing conditions.