House of Commons Hansard #364 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was documents.
Mary Ng LiberalMinister of Export Promotion
Mr. Speaker, foreign interference is serious, and our government is firmly addressing it. This is why it is essential that we get the facts right.
Unlike the member for Spadina—Fort York, who has been spreading false claims, I want to be clear: I have undergone full security screening, and I do have security clearance as a minister of the Crown.
My question for the House is why the Conservative leader will not get his security clearance so that he can protect Canadians in this country.
Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Mr. Speaker, after nine years, the “Liberal Bloc” is not worth the cost of housing. This week, our leader announced that, once elected, we will eliminate the GST on homes under $1 million.
This announcement was welcomed by many stakeholders, including the Corporation des propriétaires immobiliers du Québec, the Quebec landlords' association, which said the Conservative leader's proposal was one more idea for reducing costs related to housing and called it a step in the right direction.
Will the Liberals, supported by the Bloc Québécois, axe the federal tax on housing, or are they going to just keep funding programs that look good in photo ops?
Adam van Koeverden LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity
Mr. Speaker, on the topic of the housing accelerator fund, which the Conservatives have committed to cut if they form government, I wonder if the member has had a conversation with his colleague from Lambton—Kent—Middlesex or the member for Simcoe North or the member for Fundy Royal or the member for St. Albert—Edmonton or perhaps the member for Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola. All those Conservative members have written letters to the Minister of Housing, asking him for the housing accelerator fund to help their towns build more units. We are talking about real affordable housing.
Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Mr. Speaker, the “Liberal Bloc” doubled the cost of housing, doubled the amount needed for a down payment, doubled mortgage payments and doubled the debt.
The Conservatives will scrap the federal tax on new homes under $1 million, potentially allowing Canadians to save up to $50,000. That is what we call common sense.
Will the “Liberal Bloc” wake up at long last and implement our idea so Canadians and Quebeckers can finally catch their breath?
Adam van Koeverden LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity
Mr. Speaker, do we know who else used to say “common sense” a lot? It was Premier Mike Harris from Ontario, in the early nineties. From that common sense, we got Walkerton. We got deaths from dirty water. We got dangerous cuts to community housing that put in peril my mom's job and where we lived at Chautauqua Co-op, when I was growing up.
However, it is not just Conservative MPs asking the Minister of Housing to keep the housing accelerator fund and make sure their towns and cities get it; it is also dozens of mayors across the country, including Saskatoon's mayor, the mayor of Richmond Hill and the mayors of Kingston, Thunder Bay, St. John's, Surrey, Cambridge and Barrie.
I could go on. Everybody needs the housing accelerator fund—
HousingOral Questions
John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON
Mr. Speaker, after nine years, NDP-Liberals are not worth the cost of housing. Common-sense Conservatives have announced a plan that would axe the federal sales tax on new homes, which has universally been seen as a game-changer. On an $800,000 house, this tax cut would save homebuyers $40,000 and $2,200 a year in mortgage payments.
After nine years, the NDP-Liberals have doubled rent, doubled mortgage payments and doubled down payments. Will the NDP-Liberals axe the federal GST on housing so that more Canadians, young Canadians, can afford to buy a home?
Adam van Koeverden LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity
Mr. Speaker, on the housing accelerator fund, I just named five or six Conservative members of Parliament who have written to the Minister of Housing to ask for the housing accelerator fund, but I did not mention a former Conservative member of Parliament who is now the mayor of Barrie. In that member's constituency, former Conservative member of Parliament Alex Nuttall has actually written to the Minister of Housing and asked him not to cancel the housing accelerator fund. Barrie needs the housing accelerator fund. It costs money to build affordable housing, and the federal government needs to be at the table. He has asked us to continue to help building the affordable housing and not to cut the HST.
John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON
Mr. Speaker, obviously, the member is still on a sugar high from Halloween. I have actually spoken to the City of Barrie's mayor. I spoke to him yesterday, in fact. Mayor Nuttall and council—
HousingOral Questions
John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON
Mr. Speaker, it takes a Conservative to get the job done, and Barrie did that before the national housing accelerator fund was announced. It has set the standard on building permits and processing, and the fact is that the City of Barrie, its mayor and its council stand to gain more from our building homes, not bureaucracy plan because we are going to be in it for the long term, just not for another couple of years.
As such, why will the NDP-Liberals' costly coalition not support our GST tax cut, so more young Canadians can afford to buy a home?
Adam van Koeverden LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity
Mr. Speaker, I could not have said it better myself. The member opposite is right. Barrie has cut red tape. It has improved wait times for approvals. It has done all those things because it received the housing accelerator fund.
I want to congratulate the mayor of Barrie, the former Conservative member for Barrie, that member's predecessor. Alex Nuttall has been a great mayor to the people of Barrie, and he has worked with the housing accelerator fund. It actually took a Conservative with Liberal policies to solve affordable housing crises across the country, and that includes Alex Nuttall in Barrie. I thank him for being a champion of the housing accelerator fund.
Sylvie Bérubé Bloc Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC
Mr. Speaker, advance requests for medical assistance in dying are now permitted in Quebec. This is a major victory for patients like Sandra Demontigny, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. However, the battle is not yet won in terms of legal protection for doctors. The Collège des médecins du Québec reminded doctors on Wednesday that advance requests are still illegal under the Criminal Code. This means that some doctors will refuse their patients' requests for fear of prosecution.
Will the government finally show some compassion and amend the Criminal Code to allow advance requests?
Mark Holland LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, advance requests have always been illegal in Canada. Now, we have launched a national conversation about advance requests, a conversation that is absolutely critical. When making such a major change, it is really important to have a conversation with all the provinces and territories, as well as with the families of people making such requests. I lost my grandmother to Alzheimer's, and it was really sad. Such a sensitive issue requires a conversation.
Sylvie Bérubé Bloc Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC
Mr. Speaker, a House committee has already worked very hard on the issue of advance requests. It heard from all of the experts. Quebec itself held extensive consultations before amending its legislation. It consulted the Collège des médecins du Québec, the Barreau du Québec, patient associations and the Quebec National Assembly. I wonder exactly who the Liberals intend to consult. Will they consult the religious right, which supports the Conservatives?
While the Liberal government drags its feet, doctors and sick people are worrying. When is it going to amend the Criminal Code?
Mark Holland LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, my colleague asked a good question. It would be interesting to know the Conservative Party's position. The Conservative Party has nothing to say on the subject. I wonder what the Conservative Party's position is.
For the rest, it is absolutely essential to ensure that our system is ready for change. A change as big and as delicate as this one takes time and conversations, but not over a long period of time. There will be a report next March.
We will continue the national conversation.
Rick Perkins Conservative South Shore—St. Margarets, NS
Mr. Speaker, Statistics Canada confirmed this week that, under the NDP-Liberals, Canadians are getting poorer. Statistics Canada tracks the prosperity of Canadians, and for eight of the last nine quarters, it reports that Canadians are getting poorer. What is worse, the Royal Bank predicts that the Liberal legacy will continue. This is why more than half of Canadians are struggling to pay for their everyday essentials. Meanwhile, U.S. prosperity grew by 2.8%.
Will the Prime Minister reverse the Liberal recession and axe the taxes that are making Canadians poorer?
Darrell Samson LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Mr. Speaker, it is time for a history lesson for my colleague. Since 2015, our government has invested in Canadians, the Canadian economy, the business world and community organizations. When the Conservatives were in power in 2014, they made major budget cuts on the backs of the men and women who serve. Does everyone remember? They closed nine veterans offices right across the country, one of which was in Nova Scotia. However, there is good news: Yesterday was the eighth anniversary of the reopening of the veterans office in Nova Scotia.
Rick Perkins Conservative South Shore—St. Margarets, NS
Mr. Speaker, there is a typical NDP-Liberal Nova Scotian, who thinks that Canadians have never had it so good. He thinks that quadrupling the carbon tax, which he wants to do, is good for Canadians, that increasing housing taxes and job-killing capital gains taxes is also good for Canadians. I will tell the member what The Economist says. It says that Canada is “poorer than Alabama”, which is the “fourth-poorest” state in the U.S. The Economist also says that, over the last five years, U.S. economic growth has doubled Canada's. The Financial Post says that the Canadian standard of living decline is the “worst...in 40 years”.
Will the Prime Minister axe the taxes that are making Canadians poorer?
Darrell Samson LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Mr. Speaker, what are the Conservatives talking about right now? They are talking about making cuts. The question is, what cuts is he going to be making with his leader and his government? They want to make cuts to child care. They want to make cuts to $10-a-day day care. They want to make cuts to dental care. They want to make cuts to pharmacare. I even heard that they are going to move the retirement age from 65 to 67. No, I heard 67, 68, 69. What is it?
Let us have the real truth. They should share it with Canadians: How many cuts are they going to make? Where are they making the cuts? We are ready; we want to hear. Canadians want to know where they are going to make those cuts.
Tom Kmiec Conservative Calgary Shepard, AB
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are struggling with skyrocketing costs on everything from groceries to gas, and now we see the toll it has taken on our economy. Statistics Canada confirms what families already know: The NDP-Liberal coalition is not worth the cost. GDP per person has dropped in eight out of the last nine quarters. Meanwhile, in the U.S., GDP grew by nearly 3% last quarter. Why is this? It is because NDP-Liberals keep taxing Canadians into the ground with their hikes on the carbon tax, the housing tax and the job-killing capital gains tax.
Will the Prime Minister finally axe the tax hikes that are driving Canadians into poverty?
Jennifer O'Connell LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, time and time again, we hear in the House Conservatives speaking up for vulnerable people, but what do they say when they are in committee? We can listen to this: The member for Peterborough—Kawartha said, “Guess what happens when you don't have a house? You go commit crime because you're in poverty.” It is shameful that, as we stand to lift Canadians up, Conservatives use vulnerable people as props and then demonize them and blame them for crime in this country. It is truly shameful, and Canadians should see through their rhetoric.
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
Mr. Speaker, over one million Canadians have now accessed care through the Canadian dental care plan; with close to 363,000 British Columbians who were approved to receive care, that number will continue to soar. Despite this success, Conservatives are quick to say that they will gut the programs that are helping Canadians. One out of four Canadians said they skipped a dental visit because they could not afford it.
Can the Minister of Health please inform the House of how the CDCP is helping Canadians with affordability and putting their health first?
Mark Holland LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member, who is such an advocate for health. I know he is a Canucks fan. I am taking a guess, but he is nodding. Imagine filling the stadium 50 times with Canucks fans. That is how many Canadians we are talking about; it is a million people.
Yesterday, when I was in Scarborough, I talked to Manjit. Manjit let me know that he had a tooth extraction that cost him $700 a bunch of years ago. He was terrified to go to the dentist again. He had pain in his mouth. He said he would not go. Now he is going because he has a plan; he has coverage. That is what this plan is about.
