Colleagues, today we have been skating close to the line in terms of—
House of Commons Hansard #370 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was conservative.
House of Commons Hansard #370 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was conservative.
The Speaker Liberal Greg Fergus
Colleagues, today we have been skating close to the line in terms of—
The Speaker Liberal Greg Fergus
Excuse me, colleagues. I will start my comment again, if members would give me the privilege of listening.
On several occasions today we have been skating close to the line in terms of what is acceptable language. I think the hon. member for Leeds—Grenville has skated over that line, directly accusing a member. I ask the hon. member to withdraw that comment and start his question from the top, please.
Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON
Mr. Speaker, I will restart. The Liberal minister from Alberta has been implicated in fraud in media reports.
Today, we have seen that. It is very clear—
The Speaker Liberal Greg Fergus
I was having trouble hearing the member. I do not think I heard the withdrawal. If the member could withdraw and start again, I would appreciate it.
If members would not take the floor while another member is being recognized, the Speaker could hear the member.
The hon. member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes.
Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON
Withdrawing the previous words, Mr. Speaker, we will talk about the Liberal minister from Alberta who has been implicated, in media reports, in fraud. Some of them he has even apologized for. He misrepresented his identity, claiming to be indigenous, trying to steal contracts from people who are in fact indigenous. The same minister said that he was not the Randy at his own company. We know that there was only one Randy at that company. It is pandemic profiteering. We know that there are allegations of fraud.
Why will the Prime Minister not just fire the minister?
Randy Boissonnault LiberalMinister of Employment
Mr. Speaker, what the member opposite just said is simply not true.
Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is unbelievable that with the cocaine connections to the Liberal minister from Alberta, the Liberals and the Prime Minister want to allow him to continue to be in cabinet.
The minister said he was indigenous to try to steal contracts from individuals who are indigenous. That is okay as long as someone is a Liberal. The company is involved in more than half a dozen lawsuits because of fraud, and that is okay as long as someone is a Liberal. They came before committee and said things that we now know were not true, like, “It must have been some other Randy.”
If the minister will not resign, why will the Prime Minister not fire that fraudster?
The Speaker Liberal Greg Fergus
Again, the member, at the last possible moment, used a word that would not be considered acceptable.
Can I just ask the hon. member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes to please withdraw that last word?
Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON
Mr. Speaker, I will withdraw the last word. He should be fired.
Randy Boissonnault LiberalMinister of Employment
Mr. Speaker, what the member opposite said, once again, is not true.
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's official languages minister is a fraud. He said he was not the Randy involved in his company, but we all know there is only one Randy at his company. He said he was not involved with his business while working as a minister, but text messages reveal that he is. He claimed to be indigenous in order to take advantage of government contracts and receive money intended for first nations communities. He claimed to be a journalist when in fact he was a lobbyist.
When will the Prime Minister fire this professional fraudster?
Randy Boissonnault LiberalMinister of Employment
Mr. Speaker, despite the insinuations, I have never met the person referred to in today's article. I have had no dealings with her. I have never met her. These are the facts.
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
Mr. Speaker, there are so many Randys that he did not even understand the question I asked him.
The Minister for Official Languages campaigned twice under the guise of a successful entrepreneur and journalist. He falsely claimed to have worked for Radio-Canada and a newspaper called Les Affaires. Even the president of the Fédération professionnelle des journalistes du Québec has stated, “It seems obvious to me that he wasn't a journalist.” This fraud of a minister has been flushed out and unmasked, despite all the Prime Minister's efforts to protect him.
When will the Prime Minister put an end to this charade and fire this fraudster?
Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe Bloc Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is incapable of acknowledging that he is to blame for the crises surrounding the all-too-rapid hike in immigration numbers. Even in yesterday's mea culpa, he was still looking for someone else to blame, be it the pandemic, businesses or schools. He, however, is the one who issued every permit. He is the one who accepted McKinsey's immigration targets despite our warnings. He is the one who raised immigration targets to 500,000 people a year despite warnings from his own officials.
Will he finally admit, today, that he is the one responsible?
Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions
Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs Québec
Liberal
Marc Miller LiberalMinister of Immigration
Mr. Speaker, I think the member may have spent too much time in Ottawa if he thinks that the federal government has total control over immigration. He knows full well that in Quebec, in particular, the provincial government controls over 50% of the volume.
We all share responsibility.
Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe Bloc Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Speaker, it is not as though no one told him to be careful with the immigration targets.
His own officials warned him in 2022 that these immigration targets would aggravate the housing crisis and access to public services. The Bloc Québécois had been warning him for years that adopting the Century Initiative targets was totally irresponsible. Quebec has been warning him for two years that our integration capacity has been exceeded.
Does the Prime Minister now realize that we would not be dealing with these crises if he had listened and thought things through instead of insulting everyone?
Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions
Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs Québec
Liberal
Marc Miller LiberalMinister of Immigration
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about integration. If we had listened to the Bloc Québécois and the provincial governments, there might have been a significant increase because the last time the CAQ begged me to have more people, it was about welcoming people temporarily.
Quebec has its own challenges with international students right now. It is a shared problem.
Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe Bloc Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
That is confusing, Mr. Speaker.
The Prime Minister not only could have acted faster on immigration, he should have acted faster. First of all, he should have thought about integration capacity before drastically increasing the population as he did. Second, he should have listened to everyone warning him that it was not working, but he was too blinded by his multiculturalist fantasy to base his immigration policies on facts and reality.
Does he realize that yesterday's mea culpa is far too little, far too late, and far too easy after acting so irresponsibly?
Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions
Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs Québec
Liberal
Marc Miller LiberalMinister of Immigration
Mr. Speaker, let us review the facts.
Since 2009, the Quebec government has tripled immigration to the temporary areas under its control. That is a fact. We will work together to bring that down.
The plan I presented last week proposes a 20% reduction. It is important and it is responsible. That is what Canadians and Quebeckers are asking us to do.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, the minister from Edmonton is a fake and a phony. He said that he was not the Randy—
The Speaker Liberal Greg Fergus
A couple of times I have asked the hon. members. I am going to ask the hon. members again to remember that when they speak directly to members they have to, of course, extend to them all the respect that each member, as members, is deserving of. Therefore, I am going to ask the hon. member to please rephrase his question and start from the top.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, this minister deserves to be criticized in the people's House, the House of Commons. He said he was not the Randy involved in this company, but we know there is only one Randy at the company. He said he was not involved in the operations of the company, but text messages reveal that he is. He said he was indigenous to profit from government contracts, trying to steal from first nations communities.
When will the Prime Minister fire this phony for making false claims to steal from first nations?