Debates of Nov. 18th, 2024

Canada Revenue Agency

[René Villemure, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the media recently reported that scammers are taking full advantage of the Canada Revenue Agency's complacency to get their hands on bogus tax refunds. Radio-Canada, however, reports that the CRA has no idea how badly it needs to clean up its act.

Instead of tackling fraud and bad practices, the CRA is going on a witch hunt to find out who is talking to reporters. Managers are going so far as to spy on the contents of their employees' computers. Instead of addressing the problem, they are shooting the messengers.

Will the minister ask the CRA to go hunt down the scammers, not the whistle-blowers?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, some things need to be called out. In fact, that is why we are supporting a Bloc Québécois bill.

If I were to publicly share information subject to the Income Tax Act, I would be liable to seven years in prison. It is serious. Considering that CRA employees also have a professional obligation to protect the integrity of the tax system, it is important to remind them of their obligations.

[René Villemure, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, scammers made off with millions of dollars in bogus refunds because the Canada Revenue Agency did not bother to check before paying out the money. The CRA then communicated with its employees not to ask them to tighten up their auditing processes, but to ask them to stay quiet.

CRA leadership thinks that their main problem is not fraud, but the media. What we need is accountability, and accountability begins with protecting whistle-blowers, not scammers.

Will the minister address the total lack of ethics at the Canada Revenue Agency?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is confusing things. There are two very different issues here. I can, however, assure the member that at the CRA, we take this mistake very seriously. We have very professional teams who are working on this. We have different strategies. We are working with the RCMP, with the financial institutions, with our international partners. There are several safety nets to catch them.

The CRA is a target of choice, obviously, with the information we have, the benefits we pay out and the credits we process, but I can assure the House that we are still doing good work.

Carbon Pricing

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years, the NDP-Liberals are not worth the cost. The Prime Minister got on his taxpayer-funded, carbon-emitting jet, flew to Brazil and bragged about how great his punitive carbon tax was. His carbon tax has done nothing for the environment, while literally making life's basic necessities unaffordable. The Prime Minister called it the best tool out there, but the only tool that Canadians want is a ballot box.

Will the Prime Minister call a carbon tax election?

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's emissions are lower now than they have been for all of Connor McDavid's life. The last time they were this low was in 1997. Our emissions are down because of industrial carbon pricing, the pricing on consumer fuels and the over 100 measures the government has undertaken to lower our emissions and protect the environment. What have the Conservatives done over that same time? They have voted against every single measure.

It is not just us who think carbon pricing is effective. It is also William Nordhaus, who has a Nobel Prize to prove it. If even one Conservative economist, if they could find one, said that they have a solution for fighting climate change, we would love to hear it.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Mr. Speaker, under the Prime Minister's carbon tax regime, grocery prices have skyrocketed to the point that scurvy is now a serious health concern in Canada, with 27 cases of scurvy having been identified in northern Saskatchewan.

The Prime Minister wants to blame “propaganda, misinformation...and flat-out lies” for opposition to his carbon tax. Unlike him, Canadians do not get to turn a blind eye to the affordability challenges they face.

Will the Prime Minister show some compassion and call a carbon tax election?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is second in the G7 on health span, second only to Japan. We have one year longer than both France and Italy in the number of years we live in good health. Ours is two years longer than that of the United Kingdom and six years longer than that of the United States.

When we are talking about things that have been gone for a long time, let us talk about what is happening with measles. Let us talk about what is happening with misinformation generally. The approach to attacking public health that the Conservatives are taking and the attack on information put lives at risk and fundamentally endanger our health system.

[Don Stewart, Conservative, Toronto—St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that the Liberal Prime Minister is out of touch. First, he got on a gas-guzzling jet. Then, he glorified the punishing carbon tax that Canadians pay. To everyone who disagrees, he says they are using “propaganda, misinformation...and flat-out lies.” Meanwhile, more than one in 10 people in Toronto are using food banks, and 87% of them are living in unaffordable housing. Enough is enough.

Why will the Prime Minister not treat Canadians like adults, let them decide, and call a carbon tax election now?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, it is a fact that 300 economists in this country have all said that a price on pollution is an effective way to reduce emissions, and the majority of Canadians actually get more money back in rebates. It is a fact that the Parliamentary Budget Officer said exactly the same thing.

On this side of the House, we have a plan that is about addressing affordability issues. It is about growing a clean economy for the future, and it is about fighting climate change. My goodness, it is time that some of those folks across the way at least accept the reality of climate change and have something positive to say.

Housing

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we know that the Conservative leader has had a difficult week due to the scandal around his plans to end the housing agreement with Quebec.

Today, the government announced a significant new investment under this agreement that adds thousands of social and affordable housing units.

Can the Minister of Public Services and Procurement inform the House of the positive impact of today's announcement and the potential consequences the Conservative leader's cuts would have on Quebeckers?

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

Mr. Speaker, the good news is, this morning, we announced an additional $92 million for the historic agreement with the Government of Quebec, which is now building 3,000 new affordable housing units.

This is a big problem for the Conservative leader, who says those homes do not exist.

Where is the Conservative leader going to hide his members for Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, Mégantic—L'Érable and Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, as over 300 of those affordable housing units are now being built in their ridings?

Where will he hide them and for how long?

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years, the NDP-Liberals are not worth the cost of housing. The failing Liberal housing plan is not building more homes. Housing starts are down last month compared to 2023. They are down 11% in Canada, 30% in B.C. and 87% in Kelowna. I have talked to home builders and residents in my community, who all support the common-sense Conservative plan to axe the GST on new homes sold for under a million dollars.

Will the NDP-Liberals agree with home builders and families and axe the GST on new homes sold?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to correct the record that my Conservative colleague has put on the floor of the House of Commons. Housing starts are actually up 8% compared to last month, and year over year, are trending in a positive direction, near the all-time record homebuilding pace that Canada has ever seen.

It is interesting that this question would come from this particular member, who represents the city of Kelowna, which received $31.5 million to build thousands and thousands more homes. Not only is she opposed to that investment, but also her leader has barred her and every one of her colleagues from advocating on behalf of their communities. I came here to represent my community in Ottawa, not to take my leader's words back home.

Public Safety

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberals, taxes are up, costs are up, crime is up and time is up. Police associations nationwide are demanding urgent bail legislation to keep our communities safe, yet just this morning, a stolen BMW crashed into a Toronto bus, injuring nine people, two critically. Two of the four accused were, surprise, surprise, out on bail, including one for a violent robbery.

If the safety and security of Canadians are no longer priorities for the Prime Minister, will he call an immediate election so that Conservatives can bring jail, not bail, for repeat violent offenders?

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

Mr. Speaker, the incident this morning in Toronto is a concern for all of us in the House, all of us who believe in prioritizing public safety and community safety. What is concerning, and what people need to understand, is that calls for bail reform echoed in this chamber 18 months ago. We responded, tabled legislation, and, with the co-operation of all parties, we got it passed. The ball now goes to the province's court.

What we need to ensure, regarding this very person who should have been detained, is whether the Crown contested that bail. Did the Crown decide to appeal the bail if the bail decision was made in error? Was there enough space in detention facilities run by the province to hold that person in detention? These are important questions. We need answers.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I would invite the hon. member for Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo to please not take the floor unless recognized by the Speaker.

The hon. member for Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, crime is rampant across Canada, and the Liberal government is willfully turning a blind eye. Even the leader of the Bloc Québécois has said that crime does not exist in the regions. We read something this morning about a mother who will have to pay $7,000 a year in car insurance because she has been the victim of multiple car thefts. Canadians and Quebeckers are always the ones who pay the price for this Liberal government's inaction.

When will this Liberal Bloc government get tough on crime, even in rural Canada?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, our colleague is falsely using the word “inaction”. He knows perfectly well that our government has been investing in law enforcement agencies like the RCMP, border services and our provincial and municipal partners for several years now to combat auto theft. We recognize that this situation is completely unacceptable for Canadians.

The good news is that the number of cars being stolen is going down, but it is not enough. We will continue to do whatever it takes to support law enforcement and put an end to this situation.

Mental Health and Addictions

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, from the rising cost of living to climate change, we know that young people today face unique challenges. Their mental health needs are complex. Our government is making sure that young Canadians get the care they need, when and where they need it. It is a promise we put forward in 2021 to build a stronger, more resilient Canada. Today, the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions announced the launch of the youth mental health fund.

Could the minister share details about this historic investment with the House?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Scarborough—Agincourt for being such a tremendous, unwavering advocate for mental health in this country. Community organizations are the lifeline when it comes to mental health that is local and trusted. This fund, a $500-million investment, is a once-in-a-generation investment to make a difference for our youth to make sure that they have access to the services that they trust the most, adding capacity, filling gaps and making sure that we meet them where they are at.

When we talk about the youth of today, we want to make sure that they have the tools they need to thrive, because when they thrive, Canada succeeds.

Foreign Affairs

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, a UN report has found that Israel's warfare in Gaza is consistent with the characteristics of genocide. The Liberal government is legally obligated by the genocide convention to prevent and stop Netanyahu's attack on Palestinians. Turning a blind eye to mass casualties is not an option. Entire families have been decimated. Children are starving to death.

When will the Liberals live up to their obligations, sanction Netanyahu and his extreme cabinet, and finally put in place an actual arms embargo?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Before the hon. parliamentary secretary takes the floor, I would encourage and remind all members to be careful with what they wear in the House to ensure that it would not be considered a prop.

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I think everyone in the House realizes that the situation in Gaza is dire and that the situation faced by men, women and children in Gaza is horrendous. We will continue to seek every possible way to find peace with justice in this situation.

However, rhetoric does not help. Symbols do not help. Hard work, diplomacy and engagement will be what Canada needs to do on this every day. We will continue to do our part to bring peace in the world.