Debates of Nov. 26th, 2024

Government Priorities

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, what the Conservatives do not want to talk about is the record investment Canada received in 2023.

Last year, Canada received nearly $60 billion in investments. There were record investments in the automotive industry, for example. There were record investments in critical minerals. There were record investments in the energy sector. Canada is becoming the top strategic partner in industry decarbonization. Canada will be a leader in artificial intelligence. Canada will be a leader in nuclear energy.

Canada will be the country of the 21st century.

International Trade

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Donald Trump wants to impose a 25% tariff on all Quebec and Canadian products. That would be a disaster for us and for Americans.

First, we appreciate the fact that the Prime Minister has agreed to meet with his Quebec and provincial counterparts tomorrow. However, he will have to present a clear plan. He needs to take immediate action to protect supply management with Bill C-282. Ottawa needs to show that it will not give in when it comes to our softwood lumber, aluminum and aerospace industries or the Quebec economy as a whole.

Does the Prime Minister have a plan to present to his counterparts?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his important question. As the Prime Minister indicated earlier, he will be meeting with the provincial premiers, including Premier Legault. Obviously, we will stand up for workers in our aerospace and aluminum industries, as well as for Quebec's emerging battery industry.

Obviously, now is not the time to panic. Now is the time to take a team Canada approach to promote our country's comparative advantages and ensure that we defend all of our industries and all of our workers.

Public Safety

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Trump's tariffs are meant to force Canada to tighten its borders against illegal immigration and drug trafficking. Quebec has been calling on Ottawa for years to fix the border, which is like a sieve. It has even deployed members of the Quebec provincial police force to patrol the border.

The Bloc Québécois has been hounding Ottawa to do something about smugglers and organized crime for years. Even before Trump was elected, we were already calling for more resources at the border. Despite all of these warnings, Ottawa did nothing. Now, our economy is being threatened by Trump's tariffs.

Do the Liberals now understand that they need to take action at the border?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, we do understand the importance of supporting our police forces, the RCMP and border services, but we did not just realize it now. We have been doing exactly that for the past nine years.

We have exactly the same interests as the Americans, namely, to strengthen the integrity of our border and to enable Canadians to choose who enters Canada.

It is the same thing for the United States. We have a history of co-operating with the U.S. on a day-to-day basis. That is exactly what we will continue to do.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister needs to announce that he is finally taking responsibility at the borders. He needs to announce how he is going to plug the holes in the border by January.

That is the bare minimum that he needs to do after shirking his responsibilities, despite repeated warnings from Quebeckers. Smugglers and organized crime bosses have been running the show at the border for years. Today, the consequence of the Prime Minister's inaction is the 25% tariffs that threaten Quebec's economy.

Will the Prime Minister finally announce that he is deploying sufficient resources to the border?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, again, we have always allocated sufficient resources to support the extraordinary work that the RCMP and CBSA do with their law enforcement partners, whether it is the Sûreté du Québec or their American partners.

The good news is that we are going to continue to make sure they have the technology and the people they need. We are going to further support these technologies and personnel to ensure that they can continue to do the job they are already doing exceptionally well.

Health

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we need a Canada first plan to fix what the Prime Minister broke on the addiction crisis and illegal drugs. About 47,000 Canadians have died under the Prime Minister's watch. That is more than we lost in the Second World War. We need to fully reverse the liberalization of drugs, which is killing our people and threatening our borders. We need to secure our borders against the importation of chemical precursors that are used to make fentanyl and other deadly drugs. Criminals are taking advantage of our drug policies and cooking fentanyl ready for export.

Will the Prime Minister finally admit his policies have failed and end his insane drug policies?

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

Mr. Speaker, every life lost due to the illicit toxic drug supply in this country is a tragedy for families and for communities. On this side of the House, we have invested over a billion dollars in treatment, prevention and harm reduction to save lives. We have worked with our U.S. counterparts on precursors, and we will continue to do the work to save lives based on evidence, based on health care and based on protecting those who need help the most. We will not look away. We are here to protect those who need our help.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Mr. Speaker, that is not a plan. We need a Canada first plan to fix what the Prime Minister broke on the addiction crisis and illegal drugs. There has been a 200% annual increase in drug deaths under his watch. We need to fully reverse his liberalization of drugs. We need to ban the drugs, prosecute every trafficker, and secure our borders against drugs and chemical precursors that are used to make fentanyl and other deadly drugs. We need treatment and recovery so we can bring our loved ones home drug-free.

Will the Prime Minister finally act in the interest of Canadians and fully reverse course on his radical liberalization of drugs?

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

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House we will lead with compassion, we will lead with health care and we will lead with evidence. Since 2015 we have been investing in the treatments and the pathway that mean the most to the people whose lives we need to save.

On that side of the House, the Conservatives cut the drug treatment fund by two-thirds when they were in government. They cut the CBSA and they cut the drug checking laboratories. They do not protect Canadians, they do not address the illicit drug supply and they do not understand that people need health care and help and that they need our compassion. Shame on them.

The Economy

[Adam Chambers, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's economic report card is in: Canadians have the highest consumer debt in the G7. House prices have doubled. Per capita income is lower today than it was 10 years ago, and the average Canadian makes $30,000 less than their American counterpart.

All of this is as a result of the Prime Minister's economic vandalism. In the face of economic uncertainty and global trade imbalances, the Prime Minister's plan is to increase taxes on job creators, entrepreneurs and farmers.

Will the Prime Minister enact a Canada first plan and stop the tax increases to keep our jobs and investment at home?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, maybe the Conservative member missed the memo. We are actually taking federal taxes off. We are taking the GST off everyday goods in order to help Canadians.

We are wondering on this side of the House how the Conservatives could be against a tax break for Canadians. It will put more money back in their pockets right around the holidays, when they need it most.

The policy is good for Canadians and it is good for the economy. It is just bad for Conservatives.

[Adam Chambers, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, if the government does not want to listen to Conservatives, maybe it will listen to economists at National Bank, who found that real GDP has contracted 4% since 2022. This is unprecedented outside a recession. It is a made-in-Canada, per person GDP recession caused by the economic vandalism of the policies of the Prime Minister, whose only plan is to increase taxes on everybody: farmers, physicians, entrepreneurs and all people who want to invest in Canada.

When will the Prime Minister enact a Canada first plan to keep jobs and investment in Canada and our Canadians at home?

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

Mr. Speaker, what my honourable colleague does not quite understand is that we do have a Canada first policy. That is why we have the lowest net debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7. That is why we have a AAA credit rating. That is why we have inflation that has decreased not once, not twice, but three times, to 1.6% in September.

At the same time, we have supports for Canadians. For example, there is the tax holiday and there is support for 18 million workers come the spring. On this side of the House we have the balance right and we have a Canada first policy for Canadians.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, once again the Liberals have failed Canadians who need help the most. People living with disabilities, students and seniors have been abandoned by the Liberals' rebate program. My constituents are rightly furious. I can tell members that the students, the seniors and the people living with disabilities in Edmonton Strathcona are not feeling the vibe right now. They are really, really struggling. Of course the Conservatives would do nothing but cut programs for Canadians.

Will the minister fix the program and get help for the people who need it the most?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the GST holiday will apply to everybody; all Canadians will benefit from the tax break.

One of the things I really take issue with is the insinuation that people with disabilities are not working. Sixty-two per cent of people in Canada with disabilities are working and will benefit from the cheque. There are one million seniors in Canada who are working and will benefit from the cheque. Canadians are working hard and they deserve a break.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, that is not all Canadians. Seniors and students in Courtenay—Alberni are being left high and dry with the high cost of living. They are living on tight budgets and deserve a helping hand. Instead of helping, the Liberals decided to exclude seniors and students from their $250 rebate. They are letting people down again. Conservatives want tax breaks only for their rich CEO donors and big corporations that gouge Canadians at the grocery till.

Will the Liberals fix their mistake and ensure that seniors, persons with disabilities and students get the rebate?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I take issue with the insinuation that persons with disabilities in this country do not work. Sixty-two per cent of persons with disabilities will benefit from the rebate because they are working hard. Over one million seniors right across Canada are working and will benefit from the rebate. All Canadians without exception are going to benefit from the tax holiday we just announced.

We are there for Canadians and we will always be there to have their back.

[Tim Louis, Liberal, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives spend their time amplifying anger and fanning the flames of division without offering specific solutions. In contrast, last week our government announced measures to support Canadians during the holiday season and into the new year.

Could the President of the Treasury Board provide more details about our plan to help Canadians save money this holiday season and beyond?

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

Mr. Speaker, whether it is $10-a-day child care, increases to GIS and OAS, or the Canada child benefit, on this side of the House we are always there to support Canadians, for example with last week's announcement of a tax holiday on essential goods, clothing, diapers and food, as well as cash back for 18 million workers.

While the Conservatives play partisan games, what we have to say is that we have no idea whether its party members actually would support the measure, because they are not allowed to let us know.

Taxation

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years, we need a Canada first plan to fix what the Prime Minister has broken. Our standard of living has plummeted compared to that of the United States. The last thing Canada needs is a capital gains tax hike on our farmers, doctors, home builders and small businesses, but that is exactly what the Prime Minister is proposing. His tax hikes will drive investment, jobs, doctors and food production out of this country at a time when we can least afford it.

With the threat of U.S. tariffs on the horizon, why will the Prime Minister not stop making things worse and cancel his reckless tax increases on Canadian jobs and investment?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, it was the current Liberal government that reduced taxes on the middle class not once but twice, and the Conservatives opposed the measure on both occasions. Now we are coming with a tax break for the holidays. That is going to mean more money in the pockets of Canadians, and yet again the Conservatives are opposing the measure.

Do the Conservatives really believe the talking points they are saying? If they did, they would vote in favour of a tax break for Canadians. That is what we have put on the table.

How are the Conservatives going to vote?

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, taxing farmers drives up food costs. Taxing doctors means it is harder to find one. Taxing home builders means fewer homes. Taxing small businesses means fewer paycheques. Raising capital taxes means less investment in the tools we need to halt the decline in our standard of living. Jobs and livelihoods are on the line.

With the threat of U.S. tariffs coming down the tracks, will the Prime Minister give Canadian workers a fighting chance by cancelling his destructive tax increases on jobs and investment?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, I like the member very much, but let me inform him about a couple of things.

When it comes to jobs and investment, Canada received the largest investment in Honda's history, $19 billion. That has been its largest investment in 75 years. Canada also received the largest investment in Dow Chemical's history over 127 years, an investment of $10 billion in Alberta. We received the largest investment from BHP in 139 years in Saskatchewan, $22 billion.

Canada is the envy of the world. Let us talk up Canada and stop saying things—