Debates of Nov. 28th, 2024

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, “Canada's 3M temporary migrants do not appear poised to leave 'voluntarily'” is the headline from a major Canadian newspaper. The immigration minister naively expects they will leave voluntarily. Migrant advocates admit they have no such plans. This sets the stage for mass overstays and more illegal border crossings into the United States. This strains our relations with the newly elected U.S. administration, now threatening a 25% tariff if we do not secure our border.

What is the Prime Minister's plan to enforce the laws and ensure that people who need to leave will do so?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the members opposite should get their facts straight. They float around numbers: three million, five million. They actually do not know what they are talking about in response to their own Order Paper question—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I hear them heckling me, but who they really should be heckling is the Leader of the Opposition, who is pandering to all these groups, promising visas to everyone and not to deport anyone. That is not responsible. He really needs to grow up if he is going to be responsible.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I am going to ask the hon. member for Grande Prairie—Mackenzie to please not take the floor unless recognized by the Speaker.

The hon. member for Calgary Shepard.

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the minister had no answers at committee when I asked him the same questions. He does not know his numbers because he has no plan. It is really simple. The lack of a plan threatens the integrity of our immigration system. It wreaks significant diplomatic damage with this newly incoming U.S. administration.

Is the government deploying more police to the border? The Liberals do not know. Is the government deploying advanced technology and will the government use it for border surveillance? The Liberals do not know. Is the government going to use the CBSA with more resources and more agents on the border? The Liberals do not know. YouTube videos are not enough.

Will the Prime Minister present a Canada first plan that will make sure everybody who is required to leave will actually do so?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, it seems the Conservatives are a little nervous about me responding, probably because I am going to point out the fact that they cut over 1,000 jobs from CBSA. They were warned that their cuts would lead to more guns, more human trafficking and more drugs at our border.

What did we do on this side of the House? We reversed those cuts. We invested in our police services. As a result, we have seen an increase of 600% in misrepresentation investigations and a 50% decrease in migrants entering the border from the south. That is because investments work.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, you can see how nervous I am.

After nine years of incompetent and ideology-driven decisions on immigration, the Prime Minister still has no plan to protect our borders or our jobs. Just two days before President-elect Trump threatened to impose tariffs, 16 people were arrested while trying to enter the United States from Quebec. Another 21,000 migrants have illegally crossed into the United States from Canada since the start of 2024.

What is the Prime Minister's plan to put Canadians first, protect our borders, and protect our jobs?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, there is no relationship in the world more important than the one between Canada and the United States. The reason we want to keep investing in this relationship is that we know Canadians want us to protect their interests. That is why the border is so important to us, and that is why border security is so important to us, as it is to the Americans.

In the past few days, I have been very involved. I have spoken with a number of my U.S. counterparts and U.S. senators. Naturally, we are going to have a very good plan, because it serves the interests of Canadians.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Chair, we are here because the Liberals have caused chaos and disorder in our immigration system and at the border. Nine years later, it is clear that the Prime Minister is much too weak to deal with Donald Trump.

Let me remind the House that in 2016, the Prime Minister flung Canada's doors wide open to the entire world. After promising the Canadian dream to all these people, he is now saying that three million of them will have to go home by the end of the year. How is he going to make sure that none of them go sneak into the United States? He has no plan to protect our border. When will he call an election so that Canadians can elect a strong leader who will put Canada first?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we know very well that we need to protect the border. That is why we signed a safe third country agreement with the Biden administration. That is why we will, of course, come to an understanding with the incoming U.S. administration. It is in Canadians' best interest. I might also point out that our government is the one that has experience dealing with the Trump administration.

Instead of playing politics on the backs of Canadians, we need to work together. Together, we will be able to turn this situation to our advantage.

Taxation

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the GST Christmas holiday is a $1.6‑billion gift to people who do not need it. It is a reward for spending money. It will not make much of a difference to low-income seniors, minimum-wage workers or families that receive Christmas hampers, but it will certainly benefit people who have reservations at fancy restaurants or who buy their New Year's Eve champagne by the case.

How can the Liberals and the NDP subsidize rich people's spending while leaving those who have to tighten their belts at Christmas to fend for themselves?

[Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Liberal, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec]

Mr. Speaker, I represent a riding in which, by the end of the month, people often have to buy their food at Dollarama. By downplaying the impact that the measure we introduced today will have on Canadians' and Quebeckers' wallets, some members are showing that they do not understand what people are going through, especially vulnerable people. We want to give them a break. This is a break, a tax holiday, that will help them have enjoy the holiday season more.

I do not understand how the Bloc Québécois can vote against this measure.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is not a good example since food is not taxed.

The GST holiday also burdens our small businesses. It is nothing for Walmart, Best Buy and so on to pay to adapt their systems to remove the GST. Our small businesses do not have the means to lose thousands of dollars adapting their systems or dealing with the logistical nightmare of figuring out which product is still taxable or not.

Some are warning us that it is more affordable to close for two months. Our small businesses should not have to pay the price when the Liberals and the NDP want to buy votes.

Will they at least compensate small businesses?

[Rechie Valdez, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, this tax holiday is not just good for Canadians, but it will also give a boost to small businesses.

Restaurants Canada described this measure as a great victory for the restaurant industry and predicts that this tax relief would increase sales by 5%, which would give restaurants an extra $1 million in revenues. This tax holiday will allow more people to patronize small businesses, which will generate more revenues and improve their bottom line.

Public Safety

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, a new study from the Fraser Institute shows that violent crime and property crime rates in Canada are exceeding those in the United States. In 2014, before the Prime Minister took office, crime rates were at their lowest. Now, violent crime is up 43.8%, which is 14% higher than in the United States. Similarly, our property crime rates are 27.5% higher than in the United States.

When will the Prime Minister admit that he should abandon his failed, soft-on-crime policies?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, while Conservatives use skewed data to talk down Canada, Liberals are investing in the brave police who do this hard work every single day. As a result of those investments, we are seeing massive success in our police services.

For example, on October 31, the RCMP announced its largest, most sophisticated drug seizure of over 95 million doses of lethal meth and fentanyl. That is what investments do, while Conservatives talk down Canada.

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that answer would suggest that the statistics are all in our heads. However, the data clearly reveals that Canada has become a much more dangerous place under the Prime Minister. Since 2015, violent crime is up 50% and gun crime is up 116%. Since that has happened, we have seen no urgency from the Prime Minister.

Where is there urgency? When will the Prime Minister admit that his dangerous, soft-on-crime policies have made Canada unsafe and that Canadians are now paying the price?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I think it is safe to say we do not want to know what is in the member's head. On this side of the House, we are investing in the RCMP. We work with police right across the country. As a result, we are seeing some of the largest drug and gun seizures in this country's history.

Conservatives talk a big game, but they cut the RCMP's guns and gangs program. They cut resources at CBSA and our borders. What did that do? That brought drugs and guns into our country, and Conservatives made those cuts.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's violent crime rate is 14% higher than that of the United States. Again this week, the media reported that a woman was kidnapped, beaten and strangled in Val‑d'Or, in Abitibi. This government has abandoned victims with the full support of the Bloc Québécois, which voted in favour of Bill C‑5, a bill that allows violent criminals to serve their sentence while they sit at home watching Netflix.

The Liberals and the Bloc would rather support criminals than victims.

When will an election be called?

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

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about investments.

On this side of the House, we have made investments to protect Canadians, including Quebeckers. We have invested in border services. We have invested in scanners to monitor our borders, particularly at the port of Montreal. Here are the results. Auto theft is down 41% in Quebec. We have taken action to fight crime and protect Canadians.

The Economy

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, our government believes that working Canadians need meaningful support to help them manage the rising cost of living. Last week, we announced the new working Canadians rebate, which will provide direct, tax-free assistance to millions of Canadians.

Can the minister explain how this rebate will make a real difference in workers' lives?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. Today is a very good day for Canadians, as we are announcing a tax holiday on food, restaurant meals and children's clothing to help families and workers.

It is quite something to hear that the leader of the Conservative Party is forcing his members to vote against this measure, when just two years ago, he himself supported it. It is the height of hypocrisy. Do members know what we say about someone like that back home in La Tuque? We say they are all talk and no action.

Carbon Pricing

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday at committee, the environment minister recklessly promised to quadruple the carbon tax, despite American tariffs that would cripple our economy. He gleefully stated that, of course, they are going to continue with the carbon tax. With 40% of our economy dependent upon trade with the United States, he should have just said that he is going to kill our economy. He has done it before, and he will do it again.

Why is the minister so hell-bent on vandalizing Canada's economy?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, carbon pricing in Canada is generating 25 billion dollars' worth of investment every year in our economy. It is putting more money in the pockets of eight out of 10 Canadians and helping us reduce our emissions for the first time in our history.

If it were up to the members of the Conservative Party of Canada, they would let the planet burn. They would bring the economy down. They would let Canadians down.

We do not do that on this side of the House. We are there for Canadians. We will fight climate change. We will support the economy. We will create good jobs for Canadians.