Debates of Nov. 7th, 2024

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Kristina Michaud, Bloc, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Speaker, if anyone is still looking for a reason to doubt the federal government's preparedness, I have something to tell them. This morning, in committee, the Minister of Public Safety told me that we should not imagine the arrival of hundreds of thousands of people before it becomes an actual threat. He is telling us that he is going to wait until it becomes a threat before he takes any action. He even told us that the situation is not urgent because Trump does not take office until January. The minister is not a member of the national improv league. He is a member of government. It is his job to anticipate crises. We have had enough of amateur hour.

When will he take action?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I thought the Bloc Québécois had rightly distanced itself from the CAQ government and was no longer fearmongering about asylum seekers, but it seems a leopard never changes its spots. We have always been able to manage the border effectively, and we will continue to do so. Everyone understands that it would be pretty silly of us to reveal our plans in the House of Commons.

The Environment

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

Mr. Speaker, today Canada's environment commissioner proved the Liberals are fake environmentalists. A damning report revealed that the Liberals are not on track to meet their own emissions reduction targets despite their plan to quadruple the carbon tax. According to the commissioner, the Liberals are deceiving Canadians with “unreliable emissions reduction estimates.” It is all pain and no gain.

Why are the Liberals driving Canadians to food banks with their costly carbon tax while getting nothing in return?

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

Mr. Speaker, the commissioner's report looks back at what has been happening since 1990. What did not happen under the Harper years was any type of action on climate change. There were no measures for energy efficiency, no measures for transit, no measures for electrification of transportation and no measures for renewable energy.

This has changed since 2015. We have bent the curves. We were going to miss our 2030 targets by at least 30%. We are 7% below 2005 levels. That is because of what we have been doing. It is about climate, about jobs, about the economy and about the safety of Canadians.

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

Mr. Speaker, we cannot believe a word the Liberals say on the environment. Even the environment commissioner revealed that the Liberals misled Canadians on their emissions claims. He stated, “The recent decreases to projected 2030 emissions were not due to climate actions taken by governments”.

While the environment minister punishes Canadians with a carbon tax, Canada has the worst record in the G7 for emissions reductions under the Liberals. Now that the truth has been exposed by the commissioner, 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, what the Auditor General confirmed is that Canada's emissions are down below levels that we have not seen since the mid-1990s. We have proposed more measures to drive our emissions down, and the Conservatives want to work against us.

What the Conservatives have confirmed today is that they do not work for Canadians. They do not care about the environment; they do not listen to science. They want our emissions to go up. Their failed former leader from Regina—Qu'Appelle has said repeatedly that our emissions are superior to those of other countries and should be driven up; we should be given permission to produce more greenhouse gas emissions than other countries.

On this side of the House, we believe in science, and we are fighting climate change.

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

Mr. Speaker, the carbon tax is going up, and greenhouse gas emissions are going up too. The Liberals have a tax plan, not an environmental plan.

Since they introduced the carbon tax, Canada has fallen to 62nd place out of 67 countries in the climate performance index. Meanwhile, the Minister of Environment is burning fuel to go and talk about climate change at COP. The Liberals care more about their image than they do about real results.

When will the election be called?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, I think that question has already been answered. What Canadians really want to know is that they have a government with the potential to show leadership on national security.

How is it that a Conservative leader who wants to lead the government and one day head up the Coast Guard cannot even get his security clearance? What do the Conservatives have to hide, and what do they not want us to know?

They should do their job and get their security clearance.

Employment

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, a “breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery” is what the United Nations called the Conservative-Liberal temporary foreign worker program. It is an immigration program that uses closed work permits that trap people to one employer. It abuses, exploits and underpays migrant workers to help big businesses. It drives down wages and hurts everyone. It is just another initiative of the Conservatives and Liberals helping wealthy CEOs.

Will the Liberals stop this exploitation of migrant workers by ending the closed work permit system, yes or no?

[Irek Kusmierczyk, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, the mistreatment and abuse of temporary foreign workers is unacceptable. Everyone deserves to work in safe, healthy and dignified conditions. Under our watch, we have mandated that employers provide all TFWs with information about their rights in Canada, prohibited reprisal by employers against workers who come forward with complaints and prohibited employers from charging recruitment fees to workers.

In budget 2024, we are investing $41 million to ensure that TFWs know their rights by funding community organizations. We know there is more work to do—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I would once again ask all members, especially the member for Vancouver East, who just asked the question, to please not take the floor unless recognized by the Chair.

The hon member for Churchill—Keewatinook Aski.

Indigenous Affairs

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Berens River First Nation still does not have clean drinking water. The water treatment plant is over a year behind schedule, and the community has been forced to haul water over 300 kilometres by truck every time, costing thousands of dollars. The lack of clean water has had an impact on dialysis patients, the health of children, elders and the whole community. However, the Liberals are not keeping on top of the contractor who has not gotten the job done. They are not funding the equipment the first nation has asked for.

Once again, the Liberals are failing first nations on clean water. What are they going to do to deliver clean water to Berens River now?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Indigenous Services and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the members of the INAN committee, who passed a government amendment declaring it a human right to clean drinking water on first nations. That is historic for this country. I really hope the member opposite will help ensure that we have a smooth passage of the bill through the House and into the Senate, so we can get this law in place and protect water for generations to come. I also want to congratulate two of the first nations in her own riding, which just recently received funding for K-to-12 schools.

Veterans Affairs

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Speaker, one of the most difficult tasks faced by our government was to repair Veterans Affairs Canada after all the damage done by the former Conservative government. I know that it was tough to fix, but I also know that many hard-working public servants at Veterans Affairs headquarters on Prince Edward Island are proud to make a positive impact once again.

As that most solemn of days approaches, November 11, will the Minister of Agriculture share with the House how our government has been helping to make a difference in the lives of veterans and their families?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, as we are aware, the last Conservative government slashed funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs, hurt veterans and closed nine Veterans Affairs offices that serve veterans right across this country. Since we formed government, we have invested over $11 billion in veteran support and have reopened the nine offices across this country.

Veterans can be assured that the Liberal government will continue to support veterans right across the country.

Public Services and Procurement

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, revelations in court filings show that there is another lawsuit against the Liberal minister from Edmonton showing that he broke the law. This one shows his shady company and his business partner, and now the minister has been directly named in a lawsuit in their search for buyers. A text message says that they are going to sell this and reports updating Felix and Randy. Another asks if the person is confident and says they will not tell Shawna, Felix and Randy yet. After nine years of the NDP-Liberal government, it is not worth the cost or the corruption.

Will the Liberal minister from Edmonton stand up and admit to Canadians that he broke the law?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, this issue has been dealt with by the Ethics Commissioner, who has cleared the member on three occasions.

When it comes to his former business partner, we agree with the House. He should have been clear and answered those questions, and now he will face the consequences.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians cannot believe a word from the Liberals when it comes to this scandal.

We know that the cabinet minister was sitting around the table while his company was applying for federal government contracts, and we know that his business lied before a parliamentary committee, but there is more explosive reporting today about the Liberal minister from Edmonton and his company fraudulently applying for government contracts. Experts are saying that, if this is proven to be true, the Prime Minister should expel the minister from the cabinet. Conservatives are saying we should call the cops.

Will the Prime Minister fire the minister today or wait until he is dragged out in handcuffs?

[Charles Sousa, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is referring to an article that came out today, and I can assure everyone in the House and those watching that the article confirms that the company in question has never received any contracts as an indigenous business and has never been listed on the Indigenous Business Directory.

Our focus is on building up indigenous businesses and entrepreneurs through procurement. We are not going to let any members across the way try to block the progress to achieving economic reconciliation. We will continue to work with indigenous partners to reduce barriers and increase participation in federal procurement.

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, indigenous people are outraged that government contracts meant for indigenous businesses are being scooped up by shady companies with no indigenous connection. Today we learned that the Minister of Employment's fraud-ridden company, Global Health Imports, claimed to be indigenous in order to try to secure millions in lucrative government contracts. This all happened while the Minister of Employment was actively running the company.

It is time to end the charade. When will the minister admit that he is the real Randy, acknowledge that it is wrong to falsely claim indigenous heritage and take contracts meant for indigenous people, and resign?

[Charles Sousa, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, we are making every effort to ensure that indigenous people are properly associated with the contracts that are procured. That is why we have established the very motion that is going forward. Members opposite want to criticize and be critical of the program, but it is essential to ensure that indigenous people have the ability to gain economic success and integration so that they too can succeed.

We understand that those on the indigenous list are managed appropriately, and the procurement process is also taking transparent measures forward.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today it was revealed that a company co-owned by the employment minister bid on federal contracts while claiming that it was indigenous owned. The company, Global Health Imports, has two shareholders. It would perhaps be three if we counted the other Randy. However, according to the Assembly of First Nations, the Liberals' indigenous procurement program is being abused by shell companies, with the vast majority of those federal contracts going to non-indigenous businesses.

Will the Prime Minister listen to those leaders, call an investigation and remove the minister from cabinet until the inquiry is finished?

[Charles Sousa, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, the article makes it very clear that the association being referenced here did not get a contract. It was not listed on the indigenous list, and we take the appropriate steps in a procurement to ensure that does not happen.

The Environment

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what the government says is one thing, the facts are another, and rarely the twain do meet, unfortunately. The environment commissioner's reports are painful to read. Despite the minister's claims, the Liberal record is bleak. The government cares little about the survival of threatened species, and Canada lags behind every other G7 country when it comes to meeting its greenhouse gas reduction targets.

The Liberals have checked out. Are they really entrusting biodiversity and the fight against climate change to the Conservatives?