Debates of Nov. 8th, 2024

Public Services and Procurement

[Jenica Atwin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services]

Madam Speaker, once again, the company was never listed on the indigenous business directory and never received a contract.

While we are talking about the indigenous business directory, I would like to highlight that since we announced that 5% target, there has been a surge in indigenous entrepreneurs' interest in investment in the program.

The Conservatives were aimless. They did not set targets, and it showed. Only 1% of contracts were going toward indigenous businesses. The Conservatives' hidden agenda here is obvious, and on the issue, they are being disingenuous.

International Trade

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Madam Speaker, senators Peter Boehm and Peter Harder just stabbed our farmers in the back. They just amended Bill C‑282 to prevent it from protecting supply management in trade renegotiations. At the very moment that Donald Trump is saying that he wants to renegotiate CUSMA, these two senators are guaranteeing that supply management will be back on the table.

The Prime Minister appointed these two senators, his two buddies, and he is responsible for them. Will he personally ask the Senate to defeat their amendment?

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Madam Speaker, on October 29, the Bloc Québécois pulled the plug on our farmers. The leader of the Bloc Québécois decided that he wants an election more than he wants to ensure that Bill C‑282 passes in the other chamber. That is the reality.

On this side of the House, we call the Senate every day. I encourage the Bloc Québécois to do the same. I know that some Bloc Québécois members are making calls, but I encourage all Bloc Québécois members and the Bloc Québécois leader to call the other chamber as well. It is an independent chamber, and I encourage the Conservative Party to do likewise, because I am not hearing much from the Conservative Party.

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Madam Speaker, they are so independent that it was this Prime Minister who appointed them and, apparently, they are all good buddies. These two unelected individuals, Peter Boehm and Peter Harder, are working against the interests of our farmers. They are working against the will of elected officials from all parties who supported Bill C-282. They are working against our constituents. They are working against our democracy. The one person they are working for is Donald Trump. They are assuring Trump that he will still be able to demand concessions on supply management in the upcoming CUSMA negotiations.

What do we call two people who are working against their country's democracy, against their country's interests, and in favour of the interests of another country?

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Madam Speaker, the Liberal Party and our federal government have always supported supply management. It was our party that created supply management over 50 years ago, and our party will always support it.

The leader of the Conservative Party has not had much to say on this issue. This is because his caucus is divided. It was divided during the last vote here in the House. In contrast, our party unanimously supports Bill C-282, and we expect the other place to pass it.

Innovation, Science and Industry

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Madam Speaker, after nine years, this NDP Liberal government is not worth the cost.

The Minister of Environment invested $275 million in a company that he owns. The government continues to hide the documents. The green fund continues to paralyze the House.

When will we receive the documents?

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

Madam Speaker, what the opposition member is saying is absolutely not true.

The government has already tabled all the documents related to what the House asked for, but did so in a way that respects Canadians' Charter rights. The Conservative Party members are the ones who are obstructing their own obstruction in the House.

On our side, we respect democracy, we respect the rights of Canadians and we respect the independence of the police. It is odd to listen to the Conservatives, because nothing they say is true.

Public Services and Procurement

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Madam Speaker, what is funny is that the worse the scandal, the more quietly the government House leader speaks.

After nine years, there is another scam in the arrive scam scandal. There are three new cases of fraudulent billing that have been sent to the RCMP. This is now a total of seven cases of fraudulent billing that have been sent to the RCMP.

Canadian taxpayers have been scammed a total of $5 million in the arrive scam scandal fraudulent billing. Why is the government always intent on giving money to fraudsters and scamsters while Canadians are lined up at food banks?

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

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the concerns that we all have about ensuring that we can maintain transparency and have adequate procurement processes in place, which we do. We have initiated a number of practices and have worked closely with the Auditor General and the procurement officer to ensure that all of the processes are adhered to.

I recognize that the member opposite is always looking for clips on her YouTube hit, but we are working for Canadians, not for her.

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

Madam Speaker, after nine years, the NDP-Liberals are not worth the cost or the corruption. Do members remember the ArriveCAN scandal, an app that should have cost $80,000 that ended up costing the taxpayers $50 million? It gets worse than that. Now there are three more cases being referred to the RCMP for fraudulent billing practices.

When will the government admit that it has allowed millions of dollars to be siphoned off in fraudulent contracts to enrich its Liberal buddies?

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

Madam Speaker, let us be clear: It is completely unacceptable that there are any fraudulent billings. It is completely unacceptable for anyone in the public to try to abuse the system of working with government.

That is why we have taken the necessary steps to protect Canadians and taxpayers by putting proper processes in place. We will continue to fight, and we will always support Canadians and support taxpayers to ensure that those people who need the opportunity to work with government have that opportunity but not abuse it. We recognize that the members opposite would agree, as long as they also do not abuse the system.

Veterans

[Francis Scarpaleggia, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis, QC]

Madam Speaker, this week is Veterans' Week. It is an important time for Canadians to reflect on the work done by members of the Canadian Armed Forces and to commemorate the service of veterans. We know that the well-being of our forces members during and after their service is key to their success.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence tell the House what our government is doing to support our Canadian Armed Forces and our veterans?

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Madam Speaker, our government has been clear.

Our CAF members and veterans deserve better than Conservative cuts and office closures. This week, I was pleased to join the Minister of Veterans Affairs and my colleagues from the national capital region in announcing more than $11 million to support the veteran well-being fund. We will always stand up for our serving members and veterans.

Today and every day, we thank them for their service and we will remember them.

Public Safety

[Doug Shipley, Conservative, Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON]

Madam Speaker, after nine years, the NDP-Liberals are not worth the crime. Canadians recently learned that Paul Bernardo, the vile serial killer and rapist, is scheduled for his third parole hearing later this month. This comes after the Liberal government allowed him to be transferred to a medium-security prison. These parole hearings are deeply retraumatizing to the French and Mahaffy families, who need to travel far from their homes to provide victim impact statements every two years, despite the fact that this monster is serving an indeterminate sentence.

Will the Prime Minister finally stand up for victims and assure Canadians that Paul Bernardo will remain behind bars, where he belongs, for the rest of his life?

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Madam Speaker, the minister said something yesterday that I think is important for all members in the House, not to repeat the name of a killer.

We agree that public safety is number one in this country. As the hon. member knows, the Parole board is independent, but obviously, public safety will be taken into account as it makes its decision, and we trust it will make the right decision.

Correctional Service of Canada

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

Madam Speaker, the Information Commissioner has forced the public safety minister to release previously redacted briefing notes from 2018 that reveal Corrections Canada recommended against opening the Kingston prison farms because they would not enhance the likelihood of post-incarceration employment, not reduce recidivism, cost millions of dollars to operate and make public safety results worse.

Why did the government ignore this evidence-based advice, and why did it try to keep the advice secret for so long?

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Madam Speaker, the minister is not involved in the day-to-day operations of our correctional services. I am surprised to hear the member be so against prison farms. I too am a member of eastern Ontario; I am far east in Ontario. I can assure the member that I was approached by farmers who said this program was important. I do not know where the member is coming from on this particular issue, but the community is supportive.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

Madam Speaker, it is coming from the documents that were withheld from all of us for six years.

On October 15, Corrections Canada closed the bidding in what it characterized as an “invitation to submit an expression of interest...to operate a commercial activity from a building(s) located at Joyceville Institution...and provide offender employment and vocational training.” I think this refers to the on-site slaughter facility, but the wording of the invitation is so vague that neither the building nor the nature of the employment is specified. Presumably, this was done to subvert the tender process so only the preferred candidate could submit a bid and therefore get the contract.

Will the minister advise the House as to the outcome of the bidding process and as to whether a contract has been awarded?

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Madam Speaker, ministers are not involved in procurement processes. What I can do is work with the hon. member, and the minister can come back to him with a more precise answer. As the member well knows, ministers and politicians do not get involved in RFP processes.

Housing

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Madam Speaker, the Halifax regional municipality is on the front lines when it comes to responding to the housing crisis. That is why last year we announced an $80 million federal housing investment in HRM to unlock nearly 9,000 homes over the next decade.

Last week, the Conservative leader announced his plan to shut down homebuilding in HRM and across the country by making dangerous cuts to federal housing investments. People in my riding of Dartmouth—Cole Harbour could not afford these reckless Conservative housing cuts.

To the Minister of Housing, how can we stop these Conservative cuts and solve the housing crisis?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for his advocacy on behalf of his community, which helped secure tens of millions of dollars for the community he calls home.

We are both from Nova Scotia. We have seen small towns and the city receive significant funding to make it easier to build homes more quickly at prices that people can actually afford. We know it takes investment to get homes built in this country, which is why we put billions of dollars on the table to help cities build homes more quickly.

The Conservative response to this important program would be to cut. They would try to deny communities access to this funding, and cities would have to raise property taxes to make it up. We are going to make the investments necessary—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Hamilton Centre.

Labour

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Madam Speaker, with the return of Donald Trump and his reckless administration, Canadian industries and workers are at serious risk of being squeezed out. Now more than ever, we need to fight to protect Canadians and their jobs. Canadians need assurances that their jobs, wages and labour rights will not be sacrificed in any renegotiation.

Will the Liberals do the right thing and reach out to labour leaders on both sides of the border to stand up to Trump and defend the interests of Canadian workers?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Labour and Seniors]

Madam Speaker, we will always stand up for Canadian workers. We stood up for Canadian workers previously, and we will stand up for Canadian workers at all times. In fact, even today, I know the Deputy Prime Minister is dialoguing with labour leaders across the country. On many levels, all members of the government, on a regular basis, talk to working men and women from our communities to make sure we are creating a prosperous and secure future for them.

[Alex Ruff, Conservative, Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON]

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Considering that the government has stated there is no prayer ban, the House calls on the government to confirm that military—