House of Commons Hansard #369 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was liberal.
Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions
Glengarry—Prescott—Russell Ontario
Liberal
Francis Drouin LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Madam Speaker, naturally, the government is always ready to ensure that our borders are protected. The RCMP has operational plans in place to deal with the possibility that a mass of people may try to cross the border.
Of course, we are not going to comment on the operational plans of the RCMP or CBSA, to avoid compromising security.
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Madam Speaker, according to the Salvation Army's annual report, one in four parents is cutting back on their own food consumption to ensure their children have enough to eat. Where are we, exactly? Are we in a Dickens novel or Les Misérables?
It is unacceptable in our society that parents are having to skip meals to feed their children. What are the Liberals doing about it? They are meeting with wealthy grocery chain CEOs to ask them if they could please be nice and drop their prices. What a joke.
When will the Liberals actually do something to ensure that families can eat properly?
Élisabeth Brière LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families
Madam Speaker, we are there for Canadian families with programs like $10-a-day child care, the Canada child benefit and the Canadian dental care plan. These are all programs that allow families to keep more money in their pockets, so they can cope with things being a little tougher right now, put food on the table and be there to provide for their children.
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Madam Speaker, no one should go hungry in Canada, but the Salvation Army reports one in four parents are skipping meals to save money to feed their kids. Meanwhile, grocery CEOs are gouging Canadians and raking in record profits. While the Liberals do nothing, the Conservatives will let families go hungry because CEOs fund their election campaigns.
It is time to cap essential food prices so everyone can put food on the table. Will the Liberals take action or continue to stick by greedy grocery giants like the Conservatives?
Ryan Turnbull LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Innovation
Madam Speaker, our government provides hundreds of dollars a month, tax-free, to help families with the cost of raising a kid.
We have also helped implement a national child care program, which is saving families $800 a month on average. We are investing to feed 400,000 more kids healthy meals at school.
I note that the member worked on a national school food program for many years, advocating for that. Is he not happy that our government is stepping up to invest over $1 billion over five years to feed 400,000 more kids across Canada?
Shannon Stubbs Conservative Lakeland, AB
Madam Speaker, after nine years, the NDP-Liberals are not worth the cost to Canada. We have the worst decline in living standards in four decades, the worst drop in income per person in the G7 and the worst economic growth in the OECD. What is their wacko plan now? It is to slap a job-killing oil and gas cap on Canada, make everything even more expensive and drive out jobs, businesses, money, tech and talent. Over $450 billion has fled Canada, fled the Liberals, to the U.S.
When will the Liberals stop fuelling the U.S. and help Canadians instead?
Adam van Koeverden LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity
Madam Speaker, let us talk about GDP per capita over time in Canada. Between 2006 and 2016, Canada's GDP per capita under Harper grew from $40,504 to $42,134. That is about $1,800 over 10 years. Under the current Liberal government, it has grown from $42,000 a year to $53,372 in 2023. That is more than $11,000. Conservatives do not need to pull out their calculators: $11,000 is more than $1,800.
Shannon Stubbs Conservative Lakeland, AB
Madam Speaker, they keep telling Canadians they have never had it so good. The truth is that the NDP-Liberals hurt Canadians every time but help the U.S. and hostile regimes. It is nuts because so many countries want Canada's energy. Ukraine, Germany, Poland, Japan, South Korea, Greece and Latvia all ask for LNG, but the NDP-Liberals say no. A million Canadians need powerful paycheques from oil and gas jobs, but over nine years of killed pipelines, energy tax hikes and oil and gas caps, jobs and monies have been sent to the U.S., Canada's top ally and competitor.
Why do the NDP-Liberals send Canada's jobs to the U.S. and make Canadian workers suffer?
Adam van Koeverden LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity
Madam Speaker, we are working on the challenges Canadians face with real solutions. At the current time, inflation is down, interest rates are down, unemployment rates are down and greenhouse gas pollution rates are down. Despite what these climate change-denying Conservatives say, CO2 is not plant food. That absurd Conservative claim that reducing our carbon emissions would somehow be bad for crop growth is straight-up anti-science, disinformation and climate denialism.
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. We learned that in elementary school. The oil sands are Canada's largest source of industrial carbon emissions, and our pollution cap asks them to invest some of their astonishing $60 billion in profits in innovating and making sure Canadians can afford green, affordable—
Greg McLean Conservative Calgary Centre, AB
Madam Speaker, after nine years, the NDP-Liberal government has shown again that it is not worth the cost. This week, the government announced a new policy, a cap on the Canadian economy. Since 2015, the United States has increased oil and gas production by 40%, which is much more than Canada has done. The world needs Canadian oil and gas. With the incoming U.S. administration promising to unleash American energy, the government has announced a cap on the economy, costing Canada 150,000 jobs.
How can the government justify this economic vandalism?
Vance Badawey LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
Madam Speaker, the pollution cap will ensure that our energy sector can increase its production while decreasing its emissions. Countries around the world are looking at Canada for less-polluting energy. If we want our energy to stay competitive, we must lower our emissions. The pollution cap will provide long-term competitiveness in Canadian energy so that we can keep being an energy superpower for the world.
Under the do-nothing approach of the previous Conservative government, Canada's imports of foreign oil were two times higher. It failed to promote Canadian energy. I would be happy to offer the Conservative leader and his party a briefing on climate change. He does not—
Greg McLean Conservative Calgary Centre, AB
Madam Speaker, I will quote Canada's destructive environment minister. He said, “Look around the world, no other...oil and gas producer is doing what we’re doing.” One could wonder why; one could also ask why he ignored the warnings of the economic destruction this Canadian energy cap would cause while offering no environmental benefit. Any reduction in Canada will automatically be met by supply from other producers around the world. The minister's announcement is nothing but performative.
Will the Prime Minister get serious about actual solutions and fire the environment minister?
Rachel Bendayan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
Madam Speaker, it is no wonder that the Conservatives are not talking about the economy today. This is because Statistics Canada raised its numbers yesterday. In fact, it revised growth in Canada upward. Do members know why? It is because business investment is streaming into Canada. Investors are looking to Canada because we offer stability and certainty. That is translating into growth and into higher paycheques for Canadians.
Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister was so excited about the new U.S. President that he sent him a gift: thousands of Canadian jobs, millions of Canadian investment dollars. The Liberal government's carbon tax and failure to stand up for Canada has created an exodus of capital from Canada to the United States. The Prime Minister's policy has created a made-in-Canada per capita GDP recession. While American workers are thriving, Canadians can barely afford food and rent.
Will the Prime Minister stop sabotaging the Canadian economy and axe this self-imposed tariff?
Ryan Turnbull LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Innovation
Madam Speaker, Conservatives seem so intent on talking down the Canadian economy. They do not seem to be able to recognize the positive signs of economic progress and recovery.
Inflation is down to 1.6%. In Canada, our central bank has decreased interest rates four times. We have attracted over $50 billion in foreign direct investment, propelling us to number one per capita in the G20. That has led to tens of thousands of well-paying jobs in this country, jobs that are projected to grow in the clean economy to over 400,000 by 2030.
Those are real opportunities that pay the bills, unlike Conservative cuts—
The Assistant Deputy Speaker NDP Carol Hughes
The hon. member for Northumberland—Peterborough South.
Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
Madam Speaker, the Liberals keep telling Canadians at food banks that they have never had it so good.
Here are the facts: The Economist says that Canada is now poorer than Alabama, the fourth-poorest state in the United States. Further, over the past five years, America's economic growth has outstripped Canada's by nearly double.
Simply, when will Canadians get an opportunity to vote for common-sense Conservatives so that we can turn their hurt into hope and restore the promise of Canada?
Karina Gould LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Madam Speaker, we respond to the needs of Canadians. That is why we brought in programs such as the Canada child benefit; we know that Canadian families need extra help right now.
What did the Conservatives do? They said not to send those cheques to Canadians. They said we should cut those programs. When they talk with their crocodile tears for Canadians, they are not actually doing anything to help.
We know Canadians are struggling, and that is why we have responded with programs that actually help them.
Marilène Gill Bloc Manicouagan, QC
Madam Speaker, Donald Trump's deportation threats are dangerous. The federal government needs to wake up when it comes to the border. We keep telling it that.
Today, we are not the only ones saying so. Fen Hampson, president of the World Refugee and Migration Council, was quoted in today's Le Devoir as saying, “The government needs to get ready to deal with a potential humanitarian crisis”. He is calling it a humanitarian crisis.
If a potential humanitarian crisis is not enough to get the federal government to wake up and boost its resources at the border, what is?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalMinister of Labour and Seniors
Madam Speaker, let us calm down. The Bloc Québécois keeps making up scenarios that are absolutely not in play. Our border services have a plan. They have always had a plan and will always have a plan to keep our border secure.
We will work with the U.S. administration, regardless of which party is in power. We will collaborate with our partners in the United States.
The Bloc Québécois should rest assured and stop scaremongering.
Marilène Gill Bloc Manicouagan, QC
Madam Speaker, if the federal government stays asleep at the switch when it comes to our borders, then there are dark days ahead for both asylum seekers and Quebeckers.
There could be a wave of people crossing the border illegally, and they may be exploited by criminal organizations. These people may have to hide out, possibly under dangerous circumstances, for two weeks before they are able to claim asylum, only to then discover that Quebec no longer has the capacity to provide them with services and that the provinces are refusing to do their share. A crisis is looming.
When will the federal government wake up and take action to prevent this from happening?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalMinister of Labour and Seniors
Madam Speaker, we have made the necessary plans to secure our borders and, obviously, we are also working with the Government of Quebec. We have given more funding to provide asylum seekers with shelter and services. These are perhaps the most vulnerable people in the world.
Once again, the Bloc Québécois members cannot stop talking about immigration, because they have discovered that they can score political points off this issue. The Bloc Québécois needs to stop—