Debates of Dec. 17th, 2024

Finance

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has lost the confidence of his cabinet, of his Liberal MPs and of Canadians, as he clings to power.

Hours before she was set to release the fall economic statement, the finance minister quit, saying, “On Friday, you told me you no longer want me to serve as your Finance Minister and offered me another position in the Cabinet.” The fake feminist Prime Minister and conflict of interest, carbon tax Carney forced her to blow through the $40-billion guard rail with a massively irresponsible $62-billion deficit, making her take the blame.

Will the fake feminist Prime Minister take responsibility for his economic vandalism and call an—

[Marci Ien, Liberal, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth]

Mr. Speaker, if Conservatives want to talk about feminism, then let us look at some facts and some policies that actually support women across this country, policies like $10-a-day child care and policies like the national action plan to end gender-based violence, which was actually supported in our latest economic statement.

The Conservatives, by the way, opposed every single one of these measures. On this side of the House, we will always support women. Who knows what is going on over there?

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has lost the confidence of his cabinet, his Liberal MPs and Canadians, as he clings to power.

The former finance minister said, “To be effective, a Minister must speak on behalf of the Prime Minister and with his full confidence. In making your decision, you made clear I no longer credibly enjoy that confidence and possess the authority that comes with it.” It is clear that the fake feminist Prime Minister threw the former finance minister under the bus, just as he did with other women who previously stood up to him.

Will the fake feminist Prime Minister take responsibility for his economic vandalism and call a carbon tax election?

[Rechie Valdez, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are distracting from the fact that the Bank of Canada has cut interest rates five times, down to 3.25%.

Yesterday our government published the fall economic statement. I am happy to share that there is an investment of $189 million into the Black entrepreneurship program that has already helped 16,000 Black entrepreneurs across this country.

We are going to be investing in digital adaption for small and medium-sized enterprises, with $500 million. We are going to reduce red tape.

While we are shopping during the GST holiday, let us support local.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the caregivers pilot programs expired in June. The minister promised caregivers permanent residence on arrival. Six months later, no information, no application process, has been released about the new pilot.

Given the Liberals' about-face on regularization and their scapegoating of migrants for their failures, caregivers are really concerned that their hard-fought promise of landed status on arrival will be forgotten. Will the minister deliver on the promise and open the pathway for applications by January 1, 2025, or will this be another Liberal broken promise?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, caregivers are extremely important to this country, as is the care they provide to our most vulnerable. We are still tracking to launch this and clearly this is a priority of the government. This is on track. We may have some modifications to make, but this is still a high priority of the government.

Government Priorities

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' economic update failed to recognize the reality facing working Canadians. It failed to address the housing crisis. It failed to address the health care crisis. It failed to address the youth jobs crisis. Instead of fighting for Canadians, Liberals are fighting with themselves, and Conservatives only propose cuts that will hurt workers while big business gets tax breaks and handouts. Budgets reveal who governments are really working for.

Why are Liberals, like Conservatives, working for CEOs while ignoring everyone else?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, that hon. member would know, because we worked very well together to create a national pharmacare plan that is going to make sure Canadians everywhere have access to the medication they need. It builds upon a Canadian advantage we need to maintain, an advantage that sees Canadians not only living longer but living six years more in health than they do in the United States. The lifespan we enjoy is every bit as important as every other measurement, and the advantage we have in health cannot be lost. We must continue to drive forward and transform our health system from one based in illness to one based in prevention.

Regional Economic Development

[Joanne Thompson, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

Mr. Speaker, last week the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Government of Quebec announced a historic agreement on Churchill Falls, as well as an agreement to develop the Gull Island project and upgrade other hydroelectric assets. This deal has the potential to transform Newfoundland and Labrador and create tens of thousands of jobs and sweeping economic spinoffs.

Can the Minister of Rural Economic Development inform Canadians how our government helped create the economic conditions to make this deal possible?

[Gudie Hutchings, Liberal, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, after decades, Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have signed a historic agreement that will have huge benefits for all. Our government is working toward a net-zero electricity grid and provided Newfoundlanders and Labradorians with assistance on rate mitigation. That along with the investment tax credits for net-zero projects helped create the conditions for this agreement to make Newfoundland and Labrador an economic and energy powerhouse. I congratulate both premiers on this historic deal and I cannot wait to see the shovels in the ground.

Finance

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has lost confidence of his cabinet, his caucus and all Canadians as he desperately clings to power. Yesterday the Liberals dropped their fall economic statement and literally ran out of the House: a $62-billion deficit, missing their target by a whopping 55%. What is the end result? Canadians are now paying more on debt interest charges than on health care.

When will the Prime Minister end the misery and call a carbon tax election so Conservatives can finally fix what they have broken?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to take the opportunity to inform the justice critic that in fact in that fall economic statement, he would have seen a series of measures that address community safety in our communities across the country. He would have seen measures that crack down on auto theft. He would have seen stricter bail and sentencing provisions. He would have seen provisions in the sex offender registries to get tough on child sex predators. He would have seen securing our borders to provide confidence to our American counterparts, cracking down on money laundering and terrorist financing. These are all measures we all have an interest in promoting, passing and getting funded in this country to keep Canadians safe.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the Prime Minister's economic vandalism and inflationary spending, he has added more to the debt than all previous prime ministers combined. Now Canadians are paying more. Our national debt now sits at $1.24 trillion, an astronomical number our future generations will have to deal with. Canada's promise of powerful paycheques, affordable housing and safe streets has been shattered under the NDP-Liberals.

The Prime Minister has lost confidence of his caucus, the House and Canadians. When will he call an immediate carbon tax election?

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

Mr. Speaker, that member is a former Crown attorney. He knows that in terms of keeping communities safe, it starts with addressing the prolific amount of guns that are in communities. What is in that fall economic statement? There is $597 million to take weapons off our streets. What else is in there? That member knows organized criminality is a problem in Canada from coast to coast to coast. What we are doing with organized criminality is ensuring tougher penalties for financial crimes, cracking down on money laundering and cracking down on terrorist financing. One gets at the cause of the problem when one addresses the money flow. That is what we are doing in the fall economic statement. We wish we could have their support.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has lost the confidence of his ministers, his MPs and Canadians, yet he still clings to power.

After nine years of economic vandalism and inflationary spending, he has built up more debt than all his predecessors combined. As a result, Canadians are now paying $53.7 billion in interest charges on the debt. That is more money than the health transfers.

Will the Prime Minister set his ego aside, do what is best for Canadians and call an election?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would invite my colleague to read the fall economic statement. If he does, he will see that Canada is in a particularly enviable fiscal position compared to all our G7 competitors. We have the best debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7. The IMF, the International Monetary Fund, estimates that we will have the strongest economic growth next year. The Minister of Energy and Natural Resources just signed an agreement with the Government of Quebec for hundreds of millions of dollars to help the forestry sector in my colleague's region, yet my colleague is not talking about that.

When Canadians need help, the Conservatives are nowhere to be found.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has lost the confidence of his ministers, his MPs and Canadians.

As if the $40‑billion anchor were not enough, he hits us with a $62‑billion debt in his economic statement. Canadians are paying more in interest on the debt than for health transfers. He is desperately hanging onto power. Enough is enough.

When will there be an election?

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

Mr. Speaker, we have more good news for Quebeckers today, with the publication of the clean electricity strategy. Hundreds of millions of dollars will be invested in collaboration with Hydro-Québec, with the Government of Quebec and with businesses to develop the electricity network we need for the 21st century to decarbonize our transportation sector and to decarbonize the industry and buildings sector.

That is how we are going to build the economy, jobs and the Canada of the 21st century.

Government Priorities

[Caroline Desbiens, Bloc, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we need no more than 30 seconds to review the Liberals' track record. The only thing the Prime Minister did this fall was buy some time.

He bought some time by letting the Conservatives paralyze House business, without ever trying to negotiate a way out of the stalemate. He bought some time with his election goodies. Today, he is still trying to buy himself time after his finance minister's resignation. Against all odds, he is stalling for time.

Does he not realize that by doing nothing but stall for time, he has lost the respect of Quebeckers?

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

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague well knows, we have won the confidence of the House several times in recent weeks.

She may not have read all the appendices and items in the economic statement we presented yesterday, but there is one aspect that should really interest her. We included support for culture and support for tourism in the economic statement in order to bring more conventions and conferences here.

Honestly, everyone should be proud of the investment our government is making in culture.

[Caroline Desbiens, Bloc, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this session has been one session too many.

The Liberals have been in the spotlight, but not because of their work. They refused to work for seniors and farmers. They refused to work to do away with the religious exemption. They refused to work to guarantee Quebeckers access to advance requests for medical assistance in dying. Unfortunately, all the attention has been on in-fighting in the Liberal caucus. That is why this question is on everyone's lips today.

When will we be free of this government that no longer wants to work for Quebeckers?

[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 would like make one thing clear. On this side of the House, we are working for Quebeckers and we are negotiating with the Government of Quebec to ensure that all of the investments that we are making are good for Quebeckers.

Here are a few examples: the dental care program and the Canada child benefit. In the economic update, there are measures to enhance the rent supplement. In fact, the government pays the rent supplement for low-income housing. There is also AI, housing and more. Our government worked with the Government of Quebec to resolve the situation with Chic Resto Pop.

Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada

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

Mr. Speaker, this week, the Liberal Prime Minister has lost the confidence of his cabinet, his Liberal MPs and Canadians, but he still clings to power. Yesterday, the economic statement from his phantom finance minister, carbon tax Carney, posted a $62-billion deficit, which is absolutely devastating for Canadians. They tried to pin it on the former finance minister and she quit in protest. Canadians have had enough of these dirty Liberal backroom deals where carbon tax Carney gets all of the power but has none of the accountability.

When will the Liberals call a carbon tax election, because Canadians just cannot trust them?

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

Mr. Speaker, rather than talking down Canada, let us stress the facts. Inflation has come down to 1.9%. We have the lowest debt and the lowest deficit in the G7. In the fall economic statement, we put forward numerous measures to support businesses and families in Canada, including $10-a-day child care, which is going to give rise to 300,000 jobs.

On this side of the House, we believe in supporting Canadians while maintaining a prudent fiscal outlook, something the Conservatives could never claim to do.

Long live Canada.

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

Mr. Speaker, just like the nine years of failures from the NDP-Liberal government, Canadians have lost confidence in the Prime Minister, and they showed it last night with the overwhelming majority election of Tamara Jansen in Cloverdale—Langley City. The phantom finance minister posted a $62-billion devastating deficit that Canadians are going to be paying for, for generations. The Liberals have absolutely lost control and the flailing Prime Minister does not have the confidence of his cabinet, his caucus or Canadians.

When is he going to call a carbon tax election?