Mr. Speaker, in the fall economic statement yesterday—
House of Commons Hansard #391 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was conservatives.
House of Commons Hansard #391 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was conservatives.
Jonathan Wilkinson LiberalMinister of Energy and Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, in the fall economic statement yesterday—
The Speaker Liberal Greg Fergus
Jonathan Wilkinson Liberal North Vancouver, BC
Today, Mr. Speaker, we celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Canadian forest service, which is something I think all parliamentarians should be able to support.
In the fall economic statement, there were investment tax credits related to electricity production. This is part of building an economy for the future that will create jobs and economic prosperity across this country. It will ensure affordability for consumers. It will ensure the reliability of the grid. Today, I am very pleased to say we are launching Canada's first clean electricity strategy across the country and the clean electricity regulations.
It is an important day for Canada.
Jeremy Patzer Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has lost the confidence of his cabinet, his Liberal MPs and Canadians as he is desperately clinging to power. He forced the former finance minister to join the ghosts of ministers past in favour of phantom finance minister carbon tax Carney because they thought that her massive deficit was not big enough. With all the chaos he has caused around him, the Prime Minister's own inner circle is abandoning him.
He went to the Governor General yesterday to appoint Carney's placeholder, but why did he not go one step further and just call a carbon tax election?
Jonathan Wilkinson LiberalMinister of Energy and Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, another element of the fall economic statement yesterday was the launch of the indigenous loan guarantee program, which will make indigenous peoples partners in projects across this country. It is part of building an economy that is inclusive and prosperous on a go-forward basis.
On the other side of the House, we have a bunch of climate skeptics and climate deniers who have a plan for the economy that is based on the 1960s and looking backwards. On this side of the House, we are building a future for Canadians.
Leah Taylor Roy Liberal Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON
Mr. Speaker, we live in an increasingly virtual world, and it is our job to ensure that this online space is safe for our children and for all Canadians. That is why our government introduced a plan to do exactly that in the online harms act. Unfortunately, the Conservatives are blocking this important legislation. Their obstruction means that children, women and minority groups remain in danger. I am appalled that the Conservatives will not put Canadians before partisan politics and work with us.
Can the Minister of Justice explain the consequences we face by not passing the online harms act?
The Speaker Liberal Greg Fergus
For the second time today, I am going to ask the hon. member for Miramichi—Grand Lake and the hon. member for Dufferin—Caledon to please not take the floor unless the Speaker recognizes them.
The hon. Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
Arif Virani LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, last week in this place, the Conservatives blocked the child protection measures in the online harms act from advancing. Worse still, the Conservatives have vowed that if we succeed in passing this legislation, with the help of the Bloc and the NDP, they will actually reverse it at the earliest opportunity. What does that mean? It means that if we get child sex abuse material off of the Internet, if the Conservatives took power, they would put it back on the Internet. I wish I could make this up. That position is morally bankrupt.
I would say that when we claim to care about victims of abuse, we need to stand up for victims of abuse. I would ask the Conservatives to please do that.
The Speaker Liberal Greg Fergus
I would like to apologize to the hon. member for Miramichi—Grand Lake. Apparently, he was not the person who had spoken out.
The hon. member for St. Albert—Edmonton.
Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has lost all control. Not only has the Prime Minister long ago lost the moral authority to govern, but also the Prime Minister has lost his ability to carry out the basic functions of governing, with the shambolic spectacle of his former finance minister resigning hours before she was scheduled to deliver the government's fall economic statement. This is a government in complete and utter chaos.
When will the Prime Minister admit that he has lost all control and call a carbon tax election?
Sean Fraser LiberalMinister of Housing
Mr. Speaker, this may be the last opportunity I have to answer a question in the House of Commons as a minister. I want to take an opportunity to give my thanks to everybody back home in my community and to all members of the House, on both sides of the aisle, for an opportunity to engage in debate over the years and to put competing ideas on the table.
When it comes to the way that caucuses should operate, I would remind my hon. colleague, as one of the people who has written to advocate for his community to receive funding through the housing accelerator fund, that he has now been banned by his own leader to continue to advocate on behalf of the good people of St. Albert—Edmonton.
It has been an honour to serve. I look forward to what the future may hold.
I want to say congratulations to a term well served by all colleagues.
Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has lost the confidence of Canadians, lost the confidence of many of his MPs, and yesterday, he lost the confidence of the former finance minister. It is no wonder because, after nine years, the Prime Minister has broken everything. He has broken our borders, broken immigration, broken housing and broken the budget.
When will the Prime Minister just stop breaking things, acknowledge that he does not have a mandate to continue to govern and call a carbon tax election?
Rachel Bendayan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the fall economic statement that we tabled yesterday is about growth. It is about investing in our business community and in our economy. The accelerated capital cost allowance will ensure that Canadian businesses stay on this side of the border, that they stay in Canada and that our creation of jobs will continue to increase. Last year alone, 330,000 jobs were created, and these are good-paying jobs. Even when accounting for inflation, salaries have risen by 5%, which is the highest in the G7. We are ensuring that Canadians bring home stronger paycheques and better jobs.
Pat Kelly Conservative Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has lost the confidence of his cabinet, of his Liberal MPs and of Canadians, while desperately clinging to power. Yesterday, they found a random Liberal minister to table the disastrous fall economic statement after he fired his former finance minister, who would not sign off on smashing through her $40-billion fiscal guardrail. That was all in order to make room for a phantom finance minister, Mark Carney.
The Prime Minister has lost control of his own government. Will he call a carbon tax election today?
Leader of the Liberal Party of CanadaOral Questions
December 17th, 2024 / 3:10 p.m.
York Centre Ontario
Liberal
Ya'ara Saks LiberalMinister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health
Mr. Speaker, on the other side of the House, they are big on outreach, but they are really weak on facts. When we talk about Canadians, we want to show that we support them and invest in them. We have the lowest ratio of debt to GDP in the G7. Interest rates have gone down. We have been investing in Canadians. That is what we do as a government. We invest in child care, we invest in national school food programs and we invest in pharmacare, because we invest and fight for Canadians. The Conservatives would cut and they would talk Canadians down. On this side of the House, we are proud to fight for Canadians every single day.
Francesco Sorbara Liberal Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON
Mr. Speaker, children in Canada need protection from online harm. The abuse that occurs online is endangering our kids, and it is time we acted to prevent more families from being harmed. Our government has risen to this challenge, putting forward a plan to help parents and children. Bill C-63, the online harms act, would create safety measures that would save lives. The Conservatives are now the only roadblock to making the bill a reality in Canada.
The safety of our children should not be political. Can the Minister of Justice please discuss the importance of this critical legislation and why we need it passed now?
Arif Virani LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, this legislation would literally save children's lives. I find it very difficult to comprehend how the official opposition Conservatives can bear being the only party in this House obstructing the advancement of this legislation. I would share a question that was posed at committee by a mother whose child suffered horrendous abuse. She asked what kind of person does not want to protect the future of our children or grandchildren.
Once again, I implore the official opposition to look beyond its self-interest and look these parents and their children in the eye who need help. It is time we passed the online harms act with unanimous consent.
Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC
Mr. Speaker, Canada has a shortage of family doctors. It is an acute crisis that is getting more and more severe each and every day. The Liberals seem to be focused on their own internal problems while parents are looking to get care for their sick kids. The former deputy prime minister said as much yesterday when she resigned, and the Conservatives, sadly, just want to cut health care, cut health services and destroy public health care. Given the emergency, what is the Liberal government's plan to address this shortage and make sure we have more family doctors now in Canada?
Mark Holland LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, we have signed agreements with every province and every territory. We saw in the CIHI baseline data last year that nearly every jurisdiction in the country saw more doctors and more nurses. It is not enough. Provinces have to do their part and have to be responsible for this health transformation. However, there is something huge this Parliament can do, and that is pass Bill C-72, which is connected care legislation. Just one example is that allowing AI scribes to be used in our system would create the equivalent of 1,000 new doctors in a very short period of time. Connected care can open up new avenues of care, and that is something this Parliament can do.
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
Mr. Speaker, thanks to this Prime Minister, our nation has become the laughingstock of the narcissist at Mar-a-Lago. Our country is facing an unprecedented level of political coercion, and Canadians deserve a strong and proud defence of our values and our jobs. We are not going to get that from the Liberal gong show or from the predatory and pusillanimous Conservatives who would sell us out in a second. Our NDP leader called for a war room, bringing together labour and business leaders to defend Canada.
Will the Liberals stop their squabbling? It is time to drop the gloves, go over the boards and fight for our country instead of fighting amongst themselves.
Mary Ng LiberalMinister of Export Promotion
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, we tabled the fall economic statement, and I think this is an area where the hon. member and I would agree. The Canada-U.S. relationship is extremely important, and in the fall economic statement, we are strengthening the regime to prohibit forced labour in our supply chains, something that is really important for workers in our country. We are strengthening this trade relationship with our allies in the United States.
Yves Perron Bloc Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order.
Before the House wraps up for the year, the members of the Bloc Québécois want to wish a merry Christmas and a happy 2025 to all Quebeckers, our colleagues and their staffers, all the House of Commons staff, the entire team of clerks, the law clerks, the analysts, the pages, the Parliamentary Protective Service, the warm and welcoming team in the parliamentary cafeteria and dining room, the maintenance team, the computer technicians, the Sergeant-at-Arms' team and, last, but certainly not least, the interpreters, with whom we have a very special relationship.
Happy holidays, Mr. Speaker.
The Speaker Liberal Greg Fergus
I thank the hon. member for his wishes. I also want to extend my best wishes to him and all members of the House of Commons.