Debates of Dec. 3rd, 2024

The Economy

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, when I spoke with President-elect Trump last week, I told him how well Canada and the United States work together to address the major challenges our citizens are facing, whether it is creating more economic growth, protecting our borders or protecting our citizens from the impact of fentanyl and other hard drugs. We are always going to be here to work together, and I have reassured the president of that.

As for us, here, we are going to continue to invest in Canadians, to be there to support people in difficult times, with measures like the tax break we are offering for the next few weeks, a tax break that the Conservatives voted against.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has given President-elect Trump some big gifts. Tax hikes, the doubling of our debt, and the bureaucracy that is holding up our natural resources projects have sent $500 billion in net Canadian investments to the United States to create jobs for Americans. In the meantime, Canadians' personal income, which used to be on par with Americans', is now $20,000 lower.

Will the Prime Minister reverse his destructive policies to fix what he has broken?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, if the Leader of the Opposition were truly concerned about Canadians' well-being, he would not have voted against the tax break that we are offering to Canadians for the next couple of months. He would not have fought against the investment in the school food program for an additional 400,000 children across the country. He would not have voted against the dental care program, which has delivered services to more than one million Canadians so far.

On the contrary, the Leader of the Opposition just wants to exploit and capitalize on the challenges Canadians are facing, instead of solving them like we are doing.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, whether one thinks that President-elect Trump's tariff threats are a negotiating tactic or a real plan, what we do know is what we can control, and the Prime Minister has lost control of everything. He has lost control of the borders, lost control of immigration, lost control of spending and the deficit, lost control of inflation and housing costs, and lost control of his own caucus. This has put Canada in an unbearably weak position.

Will the Prime Minister reverse all the damage he has done, or will he just call a carbon tax election so we can do it for him?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I think the Leader of the Opposition needs to reflect carefully on whether he really wants to amplify the erroneous narratives that the Americans are putting forward around, for example, our border, when less than 1% of migrants coming into the United States irregularly come from Canada; and where 0.2% of fentanyl coming into the United States comes from Canada. These are things that we would all do well to stand up and say that, yes, there are things we can and are working on together at our border. However, amplifying these broken narratives is simply not responsible leadership.

Taxation

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, breaking things is not responsible, and that is what the Prime Minister has been doing for nine years. My job is not to cover that up for him.

In fact, he has broken our economy. He has doubled the cost of housing, doubled the national debt and doubled trouble across our economy with higher taxes on working Canadians. He is in the process of raising taxes on investment and energy right now, while an American incoming president wants to take our jobs and businesses.

It is understandable why President-elect Trump wants Canadian jobs to go south, but why does the Prime Minister want to help him do it?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we recognize that Canadians are facing challenging moments, which is why we are stepping up to deliver for them, whether it is by delivering a tax break over the next few months that the Conservatives are totally opposed to, by delivering a national school food program that is already helping thousands of Canadians across the country and that the Conservatives oppose, or by delivering dental care that is making a real difference in the lives of over a million Canadians, which the Conservatives not only opposed but also did everything they could do to scuttle.

The Conservative leader just wants to exploit the challenges Canadians are facing, while we will solve them.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister created all of those problems. A food program that has not served a single meal or a temporary, tiny 10¢ tax cut on a bag of potato chips will not fix what he broke, especially considering that his next plan is to quadruple the carbon tax to 61¢ a litre.

We can just picture President-elect Trump calling our businesses, encouraging them to leave Canada and set up south of the border where there is no carbon tax and where other taxes are falling.

Again, it is clear why the incoming American president wants to take our jobs. Why does the Prime Minister keep helping him do it?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, let me say it once again: The price on pollution puts more money back in the pockets of the middle class across this country than it costs it. The Canada carbon rebate is a cheque that arrives four times a year and helps eight out of 10 Canadians, in jurisdictions where it arrives, with more money than they pay on the price of pollution.

The price on pollution is how we fight climate change and build a strong economy for the future while putting money in the pockets of Canadians. That is what we are doing while the Conservative leader wants to abandon not just the environment but the economy as well.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, with every passing day, we gain a better understanding of how the turbulent relationship with the Americans is evolving. It seems there was some confusion about the president's threats. Is this about trade or border security or drugs?

Now, after a long-delayed change of heart on immigration, the government is promising a detailed plan, which I hope will also be costed. When will we get that plan so we can offer assurances to the people of Quebec, Canada and, since we have to, the United States?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we shared our immigration plan weeks ago.

We are investing to reduce the number of irregular migrants crossing our border. We have already made significant investments to hire more staff. We will continue to invest. Unlike the Conservatives, who cut staff at the border, we will invest to ensure the integrity of our border and keep protecting Canadians.

International Trade

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the sooner we get a real plan for the future, not for the past, the sooner we will be able to do something about the fact that the discussions are not focusing on real trade issues.

In addition to the threatened 25% tariffs, there are issues related to supply management, the cultural exemption, softwood lumber and aluminum. Can the Prime Minister confirm that there have been discussions about having a representative of Quebec, who is appointed by Quebec, participate in team Canada and in the future work of negotiating committees?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I can confirm that, on Friday evening, we spoke with the president-elect not only about our borders, but also about trade, steel, aluminum, energy and softwood lumber. We talked about the issues we will be facing with the U.S. administration.

We went through this four years ago, so we know how to defend Canadian jobs, while demonstrating that doing so can benefit both sides of the border and while working together responsibly. That is what we will continue to do.

Canada Border Services Agency

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the last Conservative government fired 1,100 border officers. This allowed illegal guns and drugs to flow freely into our country. We are all paying the price of the callous Conservative cut.

I want the border officers rehired. I want thousands more recruited, and I want their mandate expanded so they can patrol the entire border. Will the Prime Minister do that?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is exactly right. Conservative cuts hurt Canadians. Conservative cuts hurt our border security. Conservative cuts just hurt the Canadian economy. That is why it is so bewildering that the Conservative leader continues to stand up on cuts for dental care and cuts on housing investments, cuts for the kinds of services and benefits Canadians need, whether it is a tax break for the next few months or school food programs.

The Conservatives only know how to cut. That is not how Canadians prosper.

International Trade

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's inaction allows the Conservative cuts to continue to hurt Canadians.

We need to hire thousands of border officers and save good Canadian jobs. Donald Trump has apparently said that he wants to use tariffs to balance his budget. He is going to destroy the lives of Canadians to cover a U.S. deficit. That is outrageous, and the Prime Minister has to be clear.

Why did the Prime Minister return from his dinner at Mar-a-Lago empty-handed?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, indeed, the Conservative cuts that reduced the number of border officers have hurt Canada. That is why we are investing and why we will be there to invest even more to protect the integrity of our borders. We have already introduced many measures in recent years to reduce the number of immigrants and irregular arrivals and to stop U.S. guns and drugs from crossing the border into Canada.

We know that more remains to be done, and we are going to do it in partnership with the U.S. administration, since we share these security priorities.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Eric Duncan, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON]

Mr. Speaker, despite 25% tariffs threatening to kill Canadian jobs and crush the economy, the Liberals have created border disorder between Canada and the United States. Yesterday the Minister of Public Safety said that bolstering the power of CBSA to secure our borders is “not a priority.”

After nine years, the hands-off approach is no surprise. There are half a million people here in Canada illegally. Unprocessed asylum claims are up 2,500%, and Liberals think three million temporary residents are going to leave voluntarily when their visa expires.

Where is the Canada first plan to fix the border disorder?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, we have made clear, and the Prime Minister repeated it again just a few minutes ago, that we will continue to support the important work done by the women and men who work for the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. We think it is unfortunate the previous Conservative government cut the money available for this important work.

We have also said that we are prepared to increase both human resources and technology and equipment to support the important work that CBSA and the RCMP do. We will do that in collaboration with our American partners, and we still have a lot of confidence in the work that is being done.

[Eric Duncan, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON]

Mr. Speaker, here is further proof of the Liberals' border disorder: Today at committee, the Minister of Public Safety was asked whether more CBSA officers will be deployed on our border. The minister does not know. Will CBSA officers be authorized to patrol between border crossings? The minister does not know. Will RCMP officers be redeployed to patrol the border? The minister does not know. The only plan the Liberals have is the plan to have a plan. It is creating border disorder.

Where is the Canada first plan to fix what Liberals broke?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, it would appear that the only plan the Conservatives have is to think up silly new rhymes in question period. What we said at the committee that the member referred to a few moments ago is something we have said for many months: We will continue to invest additional resources in the important work of the CBSA and of the RCMP.

We are obviously looking at all ideas that would help strengthen the security posture at our border. We believe that the security of our border is currently ensured. We believe in the integrity of our borders. We believe in working with the Americans and in continuing to always look to do more.

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the public safety minister said yesterday that bolstering CBSA powers to secure our borders is “not a priority.” Meanwhile, three million temporary resident visas are set to expire at the end of next year. Illegal border crossings are rising, and the newly elected U.S. president-elect is threatening a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods, which is an economic challenge we cannot ignore.

Where is the Canada first plan to end the border disorder?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, it comes down to this: Do we trust the guy who renegotiated NAFTA with Mr. Trump, the guy who secured the border during the pandemic of the century and the guy who went down to President-elect Trump's playing field to fight for Canadians to secure the border, or do we trust the guy who spent 20 years making up interesting rhymes and spent 20 years securing one and only one thing, his own paycheque and a bloated pension?

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the Prime Minister's breaking the immigration system, do we trust the guy who did it? There are 260,000 unprocessed asylum claims right now, a record high. That is a 2,502% increase since 2015. There are around half a million people in Canada illegally, and there is a 630% increase in U.S. border control encounters of people illegally attempting to get into the United States. There are the longest wait times for many visas right now, and a backlog of two million applications.

When will the Liberals stop making up excuses and end the border disorder to help Canadians?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I guess “broken border” was too dumb to reuse today, so the Conservatives tried something else. One cannot make this up.

We proposed a set of asylum reforms in May as part of the last budgetary exercise while we were putting money into the Immigration and Refugee Board to increase processing. What did the Conservatives do? They voted against it.

It was the same thing last week when they voted against a tax break, the thing they have been harping about for well over a year. These guys, I will say again, are all flannel and no axe.