Debates of Dec. 4th, 2024

Mental Health and Addictions

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, once again, we see that the priority of the Leader of the Opposition is to exploit and use Canadians who are suffering to score cheap political points. Meanwhile, we are doing the serious work among parliamentarians, across different orders of government and with partners around the world to address this in a way that is grounded in science, not ideology, which works with frontline workers, makes investments in wraparound services and puts everything forward to try to save lives as best we possibly can.

That is what Canadians deserve, not the kind of cheap partisanship that the Leader of the Opposition continues to demonstrate every time he stands up in the House, which is absolutely irresponsible.

Justice

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

Mr. Speaker, I get the impression that the Prime Minister does not appreciate how serious the situation is. The Quebec National Assembly voted unanimously to end the religious exception. The Jewish community in Canada and Quebec is afraid. Here and in Quebec, because of the federal government, people can incite violence against Jews with impunity.

If he takes this seriously, we will too. If he commits to passing the law to end the religious exception, we will unblock Parliament for 24 hours.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc has just demonstrated its openness. We would like to see a similar openness extend to initiatives to protect the health care system for the most vulnerable, but this work is being blocked by the Conservative filibuster. We would like to expand dental care, but that work is being blocked by the Conservative filibuster. We would also like the Bloc Québécois to unblock Parliament so we can work on our online harms bill, Bill C‑63, which will protect people across the country, especially children.

We would love to have all these debates in Parliament, but unfortunately, the Bloc Québécois continues to allow the Conservatives to obstruct the work—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

The hon. member for Beloeil—Chambly.

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

Mr. Speaker, I do not think he liked that. It is a matter of consistency, leadership and courage. We in the Bloc, we have the courage.

I can replicate his own proposal. He did it for a GST holiday. He can do it to protect the lives of Canadians and Quebeckers. The government could unblock Parliament for 24 hours, get the bill passed and make everyone feel safer. After that we can see if there are any good ideas that do not interfere in Quebec jurisdiction.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it always comes back to interference in Quebec's jurisdiction. The Bloc Québécois believes that an initiative that allows seniors to go to the dentist is interfering in Quebec's jurisdictions. We are here to help seniors across the country, including in Quebec. We are here to increase old age security for seniors aged 75 and over. We are here to invest in those who need it.

Unfortunately, even when we wanted to create more child care spaces across the country, the Bloc Québécois said we were interfering in Quebec's jurisdictions.

We are here to help all Canadians, including Quebeckers.

Housing

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the weak Prime Minister has lost control of the cost of housing, which has doubled since he became Prime Minister. Just this week, the OECD published a report showing that Toronto and Vancouver are now the two most expensive housing markets in all of North America. Vancouver's housing is significantly more expensive than that of Seattle, even though Vancouverites make half as much money. Toronto's housing is more expensive than that of New York, even though New Yorkers make 50% more.

Will the Prime Minister call a housing tax election so that we can bring it home?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative leader has been having a rough few weeks since he promised he would be shutting down housing projects across the country. Even his Conservative MPs have been going behind his back to complain to the CBC that they can no longer advocate for their communities and that they are no longer allowed to stand up for their mayors, who need investments in housing in their communities. He prefers to muzzle his MPs than to allow them to be their constituents' voice for their communities.

The Conservative leader's commitment to cut billions of dollars of investments in housing will not help anyone. That is why we are delivering for Canadians.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, we do not complain to the CBC; we complain about the CBC. However, I digress.

The Prime Minister says that, if he gives more money to local bureaucracies, they will speed up homebuilding, so he gave a half billion dollars to Toronto City Hall. What happened after that? Homebuilding slowed down by 40%. He gave Vancouver City Hall $115 million, and housing construction slowed down by 15%. He gave $176 million to Ottawa City Hall, and construction is down by 22%. When will we learn that what we need in this country is to build homes, not bureaucracy?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, mayors across the country, including those in Conservative-held ridings, are speaking out about the reckless cuts that the Conservative leader is proposing to the money that municipalities need to increase densification, accelerate permitting and move forward on homebuilding faster and faster across this country. The Conservative leader is standing against what his own MPs are asking for when he is telling mayors across the country that he is going to pull billions of dollars away from investments in housing that would respond to Canadians' needs to grow the economy and live securely for the future.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister gives tax dollars to big-city politicians, and then he gives tax dollars to CBC to interview those big-city politicians to say that they liked getting the money. Well, if giving more money to big-city politicians were to solve the problem, we would have the most affordable housing in the world, after revenues for cities has grown twice as fast as inflation and population combined for two decades in a row.

We do not need more money for bureaucracy and politicians. We need money in the pockets of homebuyers and home builders. Why do we not go to my common-sense plan to axe the sales tax, the GST, to bring down housing costs by $50,000?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are seeing the clear pattern of the Conservative leader. He picks fights with journalists. He picks fights with mayors and city councils. He even picks fights with the team Canada approach, which is standing up for Canada's interests when we are faced with the real challenges from the incoming administration to the south. He is choosing to pick fights and divide Canadians at a time when we should be pulling together to solve the challenges of housing and the challenges being brought in by the new American administration. These are moments for us to pull together. Unfortunately, that is something the Conservative leader seems incapable of.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, taxes, debt and inflation to pay off politicians in exchange for press releases and photo ops will not solve the problem. What it has done is double housing costs and made Toronto and Vancouver the most expensive housing markets in North America, worse than New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and many other places with more people and money and much less land.

Here is a choice. The Prime Minister is afraid of a carbon tax election. Why do we not have a different kind? Why do we not have a housing tax election? When he proposes to give money to politicians, I propose to put it in the pockets of homebuyers.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, if the Leader of the Opposition really wanted to put money in the pockets of Canadians, he would not have voted against the Canada child benefit, our initiatives to cut taxes for Canadians over the next two months and initiatives such as the Canada carbon rebate, which puts more money in the pockets of eight out of 10 Canadian families across the country as we fight climate change and reduce emissions.

The Leader of the Opposition continues to seek to divide and pick fights amongst Canadians while we are offering solutions to both support Canadians now and build a stronger and more prosperous economy into the future. That is what we are going to keep doing.

The Economy

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the holiday is fast approaching and people in Ontario are scrambling. The Liberal government has let grocery prices soar to pad the pockets of CEOs. Canadians are paying far more for far less. Ontario food banks are cutting back. The surge in demand has surpassed the capacity and resources. Liberals have let people down. Worse, Conservatives will not fix it. They will cut and make life harder for the working class.

Why are the Liberals leaning on food banks to fix the affordability crisis they created?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I remember a time when NDP members stood up for workers across this country, but when we put forward a proposal to send a $250 cheque to working Canadians right across the country, to anyone who worked last year and made less than $150,000, they stood against it. They said no. They will not support being there for working Canadians.

Of course, we will continue to look at doing more for seniors and more for young people and recognize hard-working Canadians who stepped up and got us through the pandemic, got us through this inflation crisis. Turning their backs on workers, like the Conservatives are, is really a shame to see from the NDP.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Order, please. I am going to ask the hon. member for Hamilton Centre to please not take the floor when he has not been recognized by the House.

Indigenous Affairs

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, the Chiefs of Ontario is calling for improved accountability of the non-insured health benefits program and access to mental health services. First nations and Inuit are not consulted or invited to participate when selecting cultural support providers for their communities. As a result, unqualified people with criminal records are being enrolled as service providers.

When will the Liberals meaningfully work with first nations and Inuit to improve accountability and access to appropriate mental health services?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that AFN chiefs are right now engaged in a review of the entire program. We will continue to work with indigenous leadership across the country to make sure we are fulfilling our responsibilities to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to be healthy and everyone gets the services and supports that they need. We know this is part of the long journey of reconciliation that we have embarked upon as a country. We will continue to be there as a full partner in this and all other difficult discussions.

Democratic Institutions

[Julie Dzerowicz, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, recent reporting about India's alleged interference in the Conservative Party leadership race is concerning to Canadians across the country, including my constituents in Davenport. All members of the House have a responsibility to take national security seriously. That is especially true of our party leaders, including the Leader of the Opposition, who refuses to get a security clearance.

Can the Prime Minister explain the efforts to protect our national security against foreign interference?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, allegations of Indian foreign interference in Conservative leadership races are alarming, but they are not new. They were highlighted in the NSICOP report, and they were highlighted by the public inquiry into foreign interference in federal electoral processes and democratic institutions, yet the Conservative leader refuses to get the top secret clearance necessary so he can be fully briefed upon threats to his party, his colleagues and our democracy. It is inexplicable to the vast number of Canadians why he refuses to take the top secret briefings that would keep Canada safe.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

It is not the first time, and members know that I have asked this question of various members in the House. I will ask the hon. member for Edmonton West, as well as the member for St. Albert—Edmonton, to please not take the floor unless requested to do so by the Chair.

Government Priorities

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has lost control, but he is clinging to power with the help of his NDP-Liberal leader coalition partner, who said, and I am quoting the NDP leader here, “the Liberals are too weak, too selfish and too beholden to corporate interests to fight for people.” He bemoaned the fact that the Teamsters and the ILWU were forced back to work, violating their right to strike.

How can the Prime Minister cling to power with the help of someone who says he is too weak and too greedy to govern?