House of Commons Hansard #382 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was health.
The Speaker Greg Fergus
It being Wednesday, we will now have the singing of the national anthem led by the hon. member for Chatham-Kent—Leamington.
[Members sang the national anthem]
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, I will start today by thanking my friend, the member of Parliament for Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, because it is rare that an S. O. 31 so hits home that I decide I had better put it on my social media page. The hon. member's S. O. 31 dealt with one theme, and that was kindness, how we can be kinder to each other. In the last week, we have seen some moments that we regret, some moments where things are sad. Postures are taken that suggest to Canadians we are not people worth emulating, those they elect to represent them in this place. What would affect us more, to think our mothers are watching or to know our children are watching?
Words not said often enough in this place are “I was wrong” and “I am sorry.” My hon. friend, the member of Parliament for Grande Prairie—Mackenzie, brought me up short by telling me about some words I had carelessly said in the media. I completely agree with what the member of Parliament for London—Fanshawe said in her point of order, but I also told the same reporter I had agreed with what the member for Calgary Rocky Ridge had said. However, it never gets reported exactly the way we say it, and I should know better.
I want to share this with everyone here: Let us be kind, let us be loving and let us enjoy a Christmas of peace.
Randeep Sarai Liberal Surrey Centre, BC
Mr. Speaker, this summer, millions of Canadians cheered on team Canada at the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. Paralympic swimmer Sebastian Massabie smashed the world record and brought the gold home to Surrey.
Canadian athletes give it their all to represent our country, so budget 2024 boosts our support for them with more pay for our athletes as they train to represent team Canada. Unfortunately, for weeks, the Conservatives have blocked these funds and prevented these payments to our athletes.
I ask my Conservative colleagues to be honest with team Canada today. Will they support Canadian athletes by voting for our plan or will they continue to oppose them?
Warren Steinley Conservative Regina—Lewvan, SK
Mr. Speaker, this is my favourite time of year for two reasons: First, the Christmas spirit can be seen everywhere we look, and, second, Regina hosts my favourite event.
Every year at the end of November, Regina becomes a destination for everything agriculture. The 53rd Canadian Western Agribition was a resounding success. Folks from around the globe gathered in Regina to take in the world-class livestock shows, the trade shows and the rodeo. This year featured 130 major events, including four nights of rodeo, the indigenous agriculture summit, the Canadian animal agtech awards and the 25th year of the RBC beef supreme champions.
Agribition holds a special place in my heart because my family showed Holsteins there for 25 straight years. It is my family's winter holiday. The barns are where I learned many life lessons, some the hard way, and made many lifelong friends.
I want to congratulate CEO Shaun Kindopp and his whole team on hosting a world-class event once again, bringing agriculture to the world and displaying proudly what we do in the agriculture sector.
Churence Rogers Liberal Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL
Mr. Speaker, there is a Grinch impersonation contest. The time is right now; the location, the Conservative benches.
Our government is giving a tax break to all Canadians by exempting essentials such as groceries, restaurant meals, children's clothing and gifts from the GST. This includes snacks, sandwiches and other prepared foods, as well as beer and wine.
The Conservatives pretend they want lower taxes, but when push comes to shove, they vote against tax exemptions for Canadians. They want family essentials, such as car seats, diapers and children's toys, to be more expensive. We can talk about a heart that is two sizes too small.
We will not listen to these Grinches. Starting December 14, these items will be tax-free, and Canadians will be able to keep more of their money in their pockets.
Luc Desilets Bloc Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
Mr. Speaker, retired officers Lee‑Anne Quinn and Hélène Le Scelleur found some inexcusable errors on two sculptures honouring fallen Canadian servicemen and women near CFB Trenton.
The bronze monument Presence in Absence is meant to honour 67 servicemen and women for making the ultimate sacrifice. What a shock it was for the two women veterans when they found their own names on it. However, this was not the only error. Of the 67 soldiers listed, only 20 made the ultimate sacrifice. Twelve are still alive, and four have never worn the uniform.
No one noticed the mistake before the monument was unveiled in 2022. Neither the soldiers who are still alive nor their families were invited to the unveiling. What an appalling lack of respect. The minister owes veterans an explanation and, above all, an apology. After this fiasco and the Afghanistan memorial debacle, it is clear that Ottawa is a monument to incompetence.
Leah Taylor Roy Liberal Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, December 3, was the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. People with disabilities are the largest minority group within Canada and worldwide, as well as the only minority group that anyone can become a member of at any time. People in this group face stigma, discrimination and barriers to basic rights and services. They are more likely to experience poverty and face disproportionate impacts from climate disasters, conflicts and an increasing cost of living.
It is important for the voices of people with disabilities to be included in all conversations. More than one in four Canadians have one or more disabilities, with mental health-related disabilities being the most prominent among youth. Our government has been working to support Canadians with disabilities through the development of a Canada disability benefit, the autism national framework and funding for mental health service delivery.
I am grateful to community groups in my riding, such as CMHA York Simcoe, Community Living Central York, the Lighthouse Learning and Development Centre, Kerry's Place and Child Disability Network Canada, which advocate for and work to support people living with disabilities.
I would also like to mention Voices of Joy, a choir for people of all abilities, which gave a wonderful holiday concert.
Shelby Kramp-Neuman Conservative Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON
Mr. Speaker, grief is an emotion I never truly understood until this year.
Grief does not change us; it reveals us. We become someone it would have been impossible to be before. In this way, our loved one lives on in us. Everyone loves and everyone has loss. Grief is universal, a sacred process, yet it is so unique. We all cope differently. We do not get over the loss of a loved one but learn to courageously adapt.
This is my first Christmas without my dad. I know he would want us to make turtles, sing Silent Night, put the lights up outside and decorate the tree with ornaments that represent our collective memories, losses, prayers, hopes and holiday wishes.
This Christmas season, we should reach out to those who need a hug and let them know we care. We should speak the names of those we have lost and know that their memories will never fade away as long as we refuse to let them. Grief is not a sign of weakness or a lack of faith. It is the price of love.
Taleeb Noormohamed Liberal Vancouver Granville, BC
Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to honour three extraordinary Paralympians from my riding of Vancouver Granville: Nathan Clement, Peter Isherwood and Julia Hanes.
In particular, I would like to highlight Nathan Clement. This summer, Nathan took home the silver medal from the Paris Paralympic Games in the men's T1 individual road time trial. He was also a swimmer at the Rio Paralympics and holds the Canadian record in the 50-metre butterfly.
Meeting Nathan was an incredible reminder of his dedication and commitment to competition and community, which has inspired so many of us.
Through my own work, I have had the privilege of experiencing first-hand the power of sports in bringing us together, but these Paralympians are absolutely something else. It is such a privilege to be able to rise in the House and, on behalf of all of us, congratulate not just Nathan, Julia and Peter but also every single Paralympian. They have made us so very proud.
Adam van Koeverden Liberal Milton, ON
Mr. Speaker, team Canada is in the House of Commons today. Our best athletes, Olympians and Paralympians, from across the country are here so that we can all congratulate them on their success and thank them for representing Canada so well. From Milton, we have Michael Foley, who is a track cyclist, and Kayla Alexander, who is an amazing basketball player.
I was one of these athletes eight years ago. I walked out on this carpet and imagined what my next steps would be, and here I am. I am really proud to be part of a government that supports our athletes. We have invested an incremental $80 million in the community sport for all program, and we are the first and only government to increase the athlete assistance program two times. Therefore, all of these athletes here will be celebrating better affordability when it comes to their day-to-day.
The Olympians and Paralympians from Canada are the best of us. They are our best ambassadors and our greatest role models. I am proud to be part of a government that supports each and every one of them, from the playground all the way to the podium.
Don Stewart Conservative Toronto—St. Paul's, ON
Mr. Speaker, the carbon tax is draining the pockets of Canadians and has failed to meet a single emissions target. Anyone can see that this is a failed policy, even the Ontario Liberal leader, Bonnie Crombie. In a speech last night, she said, “I'm not here to tell the prime minister how to do his job. But, I promise you, I will tell him when he is wrong. Like on the carbon tax”.
I completely agree. It is wrong for the Prime Minister to punish Canadians with this heartless carbon tax, which devalues workers' paycheques. It is wrong to drive up the cost of living and vandalize our economy. Crombie's statement is not only a political critique but also a recognition that everyday Canadians struggle in so many ways. People should not have to choose between feeding their families and heating their homes this winter, yet the NDP-Liberal government will hike the carbon tax again in the new year.
When will the Prime Minister give Canadians real and lasting relief and realize the carbon tax is flat out wrong?
Emmanuella Lambropoulos Liberal Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, this summer, millions of Canadians enthusiastically cheered on team Canada. I would like to congratulate all the athletes who participated in the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, including Sofia Fassi‑Fehri of Saint-Laurent, an incredible Paralympic basketball player who embodies the dedication and perseverance it takes to achieve excellence.
The journey from playground to podium is long and hard, and our athletes must train for years. The Liberal government is proud to support over 1,900 athletes through the athlete assistance program. The government is also proud to be enhancing this program to provide more money to more athletes. The additional $7 million per year increases the living allowance by 23% and the Paralympic athletes' allowance by 30%.
Unfortunately, the Conservatives' filibuster is jeopardizing these support measures. I encourage Conservative members to let us get back to work so we can invest in our athletes.
Glen Motz Conservative Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB
Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, an Oakville man with a lengthy criminal record was arrested and charged with a violent home invasion, prompting the Halton police chief to tweet, “Yet another violent offender already out on similar and violent charges with court conditions.... Anyone surprised that some of these violent [offenders] reoffend? Over and over and over [again]? Our citizens deserve better! This offender needs to remain in custody to keep others safe!!”
Again and again, law enforcement officers across this nation are expressing the dire need to fix Canada's broken bail system. However, the Liberals are ignoring their concerns and are completely out of touch when it comes to community safety. The Liberals' soft-on-crime policies, like their catch-and-release bail failures, have led to a 50% increase in violent crimes across Canada. Canadians deserve to be safe in their communities, and police deserve to be heard.
Enough is enough. It is time for the NDP-Liberals to get out of the way so Conservatives can stop the crime and prioritize public safety.
Leslyn Lewis Conservative Haldimand—Norfolk, ON
Mr. Speaker, there is only one person keeping the Liberal government in power, and that is the NDP leader. He has repeatedly chosen to prop up the Liberals, aid their corruption and facilitate the economic misery of Canadians caused by nine years of the Liberal Prime Minister.
The NDP leader broke his promise to vote non-confidence in the Liberal government. In his own words, “the Liberals are too weak, too selfish and too beholden to corporate interests to fight for people”. The NDP leader continues to support the Liberals even though they have doubled housing costs, tripled the carbon tax and sent millions of Canadians to the food bank.
Why will the NDP leader not stand by his words and vote no confidence in the government, so that we can have a carbon tax election?
Fayçal El-Khoury Liberal Laval—Les Îles, QC
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about a peculiar contradiction in Canadian politics.
For years, the Conservative leader and his party have been lecturing Canadians on the virtues of tax cuts. However, when this government proposes a significant GST cut to put more money in families' pockets, what do the Conservatives do? They vote against it. It is like a chef turning their nose up at their own food.
The Leader of the Opposition claims to champion affordability, but when given the chance to get behind real, tangible support for Canadians, he turns his back on it. This is not about politics; it is about priorities. The Conservatives have clearly lost sight of their priorities, not to mention their sense of irony.
Carol Hughes NDP Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON
Mr. Speaker, Juanita Migwans, also known as “Winnie”, a 30-year-old, first nation woman from M'Chigeeng First Nation has been missing since October 2. Her family, friends and the police fear she may have been taken by drug or human traffickers, or worse.
Last year, I stood in the House to decry the lack of resources provided to indigenous policing. UCCM Anishnaabe Police is doing all it can, but needs dedicated crime units to deal with increased human and drug trafficking.
Juanita’s case is a tragic reminder of the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. We must immediately recognize first nations police as essential services and fund them at a level that is equitable with all other non-indigenous police services. We must provide indigenous people with resources and develop a national missing indigenous women, girls, two-spirit and gender-diverse people database that can be shared throughout Canada via a downloadable app. We must also ensure that the red dress alert is launched nationally.
Let there be no more missing sisters.
Alain Therrien Bloc La Prairie, QC
Mr. Speaker, today I wish to pay tribute to Lucille Riendeau‑Houle, a writer and genealogist from my community.
After focusing on raising her children, Ms. Riendeau‑Houle chose to tell her story, not through her own history, but through that of her ancestors. She used her immense talent to write seven books chronicling the histories of the Reguindeau, Riendeau, Hubert and Lesage families. They open up a portal to our past, reminding us what life was like for the brave and determined people who built our communities.
Thanks to her books, which have been sold in the United States and as far afield as Europe, she won the Quebec Lieutenant Governor's Medal in 2022 for her contribution to our genealogy and for her community involvement with J'écris ma vie and the Fondation Anna‑Laberge. At age 82, despite fighting cancer, she continues to write every day to keep the memory of our ancestors alive.
On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I want to thank Ms. Riendeau‑Houle and commend her for her outstanding contribution to sharing the history of Quebec, our history.
Larry Brock Conservative Brantford—Brant, ON
Mr. Speaker, the sellout NDP leader has once again betrayed Canadians by siding with the Liberals to prop up the failing government, all to secure his $2.2-million pension. He is going to reject a motion of non-confidence in the government that was based entirely on his own words. He stated, “the Liberals are too weak, too selfish and too beholden to corporate interests to fight for people,” yet it is his party who keeps the Prime Minister in power through their carbon tax coalition.
Under this deal, housing costs have skyrocketed and rent, mortgage payments and down payments have doubled. The sellout leader has voted in favour of the carbon tax over 24 times and plans to quadruple it, driving up the cost of gas, groceries and heating. Food bank usage is at an all-time high, with one million Ontarians relying on food banks.
Canadians deserve leaders who will fight for them, not a coalition of self-interest and betrayal. It is time to end the deal of failure and put Canadians first. It is time for a carbon tax election.
Judy Sgro Liberal Humber River—Black Creek, ON
Mr. Speaker, Canada's security is everyone's concern.
This week there have been more alarming reports of foreign interference in the Conservative leadership race, yet the leader of the Conservative Party is the only party leader who still refuses to obtain the necessary security clearance to access classified documents on foreign governments' political interference activities in Canada. Canadians are asking why.
What does the leader of the Conservative Party have to hide? If he feels he has nothing to hide, why does he not get the clearance, take the briefing and protect our country?
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is weak and has lost control. He has lost control of the borders, immigration and spending, and now he has lost control of his party. The Ontario Liberal leader is against his tax hikes. The Liberal Premier of Newfoundland is against his policies that attack natural resources. There are 20 Liberal MPs who want to fire him.
How can the Prime Minister continue to cling to power when he has lost control?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, our caucus is united in delivering for Canadians. That is why we are offering all Canadians a tax break for the next few months. Many Conservatives would have liked to vote in favour of this tax break, but their leader blocked them. Their leader is muzzling them and will not let them be the voice of their community here in Ottawa. Instead, he demands that they be his voice in their community. That is not how things work here.
On this side of the House, we will always stand up for Canadians.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, he cannot stand up because he has lost control. I already said that he has lost control of our borders and immigration. He lost control of his inflationary deficits, which are increasing the cost of living. That is how he doubled the national debt, the cost of housing and the number of people who need to use food banks.
He promised to cap the deficit at $40 billion in his budget. In his economic statement next week, will he keep that promise?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, we will present the economic statement in due course. The Conservative Party will surely vote against it because it will include initiatives that are going to help Canadians during these difficult times. It will include initiatives that will help us invest in economic growth and in growth across the country.
The Conservative leader does not want to do anything that might help Canadians. He would rather devote all his energy to advancing his own political interests. That means not helping Canadians when they need it. That is why he votes against dental care, against the tax break, against Canadians.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, this weak Prime Minister has lost control of everything. He has lost control of the borders, lost control of immigration and lost control of spending. Now he has lost control of his cabinet and party. In fact, his foreign minister is now announcing her leadership campaign in The New York Times. The Liberal leader of the Province of Ontario has announced she is against his quadrupling carbon tax. The Liberal Premier of Newfoundland is against his job-killing energy cap, and 20 of his MPs want to fire him.
How is it that he clings to power when he has lost control?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, we can all see that the Leader of the Opposition has trouble with the idea that individuals might have different perspectives, and that might be a good thing for a robust political party like the Liberal Party of Canada and all its partners across the country. The Leader of the Opposition refuses to let his backbenchers or any of his team members have any opinions at all. Indeed, he sanctioned them and wrote a letter in their name decrying their advocacy for their own citizens in their communities when it came to delivering money to mayors for housing from coast to coast to coast.
He stands for muzzling his MPs. We stand for diversity.