Debates of Dec. 9th, 2024

Innovation, Science and Industry

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, AI is, in fact, the defining technology of our time. It is going to have an impact on every industry and every sector of the economy, and it is going to help with productivity.

Just last week, we announced our Canadian sovereign AI compute strategy to help build more data centres in Canada, to build essential infrastructure and to make sure that small and medium-sized businesses can access compute capacity.

We are going to work on this side of the House to make sure that we continue to be a leader in AI, and responsible AI, attracting investment and talent. Let us celebrate Canada.

Housing

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, with help from the Liberals and private investors, the Norgate apartments purchase has gone through. It is the biggest housing purchase in Quebec this year. Given the raging housing crisis, this news has a lot of people worried, because the Liberal government has turned its back on them.

Montrealers cannot afford the rents they are paying now. Instead of lining the pockets of private investors, the Liberals could have ensured that those apartments remained truly affordable.

Why put the interests of private investors ahead of the interests of Montrealers?

[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 thank my colleague for his question. It gives me the opportunity to tell him, in case he does not know already, that we just announced, precisely in my riding, that 720 housing units would be saved and taken off the market.

One of the challenges we face is not only to build affordable and social housing, but also to ensure the long-term sustainability of affordable housing and to take thousands of units off the market.

That is exactly what we are going to do.

Canadian Heritage

[Mike Morrice, Green, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Canada Council for the Arts has not only had its funding cut in recent years, but significant inequities remain, leaving communities like mine dramatically underfunded.

Today, MPs from four parties in the House have co-signed a letter again bringing this to the attention of the minister and calling for action.

Will the Minister of Canadian Heritage commit to working with all interested MPs to restore federal arts funding and ensure all communities get their fair share?

[Taleeb Noormohamed, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, whether it is funding for the Fringe Festival in Vancouver or the Mermaid Theatre in Kings—Hants, our government will always be there to support the arts. I want to assure the member that we will work with him and any members who are interested in ensuring long-term sustainable funding for the cultural sector in our country.

This afternoon, I will be meeting with the CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts. We will take this conversation up as well.

Unlike Conservatives who believe that arts are only an elite topic, our party, and on this side of the House, believes that arts are the soul of the nation, and we will be there to support artists and the culture sector at every turn.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I wish to draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of Ms. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a joint recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

The House resumed from December 5 consideration of the motion.

Opposition Motion—Confidence in the Prime Minister and the Government

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

It being 3:16 p.m., the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion of the member for Carleton related to the Business of Supply.

Call in the members.

Before the taking of the vote:

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Before the House proceeds to the taking of this deferred recorded division, I wish to remind hon. members of the following passage from House of Commons Procedure and Practice, third edition, at page 587 under the heading “Decorum During the Taking of a Vote”: “from the time the Speaker begins to put the question until the results of the vote are announced” members are not “to enter, walk out of or across the House”, nor may they “make any noise or disturbance.”

I am sure that hon. members will follow this instruction to ensure that our work proceeds in an orderly manner.

The question is on the motion.

Shall I dispense?

[Some hon. members]

No.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

[Chair read text of motion to House ]

(The House divided on the motion, which was negatived on the following division:)

Vote #913

Business of Supply

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I declare the motion defeated.

The hon. Leader of the Opposition is rising on a point of order.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, you went out of your way before the vote to point out that members are not allowed to come and go during the vote. I did note that the NDP leader came in right in the middle of the vote, having missed the fact that the vote was on his own words.

Would you please call the NDP leader to order for having had his team vote against his own words?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

The hon. member for New Westminster—Burnaby is also rising on a point of order.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, that is very rich coming from the Leader of the Opposition, who has left the House during his own motions on opposition days and refused to vote. As we know, it is proper—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I very patiently listened to the leader of the official opposition. I would like to hear the hon. member for New Westminster—Burnaby; I did not catch the last bit of his comment.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the hypocrisy from the leader of the official opposition is a bit rich. As you know, in virtual Parliament, we have the right to vote remotely and come in for a second vote. That is indeed what has happened in this case.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I would say the fault is mine, as Speaker, for not making it clear for the purposes of electronic voting. There is a possibility, with the advent of electronic voting, as all members know, and members have from time to time exercised that privilege, to come in.

The hon. member for Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation is rising on a point of order.

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation, QC]

Mr. Speaker, you took the time to explain the rules before the first vote to ensure that there was no movement in the House.

I would like the video footage to be checked, because the Leader of the Opposition stood up during the first vote, left his seat and sat down again before the vote was finished.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I thank the hon. member for his intervention.

The hon. member for Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier is rising on a point of order.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on the screen earlier, we saw a member addressing the House virtually without her headset. Is that acceptable?

I think the instructions are very clear out of respect for our interpreters. The rules must apply to everyone.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

The hon. member for Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier would be quite right if this happened during a debate, but the member was confirming a vote because of technical problems. That is another practice. Under our rules, members may address the clerks without having the microphones and headsets required to participate in the debate.