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House of Commons Hansard #385 of the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was indigenous.
House of Commons Hansard #385 of the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was indigenous.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Access to Parliamentary Precinct Members debate a question of privilege raised regarding an anti-Israel demonstration at the Confederation Building. The Conservative party accuses NDP MPs of organizing and supporting the protest, alleging it obstructed parliamentarians. NDP members deny these claims, characterizing the event as a peaceful sit-in led by Jewish Canadians, and accuse the Conservatives of hypocrisy and misrepresenting the event as an "occupation". 3100 words, 25 minutes in 2 segments: 1 2.
Reference to Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs Members debate a motion regarding the government's failure to fully provide documents related to Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), as ordered by the House in June 2024. A Conservative MP criticizes Liberal cronyism and corruption in SDTC's funding allocation. Other MPs discuss housing, contaminated sites, and legislative gridlock. 6900 words, 45 minutes.
Opposition Motion—Federal Sales Tax on New Homes Melissa Lantsman introduces a Conservative motion to eliminate the GST on new homes under $1 million, aiming to save homebuyers up to $50,000. She critiques the Liberal government's housing policies, citing rising costs and ineffective programs, advocating for incentivizing housing construction and tying infrastructure funding to building results. Liberals defend their housing initiatives like the housing accelerator fund, while the Bloc Québécois questions federal jurisdiction and proposes amendments. The NDP raises concerns about the Conservative plan's details and consistency. Pierre Poilievre supports the GST cut, promising to eliminate the housing accelerator fund and reduce bureaucracy. 14100 words, 2 hours in 2 segments: 1 2.
Oral Questions Members debate the Speaker's handling of question period, particularly regarding questions' relevance to government business and perceived bias towards certain parties, amid accusations of disruptive behavior and lack of decorum. 1300 words, 10 minutes.
Indigenous and Northern Affairs Members, primarily Conservatives and Liberals, debate housing affordability and indigenous housing in Canada, addressing a report from the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs. Conservatives propose eliminating the federal sales tax on new homes under $1 million and requiring municipalities to meet construction targets. The Liberals defend their housing accelerator fund and criticize the Conservatives' record on housing. The NDP and Bloc Québécois emphasize social housing and indigenous-led solutions like the Yänonhchia' initiative. 21500 words, 3 hours.
Adjournment Debate - Housing Mike Morrice calls for an HST exemption for Habitat for Humanity to build more affordable homes, suggesting it could be funded by ending tax exemptions for REITs. Peter Fragiskatos cites low-interest loans and grants as alternative support methods, and defends removing GST on apartment construction to increase supply. 1400 words, 10 minutes.
Government PrioritiesOral Questions
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Mr. Speaker, every time there is a ruling about the government on this issue, there is an absolutely material question. The NDP members say one thing over and over again, and then come in and support the Liberals. What have the Liberals promised the NDP in favour of their support? After time and time again saying all of these things, they keep supporting the government.
What has the government promised the NDP to avoid a carbon tax election?
Government PrioritiesOral Questions
The Speaker Greg Fergus
I am going to be offering a ruling at the end of question period. Perhaps I wish I could have done that earlier, but I see that the hon. minister is rising to her feet to answer.
The hon. Leader of the Government in the House of Commons.
Karina Gould LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I want to respond to the member's question, which, as I think we all know, does not actually have to do with government business. However, the member opposite and in fact most of the Conservative caucus know a thing or two about saying one thing and doing the opposite. They have been talking about cutting taxes, but at the first opportunity to cut taxes for Canadians, they said no.
Conservatives talk about standing up on behalf of their constituents, but when they try to do that, the Leader of the Opposition takes away their ability to pose questions in this place. If they do not repeat the slogans ad nauseam of the Leader of the Opposition, they are simply not allowed to speak. They are pretty good at saying one thing and doing another.
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Mr. Speaker, to be very clear, the leader of the NDP has gotten up and railed against the Liberals for the GST measures, for being against workers, for every possible thing. The NDP has said the government is incompetent. New Democrats have said they cannot vote for it, yet every time there is a confidence motion, New Democrats stand up and do what? They vote for the government, so it is the business of this place.
How much is this costing Canadians? What has the administration promised the NDP to get its members to vote against their leader's own words?
Karina Gould LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. member knows something about railing against a leader, but one question she might want to ask the leader of her party is why he will not get a security clearance. I believe last week at committee we heard from another Conservative leadership contestant about alleged interference by India in the Conservative leadership race. However, the Leader of the Opposition refuses to get a security clearance to actually learn about what happened. He should put the security interests of Canadians ahead of his own personal interests.
Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, on September 4, every Canadian saw the NDP leader put on a big show of tearing up the agreement with this Liberal government.
He was really convincing at the time. He said that “the Liberals are too weak, too selfish and too beholden to corporate interests to fight for people.” That was true on September 4. However, we want to know if the Prime Minister will let the NDP leader vote for his own words.
If, by some misfortune, the NDP leader votes against his own words, how much will it cost Canadians?
Government PrioritiesOral Questions
The Speaker Greg Fergus
The Chair is once again in an unenviable position, because this matter is not directly relevant to the administration of government, but I see that the minister is rising.
The hon. Minister of Public Services and Procurement.
Jean-Yves Duclos LiberalMinister of Public Services and Procurement
Mr. Speaker, the question was indeed irrelevant, but here is one that is relevant. Why does the member not speak for himself? Why does he not speak for his constituents and for the other Conservative members from Quebec?
The Conservative leader claims that the affordable housing being built in his riding and in other Conservative ridings does not exist. He says that housing projects do not exist, and yet several hundred affordable housing units are currently being built in the ridings of Conservative members.
Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, the question was extremely simple. How much will it cost Canadians? No minister can answer that. None of them know how to count. However, they know how to spend a lot.
The problem is that the NDP doubled down with that infamous statement. The NDP leader said, “the Liberal government will always cave to corporate greed, and always step in to make sure the unions have no power”. That is our motion, word for word.
What does he think of a leader who could end up voting against his own words, this Prime Minister who never kept his budget deficit promise even though he predicted and told Canadians that we would have a balanced budget by 2019?
Jean-Yves Duclos LiberalMinister of Public Services and Procurement
Mr. Speaker, knowing how to count helps. One, two, three, four, five, six affordable housing units; that is all the Conservative leader built across the country during his entire career as minister responsible for housing.
There are 8,000 affordable housing units being built right now in Quebec thanks to the $2-billion agreement we have with the Quebec government. Several hundred of those affordable housing units are in Conservative ridings.
We have built 50,000 affordable housing units across the country in recent years.
Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Mr. Speaker, the problems with the CARM app is yet another fiasco for the CBSA. The app, which took 14 years to develop and cost taxpayers $556 million, crashed 22 times in one month. We are talking about half a million dollars, which was a 50% cost overrun, not to mention the fact that the CBSA hid important documents from parliamentarians.
Today, the Standing Committee on International Trade voted unanimously to ask the Auditor General to investigate this latest Liberal fiasco. Will the government support our audit request?
Dominic LeBlanc LiberalMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, our colleague is well aware that the government does not give instructions to the Auditor General. We respect the freedom of committees to study what they want and to invite the Auditor General to look at issues that are important to Canadians.
The CARM replaced a 36-year-old system that was likely to fail. We understand the concerns of businesses and the private sector. I have full confidence that we will be able to quickly address those concerns.
Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Mr. Speaker, there is a real cost to the CBSA's fiasco with CARM. The cost to taxpayers is $556 million, but there is a cost to business people as well. Their imports are stuck at the border. They have to cope with billing mistakes, automatic withdrawals made twice and endless delays. There is no client service when CARM crashes. It takes weeks for the CBSA to fix these mistakes.
What is the government doing to stop making businesses pay for its fiasco?
Dominic LeBlanc LiberalMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, again, we obviously share our colleague's concerns.
We want to support Canadian businesses and ensure that their payments are accurate and efficient. We want to avoid extra costs for these businesses. That was the point of modernizing this technology, a process, I would remind my colleagues, that began in 2010. It is not just one government that made the decision to take on this modernization. Two governments decided to improve a system not only in terms of ease of access, but also of duties that have to be paid.
We will address all these issues.
Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Mr. Speaker, the fiasco with the CARM app is not a first for the Canada Border Services Agency. The CBSA was also responsible for the ArriveCAN app, which was supposed to cost $80,000 and ended up costing $60 million. Clearly, there is a fundamental problem at CBSA when it comes to being transparent, tracking expenses and staying on budget.
The Bloc Québécois and the Standing Committee on International Trade have asked the Auditor General to investigate. The government cannot afford to wait for another fiasco before taking action. Will it put the CBSA under administrative supervision?
Dominic LeBlanc LiberalMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, here in the House, we have repeatedly talked about the how important the work of our border services officers is. They keep our country safe, process immigration cases when necessary and prevent drugs like fentanyl from crossing our borders. CBSA officers do important work for our country every day. We have full confidence in that work.
We are going to invest more to support their important work. That is exactly what we are going to do.
John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON
Mr. Speaker, the NDP leader continues to hold the country hostage, playing political hokey-pokey to secure his pension by February. First, he put himself in a coalition agreement with the Liberals, and then he took himself out, ripping up the agreement while shaking his fist all about. Now he has put himself back in, taping the agreement together and turning himself around after saying he would vote no confidence.
What deal did the Prime Minister make with the leader of the NDP to secure his vote of confidence, and how much will it cost Canadians?
Government PrioritiesOral Questions
The Speaker Greg Fergus
In the opinion of the Chair, this question is pertinent to the administration of government.
The hon. Leader of the Government in the House of Commons.
Karina Gould LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the Conservative members of Parliament, all they do is say one thing and do another. They are pretending to support workers' rights when, in reality, it is the Leader of the Opposition who brought forward some of the most draconian anti-worker legislation in this country's history.
We are going to continue to stand up for workers right across this country. It is a record we are proud of. It is not something that Conservatives can say they have ever done.
John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON
Mr. Speaker, words matter. The leader of the NDP said he ripped up his supply and confidence agreement with the Liberals, saying the Liberals are “too weak, too selfish and too beholden to corporate interests to fight for people”. Speaking to poor workers, before the Liberals violated their right to strike, he said, “If there is any vote in Parliament that in any way impacts your rights...I can tell you right now, we'll vote no. Whether that vote is a confidence vote or not”.
What deal did the Prime Minister make with the leader of the NDP to secure his vote of confidence, and how much will it cost Canadians?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalMinister of Labour and Seniors
Mr. Speaker, Bill C-377 and Bill C-525 will go down in history as some of the most oppressively anti-labour legislation ever passed in Parliament. One of the very first acts of this government was to repeal both of those pieces of legislation. The author of those pieces of legislation was none other than the Leader of the Opposition, its chief architect and chief salesman. He is the most anti-worker leader ever elected to the House of Commons.
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lévis—Lotbinière, QC
Mr. Speaker, the NDP leader said that he tore up the agreement with the Liberals last fall. The NDP leader said the Liberals are too weak, too selfish and too beholden to corporate interests. The NDP leader also said that the Liberal government will always give in to corporate greed at the expense of workers.
With that in mind, will the Prime Minister allow the NDP leader to vote for his own words, or will the Liberal government pressure the NDP caucus to vote against the NDP leader's words?