Debates of Feb. 13th, 2024

Justice

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I have tremendous respect for the crucial work that Quebec has done on advance requests.

Canada has one Criminal Code, and for good reason. Canadians deserve consistent standards and clarity about what is criminal. There is no quick way to safely allow an exception for Quebec on this issue.

The conversation does not end here, though. We are committed to working with Quebec to determine the next steps.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec would not have to ask for an exemption if Ottawa had implemented the majority recommendations on advance requests issued a year ago by the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying.

Quebec is ready today, and patients should not have to suffer because of the government's inaction. If it does not want to condemn people to suffer needlessly, the federal government has two choices. It must either offer this exemption to the Criminal Code immediately or introduce a bill on advance requests.

Will the minister make the humane, compassionate choice?

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, medical assistance in dying is a deeply personal and complex choice. There is always a balance to be struck between an individual's autonomy and dignity, and the protection of the vulnerable.

We have taken a cautious approach from the beginning. We owe it to Canadians and Quebeckers to treat these issues thoughtfully and to proceed with caution.

Small Business

[Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, Bloc, Terrebonne, QC]

Mr. Speaker, let us recap the situation with the Canada emergency business account.

According to current numbers from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, nearly 150,000 businesses were unable to pay back their loan and nearly 200,000 others had to go into debt to do so. In addition to all that, roughly 50,000 business owners are still looking for refinancing.

The federal government has the means to properly assess the situation and ensure the fewest bankruptcies possible. Specifically, it should look at the SME files on a case-by-case basis and show some flexibility. That is what we have been calling for from day one.

Why is it still refusing to do so?

[Rechie Valdez, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, nearly 80% of small businesses paid back their Canada emergency business account loan and were able to take advantage of the refundable portion of the loan.

This being Black History Month, I would like to mention the Black entrepreneurship program. It is an historic investment of $266 million that, so far, has helped support more than 9,000 Black business owners across Canada. Nearly $50 million in loans have been approved.

Public Services and Procurement

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the $60-million arrive scam app is just like the Prime Minister after eight years: not worth the cost, not worth the corruption.

What did Canadians receive for their hard-earned tax dollars? They received an app that was 750 times over budget, required 177 updates, forced 10,000 people into quarantine by error and caused chaos at our borders, ruining any chance of a tourism recovery.

Will the Prime Minister join us and call on the RCMP to expand its investigation based on yesterday's shocking report from the Auditor General?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, any misconduct during a procurement process is completely unacceptable. This is precisely why, when the CBSA learned of the irregularities, it immediately initiated an internal audit. Based on some of that work, it referred some of these elements to the RCMP.

It is unfortunate when situations such as this occur, but the fact is that the CBSA has been following the process to ensure that something like this can never happen again and that any wrongdoing comes with consequences.

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that the headline of the Auditor General's report on the disastrous Liberal arrive scam app says it best: “Glaring disregard for basic management and contracting practices”.

This report is a metaphor for eight years of Liberal mismanagement, incompetence and disregard for hard-working Canadians. The app is just like the Prime Minister after eight years: not worth the cost, not worth the corruption.

Again, I will ask this: Will the Prime Minister join us and call on the RCMP to expand its investigation based on the revelations of yesterday's shocking Auditor General's report?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said before, it is not politicians who direct investigations with the RCMP, but the RCMP that will determine the scope as the evidence permits.

It is important to know that any wrongdoing and misconduct in procurement will come with consequences. We have confidence that the CBSA is completing this work. It is doing initial audits, and the RCMP is looking into the matter where necessary.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I will try to keep this simple.

Imagine for a moment that an emergency contract is awarded to repair the roof of an official residence, the Farm, because it is leaking. The contractor who is hired says that the repair will cost $20,000. The contractor begins the work and sends an initial bill for $500,000 without any explanation.

Would anyone pay the bill without asking any questions, even though the roof is still leaking?

That is what happened with the Prime Minister's ArriveCAN app. The Auditor General and the ombudsman both saw it, but no one in the government saw it? That is hard to believe.

Will the government agree to our request for an investigation and let the RCMP do its job?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, as we already said several times yesterday and again today, we thank the Auditor General for her report.

We are taking note of the shocking findings she clearly outlined in her report. We recognize that all of this was done under emergency conditions, but that is no excuse for failing to follow the procedures for collecting necessary information.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said earlier that he welcomed the Auditor General's recommendations with open arms; meanwhile, contractors were treated to an open bar. The Prime Minister's ArriveCAN app forced 10,000 Canadians to quarantine because of an error. It was supposed to cost $80,000. The bill is now $60 million. Families waiting in line at food banks deserve better answers.

Will the Prime Minister, who is not worth the cost, commit to paying back the money he wasted on his ArriveCAN app? He should be giving it to families who paid for the work that was never done.

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure my colleague can grasp, now that we have said it several times, that we thank the Auditor General for her report and we acknowledge the significant shortcomings she noted in her report. Many of her recommendations have already been implemented. Others will be implemented in the coming weeks. All of this was put in place under emergency circumstances, when the lives and jobs of millions of Canadians across the country had to be protected. Unfortunately, it was not done with the high standards expected of public servants.

Indigenous Affairs

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Mr. Speaker, the Supreme Court's decision affirmed what we already know: Indigenous peoples have the right to make decisions about their own children, youth and families. The federal government must ensure that indigenous children receive the care they need without delay. Indigenous Services plans to sunset over $7 billion in programs, such as Jordan's principle and the Inuit child first initiative.

Will the minister commit to reversing her decision to make these cuts and invest in the programs indigenous children and youth need?

[Jaime Battiste, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member opposite for her accurate statement of the law. It was a big victory, not only for indigenous people but also for Canada, on Friday. Not only does the case say that indigenous self-determination is available for indigenous youth, but it also interweaves, like a braid, indigenous laws, UNDRIP and the notion of legislative reconciliation in this House. I think everyone in the House would be better served if they were able to read this case and reflect on it.

Domestic Violence

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, last Sunday, the community of Carman, Manitoba, witnessed a tragedy when a mother, her three children and her niece were murdered, with her husband as the main suspect. This reminds us that we desperately need shelters and safe housing for women and families, as well as mental health supports to prevent femicide. However, the government has defunded women's shelters, while mental health needs continue to go unmet.

Will the minister increase support for shelters and mental health services to stop violence against women and children?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, the scale of the tragedy that took place is not lost on us, and we endeavour to continue to do our part to see that justice is done. However, it is important that, as we go forward, we continue to invest in the projects that are going to provide people with the safety and security of living in a home that prevents this kind of incident from happening.

Our programs provide support to shelters and transitional housing, particularly for women fleeing violence. We are going to look for additional opportunities and make the investments necessary to continue to build out the network of homes that will help prevent these kinds of tragedies in the future.

Child Care

[Sophie Chatel, Liberal, Pontiac, QC]

Mr. Speaker, affordable day care is so important. It is essential to provide women with the freedom to choose whether they stay home to raise their kids or pursue their careers, in most cases, balancing both.

Women in my riding tell me they have trouble finding spots in day care. Can the Minister of Families update the House on exactly what discussions she has had with provinces to ensure the success of $10-a-day day care?

[Jenna Sudds, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, the Canada-wide system is making life more affordable for Canadian families by delivering on $10-a-day child care, now in seven provinces or territories, and 50% reduction across the country. As fees have reduced, of course, demand has increased for these spots. We have seen an increase in the number of spots available, with 82,000 new spaces announced by the provinces and territories. The provinces and territories signed on to help build this system together, and we will work with them to hold them to account to do so.

Carbon Pricing

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister found over $60 million for his arrive scam app, but he continues to want to increase the carbon tax by 23% on April 1. Now, we have heard the far left NDP Alberta leadership candidate weigh in: “Nobody is on board with what [the Prime Minister] did with the federal carbon tax. He absolutely broke trust and broke confidence”.

After eight years of failure, how can he continue to raise the carbon tax on Canadians?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, as the Parliamentary Budget Officer has reiterated many times, eight out of 10 Canadians get more back from carbon pricing than what they pay. Carbon pricing works. It helps to reduce pollution in Canada, something that the Conservative Party campaigned on during the 2021 election campaign. The difference between them and us is that, on this side of the House, we are serious about fighting climate change and working with Canadians to help them face affordability issues.

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have more. An Alberta leadership candidate said, “There's no way people can be on board with the federal plan when even the prime minister isn’t on board, when he’s playing games with it” and that the federal carbon levy is “dead”. Another candidate said we must move away from a consumer carbon tax.

When he loses the support of the far left Alberta NDP, the minister must know he has a problem. Will he cancel his carbon tax before April 1, once and for all?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, since we are talking about Alberta, I wonder if the Conservative Party of Canada and its leader support the freeze that the provincial government has put on 30 billion dollars' worth of investment. Thousands of jobs are at risk in Alberta because of the reckless decision of the premier to freeze renewable energy development, the fastest sector for energy development in this country.

What does the Conservative Party have to say about that? Conservatives say nothing, because they do not care about economic development. They do not care about fighting climate change, and they do not care about helping Canadians.

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister wasted more than $60 million on his ArriveCAN scam app, and he is going to make Canadians pay more by quadrupling the carbon tax. It is going up 23% on April 1. After eight years of the Liberal-NDP government, it is no surprise, but this Prime Minister is not worth the cost.

Why do Canadians have to foot the bill for the government's corrupt spending?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, right now in Canada, we have a province, Alberta, that has to talk about rationing water next summer because of climate impacts. We have atmospheric rivers in British Columbia that are affecting thousands of people and ski resorts that have to close down. We are seeing the costs of climate change that have not doubled or tripled but increased by 10 times over the last decade.

What is the answer of the Conservative Party of Canada? It is to make pollution free again and let the biggest, most profitable and polluting countries off the hook.

Not on this side of the House, where we will fight—