Debates of Feb. 2nd, 2024

Conservative Party of Canada

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

Madam Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal-NDP government, the cost of rent has doubled and housing is simply not affordable, if someone can even find a house or apartment to rent. Canadians are being forced to choose between eating, heating and paying their rent, yet the Prime Minister does not think housing is a federal responsibility. His housing minister thinks people can live in a photo op. Meanwhile, the Liberals got fewer houses built last year than were built in 1972.

Only common-sense Conservatives have a plan to build more homes instead of more bureaucracy. We will reward municipalities that build more houses and remove the barriers that hinder construction. The choice is clear: a Prime Minister who is not worth the cost or common-sense Conservatives, who will axe the tax, build homes, fix the budget and stop the crime.

Carbon Tax

[Richard Lehoux, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Madam Speaker, after eight years of this Prime Minister, Canadians have never been in such dire straits. Every month, two million Canadians are forced to use food banks simply to be able to feed their families.

On April 1, the situation will only get worse. That is when the Liberals will increase the carbon tax again, showing once again how out of touch they are with reality. The Conservative Party is the only party standing up for Canadians, while the NDP and Bloc Québécois are backing the government as it imposes this punitive measure across the country.

The Bloc continues to mislead Quebeckers by saying the carbon tax does not affect them. The Bloc is wrong. The second carbon tax affects us directly by adding 20¢ per litre to the price of gasoline at the pump, while the first carbon tax continues to affect the price of every item transported to Quebec.

The Conservative Party of Canada cares about this entire country. We will continue to fight the government until this tax and the rest of its inflationary policies are a thing of the past.

Bring back common sense. Vote for a Conservative government.

Luc Thermonvil

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Madam Speaker, February is Black History Month. Black Canadians have made invaluable contributions to our heritage and helped shape Canada into the country we know it today. We want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the men and women who helped change things in our communities.

I would therefore like to thank and pay tribute to Ottawa—Vanier entrepreneur and philanthropist Luc Thermonvil. As the founder and CEO of the Association of Black Entrepreneurs and Professionals of Ottawa-Vanier, a member of the board of directors of the Regroupement des gens d'affaires de la capitale nationale and an active member of CHUO 89.1 FM and the Vanier Muséoparc, Luc works tirelessly to foster the development of Black businesses and support Black entrepreneurs.

Luc also promotes the accomplishments of today's youth and is dedicated to developing the measures and tools that Black entrepreneurs need to succeed.

Foreign Affairs

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Madam Speaker, the same day the International Court of Justice ruled that measures are needed to prevent genocide in Gaza, the Liberals cut off funding to UNRWA. This is the UN agency providing relief to Palestinian refugees. It is the only organization of its size that is positioned to provide food and aid to civilians caught in this horrific conflict. New Democrats support an investigation into its 12 former staff, but defunding UNRWA and cutting off millions of innocent Palestinians from their only lifeline is collective punishment. It is cruel, and it is illegal.

Two million civilians, over half of whom are children, rely on UNRWA and are facing starvation, famine and continued indiscriminate bombing. The International Court of Justice ordered immediate and effective action to ensure the provision of humanitarian assistance in Gaza. Canada must reverse these cuts.

Why have my Liberals colleagues abandoned human rights and abandoned international law? How can they punish over a million innocent children?

Association Granby pour la déficience intellectuelle et l'autisme

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Madam Speaker, at the end of last year, I attended the 55th anniversary celebration of the Granby association for intellectual disabilities and autism, or AGDIA, an organization that provides a vital service in my region. It was an opportunity to hear touching testimonials from parents and people living with these realities.

Over the years, the AGDIA has helped break down barriers and taboos regarding the autism spectrum. We have come a long way in the past 55 years, but there are still far too many challenges and prejudices. Today, people with special needs are an integral part of society. Thanks to organizations like the AGDIA, which defends the rights of such individuals, they can now participate in activities, find their passion, socialize and even work. Parents are able to get some respite, knowing their child is in good hands.

Congratulations to executive director Diane Dumont and the entire team for this wonderful event and for all the work that they do.

Carbon Tax

[Robert Gordon Kitchen, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Madam Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal-NDP government, Canadians can no longer afford to pay the price of the Prime Minister's incompetence. His carbon tax is set to increase yet again on April 1, and guess who is going to have to pay for it? It will be the farmer who works tirelessly from sun-up to sundown to put food on our tables; it will be the parents who have to choose between keeping the heat on or feeding their children; it will be the small business owner who has to lay off staff to pay the bills, and it will be the local community centre that has to cut programming because the carbon tax has doubled its monthly expenditures. Meanwhile, the Liberals are raking in almost half a billion dollars of revenue in GST on this carbon tax alone while Canadians struggle to pay for the most basic of life's necessities.

With his reckless spending and unwillingness to help those in need, it is clear that this Prime Minister is simply not worth the cost. It is time for a new government that works for those who do the work and will axe the tax for everyone, for good.

Retirement Congratulations

[Vance Badawey, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Madam Speaker, today we pay tribute to Bob Lambe, who is enjoying his first day of retirement from the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.

After a long and successful career with the Coast Guard and DFO, culminating in his role as the regional director general for the central and Arctic region, Bob felt the further pull of public service. In 2013 he joined the commission as executive secretary and worked tirelessly to improve the organization in ways that positioned it to help protect the Great Lakes and sustain the world-class fisheries found right here in the province of Ontario.

Bob's time with the commission brought tremendous change, as well as improvement to this binational organization. He delivered reliability and sound management and improved the way the commission and governments interface, something that has been universally positive for the Great Lakes.

Bob Lambe has been a once-in-a-generation change-maker. On behalf of all Canadians, I thank him for his service. I hope Bob will enjoy the next wonderful stage in his life with Linda and his family.

Public Safety

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

Madam Speaker, just on the other side of the Ottawa River is Quebec, more specifically the city of Gatineau. After eight years of this Prime Minister, it is in Gatineau that the Liberals' soft-on-crime policies have caused the most damage. Shockingly, violent gun crime has increased by 76% in one year. That is the biggest increase in all of Quebec.

In Canada, 14,000 violent gun crimes were committed in 2022, the highest in 15 years.

When will the Prime Minister finally put an end to Netflix sentences and stop the crime?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, I am proud to be the member for Gatineau, and I can say that Conservative policies are what will contribute to increased violence in our communities. We only need to look at our government's firearms measures, which they have firmly opposed for the last eight years. They reject and vote against any measures to properly equip our Gatineau police force and police forces across the country. They vote against all measures that will help reduce crime.

We are here to—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Mégantic—L'Érable.

Housing

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

Madam Speaker, I do not see how, after eight years of Liberal inaction, the member for Gatineau can be proud that violent gun crime has gone up by 76% in Gatineau.

It is not just gun crime that is causing harm. The housing crisis is as well. Community organizations say that the situation is going to keep getting worse, because more people are going to be evicted from their homes. As the saying goes, everything is connected to everything else. After eight years of this Prime Minister, he is a disaster when it comes to housing.

The Bloc Québécois is certainly not a viable alternative, because it wants to keep the Prime Minister in power for another two years.

When will the Prime Minister start building homes, not bureaucracy?

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing]

Madam Speaker, yes, I agree that there is a housing crisis in our country. What is the best approach? The best approach is what our government is doing.

What have we done since certainly this fall but also throughout our tenure in government? We have let more homes be built in this country and put in place serious measures to work with municipalities. In fact, we have an agreement with the Province of Quebec that will lead to thousands more homes being built. This is the housing accelerator fund. Throughout the country we see that as well. It is an approach that incents more building, all types of building. The Conservatives want to tax building.

Carbon Pricing

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

Madam Speaker, people are lining up for housing. After eight years of this Prime Minister, he is not worth the cost of waiting. People are lining up at airports and passport offices, and waiting for hours on the phone for EI cheques. Even food banks have wait lists. Folks at Quebec City's La Bouchée généreuse said that in a modern, wealthy society like ours, it does not make sense that families have to turn to food banks when the parents are working.

Will the costly Bloc-Liberal coalition finally listen to reason and support our motion to cancel the April 1 tax hike?

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing]

Madam Speaker, they say they have the backs of Canadians. It is interesting and hypocritical for them to point arguments like that out time and again.

What did we learn yesterday? We learned that the chief adviser to the opposition leader has served as the chief lobbyist for Galen Weston and Loblaws.

Today we learned something else. The opposition leader ought to get in touch with his deputy leader, who served as a lobbyist for Walmart, the grocery conglomerate. They want to talk about competition in the grocery sector, but they vote against it every time. It is no surprise.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Speaker, I can assure members that, unlike the Liberals, if Ms. Byrne had hauled the grocers in for a round table, prices would be lower by now.

The reality is the Liberal-NDP coalition has nobody outside itself to blame for high grocery prices, because of increased tax and deficit spending. This inflationary crisis was caused by it, so I ask a simple question: Will its members support our motion to cancel the increase in the carbon tax on April 1?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Madam Speaker, what we see today is an illustration of the hypocrisy of the Conservative Party. Their deputy leader is lobbying behind the scenes, behind the curtain, for Walmart of all places, one of the major players in our grocery sector.

On their grand Pooh Bah, the person to whom they all must pay absolute homage, it turns out as we speak her firm is getting a paycheque from Loblaws, as we debate competition in this chamber and as the Conservatives vote against every measure.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Speaker, it is really spectacular to see what these Liberals will do, knowing how far behind they are in the polls. The reality is they are behind in the polls because they are not helping Canadians make ends meet. They are making it worse for them.

What we need to do is axe the carbon tax. We need to build more homes.

There is a motion in front of Parliament that would make life more affordable right now for Canadians. Will the government support our common-sense motion to stop the carbon tax increase on April 1?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Madam Speaker, an economist from the University of Calgary specifically found that if the carbon price and the carbon rebates that are sent to Canadians were cancelled tomorrow, the people who would most benefit earn more than $250,000.

If we are concerned about affordability, on this side of the House, we are looking out for the everyday Canadians. On that side of the House, they seem to be looking out for the top 1%.

Official Languages

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Madam Speaker, once again, the French language is getting second-class treatment in this Parliament. Yesterday, the Conservatives and the NDP, supported by one Liberal who lost his way, decided in committee that the commissioners appointed to review miscarriages of justice will not have to be bilingual.

Once again, these parties are turning their backs on francophones in Quebec and Canada. Justice is supposed to be bilingual, and Canada is supposed to be bilingual. Will the government ensure that the members of the miscarriage of justice review commission are bilingual?

[James Maloney, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Madam Speaker, I am the so-called lost Liberal the member is referring to. I was at that committee. I voted the way I did and I am proud I did. I stood up for unilingual French-speaking citizens in the province of Quebec. I stood up for English speakers and minorities across the country in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario.

The commission is going to be bilingual in nature. It is going to be available for people in both official languages, and that is the most important thing in that bill.

I think what was decided yesterday was absolutely right and stands for exactly the principle the member is advancing.

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Madam Speaker, what we have just heard is appalling. Once again, this Parliament is devaluing francophones on the pretext of promoting diversity.

Let me repeat: French is not an obstacle to diversity. In this country, French is a facet of diversity and the francophonie is diverse. The reasoning used is even more flawed in connection with justice, because both official languages have the force of law. Anyone unable to understand French is just plain unqualified to interpret the law in Canada.

Who among these parties will finally explain to their colleagues that this makes no sense?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, I can assure the member and all parliamentarians in the House that this government is dedicated and solemnly committed to ensuring full compliance with the Official Languages Act in all areas under the Government of Canada's purview, including the administration of justice. The member can rest assured that French will remain alive and well as long as this government is in power.

Health

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Madam Speaker, toxic drug overdoses have devastated countless communities, like in my riding. Campbell River just witnessed the worst year on record for toxic drug-related deaths, having the fifth-highest rate of deaths in British Columbia.

People need a plan and a federal government willing to act. Liberals drag their feet and offer up patchwork plans while Conservatives try to criminalize our loved ones who are struggling.

Canada needs a health-based plan for harm reduction and treatment with a timeline. What is the holdup?

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, I agree with the member that, when it comes to issues around substance abuse and addiction, we need to bring a thoughtful health care approach to that. That is why we continue to work with the provinces in making sure we are bringing a health care approach to people who are facing mental health and addiction challenges so we can look after them, unlike what Conservatives want to do, which is to throw these people into jails and treat them not like humans but as criminals, which is absolutely wrong.

Canada Revenue Agency

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Madam Speaker, people who took CERB in good faith are now being punished by the government. While everyday Canadians are struggling to pay for food or rent, the Liberals have decided to punish them by clawing back low-income benefits in an effort to recoup CERB money that Canadians desperately needed to survive.

Clawing back benefits from people who already cannot make ends meet is cruel. Why are the Liberals going after families struggling to put food on the table while giving wealthy CEOs a free ride?