Debates of Feb. 27th, 2024

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, again, the Leader of the Opposition seems to be impressed with some information that has been known in the public space for many weeks.

The RCMP have confirmed, previously, that they are looking into the circumstances around ArriveCAN. We have total confidence in the RCMP to do this important work.

I will remind the Leader of the Opposition that the president of the Canada Border Services Agency referred these questions, proactively, to the RCMP. We will continue to do whatever we need to do to co-operate with the national police force and every other ongoing investigation.

Carbon Pricing

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, “and every other ongoing investigation”. How many police investigations are the Liberals facing?

After eight years, the Prime Minister is not worth the cost of food. Today we got a terrible report from the charity, Second Harvest, which reports that this year they expect a million additional visits to food banks, and that last year 36% of charities had to turn people away because they were running out of resources.

Will the Prime Minister reverse his inflationary carbon tax on farmers and food?

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

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to fighting for Canadians, we will take no lessons from the Conservatives.

Today, I just appeared in front of the agriculture committee. It was shocking to see that one of the members was defending the profit margin of a foreign food processor, at a time when we should all be fighting for Canadians in this House. If the Leader of the Opposition wants to do something for Canadians, he should vote for Bill C-59 to increase competition in this country.

More competition means more choice, better prices for Canadians and more innovation. Canadians understand that. Will he understand?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, what I understand is that after eight years, the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister is not worth the cost of food. If he thought that grocery profits were too high after eight years, one would think that he might have done something about it.

Instead, we now have a massive increase. Let us get this straight, Second Harvest predicts there will be a million more visits to food banks this year than in last year's record-breaking year. In fact, many charities can no longer give people food because they have actually run out.

In light of the failure of the carbon tax and the pain it is causing, will the Liberals axe the tax so that Canadians can afford to eat?

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

Mr. Speaker, one thing Canadians know is that the Leader of the Opposition's preferred verb is “cut”. We all know he would be cutting.

When we look at the record on both sides, let me tell the House what we have done in the last few months to fight for Canadians. We have launched the largest reform on competition in this nation's history. We have made sure that we have a functioning consumer affairs bureau. We have made sure that we now have in this country more measures to fight for Canadians.

Every member of this House should be fighting for Canadians. The question is, will the Conservatives fight for Canadians with us?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, that answer just proves that, after eight years, the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister is not worth the cost.

It is not just that a million more people will visit food banks this year than in last year's record-smashing year; it is that now there is a large Facebook group of 8,000 people who call themselves the “Dumpster Diving Network”. So desperate are they that, not only can they not afford groceries or find food at food banks, they are literally jumping into garbage cans to find food.

How desperate do Canadians have to get before the government will finally axe its tax on food?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, over the past eight years, I have watched, time and again, the Conservatives stand up to vote against the very measures that are putting money in the pockets of families to help them cover the cost of food.

When it comes to the Canada child benefit, we stopped sending cheques to millionaires, so we could put more money in the pockets of nine out of 10 families.

When it comes to taxes, we raised taxes on the wealthiest 1% to cut them for the middle class.

When it comes to seniors, we put more money in the pockets of low-income single seniors.

For every one of these measures, Conservatives have opposed them.

We will continue to do what is necessary to allow families to put food on the table, no matter how hard they oppose it.

Pharmacare

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, everyone should be concerned about the Liberal and NDP love of spending, but Quebeckers have yet another reason to be concerned: That spending is not in line with their priorities. The Liberals and the NDP are spending money to give Canadians things Quebeckers already have. First came child care. Then came dental coverage managed by the private sector. Quebec has its own publicly run dental plan. Now they want to give Canadians Quebeckers' pharmacare plan.

Given that they are just imitating Quebec's pharmacare expertise, will Quebec have the right to opt out with full compensation?

I think that should be obvious.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, there is a bill coming up in the House of Commons that will give us an opportunity to lower drug prices and improve access to drugs. I hope all members of the House will support this bill.

It is important not to criticize something that does not yet exist. Let us wait until the bill is introduced.

Dental Care

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, something even more urgent is the right to opt out of dental care with full compensation and no strings attached. Quebec already has its own system, and a public system at that, unlike the NDP and Liberal system, which invites the private health care sector right on in through the front door. Quebec has clearly stated its desire to improve its own system. If Quebec's health care innovations are good enough for Canada to imitate, Quebec must surely deserve respect for its expertise.

When will Quebec receive its unconditional share of federal dental care funding?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Bloc Québécois is obviously trying to pick fights. It is always picking fights.

Our intention is simply to improve the quality of health care for Canadians across the country. In Quebec, for example, it is absolutely essential that every Quebecker everywhere in the province be able to receive dental care. That is our goal, and we intend to achieve it in a spirit of co-operation, not by squabbling.

Health

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

Mr. Speaker, a recent report by the OurCare initiative reveals that 30% of Quebeckers, one in three people, do not have a family doctor. In the last election, the Prime Minister promised to invest and help the provinces hire health care professionals, but people are still waiting for a family doctor. While the Liberals drag their feet on transfers, Quebeckers are paying the price for this government's broken promises.

When will the Liberals finally do their part to ensure that every Quebecker has a family doctor?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I think it is amazing that the Government of Canada is providing an additional $200 billion over the next 10 years for health care. It takes time to reach a good agreement with each province and territory. It is very clear that by the end of March, there will be an agreement with every province and territory to improve the quality of health care and ensure that our health care system is the best in the world.

That is our goal, and it can only be reached with co-operation.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, every Canadian should have access to the health care they need when they need it, but a new survey reveals that over six million Canadians do not have access to a family doctor. The Liberals promised to hire 7,500 doctors and nurses in the last election, but they have not delivered. While Liberals delay, Conservatives want to cut the health care people depend on.

When will the Liberals act to ensure that more doctors and nurses are hired so everyone can get high-quality and timely health care?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, coming out of a pandemic, coming out of some of the most difficult times our planet has ever faced in terms of global health, we have stepped forward. I want to thank the member in the NDP for his work and for pointing out that the Conservatives will cut, and cut deeply. When they talk about what their plans are, they fail to mention that, to achieve them, they are going to need to cut billions and billions out of health, with devastating consequences. In contrast, we are investing in every province and every territory of this country to make sure that we have the best health care system. We will be relentless in that focus, and we will not let the Conservatives deter us.

Carbon Pricing

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, common-sense Conservatives will axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime. The NDP-Liberal Prime Minister is not worth the cost, and he is going to make everything more expensive on April 1, with another carbon tax hike; the effects on Canadians are devastating.

A new report from GoFundMe says that Canadians started 200,000 online charity drives to help raise money just to cover day-to-day expenses.

Instead of forcing Canadians to ask for help from online crowdsourcing campaigns, why does the Prime Minister not do the obvious thing, cancel his carbon tax hike and stop making things more expensive?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, last year was the hottest year on record on the planet, and the Conservative leader and his party continue to deny climate change. Meanwhile, with our carbon rebate, we are putting money back into the pockets of Canadian families. Are they going to vote against $1,200 for Ontario families, $1,800 for Alberta families and $1,200 for Manitoba families? That does not sound like common sense to me.

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, we are going to axe the tax and leave the money in Canadians' pockets in the first place. Canadians are not fooled by this shell game. They know the rebate does not cover all the costs of the carbon tax; manufacturers and producers raise their prices to pay their share of the carbon tax, and all that gets passed on to consumers.

Sites like GoFundMe used to be used to help children who lost their parents tragically; now Canadians are turning to crowdsourcing to help pay their food bills. Officials say that 56,000 campaigns were started just to pay for the cost of food alone.

Why does the Prime Minister not just axe the tax so prices can come down?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, the difference between that side of the House and this side of the House is that we do not deny the existence of climate change; we want to protect it for generations to come.

Are you going to take money away from Canadian families, Mr. Speaker, by voting against $1,200 for Ontario families, $1,800 for Alberta families and $1,200 for Manitoba families? That is taking money away from Canadians by telling them they are not going to have the rebates and voting against them. That is not common sense.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I encourage members on both sides of the House to allow those asking and answering questions to do so uninterrupted. It is hard for the Speaker to understand at times.

Perhaps the President of the Treasury Board was referring to the Speaker, but I will remind members that comments are made through the Speaker.

The hon. member for Thornhill has the floor.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal-NDP government, carbon taxes are driving up the cost of food. People are literally turning to dumpsters because they cannot afford groceries. A report from the Toronto Star says dumpster diving is a new trend. Here is what one will not read in the Star: Conservatives will axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime.

What does the Toronto Star have to write in order for the radical environment minister to show some compassion and stop the 23% April 1 tax hike for all Canadians?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, on this side of the House, we will continue to fight climate change while putting money back into the pockets of Canadian families. As I mentioned, that means we are going to be providing rebates to Canadians, money back in their pockets, which the Conservatives are going to vote against. I ask the opposition: When are its members going to stop cutting supports to Canadians and pay attention to the most vulnerable in this country?

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the radical environment minister will not even get up and answer the question. He could not sell his own carbon tax, which the Prime Minister had to rebrand. How is he going to rebrand dumpster diving? This is a minister who wants to ban cars, ban roads, ban Canadian energy, ban straws and ban stoves and tell Canadians that they have it better.

We all know that, after eight years, this tired government and the environment minister are out of control. Will someone over there stand up for struggling Canadians and let him walk back his carbon tax hike, as he has to do with everything else?

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

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House we will be standing up for Canadians. Every single member on this side of the House is wanting to stand up.

While the Conservatives would like to make up a story, they can just look at our record. We have led the industrial revolution in electric cars. We have brought more investment—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!