Debates of Feb. 8th, 2024

Carbon Pricing

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Although that is a political expression known to many, I warn all MPs to stay safely on the right side of parliamentary debate.

The hon. Minister of Innovation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I will abide by your words.

When the member talks about superstores, he is right, and I am happy to talk about that, because that is actually what we are trying to bring. We are trying to bring more competition. I have been in touch with foreign grocers to bring more competition, to bring more options for Canadians. People who are watching at home understand that on this side of the House, we have a plan. We are working for Canadians. On that side, they have no plan. The only plan we have seen is to ask Jenni. We will continue to work for Canadians every step of the way.

Housing

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of this Liberal government, the housing crisis is hitting all Canadians hard.

Take Quebec City, for example. The average rent has increased by more than 19% over the past year. It will take twice as long to pay off a mortgage. They will need up to 25 years to be able to put aside the down payment to buy a house. That is the reality Canadians are facing after eight years of this Liberal government.

What are the Liberals doing? They are the undisputed champions of photo ops. When will they champion real action to build houses and apartments?

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

Mr. Speaker, if there is one thing the Conservatives are champions at, it is insulting mayors. The last time we heard from the Conservative leader, he was insulting the mayors of Quebec City and Montreal, who are working with us to create more affordable housing.

On this side of the House, we believe in having programs, building affordable housing, as well as working with the provinces and with Canada's mayors. Canadians understand that we need to work together to tackle the housing problem. That is exactly what we are going to do.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, for eight years, this government has insulted Canadians with its housing record, which is dismal right now. Even the president of CMHC acknowledges that this government has no plan to turn things around.

Housing starts have dropped by 28% over the past year. That is the Liberal reality. We will take no lessons from this minister.

When are they going to stop holding press conferences and photo ops? When are they going to take real action to build houses and apartments? That is what Canadians want.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have a tremendous amount of respect for my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent, but I do not think he has any lessons to give on videos.

In the last video we saw of the Conservative leader, he was in front of the port of Montreal. He thought a video would solve the issue of auto theft. Today, we were gathered with leaders from across country to tackle this issue. We talked about intelligence, coordinated approaches and innovation.

What Conservatives do not understand is that, to move this country forward, we have to work together.

Justice

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

Mr. Speaker, Quebec is a pioneer in Canada when it comes to compassion for people who are suffering. It was the first to implement medical assistance in dying. It is only natural that it is still ahead of the curve today.

Quebec is ready to authorize advance requests for persons suffering from serious, incurable neurocognitive diseases. Quebec's legislation was adopted eight months ago, and those who are suffering have waited long enough. Will the government amend the Criminal Code so that Quebec can move forward with advance requests?

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

Mr. Speaker, I wish I could be the minister of both health and procurement. I did get to be Minister of Health.

As Minister of Procurement and a minister from Quebec, I recognize, as my colleague did, the important contribution that the Government of Quebec and Quebeckers have made over the past few years to advance the discussions, reflections and actions on this very sensitive topic, on which we must all work together. That is what we are going to do.

We will continue in this way with the Government of Quebec and all Quebeckers over the coming months and years.

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

Mr. Speaker, Canada can continue to think about it, but Quebec is ready.

The Quebec National Assembly is unanimously calling for the federal government to amend the Criminal Code so that Quebec can move forward with advance requests. Ottawa has the moral duty to grant Quebec's unanimous request.

Canadians have the right to take more time to think about this, but they do not have the right to make Quebeckers suffer needlessly for years. Will the government legislate so that Quebec can authorize advance requests?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague once again for bringing up this very sensitive issue.

We know that freedom of choice, control over one's own life and the choice for a dignified death are options that Canadians already have access to. We also know that we need to work to protect the most vulnerable members of our society. We know that we need to work very closely with health care providers, develop case studies and, obviously, work on jurisdictions for issues that fall more under the Criminal Code and those that fall more under the delivery of health care.

Grocery Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, people are feeling the squeeze at the grocery store. Food banks have been over capacity for months. Liberal members from Montreal know this. It is happening in their ridings, just as it is in ours.

Unlike the Liberals, the NDP is solution-oriented. Our bill to lower grocery prices passed yesterday, even though the Liberals voted against lowering prices for Quebeckers.

The Liberals really want to keep the Sobey family and Galen Weston happy. Are the Liberals afraid of making Loblaw's boss lose money?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question, but I do not understand exactly where he is going with it.

He should be proud and happy. We included many of the NDP leader's recommendations in our three-pronged approach to competition reform. He should be happy that we are working together to increase competition in this country. All the experts say that more choice and more competition will help stabilize prices.

He should rise in the House to thank us for working together because we do so for the sake of Canadian consumers.

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is that the Liberals voted no on the NDP bill to lower food prices for Canadians. They voted against giving the Competition Bureau more power to crack down on greedy grocery chains that take advantage of families.

Sky-high food prices are forcing Canadians with full-time jobs to resort to food banks to feed their families. Under those out-of-touch Liberals, ultrarich CEOs win and Canadians lose.

Why are the Liberals determined to keep grocery prices high for Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleague should be happy, because we have listened to what the NDP have to propose. A lot of what has been proposed by the leader of the NDP has already been included in our bill to reform competition in the country.

One thing we should do is work together. The bill that was presented yesterday will go to committee. We will listen to experts. We will listen to recommendations.

One thing Canadians should know is that we have their back and we will fight for them to bring stabilization in grocery prices.

Public Safety

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal government's reckless policies, our country is in a place of crime and chaos.

Since 2015, sexual assault cases have increased by 72%. That is a big number. The Liberal government's soft-on-crime approach is a direct attack on women and girls in our country. It is disgusting.

How many more sexual assaults need to take place for the government to finally do something?

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

Mr. Speaker, this is a serious issue that requires a serious response. It is not something that should be highlighted in a negative way in the House of Commons.

The Liberal government has taken steps through Bill S-12, Bill C-3 and Bill C-51. We have taken serious measures to address sexual assault crimes, including sexual assault offenders being included on the sex offender registry.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is right that this is not something to be made light of, but that is exactly what the Liberal government's policies have done.

Unfortunately, after eight years of the Liberal government, the number of sexual assault cases in the country has skyrocketed by 72%. That is a very large number, and that is many women and girls who are affected. What makes this even worse is that so many of these crimes are committed by individuals who are out on bail, who should not be. The reason they are is because of the Liberal government's soft-on-crime policies.

The Liberals are putting women in danger. It is the Liberal government's decision to do that. When will the Prime Minister take it seriously and do something—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

The hon. parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Public Safety.

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

Mr. Speaker, the issues around sexual violence and violence in general toward women is something we take incredibly seriously, including the fact that we supported legislation, non-partisan legislation, to have proper training for judges, something, unfortunately, Conservative senators blocked. We persevered to ensure that women go through the criminal justice process, respecting the violence that has happened and the under-reporting that happens. We are going to continue to do everything possible to make sure women are safe.

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal-NDP government, chaos and crime is at epidemic levels.

Just weeks ago, a mom of three was murdered in Calgary in front of an elementary school in a targeted domestic killing. Her offender had previous charges, multiple active warrants and a no contact order. She did everything that was asked of her and she was still murdered in broad daylight.

Why? It was because of the Liberal government's soft-on-crime policies. Enough. We do not need summits; we need action and we need a timeline.

When will the Liberals reverse these deadly policies?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is not a partisan issue when dealing with violence against women. Crimes like that are absolutely horrific. It is something that we are working hard on with not just the Minister of Public Safety but across governments to ensure that women across the country are not only safe but are safe to report violence. We know that oftentimes violence starts early with domestic violence and can escalate. That is one of the reasons we are also banning guns.

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this became a partisan issue the minute the fake feminist Prime Minister let women die. That is the reality. Ninety four municipalities in Ontario alone have declared domestic violence an epidemic. Violent crime is up almost 40%, sexual assault up 72%, sex crimes against children up 126%. Members can bet this is partisan.

It is the Liberal policies that are destroying the lives of Canadians. The Conservatives will stop the crime and make sure that women are not murdered in front of elementary schools and that the guy who did it is behind bars.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am glad to see the Conservatives fired up about taking violence against women seriously. That is precisely why we have put in firearm legislation to deal with situations of intimate partner violence and gender-based violence. We are putting a national freeze on the sale, purchase and transfer of handguns.

When it comes to violence against women, we are going to put in place every measure possible to keep women safe. We are committed to this, and I am glad to see the Conservatives passionate about protecting women.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of this government, violence is increasing at an alarming rate across the country. Violent crime is up 40%. Sexual assaults are up 72%. Femicide is on the rise along with domestic violence. Women live in a constant state of hypervigilance.

The Prime Minister sees this sorry state of affairs and still lets criminals bask in the comfort of their homes. A Conservative government will bring back common-sense law and order and protect our citizens. In the meantime, what does this Prime Minister intend to do to protect Canadian women?

[Pascale St-Onge, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to see that the Conservatives are concerned about the issue of violence, and especially about women's safety.

Our government has taken significant steps, such as strengthening laws that restrict firearms in Canada. It has also introduced measures to prevent violence against women in domestic situations. Unfortunately, as we saw, the Conservatives opposed these measures to protect women and to restrict the use of firearms.

We are waiting to hear all the wonderful solutions they will propose to help us protect women across the country.