Debates of April 16th, 2024

Dental Care

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the costly NDP-Liberal coalition has announced another poorly conceived federal idea. Its dental care debacle is failing Canadians.

I have one simple question. How many dentists in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I. have signed up for the dental care debacle?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, it is great news, because, unlike the member opposite, we are working with dental providers and we are opening up a new portal, which means that in order to participate all they have to do is accept that dental card and provide service.

The dentists who I am talking to, as we work through these issues in the negotiation, are extremely excited to do what the member is not, which is to make sure that every Canadian from coast to coast to coast gets oral health care. That means that 1.8 million seniors and soon nine million Canadians will have the oral health care they need.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I will ask the hon. member for Oxford to please allow his colleague to ask a question and to allow the minister to answer.

The hon. member for Cumberland—Colchester.

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, interestingly enough, the Minister of Health of the NDP-Liberal government has been singing the praises, in photo ops, of this program for months now. Their plan is lacking and it is failing Canadians.

I have one simple question, once again, for the minister. How many dentists in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I. have signed up for the botched dental care announcement? I will actually give him the answer. It is eight out of 1,107.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, of course, the member opposite knows that we are opening a new portal and that members do not have to sign up. All that needs to happen is that they bring their card and they participate in the program.

Here is the truth—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I will ask hon. members to please restrain themselves. I know that it is budget day; it is a big day.

The hon. minister has 20 seconds left on the clock.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the truth is that those members do not want the nine million Canadians who do not have dental care to get service. They do not want Canadians who do not have access to diabetes medication to get it. They do not want women to be able to get access to universal contraception. They push despair because they do not want people to hope for something better. We are there to deliver something better.

Climate Change

[Wilson Miao, Liberal, Richmond Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, climate change is real. The science is clear. Current drought conditions and above average temperatures are bringing an increasing risk of wildfires.

Last year, more than 230,000 Canadians were forced out of their homes, not knowing what the future looked like. Close to 100 fires are already burning in British Columbia and communities are rightfully concerned.

Could the Minister of Emergency Preparedness tell us what our federal government has been doing to—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Informally, I did ask the hon. member for Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon to please allow the member for Richmond Centre to ask his question.

The hon. member for Richmond Centre has 15 seconds to finish his question.

[Wilson Miao, Liberal, Richmond Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, last year, more than 230,000 Canadians were forced out of their homes, not knowing what the future would hold. Close to 100 fires are already burning in British Columbia and communities are rightfully concerned.

Could the Minister of Emergency Preparedness tell us what our government has been doing to make sure we will be there for British Columbians this summer?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada]

Mr. Speaker, last year, we had the worst wildfire season in Canadian history because of climate change, and potentially this season could be even worse. We have been working very closely with the provinces and territories and indigenous leaders to provide the resources they need. We are training more firefighters, providing additional firefighting equipment and adding more initiatives to provide humanitarian support.

On this side of the House, we know the devastating impact that climate change is having on Canadians and we will be there for them.

Seniors

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

Mr. Speaker, seniors are being kicked out of their homes because assisted living is now fodder for greedy developers and private equity firms. Ninety year olds are being put on the street so that super-rich CEOs can make a buck.

The Liberals and the Conservatives let developers buy up affordable housing and now they are letting them go after long-term care. A family whose father was kicked out of his home called this a death sentence.

Will the government stop this in its tracks and use the budget to end greedy CEOs from evicting vulnerable seniors?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, as we move down a path of increasing investments to build more affordable housing, we have to acknowledge the very real challenge that exists when affordable housing that is already in communities is snapped up for the purpose of renovicting those who live in it. That is why we are moving forward with a Canadian first, a new acquisition fund that is going to help non-profits buy up existing low-cost rentals so they can keep them affordable in perpetuity. This is a new direction that is going to help many thousands of Canadians not just find a place to call home, but to keep a place to call home that they can actually afford.

Veterans Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, in the past two years, there has been a 50% increase in denied claims for veterans seeking disability benefits. This is shameful. They served our country, risking their lives and safety in the process, yet the Liberals keep turning their backs on them, just like the Conservatives did for years before. This is an issue of respect and livelihood. Many veterans are struggling and they rely on these benefits to make ends meet.

Do the Liberals plan on fixing this or will they keep denying veterans their dignity?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to thank my colleague for her important work on the veterans affairs committee.

Our government has always been there for veterans, and will continue to be there. Since 2015, we have invested more than $11 billion in additional funding to support veterans and their families. In contrast to the Conservative Party of Canada, when it closed the Veterans Affairs offices, on this side of the House, we opened them immediately because we recognized they provided direct services to veterans.

We will always be there to help support our veterans and their families in their time of need.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

It is a great privilege for me to draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

Oral Questions

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. During question period today, the member for North Island—Powell River directed a comment at us here in the back benches, and she directed it to me as well. She used the term “shut up.” She is a member who generally conducts herself in a very civil manner, but today she used the term “shut up” in a manner that is unbecoming of a parliamentarian.

It is you, Mr. Speaker, who ensures civility in the House. You are the one who corrects us when we use language that is unbecoming. She actually repeated the remark. When I asked her, “Did you tell us to shut up?”, she said, “Yes, shut up.” That is behaviour unbecoming of a parliamentarian, so I would ask you to ask her to apologize for that remark and to withdraw it unconditionally.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for bringing up how disruptive the Conservatives continue to be in the House.

To clarify for the record, I did not actually tell him to shut up the second time; I told him to shush. I will not be withdrawing my comment, and I hope their behaviour gets better.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I thank the hon. member for Abbotsford for raising this issue. All members could do a lot to improve decorum in the House, and I hope we all will.

The issue has been raised by the member for Abbotsford, and the member for North Island—Powell River has acknowledged that she used language that causes disorder in the House. I would ask the hon. member for North Island—Powell River if she would do the honourable thing and withdraw the comment.

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

Mr. Speaker, no, I will certainly not.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

The hon. member for North Island—Powell River is a long-time member. We have served in the House and on many committees together. I will ask her once again if, out of respect to the Chair, she would please withdraw that remark.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have served many years with you, but my concern, which is that members who are asking questions are being silenced again and again by the Conservatives, is very serious.

Out of respect, I will not withdraw the remark, and I do not mean that personally. It is so sad that the Conservatives are having very sensitive feelings about this.

Naming of Member

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Pursuant to the powers vested in me under Standing Order 11, I am afraid I have no choice but to ask the hon. member, for not following through with a request from the Chair, to please leave the chamber.

[And Ms. Blaney having withdrawn:]