Debates of April 30th, 2024

Mental Health and Addictions

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I simply withdraw it and replace it with the aforementioned adjective.

Naming of Member

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Mr. Poilievre, I have to name you for disregarding the authority of the Chair.

Pursuant to the authority granted to me by Standing Order 11, I order you to withdraw from the House and from any participation by video conference for the remainder of this day's sitting.

[And Mr. Poilievre having withdrawn:]

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

The second matter I was going to bring up was the fact that I was hearing some catcalling from the far end of the House. I was not able to identify the person, but I will ask all members to carry themselves in a way that is dignified for the House.

The right hon. Prime Minister has the floor.

Mental Health and Addictions

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition wants to talk about extremism, but a week ago he visited a Diagolon encampment. Diagolon hates that minorities in this country get the same protections as everyone else, and they are charter-protected rights.

Just yesterday, a week after the Conservative leader sat down with—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I will ask the hon. member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes to please take the microphone only when he is afforded the opportunity to ask a question.

The right hon. Prime Minister has 15 seconds remaining for his answer.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the association of the Leader of the Opposition with Diagolon and its disdain for charter-protected rights brought him, just yesterday, a week after he sat down with Diagolon members, to give a speech pledging to overturn the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the rights of Canadians and our justice system. That statement—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

The hon. member for Beloeil—Chambly.

The Budget

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate you on showing some common sense.

If the Chair wants more questions, we are ready to ask plenty of them.

It is clear that from firearms buy-back programs to the Phoenix pay system, issuing visas, McKinsey and GC Strategies, the government's management is very chaotic. Instead of interfering in the jurisdictions of Quebec and the provinces, why does the government not just make transfers with no strings attached?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as Prime Minister, I have a responsibility to care for all Canadians from coast to coast to coast. As the member for Papineau and a proud Quebecker, I will certainly focus on the situation of my fellow Quebeckers as well. That is why we are working hand in hand with the provinces across the country to provide the services, care and support that Canadians need in these difficult times.

We will continue to be there to invest in communities, to invest in Canadians and to invest in their future in partnership with the provinces and municipalities.

Intergovernmental Relations

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we will talk about “hand in hand with the provinces” in a bit. In the meantime, after some Pinocchio-like nonsense, the Conservatives are now voting with the Liberals. They are both obsessed with encroaching on provincial jurisdictions.

Despite a request from all premiers—so much for “hand in hand”—the Liberals and Conservatives are voting against a motion on respecting Quebec's jurisdictions.

Can I make a suggestion to both the Conservatives and the Liberals? If they are actually interested in Quebec, they should read the Bloc Québécois's agenda.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois's agenda is about stirring up trouble between Quebeckers and Ottawa.

On this side of the House, we are here to invest in the future of Quebeckers. We are here to invest in families, in seniors. We are here to offer dental care, starting tomorrow, to seniors in Quebec and across Canada. We are here to invest in more child care spaces and to work with the Quebec government on investments in green technologies and a more prosperous future for all.

We are here to work, not to quarrel, and that is what we will continue to do.

Housing

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

What a day, Mr. Speaker. I am glad the grown-ups are still in the room.

One in four Quebeckers is unable to live with dignity. That is a big deal. That is two million people. Some 25% of Quebeckers scrape by on less than a modest income. Money is too tight for them to buy the things they need. Meanwhile, the Liberals are handing out gifts to oil companies.

Given that housing is the biggest expense for families, when will the Liberals build housing that Quebeckers can afford?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, that is precisely why, in our latest budget, we focused on ensuring fairness for every generation.

A lot of the investments in budget 2024 are specifically focused on homes and affordable housing to ensure that young people, millennials and gen Z can envision someday buying a house and can have their rent actively count toward a credit score that will enable them to get a mortgage.

We are here to make those investments with the most ambitious housing plan Canada has ever seen.

Pensions

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve to retire with dignity, and they can with the world-renowned Canada pension plan. However, Danielle Smith is trying to pull Alberta out of the CPP, and the Conservative leader has spent his entire career attacking workers' pensions while he benefits from a public pension himself.

New Democrats are fighting back. Today I tabled a bill that would protect the CPP from Conservatives and give Canadians and Albertans a say in the future of their CPP.

Will the Liberals support my bill, or will they stand with the cut-and-gut Conservatives?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are pleased to see the NDP joining us in the fight to protect the Canada pension plan. Actually, one of the very first things we did in government, about six months in, was strengthen the Canada pension plan for future generations.

We will continue to stand against Conservatives, who for decades have been railing against the Canada pension plan. Indeed, the plan by Alberta to dismantle the Canada pension plan and put at risk the pensions of millions of Albertan seniors is absolutely irresponsible.

We will continue to stand in defence of the Canada pension plan and we look forward to standing with all members of the House in doing just that.

Intergovernmental Relations

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, let us pray that the Prime Minister will remain with us on this Tuesday.

The Prime Minister said he was working hand in hand with the provinces and that his main concern was ensuring that everyone received good services from the Canadian government for people across the country. In a certain number of areas, those services fall under provincial jurisdiction.

Am I to understand that the Prime Minister is saying that when Quebec or the provinces deliver services, it is not as good as when Ottawa delivers the services?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I am worried about my friends in the Bloc Québécois. In fact, I do not recognize them any more.

They initially told us that housing is important, but the Conservatives tell them to vote against it, so they vote against it.

They came here and told us that seniors are important, but the Conservatives tell them to vote against it, so they vote against it.

They say that fighting climate change is important. The Conservatives tell them to vote against it, so they vote against it.

I am worried. By listening to the Conservatives, the sovereignist party is losing its own sovereignty.

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I understand that there was less time to prepare, but yesterday, the Conservatives, Liberals and even the NDP—I say “even” because it kind of goes together—voted against an amendment from the Bloc Québécois that said that the budget was okay, because we are not bad sports, but that the jurisdictions of Quebec and the provinces need to be respected.

All those here who call themselves federalists voted against the Bloc Québécois. I hope that even the minister understood that.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, at some point, the Bloc Québécois took Quebeckers for a ride.

They were elected on a promise to come to Ottawa to fight for housing, but they are voting against it. They said they were coming to Ottawa to stand up for the fight against climate change, but they are voting against it. They came to Ottawa to fight for seniors and youth, but they are voting against them and with the Conservatives.

Does the Bloc Québécois realize that it has become a separatist offshoot of the Conservative Party?

Official Languages

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec just announced $603 million to stop the decline of French. Most of that amount will be used to teach French to temporary foreign workers.

This is good news for the vitality of the French language, but it will not be enough, because the majority of foreign workers are under the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal government through the international mobility program, and the federal government has no language requirements. Since the Liberals recognize the decline of French, they must also do their part.

Will the government listen to Quebec's request and add French language requirements for the foreign workers under its jurisdiction?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, obviously we want to support French integration. We have provided $5.4 billion to Quebec since 2015, specifically for French integration classes in Quebec, and it is working well.

I know that the Bloc Québécois is perceived as a bickering machine, but I would like to acknowledge the contribution of the member opposite, who campaigned to ensure that spouses, partners, people who come here to study nursing will be able to stay here. This will increase the number of people who are here temporarily, but that is the good work we can do because the Quebec government demanded it.

We also worked with the Bloc Québécois to strengthen the health care system in Quebec.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the priority processing for the lifeboat scheme for Hong Kongers has gone from six months to 21 months. Processing delays for their PR applications means that work permits and study permits are going to expire, medical coverage will end, and dependent children will no longer be able to access education. Hong Kongers will be sent back to face an escalation of arbitrary detentions and arrests because of the draconian safeguarding national security bill.

Will the minister resume the six-month priority processing average for Hong Kongers and automatically renew their work and study permits as they wait?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, we continue to stand with the people of Hong Kong. We will work on processing times. We continue to work with people who seek refuge in Canada, and we will continue to do so.

Health

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, for decades, people in James Bay have struggled to overcome the systemically racist underfunding of health services. Every region deserves proper hospital services. We were finally on the verge of having a proper hospital built in the Weeneebayko health region, but now, at the eleventh hour, the Liberals have walked away. Even Doug Ford is bringing the province to the table.

Will the minister explain why she made the health authority jump through so many hoops, only to tell it that the Liberals had no intention of funding this badly needed project?