Debates of April 30th, 2024

Foreign Affairs

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Madam Speaker, the painful events unfolding in Gaza are taking a deep emotional toll on many in Canada, particularly members of Muslim and Jewish communities. We must find ways to disagree peacefully, while respecting the rights of free speech and protest and the right of people to feel safe in their schools and places of worship.

I have heard from many people who are concerned that their charter rights are under threat. There is an effort in our country to marginalize and silence pro-Palestinian voices, as well as to redefine and mislabel cultural symbols, such as the kaffiyeh, as terrorist symbols. This is wrong. It is dishonest and shameful to conflate support for the Palestinian people with support for a terrorist organization.

Like most Canadians, most protesters want to see a ceasefire, humanitarian aid and the return of hostages and prisoners. As the government updates its anti-racism strategy, I urge it to address and define anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism.

Polish Constitution Day

[Damien Kurek, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

Madam Speaker, I rise today as an MP with Polish heritage to join with the Canadian Polonia diaspora to celebrate Polish Constitution Day. This day commemorates the adoption of the constitution on May 3, 1791, which was one of the first modern constitutions on the planet. It shows that, despite occupation, war and Communists, Poles' stand for freedom and democracy has persisted through the centuries.

Last week, Canada and Alberta had the honour of welcoming the President of Poland, who expressed his country's excitement in partnering with Canada, including in our energy future. From LNG to hydrogen and nuclear, the future is certainly bright. When I spoke with President Duda, we both reflected on how our peoples prosper when we simply get the job done.

As we celebrate Polish Constitution Day, and for the first time in Canada, Polish Heritage Month, let us remember the principles of democracy, human rights and the freedom that the constitution of 1791 symbolizes. Happy Constitution Day to all those of Polish descent in Canada and around the world.

Trace the Lace

[Chandra Arya, Liberal, Nepean, ON]

Madam Speaker, Ottawa and other cities are witnessing unprecedented fatalities from opioids and designer benzodiazepines. These novel substances necessitate an updated approach to our response strategies.

Our children are more than mere numbers. Each increase in overdose fatalities represents someone's child, a family member, a friend. It is crucial to hold to account the drug dealers responsible for these tragedies. Without facing consequences, they will persist in flooding our streets and endangering our youth.

I would like to recognize Natalie Bergin, Jayne Egan and Janet Tonks for taking the lead and organizing on this important issue. They have set up an organization, Trace the Lace, to find justice for the children who have died from laced drugs. Let us do our part to support Trace the Lace.

Fiftieth Anniversary of École Chavigny

[René Villemure, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this year, my high school, École Chavigny, is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

The school welcomed its first student in the 1974 school year. At that time, it was still Polyvalente Chavigny and it was located in a field, far from everything, at the very edge of what was then still known as Trois-Rivières-Ouest.

These days, nearly 2,000 students attend the school each year and a neighbourhood in the city of Trois-Rivières bears the same name. The school is known for its drama program, in which students develop their skills in appreciating, creating and performing a variety of theatre productions. Every year, the theatre graduates have the honour of representing Quebec at a theatre festival abroad. In the same spirit, École Chavigny, a member of the ArtDraLa network, also hosts the Festival international de théâtre francophone AQEFT. A major celebration will be held on May 4 to mark the school's 50th anniversary.

I want to congratulate principal Jonathan Bradley and I hope that he never finds my disciplinary records.

Louise Bourgault

[Élisabeth Brière, Liberal, Sherbrooke, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the words that best describe Louise Bourgault are committed and dynamic.

Louise has been at the helm of Sherbrooke's chamber of commerce and industry for 18 years, and anyone who crossed paths with her at a professional event could tell that she never felt obliged to be there simply because of her role. The pleasure she took in her work spoke volumes about the importance she placed on her mission of fostering economic development in Sherbrooke.

We collaborated on various files on several occasions, and her professionalism was second to none. She was always open to suggestions for initiatives, and I specifically remember her involvement in the economic recovery forum we organized together after the first months of the pandemic.

She recently stepped down from her position to enjoy a well-deserved retirement. I wish her every success in her personal projects and I thank her, on behalf of Sherbrooke residents, for her dedication to Sherbrooke's economic development.

Mark Snider

[Shelby Kramp-Neuman, Conservative, Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the following quote is tragic. These words should never be spoken, yet far too often this sentiment is shared: “I’m not angry with my sweet boy, I’m not angry with those who caused him extra suffering. I’m saddened for those people because they don’t understand mental illness and I hope they become aware. I’m heartbroken and frustrated we don’t have the resources needed for people suffering mental [illness] and for those people watching loved ones suffer. I struggle daily with the fact that my best wasn’t good enough. I was unable to keep my son alive.”

Faced with the worst situation a mother could imagine, Louri decided to honour the memory of her son Mark by raising awareness of the terrible disease that took her son.

Mental illness, mental health and suicide affect all ages, all professions. These things hit home and touch all of us, often when we least expect it.

It is incumbent on each and every one of us elected to this place to give the tools necessary to our health care providers to combat mental illness in all its forms.

Jewish Federation of Ottawa

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the remarkable 90-year journey of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa. The roots of the federation can be traced back to 1934, amidst a backdrop of rising anti-Semitism and economic adversity caused by the Great Depression.

From the outset, the congregations of Agudath Achim, Adath Jeshurun, Mackzikei Hadas and B'nai Jacob recognized the power of unity, understanding that they are indeed stronger together. Through the leadership of visionaries, such as Rabbi A. H. Freedman, Casper Caplan, Archibald Jacob Freiman, Thomas Schwartz, Norman Zagerman and Rabbi Reuven Bulka, the federation has made an incredible mark on our Ottawa community. Since 2005, the federation has raised over $107 million for the Jewish community. It has distributed thousands of Jewish books for free in Ottawa, and there is much more.

The history of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa is a testament to the strength and resilience of the Jewish community in the face of adversity. In times of strain, such as the present, the federation continues to lead the fight against prejudice, discrimination and anti-Semitism.

Congratulations to the Jewish Federation of Ottawa for their community building and service.

World Malaria Month

[Andy Fillmore, Liberal, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, April marks World Malaria Month. Malaria continues to ravage the world and, unfortunately, our country is not spared. Indeed, malaria still claims nearly 500 Canadian lives each year.

When tragedy strikes, some individuals transform hardship into advocacy. This is true of Olugu Ukpai of Halifax, who is on a mission to end malaria after losing his 16-month-old daughter, Miss Goodness Olugu Ukpai, to the disease.

Olugu plays a pivotal role in raising awareness about malaria using drumming demonstrations to engage the public on this pressing issue. He and his family, Goodness's siblings, are famous at home as the uplifting Halifax Multicultural Drummers and they led the commemoration of World Malaria Day on April 16 in Halifax, featuring special guests and drummers from various parts of the African continent. Artists and community members came together to support the cause and engage Halifax in battling this disease.

Awareness of malaria is increasing, and we must maintain momentum. I want to extend my gratitude to Olugu Ukpai for his unwavering dedication.

The Economy

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberal government, it has never been more expensive to eat, heat or put a roof over one's head.

The Prime Minister pretends everything is fine, but it is not. He is in complete denial.

We can look at the costs of groceries and homes. No one can afford to live anymore. His record deficits have driven interest rates sky-high, and the dream of home ownership is simply dead.

Canadians are struggling to stay afloat, and what does the Prime Minister offer? He throws them an anvil by raising the carbon tax a whopping 23%. This has increased the price of gas, of groceries and of everything else.

In Canada, millions of people are using food banks. This is not the country I grew up in. It is hardly even recognizable.

It is clear that the Prime Minister is simply not worth the cost. It was not this way before the Prime Minister. It will not be this way after, because Conservatives will bring home lower prices by axing the tax and fixing the budget.

Canadian Paramedics

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Pickering—Uxbridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians know when they call for emergency medical assistance, there is a team of compassionate and competent paramedics nearby to help. Canadians expect robust and responsive health care, and paramedics are an integral part of our emergency response teams.

Today, we are honoured to welcome a delegation of paramedics from the Paramedic Association of Canada to Parliament Hill to discuss key priorities in ensuring that paramedics are recognized for the essential care they provide. Representing nearly 30,000 paramedics across Canada, who have answered over three million calls for service, the Paramedic Association of Canada advocates for the advancement of paramedicine to ensure that these services are accessible, responsive, proactive and safe.

Paramedics are key to keeping our communities safe. Our government looks forward to our continued work with the Paramedic Association of Canada to serve Canadians and deliver the first response services they deserve.

Cost of Living

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

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of reckless spending, the only thing the Prime Minister and his NDP-Liberal government have succeeded at is making life worse for Canadians.

With families across the country struggling to make ends meet, the Prime Minister continues to spend more borrowed money than ever before. Gas prices have increased dramatically, with some areas of the country seeing the highest prices in years, due to the carbon tax, which adds nearly 20¢ a litre. Farmers, the very people who feed Canada and the world, are having to pay thousands of dollars more each year to run their operations because of the carbon tax, which increased by 23% earlier this month and will only continue to go up.

Given the Prime Minister's inflationary spending that drives up the cost of everything and keeps interest rates high, it is no wonder that Canadians are poorer. He needs to axe the tax on farmers and food by passing Bill C-234 in its original form.

Canadians need relief and, sadly, they will not get it from the current Prime Minister, who simply is not worth the cost.

Drug Overdose in Canada

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the leading cause of death for children in British Columbia is overdose.

Overdose accounts for more deaths in B.C. than homicides, suicides, accidents and natural disease combined. Since 2016, over 42,000 Canadians have tragically lost their lives due to drug overdoses.

After nine years, the NDP-Liberal government's extremist drug policies have literally turned our neighbourhoods into war zones, and statistics have tripled. Unbelievably, the government wants to go even further and make cocaine, meth, heroin, crack and fentanyl legal. Hard drugs are being used in playgrounds, parks, coffee shops and even hospitals.

David Eby's NDP have finally admitted that the Prime Minister's extremist drug policies have utterly failed, leaving ruined lives and grieving families in their wake. The Prime Minister must end his failed drug experiment, today, or better yet, step aside and let a common-sense Conservative government fund treatment and recovery to bring our loved ones home.

Cancer Awareness Month

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on this last day of Cancer Awareness Month, I would like to share my personal history and that of thousands of people in Laval. Since February 2013, I have lived every day with gratitude for my remission. However, cancer continues to have an impact on lives, including that of my dear sister Nina, who is currently in treatment.

Laval's community is resilient, courageous and determined. Every year, families, friends and neighbours battle this devastating disease. In the fight against cancer, every story is a poignant reminder of our shared struggle. Every moment counts, every action has an impact, and the hope of a cure is a lifeline that we cling to. Let us make a firm commitment to a cancer‑free future.

Nina, I love you, sis.

Homelessness

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

Mr. Speaker, the homelessness crisis in northern Ontario has become a social disaster.

Municipalities, agencies and health care systems are stretched to the breaking point, yet the government is telling frontline agencies to get ready for massive cuts. The Reaching Home program is an essential lifeline for northern communities, yet the government has told Cochrane District, which includes Timmins, to get ready for a 52% cut in funding. Sault Ste. Marie faces a 60% cut, while Sudbury and Nipissing will get whacked with a 70% cut. This will devastate our region and leave vulnerable people at serious risk.

In budget 2024, the Liberals bragged about how much money they would invest in housing and the homeless. Nice words will not keep people safe. In northern Ontario the government is ignoring calls from municipalities for clarity. This is not good enough.

People in the north are asking their Liberal MPs a simple question: Will they fight to reverse these cuts and ensure that more funding is brought to the table to fight the nightmare of homelessness in northern Ontario?

Gilles Perron

[Luc Desilets, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to acknowledge the remarkable contribution of one of my predecessors as the Bloc Québécois member for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, the Hon. Gilles Perron.

When I decided to run, Gilles told me that if I did not wear out a pair of shoes during my election campaign, I did not deserve to win. What is more, he told me to enjoy the evening of my victory, because the very next day, we would be back on the campaign trail.

For more than eleven years, Gilles wore out many pairs of shoes to go meet his constituents. However, his greatest political contribution is that, thanks to him, post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans is finally recognized today. We are talking about a historic moment for the people who defended our democracy.

As the end draws near, I promise Gilles that I will honour his political legacy in the service of the invisible wounded. For Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, I will again wear out my shoes thinking of him.

Gilles, we love you.

Mental Health and Addictions

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years, the NDP-Liberal government is not worth the drugs, disorder, death and destruction. In B.C., more people are dying as taxpayer-funded deadly drugs flood the streets. Kids' playgrounds are littered with needles and crack pipes, and it is impossible for law enforcement to do its job and keep communities safe.

A year after the Prime Minister made crack, heroin, fentanyl, meth and other drugs legal in B.C., a record 2,500 British Columbians lost their lives to addiction. Last year, the former minister of addictions assured us the government would end this deadly experiment if public health and safety indicators were not met. Both are failing, and B.C.'s NDP premier is now pleading with the Prime Minister to rescue them from this failed policy, yet the Minister of Addictions refuses immediate action.

Now the Prime Minister wants to expand his failed policy of deadly drugs to Canada's largest city, Toronto, despite opposition from the premier.

How many more Canadians must die before the NDP-Liberals will finally put an end to this failed drug legalization policy?

Cost of Living

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, budget 2024 promises to deliver a vision for Canada that is fairer and more affordable for every generation.

In my riding of Mississauga—Erin Mills, residents, especially younger generations, deserve a fair chance of purchasing their own homes. That is why budget 2024 proposes an ambitious plan to invest into more affordable housing initiatives to unlock 3.87 million more homes by 2031 for Canadians.

Budget 2024 is also investing $1 billion into the national school food program to the benefit of over 400,000 Canadian children, so no child in this country goes to school hungry. As we know, full bellies lead to sharper minds.

There are so many aspects of budget 2024 that work toward strengthening our middle class, and I encourage all members in the House to support this budget.

Mental Health and Addictions

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years, this Prime Minister is not worth the crime and the drugs.

His extreme and radical policies on drugs, supported by the Bloc Québécois, have tripled the number of overdose deaths. In today's Journal de Montréal, we read “Syringes on the ground, degrading scenes and rowdiness: a chaotic setting near a supervised injection site steps away from a Montreal school”.

When will he reverse his radical policies that are causing deaths?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the opioid crisis is terrible and is wreaking havoc across the country. However, what is required in terms of a response is not more Conservative ideology. We need responses that are rooted in compassion and based on health care, science and proven processes.

We will continue to work in partnership with the provinces and the communities to respond to this public health crisis in a rigorous but compassionate manner. That is what Canadians expect.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years, the Prime Minister is not worth the drugs and death. His extreme and radical drug policy has increased overdose deaths in British Columbia by 380%. In the year following his decriminalization of crack, heroin and other hard drugs in hospitals, transit buses, coffee shops and parks where children play, there has been a record-smashing 2,500 deaths.

Will the Prime Minister accept the B.C. NDP's demand to recriminalize those drugs?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I just answered that question.

What has not been answered by the Leader of the Opposition is why he chooses to continue to court extreme right nationalist groups like Diagolon. He refuses to denounce these extremists who do not believe Canadians should coexist with each other. Instead, they call for war and tell people to follow their instincts accordingly.

The leader of the Conservative Party is actively courting the support of groups with white nationalist views. It is disturbing, and he needs to stand up and apologize now.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Colleagues, so soon in question period, it is important that we try to control ourselves.

I will ask the hon. member for St. Albert—Edmonton to please allow members to ask and to respond to questions.

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I always condemn extremism and racism, including from the guy who spent the first half of his adult life as a practising racist, dressing up in hideous racist costumes so many times—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!