Debates of April 8th, 2024

Housing

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, is the Bloc Québécois against investing in housing in Quebec, against investing in our child care centres and against making sure that young children in Quebec are going to school with full bellies instead of empty ones? If so, then they can do like the Conservatives and vote against our proposals.

In any case, the Bloc Québécois and the Conservatives have become one and the same today. They have become the “Conservative Bloc”.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister had the nerve to add that, if the provinces do not want to accept his conditions, “they don't have to take our [federal] money”. That is called blackmail.

It is not federal money; there is no such thing as federal money. It is Quebeckers' money.

This government is incapable of doing its own job, and it has no right to deny Quebeckers their share of the money they pay in taxes.

The Prime Minister does not have the right to hold Quebeckers' tax money hostage. Will he smarten up or will he pay the political price?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is not the Government of Quebec. We talk to the Government of Quebec.

Quebec's minister responsible for Canadian relations said this week that he believes we can work out win-win agreements. That is what he thinks, that is what the Government of Quebec thinks, and that is what we think. It is a win for Quebec and a win for Quebeckers. It is just not a win for the Bloc Québécois.

Again, let them do as their Conservative friends, cousins and brothers are doing. They are now one and the same. They are the Conservative Bloc.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, do we know how much money the Conservatives gave away to big corporations when they were in power? They gave away $60 billion in free money. Imagine what we could have done with $60 billion. Instead of giving it as corporate handouts, we could have built a million affordable homes.

The Liberals love to criticize the Conservatives, but they have maintained those same corporate handouts.

Will they stop the free ride for CEOs? Will they stop the $60 billion in Conservative corporate handouts, start investing to build homes that people can afford and start building a life that people can afford?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, fairness is extremely important for Canadians. It is important that we are building a society that is socially just, that is prosperous and that is environmentally sustainable. Our budget is going to focus on building more homes faster, making life more affordable for Canadians and growing an economy for the future. We are very proud of the work we are doing. We are certainly ensuring that fairness informs everything that we do.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I noticed that the Liberals had nothing to say about the Conservative corporate handouts that they maintain.

The last time the Conservatives were in power, big corporations got a big fat gift: a $60‑billion blank cheque. It is a gift that the Liberals keep on giving.

That money could have built millions of affordable homes. That is the price of voting Conservative.

Will the Prime Minister commit today to reversing this $60‑billion gift, yes or no?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, it is very important to invest in building a greater number of more affordable housing units more quickly.

We have been making the investments necessary to ensure that we can solve the housing crisis. We are working at the same time to help grow the economy as we put money on the table, as we announced this week, to create an acquisition fund for non-profits that are going to maintain affordability permanently. That is on top of the affordable housing fund, which is investing billions of dollars to put a roof over the heads of the most vulnerable.

We will do what it takes to make sure everyone in this country has a safe and affordable place to call home.

Carbon Pricing

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Mr. Speaker, last week, the woke Prime Minister hiked his carbon tax scam 23% despite a majority of Canadians wanting him to spike the hike. As we see record-smashing food bank usage across the country, farmers will pay another billion dollars into this scam, making groceries even more expensive. After eight years, the Liberal-NDP government is not worth the cost or corruption.

Will the Prime Minister finally axe the tax for farmers and food and pass Bill C-234 in its original form in next week's budget, or is his agenda to push even more families into food banks?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to know whether members of the Conservative Party who come from Alberta have paid particular attention to what Premier Danielle Smith said about the Canada carbon rebate. She said that she manages the finances of her own house, and it turns out that the Canada carbon rebate gives her family more money than she puts into the price on pollution. Guess what? She lives in rural Alberta, so she gets even more.

That is the plan. I do not know what the heck they are talking about.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Mr. Speaker, what we would like to know is what his next job is, because after the next election, he and his carbon tax scam will be gone.

Now there are six premiers who are demanding a carbon tax meeting because they all know that, after eight years, the NDP-Liberal government is like the carbon tax scam and not worth the cost.

Why is the Prime Minister hiding? Why does he not show some guts and call the meeting so the premiers can tell him to shove his carbon tax where his poll numbers are: in the gutter?

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

I know we have been away for a couple of weeks and we were looking forward to seeing each other, but let us try to keep our comments as reasonable as possible.

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, it is nice to see how focused that particular MP is on me and my career. Guess what? My colleagues on this side of the aisle and I are focused on the people of Edmonton Centre. We are focused on Albertans and on Canadians, making sure that they can pay their bills, making sure they have good jobs, making sure they are fighting climate change and have a national school program.

What the Conservatives are doing is just bluff, bluster and lots of hot air. We are going to be here fighting for Canadians each and every day.

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal-NDP government, the cost of living is out of control. Farmers are suffering and food has become unaffordable because of the carbon tax. Almost two million Canadians are going to the food bank every single month, yet on April 1, the Liberal-NDP government increased the carbon tax by 23%.

Will the Prime Minister stop punishing Canadians and farmers and pass Bill C-234 in its original form?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I do think it is time that the Conservative Party stopped trying to mislead Canadians. The price on pollution is an effective mechanism for reducing carbon emissions, and eight out of 10 Canadian families get more money back, a fact that was underlined by 200 economists across this country who said it is the most efficient and most effective way to reduce emissions that ensures we address affordability. In fact, Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe last week said that he explored alternatives to the carbon price but he found they were too expensive. My goodness, we have been saying that for years.

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians cannot afford to live because of the carbon tax. Common-sense Conservatives will axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime.

After eight years of the Liberal-NDP government, rent and mortgages have doubled. The Liberal-NDP government is just not worth the cost or the corruption.

Will the Prime Minister commit to immediately passing Bill C-234 in its original form, cancel the carbon tax and once again make life affordable for Canadians?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, this is the fundamental problem with the remade Conservative Party, where policy is based on ideology and ignores all of the facts. Two hundred economists from across this country underline that the price on pollution enhances affordability for those on modest incomes and addresses climate change in an effective manner. Even Scott Moe and Danielle Smith have said that.

These folks, these climate-denying Conservatives, sit on their hands. It is time they listened to people who actually know what they are talking about, and they should abandon their plan to simply let the planet burn.

Housing

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last week I was in Trois‑Rivières, a city with a vacancy rate of 0.4%. A new report by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, or CMHC, shows that construction is going to plummet over the coming year. CMHC therefore expects that demand will drive up the cost of housing. That is outrageous.

Does the Prime Minister realize that people are going to end up on the street because of his senseless policies?

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is quite right to call attention to the cost and affordability of housing, including in the Quebec City area. That is why it is so surprising that the Conservatives oppose our investments in affordable housing, including social housing in the Quebec City area.

First, they may have noticed that we announced just a few weeks ago that we are going to meet affordable housing construction objectives in the Quebec City area for the first time since 2011. Second, as far as I know, they have yet to apologize for the accusations of incompetence and the insults they hurled at Quebec municipalities, including the City of Quebec.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, over the past week, we have seen nothing but photo ops.

It is worth reminding the minister that the current programs are being announced as if they are brand new, but they have been around since 2017. Since 2017, practically nothing has been done with these programs. Once again, the Liberals are resorting to photo ops in an effort to raise their profile, but it is not working. All we have seen for eight years is out-of-control spending.

Will the Prime Minister finally listen to the Governor of the Bank of Canada and stop his out-of-control spending, which is only driving up inflation and interest rates?

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

Mr. Speaker, if my colleague is looking for photo ops, I invite him to come with me to visit the housing project in his riding called Le Monterosso. He has not been seen in the last few weeks, since the project was announced. That was mentioned during the press conference with mayor Bruno Marchand.

The member seems to be forgetting that hundreds of housing units have been built in his own riding, versus the six affordable housing units that his Conservative leader built across the entire country during his time as housing minister.

[Denis Trudel, Bloc, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, if Ottawa wanted to speed up housing construction in Quebec, it would give Quebec the money for housing.

We are ready. We have our own permanent programs. We are actually the only ones in Canada who do. The Liberals could easily announce an unconditional transfer, but no, they are threatening to withhold that money from Quebec if it refuses to accept their conditions and fights with the federal government until 2025. We are in the midst of a housing crisis. People want housing, they do not want a fight with the federal government.

Why not just give Quebec its share, with no strings attached, so we can get to work now, not in 2025?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is looking for a fight, but I am looking for a solution. He was asking that same question before the housing accelerator fund. We talked and negotiated, and now we have a $1.8‑billion agreement to build affordable housing in all the provinces.

We will keep making the necessary investments to fix the housing crisis in Quebec and across the country.

[Denis Trudel, Bloc, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this is not just a question of jurisdiction; it is more serious than that.

When the feds get involved, the delays pile up. What the Prime Minister is saying is true: Quebeckers who are struggling to find housing want governments to work together. That said, the federal government is not working with anyone. Even before we heard the details of their measures, the Liberals announced that they are willing to pick a fight over this until January 2025 in order to impose their conditions.

Who exactly is that helping right now? How does it help anyone to know that there will not be any housing starts before 2025 because the federal government refuses to work as part of a team?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague spoke about picking a fight. Bloc Québécois members are the all-time champions of picking fights. They live and breathe to bicker and fight. That is their raison d'être, trying to drag Ottawa into a fight when we are working with Quebec.

I have said it before: We invest in housing, they vote with the Conservatives. We invest in day care, they vote with the Conservatives. We are investing to ensure our kids do not go to school hungry, they vote with the Conservatives.

This is the latest alliance: the “Conservative Bloc”.

[Denis Trudel, Bloc, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, 5.8 million housing units are needed by 2030, and the Liberals still find time to pick a fight, instead of taking action.

If their priority was to speed up housing construction, they would give the money to Quebec City. That is why many people are wondering whether the Liberal priority is to speed up the construction of housing or whether it is really to slow down how fast they are plummeting in the polls. A new Liberal housing announcement means taking Quebeckers hostage, people who are struggling to find housing with their own money, for electioneering purposes.

In the midst of a housing crisis, is this what it means for the Liberals to have their priorities straight?