Debates of June 10th, 2024

Retirement Congratulations

[Irek Kusmierczyk, Liberal, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in the House of Commons to pay tribute to a legendary teacher, Mr. Gary Rankin, sometimes referred to as “Mr. Riverside”, for his love of teaching. He has been teaching for 23 years, all of them at Riverside Secondary School. I would also like to pay tribute to his work in the Riverside Minor Baseball Association.

At Riverside High School, he coached sports teams, but where he truly left his mark was leading the Riverside student parliament, teaching leaders of tomorrow how Parliament works and what public service is all about. Mr. Rankin retires this year, leaving behind a legacy of community service as a great teacher and a great role model. I know this because three of my staff at my constituency office and on Parliament Hill were once his students.

To Mr. Riverside, we say congratulations on his retirement. It is never “goodbye”, but perhaps, “this House now stands adjourned”.

National Defence

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years, the government has given hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts to their lobbyist friends. The Department of National Defence handed out $72 million in consulting contracts last year alone. This includes the usual recipients, such as McKinsey, which was awarded a total of 13 non-competitive contracts, but that is not all. The Prime Minister's favourite company, SNC-Lavalin, is back. It was once again awarded contracts worth well into the six figures. When questioned about this at the public accounts committee, neither the defence minister nor his officials could answer what these contracts were for.

Meanwhile, our troops are being forced to visit food banks and couch surf, and some have even started GoFundMe campaigns, yet the Liberal-NDP government has handed out millions in contracts to Liberal insiders and friends. Conservatives demand that the government treat our troops with the respect and decency they deserve. In an increasingly dangerous world, it will not be lobbyists who will defend Canada but the brave members of the Canadian Armed Forces, who will be called upon to serve our great nation.

Portuguese Heritage Month

[Peter Fonseca, Liberal, Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in June we come together to celebrate Portuguese Heritage Month, a significant occasion when we acknowledge the remarkable contributions that Portuguese Canadians have made to this great country.

Today, June 10, is Portugal Day, observed both in Portugal and across the globe. As a Portuguese Canadian, this day holds a deep sense of pride and joy for me personally. It is a momentous occasion that allows us to reflect on our shared heritage and commemorate the achievements and traditions of Portugal.

Since the first Portuguese immigrant pioneers to Canada, over the course of these 70-plus years, the descendants of these courageous pioneers have flourished and achieved greatness throughout this magnificent country.

Today, let us take this opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments and honour the rich heritage and seamless integration of the Portuguese community in Canada.

Feliz Dia de Portugal, de Camões e das Comunidades Portuguesas. Viva Canada. Viva Portugal. Obrigado.

Opioids

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

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberal government, Canada's opioid and overdose crisis is raging out of control.

The Prime Minister's solution to the crisis has been to flood our streets with taxpayer-funded drugs marketed as safe. Now a doctor from London, Ontario, where Canada's first safe supply program started, is sounding the alarm.

Dr. Sharon Koivu, who initially supported the program, said that safe supply has “worsened the addiction crisis” in her community. She revealed that safe supply is being diverted and sold to organized crime, and is leading to London having a 40% higher opioid death rate than the rest of Ontario. One of her patients actually moved from his apartment to a tent near a local pharmacy, where safe supply pills were much cheaper and more abundant.

The government is not fixing the opioid crisis. It is actively making it worse. For the good of all Canadians, the Prime Minister must put an end to his radical drug experiment today.

Carbon Tax

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years, poverty and food insecurity are emergencies in Canada. Last year, a record two million Canadians had to visit food banks in a single month. Food Banks Canada says nearly half of Canadians feel financially worse off since last year, and 25% cannot afford to feed themselves. An Alberta food bank reported that four times more working people have to access help than in 2022. Across Canada, one in five people says they or someone they know used a food bank in the last year.

However, the NDP-Liberals still plan to quadruple their inflationary carbon tax over the next six years. The budget watchdog already proved their carbon tax is not worth the cost and drives up the price of everything for everyone. The majority of people are worse off with the carbon tax, but the Prime Minister will not listen. Like before, he is covering up reports that show the carbon tax's real cost to Canadians.

Only common-sense Conservatives will axe the tax, for all for good, and bring home lower prices so Canadians can afford to eat, house, heat, cool and drive themselves, essentials in Canada.

French Language Learning

[Tim Louis, Liberal, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have been studying French for three years now and I just want to say that it is never too late to learn.

I want to thank my teacher, Jacinthe Parisé, and all the teachers helping us here in Parliament learn French or English. I also want to thank the interpreters who work hard to share their talent and help us communicate with one another. I appreciate their patience with my pronunciation.

I am proud that Canada is a bilingual country, and I encourage everyone to learn French or English. If I can do it, anyone can. We should never stop learning. I am proud to have delivered this message in French.

Peter Rosenthal

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour the life well lived of the brilliant mathematician, civil rights lawyer, professor and peace movement activist Mr. Peter Rosenthal, who passed away on May 25 at the age of 82.

Mr. Rosenthal is remembered in the words of our mutual friend Max:

Peter Rosenthal worked two very demanding full-time jobs. He came to Canada to teach Mathematics at the University of Toronto in the 1960s, but once he arrived, spent an equal amount of time fighting against injustice as a social justice lawyer through our legal system. In his legal career, he'd take on pro bono cases, representing the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, victims of police brutality, and other marginalized groups of society.

Peter remained humble, treating everyone he met with kindness and curiosity, and never let his politics get in the way of his friendships. He was beloved by his family....

To honour Peter's life, please take a moment to delight in the beauty of mathematics, and speak out against injustice wherever you find it.

David Labrecque

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

Mr. Speaker, in March, the extraordinary and dynamic David Labrecque announced that he was retiring after 35 years as an educator. For the past 10 years, he was executive director of the Alphonse-Desjardins Sports Centre. At the time, I wished him a happy and restful retirement and said that he could look forward to spending time in his garden.

However, following a brief three-week retirement, in a dramatic twist, on April 3, the organizing committee for the 59th Quebec Games in Trois-Rivières—which will take place from July 25 to August 2, 2025—announced the appointment of David Labrecque as executive director. With David at the helm, everyone can rest assured that the games will run smoothly.

I would like to congratulate the president of the Quebec Games in Trois-Rivières, Martin Leblanc, and his team on this excellent appointment. Good luck, David.

Foreign Interference

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, one of the most basic responsibilities of any government is to protect the country from foreign threats. On this, the Prime Minister has been a complete failure. Last week, an intelligence report stated that an unknown number of parliamentarians have been “'witting' participants” in foreign interference in Canadian politics. What is even worse, though, is that the Prime Minister has known about these allegations for years and has done absolutely nothing about it. He has had years to establish a process to get to the bottom of which MPs have betrayed Canada and put in place a fair process for those accused while protecting intelligence sources. Instead, he has been quite happy to sit back and let it all happen. This is unacceptable.

To maintain faith and trust in our democratic institutions, Canadians need the truth. That is why common-sense Conservatives are demanding that the government expand the scope of the foreign interference public inquiry to receive all documents and information and reveal the names of which MPs have sold out their country. The Prime Minister and his Liberals might not have a problem with MPs' working for other countries, but Conservatives do, and we are going to do everything we can to get Canadians the truth.

Gino: A Child of War

[Francesco Sorbara, Liberal, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Speaker, today the movie Gino: A Child of War premieres on Parliament Hill. I would like to invite all Canadians to join us and discover the story of Gino Farnetti-Bragaglia. Gino's heart-wrenching yet inspiring journey sheds light on the boundless hope and resilience of the human spirit amid the chaos of war.

This five-year-old boy from Torrice, Italy had his life upended by the ravages of World War II. In June 1944, compassionate members of the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps conducting resupply tasks found a famished young Italian boy close to the battle ruins. For the next 10 months, Gino found shelter, nourishment and care among his Canadian guardians.

The movie highlights the shared heritage and enduring strength that define and connect Canada and Italy. It honours the brave Canadian men and women in uniform who fight for freedom and democracy, past and present. In honouring Gino's story, we celebrate the values of duty, compassion and courage as demonstrated by the Canadian soldiers, the perseverance that unites us and the freedom we enjoy today, thanks to the sacrifices of the past.

Democratic Institutions

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

Mr. Speaker, last week we learned, courtesy of the report released by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, that members were “‘semi-witting or witting’ participants in the efforts of foreign states to interfere in our politics.” This is an extremely troubling revelation, and that is why we must know who these members are who are colluding with hostile foreign powers.

Will the Prime Minister reveal the names of these members and the unacceptable actions alleged against them? Yes or no?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

I am a little surprised. The person sitting next to him, his House leader, sent me a letter over the weekend suggesting that these questions be addressed to the Hogue commission, and that this was the appropriate forum with the precautions that are in place.

Today the House is debating a motion from our friends in the Bloc Québécois that we are going to support. I think this is an important time for Parliament. We must come together and support the work of the Hogue commission, and that is exactly what we plan on doing.

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect their elected representatives here and their senators to work in their interest. I am pleased to hear the minister's response, but I would like him to confirm whether the Prime Minister will officially submit to Justice Hogue the names of the MPs, or perhaps the senators, who have been implicated in disseminating intelligence to hostile states.

Will he give the names, yes or no?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I will reiterate that our colleague should consult the person sitting to his left. He knows full well that the Hogue commission has access to precisely this type of information. The Hogue commission has access to all the records that the committee of parliamentarians consulted.

Privy Council officials have already been in contact with the Hogue commission precisely to discuss how we can move forward on this. That is the responsible way to proceed. The member knows full well that it is irresponsible to rise in the House and ask that a list of names be disclosed. We will not do that.

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

Mr. Speaker, certain members of this House acted in the best interest of hostile foreign regimes interfering in Canada's democracy. This is a disgusting betrayal of Canadians who elected us to represent them in this place. We as MPs are supposed to serve Canadians, not foreign hostile actors.

Why is the Liberal-NDP government fighting to protect the names of MPs collaborating in the best interest of hostile foreign regimes and not Canadians?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I will repeat what I said a moment ago in French. We agree with members of this House that the appropriate forum to look at these matters is the commission that is already set up and operating, set up, I would remind colleagues, with the unanimous support of all parties in this House. The Hogue commission has access to all of the documents that the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians looked at. Officials from the Privy Council Office have already been in touch with the Hogue commission to determine the best way forward.

We think that is a responsible way to proceed, not simply standing up and illegally announcing a list of names, like my colleague suggests.

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

Mr. Speaker, “boo hoo, get over it” was the most disgusting response from the cover-up coalition. The government turned a blind eye to foreign interference to protect its own partisan interests. It refused to hand over documents to that commission. Now it will not release the names of the MPs in this House doing dirty work for foreign hostile regimes. Canadians need to know who these MPs are.

Is the Liberal-NDP government really going to let sitting members of this House working against the interests of Canadians run in the next election?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, the government will be supporting the motion before the House today, brought by the Bloc Québécois, asking the Hogue commission to examine this very matter. We think that is the appropriate way to do it.

The Conservatives are pretending that one can stand up and release a list of names. I asked the deputy commissioner of the RCMP, Mark Flynn, this morning, what would happen if I stood up and announced a list of names, like my colleagues are asking me to do. He said I would be subject to criminal prosecution. Guess what? I am not going to do that.

Carbon Pricing

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

Mr. Speaker, Liberals have had years to do something, and they have done nothing.

Speaking of cover-ups, there is another one. Last week, the Parliamentary Budget Officer revealed that the government is hiding a secret carbon tax report that proves a majority of Canadians pay more into this scam than what they get back in these phony rebates, but the Liberal-NDP government did what it does best. It put a gag order on the PBO, keeping the truth from Canadians.

When will the Liberal-NDP cover-up coalition lift the gag order and release the report to confirm what Canadians already know, which is that the Prime Minister and his carbon tax scam are not worth the cost?

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Once again, I am going to remind members to please not take the floor unless they are recognized to speak so that we can hear the questions and the answers.

The hon. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, we respect the work of the PBO, who provides independent analysis on the government. Conservatives, unfortunately, are misleading Canadians yet again. Our government has supported, and will continue to support, the Parliamentary Budget Officer to fulfill his role in his office. The report correctly confirmed that eight out of 10 Canadians get more money back in the rebate than they pay in a fuel charge. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has said that carbon pricing is the least disruptive measure to use to fight climate change.

Instead of misleading Canadians, Conservatives should take math classes over the summer and should come up with a real plan for the economy and for climate change.

Democratic Institutions

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today we are debating a Bloc Québécois motion seeking to expand the Hogue commission's terms of reference to allow it to also investigate members of the House of Commons working on behalf of foreign interests.

Why did we move this motion? Because the Liberals consistently lack leadership on the interference file. They are always playing catch-up and, frankly, they should be embarrassed that the Bloc Québécois has had to take this initiative again today. They are the government in power.

Why do they always have to get backed into a corner before taking action on foreign interference?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I have good news. The work I did with my colleague and the other House leaders last summer has resulted in the Hogue commission.

We believe that the terms of reference we negotiated with our friend from La Prairie allows the commission to do precisely the work that the Bloc Québécois motion calls for.

We will support the motion in tomorrow's vote. We will work with the Hogue commission precisely to determine the best way to proceed.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last week, during question period, when I asked what the government was going to do to ensure that no one in the House is working for a foreign power, the Deputy Prime Minister responded by talking about the interest rates.

The Bloc Québécois cares about this issue and is concerned about this threat to democracy and here she comes out with her useless spin. That speaks volumes about the Liberals' lack of seriousness. They are not taking this seriously. The threat is very serious.

Will the government offer its full collaboration to the Hogue commission once its terms of reference have been expanded?

Democracy depends on it.