Debates of June 19th, 2024

Housing

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, permits take three times longer to get in Canada than in the U.S. and in the U.K. In the last two years, in Toronto, the wait time has gone from 21 months to 32 months, all while the Prime Minister has given that bureaucracy $500 million to subsidize its building-blocking bureaucracy.

Why will he not follow my common-sense plan to require municipalities to permit 15% more housing completions as a condition of getting their federal funds?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, let us be very clear. The Conservative leader has no plan to address the housing crisis. When he was housing minister under the Harper government, he had no plan to address the housing crisis. That government decided to get out of any federal engagement in housing, and we are seeing those consequences even 10 years later.

The reality is that his plan to reimpose GST on apartment building construction would slow down apartment building construction. His plan to withdraw funds that are needed for densification of permitting would slow down housing construction. That is not what Canadians need.

Forestry Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, with some help from the Conservatives, the woodland caribou is at risk of extinction. That must not happen. However, thousands of forestry jobs are also at risk of extinction, with some help from the Liberals. Our forests are one of Quebec's most ecological and important assets.

I cannot accept either prospect. Does the Prime Minister agree that the woodland caribou issue is a test of our ability to reconcile the creation of wealth with the environment? Does he agree to let Quebec, the forestry industry and indigenous peoples negotiate a solution together?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, over the past 10 years, from the time before we took office, the Government of Canada has been working hard to help the Government of Quebec come up with a plan to protect the caribou and achieve our common objectives of protecting the environment and jobs.

The federal government remains ready to work with and assist the Quebec government while it implements measures to ensure the species' recovery as part of a comprehensive strategy.

We remain ready to support local communities, jobs and, of course, Quebec's dynamic economy.

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

Mr. Speaker, if the government imposes decrees, that will lead to economic disaster for the forest industry. If Quebec does not reach an agreement with the industry, environmentalists, indigenous peoples, unions and municipalities, the woodland caribou will disappear.

The Conservatives claim to be fixing this, but in a year and a half, businesses will already be closed, the species will be more at risk and jobs will be lost.

I do not know what the Prime Minister will say, but I will say this. The Bloc Québécois and I will commit to finding negotiated and agreed-upon solutions to support the Quebec government, which has exclusive jurisdiction over forestry.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we agree that we need to work hand in hand with Quebec. That is exactly what we have been doing for years. Various federal governments over the past 10 years have been committed to protecting the woodland caribou, while also protecting communities and jobs.

We are here to work in partnership with Quebec, but after so many years, we had to demonstrate that we are a state governed by the rule of law and that we respect our own laws on the protection of species at risk. That is what all Quebeckers and all Canadians expect.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, it is rather ironic to see the Bloc Québécois looking for the federal government to play a role in an area of provincial jurisdiction. The Bloc MP from Matane said that the federal government has the right to get involved and to sacrifice forestry jobs. What is more, if the Bloc Québécois had not voted confidence in the government and kept this Prime Minister in power, this decree would not have existed in the first place.

The Conservatives are going to reverse this decree to protect the jobs and to allow the government to protect nature and the industry. That is common sense to us.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, day after day, the Conservative Party is showing us that it does not understand that the only way to build a healthy economy for Canadians for years to come is also to protect the environment. It refuses to accept any responsibility for protecting the environment.

The other parties in the House and the vast majority of Canadians understand very well that we have to work to protect the environment and work to protect the economy. It is just the Conservatives who made the choice to abandon the environment and Canadians' future.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Quebec nation is capable of protecting nature and jobs without interference from this incompetent Liberal Bloc government here in Ottawa. We believe that we can do both, but it is up to the Government of Quebec to decide how to protect nature. There are now 30,000 jobs at stake.

Will the Prime Minister rescind his Liberal minister's radical decree?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, this so-called radical decree is based on a bill proposed by the prime minister that all experts say did the most to protect the environment in Canada. I am talking about former prime minister Brian Mulroney, a Progressive Conservative. It is unfortunate to see the Conservative Party abandoning something that the Progressive Conservatives understood very well. They understood that we can only build a strong economy by protecting the environment. Brian Mulroney demonstrated that time and time again over the course of his career. Now, the Conservatives have forgotten all that and are attacking the planet and our future.

Public Services and Procurement

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Brian Mulroney knew that protecting the environment had nothing to do with raising taxes and eliminating jobs.

Moving on to the Liberal scandals, the RCMP commissioner just confirmed that there are now six active criminal investigations into contracts awarded by the NDP-Liberal government. That is on top of the $60-million arrive scam app, which saw $20 million go to two contractors who work out of their basement and do not even do IT work.

Will the Prime Minister promise to personally co-operate with this criminal investigation so that Canadians can know where their money went?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the situation is obviously unacceptable, which is why authorities are looking into the procurement process. Anyone who took advantage of our COVID responses to save Canadian lives should face consequences. All federal contracts with these companies have been suspended as the investigations continue.

The Economy

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the pandemic and the war in Europe have caused a global inflationary crisis. Our government has endeavoured to curb inflation, and our plan is working. Canada was the first G7 nation to lower its interest rates. The only thing that the Conservatives know how to do is make cuts.

Can the Prime Minister tell us our plan for making life more affordable for Canadians?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Ottawa—Vanier for her question and for her hard work.

Too many Canadians are struggling with the cost of living. That is why Canadians need a government that has their backs. That is why we are investing in programs like dental care, pharmacare, child care, and the Canada child benefit, which is going out to millions of families tomorrow.

Every step of the way, the Conservatives have tried to stop us from supporting Canadians. Despite their empty slogans, they do not care about Canadians, just themselves.

Government Priorities

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, speaking of taking care of their friends, the Prime Minister has literally doubled the amount spent on outside consultants, all the way up to $21 billion a year. That works out to $1,400 per family in taxes, just to fund federal government consultants. One of them is $200 million to the Prime Minister's famous consulting firm, McKinsey. It is no wonder that Canadians are forced to pay higher taxes. Will the Prime Minister finally put an end to this costly, self-licking ice cream cone and stop sending the bill to Canadians?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the only Canadians we are asking to pay a little more are those who have been very successful in these past years and are able to make more than $250,000 in profit from selling off investments. These are things that we think we can be asking of Canadians who have been successful, to support Canadians who need a little more help, whether it is with the most ambitious housing plan this country has ever seen; whether it is dental care that has already delivered supports, in just eight weeks, to 200,000 seniors; or whether it is more spaces in child care. However, the Conservatives continue to protect the wealthiest instead of supporting Canadians.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, that is a bit rich, coming from him as he raises taxes on single moms for the crime of driving to the grocery store, while he treats himself to a jet-setting experience where the food on the plane of a six-day trip was $220,000: beef brisket, parsley potatoes with truffle oil, beef tenderloin with port wine sauce, braised lamb shanks and even cheesecake with pistachio brittle. With Canadians lined up at the food bank, what is on the menu for the Prime Minister this summer?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative leader continues to use cheap attacks and slogans while he tries to hide from the fact that he is standing with the wealthiest Canadians and against the idea of their paying a little more so that young Canadians can buy a home, so that seniors can get their teeth fixed, so that young families can find a place in child care. These are the investments we are making that the Conservatives are standing against. We will continue to deliver for Canadians who need them, while the Conservative leader chooses to protect the interests of his wealthy friends.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, there is nothing cheap about the $220,000 that the Prime Minister spent on one trip, for food alone.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I will let the hon. Leader of the Opposition ask his question. I am going to ask all members to please keep their voices down.

The hon. Leader of the Opposition, from the top.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, there is nothing cheap about the Prime Minister's spending $220,000 for food alone on a six-day jet-setting tour for himself. All the while, homelessness is up 38%. Toronto has 256 homeless encampments, where one in 10 people in that city are now eating at food banks. They join two million Canadians. The good news is that life was not like this before this Prime Minister, and it will not be like this after he is gone. Can we not have a carbon tax election now to choose a government that would axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime?

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Order.

The right hon. Prime Minister.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, once again, we see the extent of—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!