Debates of June 5th, 2024

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

It being Wednesday, we will now have the singing of the national anthem. The singing of O Canada will be done by the pages today.

[Pages sang the national anthem]

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

If only the pages could do that every Wednesday, it would be great. I thank all the pages.

I do want to quickly thank them for all of their hard work. I know we have only a few weeks left with them. There is a big gang of them here, and I just want to thank each and every one of them for their participation in the program and for the great work they have done during this season.

St. Augustine Catholic School STEM Finalists

[Paul Chiang, Liberal, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is with great honour that I highlight the excellence of the students, faculty and staff of St. Augustine Catholic School. Their hard work and commitment to combatting climate change has earned them a qualification as one of the five final schools in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest.

The team proposed a Canada-made contrail project model, which focuses on flight paths and jet fuel in order to inhibit the industry's impact on climate change. Their outstanding efforts, which are devoted to promoting sustainable airline practices, bring pride to Markham.

I congratulate these young minds for their innovation, as it serves as an inspiration to all of Canada in the fight against climate change. It brings me great joy to recognize their exceptional achievement as they are stepping into the final stage of this competition. I congratulate St. Augustine Catholic school for bringing Markham a bright and promising future.

National Roofing Week

[Dean Allison, Conservative, Niagara West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this week is National Roofing Week, and I would like to thank the folks at the Canadian Roofing Contractors Association for their hard work and dedication to their craft. We always want to make sure that roofers and other tradespeople are acknowledged and celebrated for their contributions to our country.

Roofers do not just replace and repair roofs; their work protects our homes, our workplaces and our families with cutting-edge technology, which many of us could learn more about. This roofing week, we want to raise awareness about the importance of this proudly Red Seal trade, which is also an essential part of the larger building trades sector. The roofing industry provides well-paying jobs for thousands of Canadian families and contributes billions to our economy.

From harsh winters to hot summers, roofers make sure that we are protected in all types of weather conditions. Roofers do not just seek applause or medals; their reward lies in the satisfaction of a job well done. I want to thank the folks in the roofing industry and in the larger building trades sector for the work they do. I assure them that Conservatives will always have their back.

Unknown Newfoundland Soldier

[Yvonne Jones, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honour the return of the unknown Newfoundland soldier, who bravely fought in the First World War from 1914 to 1918. This hero is finally home and will be laid to rest on July 1 at the base of the National War Memorial in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.

This is a solemn occasion for all of us, as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, and as Canadians, to come together to pay tribute to the sacrifice and to remember the courage of all who served. During a recent trip to France, it was an honour to stand where they once stood, to read their stories and to pray at their graves, many with markers known only to God. We remember Labrador's son John Shiwak, who fought there in 1915, and many others from our great province who fought with bravery and valour.

The repatriation is a testament to the struggle and sacrifice endured by these brave individuals and to the significant role that Newfoundland played in the Great War. I want to recognize the veterans and advocates who made it possible, including Berkley Lawrence, Frank Sullivan, Gerald Budden and all others for their dedicated work.

The unknown soldier is home in Newfoundland, representing all of those from our province who fought in the Great War. We will remember them. We will honour them.

Member for Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d'Orléans—Charlevoix

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to tell the House about the award received by my colleague, the member for Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d'Orléans—Charlevoix.

This year, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission presented her with a water warrior award for being a parliamentarian whose work and advocacy has contributed to the health of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River.

The title suits her perfectly. This MP and artist was born in Isle-aux-Coudres on the St. Lawrence River. Her grandfather was the captain of a ship on that same waterway, and she named her first album of songs Sortir de l'eau, or out of the water. The fact that a commission that is jointly administered by the Canadian and U.S. federal governments decided to honour a member of the Bloc Québécois speaks volumes about her commitment and about the quality of her interventions in committee. In any case, this will serve as an excellent reference for her when Quebec joins this commission as a member state.

Congratulations to our colleague, our water warrior.

Italian Heritage Month

[Patricia Lattanzio, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Italian Canadians' positive contributions to our country are apparent from coast to coast to coast, and more so in my riding of Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel.

Whether in our small businesses or in multinationals that have set up shop here, Italian talent and know-how shine throughout our community and our country. As the daughter of Italian-Canadian parents, I am very proud to celebrate Italian Heritage Month.

Now is the time to recognize and celebrate the rich legacy that our parents and grandparents left for us with their hard work and love for this country that has become theirs and that so many Canadians have come to know and appreciate.

From innovation to business, art, music and cuisine, our family traditions endure through us and continue to contribute each day to Canada's great cultural mosaic.

[Member spoke in Italian]

Graduation Congratulations

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, today it is my great pleasure to rise and congratulate the graduating class of 2024. Congratulations to the graduates on reaching this very important milestone in their lives.

From the beginning of kindergarten to the end of grade 12, they have grown into adults who are ready to take on the many opportunities and challenges that they will face going forward. The skills that graduates have learned and developed throughout their education will set them up to excel in whatever career path they choose to pursue. Their teachers, coaches, classmates and friends have all added to the strong individuals they have become. School is not just about academics but is also about the all-important life lessons and experiences graduates have gained while navigating their first 18 years.

Congratulations to the graduating classes of 2024 in Regina—Lewvan schools: Sheldon-Williams Collegiate, Luther College, Riffel high school, Winston Knoll Collegiate and Martin Collegiate. We look forward to seeing how they, as future leaders, will contribute to our great province and our country.

Maharaja Jassa Singh Ramgarhia

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this past Sunday at the Gurdwara Sahib Brookside Canadian Ramgarhia Society in Surrey—Newton, I attended the 301st birthday celebration of Maharaja Jassa Singh Ramgarhia.

In the 18th century under the banner of the Dal Khalsa, which was a confederacy of Sikh military units, Maharaja Jassa Singh Ramgarhia was a distinguished military strategist who left a lasting mark on Sikh history. His leadership was characterized by strategic brilliance and a strong commitment to defending Sikh interests.

I want to thank Gurdwara Sahib Brookside Canadian Ramgarhia Society president, Balbir Singh Chana; public relations person and past president, Surinder Singh Jabal; and all its members for their unwavering dedication to building a better, more inclusive community for all.

Portuguese Heritage Month

[Julie Dzerowicz, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it has been 71 years since a group of Portuguese immigrants arrived on a boat named Saturnia, docking at Pier 21 in Halifax. Today, Portuguese Canadians are almost half a million strong, representing one of the largest Portuguese diasporas in the world. Living in vibrant communities across Canada, they are builders, musicians, athletes, business leaders, chefs, teachers and politicians, among many other professions.

Through their perseverance and hard work, Portuguese Canadians have enriched Canadian society and have transformed Canada into not only a better country but also one that profoundly reflects our unique diversity and multiculturalism.

As the member of Parliament for Davenport, the riding with the largest number of Portuguese Canadians, I am proud to rise in the House today to celebrate the beginning of Portuguese Heritage Month in Canada. Whether it is by listening to Fado, drinking vinho verde, or eating a bifana or pastéis de nata, I invite all Canadians to join me in celebrating Portuguese culture this month.

Feliz mês de Portugal.

Carbon Tax

[Marty Morantz, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB]

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, the Prime Minister's own budget watchdog told the finance committee that the government has a secret economic impact analysis that confirms his conclusion that Canadians pay more than they get back in phony carbon rebate cheques. However, the Prime Minister has put a gag order on the Parliamentary Budget Officer, muzzling him from speaking about the secret report, and covering up the truth.

Now we know that the Prime Minister is intentionally hiding the truth about the carbon tax from Canadians. Instead of being open by default as he promised in 2015, and instead of being transparent with Canadians, the Prime Minister has intentionally hidden facts, stonewalled opposition and gaslit Canadians about the truth of the Liberals' policies, which is that the carbon tax makes everything more expensive for everyone and does nothing to help the environment.

Will the Prime Minister take the muzzle off the independent Parliamentary Budget Officer so Canadians know the truth once and for all? The Prime Minister is not worth the cost of the cover-up. It is time for a common-sense Conservative government that would axe the tax and be honest with Canadians.

Housing

[Shafqat Ali, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when the Conservative leader was housing minister, he built only six affordable units. Our government is focused on building affordable homes. Under two years ago, I joined the housing minister and the local government officials to announce rapid housing initiative funding: $53 million for three projects, 110 affordable homes for Peel and $30 million to convert a hotel into homes for Brampton. Two weeks ago, I participated in the grand opening of Birch Place, a housing project with 67 affordable rental units.

Our government is getting shovels in the ground. The Conservative leader has no plan. He does not care about building homes for Canadians. We are focused on working with local governments to build more homes for Canadians.

Ethics

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General's report on the Liberal green slush fund is shocking.

Liberal cronies overseeing the slush fund voted 186 times to send taxpayer money to companies they own. That represents over 40% of the projects approved. Even worse is that the Liberal swindlers gave themselves $76 million and hid their conflict from the meetings. The rot started from the top when, in 2019, the Liberals knowingly appointed a person whom the green slush fund was already doing business with to head up the board. They were warned, but they appointed their conflicted cronies anyway.

Tonight, Liberals have a chance to come clean. The former Liberal minister and PMO staffers responsible for hand-picking these slush fund swindlers will testify before committee to explain why they knowingly appointed Liberals with conflicts and did nothing when they funnelled themselves taxpayer money.

As Canadians struggle to pay the bills, Liberal cronies get rich on taxpayer money. Only common-sense Conservatives will stop the Liberal corruption and bring back common sense to Ottawa.

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Ethics Commissioner confirmed he would reopen his investigation into the business dealings of the Liberal Minister of Employment. The minister is the owner of a numbered company that holds a 50% share in Global Health Imports, where he served as a partner before his election in 2021.

This company is involved in numerous criminal offences, including fraud. Global News reported text messages from the minister's former business partner, Stephen Anderson, that show a mysterious “Randy” directing business operations in September 2022, a time when the Minister of Employment with the same name was prohibited from taking any role with the company.

The minister has claimed that he has no knowledge of the identity of this other Randy. However, a whistle-blower has revealed that the Randy in question was a partner, a public official and, in fact, the Minister of Employment. The minister's business associates could easily put this scandal to rest by telling us the identity of this mysterious other Randy. However, they refuse to reveal his true identity. Why will the minister not tell us who this other Randy is, what his last name is and whether he is in the room at this very moment?

Birthday Congratulations

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this week we are celebrating the 100th birthday of my grandfather, a man who is imbued with audacity, unwavering positivity and spirituality. Sardaar Kundan Singh was born in 1924, at a time when equality for women was non-existent; however, this did not deter him. Not only did he educate his sons, but he was also one of the first people in his city to put all four of his daughters through university. He faced immense pressure from friends, family and neighbours wanting to dissuade him. He did not waver, and because of his determination, other families started doing the same.

His fight for the rights of women has been continuous all throughout his life. I am where I am today because of him. He set the example for us on how to live with dignity and self-respect, to always have a sense of humour and to stay in high spirits no matter the circumstances. He is my heart and soul. Even though he lost his vision earlier this year, and he cannot see me, he is listening to me give him the most beautiful honour that I can. I love Papaji to the moon and back.

Emergency Preparedness

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the government is playing with fire. Last week, it was reported that the chief of defence staff, Wayne Eyre, complained that the use of military personnel to assist in wildfire operations is wickedly wasteful. Is it wickedly wasteful at a time of a climate emergency?

As a Manitoban, I know just how much of a difference the Canadian military has made in fighting major floods and wildfires when all other resources have been exhausted. Now, when we are sending more troops to Latvia, our key military leaders are essentially saying that, when it comes to forest fires and floods in Canada, good luck.

This is unacceptable, as is the response of the Prime Minister. When I asked him about this in question period, he responded with a series of indecipherable platitudes. The Prime Minister should take a stand and make it clear that his government will reject any idea that helping is wasteful when it comes to forest fires and floods.

Finally, we need to reject the way in which we are increasingly sleepwalking into major policy decisions without considering their consequences. At a time when nothing less than the future of our planet is at stake, Canada is increasingly being part of the problem, not the solution, when it comes to international conflicts and catastrophic climate change. Canadians deserve better.

Oleksandra Matviichuk

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the war grinds on in Ukraine. The horrors continue for the Ukrainian people, and we want them to know that we stand with them. It is against that backdrop that Canada is welcoming Oleksandra Matviichuk this week. She is a human rights activist and winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize.

The Prime Minister met her on Monday and the Bloc Québécois had that honour this morning. Her message is clear: There is a need for more weapons and more justice for Ukrainians. She is asking Canada to increase its military aid. She is also asking Canada to take up her call for justice on behalf of the 72,000 victims of war crimes. She is calling for the Russian barbarians who committed and ordered these atrocities to be brought to justice before a special tribunal. As she said, “We need Canada's weight to convince other countries that the time has come.”

We want to assure Ms. Matviichuk that she and Ukraine can count on the weight and support of the Bloc Québécois. In the name of peace and justice, Slava Ukraini!

Ethics

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, a new day means a new scandal for the tired Liberal government. This time, it involves the Liberal employment minister, who needs to answer for whether he violated federal law by continuing business deals even after joining cabinet.

In a conversation at his firm about contracts and cash, one of the firm's partners told someone asking for the money that a man named “Randy” would be available in 15 minutes for a partner's call. The employment minister was quick to say that the text conversation was not referencing him; it was someone else. It was another Randy.

It is a small company. He owns 50% of it. He used to be a partner.

Let us see if we can find out who the other Randy is in a game of “Guess Who?” Is he tall? Does he wear glasses? Does he have brown hair, blond hair or no hair? Is he a federal cabinet minister? Does he come from a city that rhymes with “smedmonton”?

Mr. Speaker, the other Randy probably has the same last name and the same job as the employment minister. Will the other Randy please stand up?

International Civil Aviation Organization

[Anna Gainey, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this week, Canada is honoured to welcome to Ottawa the International Civil Aviation Organization leadership: Salvatore Sciacchitano, president of the ICAO Council, and Juan Carlos Salazar, secretary general of ICAO.

Canada is dedicated to supporting ICAO in pursuit of a safe, secure, sustainable, inclusive and accessible global aviation system. We value ICAO's positive impact on international civil aviation.

ICAO is a key component of the UN system and plays a critical role in supporting a multilateral rules-based order. ICAO, located in Montreal right next to my riding, is the only United Nations specialized agency headquartered in Canada. This year marks its 80th anniversary.

Today, Canada reaffirms its commitment to being a world-class host to ICAO and pledges to continue to work with ICAO and its member states to develop and implement the highest standards for global aviation.

Democratic Institutions

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, according to the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, members of the House knowingly and wittingly assisted hostile foreign states.

Canadians have a right to know who they are and what information is involved. Who are they?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition knows very well that no government, including the former government, of which he was a member, is going to discuss particularities of intelligence information publicly. He knows better than that.

However, the good news is that, if the Leader of the Opposition wanted to get the appropriate security clearance, he would be able to see the confidential report of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians. He would then be much more informed than he is now. We would invite him to do so, so that he would not stand up and cast aspersions on the floor of the House of Commons without any information whatsoever.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, we do not need secrets and confidentiality. That is what got us into this problem in the first place. We need the facts so that Canadians can judge.

Just as in the case of the green slush fund, the Auditor General revealed $123 million of spending that broke the rules, $59 million of projects that never should have been awarded money at all and $76 million in money gone to companies connected to Liberal-appointed members, including $217,000 to the chair of the fund that was giving out the money.

Will the government support our common-sense plan to hand over all this information to the RCMP for a police investigation?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, it is no surprise that the Conservatives do not want to talk about the economy today, but we know that the economy is the issue that most concerns Canadians. That is why I am so glad to share some great news. Today, the Bank of Canada lowered interest rates. Canada is the first country in the G7 where the rates have gone down, and it is thanks to our economically responsible fiscal plan. Our plan is working.

Mental Health and Addictions

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of this Prime Minister, and with the support of the Bloc Québécois, Montreal is in a state of chaos, as crime, drugs, and disorder run rampant. Children need police escorts to get to day care.

Will the Prime Minister agree to the Conservatives' request to disallow the Criminal Code exemption for supervised injection facilities in order to ban them next to day care centres and schools?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, once again, it comes as no surprise that the Conservative leader does not want to talk about the economy. We know that the economy is the top concern for Canadians. That is why I am so pleased to share some good news. Today, the Bank of Canada lowered its key interest rate. Canada is the first G7 country to do so.