Debates of Sept. 17th, 2024

Grocery Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, I hope the NDP and indeed all members of the House will set partisanship aside for one moment to congratulate Canadians on the light at the end of the tunnel, on the fact that after an extremely challenging time with COVID and its economic aftermath, inflation is back to where it was before COVID first hit. When it comes to taxes, we believe that those who have the most capacity should pay their fair share. We have acted on that.

Housing

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have continued to team up with the Conservatives to let grocery greed drive up the price of food, and that has to stop.

Yesterday, people showed that they are fed up with the Liberals. Clearly, this is because the Liberals worked with the Conservatives to let real estate moguls raise rents by more than 22%.

Why do the Liberals continue to work with the Conservatives to let the giants gouge people?

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

Mr. Speaker, I do not think anybody listening to question period today, or frankly any day, imagines that the Liberals are teaming up with the Conservatives or that we agree with them about very much at all. They are the party of privilege and austerity; we are the party of people. That is why we have asked those at the very top to pay their fair share so that we can support Canada and Canadians.

Women and Gender Equality

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is day two in the House as the first female finance minister again has been publicly humiliated by the fake feminist Prime Minister. What is worse is that she has been replaced by an unelected man outside her own caucus, whom her boss is now shielding from conflict of interest laws that allow him to take her job and keep his money, a man who works against our resource sector and who exports jobs to China while championing higher carbon taxes on heating and eating for Canadians.

Why will the finance minister not talk to her boss about ending the personal attacks on her own credibility?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am so glad to have the chance to talk about feminism, because I know what a feminist government looks like. A feminist government builds the first national system of early learning and child care in this country. A feminist government makes contraceptives free, and a feminist government ensures that every single woman in Canada has full control of her body.

Until the Conservatives stand up for that, they have no right to talk about feminism.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the fake feminist Prime Minister has thrown his finance minister under the bus with all of the other ministers. The real record of the finance minister is record smashing: A million people are visiting a food bank in her province in Ontario. One in four Canadians is living in poverty. Canadians now spend more in taxes than they do on housing, food and clothes combined.

No wonder they are putting the training wheels back on for her. She can tell that to the Prime Minister.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have stood up to Trump and I have stood up to Putin. Juvenile playground insults from the wannabe MAGA, “maple syrup” Conservatives do not frighten me at all. What I think is really interesting is that they do not actually want to talk about the economy, and that is because good economic news for Canadians is bad news for them. How pathetic it is that they put their own partisan interests first.

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

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the Liberal-NDP government, taxes are up. Costs are up. Crime is up. Now time is up. The self-proclaimed feminist Prime Minister has repeatedly shoved aside strong women who have stood up to him. Now the Prime Minister is replacing the first-ever female finance minister with an unelected Mark “carbon tax” Carney.

Why is the finance minister allowing herself to be publicly humiliated in this manner?

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Minister of Diversity]

Mr. Speaker, it is a bit rich to hear a member of the Conservative Party pretend to care about feminism, when their own leader was using misogynistic hashtags on videos to attract men who hate women.

It was anything but feminist when the Conservatives brought forward backdoor legislation to ban abortion and to take away a woman's right to choose, or when they all voted against increased funding to combat gender-based violence or support survivors. Their leader does not care about women or equality; he cares only about himself.

Finance

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are not even allowing the finance minister to answer her own questions, because they all know that the carbon tax is a failure. Canadians are suffering. There are over 1,800 homeless encampments in Ontario alone. Twenty-six per cent of Canadians are saying that they are considering leaving the country because it is too expensive. A single mother in Kingston reported paying 100% of her income in rent.

Will the finance minister admit that the Prime Minister has lost confidence in her and that Canadians have lost confidence in the government?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives keep talking about women, but they do not support policies that support women. Why are they against affordable child care? If they care about that single mother, they should be supporting affordable child care. If they care about women's economic freedom, they should be supporting child care. If they care about women's rights, they should be supporting a woman's right to choose. The real fake feminists are the people who sit on that side of the aisle.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberal government, taxes are up. Costs are up. Crime is up, and time is up. The Prime Minister's new de facto finance minister, “carbon tax” Carney, has massive conflicts of interest, including multiple foreign investment firms. Canadians do not know how much he personally stands to profit from the advice that he is giving to the Prime Minister. It is more blatant corruption from the NDP-Liberal government.

Will the Prime Minister simply have “carbon tax” Carney sworn in as a public office holder so that the full extent of Canada's disclosure laws apply to him too?

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

Mr. Speaker, unlike the Conservatives, we do believe in listening to experts from across the country. Let us talk about where the Conservatives get their ideas. The Conservative leader gets his advice on helping Canadians with their grocery bills from a Loblaws lobbyist. He gets his advice on Ukraine from Elon Musk and Tucker Carlson. He has courted the support of misogynists and cozied up to the far right. Those are the advisers Canadians should be really concerned about.

[The Speaker, Greg Fergus]

The hon. member for Regina—Qu'Appelle has stood in this place and understands the importance of calling members to order so that those who do have the floor have the opportunity to address the House.

The hon. member from Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely absurd to hear the finance minister give anyone lessons about who they are taking advice from. Archliberal elitist, Mark Carney, has more conflicts than the twice-guilty and convicted Prime Minister of their party, and they are letting carbon tax Carney keep all the money and all the power by covering up his massive conflicts of interest while giving away that finance minister's job. He makes millions from foreign investment firms and now he is advising the Prime Minister.

Why is the Prime Minister letting carbon tax Carney keep the money and the power, and serving as the real finance minister?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely shameful what the Conservatives are doing. When there is a Canadian who does not agree with their vision for Canada, what do they do? They attack the person. Whether it is anybody who does not agree with what the Conservatives do, the only thing they know how to do is denigrate that person.

We should be able to disagree without being disagreeable. We should be able to hear advice from a whole wide range of actors without attacking their character and bringing down fellow Canadians. They should be ashamed of their actions.

Seniors

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to clarify something for the government, the entire House and everyone else, something that is not going to happen. The Bloc Québécois will not be told, “Help us interfere in areas under Quebec's jurisdiction, then give us this, then give us that, and then maybe...”. That is not going to happen.

The Liberal government will have to be consistent and implement a law that it voted for. Otherwise, it will have to either get back together with the NDP or start getting a bus ready.

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Labour and Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, speaking of clarity, can the leader of the Bloc Québécois clarify exactly what he is saying to the hundreds of thousands of Quebeckers who are currently benefiting from dental care, which he voted against?

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

Mr. Speaker, “which he voted against”, “maybe”, it is not clear. I have never voted in favour of interfering in areas under Quebec's jurisdiction.

The Liberals voted in favour of a bill introduced by the Bloc Québécois, but then there was the minor matter of a royal recommendation. They figure they will just withhold the royal recommendation so the Bloc Québécois bill will never go through and seniors will never get their money.

If they want to play that little game, if they did not catch on to what I meant by “getting a bus ready”, it means there is going to be an election.

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Labour and Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois leader is raising the spectre of an election instead of delivering results for Quebec's seniors. It is a bit much. This is not the only thing we would like some clarity about. What I would say to the Bloc Québécois leader is that a vote is very clear. He does not vote often, as we just read, but when he does vote, the Bloc Québécois leader votes against lowering retirement age to 65. He voted against increasing the guaranteed income supplement for poor seniors in Quebec. When we set up dental care, he voted against it.

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

Mr. Speaker, we will say it again. The Bloc Québécois votes against all interference against Quebec, whether it is on its own or mixed into a tasteless salad.

The Liberals voted for Bill C‑319; let them take responsibility and implement the legislation so that retirees are no longer the victims of an injustice they created. I may vote a little less often, but I am voting a little more intelligently and consistently.

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Labour and Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Bloc Québécois has spent his life putting the Canadian pensions of Quebec seniors at risk. When he votes against lowering the retirement age to 65, it is not about interference in jurisdictions, he is voting against seniors. When he votes against increasing the guaranteed income supplement, he is not voting on a jurisdictional issue; he is voting against the well‑being of Quebec seniors and for poverty among seniors.

The leader of the Bloc Québécois needs to take responsibility and explain his votes against Quebec seniors.

The Economy

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, taxes are up, costs are up, crime is up, and the pressure on the “Liberal Bloc” is mounting.

After nine years of this Prime Minister with the support of the Bloc Québécois, some people in Saguenay are living in campers because they cannot find a place to live. One man from Saguenay said, “If I rent an apartment, I will have to use all four of my monthly paycheques to cover it. How will I afford to eat? How will I pay for electricity? How will I pay for my insurance and registration?”

That is the harsh reality after nine years of this Prime Minister with the support of the Bloc Québécois. Does the “Liberal Bloc” realize that going on like this is only making life harder and harder for Quebeckers?

[Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Liberal, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec]

Mr. Speaker, everyone in the House can see how hypocritical the Conservatives are being when they say they are concerned about putting a roof over people's heads. The only thing they want to do is cut funding for housing construction and tear up the dozens of agreements that we signed with cities across the country.

On this side of the House, we will make sure to build the housing that people need.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, taxes are up, costs are up, crime is up, and the pressure on the “Liberal Bloc” is up. After nine years of this Liberal government, supported by the Bloc Québécois, the consequences for Quebeckers have been disastrous.

I am talking about Moisson Haut-Saint-François, which is pleading for help. To quote from an interview on Sherbrooke radio, “small food banks are hungry”. Imagine, a food bank going hungry. It is unbelievable, but true. The fast-with-the-cash centralist “Liberal Bloc” wants to carry on.

Does the “Liberal Bloc” hear the cries for help coming from Quebeckers who want the chance to choose a common-sense Conservative government as soon as possible?