Debates of Sept. 18th, 2024

Housing

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, they are not being built. In fact, housing construction is down, way down.

The Prime Minister should take lessons from everyone because, after nine years in power, he has the worst housing inflation in Canadian history and by far the worst housing inflation in the G7, and now he is bloating up the same bureaucracies that have given us the slowest building permits in the G7.

Why will the Prime Minister not follow my common-sense plan to link federal dollars to housing completions to incentivize local governments to speed up permits, free up land and actually cut building taxes?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition's so-called housing plan was universally panned by experts, which is why it failed in the House of Commons.

The reality is that we have been working with premiers, working with municipalities and working with non-profits to turn the ship around, which he neglected when he was the so-called housing minister.

The reality is that we are delivering for Canadians. We have a lot more work to do, and the Leader of the Opposition's slogans and divisive attacks are not going to get any homes built for anyone.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, when I was housing minister, the average home price was $450,000. The rent was $950 for a one-bedroom unit and $1,100 for a two-bedroom unit. It has now doubled to over $2,000. As well, we built almost 200,000 homes at rock-bottom, low prices. Now, fast-forward a decade, and 28% of Canadians told a RE/MAX survey that they are considering leaving the country because of housing inflation doubling under the Prime Minister. Why does he not get his gatekeepers out of the way and follow my common-sense plan to build the homes?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, like so many of his plans, his plan consists entirely of slogans and personal attacks on me, on mayors and on Canadians who are working to get things done.

We are investing. We are in partnership with municipalities to change zoning laws, to invest in public lands and to support non-profits to build more units. I was just in Vancouver meeting with the extraordinary folks of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation who are delivering a unit that a young woman can now live in and afford because of investments this federal government has delivered.

We are going to be there for Canadians, while the Leader of the Opposition is there for himself.

Public Safety

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, last week, a woman was stabbed near the La Maison Benoît Labre hard drug injection site, next to an elementary school.

This tragedy could have been avoided if the Prime Minister had agreed to my request about three months ago to close the hard drug injection site and invest in treatment for drug addiction.

Will the Prime Minister finally close this hard drug injection site next to a school?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, all Canadians deserve to live in safe communities, and that is a responsibility we will always take seriously.

Taking this type of challenge seriously means listening to experts and those working on the front lines to address the challenge of opioids and toxic drugs in order to help people get through times like these.

Yes, we need to invest in helping these people. We also need to invest in ways to protect Canadians. We will base our decisions on science and evidence, not on ideology and politics.

Diversity and Inclusion

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like the Prime Minister to remind me of the dates when he held a seat in the Quebec National Assembly. I was not around for that.

That being said, if he and all the parties here want to fight Islamophobia and polarization, they should consider passing the bill introduced by the Bloc Québécois, which prohibits or puts an end to the religious exception and religious pretexts when it comes to hate propaganda and inciting violence.

Will the Prime Minister do that before he is sent packing?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Bloc Québécois is doubling down.

The reality is that he just very clearly stated that federal MPs from Quebec have less legitimacy than members of the Quebec National Assembly.

That leads me to wonder what the hell the members of the Bloc Québécois are doing here if they have no legitimacy to speak for Quebec?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I would ask the Prime Minister to withdraw the word that is not parliamentary and use other words to express his opinion. He has 10 seconds left to respond.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we are very clear. We are here to defend the interests of Quebec in Ottawa, at the federal level. I am not sure what he is doing here if he does not believe he has the legitimacy to speak for Quebec.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Before we go on, we must settle an important matter. I asked the Prime Minister to withdraw the word that was unparliamentary.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I withdraw the bad word.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

The hon. Prime Minister wishes to add something.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it was not a bad word. It was a different word, but I withdraw it too.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I thank the right hon. Prime Minister.

The hon. member for Beloeil—Chambly.

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

Mr. Speaker, either I was unclear, or Mr. Trudeau himself is living proof—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I know that the hon. member for Beloeil—Chambly has a lot of experience and he clearly made a mistake, but I invite him to ask his question again and respect the rules of the House.

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

Mr. Speaker, I withdraw the bad word.

The Prime Minister is living proof that some Quebeckers need to work on their French, because he did not understand what I said. I hope Parliament studies and passes the bill that would prohibit the religious exception. He is an elected member from Quebec, but in Ottawa, so he should reflect the will of Quebec in that capacity.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, in our federal system and in our federation, the reality is that we can have elected members in Quebec City to represent Quebec, and we can have elected members in Ottawa to represent Quebec and all other Canadians too. I will continue to do my job as a proud Quebecker to defend the interests of my constituents in Papineau, and I will always be there to make the entire country's interests a priority.

Mental Health and Addictions

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, children “are not able to buy alcohol, they are not able to buy marijuana [or] cigarettes, but they can have access to crack pipes and kits to be able to do safe injection? It’s just wrong.” These are the words of the stepfather of Brianna MacDonald, the 13-year-old girl who lost her life to a drug overdose in Abbotsford after she was denied treatment but offered drug paraphernalia by the authorities.

When will the Prime Minister end this radical agenda, close the drug dens, defund unsafe supply and treat addiction to bring our loved ones home drug-free?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, tragedies like that are unthinkable, and we need to do everything we can, as orders of government, to bring them to an end, to protect kids, to protect communities and to protect vulnerable people. That is why we work hand in hand with local authorities and with provincial authorities on the plans that will suit them, that will keep communities safe.

We know there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. We know that ideology is not the answer. Only the application of science, of compassion and of investments will help people through this terrible epidemic.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, this young girl's family begged the hospital for treatment for their vulnerable teenager. Instead, she was given drug paraphernalia. This is all part of the radical experiment that the Prime Minister and the NDP have imposed that has contributed to 47,000 drug overdose deaths, with the biggest increases in the places where this approach has been tried. Alberta has reduced overdoses by 50% with treatment.

Why will he not follow the science and back the plans that work?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, for anyone puzzled by the nod link to federal jurisdiction in that question, that was an ad in support of John Rustad, the B.C. Conservative leader, who is about to be in a campaign. The Leader of the Opposition continues to focus on ideology while we roll up our sleeves and work with partners on delivering solutions for Canadians.

We need to lead with compassion and science, and that is what we will always do.

Public Safety

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, it is federal because the federal Prime Minister is offering a Criminal Code and Controlled Drugs and Substances Act exemption to allow the drug dens to go ahead, and he has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on tax-funded, unsafe supply, which is killing our people and addicting our kids. It is just like on car theft, where he has brought in catch and release and house arrest for career car thieves.

Today, he has a chance to reverse himself and vote for common-sense Bill C-379 to bring in mandatory jail time for career car thieves. Will he do the right thing?