Debates of Sept. 24th, 2024

Opposition Motion—Confidence in the Prime Minister and the Government

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, it is interesting listening to the member across the way. My recollection of history is that only one government, that I am aware of, avoided accountability to the House of Commons, and through the House of Commons, to the people of Canada. That was actually Stephen Harper's government.

The member did not make reference to it, but Stephen Harper determined that he would prorogue the House to prevent a vote of non-confidence. At no point in time, contrary to the false impression that the member put on the record, has the current government ever avoided accountability, even during the pandemic.

The members will find that the current Prime Minister has answered more questions in the House, at virtually double the number, than Stephen Harper ever did. It is a bit much to try to say that this Prime Minister is not accountable; in fact, quite the opposite is the case, especially compared with Stephen Harper, the prime minister the member served under.

Can the member provide his thoughts about what took place when former prime minister Stephen Harper prorogued the session in order to avoid a confidence vote?

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

Madam Speaker, first, I will deal with the assertion that the Prime Minister has never tried to avoid facing the House on this issue. On March 24, 2020, hoping that we would be in a panic, the government tried to get unanimous consent to push through a provision. This would have given it the power to avoid facing a confidence vote in the House for a little over year and a half.

When the opposition showed some backbone, the government was forced to move to a normal process and to have some give-and-take. The Conservatives spent all day going back and forth, working on adjustments, and the provision was removed from the legislation. To be clear, it was done because the government and the Prime Minister could not get away with it.

With regard to the issue of Stephen Harper proroguing to avoid a confidence vote, the member is almost right. In 2008, shortly after the election, there was a move to bring down the government. The House was prorogued, and it came back; the opposition could then have brought down the government, had it so chosen. What it did instead was to propose an arrangement under which the government would spend a certain amount of money on infrastructure in order to deal with the 2008 economic crisis, and there would be periodic reviews of that.

At any of those review points, the government could have been brought down on a confidence motion. Indeed, that was built into the structure of the deal. All the parties participated, and if the member has a problem with that, he should go back and consult with the members of his party who were present.

[Denis Trudel, Bloc, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Madam Speaker, today, we are examining a motion that asks us whether we have confidence in the government.

My colleague talked a lot about history, but I would like to remind him of two or three facts.

We could look back at the Second World War, when a federal government got elected by promising that it would never impose conscription, but conscription did happen. We could look back at 1970, when 500 Quebeckers were imprisoned for no reason, without rights, because of a Liberal government order. We could look back at the night of the long knives in 1982, when an agreement was signed with all of the premiers behind Quebec's back. We could look back at Meech Lake, when an attempt was made to reintegrate Quebec into the Constitution. Quebec had minimal demands, but they were all dismissed out of hand.

Today, we are being asked whether Quebeckers have confidence in the Liberal government. No, we do not. We did not have confidence in it yesterday, we do not have confidence in it today, and we will not have confidence in it tomorrow, but we also do not have confidence in the Conservatives. We do not have confidence in the NDP either. We do not have confidence in anyone in the House.

The Bloc Québécois exists because Quebeckers' rights have been violated for 150 years under the Constitution. This is not an issue that is going to be resolved today.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

Madam Speaker, I think that was more of a comment than a question.

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Madam Speaker, I am thinking of the Conservatives' cuts to health care transfers and science investments. They are now looking at cuts to pharmacare and dental care.

The member likes history, so I would like to know this: Why do the Conservatives have such a history of cuts?

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

Madam Speaker, I think the member is mistaken with the list of cuts she gave. My party, under our current leadership and under, hopefully, some of our other leaders in the past, has demonstrated a concern for making sure we do not spend money we do not have. We do not promise to spend on programs we cannot actually finance.

We also do not engage in wishful thinking, as the Liberals do, which will create unsustainable programs. We will try to make sure that every program we commit to, every kind of social spending, is properly funded so that it can be carried on sustainably into the future.

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

Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Richmond Hill, my fellow York Region colleague.

I am speaking today on an important topic that the opposition has brought forward, and I will start by saying that Canadians have been through a lot over the last several years. To put that in context, Canadians have gone through a global pandemic. This was a once-in-a-lifetime event, a once-in-100-years event; obviously, it took a toll on Canadians. A massive component of our economy was frozen; kids needed to stay home from school, and businesses were shut. However, our government was there to support Canadians, Canadian workers and Canadian businesses. Yes, we invested in them during this time. We did this to ensure that, when the pandemic finished, the Canadian economy would exit the downturn it caused and people would get back to work. This is exactly what happened.

Of course, after the pandemic, we had the war in Ukraine. It was the first time in 80 years that war was brought back to Europe. There were supply chain snarls and, with them, global inflation. We saw inflation take effect across the world because of supply chain bottlenecks; the demand that was created during the pandemic, when everyone was stuck at home, and subsequent to it; and, of course, geopolitics.

In the Canadian economy, we are now at a point where, inflation has returned to 2%, the bank's target range. Interest rates are coming down, and we saw the Bank of Canada cut 75 basis points today. The governor indicated that further potential cuts will come down the road. My personal opinion, as an economist, is that the Bank of Canada will continue cutting rates through this next series of meetings. If I had to provide a forecast, it would probably be between an additional 150 to 225 basis points, but probably near the 200 basis-point range.

Where does this leave Canadians? We know that Canadians have endured a lot with global inflation, COVID, wars going on and uncertainty in the world. However, we have had the backs of Canadians, and we will continue to do so. Why is that? It is because we have put in place transformational pillars to strengthen our social safety net; create the conditions for economic growth, wealth creation and job creation; and move the country forward.

When I think about the Canada child benefit, which we put in place in 2015, it now sends nearly $30 billion in tax-free monthly payments to families across the country. This includes over $100 million in my riding of Vaughan—Woodbridge. It is helping tens of thousands of kids in my riding, lifting almost 400,000 kids out of poverty, and we are no longer sending checks to millionaires. These are substantive measures.

I think of the national early learning and day care plan; in the province of Ontario, fees have been reduced by 52.7%. Working in collaboration with the Progressive Conservative government in Ontario, we will see $10-a-day day care, on average, by September 2025. We know it is working because my daughter is in day care, and we have seen a reduction. Our family, who is blessed with much, has seen over $10,000 in after-tax savings. I have much gratitude for our blessings. Those are real savings for families.

We have also introduced the Canadian dental care plan, and 750,000 Canadians who could not afford to access a dentist have now gone to one.

These are measures that help Canadians. However, we must now create the economic conditions to ensure that we can afford these generous programs, such as increasing old age security by 10% to over three million Canadian seniors aged 75-plus. This made a real difference in the pockets of Canadian seniors.

We know the opposite party has a notion of what Canada is, but I have my own notion, and so I will disagree with them. Despite some of the headwinds we have faced, I like to refer to this decade as Canada's decade. I believe that Canada is the best country in the world. It is not because we are perfect. We are a work-in-progress. However, I know that there are millions of people who would move here tomorrow morning, and I would rather not live anywhere else. I like to vacation in other places, where it may be sunny, but this is the best country.

When we think about what we have put in place as a government, working with unions and industry, we can say that this is Canada's decade. Yes, interest rates are descending. Consumer confidence in Canada has hit a 29-month high, according to Bloomberg-Nanos. I think about our strategic investments in artificial intelligence, in electric vehicles, in critical minerals and in the supply chain for electric vehicles. BloombergNEF has rated us the number one country in the world. Depending on the year, it can be number two versus China, but we are number one. I think of our investments in Canadians and in learning.

We put all those measures in place, working with the provinces on our electricity system for a competitive advantage, in the sense that almost 90% of Canada's electricity system is green. We are working with companies in Alberta, such as Dow Chemical, with a $10-billion investment, or Linde, with a $2-billion investment. We are supporting Atlantic Canadians, ensuring that electricity rates remain low to be competitive and attract industry. This is truly Canada's decade.

Looking around the world, we can say that we have what the world wants. We have the energy, the natural resources and the human capital. I am looking at the sectors around the world and what we have, whether it is Alberta and the advantage on feedstock, British Columbia and the human capital that is powering that province forward in its film industry or here in Ontario and the electric vehicle sector or the fintech sector.

I am looking at the province of Quebec and the aerospace industry, which transcends industry in many parts of the country. We have what the world wants, and we are doing things in such a way that our fiscal finances and our budget are the envy of the world. We have a 1% deficit-to-GDP ratio. The United States and the European countries have a 7% deficit-to-GDP ratio.

We have a AAA credit rating. It matters. Our borrowing rates are actually lower than those of most of the G7 countries, if not the lowest. Yes, we have challenges. We absolutely have issues. Canadians know that. That is what governing is about: taking on tough challenges. We will continue to do that, but this is fundamentally Canada's decade. I truly believe that. As we go forward, we are projected to lead economic growth in 2025 in the G7. Our finances are probably the best, if not the best, in the G20.

I think of the programs we put in place: The Canada child benefit is helping millions of kids and families and lifting kids out of poverty; through the national early learning and day care plan, we have seen a 53% price reduction. We are the funding partner, and then the Progressive Conservative government in Ontario actually operates the program in my region and through York Region. I speak to day care operators in the province of Ontario, and they say the demand for day care spots has gone up. Therefore, we have responsibly said that we will provide those loans, incentives and grants for day care operators to expand spaces.

In terms of the dental care plan, over 8,000 residents in my riding have now been approved for dental care. I do not think any government wants to take away dental care from seniors and vulnerable Canadians. Does anyone? I do not think any government will take away the national day care and early learning program from any other government. Quebec has had it for many years. Would any party in this room, in the House, go to the Province of Quebec and say that they have to remove their early learning and day care plan? I do not think so, or I would love to hear from the opposite aisle.

This is Canada's decade on the economy, on our social programs and on making this truly what we call inclusive economic growth. We will absolutely see those flowers bloom. Inflation is at 2%. Rates are coming down. Consumer confidence is increasing. It is going to take time, but we are there.

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Madam Speaker, in the summer, I was fortunate enough to be able to door knock in Vaughan—Woodbridge, the member opposite's riding. Certainly, the constituents there do not have confidence in the Prime Minister.

For over a year, the member has been contacting folks on this side of the House via text and phone, asking if there is a spot for him in the Conservative Party of Canada. Today he says he has confidence in his government, yet he wants a spot over here. Why would we believe anything he has to say?

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

Madam Speaker, I will not entertain the member's question.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Madam Speaker, I would like to turn the tables a bit and ask my colleague this question, because, to me, it is far from obvious. Why should we still have confidence in the Liberal government and its Prime Minister?

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

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his very important question. As I said in my speech, Canada is in a good position for this decade.

I am calling this Canada's decade because I fundamentally believe, speaking to my colleague on the other side of the aisle, that we are positioned very favourably within the contexts of what is going on geopolitically, the world economy, our investments in AI, our electric vehicles, the agriculture sector and the aerospace industry, which I know is a leader in Quebec, as well as the aluminum sector, including the decarbonization of the aluminum sector in the province of Quebec, and the decarbonization of the steel industry here in Canada as well.

In Ontario, we are positioned uniquely. We will be a leader in the economy, and we will generate what is called—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

I have to provide time for more questions.

Continuing with questions and comments, the hon. member for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford has the floor.

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Madam Speaker, I think that some of the Liberals' current troubles are due to the fact that they are lacking in big, bold ideas right now. I will give one example. Canadians are really suffering, but at the same time, certain corporate sectors have never had it better. I will highlight the oil and gas industry in particular because, over the period from 2019 to 2022, its net profits went up by over 1,000%.

We can see where Canadians' paycheques are going. They are going straight to the coffers of big corporations. The Liberals have subsidized those oil and gas companies with a new pipeline and direct subsidies to them. They pay a fraction of the carbon tax.

Through you, Madam Speaker, to my colleague, where are the big, bold ideas from the Liberals at this time of crisis? This is tailor-made for big, bold, progressive ideas, and the Liberals have been lacking on that front.

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

Madam Speaker, the member from the New Democratic Party comes from my home province of British Columbia. We have seen greenhouse gas emissions. To lower them is the goal. We are seeing them coming down. Our plan is working. This is a transition. We know this is a transition in moving to renewable energy from non-renewable energy. The transition will take a period of time. We know we will continue to use non-renewable energy sources for a certain period of time, of course, for years to come.

We also know that markets around the world need secure energy suppliers such as Canada. We are blessed with it. We will utilize that. We will utilize this industry. We cannot forget about the 800,000 to 900,000 Canadian workers who directly work for the energy industry. We will need to support them. We will continue to have their backs.

The renewable industry is growing in Canada. It is growing around the world. We can tell from IEA reports how much is coming on stream. It is great to see that Canada, again, is a leader in position for this decade.

[Mike Morrice, Green, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Madam Speaker, the member did not answer the question that the member for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford asked. What he asked was specifically about the tens of billions of dollars that the oil and gas industry has made by gouging Canadians at the pumps.

I asked about this last night. I will ask about it again now because the governing party should have better answers on addressing the affordability crisis and addressing the climate at the same time. They can do that by putting a windfall profit tax on these excess profits and use that money to make life more affordable for regular folks, for example, by investing in public transit.

Could the member for Vaughan—Woodbridge speak to what can be done so that we can work together toward a reasonable solution to address affordability, such as a windfall profit tax on oil and gas?

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

Madam Speaker, the hon. member mentioned public transit. We have put in place a $3-billion annual public transit fund for projects across the country to get people moving faster to work and faster to home. It is a great investment we are making. I am glad that we are doing that.

[Majid Jowhari, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

Madam Speaker, my colleague from Vaughan—Woodbridge framed his remarks by saying that, indeed, this is Canada's decade. For the past hours, my colleagues have talked about many aspects of why it has been Canada's decade on the economic front, the environmental front or the social front. However, there is another dimension as to why this is Canada's decade, and it was not like that a decade before.

It is truly an honour to rise in the House today to speak about our government's accomplishments and the important work that we are doing and continue to do each and every day. Let me take a moment to reflect on the aspect I was referring to, which is the progress made on the path to reconciliation. The work that our government has done on that should also be recognized as to why it is Canada's decade.

Let us remember where we were in 2015. After a decade of Harper and the Conservatives in power, the state of the relationship between Canada and indigenous people was extremely tense. We will remember Idle No More, when indigenous people and Canadians joined together to protest across the country because Stephen Harper refused to listen to them. The courts had already ruled that the Conservatives had continued the systematic underfunding of first nations communities when it came to critical infrastructure such as water treatment plants. Is it any surprise that there were 105 long-term drinking water advisories in place by the end of their mandate a decade ago?

We might say this is in the past, that the old Conservative Party was different, but let us remember that the Leader of the Opposition was not only a member of that government but also the minister responsible for housing in that government, and his record speaks for itself. The number was six. As well, from 2011 to 2015, the Harper government did not make a single new investment in first nations housing, and the Conservative leader's $300-million boondoggle first nations housing program only managed to build 99 homes on reserves.

Let us remember the colonial and oppressive policies of the Conservative government that devastated communities by separating children from their families and culture for generations. Let us remember the disproportionate violence that the indigenous women and girls experienced, and continue to experience to this day. In 2015, the Prime Minister promised to transform this relationship. The Prime Minister said that no relationship is more important than a relationship with indigenous people. We have seen the proof of that over the last 10 years, and we have been working very hard ever since to honour our commitment to the path of reconciliation.

Allow me to cover some of the aspects that we have been focusing on. I will start with expanding our housing initiative. We are the first government to work side by side with indigenous partners to assess the scope and scale of housing and infrastructure needs on reserves. Co-developing a 10-year housing and infrastructure strategy is our government's priority. Following the lead of the partners, we have supported the construction, renovation and retrofit of more than 36,000 homes in first nations communities, as well as 9,000 infrastructure projects, to ensure families are housed safely. We are creating tangible, lasting, indigenous-led solutions to close the gap and build strong, healthy communities.

What is also crucial in building strong, healthy communities is long-term access to clean water. I said earlier that, in 2015, we started with 105 advisories. Water is life, and everyone needs equitable access to clean water free from pollution. Since 2015, we have supported first nations drinking water infrastructure and operation. As a result, first nations received on average over three times more annual funding for water and waste-water systems compared to the previous Conservative government. If members want numbers, it is $492 million versus $162 million.

Now, 95% of communities do not have a long-term advisories. We have helped lift 145 long-term drinking water advisories and prevented over 275 short-term advisories from becoming long term. There is also a plan and project team in place working toward a lift in 30 communities with remaining long-term drinking water advisories.

After years of collaboration with first nations partners, we have introduced the first nations clean water act to hold government accountable for investing what is needed in water infrastructure, creating the tools first nations need to manage their own water systems and protecting the lakes and rivers they draw their water from to ensure first nations have clean drinking water for generations to come. Now we are listening to all perspectives from first nations partners at the committee on how to improve the bill. I hope all parties will support this important legislation and ensure it goes through the parliamentary process without any delay.

Another aspect that I would like to highlight is our advancement in child and family services. We vowed to do the hard but important work to address the harmful impacts of child and welfare systems on first nations, Inuit and Métis communities. Bill C-92 became law on January 1, 2020, and it clearly affirms that indigenous people have the right to decide what is best for their children, families and communities. We continue to work with several communities and provincial governments to restore these inherent rights and ensure continued long-term funding for child and family services.

Just two weeks ago, the Minister of Indigenous Services joined the GNN to sign a coordination agreement that affirms its jurisdiction over child and family services. This is the 10th community to reign control over their own child and family services, with more on the way. This is a pivotal moment for reconciliation. We are closer than ever to shifting the power back to indigenous people for better child and family services. For GNN, and eventually more communities, it means that the children will grow up and stay close to their families with the services they need, surrounded by the love and care they need.

If I had more time, I would have talked about the education work that we are doing. Nearly 25,000 students, in five provinces, are in culturally appropriate education programs right now, through 10 agreements that have been made.

I would have talked about the economic reconciliation path that we are on, the work that our Minister of Indigenous Services has done and the forum that was hosted in February. However, I am almost out of time, so I will conclude.

Canadians should be proud of the progress made on the path to reconciliation, but we know there is still a lot more work to do. A flame has been ignited, but it is fragile and needs nurturing. Without care, it could be extinguished by reckless cuts and indifference. We cannot forget that Conservatives voted against funding for indigenous priorities during the marathon votes. They have told us exactly where they stand, and it is certainly not with indigenous people. Most Canadians have already left these colonial attitudes in the past. Today, our government is focused on building a system where everyone has a fair chance to succeed.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Madam Speaker, we said in several occasions that we have no more confidence in the Liberals than in the Conservatives, and for good reason.

Let me first mention a few contradictions. The government calls itself the champion of the free choice of pregnant women when it comes to making decisions about their own bodies, specifically under section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, on the security of the person, and paragraph 2(a) of the Charter, on women's freedom of conscience and freedom of choice when it comes to a decision as personal as whether to terminate a pregnancy or not.

Then again, the self-proclaimed champion of freedom of choice just cannot bring itself to be the champion of freedom of choice when it comes to such a personal issue as the end of life. The government refuses to move forward with advance requests for people who are suffering and who will develop dementia.

That is why we cannot have confidence in a government that is out of touch with the 83% of Canadians and 87% of Quebeckers who support this measure. How does the member justify depriving people who are suffering of the ability to decide what to do with their own bodies once they have reached the point where they can take no more?

[Majid Jowhari, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

Madam Speaker, my colleague's talking about freedom of choice gives me a great opportunity to actually highlight our pharmacare bill. Part of that is free contraceptives, which will give women choice in their life.

Going back to the point of advance requests, if it were that easy and were not complicated, it would have been done. The hon. member mentioned that 91% of Canada is in support of that. Maybe 91% of Quebec is in support of that, but that is not 91% of Canada.

We are working very hard, both in the House and in the Senate, with key members to ensure that every aspect and every unintended consequence of the bill, including advance requests, is taken into account.

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Madam Speaker, there is no doubt that the Conservatives have treated indigenous people in this country with such immense malice, whether it was from the water legislation that ultimately was defeated in court because it failed to deliver clean water or whether it was child and family services that Conservatives continued to pump money into while families continued to get broken. There is no question that in their time, the Conservatives were brutal to indigenous people.

However, the Liberal member mentioned that the Liberals have served indigenous people to the maximum extent to which they possibly could. I want to correct the record on that because time and time again, several promises that the Liberal government made have been broken, whether it is on trying to reform child and family services by way of Bill C-92, which many nations, still today, cannot access because of the lack of funding; whether it is on the murdered and missing indigenous women and girls inquiry, where it would take generations to actually implement all the calls to action at the pace the government is going; whether it is the failure to ensure that clean water in indigenous communities is actually delivered by way of a comprehensive clean water strategy; or lastly, whether it is on housing.

As the New Democratic Party's critic for indigenous housing, I can say that less than 1% of all allocated funding for indigenous housing has gone out the door. That is shameful in a housing crisis. In my community of Edmonton Griesbach, for example, there are 4,011 people who are unhoused or without stable housing as of July. This is a crisis manifesting in indigenous communities that is then being transitioned to poverty in our streets.

How can the member explain the massive difference between his party and the Conservatives, who continue to treat—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Richmond Hill.

[Majid Jowhari, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his passion and his advocacy for the indigenous community.

I will reiterate what I said in my closing remarks: A flame has been ignited but it is fragile and needs nurturing.

I would like to respond by asking, do we have a lot more work to do? Absolutely. Do we have a lot more consultation to do? Absolutely. Do we need to work with our partners, different indigenous communities and organizations, as well as provinces, to ensure that we give the supports that are needed? Yes. Do we need to make sure that we also build the capacity so we can hand over the various economic aspects to indigenous communities? Yes.

We have a lot of work to do, and we are committed to doing it. We ask for the member's support in doing that.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

It is my duty pursuant to Standing Order 38, to inform the House that the questions to be raised tonight at the time of adjournment are as follows: the hon. member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, Public Services and Procurement; the hon. member for Calgary Centre, Finance; the hon. member for Portage—Lisgar, The Economy.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Madam Speaker, I am going to split my time with my friend and colleague from Fundy Royal.

We live in the best country in the world, and I do not even recognize it anymore. That is why we are here today. We talk about a country that is deeply broken at this juncture in the House as we speak about confidence in the Prime Minister, because of what is happening outside the House and because of what is happening in every city right across the country. Housing prices have doubled. The price of rent has doubled. The price of a mortgage payment has doubled after nine years, with photo-ops from the Prime Minister and his housing plan.

We talk about drugs, chaos and disorder in our streets to levels I have never seen before. That is why I say I do not recognize this country anymore. I do not recognize the city I grew up in. There are tent encampments, 1,800 in Ontario alone, that have popped up in places they had never been before. People are not just down on their luck; there were always tent encampments, but there are middle-class Canadians who now cannot afford a place to live.

This is not the country I grew up in. This is not the country my parents chose to make home. There was a deal in this country, and when my parents came to this country, when they chose to make Canada home, my father was an uncredentialled engineer. He ended up driving a taxi to put his wife through school and to make sure he could buy a home in a safe neighbourhood for his family. That is exactly what he did. He sent two kids to school and made sure that in one generation, we could go from the front seat of a taxi to the front row of Parliament Hill. That is the dream of this country. Today, people cannot do that.

When I say I do not recognize this country, I do not recognize it because nine out of 10 young Canadians do not believe they will ever own a home. The drugs, the chaos and the disorder in our streets are being pumped up by the Prime Minister, who is allowing people to languish right in front of us. He is not providing people with care and support but is drowning them in excessive taxes, making their lives unaffordable. He is feeding their own affliction of addiction with taxpayer-funded drugs, creating a street-level palliative care that nobody in this country ever dreamed of seeing in the streets.

It is not just in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. I have seen that for many years; I saw that 20 years ago. It is now in every single city, everywhere in the country. The Prime Minister has spent more than every other prime minister combined. The Prime Minister continues to hang his hat on quadrupling the carbon tax to go to 61¢ a litre. Not only that, but it is going to cost our economy $30 billion in lost GDP.

The situation is dire in this country. Canada has the lowest per capita GDP, not just now but also for the next 30 years. I know it is a fact that the Liberals do not admit, but they printed it in their own budget. We are squandering opportunity in this country. We have everything we need below our feet. We have the smart, industrious Canadian people who can build pipelines, who can work in mines and who can deliver the critical minerals we need for a government that says everybody is going to drive a Tesla by 2035.

We have everything, and we squander that opportunity. We have the smartest people in the world. We have enough food to feed ourselves for a generation. We have enough of what we need below our feet, like natural gas, liquefied natural gas, lithium and cobalt, to displace the dictator oil that is being sold to those on the other side of the world whose wars are killing our very own people.

We are an embarrassment on the world stage. We no longer sit at the table. We no longer even sit at the kids' table. They just do not even call us anymore.

The Prime Minister has lost moral clarity on issues that I thought were really clear in this country, with long-standing Canadian policy thrown out the window. It is sad to watch what has happened in this country, and that is exactly why we have put forward the motion today, a motion that is now supported by the NDP leader, who last Monday came out with a video, a huge production, saying that he was ripping up the agreement, that he and the Liberals were not friends anymore and that they were having a breakup.

It was a very public breakup until Thursday, when they got back together. They taped up the agreement. There was a little bit of weirdness when the NDP leader said, after voting 24 times to increase the carbon tax, that he was no longer for the carbon tax. I am not sure where that is today.

The NDP leader is constantly trying to pretend to hold the government to account. He says the agreement was ripped up, but then he put the agreement back together and is going to vote to keep the Prime Minister in power. He is going to vote against the workers he once pretended to represent in this place. He is going to work against the constituents in his riding and all the ridings of his members who want to see the Prime Minister go.

I am not the only one who hears it. I was out everywhere this summer, and the refrain is very similar. The refrain is even similar in Quebec. It is time for the Prime Minister to take a walk in the snow, take a walk in the sand, go surfing or play piano in the middle of a bar while drunk before another eminent funeral. That is, frankly, what the Prime Minister is doing right now, as he is not in this place but in New York City—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member knows very well that we are not to mention the presence or absence of members.