Debates of Sept. 24th, 2024

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, our government believes in tax fairness for all Canadians. We believe that a Canadian teacher or nurse should not be paying tax at a higher rate than a multi-millionaire. We believe that, in Canada, we should not be able to tell the size of someone's paycheque by their smile. We believe that no teenage girl in Canada should get pregnant because she cannot afford contraceptives. The way we pay for those essential programs is through tax fairness, but we know the only thing that Conservatives stand for is a hidden agenda of cuts and austerity.

Public Safety

[Jamil Jivani, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years under the NDP-Liberals, taxes are up, costs are up, crime is up and time is up. Last week, we learned that the Parole Board of Canada granted day parole to a serial rapist who was convicted in 2020 for assaulting five women. The Parole Board is appointed by the Liberal government. The chair of the board answers to the Liberal public safety minister.

When will the NDP-Liberals start locking up repeat violent offenders?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite knows well that the Parole Board's decisions are independent of government. What is sad is that the Conservatives would rather politicize the independence of our judicial system in order to create fear and to fearmonger for their own political gain. They want to undermine our democratic institutions for political gain. All Canadians should be very concerned about the Conservatives, their plans and their cuts to our criminal justice system.

Health

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Madam Speaker, in Alberta, Conservative cuts to health care have left hundreds of thousands of Albertans without a family doctor, and it is getting worse. Fifty-eight per cent of Alberta doctors are planning to leave the province in the next five years. The Conservative plan to privatize health care is forcing Canadians to choose between waiting for the care they need and paying out of pocket. Albertans are Canadians too, and the Canada Health Act is supposed to protect all Canadians.

Why do the Liberals sit back while Danielle Smith cuts health care for Canadians?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I know that, for the member opposite and for every member of this caucus, the universal public nature of our health care system is essential. It is critical to make sure that every Canadian everywhere has access to care based on need, not based on the size of their bank account. That is why the threat of Conservative cuts, the attacks they want to make on our health system, are so menacing. It is why the House must work collaboratively to ensure that we get it done. That is why the investment of $200 billion over the next 10 years in our health system is also critically important.

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

Mr. Speaker, I hope the health minister heeds his words as he looks at taking dental care away from Canadians. The Liberal Minister of Procurement recently threatened Canadians, on TV, saying that the government will take away dental care if it does not get its way. It would not be the first time Liberals let Canadians down. Together with Conservatives, they voted no to lowering grocery prices; they voted no to making big grocers pay what they owe, and they voted no to removing profit from long-term care. We know Conservatives will take away dental care from Canadians while they keep theirs.

Why are the Liberals threatening to do the same?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the member will well know that the only party that is threatening dental care in this country is the Conservative Party of Canada, whose members refuse to answer a question. It is the only one I am aware of. When one refuses to answer a question, we can fill in the blanks, right? They want to cut it. First, they tried to say it did not exist, then they said that nobody would sign up for it—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Order, please.

I invite the hon. minister to continue and finish his answer.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax, ON]

Mr. Speaker, 750,000 have signed up so far. The path forward is clear. There are nine million Canadians who need to be served. There are nine million Canadians who did not have coverage. There are nine million people who the Conservatives do not believe deserve dental care. Well, we do, and we are not going to rest or stop until everyone is covered.

Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, reports of online child sexual abuse rose by 850% in the past 10 years in Canada. Our kids deserve better. As a father of three young daughters, I am worried about the dangers that lurk online and the lack of robust online safety laws to ensure the protection of our children, who are often at a vulnerable and impressionable age.

Can the Minister of Justice please share how he plans to keep our children safe online?

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, parents across Canada are worried about their children's safety online. As a parent, I share their fear. That is why it is crucial that we implement laws dedicated to keeping our kids safe. That is why I introduced the online harms act. Bill C-63 introduces the first-ever safety standards for online platforms. It couples duties to protect kids with significant penalties for platforms that do not comply.

We have rigorous safety laws to protect our kids from harm in the physical world; they need to be safe online as well. We are creating a safer online world for our kids. It is really unfortunate that Conservatives cannot get onside with this important legislation.

Forestry Industry

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Environment's order is an affront to the regions of Quebec. It is another attempt by Ottawa to interfere in Quebec's jurisdictions. At least 1,400 jobs are in jeopardy. That means entire communities are at risk. The Conservatives understand that the impact will be disastrous.

Tomorrow, on behalf of all Canadians and Quebeckers, we will have the opportunity to put an end to this centralist government.

Will the “Liberal Bloc” allow Quebeckers to have their say during an election?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, no plan for the environment, no plan for air quality, no plan for clean air, no plan for the economy, no plan for health care, that is what the Conservatives have to offer Quebeckers.

We are working with everyone to try to find solutions to problems that can be quite complex. We just made an offer to the Government of Quebec worth nearly half a billion dollars. We will work together to find a solution for the forestry jobs, but also for protecting the caribou, which the Conservatives are incapable of doing.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the Minister of Environment that no amount of money can compensate for lost jobs, shattered lives and a social crisis. That is what the order is going to cause in my region.

What the Bloc Québécois calls a gain is actually a temporary measure until Christmas. We know that the Bloc Québécois is no longer a party of the regions. It is important to understand that the only possible gain for Quebec is to bring down the Liberals.

Will the “Liberal Bloc” let Quebeckers decide in an election?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I think tomorrow's vote in the House will actually reveal that the House does not have confidence in the Leader of the Opposition. He has nothing to offer the people of Quebec, whether in terms of the environment, the economy or jobs. He has nothing to offer—zero, niet.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow we will have an opportunity to end the most costly and centralist government in this country's history. This government is doing Quebec a lot of harm, as François Legault, the Premier of Quebec, rightly pointed out last week.

The “Liberal Bloc” has kept supporting this government, which is going to kill at least 1,400 jobs in Saguenay and on the north shore. It is a catastrophe waiting to happen.

Why not call an election and let forestry workers decide their own future?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleagues that three elections have taken place in Canada since 2015, and the environment was central to discussions and debates across the country each time. We won all three elections. They may not be pleased about that.

What we are going to see in the House tomorrow is that the House has no confidence in the Leader of the Opposition. The House does not trust the Conservative Party, which is there to protect the interests of its friends, not the people of Canada.

Whether on the economy, the environment or jobs, the Conservatives have nothing to offer.

The Environment

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, members of the House and all Canadians are well aware that this government is always quick to lecture everyone about the environment, but it is “do as I say, not as I do”.

According to The National Post, the Prime Ministercaused $200,000 in environmental damage with this jet this summer, this government has not met any targets in the past nine years, and Canada is ranked 63 out of 67 countries on the effectiveness of its environmental measures.

However, the Liberal government has no need to worry, because it will get help from its Bloc Québécois friends. This sovereignist party is going to help a federalist party. How can the minister, who is a staunch federalist, go along with that?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I have a great deal of respect for my colleague opposite, but unfortunately, almost everything he said is untrue.

Greenhouse gas emissions are the lowest they have been in 25 years. This is the first time in the history of the country that emissions have dropped while the economy is firing on all cylinders. The last time emissions were this low, O.J. Simpson was before the courts and the iPhone had been invented but not yet put on the market.

The Conservatives have no plan to address climate change and are not proposing any adaptation measures, when that cost Canadians $7 billion this summer.

Access to Information

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if my colleagues can guess whose emails and documents the Liberals are trying to hide from Quebeckers. It is Amira Elghawaby. Yes, her again.

The Information Commissioner had to issue an order forcing the department that she works for to respond to an access-to-information request for 3,000 pages of emails and documents. Ms. Elghawaby is not a minister, though. She has no confidential strategic information.

Seriously, what does Ms. Elghawaby have to hide? Why are the Liberals so afraid to release these emails and documents to the public?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, all government organizations, all departments, all Crown corporations and all agents working for the Canadian government have the same responsibility to respect the Access to Information Act, and that is what is expected in this case too.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we are not learning much from the minister's answers. We are not going to learn much from Mrs. Elghawaby's emails either.

We do not understand why the Liberals refuse to disclose them to the public. At best, we will find out what she wrote and to whom. We might find out what group she consults, but that is not likely. We might find out what she really thinks, unfiltered, about a few other things. We can agree that we do not expect anything very edifying.

Honestly, if the Liberals are so afraid of the public finding out what she writes and whom she talks to, then why wait until it comes out in the papers? Why not dismiss her immediately and abolish her position?

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Minister of Diversity]

Mr. Speaker, we are absolutely committed to an open and transparent government. The request will be released ahead of the extension and given to the Information Commissioner.

International Trade

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years, costs are up, taxes are up, crime is up, time is up and now tariffs are up. The U.S. softwood lumber tariffs have just doubled. What does the Prime Minister do? Does he make trade headlines? No, he is not making headlines; he is making punchlines on late-night TV where he called the softwood lumber issue a small issue that matters. It is 400,000 jobs.

When is the Prime Minister going to figure out that he is the punchline and that it is time for a prime minister who will make this a large issue that matters for all Canadians, their jobs and their paycheques?