House of Commons Hansard #39 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was c-12.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Private Members' Business The Speaker outlines the royal recommendation requirement for private members' bills that spend public funds, noting Bill C-222 may need one. The Speaker also reminds members of debate procedures for private members' business items. 300 words.
Criminal Code Second reading of Bill C-225. The bill aims to amend the Criminal Code to address intimate partner violence by creating a distinct offence of assault on an intimate partner, making the killing of an intimate partner first-degree murder, and establishing a court-ordered risk assessment. Conservatives advocate for its urgent passage, while Liberals question the consultation process and warn the first-degree murder provision could penalize abused women acting in self-defence, citing existing government efforts. 7800 words, 1 hour.
Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act Second reading of Bill C-12. The bill aims to strengthen Canada's immigration system and borders by enhancing security measures against transnational organized crime, illicit drugs, and auto theft. It proposes to grant the Canada Border Services Agency new inspection powers and expand the Coast Guard's security role. The legislation also introduces new asylum claim ineligibility rules and improves information sharing. While some welcome its removal of controversial privacy provisions from a previous bill, others raise concerns about its resource allocation and potential constitutional challenges. 41100 words, 5 hours in 2 segments: 1 2.
Automotive Industry Members request an emergency debate on Stellantis' plan to shift production from its Brampton plant to Illinois, impacting 3,000 workers. They raise concerns about job losses, economic effects, and government subsidies. 600 words.
Mélanie Joly LiberalMinister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
Mr. Speaker, of course what Stellantis announced for the Brampton plant last week was completely unacceptable. Stellantis has made solemn commitments to the government and to their workers, and it needs to honour those commitments. That is why we will hold it to account.
Mélanie Joly Liberal Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC
While my colleagues are just, right now, talking, we already know that, in committee, we said that we would agree to the production of documents.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, surely Stellantis would not be announcing that it is moving a 3,000-worker plant to the United States of America if the government had negotiated job guarantees in that contract of $15 billion. To put this into perspective, $15 billion is $1,000 for every single family in Canada. That was supposed to create jobs.
I have a simple yes-or-no question: Is there an iron-clad guarantee of every single worker's job here in Canada in exchange for that $15-billion handout?
Mélanie Joly LiberalMinister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
Mr. Speaker, let me be extremely clear. We will fight for these jobs, because Canadian auto workers are the best auto workers in the world, and we will make sure that Stellantis faces all consequences, including legal ones.
That being said, an hour ago I met here in Ottawa with the head of Canadian Stellantis, with the head of Unifor and also with the minister of economic development of Ontario. We are one strong team Canada, and we will make sure that these jobs stay in Brampton.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, that is still no answer. It was the present-day finance minister, who is in charge of a half-trillion-dollar forthcoming Liberal budget, who was the one who signed the deal, and amazingly, barely two years after he signed it and forked over 15 billion Canadian tax dollars, the company receiving it is moving the jobs to the United States of America.
The Minister of Industry claims she might take legal action. She cannot do that unless there is actually a job guarantee, so will she tell us, yes or no, whether every Canadian Stellantis worker has a job guarantee.
Mélanie Joly LiberalMinister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
Mr. Speaker, when the government negotiates contracts, they are good ones, and my colleague will have the chance to see the contracts. That being said, we will make sure to put full pressure on the company. The jobs need to stay in Brampton. The jobs need to stay in Canada. Ultimately the future of the auto sector is bright, and we will continue to fight for it.
Christine Normandin Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Speaker, a preacher named Uthman Ibn Farooq is on a speaking tour in Canada despite his history of hate speech. For example, he thinks it is okay to capture women and use them as sex slaves. That kind of speech got him banned from the U.K. and even from Canada. However, he will have no trouble making the same kinds of remarks during his video conferences because they are protected under the Criminal Code.
The Criminal Code exempts hate speech from punishment if it occurs within a religious context. Is the government finally going to abolish this religious exemption?
Steven Guilbeault LiberalMinister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, as my colleague is well aware, hate speech has no place in Canada. The federal government has a number of tools at its disposal to fight hate speech. We will do everything we can to work and ensure that Canadians are not subjected to such speech.
Christine Normandin Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Université du Québec à Montréal quickly cancelled a lecture the preacher was scheduled to give on its premises, and this should be applauded. However, fans of hate speech, misogyny, homophobia and the like will still be able to attend seven of his lectures across Canada, including in Quebec, in Brossard.
This kind of speech has no place in Canada or Quebec. However, the federal government protects it in the Criminal Code. When will the Liberals finally have the political courage to abolish the religious exemption that allows hate speech?
Steven Guilbeault LiberalMinister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, as my colleague pointed out, a lecture was indeed cancelled on the grounds that it constituted hate speech. We have a number of tools at our disposal. In the last Parliament, we introduced a bill to tackle hate speech, particularly online.
I will be working on this file as heritage minister. We will keep working to tackle hate speech in all its forms across the country.
Rhéal Fortin Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC
Mr. Speaker, the federal government talks out of both sides of its mouth when it comes to hate speech. Canada banned Uthman Ibn Farooq from entering the country because of his hateful comments. That is true. He is too dangerous for our country. We agree.
However, those same hateful comments are protected under section 319 of the Criminal Code. In Canada, hate speech is permitted if it is done under the guise of religion. If the preacher's comments are hateful enough for Canada to ban him from entering the country, would the government not agree that they are hateful enough to be banned from the Criminal Code as well?
Steven Guilbeault LiberalMinister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, in addition to the bill on online hate speech that we introduced during the last Parliament, Bill C-9, which is currently being studied in the House and will be debated in the coming weeks, contains a provision that specifically addresses the issue of hate speech.
The federal government is very proactive on this issue and will continue to be.
John Barlow Conservative Foothills, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's broken promises are costing Canadians. The Prime Minister said that he would lower grocery costs for Canadians, but in fact, food prices are rising twice as quickly now as they did under Trudeau, and it is because of the Liberal hidden taxes on food. It is not imaginary; the Liberal government's own analysis said its food packaging tax increased costs for Canadians by $1 billion. A Deloitte study said that it would increase fresh produce costs by 34%.
Will the Prime Minister scrap his hidden taxes on food, or will he break another promise to Canadians?
Patty Hajdu LiberalMinister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
Mr. Speaker, there is good news for Canadians. Last week, the Prime Minister announced that we are making the school food program permanent, so I take from the question of the member opposite. That means Canadian kids all across the country are getting good-quality food at school, saving families about $800 a year at the grocery store, but I hope from the nature of the question that we can count on the party opposite to support the budget.
John Barlow Conservative Foothills, AB
Mr. Speaker, it was the Liberals who voted against scrapping their hidden taxes on food, and now one in four Canadians does not know where their next meal is coming from. Bans of plastic food packaging and front-of-pack labelling will increase the costs of fresh produce 34%. The Liberals were warned that these policies would increase costs for consumers, and those warnings were not heeded. Four million Canadians are going to be forced to use a food bank this year, which is up 345% from 2015.
Will the Prime Minister scrap his hidden taxes on food so Canadians can afford to feed their families?
Patty Hajdu LiberalMinister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
Mr. Speaker, most Canadians know, or ought to know, that there is not tax on food, and that in fact these are imaginary taxes.
What is not imaginary is the $8,000 in Canadian families' bank accounts for children under six years old that will be deposited today, something the Conservatives have voted against time and time again. When they have an opportunity to make life more affordable for Canadians, they vote against the interests of Canadian families time after time.
Connie Cody Conservative Cambridge, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister told Canadians to judge him by the prices they pay at the grocery store, so let us do just that. Sheri, a senior in Cambridge, wrote to me this week. She sent a photo of her grocery receipt: $197 for a few basics that will not last the week. The cause is Liberal hidden taxes like the industrial carbon tax on farmers who grow the food. These taxes are buried in everyday essentials. Runaway Liberal spending has turned the grocery aisle into a luxury lane.
With the budget coming, Canadians like Sheri want to know, will the government axe the hidden taxes and rein in the spending so they can afford to eat?
Patty Hajdu LiberalMinister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
Mr. Speaker, every time there is a chance to stand up for Canadian families, the Conservatives vote against their interests. Whether it is increases to seniors' benefits or whether it is ensuring that food costs remain low for Canadians, they voted against it. Canadians expect governments to work on their behalf, and they know they cannot trust the Conservatives.
Connie Cody Conservative Cambridge, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is the same old answers. Let us talk about those so-called programs. Nine out of 10 kids do not get fed by the failed food program. The Liberals take food away from families to instead feed the government's constantly expanding bureaucracy. If those programs were working, then food bank visits would be going down, not up.
Since the Prime Minister took office, beef strip loin is up 28%, sugar is up 19% and apples are up 13%. These are not luxuries; they are everyday essentials being priced out of Canadian diets, which is forcing kids to go to bed hungry.
I will ask again: Will the government finally listen to the evidence and stop its reckless spending so families—
The EconomyOral Questions
Patty Hajdu LiberalMinister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
Mr. Speaker, when we visit food banks, one of the things they ask is to make the school food program permanent, and we have listened. That is what responsible governments do. We work with partners to make sure we have programs across the country that reach hungry bellies, and that is what we are doing, saving Canadians families, on average, $800 a year.
The Conservatives vote against families time and time again. They literally take food out of kids' mouths.
Kelly DeRidder Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are feeling the financial squeeze, not just at the pumps but across the board. While the Liberals claim that these are imaginary taxes, the truth is that there are hidden fuel taxes on buried regulatory fees and carbon pricing, quietly driving up the cost of groceries and transportation. These are not just line items; they are daily realities for working families in Kitchener Centre.
Will the Liberals axe their 17¢ fuel tax in their upcoming budget so Canadians can finally afford to live?
Stephanie McLean LiberalSecretary of State (Seniors)
Mr. Speaker, while the Conservatives continue to suggest that imaginary taxes exist on food, we are ensuring that there is real food for real bellies, that children in schools get fed.
The Conservatives vote against feeding children, while on this side of the aisle we are ensuring that children have the food they need and that Canadians have the support they need. The Conservatives continue to suggest imaginary taxes and to work against Canadians' interests.
Dominique Vien Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister wants to be judged by prices at the grocery store. We know that his taxes, such as the food packaging tax, are secretly driving up prices. These taxes are so sneaky that they are built right into the posted prices. They do not even show up on customers' receipts. What we have learned is that the packaging tax will cost $1.3 billion until 2032.
Will the Prime Minister put an end to these hidden taxes on food so that Quebeckers and Canadians can finally afford to eat properly?
