House of Commons Hansard #41 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.
Peacetime Service and Sacrifice Memorial Day Act First reading of Bill C-252. The bill establishes October 22 as "peacetime service and sacrifice memorial day" to honour Canadian Armed Forces members who lost their lives in non-combat roles on Canadian soil, proposing the national flag be lowered. 200 words.
Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act Second reading of Bill C-12. The bill aims to strengthen Canada's border security and immigration system. Liberals say it upholds humanitarian tradition and due process while streamlining asylum claims, including new rules for claims made after one year or irregular entry, and enhancing pre-removal risk assessments. Conservatives support some measures like strengthening CBSA and combating fentanyl, but criticize it as a "second attempt" to Bill C-2, alleging continued privacy overreach and failure to address bail reform or crime. The NDP strongly opposes the bill, arguing it grants unchecked cabinet power, lacks procedural protections for asylum seekers, and violates international human rights. 16000 words, 2 hours.
Canada's International Development Assistance Members debate Motion 14 to strengthen Canada's international development assistance by integrating reciprocal economic benefits for Canadians, establishing an Economic Partnerships Window, and requiring annual parliamentary reports. Liberals support the motion as a strategic modernization. Conservatives demand more accountability, while the NDP criticizes its "hyper-capitalistic approach." An amendment ensures equal opportunities for small non-profit organizations. 7500 words, 1 hour.
Mark Carney LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, there is no “I” in team, but apparently there is an “I” in Conservative. There is no team in the Conservatives. There is a team on these benches.
The government is in a position with the best accord with the Americans. We have the lowest tariffs on the auto sector—
Automotive IndustryOral Questions
Mark Carney Liberal Nepean, ON
Mr. Speaker, there is no “I” in team, but there is an “I” in Conservative.
There is a team in the Liberals that can answer these questions. This is what the Liberal team has accomplished: We have the best deal with the Americans of any country. We have the lowest tariff on our automobiles and trucks of any country, but we are not satisfied. That is why we are negotiating a new accord on steel, on aluminum, on energy, and on auto.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, the question was about jobs and the Prime Minister responded with a spelling bee. This is the guy who is supposed to negotiate a win for us, a guy who said he would have a deal by July 21. He is the guy who said he has had his elbows up. Since that time, his elbows have gone missing. The Canadian people need those jobs. He promised he would protect those jobs.
Will he stand up today, look the auto workers of Ontario and Quebec in the eye, and tell them why he abandoned them and sold them out?
Dominic LeBlanc LiberalPresident of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade
Mr. Speaker, our government has no difficulty looking at the hard-working women and men who work in our auto industry and in industries across the country to say that we are fighting for their jobs, we are standing up to the Americans against unjustified tariffs and we are negotiating what we think will be agreements that will be in the best interests of Canadian workers and the Canadian economy. What we are also doing at the same time is taking steps to support those very industries in Canada.
That is what we were elected to do. That is what the Prime Minister is doing with everybody on this side of the House.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, that was not what the Prime Minister promised. He promised that he would negotiate a win. He promised that he would have a deal by July 21. Neither of those things happened. He went to the auto sector and told the workers that not only would he protect their jobs, but also there would be an all-in-Canada supply chain that is being dismantled right before our eyes. It is not just his trade negotiating failures. His EV mandate has slammed the brakes on any investment in auto manufacturing in this country.
Will the Prime Minister take personal responsibility for this and announce today an end to the EV mandate, so we can get our workers back to jobs?
Mélanie Joly LiberalMinister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the auto workers, they know that we have their backs and that we will fight for every single job in this country in the auto sector. Do colleagues know why? It is because Canadian auto makers and Canadian auto workers are the best in the world. Therefore, we will make sure that Stellantis is held to account.
We are meeting with GM tomorrow in Ottawa about bringing back a model to the plant in Ingersoll. We will be there also for the employees at Paccar in Sainte-Thérèse.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's failures and capitulations are not just vis-à-vis the United States. He promised he would stand up for western Canadian farmers, but canola tariffs have now more than doubled. The Prime Minister, in response to this, has given the Communist regime in China a $1-billion taxpayer-funded loan so that we can buy Chinese-made ships, and now he has announced that he has further conceded by removing tariffs on Chinese-made steel.
Why is it that in addition to selling out auto workers, he has sold out our farmers and rewarded foreign dictatorships that target them with tariffs?
Heath MacDonald LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, our new government was elected to expand and diversify our international trade with reliable partners. We are in a volatile global economy. We are defending our trade interests, we are expanding into new markets and we are working alongside our farmers in every aspect.
Sébastien Lemire Bloc Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC
Mr. Speaker, service at the Canada Revenue Agency is worse than ever. Yesterday, the Auditor General confirmed that, eight years after a damning report by her office, the agency's services to the public have gone further downhill. The situation has not improved. Only 5% of citizens managed to get through to an agent within the 15 minutes specified by the service standards. The Liberals cannot claim ignorance. The Auditor General warned them about this situation back in 2017. They simply failed to resolve it.
After letting things slide for eight years, when are the Liberals going to step up and do something? People are tired of waiting.
Carlos Leitão LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, we are taking action. The Minister of Finance and National Revenue has already ordered the Canada Revenue Agency to review its procedures, and we are going to give the agency the financial resources it needs to hire staff and get the equipment needed to address these very important issues.
Jean-Denis Garon Bloc Mirabel, QC
Mr. Speaker, the situation is not improving at the Canada Revenue Agency, or CRA. Yesterday, the Auditor General confirmed what we already knew, that the CRA is not even answering the phone anymore. Worse still, the Auditor General revealed that when people do manage to get though to the agency, they are only being given correct information 17% of the time. In concrete terms, this means that we are just as likely to get an accurate answer from the CRA as we are to get an answer in French from the Prime Minister.
When will the minister fix this fiasco?
Carlos Leitão LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, we did not wait for the Auditor General's report to take action. We have already given the Canada Revenue Agency rather clear instructions about changing its processes and hiring more people.
Carlos Leitão Liberal Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC
Mr. Speaker, this is quite the spectacle. People are talking over everybody else. It sounds like a kindergarten class.
We are taking action. We are improving services at the Canada Revenue Agency.
Gabriel Hardy Conservative Montmorency—Charlevoix, QC
Mr. Speaker, in Quebec, rents have jumped by nearly 10%, double the Canadian average. We know that families spend nearly half of their income on housing and food. It is a worrisome trend. Meanwhile, the Liberal government continues to fuel its inflationary deficits, which are driving up the cost of everything from groceries to gas and housing. After 10 years of deficits and broken promises, families in Montmorency—Charlevoix and across Quebec have had enough.
Will the Prime Minister finally regain control of our finances and make life affordable for Canadians?
Carlos Leitão LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, I would like to share the following information with the House.
First, inflation in Canada is under control. It is at 2.4% and the Bank of Canada target is between 1% and 3%. We have been meeting the inflation-control target for 21 months.
Second, there is no link between the government's deficits and inflation. Inflation is a global phenomenon. Do COVID-19, the war in Ukraine and rising oil prices ring a bell to you?
FinanceOral Questions
The Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia
I would remind the parliamentary secretary not to address members directly.
The hon. member for Montmorency—Charlevoix.
Gabriel Hardy Conservative Montmorency—Charlevoix, QC
Mr. Speaker, families, seniors and business owners in Montmorency—Charlevoix can no longer make ends meet.
Economists are saying that we are in a recession. The cost of housing has skyrocketed. There has been an almost 10% increase in rent in Quebec, while interest rates fuelled by the Liberal deficits are crippling owners and SMEs. The Liberals promised to look after middle-class families, but instead they have brought them to their knees.
When will the Prime Minister stop making families pay the price of its inflationary deficits and put a stop to his reckless spending?
Joël Lightbound LiberalMinister of Government Transformation
Mr. Speaker, given the exchanges we have heard in question period today, it is clear that the economists are sitting on our side of the House. They are not sitting across the way.
Since my colleague wants to talk about families in Montmorency—Charlevoix, what does he have to say to them when he and his party voted against the Canada child benefit, which helps thousands of them, and when he voted against the Canadian dental care plan?
The Leader of the Opposition does not even believe the Canadian dental care plan exists when six million Canadians have access to it.
We will take no lessons from the Conservatives when it comes to helping Canadian families. That is what we are doing, day in and day out.
Jonathan Rowe Conservative Terra Nova—The Peninsulas, NL
Mr. Speaker, when the Liberal government creates deficits by spending more than it receives in taxes, it creates inflation, costing Canadians more at the grocery store, more at the gas station and more everywhere else. New inflation data confirms that Canadians are being crushed by these Liberal deficits. All three core inflation measures are alarming. In just the last year, grocery inflation is up by 4% and rent inflation is up by nearly 5%.
When will the Liberals get the inflationary deficits under control to make life more affordable for Canadians instead of trying to outspend Justin Trudeau?
Patty Hajdu LiberalMinister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
Mr. Speaker, our government is focused on making the investments that are going to help Canadians get ahead. Whether it is investing in major projects, in affordable housing or in early learning and child care so people can make the best wages possible, our government is focused on one thing, and that is Canadians' success.
Canadians know that too. They do not trust those guys to protect their interests. They do not trust those guys for the long-term thinking that results in better outcomes for their families and their children. That is why we are on this side of the House.
Brad Vis Conservative Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford, BC
Mr. Speaker, I represent one of the most trade-exposed regions in Canada, and Canadian manufacturers are being crushed by the industrial carbon tax and rising inflation. From steel, aerospace and auto parts to food processing, every step in the supply chain is costing more. Manufacturers cannot compete when the cost of everything keeps rising and businesses are burdened with more and more red tape.
Will the Prime Minister finally admit his industrial carbon tax policy and red tape policies like the plastics registry are unnecessary burdens doing nothing to improve competitiveness or protect the environment?
Mélanie Joly LiberalMinister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
Mr. Speaker, of course we will be there to protect jobs, create jobs and attract talent and investment. When it comes to creating jobs, particularly in the manufacturing sector, we are doing this through our new defence industrial strategy, which will be about buy, build and partner. We will do that through major projects across the country. We have already announced five major projects, worth $60 billion in private capital. We are coming up with next steps for new projects before the Grey Cup. By the way, the Grey Cup is November 16.