House of Commons Hansard #43 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was amendments.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Citizenship Act Report stage of Bill C-3. The bill amends the Citizenship Act, responding to a court ruling on the "first-generation limit" for citizenship by descent. Liberals and NDP propose amendments to restore the bill's original form, arguing committee changes create "two classes of Canadians" and are unconstitutional. Conservatives and Bloc defend their committee amendments, which add "language and knowledge" requirements and stricter residency rules, to uphold the "value of Canadian citizenship" and ensure a "substantial connection" to Canada. 14200 words, 1 hour in 2 segments: 1 2.
Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Conservative MP Michael Barrett raises a question of privilege, alleging the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner exceeded authority by publishing updated disclosure forms without required House approval, potentially constituting contempt of Parliament. Another Conservative MP supports this, citing a pattern of alleged abuses of power, including unauthorized non-disclosure agreements and inquiries based on anonymous denunciations. 3800 words, 30 minutes.
Relieving Grieving Parents of an Administrative Burden Act (Evan's Law) Second reading of Bill C-222. The bill, also known as Evan's law, amends the Employment Insurance Act and the Canada Labour Code. It aims to prevent parents who lose a child while on parental benefits from facing administrative burdens and financial clawbacks. The proposed changes ensure grieving parents can continue receiving benefits, providing compassionate support during profound loss. 8200 words, 1 hour.
Sukhman Gill Conservative Abbotsford—South Langley, BC
Mr. Speaker, it is shameful that the elitist Prime Minister would speak to university students about making sacrifices. Students have already sacrificed their dream of home ownership. They pay for the climbing cost of food. They are living paycheque to paycheque, that is if they can even find a job.
Will the Prime Minister rein in his out-of-control inflationary deficit so young Canadians can finally afford a home?
Ryan Turnbull LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)
Mr. Speaker, it is appalling that the member opposite is talking about sacrifices. Does the member know who makes sacrifices every day in this country? Our national police force does. My father spent 30 years serving on the Peel Regional Police force.
Recently we heard the Conservative leader call our national police force “despicable”. He called the men and women who serve our communities and keep them safe “despicable”, and he still does not have the good sense to stand up and apologize for such an appalling statement.
Sukhman Gill Conservative Abbotsford—South Langley, BC
Mr. Speaker, they failed to answer the question.
The members opposite have announced a new blue seal program and said that Canada has abundant opportunities for youth, but the facts tell a different story: Youth unemployment has risen by 14.7%, the highest since 2010, with employment levels now at their lowest since 1998. CIBC says that youth unemployment rates have climbed 5.5% since 2022.
Will the government stop congratulating itself and start helping youth find real jobs?
Ryan Turnbull LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)
Mr. Speaker, this is exactly what our government is doing by bringing prosperity to Canada, by making generational investments and by decreasing spending. Our economy is growing. We are creating tens of thousands of jobs.
The Leader of the Opposition calls major nation-building projects that create tens of thousands of jobs “pathetic”. On top of it, the Conservative members call a national school food program “garbage”. It is feeding kids across this country, giving them the best start. How can the Conservatives possibly claim to care about the next generation?
Grant Jackson Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Mr. Speaker, the young Canadian families I know would like to be able to feed their kids themselves, not on a government hand-out.
On Wednesday the Prime Minister told a room full of students they need to make sacrifices, but young Canadians have already sacrificed enough under the Liberal government. They have sacrificed the dream of owning a home. They have paid the price at the pump and at the grocery store. They have endured summers without work and have a future saddled with debt. After 10 years of Liberal failure, Canadians have sacrificed enough.
When will the Liberals finally get their spending under control and restore hope for young Canadians?
Leslie Church LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour
Mr. Speaker, let me take an opportunity to shed some light on the Conservative youth plan, which borrows heavily from the MAGA playbook. It includes restricting student financial aid to the programs the Conservatives like and defunding the ones they do not like. With their track record, we should be worried about basic science, arts, literature, culture, environmental studies, public health and early childhood education.
Is the Conservatives' plan a path to defund those students? If so, what kind of future do they see for Canada's youth?
Grant Jackson Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Mr. Speaker, clearly the member missed her leader's speech asking young Canadians to sacrifice, but here is a news flash: Because of the member's policies, they have already sacrificed enough. StatsCan data shows youth unemployment has climbed to nearly 15%, the highest it has been since 2010. Since the Prime Minister was sworn in, nearly 48,000 more Canadians have to rely on EI to pay their bills. This is not progress; this is Liberal decline.
How can the Liberal Prime Minister look young Canadians in the eye and ask them to sacrifice more, when it it is his own Liberal MPs' failures that have taken away their jobs, their homes and their hope for their future?
Leslie Church LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour
Mr. Speaker, we are making generational investments into Canada to build this country strong for the next generation. We are building housing. We are investing in skills. We are building major projects to create jobs. Our plan is working. We are making progress. We have more to do. On November 4, Conservatives have the ability to stand up and support us as we build this country to make it better for all Canadians.
Michael Kram Conservative Regina—Wascana, SK
Mr. Speaker, before the election, the Prime Minister said he could solve Canada's economic woes because he has a plan. This week, he finally revealed that plan to a roomful of young people. It turns out that the plan is that young people have to make sacrifices by giving on the dream of home ownership, paying higher prices at the grocery store and spending all summer unemployed.
If this was the Prime Minister's plan all along, why was he not honest with young people about the sacrifices he had in store for them?
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, one thing we know about the Conservatives is that they do not know shame. When I sat in opposition when the leader of the Conservative Party was a part of the government, they actually cut the summer student jobs program. How dare they try to say that we as a government do not support youth, when he sat around the cabinet table and did nothing but make cut after cut?
The young people of Canada know that the government has their back, and we will continue to do that. Come November 4, there is going to be a powerful stipend for the young people of Canada.
Xavier Barsalou-Duval Bloc Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC
Mr. Speaker, Driver Inc. truckers are not just a danger to the public on our roads. They also pose a threat to Quebec workers.
Over the past three years, 1,000 Quebec truckers have lost their jobs. Meanwhile, the industry is booming in Ontario. In the last five years, 77% of new truckers in Canada have been part of the Driver Inc. scam.
We are losing our Quebec truckers to the benefit of Ontario companies that employ fake truckers who got their driver's licences from a Cracker Jack box. The Bloc Québécois has proposed 10 measures to solve this problem.
When will Ottawa take action?
Leslie Church LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour
Mr. Speaker, licensing is a provincial responsibility, so it is up to the provinces to take appropriate action.
We will stand up for truckers who deserve to receive fair wages and to be protected under the law. More than 1,000 inspections have been carried out, and truckers can confidentially report offences. We are protecting those who speak up. Our priority is to keep our roads and drivers safe.
Xavier Barsalou-Duval Bloc Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC
Mr. Speaker, Quebec is already doing its job to solve the problem.
The chief coroner ordered a public inquiry, which the federal government is unwilling to do at this time. The Government of Quebec is going to equip highway traffic controllers with firearms. The Government of Quebec is going to make driver training mandatory. However, the problem comes from Ontario, not Quebec. Almost all the Driver Inc. drivers are from Ontario. Federal rules allow foreign workers to incorporate and allow companies to take advantage of them. Again, only Quebec is taking action, even though the problem lies with Ontario and the federal government.
When will Ottawa do its job?
Leslie Church LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour
Mr. Speaker, we are protecting the trucking industry. We have taken steps to ensure that truck drivers have fair pay. We have taken steps to ensure that misclassification is made illegal; we are enforcing that more than ever. We continue to work with the provinces, especially with Quebec, on this issue. Our priority remains making sure that we are keeping our roads safe and that we are supporting our industries and our workers fairly.
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Mr. Speaker, it has been 10 years, and the Liberals have failed to secure a softwood lumber agreement. In the meantime, over $10 billion in tariffs and duties on Canadian lumber has been collected by the Americans. Thirty mills have been closed in B.C., and tens of thousands of Canadians have lost their jobs, over 2,700 in my riding alone. These are 2,700 families who cannot afford to put food on their table, 2,700 families who cannot afford to pay the bills at the end of the month, 2,700 families who have lost hope.
When will the forestry families become a priority for the Prime Minister?
Corey Hogan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, we stand with affected communities and affected workers, and we have announced a number of supports: $50 million for workers; $700 million in liquidity supports, which are accessible through the banks that the mills are using right now; and $500 million of innovation to come.
We know that this has been a very disruptive situation. This is a long-standing challenge with the United States. We are working with all levels to manage to resolve it. I welcome the feedback from the member opposite regarding plans that they would like to see.
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Mr. Speaker, we are hemorrhaging jobs, and they are offering a band-aid. Canadians do not want handouts; they want jobs. The forestry sector supports over 200,000 direct jobs in 300 forestry communities nationwide. That is more direct employment than Canada's steel, aluminum and automotive sectors combined.
The Prime Minister campaigned on negotiating a win with the U.S. Instead, since he took over, tariffs on Canadian softwood have tripled. When will the forestry families actually become a priority for him?
Corey Hogan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, we stand with B.C. communities. FPAC officials were in town this week with many industry leaders and many other governments. We meet with them, and we talked about what we could do in order to support them. I continue to work with the sector to make sure we are providing supports that are meeting the moment. I welcome the member opposite to provide those supports.
Marilyn Gladu Conservative Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Prime Minister said he would be judged by the prices that Canadians pay at the grocery store, and Canadians are paying the price. Food inflation is skyrocketing, up 4%. Liberal deficits are driving inflation. The more Liberals spend, the more it costs Canadians at the grocery store. Twenty-five per cent of Canadians are using food banks because they cannot afford to eat.
When will the Prime Minister finally get his inflationary deficits under control so that Canadians can put food on the table?
Leslie Church LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour
Mr. Speaker, Conservative members pretend to care about food insecurity, but then they call feeding children “garbage”, which is completely unacceptable. Up to 400,000 more kids are getting healthy meals in their school. This is saving parents up to $800 a year on their grocery bills. That is meaningful change. How can Canadians take the party opposite seriously when it literally wants to take food off kids' tables and defund our food programs?
Marilyn Gladu Conservative Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong, ON
Mr. Speaker, what is garbage is that answer. Hidden Liberal food taxes are worked into the sticker price of everyday essentials, driving up food costs. The new fuel standard is adding 17¢ a litre to the fuel that truckers use to get the food to the grocery store. The food packaging tax and industrial carbon tax are inflating grocery prices as well. They show up on the total cost on people's receipt.
Will the Prime Minister reverse the hidden Liberal food taxes so that Canadians can afford to feed their families?
Ryan Turnbull LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)
Mr. Speaker, the reason the imaginary taxes the Conservatives are trying to invent do not appear on people's grocery receipts is that they are not real. Let me officially welcome the Conservative Party to reality.
While the Conservatives try to invent imaginary taxes, we are busy cutting taxes and helping to make it easier for Canadians to file their taxes. We have cut income tax for 22 million Canadians, cut GST on new home purchases, repealed the consumer carbon tax and moved forward with automatic tax filing so that Canadians can get the benefits they deserve.
Jason Groleau Conservative Beauce, QC
Mr. Speaker, it is always the same thing with the Liberals. They keep paying lip service without ever doing anything about the Driver Inc. issue. Canadians, including the people of Beauce, are worried and want the government to ensure that our roads are safe.
We are talking about human lives here. It is unacceptable. It is high time the Liberals stand up, show some backbone and take responsibility.
My question for the Minister of Public Safety is this: What is the value of a human life?
Mike Kelloway LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport and Internal Trade
Mr. Speaker, our truck drivers do crucial work for our economy and for the quality of life of Canadians. They must be able to do this work safely not only for themselves but for all road users. We are closely monitoring the situation, and we will take the necessary measures to ensure that our truck drivers can work in reasonable conditions, protecting their safety and that of all Canadians.
Darren Fisher Liberal Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
Mr. Speaker, Canada has what the world wants and needs: the resources, ingenuity, technology and skills, to make us a clean energy superpower. Atlantic Canada is ready, willing and able. With budget 2025, we know that the government is making generational investments to ensure that our economy remains strong, focused and resilient. This historic budget will build on the work already started by the Major Projects Office, which is going to cut red tape and fast-track major nation-building projects as well.
Can the parliamentary secretary for finance tell us how budget 2025 and the Major Projects Office are helping to build Canada strong?