House of Commons Hansard #18 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was fentanyl.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Department of Citizenship and Immigration Ombud Act First reading of Bill C-212. The bill establishes an independent ombud office for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to examine its practices for fairness, equity, bias, racism, and discrimination, and address complaints. 200 words.
Immigration and Refugee Protection Act First reading of Bill C-213. The bill repeals provisions in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act that allow cessation of refugee status for permanent residents who temporarily return to their country of origin, called "unjust" by the mover. 200 words.
National Renewable Energy Strategy Act First reading of Bill C-214. The bill requires developing a national strategy to achieve 100% renewable electricity generation in Canada by 2030, citing climate action and clean energy jobs. 200 words.
Marine Liability Act First reading of Bill C-215. The bill requires a national strategy to address pollution caused by shipping container spills, aiming to improve response and prevention efforts. 300 words.
Strong Borders Act Second reading of Bill C-2. The bill proposes measures to strengthen border security, combat organized crime, fentanyl, auto theft, and money laundering, and reform the immigration system. Liberal MPs argue it provides necessary tools for law enforcement and border services while protecting rights. Opposition MPs raise concerns about potential infringements on civil liberties, including warrantless access to mail and data, cash transaction limits, and argue the bill fails to address key crime issues like bail and sentencing. Bloc MPs express concerns about the bill's scope and potential impact on freedoms, while an NDP MP highlights unprecedented powers for data access. 23800 words, 3 hours.
Richard Martel Conservative Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Bloc and the Liberals voted against our motion to end the ban on gas-powered vehicles. They want to impose their way of life on everyone, but they do not understand people's reality. This ban would penalize regions like mine and many others.
In Saguenay, it is cold, and public transit is less readily available than in big cities. We need our gas-powered vehicles.
Why does the Prime Minister want to dictate what kind of vehicle Canadians should buy?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I recognize my hon. colleague. He coached the Chicoutimi Saguenéens. They are not as good as the Gatineau Olympiques, but that is neither here nor there.
Maybe he breathed in too much Zamboni exhaust. In Canada, we have options. We have gas-powered Zambonis, natural gas-powered Zambonis and electric Zambonis. Canadian arenas have options, and consumers have options. Workers are going to build all three.
Everyone will get what they want.
Richard Martel Conservative Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC
Mr. Speaker, the average price of a new car is already $66,000. The Liberals want to put a tax on gas-powered cars, which will increase the price by $20,000.
The people of Saguenay should have the freedom to choose the vehicle that meets their needs at an affordable price and not be forced to drive an electric vehicle. Many people need gas-powered pickups to go into the woods and work. People want to be sure they can get home at the end of the day.
Will the Liberals and the Bloc continue to harm our regions?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, not only are we not going to harm the regions, but in fact, we plan to build up the regions. We will build up regions like Bécancourt, which is now in the auto industry. We will support the electrification of transportation.
I want to also suggest to my Conservative colleagues across the way that there is a guy in Queen's Park. His name is Doug Ford, and he supports electric vehicles. He supports an automobile industry in Ontario and across Canada. I suggest that they maybe they give Doug Ford a call to see what he thinks about EVs.
Jean-Denis Garon Bloc Mirabel, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals and the Conservatives all voted to make Quebeckers pay $814 million in bogus Canada carbon rebate cheques. The Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed it, saying that the funds will obviously be drawn from the consolidated revenue fund.
Worse still, Quebeckers are going to keep paying. The Parliamentary Budget Officer also said that there was no doubt that there would be interest to pay on that amount because, in a deficit situation, every additional expenditure results in additional borrowing.
Why are the Liberals and Conservatives stealing from Quebeckers?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, it is quite simple.
Quebec did not participate in consumer carbon pricing. The rebate is an adjustment for communities and provinces subject to such pricing.
Quebec did not participate, so the rebate does not apply to Quebeckers.
Jean-Denis Garon Bloc Mirabel, QC
Mr. Speaker, sometimes we are asked what the Bloc Québécois is good for. At the very least, it is good for having members of Parliament who do not steal $814 million from Quebeckers to write cheques for Canadians.
Right now, there are 44 Liberal members from Quebec. All 44 of them voted to steal from Quebeckers, as did the 11 Conservatives from Quebec. They all rejected the National Assembly's unanimous motion calling on the government to pay back that money. Clearly, these members do not stand up for Quebeckers.
The real question is not what the Bloc Québécois is good for, but what these people are good for.
Julie Dabrusin LiberalMinister of Environment and Climate Change
Mr. Speaker, it is very simple. The carbon tax did not apply in Quebec, so Quebeckers did not get the rebate. It is very simple.
Shelby Kramp-Neuman Conservative Hastings—Lennox and Addington—Tyendinaga, ON
Mr. Speaker, CMHC released May's housing starts, and predictably for the government, the outlook is not good. In Belleville, starts are down over 50 points, and in Toronto, nearly 60%. The minister's staggering ignorance of the plight of everyday Canadians is not surprising when we remember that he is not only stuck up in his ivory tower here in Ottawa but also sitting on a massive, $10-million, real estate portfolio.
Why is the housing minister telling young Canadians that home prices do not need to go down? Is he unable, or unwilling?
Gregor Robertson LiberalMinister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada
Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we are well aware of the challenges Canadians have with housing affordability. That is why they elected us to represent them and drive the pace of housing construction in Canada. That is what we will do. That is what we will deliver.
We have already delivered on the GST break for first-time homebuyers. We are going to take it further and faster.
Shelby Kramp-Neuman Conservative Hastings—Lennox and Addington—Tyendinaga, ON
Mr. Speaker, tell that to the young Canadians who cannot afford a home. For a decade, the Liberal government has continuously failed to address the housing crisis with solutions. To add insult to injury, it appointed a minister who has a significant interest in seeing housing prices soar sky-high. The housing minister is actually part of the problem.
How can Canadians actually trust a government that cannot lower housing costs, and a minister who has personal interest in keeping prices high and young Canadians in the basement?
Adam van Koeverden LiberalSecretary of State (Sport)
Mr. Speaker, Canadians remember when Pierre Poilievre stood in front of a Canadian woman's house in Niagara Falls and called it a “shack”. I remember when Pierre Poilievre stood in the House and called the co-op where I grew up “Soviet-style” housing. Now, if that were not enough, the Conservatives are stigmatizing modern, modular, affordable housing as shipping containers.
The Conservatives voted against every single measure to support lower-income families to be able to access affordable housing. It is people like me, who grew up in that type of housing, whom the Conservatives want to insult. That is pretty ironic, given that, despite not getting re-elected, Pierre Poilievre continues to live in taxpayer-funded government housing.
Pat Kelly Conservative Calgary Crowfoot, AB
Mr. Speaker, under the Liberals, we have become a country with two kinds of families: those that already own real estate and those that likely never will. The media reports that the housing minister owns real estate worth millions of dollars, while he tells Canadians who cannot afford a home that prices must not fall.
Will the minister, the former mayor of one of the most unaffordable places on earth, admit that his government spent a decade driving up housing prices and apologize to Canadians for crushing their dreams of home ownership?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, the minister has stood up and articulated and represents policies, which we debated in an election campaign, that will create hundreds of thousands of new homes for Canadians. In the meantime, he will of course be in compliance with the very strict ethics code and regulations that we in the House of Commons all live under. Doubting that is, frankly, unseemly on the part of the member.
Pat Kelly Conservative Calgary Crowfoot, AB
Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of the Liberals' driving prices up, housing supply has never been worse. According to CMHC, housing starts are down 10% in Vancouver, down 58% in Toronto, down 51% in Hamilton and down 71% in London. All these cities received funding under the Liberals' so-called housing accelerator fund, and their housing starts are falling.
Why is the minister protecting real estate investors instead of giving hope to millions of Canadians locked out of home ownership by the government?
Gregor Robertson LiberalMinister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada
Mr. Speaker, the member needs to check the facts. The housing starts across Canada are up to almost 280,000 pace this year, which is almost at a record level. We have been building at a strong pace this year and last. We are seeing unprecedented levels of rental housing being constructed for the first time in decades.
The government is delivering, and we will take it further. We will double the rate.
Rosemarie Falk Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK
Mr. Speaker, the housing minister is part of the problem. He said that housing prices do not need to come down, and now we know why: He has a $10-million real estate portfolio, including three, not one or two but three luxury properties.
Housing costs have doubled under the Liberals, putting home ownership out of reach for more and more Canadians. How can the minister sit in his Vancouver penthouse and tell young Canadians who are priced out of the market that prices do not need to come down?
Adam van Koeverden LiberalSecretary of State (Sport)
Mr. Speaker, there is an old saying about people in glass houses. Well, a lot of the Conservative members also have quite a few investment properties. They rent out their units. However, for another thing, I just want to reiterate that their leader, Pierre Poilievre, did not get re-elected, and he continues to live in taxpayer-funded government housing.
What is clear is that any time the Conservatives have an opportunity to support lower-income or vulnerable families and their access to truly affordable housing, they vote against every single measure.
Juanita Nathan Liberal Pickering—Brooklin, ON
Mr. Speaker, earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending the Seniors Month celebration in my riding of Pickering—Brooklin. This event brought together dozens of local seniors for an afternoon filled with live music, dancing, light refreshments and the presentation of the Senior of the Year award. It was a vibrant testament to the vital role that seniors play in enriching our community. Seniors are the backbone of our town, serving as volunteers, caregivers and lifelong contributors.
I would like to ask the Secretary of State for Seniors what our government is doing to ensure that seniors, especially those on a fixed income, can age with dignity and security in communities like mine and across the country.
Stephanie McLean LiberalSecretary of State (Seniors)
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her advocacy.
Our government is committed to ensuring that seniors can age with dignity. We have introduced several initiatives that are making a real difference in the lives of seniors. We have provided an OAS increase of 10%, increased the guaranteed income supplement for low-income seniors, made dental care available to seniors aged 65 and older and invested in projects under the new horizons program.
We will continue to work with provinces, municipalities and community partners to ensure that every senior from Pickering to Vancouver Island has what they need to thrive.
Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC
Mr. Speaker, the equivalent of five to seven grains of salt, a 0.2 milligram dose, is how much fentanyl it takes to kill somebody, so it is no surprise that Canadians would be shocked to hear that somebody who had 24 grams of fentanyl, enough to kill thousands of people, was sentenced to house arrest. Whom do I blame? Again, it is not the judge, not the prosecutor and not the defence lawyer. I blame the Liberals for their lack of action and for passing Bill C-5.
When will the Liberals finally legislate so that people who traffic fentanyl cannot serve their sentence on the couch?
Sean Fraser LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Mr. Speaker, it is clear the fentanyl crisis is responsible for the taking of innocent lives in this country. It is incumbent upon all members of the House to approach this with empathy, but also with a level of seriousness to prevent fentanyl from sweeping through the nation and causing such damage.
Going forward, we are going to be implementing a series of reforms that will target violent offenders, repeat offenders and organized crime, which is responsible for the preponderance of fentanyl in this country.
I hope that we can work across the aisle on this important issue to help keep Canadians safe and protect our communities.
Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC
Mr. Speaker, that all sounds great. Unfortunately, the minister voted for Bill C-5, which took away mandatory minimums for people serving sentences for fentanyl trafficking, for gun trafficking and for extortion with a firearm. Fentanyl is killing people: brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers.
Will the minister look into the camera and tell people whose children are victims, people who have died from fentanyl, that he will legislate to end the insanity?
Sean Fraser LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Mr. Speaker, it is essential that we approach this issue with the seriousness with which it deserves, including respect for decisions that have come from courts in the country. As we move forward, we are going to work in a manner that will ensure that serious crimes will be treated seriously and that serious offenders will be punished seriously.
I hope we can avoid turning something as serious as the fentanyl crisis into a partisan issue for political gain, and instead work to advance measures in a collaborative manner to help protect Canadians, their families and communities in every region of this country.
Andrew Lawton Conservative Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON
Mr. Speaker, a worker at a so-called safe injection site in Toronto helped someone literally try to get away with murder. Her sentence was a house arrest sentence with educational programming and daily trips to the gym, par for the course from the lawless Liberals, who care more about criminals than victims and who think bail should be as easy to get as free drugs.
When will the Liberals stop ignoring pleas from Canadians to fix the justice system and clean up the streets?