House of Commons Hansard #29 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was prices.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Opposition Motion—Food Taxation Members debate food affordability and rising grocery prices, with Conservatives arguing that Liberal policies, including industrial carbon taxes, inflation, and packaging taxes, are increasing costs. They highlight soaring food bank use and higher Canadian food inflation compared to the US. Liberals counter that global factors and climate change contribute to prices, while their government implements social programs, tax cuts, and housing initiatives to improve affordability and support farmers. The Bloc criticizes both sides for simplistic solutions, calling for increased senior benefits and addressing grocery chain competition. 59400 words, 7 hours in 2 segments: 1 2.
Gary Anandasangaree LiberalMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, last year, the CBSA removed over 18,000 individuals who were ineligible to be in Canada. This year, we are on target to removing over 20,000 people.
The work that our frontline border officers do is incredible. I want to thank them for their work. We are going to be adding another 1,000 CBSA officers to ensure that our borders are even safer and more secure than ever.
Jeremy Patzer Conservative Swift Current—Grasslands—Kindersley, SK
Mr. Speaker, it did not take long for Canadians to see the public safety minister fail multiple times at his job. In just four months, we found out that he needs to recuse himself from certain discussions on border security and that he is playing politics with the firearms confiscation program that he admitted will not work. Now he has lost 600 foreign nationals with criminal records in Canada who were ordered to be deported.
The public safety minister cannot deliver public safety for Canadians. He is already at three strikes. How come he is not out? When will the Prime Minister fire this failed minister?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalMinister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, we witnessed the tragedies that took place at the Quebec City mosque, École Polytechnique and Portapique.
We have had mass shootings in this country, and Canadians have told us very clearly that they want the access to assault-style weapons of war to be limited. The one thing that has distinguished this party and that party over the course of all these tragedies is our willingness to put measures in place to limit assault weapons and their abject refusal to listen to Canadians and listen to reason on this issue. The Conservatives need to listen to Canadians and get serious about assault rifles.
Pierre Paul-Hus Conservative Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC
Mr. Speaker, Radio-Canada reported that the Canada Border Services Agency intercepted more than 1,500 stolen vehicles last year at the port of Montreal, reflecting a steady rise in thefts linked to international organized crime. This criminal activity also includes the laundering of money from romance scams that are destroying Quebeckers' lives.
The Prime Minister is making excuses to allow the Minister of Public Safety to keep his job even though he does not understand what is going on in this country. He knows that intelligence services suspect these criminal organizations of funding terrorist activities and having ties to Hezbollah.
Does the Prime Minister have the courage to fire him today?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalMinister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Safety has just informed the House how many people were removed from the country. He clearly knows what he is talking about when it comes to ensuring our national security.
With regard to assault-style firearms, Canadians have been clear. In the wake of the tragedies at Polytechnique, in Portapique and at the Quebec City mosque, they want to get these guns off our streets. When will the Conservatives listen to reason and join us in restricting access to assault weapons in Canada?
Pierre Paul-Hus Conservative Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC
Mr. Speaker, clearly, the government House leader completely misunderstood my question. I was not talking about firearms. Incidentally, the weapons used in Portapique came from the United States and were illegal. That has nothing to do with what is happening in this country.
My question was about international organized crime operating at the port of Montreal and in the Montreal area. These criminals are financing Hezbollah. It is happening right under the Minister of Public Safety's nose. He is doing absolutely nothing about it and does not even understand what is happening in this country.
My question is simple: Will the Prime Minister have the courage to fire the Minister of Public Safety immediately?
Gary Anandasangaree LiberalMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, it is very clear that the number of car thefts is down significantly across Canada. Across Canada, they are down 19% year over year.
We have invested $1.3 billion in the border. We have invested in new scanners. We have invested in new equipment that will ensure that items going out of the country are inspected more frequently. We are investing in another 1,000 RCMP officers. We will ensure that the border is more secure than at any other time.
Rhéal Fortin Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Government of Quebec announced that it wants to prevent the Hells Angels from displaying their colours. Quebec would not need to take action if the federal government did its job by making patches illegal under the Criminal Code, which falls exclusively under federal jurisdiction. The Bloc Québécois even introduced a bill to that effect in 2017, Bill C-349. Every party voted against it. Quebec is once again being forced to do the federal government's job for it because no other party here has the courage to take on organized crime.
Will the government finally take responsibility and make it illegal to wear the emblems of organizations—
Sean Fraser LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by thanking my colleague for the question.
As the member knows full well, we are introducing new bills to protect communities that face hate from another community.
This piece of legislation includes the criminalization of the wilful promotion of hatred using specific hate symbols. Of course, as the hon. member knows, decisions as to which groups are included are subject to the terrorist organizations list in the Criminal Code, which does and should reflect the independent advice of the national security apparatus in this country.
Rhéal Fortin Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC
Mr. Speaker, the government's Bill C-9 would make it illegal to wear the swastika. It would also make it illegal to wear symbols associated with groups that appear on the list of terrorist entities.
However, the government does not have the courage to do exactly the same thing for criminal groups, such as the Hells Angels. Their patches represent organized crime, murder and the rise in gang-related violence that is worrying Quebeckers. It seems to us that this is a hateful enough symbol for the Liberals to ban it.
What are they waiting for?
Sean Fraser LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Mr. Speaker, this bill specifically includes symbols that encourage the intentional promotion of hatred, including Nazi symbols as well as symbols of terrorist organizations.
It is essential that the decisions as to which organizations are treated as terrorist organizations in this country are made independently by the national security apparatus. However, should the hon. member wish to put this to parliamentarians through the committee process, he has something he can do: Vote in support of this legislation, send it to committee and say his piece in front of all members.
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary East, AB
Mr. Speaker, Justin Trudeau tried to make groceries the most expensive in Canadian history.
The Prime Minister said, “Hold my champagne.” In August, food inflation outpaced overall inflation by 84%, and now the Parliamentary Budget Officer said the deficit could soar to $70 billion. It is the Liberal deficit that fuels the inflation tax that made grocery prices go up.
Why is the Prime Minister so obsessed with making grocery prices more expensive than Justin Trudeau did?
Patty Hajdu LiberalMinister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
Mr. Speaker, the school nutrition program is saving Canadian families, on average, $800 a year in food costs. That is just one example of the work we have been doing to ensure that Canadians have an affordable quality of life. The dental care plan in my riding is changing the lives of small business owners and artists who have gone for many years without dental care and who, for the very first time, have been able to access affordable dental care.
That is the kind of support that families expect, and that is what they get with a Liberal government.
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary East, AB
Mr. Speaker, that food program is feeding bureaucracy, not kids.
The finance minister made a grand show and said he was going to haul in all the grocery store CEOs, tell them what was on his mind and say, “Hey, buddy, you had better lower grocery prices, or else.” Then he doubled the deficit, making inflation go up, making food prices soar and sending two million Canadians into food banks.
Why does the finance minister not haul in the real inflation culprit, the guy who sits beside him, the so-called budget expert, and tell him to stop ballooning the deficit so food prices can actually come down?
Patty Hajdu LiberalMinister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
Mr. Speaker, if they will not believe us, maybe they will believe an actual kid. A grade-7 kid actually said this: “An investment in healthy school food is a good idea because the healthier the kids, the healthier the society. School food matters to me—”
The EconomyOral Questions
The Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia
Please, colleagues, I would like to hear what that 12-year-old had to say as well.
Go from the top, please.
The EconomyOral Questions
Patty Hajdu Liberal Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON
Mr. Speaker, let us start with the voice of a child advocating for other children in this country.
This is what that grade-7 Canadian young person said: “An investment in healthy school food is a good idea because the healthier the kids, the healthier the society. School food matters to me because kids should be healthy.”
I am so proud of that empathetic grade-7 student who knows that young people in schools deserve the best chance at success. That is more than I can say for these Conservatives, who are actually laughing at the compassion of children in our country.
Grant Jackson Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Mr. Speaker, the minister is so out of touch. She does not understand that those kids are still hungry every evening, every weekend and every summer holiday. Their parents cannot afford to put food on the table, because the Liberal government's inflationary deficits have been driving up food costs 48% faster in Canada than in the United States since the Prime Minister took office.
The Prime Minister asked to be judged by the cost at the grocery store, and we are well past judgment day. Money-printing deficits plus record-high food bank use plus Canadians skipping meals equals an F for the Liberal government.
Will the Liberals vote for our Conservative motion to cut their inflationary taxes on Canadians today?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalMinister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, we just witnessed something pretty shocking in this House. We had the finance critic for the Conservatives stand up and say we are creating bureaucracies rather than feeding children. I would like him to come to the elementary school where I helped serve breakfast to young kids, so I can show him the yogourt, orange slices and eggs that are handed out to those children every day.
To the member, no, we will not vote for their motion. We are going to be busy over here putting in place supports for Canadians that he will vote against.
Éric Lefebvre Conservative Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said that Canadians should judge him by the cost of groceries. The Parliamentary Budget Officer revealed that the deficit would be double what was promised six months ago.
Does the globe-trotting Prime Minister realize that every dollar he spends comes out of Canadians' pockets? Does the Prime Minister realize that the broken promise about doubling the deficit is causing grocery prices to go up and skyrocket?