House of Commons Hansard #75 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was farmers.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Canada-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement Implementation Act Second reading of Bill C-18. The bill is an act to implement the Canada-Indonesia comprehensive economic partnership agreement. Proponents, including the Liberal government, argue the agreement diversifies trade, reduces tariffs on Canadian exports like wheat, barley, pulses, and oil seeds, and strengthens economic ties with a rapidly growing market. Opposition parties, while generally supportive of trade diversification, raise concerns about human rights, labour standards, and the inclusion of investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms. 15600 words, 2 hours.
Keeping Children Safe Act Second reading of Bill C-223. The bill, the keeping children safe act, proposes amendments to the Divorce Act to strengthen protections for children and survivors in family law proceedings. It aims to better recognize family violence and coercive control, limiting the misuse of parental alienation claims and prohibiting harmful reunification practices. While parties largely support the bill's objective to prioritize children's safety, some Conservatives raise concerns about prohibiting judicial consideration of parental alienation evidence. The Bloc Québécois supports sending the bill to committee for expert review. 7600 words, 1 hour.
Anna Roberts Conservative King—Vaughan, ON
Mr. Speaker, seniors are choosing between medication and groceries. Food Banks Canada has reported 2.2 million visits in a single month, and 8.3% are seniors, up from 6.8%. Food inflation is the highest in the G7. Canadians need our help. Conservatives have proposed real solutions: eliminate the industrial carbon tax, eliminate the fuel standard tax and cut red tape for farmers.
Will the Prime Minister show compassion for Canadians and work with us to provide real relief, yes or no?
Stephanie McLean LiberalSecretary of State (Seniors)
Mr. Speaker, unlike the Conservatives, our actions are compassionate. Our actions show compassion for seniors. We increased OAS for seniors over age 75 when the Conservatives wanted to bring it down to below age 65. We have protected OAS, ensuring that it is indexed to inflation, and we just guaranteed that low-income seniors will get the help they need to fight rising food costs, which is something we cannot control. However, what we can control is helping families afford the food they need with the groceries and essentials benefit. This will buy up to $950 more food for a single, low-income senior.
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
Mr. Speaker, some new retirees have not been receiving their old age security pension for nine months now because of problems with the new Cúram software. What did the Liberals have to say to these people yesterday? The Liberal House leader said that software problems happen. He said that we were fearmongering. The Liberals were made aware of this in June by their own officials. With answers like that, we can see why they have done absolutely nothing.
When will they do something about this?
Patty Hajdu LiberalMinister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
Mr. Speaker, my department is in the process of transferring benefit delivery to a more modern system. The delay in the processing of applications affected 1.2% of OAS applicants. The department is committed to delivering the OAS swiftly and accurately. My department and I are working tirelessly to resolve these problems. If anyone is having difficulty accessing the OAS, we encourage them to contact Service Canada.
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
Mr. Speaker, if things were going as well as the government House leader claims, then we would not have seniors who have not received their pension since last spring. We would not have seniors who are receiving the wrong amounts and who will be getting less on their cheques in the future. This is not fearmongering. We are talking about real people who are saying that the government's new software, its new system, is causing problems. When the government causes problems, its job is to fix those problems, not to say that stuff happens.
When will the government take seniors' problems seriously?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalMinister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, we obviously take very seriously the need to provide benefits to those who are entitled to them. The government modernized its outdated software, and that is good news. The new software enables seniors to access services online and receive an enhanced level of service. A few people have been affected, and that is a few people too many. We agree on that.
We are asking these individuals to call Service Canada to get their situations sorted out.
Scott Aitchison Conservative Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON
Mr. Speaker, between 2011 and 2021, home ownership among 30- to 34-year-olds fell from 60% to 52%. From 2019 to 2024, for every 100 adults added to the Canadian population, only 12 homes intended for ownership were built. That is less than half the rate of the earlier decades.
How does the Prime Minister expect young Canadians to ever buy their first home when his government keeps using the same old policies that have not worked for the last 10 years?
Gregor Robertson LiberalMinister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada
Mr. Speaker, the good news is that our government has brought forward the first-time homebuyers' GST break, which is up to $50,000 off their first home purchase for young Canadians. This is a new measure. It was stalled in the fall session by the opposition, unfortunately.
We are ready to bring this forward. We are ready to deliver affordability for young Canadians.
Scott Aitchison Conservative Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON
Mr. Speaker, new home sales are down 45% in the GTA and 56% in Vancouver. Rebates do not matter to first-time homebuyers if no homes are getting built. Nearly half of young Canadians are now considering leaving their home communities because they cannot afford to stay.
When will the minister listen to all the experts, the builders, the developers and the Conservatives, and remove the HST on all new homes under $1.3 million so that we can get builders building homes again?
Gregor Robertson LiberalMinister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada
Mr. Speaker, it starts with first-time homebuyers and not obstructing bills that will deliver relief and affordability for young Canadians. That is number one.
Number two, we have record annual construction in Calgary, in Montreal, in Edmonton and in Ottawa. We have housing starts that were solid last year, the fifth-best year in Canadian history.
We will continue to build on that work with Build Canada Homes, which we expect the opposition's support on.
Jacob Mantle Conservative York—Durham, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is a new year, but it is the same old story for Canadians trying to buy a home. They cannot.
The Missing Middle Initiative reported this week that while the vast majority of gen Z and millennials want to buy a home, only about half can realize that goal. Home ownership for them has decreased from 60% to 52%. Their ambition to buy a home has turned into uncertainty, and that uncertainty has turned into defeat. Missing Middle proposed 10 solutions. Not one of them was the government's plan for another bureaucracy to build non-market homes.
Why is the government's plan so different from what sensible experts are recommending?
Gregor Robertson LiberalMinister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada
Mr. Speaker, the good news is that we have Build Canada Homes starting up, a one-stop shop for affordable housing, delivering housing for young Canadians in particular.
The opposition can support affordable housing. It has never done it before, but it can start now. It can start helping this government deliver affordability, whether that is new homes through Build Canada Homes or bringing down rents, which we have seen drop across Canada for 30 straight months.
Tako Van Popta Conservative Langley Township—Fraser Heights, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is not keeping his promise to young Canadians to help them buy their first home. In fact, according to the Missing Middle report, things are going in the wrong direction. Home ownership among 30-year-olds is at an all-time low. Less than half think they are ever going to own their own home, and housing starts are not even keeping up with population growth.
Here is an idea. We are feeling generous. Why does the Prime Minister not adopt our policies to cut bureaucracies so that homes get built and first-time Canadian buyers can buy their first home?
Kody Blois LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I have a great idea for the member opposite. This government has put a series of measures in place to help support young Canadians getting into their first home and to be able to build more housing supply in this country, whether it is Build Canada Homes or removing the GST up to $50,000 for new homebuyers buying their first home. The Conservatives obstruct at every single pass.
The member has to go back and answer to his constituents for why Conservatives are standing in the way of the progress this government is seeking to advance. There are important measures in Bill C-15. They should get on board and actually be a part of the solution.
Bernard Généreux Conservative Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC
Mr. Speaker, we are seeing evidence of the housing crisis on the streets and in the homes of Quebeckers. Families are being forced to choose between paying rent and putting food on the table. Young people are putting their plans on hold because they cannot find affordable apartments. According to a Leger poll, one in five renters in Quebec had trouble paying their rent last year. In Montreal, it is one in four. That is unacceptable.
After 10 years of Liberal government, when will Quebeckers have access to truly affordable housing?
Rachel Bendayan LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, a family of four may receive over $1,800 through our new Canada groceries and essentials benefit. That will help families and households make ends meet at the end of the month.
It is true. We have seen the statistics that show that one in five households has trouble paying their rent, so I am wondering why the Conservatives are blocking the work of Build Canada Homes. Why do the Conservatives want to block our new benefit for Canadians?
Gurbux Saini Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
Mr. Speaker, communities across Canada want to feel safe in their neighbourhoods and confident their government is taking action to prevent crime, especially given the rise in extortion in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
Can the minister update the House on measures the government is taking to counter extortion, support law enforcement and ensure our communities feel safe?
Gary Anandasangaree LiberalMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, the rise in extortion in Surrey and the Lower Mainland is unacceptable, and I extend my support to the victims of extortion everywhere.
This morning, I met with Premier Eby and we committed to deploying up to 20 RCMP members to support law enforcement efforts. We deployed two helicopters in the Surrey area, and in November we announced $4 million in federal funding to bolster the Surrey police's efforts to tackle extortion threats. There are bills before the House that the opposition can support right now, like the one on lawful access, to help us combat extortion in Canada.
Kyle Seeback Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
Mr. Speaker, for almost a year, Canada has endured an unprovoked economic attack by the United States and President Trump. Conservatives worked to fast-track Bill C-5, which was supposed to fast-track nation-building projects. Unfortunately, it has not fast-tracked anything. Not a single new project has been approved and not a single shovel has gone into the ground.
There is an alternative. A Conservative sovereignty act would repeal anti-development legislation, speed approvals and create economic opportunities for Canada. Businesses and provinces that invest would be rewarded.
Why will the Liberals not support this bill so that we can lessen our dependence on the Americans?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalMinister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, it is good to see Conservatives finally coming around to the Liberal plan, which is precisely that: To diversify trade markets, to build our country up with Canadian steel, Canadian aluminum, Canadian ingenuity, Canadian know-how and Canadian union men and women building our country together.
The Conservatives' proposals were tested. They had the ultimate test, a general election, which did not go so well. Canadians voted for the Prime Minister's plan to build Canada strong. That is what we are going to keep doing.
Kyle Seeback Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
Mr. Speaker, what the Liberals promised in the election was that they were going to fast-track nation-building projects, and that is one of the reasons Canadians voted for them. Unfortunately, they have not actually fast-tracked anything. Not a single new nation-building project has been approved. Not a single shovel has gone in the ground for any of those projects.
We need a new approach. That's why a Canadian sovereignty act needs to be implemented. It would tear down the barriers to building these projects. It would create new economic opportunity and thousands of good-paying jobs.
The Liberals have stolen almost every single one of our policies. Why do they not steal this one for the benefit of Canadians?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalMinister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, we have nation-building projects going on right across this country. I would refer the member to his own province of Ontario, where we are in major developments in the nuclear sector and will be developing the Crawford nickel mine, and where we are going to build North America's very first high-speed rail network, from Quebec City to Toronto. We are going to build in British Columbia, whether it is LNG, the northwest corridor or Ksi Lisims. We are building this country. We are building it big. We are building it strong.
Blaine Calkins Conservative Ponoka—Didsbury, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Prime Minister has broken his promise to Canadians. He said he would build Canada strong, but in eight months he has not approved a single new project. Instead, he is closing down agriculture research stations and firing scientists, including at the 120-year-old station in Lacombe.
Conservatives introduced a motion this week to pass a Canadian sovereignty act. Will the Liberals vote for our legislation to repeal Liberal laws that block development, to reward investment in Canada and to protect Canadian innovation, or will they continue selling Canada out with their new world order agenda?
John Zerucelli LiberalSecretary of State (Labour)
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' ideas were tested in the election, and guess what, they lost.
We are focused on something that is very clear and something Canadians want. They want us to build this country. They want us to grow the economy, and that is exactly what we are doing.
We are going to build the largest infrastructure investment in Canadian history, with major projects across this country, building affordable homes for Canadians using Canadian steel, Canadian lumber, Canadian skilled trades and Canadian student workers.
We are diversifying our trade, expanding to new markets and investing in innovation. We are going to create the—
The EconomyOral Questions
