The Right Hon. Prime Minister.
House of Commons Hansard #147 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was c-39.
House of Commons Hansard #147 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was c-39.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Electoral Integrity and the Alberta Referendum Heather McPherson (NDP) seeks an emergency debate on Alberta’s referendum, citing invalid mail-in ballots, accessibility barriers, a data breach, alleged foreign interference and separatist collaboration, and questions about electoral integrity and national unity. 400 words.
Building Canada Strong Act Second reading of Bill C-39. The bill proposes to streamline federal reviews and approvals for major projects, coordinate consultations, modernize transportation and trade rules, and amend labour-relations provisions. Liberal members say it will reduce duplication and provide decisions within a year while maintaining environmental standards and Indigenous rights. Opposition members raise concerns about ministerial discretion, environmental safeguards, Indigenous consultation, workers’ right to strike, accountability, and whether the changes will deliver projects. 59400 words, 7 hours in 2 segments: 1 2.
Ukrainian Heritage Month Act Third reading of Bill S-210. The bill designates September as Ukrainian Heritage Month to recognize Ukrainian Canadians’ contributions, celebrate their culture and history, and promote education about their heritage. Members across parties support the measure, also citing the importance of acknowledging Ukrainians’ resilience and Canada’s ties to Ukraine. 6800 words, 1 hour.
Mark Carney LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I have to keep reminding the Leader of the Opposition that I just got here. He has been here for 20 years. Every single month this government has been in office—
HousingOral Questions
The Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia
Speaking of Thanksgiving, I would be thankful if members could hold it down just a little.
The right hon. Prime Minister, from the top, please.
Mark Carney Liberal Nepean, ON
Mr. Speaker, I would note the Leader of the Opposition's 240 months and counting, and my 18 months. What has happened in those 18 months? Every single month, rental affordability has improved in this country. Every single month, housing affordability has improved in this country. Jobs are up. The economy is up. We are moving forward. We know we have more—
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, the guy who said he was going to build at unimaginable speeds says he just got here, after 18 months. It is not that he has failed to make things better after the 10 years of Liberal government that he helped advise on. It is that things are getting so much worse. Rent is up 86%, almost double, from $970 to $1,800 today. The Prime Minister is now leading an economy where the largest number of Canadians have given up on home ownership.
When will we have an end to the big talk and actually get some home ownership results?
Mark Carney LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, every single month that this government has been in office, rental affordability has improved. Every single month that this government has been in office, housing affordability has improved. It has gone from 54% of disposable income to the low 40s per cent of disposable income, on average, in this country. There is more to do, but we have momentum. We are building Canada strong.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
I will turn it over to you, the people out there. Is your rent payment really going down? Is your mortgage payment really going down? Is anything really getting built? Where are the results in your life back home?
Mr. Speaker, this is the Prime Minister who set up a new bureaucracy that he said would double home construction to 500,000 a year. It has built only 2,000 homes, not even a drop in the bucket, and homebuilding is down 4% year over year.
Will the Prime Minister stop with the big promises and the big spending and actually deliver some real results?
HousingOral Questions
The Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia
This is just a reminder to speak through the Chair, even when using rhetorical devices.
The right hon. Prime Minister may answer the question.
Mark Carney LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, real results are 140,000 more Canadians in work. A real result is the fastest-growing economy in the G7 in the last quarter, at 3.8% annualized. Real results are incomes growing, rents coming down and housing affordability improving. We are building Canada strong.
Yves-François Blanchet Bloc Beloeil—Chambly, QC
Mr. Speaker, Bill C‑39 seems to reveal the Prime Minister's real priority in building his Canada strong. It is really about building a pipeline for western oil companies by suspending environmental laws.
The Prime Minister is not hiding the fact that he is doing this to appease the Alberta separatists. If Bill C‑39 is good for appeasing Alberta separatists, perhaps it will also be good for enraging Quebec sovereignists.
Given that this government's biggest and most costly achievement is the pipeline to American oil companies, what place would Quebec have in its strong Canada?
Mark Carney LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, Quebec's place in a strong Canada is at the centre of a strong Canada. That is why this government catalyzed the major project at Churchill Falls, the largest clean energy investment in the history of North America.
What is the rationale for building a pipeline from Alberta to the west? It is to support the sovereignty and independence of Canada, including Quebec.
Yves-François Blanchet Bloc Beloeil—Chambly, QC
Mr. Speaker, it is worth noting that the largest project for Quebec is actually in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The cost of the Prime Minister's new pipeline is currently estimated at $40 billion. We can only imagine how much it will actually end up costing. Quebeckers' share of the bill for this gift for the American-owned oil companies in western Canada will come out to at least $9 billion. That is more than Quebec's entire deficit. That means money coming out of the pockets of Quebeckers and going into the pockets of American shareholders of western Canadian oil companies, supposedly to ensure independence from the Americans, even though there is no tariff on oil.
If this is the Prime Minister's idea of a strong Canada, why is he so determined to not—
Oil and Gas IndustryOral Questions
Mark Carney LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, it is a bit surprising, but it seems to me that two lessons are needed here, one in geography and one in economics. The bottom line is that the Churchill Falls project represents $200 billion for Quebec, and that is according to Hydro-Québec.
Yves-François Blanchet Bloc Beloeil—Chambly, QC
Mr. Speaker, he sacrificed billions of dollars earmarked for culture by caving to pressure from the tech giants. In the fight against climate change, he has completely surrendered. He is not providing sufficient support for the aluminum and forestry sectors, yet when a pipeline is involved, there is $40 billion available for oil, which is not even tariffed. The companies are owned by Americans. The profits go to the United States. Moreover, 95% of the oil is purchased by Americans. Pacific link is not a gateway to economic diversification. It is a pipeline for carrying Quebeckers' money to western Canada and the United States.
Does he not realize that Quebeckers' money should be used to develop Quebec, not to destroy the planet or benefit friends in financial circles?
Mark Carney LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, once again, Quebeckers' and Canadians' money is going to be spent on developing Quebec. The Churchill Falls project and the port at Contrecoeur are two examples. High-speed rail, which the Bloc Québécois supported during the last election, is another example.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, I know the Prime Minister makes the excuse for being out of touch because he is not ever here—
HousingOral Questions
The Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia
No, that does not pass muster. I am warning the hon. Leader of the Opposition that if he does that again, we will have to deduct the question. He may start from the beginning.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Battle River—Crowfoot, AB
Mr. Speaker, maybe that is why he misspoke a moment ago. He claimed that home ownership costs have gone down to the low 40s as a percentage of disposable income. I just pulled up the numbers from the RBC affordability index, and it actually takes 53% of disposable income for the average family to make payments on the average home. That is the highest it has been, outside of this Liberal government, since 1990.
Will the Prime Minister stand up, correct himself and admit that a year and a half into his mandate, and 11 years into this Liberal government, Canadians cannot afford to own homes?
Jennifer McKelvie LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure
Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that major players like RBC are observing improving housing affordability, brightening job prospects and stabilizing prices. Indeed, throughout the summer in Ontario, we saw that housing sales for new homes were up 130%. We have now seen across the country for 24 consecutive months that rents are coming down.
Our plan is working. We are investing in Build Canada Homes to build affordable housing from coast to coast to coast, with more than 19,000 units under way. We care about affordability, and we are delivering.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, when the Prime Minister makes a misstatement of facts, he cannot even stand up and correct himself or defend his remarks. Maybe we will do better on the issue of public safety.
The Liberal approach to drugs has killed 55,000 people with drug overdoses, and now a Liberal-appointed judge in British Columbia has ruled there is a constitutional right to sell illegal narcotics. This threatens to kill even more people.
Will the government announce today that it is appealing this outrageous ruling so that we can get drugs off our streets and keep our people safe?
Sean Fraser LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Mr. Speaker, those who traffic in serious drugs that create serious harm are committing a crime, and that is the law in Canada today.
When it comes to the specific case the member mentioned, it is currently within the period for appeals, which are going to be determined by the independent Public Prosecution Service. As was the case under the previous Conservative government, there is respect on this side of the House for the independence of the legal system, including the independent public prosecutor. We are going to let them do their job, and I look forward to seeing them discharge their responsibilities with care.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, people going through depression and mental health issues go through the darkest valleys. They need hope. Several years ago, the Liberal government legalized medical assistance in dying for people whose only condition is mental illness. Many people would not be with us today if that policy had been in place before.
The Conservative member of Parliament for Cloverdale—Langley City has put forward a bill to stop that from happening and protect the people who are most vulnerable.
Will the Prime Minister announce that he will vote for that bill today, for hope, for life and for a better future for the people suffering?