House of Commons Hansard #91 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was s-2.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Indian Act Second reading of Bill S-2. The bill aims to amend the Indian Act to correct inequities from enfranchisement, restoring status for thousands. While the Liberal government seeks to pass the original bill and then consult on the second-generation cut-off rule, opposition parties like the Conservatives and NDP support Senate amendments to address both issues immediately, arguing further consultation is a delay tactic given decades of advocacy against discrimination. 11100 words, 1 hour in 2 segments: 1 2.
Corrections and Conditional Release Act Second reading of Bill C-221. The bill amends the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to ensure victims receive clear explanations for how an offender's eligibility and review dates for temporary absences, release, or parole are determined. Members from all parties support the measure, which aims to provide greater transparency and accountability for victims within the justice system, a goal also addressed by the government's Bill C-16. 4900 words, 40 minutes.
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Mr. Speaker, the party of ArriveCAN is once again trying to deflect from its recent failure on the OAS payment software. Just like with ArriveCAN, Liberals are spending more energy blaming others than actually fixing the problem. Seniors are waiting over six months sometimes to get their OAS.
When will Liberals stop hiding behind their excuses, admit their billion-dollar failure and take action to ensure seniors receive their old age security?
Leslie Church LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour
Mr. Speaker, I take the member's comments very seriously, and 7.7 million seniors are receiving their benefits on time and accurately in a system that is now designed to be more modern, accessible and secure. I would encourage the member, as the minister has said repeatedly, to speak to us if he knows of cases where there is urgent need. We are set up to deal with them in 24 to 48 hours, and we are very happy to do that.
Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault Liberal Madawaska—Restigouche, NB
Mr. Speaker, the opposition members like to claim that our country is broken. Not only is that in poor taste, but it is completely untrue, because Canada has everything the world covets: abundant natural resources, a highly skilled workforce and strong, diverse trade agreements. On this side of the House, we believe in Canada, and we believe in our Canadian businesses and workers.
I would like to ask the parliamentary secretary how this confidence translates into generational investments in the Canadian economy.
Carlos Leitão LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for that very good question.
The reality is that petty slogans are not a plan. On our side of the House, we have a real plan to build a strong and resilient economy. Our plan is yielding results. Private investment already rebounded spectacularly in the fourth quarter. Yesterday, Statistics Canada announced that foreign direct investment has now reached its highest level in 18 years.
Our plan is working. Our plan is serious and it is producing results.
Anna Roberts Conservative King—Vaughan, ON
Mr. Speaker, the government's Cúram system is causing delays for hundreds of seniors who depend on OAS and GIS to pay their expenses. These services are vital to seniors on fixed incomes. Four cost overruns were reported by the Auditor General in 2025. Similar incidents persist in every software program they attempt to execute.
When will the Liberal government accept accountability for another software system that has failed, costing taxpayers $5 billion?
Leslie Church LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour
Mr. Speaker, allow me to try to shed some light on this again for the members opposite. This initiative is a phased program. There is no cost overrun. The modernization of our old age security systems is necessary. I think all Canadians would understand that 60-year-old computer programs are outdated, obsolete and at risk.
If we want Canadians to have their benefits on time and accurately, as this program is already delivering to over 7.7 million seniors, we need to be modernizing it. We need to be moving to modernize our other systems around EI and CPP as well. This is necessary to support the biggest benefit programs the Government of Canada has.
Bernard Généreux Conservative Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC
Mr. Speaker, Ottawa does not just have a software problem. It has a systemic problem. Every time the Liberals hire a private firm, costs skyrocket and accountability goes out the window. First there were Phoenix and ArriveCAN, and now we have Cúram, which is costing $6.6 billion. Half of that money is going to consultants, while thousands of seniors are waiting for their pensions.
When will the Liberals admit that the real problem is not just the software but their management approach? Consultants are getting richer while our seniors our getting poorer waiting for their cheques.
Leslie Church LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour
Mr. Speaker, with great respect to the member opposite, I really would recommend to him the reports of the Auditor General on benefit delivery modernization and the testimony and report of the public accounts committee, both in 2011 and also from this past fall.
We are obviously working to address the outstanding cases, but let us please keep in perspective that this is the single-largest IT modernization project the Government of Canada has ever had, and right now it is delivering accurate and on-time benefits to over 7.7 million seniors.
John Williamson Conservative Saint John—St. Croix, NB
Mr. Speaker, another federal wharf in my riding has been condemned. Many others in New Brunswick need urgent repairs. Federal wharves are the lifeblood of coastal communities, but they are being neglected by the Liberals. Just as inland economies rely on highways and airports to get products to market, Atlantic Canada relies on wharves to export high-quality seafood to the rest of Canada and around the world.
In the last election, the Prime Minister promised an extra $250 million for federal wharves, but the budget did not include a nickel. Is this another Liberal broken promise?
Ernie Klassen LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries
Mr. Speaker, small craft harbours are fixtures of coastal communities and our economy. That is exactly why our government is investing hundreds of millions of dollars into our small craft harbours. We are building the infrastructure that allows our harvesters to do their jobs and support their families and their communities.
Kristina Tesser Derksen Liberal Milton East—Halton Hills South, ON
Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, I was proud to stand alongside my colleagues on this side of the House to vote in favour of Bill C-15. In addition to unlocking generational investments to help build a strong, modern, resilient Canadian economy, Bill C-15 contains important measures to make life more affordable for Canadians, including measures to advance open banking.
Can the parliamentary secretary let us know how open banking reforms would allow Canadians to securely share financial data and give consumers clearer choices and better tools to manage their finances?
Peter Fragiskatos LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration
Mr. Speaker, in her short time as a member of Parliament, the member is making outstanding contributions on the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. She is doing great work in the constituency, she brings great experience as a former town councillor, and importantly, as a lawyer, she stood up for women who had been abused in domestic relationships.
The member points to Bill C-15. Of course, its main focus is the economy, but within that bill is a focus also on open banking. The autonomy provided by open banking can help women experiencing violence in relationships. It is another way that we are showing support for people across communities and especially vulnerable populations. We will continue to do that.
Dane Lloyd Conservative Parkland, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are failing to stop criminals from stealing our cars. Vehicle identification numbers, or VINs, from exported vehicles are being used to sell stolen cars. The CBSA has a record of these VINs but refuses to share them with Canadian used car dealers, who would use them to identify stolen vehicles. Instead, the government has given an American company a monopoly on this data, charging Canadians $40 million each year just to get access to our own data. It is absurd.
Why will the Liberals not give Canadians access to our own data so that we can stop car theft?
Vince Gasparro LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)
Mr. Speaker, it is great to hear the hon. member talk about pieces of legislation that are required to catch criminals and put them away.
The fact of the matter is that we have had significant pieces of legislation in front of this House for almost a year. The strong borders act, the combatting hate act, bail reform and intimate partner violence are significant pieces of legislation that the Conservatives have obstructed and prevented from getting passed. Why do you not come over here and join us in catching the criminals?
Public SafetyOral Questions
The Assistant Deputy Speaker John Nater
I will remind members to direct comments through the Chair.
The hon. member for Winnipeg Centre.
Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Jobs and Families said, “Nobody should [be expected to] work for free”, yet this came after the Liberals undermined the CUPE flight attendants' strike against unpaid labour by using section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, siding with their corporate friends.
Last week, this anti-worker stance led to a final settlement that CUPE said was not the outcome the union fought to achieve. Shame.
Will the Liberals finally recognize workers' rights and support my bill to repeal section 107?
Leslie Church LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour
Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House we stand firmly in the belief that nobody should work for free in this country. We take any kind of claims of unpaid work very seriously. Workers must be paid for the hours they work.
We are going to make sure that employers are following the rules, and we stood up in terms of the airline industry to make sure that we were doing an investigation into the labour practices of that industry. We are continuing with that investigation right now to get further information to make sure that those practices are in compliance with the Labour Code.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, my question is to the hon. Minister of Housing.
British Columbian MPs were stunned when the provincial government killed the B.C. community housing fund. We now have projects that are ready to roll. The land has been purchased, the zoning is completed and the permits are in place for senior, low-income housing and veterans housing on Galiano Island, on Mayne Island, in Saanich and across British Columbia.
Will the federal government step up to create a defined program for shovel-ready projects to make sure that the housing gets built for the people who need it?
Caroline Desrochers LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has been clear that we need to focus on what we can control. That is why our government announced a new partnership with B.C. that will deliver 1,100 homes across the province, with shovels in the ground in the months to come. This partnership includes 700 supportive and transitional homes.
We are also delivering right now. Just today, the minister is visiting Bob and Michael's Place in B.C., a place that would enable federal funding and that is opening its doors today as it provides 200 supportive homes for the community.
This is an important issue, and we are taking action.
Maggie Chi LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2) and consistent with the policy on the tabling of treaties in Parliament, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the treaty entitled “Amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005)”, adopted at Geneva on June 1, 2024.
John Williamson Conservative Saint John—St. Croix, NB
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the following three reports. The fifth report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts is entitled “Follow-up Study of Gender Based Plus Analysis in the Government of Canada”.
The sixth report is entitled “Arctic Waters Surveillance”, and the seventh report is entitled “Delivering Canada's Future Fighter Jet Capability.”
Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to each of these reports.
Dan Mazier Conservative Riding Mountain, MB
Mr. Speaker, it is always an honour to present a petition on behalf of constituents. I rise for the seventh time on behalf of the people of Dauphin, Manitoba, to present a petition on the rising rate of crime. Residents of Dauphin and the Parkland region are demanding that the Liberal government repeal its soft-on-crime policies, which have fuelled a surge in crime throughout their communities.
Since 2015, there has been a 54% increase in violent crime and a 75% increase in sexual assaults across Canada. Petitioners are deeply concerned by what they have read in local papers, including a November report that the Dauphin RCMP is searching for a wanted man with three separate arrest warrants.
Our once safe communities have now turned into places where people fear for their lives because the government's catch-and-release policies have allowed violent repeat offenders to be out on bail instead of in jail.
The people of Dauphin and the Parkland region demand that the Liberal government repeal its soft-on-crime policies, which directly threaten their livelihoods and their community. I fully support the good people of Dauphin.
Lori Idlout NDP Nunavut, NU
Uqaqtittiji, I am rising on behalf of 69 petitioners who are seeking attention on pay equity. They have found that the office of the pay equity commissioner reported in 2024 that women earn 87¢ for every dollar earned by men and that this gap is even larger for Black, indigenous and racialized women, and disabled women.
The governments of Yukon, NWT and Nunavut continue to be exempt from the Pay Equity Act. The petitioners point out that the Treasury Board of Canada, as an employer, has a responsibility to establish a pay equity plan. They are calling on the federal government to do three things: to increase the funding for the Office of the Pay Equity Commissioner; to provide more resources; and to issue an order in council removing the exemptions for the three territories from the Pay Equity Act.
John Williamson Conservative Saint John—St. Croix, NB
Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition from Canadians who are concerned about the amendments to Bill C-9 that would put religious leaders and people of faith at risk of political persecution.
Petitioners note that this amendment would make it possible for a religious leader to be jailed for expressing beliefs in religious texts. A member of the government even shared this view, stating that there are passages in the Bible that were “clear hatred” and that there “should perhaps be discretion for prosecutors to press charges.”
The petitioners call on the government to repeal this amendment and to protect freedom of religion for Canadians.
Clifford Small Conservative Central Newfoundland, NL
Mr. Speaker, I stand today to again present a petition on behalf of the recreational scallopers in Newfoundland and Labrador to provide for a more inclusive licensing policy. I send a special thanks to Gerald Parrott from Harbour Breton for collecting the names on this petition.
The elderly, physically challenged and disabled want the ability to use a mechanical hauler to retrieve their scallop rakes. These rakes can weigh hundreds of pounds once they have been towed over the bottom for a little while. This petition also calls for commercial scallopers to be allowed to hold a recreational scallop licence.
I look forward to a response from the regional minister for Newfoundland and Labrador that is much better than the nonsense we received from her parliamentary secretary.