House of Commons Hansard #109 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was majority.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Military Justice System Modernization Act Report stage of Bill C-11. The bill seeks to modernize the military justice system by transferring jurisdiction over sexual offences to civilian courts, a move Liberals describe as crucial institutional reform. Conversely, Conservatives and the Bloc argue the legislation removes essential options for victims. They advocate for amendments to ensure victim choice between systems, contending that the government is ignoring concerns regarding capacity within civilian police and failing to listen to survivor testimony presented during committee. 32800 words, 4 hours.
Government Business No. 9—Changes to Standing Orders Members debate Government Motion No. 9, proposing expanded committee sizes to ensure a government majority. Liberal members argue this reflects parliamentary tradition, while opposition MPs, including Andrew Scheer and Yves Perron, contend the change stifles accountability and ignores election results. Critics argue the government seeks to evade scrutiny on key issues, and John Brassard introduces an amendment to preserve the composition of specific oversight committees. 19100 words, 2 hours.
National Framework on Skilled Trades and Labour Mobility Act Second reading of Bill C-266. The bill proposes a national framework to harmonize skilled trades certification and improve labour mobility. Liberals argue it will boost economic efficiency. Conservatives, however, accuse the government of attacking trades workers through recent funding policies, while the Bloc Québécois rejects the legislation, claiming it constitutes federal encroachment on Quebec jurisdiction regarding labour training. 7700 words, 1 hour.
François-Philippe Champagne LiberalMinister of Finance and National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to see that the Bloc Québécois is proud that on April 28, we will be presenting an update that will help build the country.
What my colleague said is true. We have been there for businesses. We established a strategic response fund precisely to enable SMEs across the country, including in Quebec, to pivot.
The good news is that exports to other countries are on the rise. The plan we have put forward is working, and we will continue to build Canada strong together.
Christine Normandin Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Speaker, the tariff crisis is exposing all the cracks in the system. Washington's new tariffs clearly show that EI needs a complete overhaul to cover more workers. With the dramatic increase in the cost of living, seniors between 65 and 74 years of age deserve an increase in their old age pension. With Quebec sawmills closing one after another, the forestry industry obviously needs help to deal with the Americans' illegal tariffs.
The government must fix these issues in its economic statement on Tuesday. That is clear. Will it do so?
Joël Lightbound LiberalMinister of Government Transformation
Mr. Speaker, my colleague is right. We are facing strong headwinds because of the Americans' illegal and illegitimate tariffs.
That is why, since day one of this government, we have been there to support forestry, steel, aluminum and auto workers, but we are not stopping there. We are diversifying our markets at an unprecedented rate: 20 agreements on four continents over the past year, on trade and security, to help our businesses discover new opportunities and pivot.
Jean-Denis Garon Bloc Mirabel, QC
Mr. Speaker, the economic update is also an opportunity to remind the Liberals that the tariff crisis is not the only crisis happening right now. Yes, we have to invest in defence, but that is no reason to cut health care funding, which they plan to do starting in 2028. It is no reason to abandon our media. It is no reason to cut funding for public transit. The Liberals can tackle all of these crises if they stop subsidizing oil companies and capitulating to U.S. web and digital giants.
Will they take a stand?
Marjorie Michel LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I can hear my colleague's tone, and I do not think Quebeckers would be very happy to hear him criticizing what we are doing, because we are there for Quebeckers for everything, including health care. I have a very good working relationship with my Quebec counterpart, and we are making progress on all of the province's files.
Melissa Lantsman Conservative Thornhill, ON
Mr. Speaker, next week, the Liberals are set to release their fiscal update. The Prime Minister is copying Justin Trudeau's playbook as he burns through more taxpayer dollars, goes deeper into debt and piles even more inflationary spending on every Canadian family. After more than a decade, none of the Liberals have realized that the more they spend, the worse affordability is for everyone. The Bank of Canada confirmed last week that rising interest rates are directly tied to excessive government spending.
If the Prime Minister will not bother with this place, will he at least call his friends at the Bank of Canada and get his spending under control?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalMinister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I would ask the member to table immediately a list of the cuts she would like to make, and we will look into that.
Melissa Lantsman Conservative Thornhill, ON
Mr. Speaker, there is the Alto high-speed train, consultants and the gun buyback program. There are a number of them, and we can discuss those at length in the House.
However, the C.D. Howe Institute also said today that persistent Liberal deficits are undermining “growth and living standards” rather than supporting them, the very thing they claim to do.
Every dollar the Prime Minister spends comes out of the pockets of Canadians. When will all of that stop and when is anybody over there going to be held accountable for any of it?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalMinister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, we can believe the deputy leader of the Conservative Party, or we can believe the International Monetary Fund, which says that Canada has the best fiscal situation in the G7 and has lots of fiscal capacity.
Do colleagues know what we are going to do? We are going to use that fiscal capacity to build Canada, to build it strong, to build with Canadian products and with Canadian men and women in the skilled trades. We are going to build projects from coast to coast to coast in this country, and we are going to build it over the objections of that member.
Sandra Cobena Conservative Newmarket—Aurora, ON
Mr. Speaker, the CFIB has sounded the alarm on the entrepreneurial drought in Canada for six consecutive quarters. More businesses have shut down than opened up. The Montreal Economic Institute has said that “the heartbeat of innovation, job creation and economic growth...is in sharp decline”. Small businesses spend about 250 hours per year on red tape that could be eliminated, and it would not even cost the government a single dollar.
Will the minister admit that the Liberals' tax-and-spend approach has failed and get out of the way so that our businesses can thrive?
Marie-Gabrielle Ménard LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism)
Mr. Speaker, of course, I share my colleague's concern for our small businesses. Canada is home to one million businesses employing six million Canadians. I have just finished a series of round-table discussions, and we are working with SMEs to help them get export-ready.
Small businesses will have their place in Canada's defence industrial strategy. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business welcomed the suspension of the excise tax. That also supports small businesses in Canada.
Sandra Cobena Conservative Newmarket—Aurora, ON
Mr. Speaker, entrepreneurs need a direct and clear answer. The CFIB estimates that the total regulatory cost of government is $52 billion. Businesses are burning through a collective 768 million hours annually on paperwork. Just this week, I met with businesses that have heard Liberal promises for almost a decade. They are asking if the Liberals could just leave the starting line and do something.
Will the Liberals commit today to cutting their red tape taxes and government spending, so that businesses can actually thrive in our country?
Marie-Gabrielle Ménard LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism)
Mr. Speaker, we have been clear. That is part of the strategy to support small business. Part of our approach involves reducing red tape for businesses.
Obviously, I do not entirely agree with my colleague's statement. I consult with small business owners every week to understand what they are going through. My sense is that the transformation that we are currently undertaking is helpful and gives our small businesses hope for a bright future.
Amanpreet S. Gill Conservative Calgary Skyview, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister claims affordability has never been better, but Canadians know the truth: Food bank use has skyrocketed, rent has nearly doubled, and families are paying more for groceries, gas and housing. After 10 years of Liberal inflation, everything costs us more, yet the Prime Minister is adding billions of dollars in reckless spending, driving up debt and the cost of living. Canadians are paying $3,000 each year just to cover that debt.
When will the Liberals get spending under control so Canadians can afford to live again?
Wayne Long LiberalSecretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)
Mr. Speaker, the former failed leader and the missing-in-action current failed leader love to stand in this House and talk about the economy. They have been in this House a total of 44 years and have accomplished nothing for Canadians. In fact, their work experience outside of this House could fit on a post-it note, unless they embellish it again, like the former leader did in 2019.
On this side of the House, we have the Prime Minister and the plan. He is going to build the strongest economy in the G7.
Dan Albas Conservative Okanagan Lake West—South Kelowna, BC
Mr. Speaker, when someone leases a new vehicle, they get a new vehicle, but when the Liberals leased a spaceport, all they got for $200 million was a gravel parking lot. I am sure it had nothing to do with the fact that it is in a Liberal riding or that the justice minister's former staffer was the lobbyist for the project or that former Liberal premiers are on the company's advisory board. Clearly, there are no Liberal insiders getting rich at all.
Canadians have only one question: Why are so many Liberal insiders getting so rich off taxpayers on this boondoggle of a lease?
David McGuinty LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, Canadians do have a question: Why are the Conservatives against rearming, rebuilding and reinvesting in the Canadian Armed Forces?
We are proud to invest in space capabilities, including space launch infrastructure. It is important for Canada to assert its sovereignty in space-based communications. This is one of a continuing series of generational investments to ensure both Canada's security and our sovereignty. The Conservatives do not seem to understand that 20% of the Canadian economy depends on satellites every day.
Dan Albas Conservative Okanagan Lake West—South Kelowna, BC
Mr. Speaker, get the minister some rocket fuel. The Liberals are experts at paying a lot for nothing. They have turned a gravel pit into a money pit.
A former Liberal MP got $237 million for ventilators that went straight into the scrap heap. A Nova Scotia wind farm, tightly connected to former Liberal MPs, got a $206-million loan. Liberal insiders are making bank, while too many Canadians are at the food bank.
When will a satellite be launched from our $200-million parking lot?
David McGuinty LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, 20% of the Canadian economy depends every day on satellites. Whether we are ordering food to our front doors, trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange, mapping our agricultural products in the production system, or deploying AI for firefighting purposes, we need satellite capabilities, and we need secure telecommunications for our Arctic, for our security and for our sovereignty.
Guess what. Despite the Conservatives' objections, we are going to build it.
Patrick Bonin Bloc Repentigny, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal member for Laurier—Sainte‑Marie wrote in La Presse that he fears his government is abandoning all of its net-zero goals.
His Prime Minister is trying to impose another dirty oil pipeline in western Canada without meeting any of his own conditions. There is no increase in industrial carbon pricing and no protection for our water, and the methane and clean electricity regulations are being watered down to please the oil and gas lobby. The Liberals have no chance of meeting their climate targets.
If the Liberals will not listen to the Bloc Québécois, will they listen to their colleague?
Nathalie Provost LiberalSecretary of State (Nature)
Mr. Speaker, the climate crisis, like the global crisis, is real and we are aware of that. The only way we are going to be able to deal with it is by working together.
As far as Alberta is concerned, I had a great discussion with our Albertan colleagues last week about the rollout of the “Force of Nature” strategy. The dialogue is open. We will work together, we will learn. I believe that, by working together, we will build a clean Canada.
Patrick Bonin Bloc Repentigny, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' nature strategy is to build more pipelines. The rumours are so serious that, last Thursday, the MP for Laurier—Sainte-Marie said he had confidence in his government despite its backtracking on climate action. However, today he wrote: “Any further compromise...would not only undermine Canada's climate commitments...but also risk causing irreversible damage to human health, clean air, clean water and the trust of indigenous communities.”
When will the Liberals stand up to stop their leader from wrecking the environment?
Joël Lightbound LiberalMinister of Government Transformation
Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we believe it is possible to pursue economic development while also respecting our environmental obligations. I would like to commend the work of the Secretary of State for Nature and the entire team here who have created a nature strategy that will protect 30% of our territory.
As for my colleague's question, obviously, any project will be carried out in collaboration and consultation with first nations.
Jason Groleau Conservative Beauce, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has appointed a personal friend of his to serve as Canada's ambassador to Washington. Mark Wiseman is not a wise man. He opposes supply management and does not respect the French language. In fact, he is the founder of the Century Initiative, which aims to bring millions of immigrants to Quebec to diminish the demographic weight of French.
How could the Prime Minister appoint a buddy who wants to extinguish the French language and who opposes supply management as ambassador to the United States?
Marc Miller LiberalMinister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister has clearly said, the embassy's invitation should have been sent out in French. It is unacceptable that this was not done. Those responsible should have known better.