House of Commons Hansard #111 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was liberals.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
An Act to Amend the Criminal Code Third reading of Bill C-225. The bill aims to combat intimate partner violence by strengthening criminal justice measures regarding coercive control and homicide sentencing. It introduces targeted bail reforms to better protect victims. Members from all parties highlight the collaborative drafting process and agree that this legislation is a necessary step to address escalating threats, resulting in the bill passing its third reading. 7100 words, 1 hour.
Motion That Debate Be Not Further Adjourned Liberal House Leader Steven MacKinnon moves to end debate on Government Business No. 9, a motion proposing that committee membership ratios be adjusted to reflect the Liberal Party’s recent attainment of a majority. Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois strongly dissent, characterizing the effort as an undemocratic attempt to stifle oversight. MacKinnon maintains the change upholds parliamentary tradition and ensures committees function efficiently. 4100 words, 30 minutes.
Consideration of Government Business No.9 Members debate a government motion to adjust the composition of standing committees following recent floor crossings. Conservatives and the Bloc argue the proposed "supermajority" undermines democratic norms and accountability by ignoring the will of the voters, while Liberals maintain that increasing their committee membership simply aligns with Westminster traditions to reflect their new majority standing in the House, stressing the importance of collaboration and unity. 6400 words, 40 minutes.
Government Business No. 9—Changes to the Standing Orders Members debate Motion No. 9, which restructures parliamentary committees to grant the governing Liberal Party a majority. Conservative and Bloc MPs condemn the move as an undemocratic power grab designed to limit legislative scrutiny and oversight of government initiatives and scandals like ArriveCan. Conversely, Liberal members argue that parliamentary tradition necessitates that a majority in the House must be reflected in standing committee composition. The House ultimately votes to pass the motion. 41200 words, 6 hours.
Tim Hodgson LiberalMinister of Energy and Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, I do not think he heard me: $3.3 billion in annual GDP, 2,500 new jobs and $700 million in new tax revenues. These guys just cannot see something good when it is ready to hit them right between the—
Pat Kelly Conservative Calgary Crowfoot, AB
Mr. Speaker, the cost of government drives up the cost of living. The more the government spends, the more things cost. Since 2015, the Liberals have doubled the debt while doubling housing costs and food bank lineups. The Prime Minister doubled Justin Trudeau's deficit, proving that he is just another Liberal.
Can he commit that tomorrow's deficit announcement will not be higher than the already reckless, inflationary $31-billion deficit that Justin Trudeau left behind, yes or no?
John Zerucelli LiberalSecretary of State (Labour)
Mr. Speaker, the building trades are in town this week, and I am excited to talk about our plan to build. We are building big, we are building bold and we are building across this country. From B.C. to Newfoundland, we are going to be putting good jobs in the skilled trades using Canadian steel, Canadian lumber and Canadian aluminum. We are building. It is time to invest. When will they get on board? Probably never.
Pat Kelly Conservative Calgary Crowfoot, AB
Mr. Speaker, the government inherited a balanced budget and then spent the last 10 years borrowing, spending, squandering and taxing hundreds of billions of dollars while home ownership slipped out of reach for the middle class and millions more cannot afford groceries. For the last 10 years, Canada should have been building pipelines, houses, ports and roads, but these Liberals built bureaucracies, slush funds and debt repayments.
Again, will the deficit exceed $31 billion, yes or no?
John Zerucelli LiberalSecretary of State (Labour)
Mr. Speaker, it is the time to invest, and that is what we are doing. We are building big. The Conservatives cannot claim they care about affordability while fighting at every turn. They voted against affordable housing. They voted against child care. They voted against dental care, and they voted against support for families. They cannot have it both ways.
Jagsharan Singh Mahal Conservative Edmonton Southeast, AB
Mr. Speaker, when the Prime Minister took office, the projected deficit was $31 billion. He promised to spend less. Instead, he spent more. He piled on $90 billion in new spending, not on results but on bigger government. Bureaucracy is up, costs are up and Canadians are paying the price.
Will the Prime Minister commit today that his deficit will not exceed the already outrageous $31 billion left behind by his predecessor, yes or no?
Rechie Valdez LiberalMinister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism)
Mr. Speaker, this is not business as usual for our economy, so let us stick to the facts. Since September, Canada has created over 94,000 jobs and strong growth right across the country. Canada now has the highest employment rate compared to the United States. This is driven predominantly by women entering the force and joining because of our strong policies. Wages are up by 4.7%, faster than inflation, meaning more Canadians are keeping more of what they earn. That is how we are taking care of Canadians and growing Canada strong.
Patrick Bonin Bloc Repentigny, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Natural Resources confirmed last week that he wants to invest $10 billion in government funds in a new dirty oil pipeline, on top of the $34 billion for the Trans Mountain pipeline. Today, the Liberals are announcing their plans to create a sovereign wealth fund, another gimmick for investing public money in energy and pipelines.
Are there no limits to the amount of debt that the Liberals are prepared to foist on Quebeckers for the benefit of oil and gas companies?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalMinister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, contrary to what the Bloc Québécois claims, we are going to build up all the regions of Canada and all the regions found within Canada. That is why we are taking part in developing our ports, like Contrecœur and the Port of Québec, as announced last Friday. We are going to invest in our mines and in our mining sector.
Yes, even against the member for Mirabel's wishes, we are going to invest in regions like the Laurentians, where our four members from the Upper and Lower Laurentians are going to get involved in building technology and diversification—
Oil and Gas IndustryOral Questions
Patrick Bonin Bloc Repentigny, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are on a catastrophic collision course when it comes to fighting climate change. They are all about “drill, baby, drill”. They just approved Enbridge's Sunrise pipeline, yet another pipeline on top of Trans Mountain, Coastal GasLink and plenty of others. It does not stop there. They even want to build another pipeline in western Canada, on top of Keystone XL. Even the Harper Conservatives did not show such contempt for the fight against climate change, and they do not even believe in climate change.
Are there any environmentally conscious Liberals left? When will they take action?
Julie Dabrusin LiberalMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, I just got back from the G7 environment ministers' meeting, where I talked to and met with people from around the world. I also spoke about climate change when I was in Berlin for the Petersberg climate dialogue. From what I heard, Canada is seen the world over as a leader when it comes to addressing methane and developing renewable energy projects.
My colleague should be proud of Canada's place in the world. We will continue to fight climate change, and I hope that he will support us in that work.
Richard Martel Conservative Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC
Mr. Speaker, it makes no difference who the Liberal Prime Minister is. It is always the same old, same old. While this government continues to rack up debt, raise costs and increase taxes, our pensioners are struggling to find decent housing. According to a poll in the weekend paper, more than half of Quebeckers aged 50 and over are afraid they will run out of money in retirement.
When will the Prime Minister stop spending money on our credit card so that our seniors can make ends meet?
Joël Lightbound LiberalMinister of Government Transformation
Mr. Speaker, now we have seen it all. The Conservatives stand up in the House and claim to defend seniors, yet they lowered the retirement age to 65, which would have left hundreds of thousands of elderly people across the country financially vulnerable. They also opposed the 10% increase in the GIS for those aged 75 and over. It is absolutely mind-boggling to see them stand up and earnestly claim to be defending seniors.
On this side of the House, we will always defend seniors. We will always fight for a strong economy that works for everyone.
Dominique Vien Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
Mr. Speaker, Le Journal de Montréal reported that over half of Quebeckers aged 50 and over are worried about running out of money during their retirement. That is what they said. Johanne Boissonnault said that after working her entire life, she now has to get by on $1,960 a month. As we all know, that is not enough to live with dignity anymore. While the Prime Minister keeps using our credit card to ramp up his deficits, our seniors are paying the price, especially at the grocery store.
When will the Prime Minister put an end to his irresponsible budgets so that Canadians can make ends meet?
Nathalie Provost LiberalSecretary of State (Nature)
Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we understand that Canadians are facing all sorts of challenges that are affecting their ability to cope with the cost of living and meet their various obligations. However, this side of the House has solutions that return purchasing power directly back to Canadians and, at the same time, promote job creation so that we are not just reacting in the short term, but making sure we can build Canada over the long term. That is what we are doing, and we would like our colleagues to work with us on that.
Bernard Généreux Conservative Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC
Mr. Speaker, after a lifetime of working, twice as many seniors can no longer afford to retire and have to keep working past age 65 just to make ends meet. That is alarming. The price of everything, including groceries, rent and gas, is going up. Many people now have to count every penny, even after a lifetime of work, and have to find a second career. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister continues to rack up charges on the nation's limitless credit card.
My question is simple. What does the Prime Minister intend to do to truly help our seniors?
Anna Gainey LiberalSecretary of State (Children and Youth)
Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, as my colleague said, we lowered the retirement age. Those folks over there wanted to raise it to 65. We are there for seniors. We are there for all Canadians. We are also supporting them through the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which will help 12 million Canadians who need it right now.
Éric Lefebvre Conservative Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
Mr. Speaker, this is the sad reality: More than half of all Quebeckers aged 50 and older are worried about running out of money when they retire. That is what the newspaper Le Journal de Montréal reported this weekend. Our seniors are no longer making ends meet, but the Liberal solution is more debt, higher costs and more taxes.
Canadians are the ones paying the Prime Minister's credit card bills. Our seniors built our country, and this is how we thank them?
My question is simple: Will the Prime Minister stop saddling our seniors with more debt, yes or no?
Joël Lightbound LiberalMinister of Government Transformation
Mr. Speaker, I see the member is all smiles. I must remind him that, according to the International Monetary Fund, Canada has the best fiscal position and the second-fastest growth in the G7.
Now, it is always strange to see the Conservatives claim to be standing up for seniors when they have systematically voted against measures that directly help seniors. I will remind my colleague of one. There are 32,456 people in his riding, including many seniors, who benefit from the Canadian dental care plan, which he opposes. Maybe he should reconsider his values.
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lévis—Lotbinière, QC
Mr. Speaker, according to an in-depth feature in Le Journal de Montréal, the Liberal government is letting seniors fall through the cracks. With all the spending on credit in the budget, food inflation is rising much faster than old age security benefits. As a result, seniors are being forced to work at age 68 to pay their mortgage.
While seniors are struggling to make ends meet, the Prime Minister seems more interested in showing off his resumé around the world. When will the Prime Minister decide to get to work on helping Canadian seniors make ends meet?
Mélanie Joly LiberalMinister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
Mr. Speaker, we are there for seniors, in fact. That is why every time we release a new economic announcement, we are thinking about how we can protect them. We were in favour of lowering the retirement age to 65, but my colleague voted against that.
Not only that, but we are there for seniors in various ways, including by fighting food inflation, because it goes without saying that seniors are also affected by food inflation. My colleague is very nice. We have a very good relationship, and I will be pleased to work with him to address our seniors' financial woes.
Jake Sawatzky Liberal New Westminster—Burnaby—Maillardville, BC
Mr. Speaker, premiers and MPs from all stripes agree the Sunrise expansion is a major step forward. It will create good jobs, strengthen Canada's energy security and see 38 first nations acquire equity stakes in the project, advancing economic reconciliation while helping us reach new markets.
Can the minister speak to why this project is so important for Canadians?
Tim Hodgson LiberalMinister of Energy and Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, the Sunrise project is about building Canada stronger. It is about $4 billion in new investment into our economy. It is about $3.3 billion in annual GDP. It is about 2,500 new construction jobs starting this summer. As the member said, it is about empowering 38 first nations to participate in economic reconciliation.
This is a win for everyone in Canada.
