Justin Trudeau

[The Economy, June 13th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, the finance minister said that, and then she brought in a responsible and fiscally sound budget that continues to contribute.

I know the Conservatives do not like it because it gets in the way of a good political argument, but if we look at the facts, we have the lowest deficit in the G7 and the best debt-to-GDP ratio, and we have preserved our AAA credit rating, while being there to support Canadians who need it in targeted non-inflationary ways.

While the Conservatives continue to propose cuts in programs, cuts in help for Canadians and cuts to services, we will continue to be there in a way that continues to fight inflation and support Canadians.

[The Economy, June 13th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, we know how much the Leader of the Opposition has asked us to trust independent experts and not Liberals on various issues of importance. We disagree. We think Liberals have important things to say.

However, if he is looking for a strong independent voice, he can look no further than the Governor of the Bank of Canada, who recently confirmed that government spending was not “contributing to the slowing” of the economy. Nor was it “standing in the way of getting inflation back to target.”

We continue to invest in supporting Canadians in targeted ways, while the Conservatives continue to talk about cuts to programs and services.

[Democratic Institutions, June 13th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I have asked the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs to work with the various parties and experts to develop a plan to move forward and continue the fine work started by Mr. Johnston, which now needs to shift to another phase.

We will continue to be there to work collaboratively with all those who are willing to take this issue seriously, set partisanship and toxicity aside, and work constructively to truly address foreign interference.

[Climate Change, June 7th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with my hon. colleague that it is unfortunate that in this House we continue to have to debate whether or not climate change is real. It is unfortunate that the Conservative opposition still stands against any climate action.

We should be discussing the best way to protect future generations from the impacts of climate change. We should be talking about completing ambitious plans to do even more to build strong economies, to create great jobs and fight climate change. Unfortunately, the Conservatives continue to debate whether it is happening at all.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, June 7th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, we are deeply aware of cases of international students facing removal orders over fraudulent college acceptance letters.

To be clear, our focus is on identifying the culprits, not penalizing the victims. Victims of fraud will have an opportunity to demonstrate their situations and present evidence to support their cases.

We recognize the immense contributions international students bring to our country and we remain committed to supporting victims of fraud as we evaluate each case.

[Regional Economic Development, June 7th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for St. John's East for her question and her hard work.

Last week in Newfoundland, we hosted the first-ever FPT meeting dedicated to building strong and thriving rural communities. Indigenous leaders and rural experts discussed how to continue building a collaborative and coordinated approach to helping rural communities succeed. Whether it be on connectivity, workforce issues or climate resilience, we owe it to Canadians to work together. When we do, we can make transformational changes to all communities, and that is what we will continue to do.

[Housing, June 7th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, once again, never letting the facts get in the way of a good political argument is the Leader of the Opposition's modus operandi.

He says that if we were to raise child care fees in Canada instead of cutting them in half, if we were to not deliver dental care for young kids across this country, then, suddenly, inflation, which is impacting the world all over, would drop, that Canada is so important in the world that our lowest deficits in the GDP are contributing massively to this global inflation context.

It is complete garbage from the Leader of the Opposition.

[Housing, June 7th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, over the past years, we have been investing in Canadians, in targeted, non-inflationary ways, with things like the doubling of the GST credit, with dental supports for families with children under 12, with investments that have cut child care fees in half.

These are all things that the Conservative Party stands against and, indeed, says it would cut.

I ask us: how would cutting programs for Canadians help them in this difficult time?

[Housing, June 7th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, 2021-22: what was happening around then? What was happening in 2020-21?

It was the investments we made to help Canadians get through the pandemic, investments we made to support small businesses, to support our frontline health workers, to ensure that we got through this extraordinarily difficult time in one of the best situations with some of the fewest deaths of all of our peer countries, and the Conservative Party continues to say it would have done far different.

It would have allowed people to be more vulnerable. It would not have been there to support Canadians—

[The Environment, June 7th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Madawaska—Restigouche for his important question and his hard work.

Canada is committed to the goal of conserving 25% of our land and oceans by 2025 and is working to conserve 30% by 2030. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework is a major victory for the planet and for all humanity.

Since 2015, our government has been working tirelessly to conserve approximately 300,000 additional square kilometres of land. Protecting species at risk is a job that has only just begun.