Justin Trudeau

[Public Services and Procurement, February 1st, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, as these contracts were, for the large part, signed and negotiated by the public service, it is important that we actually be able to have clarity on the answers, which is why I have asked the Minister of Public Services and the President of the Treasury Board to look in carefully to make sure Canadians did get value for money and that all the rules and procedures were appropriately followed. The ministers of course will be sharing that information with committees and with all parliamentarians. It is important Canadians see exactly how government is investing their money.

[Public Services and Procurement, February 1st, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, we understand how important it is for Canadians to get value for money.

I have asked the ministers involved, the President of the Treasury Board and the Minister of Public Services and Procurement to follow up on all of these contracts to make sure that all the rules have been followed and all the parameters are being met. They know they need to be open with the committees about what was done and how it was done.

[Health, January 30th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I and the Liberal government have always been very, very clear that we stand for a public health system that fully abides by the Canada Health Act. This is something that matters to most Canadians, that certainly matters to us, and that we will continue to defend.

We know that even as we negotiate with the provinces to ensure we are delivering more family doctors, better mental health supports, moving forward on backlogs and supporting Canadians who need emergency care, we will ensure that the Canada Health Act is fully respected. In the past, this government has pulled back money from provinces that have not respected it. We will continue to do that.

[Health, January 30th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party has always been very clear: We will stand up for our public health care system.

We will continue to defend the principles of the Canada Health Act. This is non-negotiable and over the past few years we have taken back money several times from provinces that did not abide by the Canada Health Act. We will continue to stand up for our public system.

In the current negotiations to improve health care for Canadians across the country, we will continue to be there to stand up for the public system.

[Government Appointments, January 30th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I would truly love to see this meeting happen. It would be a great conversation. I think Ms. Elghawaby would be able to explain how systemic racism and Islamophobia are a reality for people across the country.

We all have a duty to listen to one another and understand how hurtful bills and words can be, even if that is not our intention. We have a duty to understand the impact of what we are doing on vulnerable communities in our country.

Yes, I will certainly facilitate that meeting, and I know that Ms. Elghawaby would be delighted to meet the Bloc Québécois leader.

[Government Appointments, January 30th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday evening, I was honoured to be at the Quebec City mosque with the community that was the target of a dreadful terrorist attack committed six years ago by a person motivated by hate, intolerance and ignorance regarding the Muslim community in Quebec and across the country.

We must all stand up every single day to recognize and fight Islamophobia. We must see it as our duty to be there for our fellow Muslim citizens, and we will always be there for them.

[Public Services and Procurement, January 30th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, everyone in the House, from conversations with constituents and conversations with people right across the country, knows well that Canadians are facing tough times. What the difference is between the Conservative leader and me is that instead of proposing real solutions and instead of telling Canadians how he is going to help them and invest in them, the Conservative leader stands up, crosses his arms, throws his hands up and says, “everything is broken”.

That is not what Canadians are living through. Canadians stick up for each other. We are there for each other. We support each other through the tough times. That is exactly what we have been doing through this pandemic through these past years. That is what we will continue to do, no matter how much—

[Public Services and Procurement, January 30th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, Canadians are struggling right now with high inflation caused by global crises, with interest rates and with disruptions in global supply chains. That is why we have stepped up to support Canadians, despite Conservative politicians voting against it.

We have been able to keep investing in Canadians while maintaining the best balance sheet in the G7. We have the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio and the lowest deficit of all our G7 partners. We have put that to work to support the Canadians who need it most. We will continue to be there for the middle class and people working hard to join it.

[Public Services and Procurement, January 30th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, over the past number of years, we have invested in supporting Canadians from coast to coast to coast to lift families out of poverty, to help seniors make ends meet, to invest in low-income renters, to help people access dental care for their kids and to deliver the kinds of things that have made not just Canadians better off but our whole economy work better.

We are going to continue to step up by investing in Canadians while the Conservatives continue to push cuts and austerity and to not be there for Canadians. We know that investing in Canadians is the best way to build a better future.

[Public Services and Procurement, January 30th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, while the Leader of the Opposition snickers at the middle class, we will stay focused on supporting it.

That is exactly what we did by bringing forward supports for low-income renters and supports for families to send their kids to the dentist. These are things that the Conservative Party voted against, just as they stood against the Canada child benefit, just as they stood against help for seniors and just as they have continued to stand against investments that have had Canadians backs before the pandemic, through the pandemic and since the pandemic. We will continue to be there for Canadians.