Justin Trudeau

[Firearms, December 14th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, the last Conservative government, of which its leader was a key part, slashed nearly a billion dollars from our police and our borders. We are building back that capacity. We have invested nearly a billion dollars to end gun violence and keep guns out of the hands of criminals since 2018 alone. That includes another $137 million for the CBSA in the fall economic statement to fight gun smuggling and trafficking, and it is working.

We doubled the number of guns interdicted at the border last year, as compared to the year before.

[Firearms, December 14th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, the government that the Leader of the Opposition was a part of, before we took office in 2015, cut close to a billion dollars from our border services and police services across the country.

We, on the contrary, have been investing to restore that funding, even as we move forward with close to a billion dollars for keeping our communities safer. We also have invested massively in our border protection. We ensured, for example, that last year we were able to collect double the number of illegal firearms trying to cross our borders than the year before.

We will continue to protect our borders. We will continue to protect Canadians. We will continue to move on gun control.

[Firearms, December 14th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, we have heard clear concerns from first nations, Métis and Inuit partners. Our intent with this legislation is to target guns designed for the battlefield and not the ones commonly used for hunting. As I have mentioned, the Minister of Public Safety is taking the time to get this right, and that means consulting with partners to make sure we are not capturing weapons we should not be.

Part of that process is showing up to meet with indigenous leaders. That is something the leader of the official opposition failed to do last week when he had an opportunity to sit down with AFN chiefs.

[Firearms, December 14th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, we made a commitment to Canadians a number of years ago to ban assault-style weapons from this country. There is no place for guns designed to kill the largest number of people as quickly as possible in this country. That is why we are moving forward with an amendment that ensures assault-style weapons are banned not only in the past, not only in the present but also in the future.

We are going to carefully work with hunters, farmers, caucus members and all parliamentarians from rural areas to ensure we get that list right. All Canadians want to see less gun violence in this country, and that is what we are going to deliver.

[Health, December 14th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, as we demonstrated through the depths of the pandemic, the federal government is going to step up and is going to continue to step up to support Canadians and to support the essential frontline workers. While all of us take a little time away from our work with our families and communities, they are going to continue to work long hours in hospitals and in seniors care homes. We are going to continue to work with the provinces in terms of making sure that wages are raised for our frontline workers.

The federal government will be there to do its part. We need to make sure we are recognizing those people who are heroes day in and day out and who care for our most vulnerable.

[Health, December 14th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, we have all heard from across the country how Canadians need access to family doctors, how Canadians need access to better mental health services more quickly and how Canadians need to see shortened wait times and an end to surgery backlogs. That is exactly what we are committed to.

We have been working with the provinces. Our health minister has been directly engaged with his counterparts over the past many months to ensure that, as we invest more in health care across this country, we are delivering results and outcomes that Canadians can count on.

That is what Canadians want. That is what we are going to be delivering.

[Health, December 14th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, we know how much Canadians need improvements to our health care services. Too many people do not have access to family doctors. Too many people have to wait months, even years, for appointments for their mental health emergencies. People continue to wait on waiting lists for far too long.

The federal government has invested an additional $72 billion in health care systems in recent years, and we will be there to invest more money. Quebeckers and all Canadians know that it does not just take money, it takes results, and that is what we are working on with the provinces.

[Health, December 14th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, no other prime minister in our country's history has met with the provincial premiers to discuss a health crisis more than I have.

I will continue to meet with the premiers regularly. I am looking forward to sitting down with the Premier of Quebec in a few days to talk about Quebeckers' concerns and discuss how we can continue to work together. We know that our health care systems need improvement. The federal government will be there to support the provinces while they make those improvements. We know how important this is to families across the country.

[Carbon Pricing, December 14th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, the carbon price in Atlantic Canada does not kick in until the spring, so it will not cost them any more this winter. If he had actually paid attention, instead of sharing disinformation with Canadians, he would know that.

The reality is that we are delivering a price on pollution that makes sure we are not only protecting our future against climate change but we are also putting more money in the pockets of hard-working Canadians to support them through this transition. That is what a price on pollution does. That is what it will continue to do. It will support Canadians while we fight climate change.

[COVID-19 Economic Measures, December 14th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians, like the Canadians in Mississauga—Lakeshore, recognize the rhetoric from the Leader of the Opposition for what it is. The Conservatives are proposing cuts in Canadian pensions, proposing cuts for EI and proposing to do less for Canadians who need it. They voted against supports to make sure that families could send their kids to the dentist this year and next.

These are the kinds of things the Conservatives continue to propose in their “cuts and austerity” approach. On this side of the aisle, we will continue to be there to support Canadians who need it, because that is who are we are as Canadians. We support each other.