Justin Trudeau

[Democratic Institutions, October 23rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Laval—Les Îles for his important question. That is a question being asked by many Canadians and even many Conservative MPs.

The Conservative leader is trying to score political points on the issue of national security, but he is refusing to get his security clearance at a time when it is more vital than ever for every party leader to be taking these threats seriously. That is not serious leadership. Canadians deserve better.

What does the Conservative leader have to hide? Why is he not getting his security clearance? Why are the Conservatives so agitated?

[Mental Health and Addictions, October 23rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, we are using all the tools at our disposal to save lives and keep communities safe for everyone. Meanwhile, Conservatives are choosing to use struggling people as political props to promote fear and spread misinformation.

From the very beginning, we have been there to work on an evidence-based, compassionate and public safety approach. We have been and always will be there to work with provinces and territories on approaches focused on saving lives and ending the crisis.

[Mental Health and Addictions, October 23rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I just have to pause for a moment on the incredible irony of listening to the Leader of the Opposition in the House accuse anyone of playing the blame game. He has made his entire career as leader and 20 years as a parliamentarian about playing the blame game.

It is about time he started taking responsibility for the members of his caucus and taking responsibility for putting forward solutions that will actually help Canadians, instead of offering cuts, finger pointing and empty slogans.

[Housing, October 23rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, we have all seen the cozy relationship that the Leader of the Opposition has with a number of Conservative premiers across the country. I would ask him to use his significant influence over those Conservative premiers to ask them to accept the money that the federal government is putting on the table to help with homeless encampments.

A month ago, we asked each province and territory to partner with us to help find shelter for people living in encampments. Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan have not yet formally responded to us to end encampments in their respective jurisdictions.

I ask the Leader of the Opposition, if he cares about this indeed, to stop playing politics and start—

[Justice, October 23rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to education, we know that the Government of Quebec has to step up and protect children where it has a responsibility to do so. Protecting the fundamental freedoms of all citizens is something that Quebeckers and all Canadians expect from their federal government as well.

That is why we are pursuing legal steps to protect fundamental freedoms and, at the same time, expecting Quebec to do its job when it comes to protecting children in Quebec's schools.

[Justice, October 23rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, as a former teacher, I can say how essential it is to protect our children, as well as the values of openness and freedom that we uphold. This is our responsibility as a country.

I am very concerned about the reports that the leader of the Bloc Québécois is talking about. I would stress that we all expect the appropriate authorities, namely the provincial authorities, to quickly address this issue to protect the children in their care.

[The Economy, October 23rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, every now and then, despite all his efforts, we see a little edge of the tinfoil hat peeking out once again from the Leader of the Opposition as he continues his attacks on the Bank of Canada and the independence of our financial institutions.

The reality is that we have worked hard as a government to bring down inflation so that the Bank of Canada can bring down interest rates faster than just about any other country among our peer countries around the world. We know that bringing down interest rates is what is going to help Canadians, even as we continue to invest in programs like dental, pharmacare and child care, which the Conservatives are voting against, and deliver for Canadians.

[Housing, October 23rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, this Conservative leader's approach has been to launch personal attacks on the mayors of Montreal and Quebec City and to insult the intelligence of Quebeckers who choose progressive municipal governments that are investing in affordable housing and a better future for all their residents.

The Conservative leader thinks that insulting people will score him political points, whereas we are working in partnership with municipalities and provinces every day to deliver concrete solutions for housing and economic growth for everyone.

[Housing, October 23rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, we know full well that the Conservative leader does not like to rely on experts. We can see why, because all the housing experts and all the economic experts have looked at his plan, and they say it is baloney. There is absolutely nothing in that plan that addresses the housing crisis. It is pure political posturing, which, once again, boils down to mere slogans. Slogans are not solutions.

Quebeckers and all Canadians deserve a government that will continue investing in housing and their future, instead of offering them cuts and austerity, which is all that the Conservative leader is offering.

[Housing, October 23rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative leader is using this information as well as the challenges facing Quebeckers and all Canadians to fuel his political aspirations, but he is not offering any solutions to address this problem.

That is why we have invested $900 million, alongside the Quebec government, to accelerate housing construction. That is why we continue to work with municipalities across Quebec and the provincial government to deliver more homes, more residences and more affordable housing.

We are going to continue to be there to invest, while he is busy bickering with the mayors of Quebec City and Montreal. We are going to work—