Justin Trudeau

[Mental Health and Addictions, May 8th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know that any Canadian would think that adding more ideology to our approach to public health in dealing with the opioid epidemic is a solution, yet that is the only thing the Conservative Party seems to offer.

We will continue to be grounded in a compassionate, science-based approach that works with local partners and that attempts to provide the kinds of wraparound services in housing, in health care, in addiction treatment and recovery or in culturally appropriate services to those who need them. We will continue to be there to help heal people, not to imprison them.

[Mental Health and Addictions, May 8th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition proposes to return to the failed Harper-era approaches on opioids that Harper's former adviser Benjamin Perrin called obsolete and “immoral”.

Over the past number of years, we have invested in a compassionate, science-based, evidence-grounded approach that includes harm reduction through a public health lens. It also includes investments in housing, in mental health supports, in frontline workers, and in addiction treatment and recovery programs. These are the things that move us forward.

[Official Languages, May 8th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, we are the first federal government to recognize that we have a special responsibility to protect French in Quebec and to contribute to that protection. No other government has done that before. It is because we recognize that more needs to be done to protect French. Unlike the Bloc Québécois, we are not going to focus on what needs to be done in Quebec. We are going to keep protecting French in the entire country. We are going to do so in Acadia, in Ontario, in Manitoba, in the Far North, across the country—

[Official Languages, May 8th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, I expected the member to apologize and withdraw his comments, and that is exactly what he did.

At the same time, we will continue to defend the French fact across Canada and around the world through our participation in the Francophonie, based on our conviction that not only must we protect our two official languages across the country, but also be there to invest in protecting French in Quebec. We are the first government to do so, and we will continue to be there to protect French across the country.

[Mental Health and Addictions, May 8th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I have answered this question many times by saying that the only way we move forward on any proposals across this country, around decriminalization or other methods to fight toxic drug overdoses, is when provinces step up and actually ask for them. Failing that, we will not be moving forward on any modifications. However, there are provinces that are choosing to reduce their harm reduction measures.

We will continue to increase harm reduction and public health responses to overdoses and to safe supply issues right across the country.

[Mental Health and Addictions, May 8th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, earlier, the Leader of the Opposition was suggesting that I do my homework. One would think that on an issue that the Leader of the Opposition is making so much fundraising money off of, he would have actually done his work and would have realized there is a difference between legalization and decriminalization. That is one that really matters.

We, yes, responded to a request for a pilot project by British Columbia to continue to try new approaches in solving this toxic drug overdose epidemic. We will continue to work with British Columbia, as we have, as they choose to make adjustments to their pilot project because we know saving lives and keeping communities safe is the most important thing.

[Mental Health and Addictions, May 8th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it is shameful to hear the Leader of the Opposition misleading the House and misleading Canadians for his own fundraising political gain. There is nobody in this country talking about legalizing hard drugs, with the possible exception of members of the Conservative Party themselves.

The government's approach is focused on a public health approach grounded in science, compassion and community safety. We are talking about wraparound services like housing, mental health treatment and harm reduction that are helping people around the country, and we will continue to work with provinces and jurisdictions in their approach.

[Mental Health and Addictions, May 8th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it is shameful that the Leader of the Opposition uses tragedies to exploit people's fears and fundraise for the Conservatives.

The reality is that he has his facts wrong. No one in this country, apart from the Conservative leader, is talking about legalizing hard drugs. We are focused on science, compassion and a public health approach. That is what people need: housing, services and help.

We are making that happen.

[Pharmacare, May 8th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative leader opposes pharmacare and our plan to provide free contraception prescriptions to Canadians, and we all know why. The leader and his caucus' ideological objection to reproductive freedoms is putting all Canadians at risk.

Yesterday the member for Peace River—Westlock sponsored an anti-choice petition. The member for Yorkton—Melville has introduced several private member's bills that would serve as a sneaky back door to limit women's bodily autonomy.

One would think that someone who claims to stand for freedom would be there for women as well, but the Conservative leader is not.

[The Economy, May 8th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, our latest budget is actually focused on equality for every generation, and a big cornerstone of that is asking the wealthiest Canadians to pay a little more so we can invest even more in housing, invest even more in pharmacare, invest even more in child care and invest even more in programs like our school food program that is going to help 400,000 kids across the country.

We know there continues to be more to do, and we are stepping up because not only do we know that helping with affordability for Canadians matters, but we also know that confident countries invest in themselves, their people and their future, and that is exactly what we are doing.