44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 8, 2021 02:00PM
- Dec/8/21 2:17:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Friday marks the end of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. It is an opportunity to come together to call out, speak up and renew our commitment to end gender-based violence. The dangers women and trans people still face are all too real.
In my riding of York Centre, the North York Women’s Shelter does essential work empowering women and trans people to move forward into lives free from violence. As an anti-violence centre and shelter, for over 35 years it has provided safety and support for over 11,000 women and children, and recently it opened a brand new facility.
The fact that we need even more of these services to protect women and trans people, especially during the pandemic, is unacceptable. Regardless of one's gender, as MPs and Canadians, we can and must do more, do better, stand up, speak out and take action in putting an end to gender-based violence.
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- Dec/8/21 2:18:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, food bank use in Canada climbed 20% with the pandemic and topped 1.3 million monthly visits. It is the largest increase since the 2008 recession.
With the clawback of the GIS and the Canada child benefit, and the elimination of COVID emergency benefits, food banks face further increases in demand. Food banks alone do not solve hunger. They are a symptom of the root problem of poverty.
Who are the faces of poverty? They are families, women, seniors, people with disabilities and low-wage earners. They are our friends and our neighbours. Fixed income earners’ buying power has been decimated and we can do something about it.
Former NDP leader Ed Broadbent received unanimous support for his motion in 1989 to eradicate child poverty by the year 2000. That was more than three decades ago. The Liberal government has a chance to address the affordability crisis with the fiscal update. A guaranteed livable basic income is the path forward.
Better is possible.
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- Dec/8/21 2:19:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, 31 years ago, Quebec lost one of its greatest cultural ambassadors, my grandfather, Jean Duceppe. A proud sovereignist, he shared with our people the desire to gain independence and decide our own destiny. His legacy and his passion for Quebec still flow through my veins and those of my father, Gilles Duceppe.
For over 20 years, Gilles made his mark as an MP, official opposition leader and leader of the Bloc Québécois. Many members here, including the Prime Minister and you, Mr. Speaker, worked with him. Members may have noticed him in the gallery. He is here with my daughter and my mother.
I want to reassure my hon. colleagues that I will be the only Duceppe working here today. This evening, the Bloc Québécois will celebrate my father's commitment to defending Quebec's interests in this Parliament by naming a room after him. It is a humble but well-deserved tribute for a man who made such an impression on the political psyche of Quebec and Canada. We will continue to carry his dream forward all the way through to nationhood.
I love you, Dad.
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- Dec/8/21 2:21:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Fort McMurray is a lot of different things to a lot of different people. To many Canadians, Fort McMurray represented a beacon of hope, prosperity and a fresh start. To the world's leading oil producers, we are a tough competitor who refuses to lie down. To many elected officials, we are simply a cash cow. To the fringe eco-activists, we are the enemy.
However, to me, Fort McMurray has been and always will be home. It is where I was born and raised, and Conservatives of every stripe have always had our back. They understand that when Fort McMurray works, Alberta works. When Alberta works, Canada works. Only Conservatives are fighting for pipelines and energy corridors to secure the long-term viability of northeastern Alberta, and to get Alberta energy to the world.
I will not back down from politicians in this chamber, such as the Prime Minister and the Minister of Environment, who seek to landlock and firewall our oil sands, leaving our workers without jobs. Canada and the world need Alberta energy.
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- Dec/8/21 2:22:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the extraordinary community spirit of local media organizations in Surrey-Newton, and the extraordinary generosity demonstrated by the people of British Columbia.
In response to the recent flooding across British Columbia, Red FM initiated an emergency fundraising drive that raised $1.1 million for Canadian Red Cross flood relief efforts.
Similarly, Connect FM and Sanjha TV raised $1.4 million for the PICS Guru Nanak Diversity Village, a facility for South Asian seniors in need of culturally sensitive long-term care.
I want to thank all the donors who stepped up to help. I ask all members to join me in thanking Red FM, Connect FM and Sanjha TV for their dedication and service to our community.
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- Dec/8/21 2:23:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand all announced that Huawei would have no place in their 5G infrastructure years ago. Our Prime Minister has still not made a decision. The Five Eyes all came out with a diplomatic boycott of the Olympics, and the Prime Minister was the last one to sign on.
When it comes to the international stage, why is the current Prime Minister always the last one to show up?
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- Dec/8/21 2:24:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our approach has always been to stand up strongly for Canadians, for Canadian interests and for Canadian values, and to do that every step of the way alongside our allies in the world. We have done that and will continue to do that as we express deep concerns about the situation around human rights in China, and as we continue to ensure protection for security while we look at competitiveness for our domestic markets. These are things we take seriously and will always do the right way for Canadians.
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- Dec/8/21 2:24:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, more than a quarter of Canadians have mortgages with a variable rate. The number of high-leverage uninsured mortgages is more than 25% according to the Bank of Canada. The bank suggested today that it would raise interest rates soon. Some experts predict five interest rate increases next year.
How many thousands of families are at risk of losing their homes because the Prime Minister has ignored the inflation crisis?
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- Dec/8/21 2:25:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are extremely concerned with the rising cost of living faced by Canadians. This is why we have a concrete plan to take action on that, whether through investing in child care, investing in more supports for Canadians or putting forward the most ambitious plan on housing this country has ever seen, which includes $4 billion for municipalities to help build more supply. The Conservatives only offered tax breaks for Canada's wealthiest landlords in the last election campaign. Canadians need solutions. That is what we are delivering, not the Conservatives.
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- Dec/8/21 2:25:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, higher inflation means higher prices for families. Prices are 21% higher for apples, 22% higher for bacon and 33% higher for a house. The Prime Minister said he has a concrete plan, but the government has not committed to keeping the 2% inflation target as part of the bank's new mandate. Keeping the 2% inflation target is the bare minimum the Prime Minister could do to fight the cost of living crisis.
He talks about a plan and being there for Canadians. My question is simple. Will the government mandate the Bank of Canada to maintain its 2% target, yes or no?
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- Dec/8/21 2:26:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, even though the Conservatives are offering the bare minimum, we are interested in offering much more to Canadians. Yes, we will renew the mandate of the Bank of Canada, but we will also continue to step up with record investments in housing and with things such as the rent-to-own program, a municipal accelerator that is going to put more housing across the country, and more supports for rural Canadians with respect to housing. We have a concrete plan to invest in housing. The Conservatives only offered massive tax breaks to wealthy landlords as their solution to the housing crisis. That is not what Canadians need.
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- Dec/8/21 2:27:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians should be worried when the Prime Minister and the finance minister will not answer a simple question about fighting inflation by keeping the 2% target. What are they going to do for Canadians who are struggling? The Prime Minister does not think about monetary policy. He does not think about interest rates. He thinks budgets will balance themselves.
How bad does the cost of living crisis have to get before the Prime Minister gets a grip?
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- Dec/8/21 2:27:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, while the Conservative Party flails around and offers personal insults, we are focused on Canadians. We are focused on investing tangibly to counter the housing crisis. Whether it is $4 billion for municipalities, investment in $10-a-day child care right across the country or support for seniors or young families, we are there. We will continue to be there for Canadians while the Conservatives play political games and throw mud.
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- Dec/8/21 2:28:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, inflation has never been as bad as it is now.
Inflation means that everything goes up, especially the cost of fruit, meat, housing and gas. The list is long, and Canadians are worried.
This government has not yet given the Bank of Canada a mandate to maintain the 2% inflation target.
Will the government maintain the 2% target, yes or no?
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- Dec/8/21 2:28:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the opposition leader is well aware that we will be making an announcement about that soon.
The fact is that we are focusing on the challenges facing Canadians. That is why we are making massive investments in housing by helping municipalities build more units. We are investing in more child care spaces across the country and in helping seniors and youth. We are there to help Canadians.
All the Conservatives had to offer on the housing file was tax credits for the wealthiest Canadians so they could sell their buildings. That is not what Canadians need. We will continue to be there for Canadians.
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- Dec/8/21 2:29:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the new travel rules are different for everyone, depending on whether one travels by land or by air, in Europe, in the U.S. or, worse, in designated countries in Africa, and on whether one is entering or leaving the U.S.
Upon their return, travellers are facing public health restrictions that are reminiscent of “the place that sends you mad”, which even Asterix had trouble navigating.
Why will Canada not introduce procedures and rules that are reassuring, clear and reciprocal to those imposed by the United States?
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- Dec/8/21 2:30:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the COVID-19 crisis requires adjustments that are based on science and respond to different situations. Canadians are well aware of that.
They also know full well that our government will be there with the necessary measures to support them, whatever the situation. There are new rules in place, and I realize that it can be confusing for people who can and want to travel, but the vast majority of Canadians need us to do whatever is necessary to keep them safe.
That is what we have been doing since the beginning of the pandemic, and we are not about to stop now.
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- Dec/8/21 2:30:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we will clarify by imagining an example.
Let us say the Prime Minister travels to Egypt. On his way back, he goes through Paris to say hi to his pal Macron. He then hops over to Burlington before returning to Canada by road, ideally not by Roxham Road.
What with quarantines, tests at the airport, trips lasting more than 72 hours and subcontractors making house calls, can the Prime Minister tell us what rules he will be subject to, what tests he will have to take, what restrictions he will have to follow and when?
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- Dec/8/21 2:31:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, anyone who has to travel or decides to travel will have to consult public health authorities to see what rules apply to their situation.
I do not think it is so hard to understand that every person who travels is going to have to take appropriate steps, and we have all the information to share.
The reality is that yes, it can be complicated. However, we have to be there to protect Canadians from the omicron variant and COVID‑19. We are going to make choices accordingly, to protect the vast majority of Canadians who are staying home and who want to finish the fight against COVID‑19.
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- Dec/8/21 2:32:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a recent analysis found that the price of homes in Montreal has increased by 21% in the past year. It is impossible for people to find affordable housing.
The Liberals say that there is nothing they can do about it. We disagree. The Liberal government has the tools to address this crisis. Why is the Prime Minister not doing anything to help people?
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