44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 14, 2021 10:00AM
- Dec/14/21 3:03:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, seniors living on a fixed income are among the hardest hit by the inflation crisis. There are quite a few seniors living in villages in my riding, often retired steelworkers from Hamilton. These are the seniors who built this country and made it strong. Recently I heard from Heinz in Flamborough, who had already been struggling with high heating costs and high grocery costs before this crisis. He has now been pushed to the brink.
When will the government get serious about the inflation crisis so that seniors like Heinz will not go cold and hungry this winter?
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- Dec/14/21 3:04:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we have always supported seniors, especially the most vulnerable seniors. One of the first things we did as a government is restore the age of OAS and GIS from 67 to 65. We have enhanced the CPP, we have raised the GIS for single seniors and we have invested $6 billion in home care.
We have an ambitious agenda for seniors. We have always had their backs and we will continue to make sure we do just that to support them.
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- Dec/14/21 3:04:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, inflation is the highest it has been in 20 years. It is making everything more expensive, like the essentials: groceries, gas and heat. This is especially hard on people living on a fixed income like veterans. Our nation's heroes are watching their pensions lose buying power by the day, and they are being asked to get by with less and less.
Why is the minister forcing our heroes to use food banks during this inflation crisis?
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- Dec/14/21 3:05:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is a bit rich from a party that did nothing but slice veterans' funds. My hon. colleague—
Son hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Dec/14/21 3:05:41 p.m.
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I will stop the minister. He is standing right next to me and I can barely hear him.
The hon. minister.
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- Dec/14/21 3:05:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that my hon. colleague is giving me a chance to indicate what had happened and what has happened since we formed government.
The fact is that we have invested billions of dollars in veterans to make sure they receive the appropriate funding they deserve. When the previous CPC government was in place, it slashed funding, fired Veterans Affairs employees and cut funding to veterans. We, as a government, have supplied more funding for veterans to make sure they have the appropriate funds they need. There is more to do and we will do more.
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- Dec/14/21 3:06:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, over the past 18 months, our government has made historic investments in Canada's biomanufacturing sector to quickly reverse years of neglect under Conservative governments. Earlier this month, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry announced an exciting new agreement with Merck to manufacture life-saving COVID-19 therapies right here in Canada, in my riding of Whitby.
Could the minister please elaborate on how this agreement will help further ensure the health and safety of Canadians as we move forward?
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- Dec/14/21 3:07:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his leadership. As members in the House know, it has been my absolute priority to grow the biomanufacturing sector in this country to ensure the health and safety of Canadians for generations to come. Our agreement with Merck means that we will be manufacturing therapies against COVID-19 right here in Canada, in Whitby, Ontario. This project will help grow our biomanufacturing sector and will help make Canada's expertise recognized around the world.
We will continue to invest in biomanufacturing. We will continue to attract investment in this country for our workers and our health and safety.
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- Dec/14/21 3:08:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, within the most recent supplementary estimates, the Liberal government has allocated no money to the regional economic development agency that supports small businesses, arts, tourism and community organizations in Alberta and the Prairies. This is outrageous at a time when the omicron variant is surging and Alberta's economy is suffering. The Prime Minister said he would have Canadians' backs, but clearly that is not the case.
Will the Liberals immediately reverse this unfair decision and make sure all Canadians are supported through another long winter of COVID?
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- Dec/14/21 3:08:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the regional development agencies have supported Canadians from coast to coast to coast from the beginning of the pandemic through the regional relief funds and now through the tourism relief fund. There was $15 billion for the tourism sector alone.
The funding will continue. The supports will continue. We have had Canadians' backs and we will continue to do so.
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- Dec/14/21 3:09:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a new report from the Canada Energy Regulator says that oil production in 2050 will be pretty much what it is today. It is no wonder Canada is at the bottom of the G7 when it comes to climate action. We also have the Prime Minister's promise to plant two billion trees. That was a failure because what has he actually planted? It is only 0.5%. The only net zero that the government has actually delivered on is the Prime Minister's environmental credibility.
Earth to the environment minister. The planet is on fire. When is he going to start showing up to help Canadians?
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- Dec/14/21 3:09:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if my hon. colleague knew anything about tree planting, he would know that we need to grow the seedlings for between two and three years. I have planted trees—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Dec/14/21 3:09:53 p.m.
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The hon. Minister of Environment, go ahead, from the top.
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- Dec/14/21 3:10:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, anyone who has planted trees would know that it takes between two to three years to grow them so they can be safely planted. I have planted trees. I have even been known to hug trees from time to time.
Our government is engaged in fighting climate change. We have invested $100 billion in the last six years, with more than 100 measures, and we will keep going.
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- Dec/14/21 3:11:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I was very concerned with the comments that were being made during extreme heckling from my Conservative colleagues. Could the environment minister tell us how long it takes to actually make a tree?
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- Dec/14/21 3:11:49 p.m.
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I thank the hon. member, but that is not a point of order. The member will have to ask that question at the next question period.
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- Dec/14/21 3:12:27 p.m.
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- Re: Bill C-5
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government understands that judges play a very important role in providing additional discretion when looking at the circumstances while sentencing. Why does the Conservative Party not have faith in our judges in Canada?
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- Dec/14/21 3:13:21 p.m.
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- Re: Bill C-5
Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member had actually listened to my speech, he would know that at no point in time did I indicate that we, as the Conservative caucus, have no faith in judicial discretion in levelling appropriate sentences.
As a Crown attorney for the last 18 years, I was in front of judges every single day. My point was that sufficient tools already exist within the Criminal Code for judges to exercise that discretion. They certainly do not need any further assistance from the Liberal government.
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- Dec/14/21 3:13:54 p.m.
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- Re: Bill C-5
Mr. Speaker, I certainly listened intently to the member's speech. His experience as a Crown prosecutor in Ontario excellently lends itself to the debate.
There are changes in the bill to conditional sentencing. Obviously, if any mother were to see that someone who is charged with kidnapping could be given a conditional sentence, as in house arrest, they would find it egregious and wrong. Are there other offences that the member believes should not be subject to a conditional arrest?
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- Dec/14/21 3:14:33 p.m.
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- Re: Bill C-5
Mr. Speaker, that is a very important question. In my respectful opinion, everything in Bill C-5 concerned with removing those offences, which are currently delineated under section 742, the conditional sentence regime, all relate to serious violent offences.
To the member's point, kidnapping, sexual assault, criminal harassment and abduction are all serious personal injury offences. In my speech, I was trying to indicate that there are absolutely zero references to amending section 742 to highlight that those offences the bill is delineating can still be substantiated by way of a conditional sentence.
A condition precedent to section 742 is that justice must be satisfied that an offender serving that sentence in the community does not pose a risk. Those offenders convicted of a sexual assault, criminal harassment or kidnapping most definitely pose a community risk. Moreover, section 752 of the Criminal Code talks about excluding any offences where there is a serious personal injury offence. Kidnapping certainly qualifies for this, as do sexual assault, criminal harassment and abduction.
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