44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 3, 2022 10:00AM
- Feb/3/22 3:05:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, unlike the members opposite, we are actually taking concrete actions to help Canadians with the high cost of living.
In fact, in that member's province of New Brunswick, we worked with the provincial government to come to a historic child care agreement last December, which is going to help families in New Brunswick see a 50% reduction in fees this year. That is going to help with the high cost of living. That is going to help with their bottom line.
Our government is committed to supporting families, and we are going to do that right across the country.
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- Feb/3/22 3:06:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my constituents are literally in distress. We are not just talking about unemployed people who are unable to get their EI benefits, because that is a crisis in itself, but we are also talking about full‑time workers and people who earn a very good living but are no longer able to make ends meet.
A litre of gas costs $1.61 in Rivière‑du‑Loup today. Grocery store prices are up 8% due to inflation, as are heating costs. The price of everything is going up at an unbelievable rate. Meanwhile, the government is sitting on its hands, unable to solve the problem.
Dealing with inflation is urgent. What is the government going to do?
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- Feb/3/22 3:07:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have explained many times before, and as Canadians fully understand, inflation is a global phenomenon. The Canadian economy and Canadians themselves are very resilient.
At the same time, our government understands the cost-of-living challenges that Canadians face. We are taking tangible action to help Canadians. For example, a single mother with two children will receive up to $13,000 from the Canada child benefit. An average family in Saskatchewan will receive almost—
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- Feb/3/22 3:08:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government announced the first-ever women entrepreneurship strategy, a now $6-billion program to advance women's economic empowerment. Supporting women entrepreneurs and small business owners is now more important than ever, especially for our economic recovery from COVID-19.
Can the Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development update us on her recent announcement about the women entrepreneurship ecosystem fund, and how it will support women who were especially hit hard during the pandemic?
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- Feb/3/22 3:08:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the women entrepreneurship strategy ecosystem fund is working for women entrepreneurs and businesses. It has helped 500 women start new businesses, and 7,000 women increase and grow their existing businesses.
We know, though, that women entrepreneurs continue to face barriers. That is why I was very pleased to announce last week a new call for proposals. It is a $25-million investment with the aim of removing systemic barriers and creating more equal access to resources for intersectionally diverse and underserved women in business so they can succeed.
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- Feb/3/22 3:09:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, under the Liberals, soaring food prices are squeezing families who are already struggling to make ends meet. This is resulting in children across Canada, including in my riding of Winnipeg Centre, going to school hungry, yet we are the only G7 country without a national school meal program. No child should ever have to go to school hungry.
Will the Liberals commit today to implementing a national school meal program?
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- Feb/3/22 3:09:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, indeed, I look forward to working with my hon. colleague on this initiative. We both agree that it is unacceptable for children to go to school hungry, and that is why it is in my mandate letter as well as in the mandate letter of the Minister of Agriculture.
I look forward to working with her and stakeholders to deliver on this important policy so that we can support our children, so they are not hungry, and so they have the best learning outcomes possible.
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- Feb/3/22 3:10:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am raising a question today that involves a massive industrial expansion in Nunavut. It is the Baffinland Mary River Mine. It has proposed to double production, and it is all going to Europe. It is an iron ore mine that wants to go to 12 million tonnes of production a year, with building a railway and doubling the number of ships going through sensitive habitat for whales.
The Mittimatalik Hunters and Trappers Organization opposes it. Oceans North is very concerned. However, it appears from satellite imagery that the mine is already expanding before it gets a permit.
Can the minister assure us that this industrial expansion will not be allowed to cut corners?
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- Feb/3/22 3:11:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there is a process, and it is set out in the Nunavut agreement. The independent Nunavut Impact Review Board, which is known to most as NIRB, was a process that was codeveloped with Inuit and territorial partners to ensure the interests of Nunavummiut are protected. We will continue to work with the Inuit rights holders as the independent NIRB process unfolds and ensure that their interests are protected.
To prejudge the outcome of the board's recommendations or any decisions regarding this project right now would be premature and inappropriate for all parties. Both I and—
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- Feb/3/22 3:12:06 p.m.
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I am afraid that is all the time we have for question period today.
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- Feb/3/22 3:12:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations among the parties, and I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That the House deem the occupation in front of the parliamentary precinct in Ottawa to be illegal, that it ask GoFundMe to put all funds intended for this siege on hold, and that it call on participants to leave peacefully.
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- Feb/3/22 3:12:33 p.m.
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All those opposed to the hon. member moving the motion will please say nay.
Some hon. members: Nay.
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- Feb/3/22 3:12:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is our first Thursday back in Parliament and I am pleased to ask the traditional Thursday question.
Speaking about the week, this week has been a very busy one. Canadians recognize we have tough discussions sometimes in the House of Commons, and sometimes very harsh debates, but I am very pleased that we show respect to each other.
This week especially, Canadians have seen how much both sides of the House can be respectful to each other. We saw the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and everybody here show a lot of respect to the hon. member for Durham and to the new interim Leader of the Opposition in the House. I respect every member who showed this dignity this week.
Since the week is almost over, now is the time to learn about the upcoming week. Could my hon. colleague tell Canadians what to expect in the days to come?
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- Feb/3/22 3:14:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I echo the comments made by my hon. colleague on the other side. We fiercely disagree on many things. The debate we have is important, and dissent is important, but the way we do that is extraordinarily important. I want to echo what he said. We have been able to find a good tone in this House as we disagree with one another and fight on the issues of the day, and do it in a way that respects the roles we have as parliamentarians in this place.
For the week that is forthcoming, this afternoon and tomorrow will be dedicated to the second reading debate of Bill C-8, An Act to implement certain provisions of the economic and fiscal update tabled in Parliament on December 14, 2021 and other measures. On Monday, we are going to commence debate on Bill C-9, which seeks to amend the Judges Act. Lastly, Tuesday and Thursday shall be allotted days.
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- Feb/3/22 3:15:22 p.m.
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Resuming debate, the hon. member for Hastings—Lennox and Addington has two minutes remaining.
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- Feb/3/22 3:15:32 p.m.
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- Re: Bill C-8
Mr. Speaker, I will begin my comments by acknowledging a short conversation I had with one of my colleagues in the lobby with regard to his grandson, who has just gone through a successful heart surgery. Perhaps we can give a small moment of prayer for the member for Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup and his grandson Oskar. He is doing well, but it is appropriate to acknowledge we have strength on both sides of the House to wish him and his family well.
There have been several challenges. We need to be ready and our goal needs to be simple. We need to be prepared and we need to take rapid actions. We need to be able to protect the health of all Canadians while avoiding long-term impacts on our economy and of course on the mental health of all Canadians.
Productivity is down and debt levels are up. I believe we are in a hot mess. The Canadian way of life is being threatened, and many people are fragile. We need to reactivate this economy. We need to have lower taxes, more freedom and smaller government and we need to regain some optimism and hope in ourselves and in our government.
I am speaking today on Bill C-8, and Conservatives strongly oppose it. Day in and day out, I hear the phone calls to my riding offices in Ivanhoe and Napanee and my office in Ottawa from Canadians of all walks of life who are exhausted and tired. We have no room for this additional spending.
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- Feb/3/22 3:17:46 p.m.
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- Re: Bill C-8
Mr. Speaker, I apologize that I was not able to make it for all of the member's speech, because of question period.
She mentioned at the end that Canadians are exhausted and tired. I would agree. So too are the people of Ottawa, with the protests we are seeing outside right now. Although the member was not in the House in 2020, the Conservative Party was quick to call on the government for police intervention on some of the blockades that we have seen across the country. I have not yet heard that same language from the Conservative Party, nor from this member.
Would this member agree with me that it is time for the protesters to go home and for the police to use their discretion to take down the blockade of downtown Ottawa?
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- Feb/3/22 3:18:23 p.m.
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- Re: Bill C-8
Mr. Speaker, indeed it is a tricky situation here in Ottawa, but Canadians want to be heard. Canadians want to be heard, and by all means we oppose any of the rhetoric about the small numbers of the population that are being talked about and that the Liberals are repeating today.
Canadians want to have some freedoms. Canadians want to have their choices. Canadians want to go ahead and live their lives with dignity. Canadians want to use all the tools we have in our tool boxes. We need to have the rapid tests, we need to wear our masks and we need to have social distancing, if that is what we choose. I am not encouraging or acknowledging this, but we need to move forward.
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- Feb/3/22 3:19:19 p.m.
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- Re: Bill C-8
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on her excellent speech.
I would like to hear her thoughts on inflation, which must certainly be affecting families, fathers and mothers, in her riding who are forced to make difficult decisions to feed their families. Should the government have intervened? How long should the government let inflation keep rising before it does something?
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- Feb/3/22 3:19:50 p.m.
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- Re: Bill C-8
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. I think I will answer in English today and in French tomorrow.
There is no doubt that inflation is hitting Canadians day in and day out. It does not matter whether they are at the gas station or going for groceries; it is in all walks of life.
The emails from seniors are really sad. I have seniors who are sending me emails saying they do not know whether they are able to pay for their medication. There are children who are talking to their parents at home, learning about how money is being spent, and there is not enough at the end of the day. Bills are all over the table and piling up, and families are needing to choose which ones they are going to pay. The interest rates that are being charged are just outlandish.
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