44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 26, 2022 10:00AM
- Apr/26/22 2:18:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, number 10 streaks down the ice, fast as lightning, blond hair flying. Unleashing all his speed, skill and strength, he closes in on the net. Goal! Celebrations break out all over the street, the neighbourhood, the city, the province.
Those are the kinds of vivid memories we have of the “blond demon” whose passing has left all of Quebec in mourning. I once had the honour of meeting Guy Lafleur, the top goal scorer of his era, who won five Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens. I was struck by how approachable and personable this living legend was.
His name will remain etched in our memories, not only for the on-ice exploits that inspired a generation, but also for the great man that he was.
The Flower was, and will remain forevermore, the pride of Montreal, Quebec and the entire nation.
I thank Guy. May he rest in peace.
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- Apr/26/22 2:19:15 p.m.
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Before we go to Oral Questions, I want to welcome everyone in the gallery. This is day two of open public gallery, and it is great having visitors today. However, that also means that they cannot participate in what happens on the floor and they should listen to the PPS members who are up there guiding them along their way.
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- Apr/26/22 2:19:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with all these guests here, let us hope we get some answers in question period.
Fraud on the government: That is the charge the RCMP considered laying against the Prime Minister for taking an exotic holiday as a free gift in 2016. Recent documents show the RCMP knew he committed the illegal act, but it also knew there was a loophole that he could have used. As silly as it might sound, the Prime Minister could have written himself a note that gave himself permission to take the holiday.
My question is this: Did the Prime Minister give himself permission to take that free holiday in 2016?
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- Apr/26/22 2:20:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, no. This matter was settled years ago when the Ethics Commissioner released the report. While the Conservatives continue to focus on petty politics and on me, Liberals are going to continue to focus on Canadians, on investing in housing across the country, on $10-a-day child care for families and on continuing to lead on world-class investments in fighting climate change. That is what Canadians expect of us. That is what we continue to do.
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- Apr/26/22 2:21:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there is no statute of limitations on fraud charges, and the Prime Minister is not above the law. The Criminal Code is clear. The only way the Prime Minister is not guilty of fraud is if the Prime Minister gave himself consent to break the law. That is in the Criminal Code.
This is a clear, straightforward question. I would like a yes or no answer. Did the Prime Minister give himself permission to get away with committing a criminal fraud offence?
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- Apr/26/22 2:21:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, no. The RCMP looked into this matter and no political interference was around it. It came to its own conclusion. There was nothing to pursue.
Further, those findings were independently verified by two separate third parties. Despite what the Conservative Party appears to be attempting, politicians do not interfere with the operations of the police in this country. This matter was thoroughly reviewed and closed years ago.
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- Apr/26/22 2:22:19 p.m.
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Order. We are going to try and keep it so we can hear. We do have people in the gallery today who are watching us.
The hon. Leader of the Opposition.
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- Apr/26/22 2:22:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, new documents revealed that the RCMP knew that the Prime Minister took the holiday, that it was illegal, that he did it and the RCMP knew it. There was no question of that. The only question the RCMP had, according to its own documents, was whether he gave himself permission to do that.
The Prime Minister just said he did not. Is he willing to meet with the RCMP now, given that information, and it can proceed as it sees fit: yes or no?
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- Apr/26/22 2:23:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the RCMP addressed the matters raised by the Conservatives years ago. The members opposite know very well this is the case, but the Conservative Party seems to have difficulty understanding that in a strong, democratic country, neither opposition politicians nor the government can tell the police what to investigate and what not to investigate.
The RCMP does its job. Why does the Conservative Party not believe the RCMP?
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- Apr/26/22 2:23:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's doublespeak is rather ridiculous.
The RCMP considered charging the Liberal leader with fraud, but it did not because, as Liberal leader, he had the authority to approve a $200,000 gift for himself.
A few moments ago, he said that he did not do so. He said this is something that happened long ago. However, the Prime Minister has never hesitated to stand up and denounce things that happened even longer ago.
Does he know that it is never too late to report a crime?
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- Apr/26/22 2:24:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this matter was settled years ago. Of course, we recognize the independence of the RCMP and the important work it is doing in this country.
What the Conservatives do not understand, in their eagerness to launch personal attacks and spread disinformation, is that the work was done at many levels and the matter is closed.
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- Apr/26/22 2:24:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I understand it, from now on, the Prime Minister will never talk about things that happened years ago and that have been settled by various parties. This is what the Prime Minister is telling us.
However, he himself said just now that he did not give himself permission to accept a gift worth more than $200,000 in the form of a private vacation for him and his family. The RCMP considered laying fraud charges against the Prime Minister but ultimately did not do so for that exact reason.
Why will the Prime Minister not acknowledge his mistake or his fault? Will he meet with the RCMP to explain?
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- Apr/26/22 2:25:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the RCMP has been looking into such matters for years.
The Conservative Party is always trying to bring up issues to attack us and distract attention away from the fact that we presented a budget that will provide housing for Canadians, $10-a-day child care for families across the country, and investments to combat climate change.
The Conservatives only want to play political games, make partisan attacks and try to distract Canadians from the fact that they have no solutions for the issues that matter to Canadians.
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- Apr/26/22 2:25:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is showing a lack of respect for Quebeckers, Canadians and especially Ukrainians. When Syrian refugees came to Canada, he chartered flights and brought them coats. Everyone took a selfie, even the airport security officers.
I am not asking the Prime Minister whether there will be an airlift for displaced Ukrainians, but when there will be an airlift.
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- Apr/26/22 2:26:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are proceeding as quickly, safely and efficiently as possible to ensure that Ukrainians are able to come to Canada. There is no limit on the number of applicants. We have given priority to the applications of Ukrainians who want to come to Canada, and those currently in Canada on a temporary basis can extend their stay.
With the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel, many standard visa requirements have been lifted for emergency travel, thus ensuring the quickest, safest and most efficient travel. Since January, we have welcomed more than 17,000 Ukrainian nationals, and others will be arriving.
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- Apr/26/22 2:27:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after 62 days of war, he has the gall to use the word “quickly”.
This government is unable to explain to these people how to give their biometrics and unable to collect these people's biometrics. It is telling them, “Here are some Aeroplan points”. That is not costing the government a cent. The government is not chartering flights. This is not costing Air Canada a cent, so Air Canada has simply become the publicity agent.
Will the government show some respect for Ukrainians and charter some damn flights?
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- Apr/26/22 2:27:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I understand that the leader of the Bloc Québécois is very fond of expressing outrage here in this place. The reality is that public servants and our partners around the world are working to fast-track the applications of Ukrainians who want to come to Canada.
The reality is that we have done a lot, and we will continue to take numerous measures to expedite the arrival of Ukrainian families here in Canada. We are doing more and will continue to do more. This is a very difficult situation for these families, and we are there to help them.
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- Apr/26/22 2:28:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, throughout this pandemic and the rising cost-of-living crisis, we see working Canadians and working class families that are hurt hard, and we see the super rich who continue to make record profits and gain more wealth and power. Another example of this is the potential merger of Rogers and Shaw. It is only going to result in massive layoffs for workers and increased costs for families.
Will the Liberals stand on the side of workers and Canadians, prevent this deal from going through and make sure we keep the prices of cellphones and cellular services low?
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- Apr/26/22 2:29:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we well know that Canadians have paid some of the highest prices for wireless and Internet in the world. That is why a number of years ago we made a pledge to decrease average cellphone bills in this country by 25%, and that actually happened. We drove down prices by working to ensure that there was both competition and quality infrastructure for Canadians. We will continue to be there to make sure that access to data is affordable and reliable everywhere across the country, including with massive historic investments in rural broadband and cellphone access.
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- Apr/26/22 2:29:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is true that cell service costs more in Canada and that this merger will make things worse.
It is clear that, if this merger goes through, the cost of cell service will go up and many jobs could be lost.
Will the Liberals stand with people and stop this merger, yes or no?
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