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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 60

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 28, 2022 10:00AM
  • Apr/28/22 2:55:57 p.m.
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Mr Speaker, last night I received a text from a local business owner. He said diesel fuel had jumped 24¢ in two days, which puts it at $2.18 a litre. The average truck burns 400 to 500 litres, so that is $1,000 per day. It costs him $60,000 a month for three trucks. This has to stop before there is no one left to move our goods. The government is a colossal disappointment. When will the government take ownership of its mistakes for all devastated Canadians? They need relief.
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  • Apr/28/22 2:56:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yet again the Conservatives seem to be attacking a budget they invented and not the one we actually delivered. Maybe they should read the National Post, which described the budget as “prudent and responsible”. The Post went on to say, “The efforts to expand Canada's productive capacity and hold the line on spending are welcome, as are the new commitments to defence spending.”
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  • Apr/28/22 2:57:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, price shocks on everyday items continue to hurt a growing number of Canadians, and it appears the worst is yet to come. Inflation is almost 7%. We have price inflation and currency inflation happening at the same time. Interest rates are on the way up. People of all ages, especially those on the margins, are trimming expenses just to make ends meet. The dream of home ownership is moving farther and farther away from many, especially our youth. The policies of the left are shrinking any disposable income. When will the Prime Minister stop making one bad mistake after another and outline a clear commitment to control inflation?
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  • Apr/28/22 2:58:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we will take no lessons from the Conservatives when it comes to supporting the most vulnerable Canadians with the cost of living. It was our government that introduced the Canada child benefit, which is indexed for inflation and has lifted almost 300,000 children out of poverty. Our government increased the GIS, which is also indexed to inflation and has helped over 900,000 seniors. When we formed government, more than five million Canadians lived in poverty. Today, that number is below 3.8 million.
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  • Apr/28/22 2:58:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Service Canada has completely abandoned thousands of victims of fraud. Picture this. These people lose their jobs and apply for employment insurance. Months go by and they do not get anything, so they ask questions but do not get any answers. They call back and still do not get any answers. Finally, they find out that they are the victims of fraud, that no one told them about it, that no one knows why and that no one is going to give them their money. There are people who have been out of work since December and have still not received a cent. We need to get to the bottom of this, but, first, will the government at least give these fraud victims their benefits?
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  • Apr/28/22 2:59:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for that important question. We are aware that there has been an increase in the number of cases of employment insurance fraud. We are working with members of the Bloc Québécois to make sure that everyone gets their benefits. We will continue to do that. It is important to ensure that every Canadian gets the EI benefits to which they are entitled, and to combat fraud.
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  • Apr/28/22 2:59:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, things are not moving quickly enough. Thousands of people have complained to their Bloc Québécois MPs, and there are probably more people out there who have not yet realized that they are victims. Does the government realize how many people are affected? Some people have not had any income for months. Service Canada must notify victims of fraud. It needs to find out how this fraud happened, but first, is there a way to get these people their benefits now so they can buy groceries?
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  • Apr/28/22 3:00:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, once again, I would like to thank my colleague for raising this important issue. We are continuing to work with members of the Bloc Québécois when we identify victims of fraud. Fraud is on the rise, and it is important that the Government of Canada ensure that it addresses and combats fraud so there are no further victims of fraud involving Government of Canada benefits. That being said, we have made changes at Service Canada to ensure that people with legitimate complaints receive their benefits.
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  • Apr/28/22 3:01:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the environment commissioner's latest report confirms that the Liberals are all talk and no action on the environment. They talk about the importance of the carbon tax, but ignore the impact it is having on small businesses and first nations. They talk about a just transition from oil and gas, but provide no support to Canadian energy workers who are losing their jobs. They fly across the country to talk about reducing emissions, while missing all of their targets every year. These reports are scathing. Why is the Liberal government failing to protect Canada's environment?
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  • Apr/28/22 3:01:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I can certainly speak to this government's commitment on what many refer to as just transition. I always hesitate when I say that phrase because, frankly, a lot of workers do not like that phrase. I can say one thing to this House, and I said this to the unions over these past number of days. This government will not move without the full support of oil and gas workers in this country. They are the ones who will lower emissions. They are the ones who will build up renewables. We are committed to them in the same way that they have always been committed to the prosperity of this country.
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  • Apr/28/22 3:02:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this minister is so far behind, he thinks he is in first place, but these reports confirm that the Liberals are failing in every respect: protecting the environment, fail; respecting taxpayer dollars, fail; supporting Canadian workers, fail; standing up for small businesses and first nations, fail. The minister may try and greenwash over these failures, but Canadians know better. After all, the environment commissioner says the Liberals' environmental plan is unrealistic and lacking credibility. Does the minister agree? Yes or no.
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  • Apr/28/22 3:02:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the short answer is no. The long answer is the commissioner says that carbon pricing is one of the most important measures to fight greenhouse gas emissions. That is exactly what we are doing. The commissioner says that eight out of 10 Canadians are getting more money through carbon pricing than without it. The commissioner said that the federal government would reach its 25% emissions-reduction target this year, not in 2025. Our plan is working, but I will agree that there is way more we need to do.
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  • Apr/28/22 3:03:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the environment commissioner's report on carbon pricing states that the government has not addressed the burden from carbon pricing faced by small businesses. There is no plan to get carbon tax money back to small businesses. I met this morning with Ward from Kelowna—Lake Country, who owns an RV business, and much of our conversation was around various tax increases hitting the RV and camping industry. Will the minister admit that the just transition plan is breaking the backs of small businesses and transitioning them to just hang on?
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  • Apr/28/22 3:04:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the commissioner recognized in his report, eight out of 10 Canadians are getting more money through carbon pricing than without it. We are working with small businesses to ensure that the rest of the revenues are recycled. We already have an agreement with Ontario, and it is happening with the rest of the provinces in Canada.
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  • Apr/28/22 3:04:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, LGBTQ+ rights are human rights, and we know that there is still more work to be done. For years, LGBTQ+ communities have been calling for a non-discriminatory blood donation system. Today, Health Canada approved the request from Canadian Blood Services. Could the Minister of Health tell us more about this historic announcement and the impact it will have on these communities?
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  • Apr/28/22 3:05:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from London West for her excellent work in support of the LGBTQ+ community. Today is a great day for anti-discrimination, justice and equity. Canadians have been waiting for this day for many years. Health Canada has approved Canadian Blood Services' request to eliminate the deferral period for men who have sex with men and to replace this policy with a single universal questionnaire that is non-discriminatory and is not based on gender identity or sexual orientation. This is a significant achievement and I thank everyone whose hard work led to today's announcement.
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  • Apr/28/22 3:05:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, over the past year, the Liberals have spent over $600,000 on social media influencers. While they say they want to crack down on misinformation online, the Liberals literally paid thousands of dollars to influencers to give fake, sponsored endorsements of the government. Why should Canadians trust the Liberals to regulate online activity, when they have literally hired an army of keyboard warriors, using taxpayer dollars, to fight their fights?
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  • Apr/28/22 3:06:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the objective is very simple. We are going to ask online platforms to contribute to Canadian culture. We have heard the concerns that were raised about social media. We have gotten the message. We have fixed it. We are making it extremely clear. Users and their content will never be regulated. Our bills will make platforms contribute to Canadian culture. That is it. It is written in black and white in the bill. Platforms are in; users are out.
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  • Apr/28/22 3:07:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Viktoriia and her two daughters moved from Ukraine to Saskatoon West. Two months ago they received their Canadian citizenship. One of the first things Viktoriia did was apply for a Canadian passport. However, between Passport Canada and the Saskatoon Service Canada office, all she got was hours queued up in lines and the runaround from staff. My office had to intervene directly with Ottawa as the local bureaucracy failed her. Could the minister please explain to Viktoriia and all my constituents why the Service Canada office in Saskatoon has become the “out-of-service Canada” office?
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  • Apr/28/22 3:07:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to begin by welcoming Victoria and her family to Canada. I am glad they found refuge here from what is a very awful situation that is happening in Ukraine. As I have explained to this House before, we are experiencing an unprecedented time when Canadians who have had their passports expire over the past two years, because they were not travelling, are now wanting to travel. Because of these volumes, Service Canada and Passport Canada are working around the clock to try to serve Canadians as best as possible. We will continue to do everything we can to make this service available and seamless for Canadians, but there is an unprecedented volume at this moment.
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