44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 2, 2022 11:00AM
- May/2/22 2:36:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with great respect to my colleague, she knows full well that the Rideau Centre was completely shut down and that small businesses were shut down. She knows full well that Ottawa residents were unable to get to work and unable to drop off their children at day care. If she does not take my word for it, she can listen to the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, which said that the Emergencies Act was “critical to assisting law enforcement in addressing the mass national and international organization of the Freedom Convoy 2022.”
We invoked the act because it was necessary, and it worked.
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- May/2/22 2:37:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, to adequately justify the use of the Emergencies Act, the government must demonstrate that there is not an already existing law in place that could deal with this so-called emergency. Since the Prime Minister invoked the act on February 14 in response to the Ottawa protesters, I have to assume that there is in fact good evidence that procedure was followed. However, to know for certain, we need access to certain documents that are held by cabinet right now. The Prime Minister is hiding behind secrecy. This is strange for a Prime Minister who has committed to openness and transparency.
Therefore, the question really is this: Why the cover-up?
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- May/2/22 2:37:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have been transparent all along about the reasons why we needed to invoke the Emergencies Act. We debated that motion right here in this chamber. It is very discouraging to hear the members of the Conservative Party continue to diminish and downplay the severity of the national emergency that beset this community and multiple ports of entry.
Again, if the Conservatives do not want to take it from the government, let them listen to what the president and CEO of the Surrey Board of Trade said in British Columbia, calling it “an unacceptable sabotage of the economy”. She said, “The impact of these blockades is choking already impacted supply chains”. I would encourage and urge my Conservative colleagues to speak to Canadians.
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- May/2/22 2:38:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I certainly hope this is not the evidence the government is hoping to rely on.
During the appointment process for the Emergencies Act inquiry, which led to the selection of Justice Rouleau, can the Minister of Public Safety confirm whether any ministers or members of their political staff spoke with the judge before his appointment? If so, did they discuss what kind of evidence the inquiry would or would not seek, including documents covered by cabinet confidentiality or solicitor-client privilege?
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- May/2/22 2:39:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with regard to my colleague's original comment about his not wanting the commissioner and the parliamentary committee to consider the testimonials and lived experiences of Canadians, including the president of the Ottawa Coalition of Business Improvement Areas, small business leaders and ordinary Ottawans who live outside of this chamber, I would encourage him to revisit his position. We are listening to Canadians about the impacts of the illegal blockades.
Of course, Judge Rouleau will carry out his inquiry independently and transparently to ensure there is accountability on his decision.
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- May/2/22 2:39:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last Friday the Prime Minister refused to grant any immigration powers to the Premier of Quebec.
It would be less insulting if the federal government were the least bit competent, but everything it touches is a disaster. The wait time is now 31 months for Quebeckers applying for permanent residence. There is a backlog of 29,000 case files. The government is being sued by people who have been waiting for 13 years.
Does the Prime Minister realize that not only should he give Quebec the powers it is asking for, but he should be grateful to do so?
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- May/2/22 2:40:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, immigration is essential to our economy.
As the member opposite knows, Quebec sets its own immigration targets. Last year the province welcomed over 50,000 new permanent residents. This year Quebec has increased its immigration targets significantly, which will help reduce wait times.
We will always work very closely with the Quebec government to ensure that the immigration system continues to work for Quebeckers and Canadians.
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- May/2/22 2:41:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, they cannot even name the problem, so it will be really difficult to solve it.
There is a backlog of 29,000 files, and there are court cases that have been dragging on for 13 years. These are people. They are not files; they are people. That is what the Prime Minister is forgetting in his quarrel with Quebec.
The federal government has proven, year after year, that it is either incapable of taking care of these people or does not consider this issue important enough to do better.
Why not simply give Quebec the power to manage its own immigration?
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- May/2/22 2:41:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would again like to thank the member for the question, but he is well aware that Quebec sets the selection criteria for immigrants coming to Quebec, and that includes language skills.
Immigration is crucial and, as I have already told the member, we have welcomed more than 50,000 new permanent residents to the province. Quebec and Canada are working together to welcome more immigrants here, in Canada.
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- May/2/22 2:42:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Ottawa must also give Quebec the power to manage temporary foreign workers.
Each year, the federal government creates delays by forcing every business to produce labour market studies that already exist. Quebec already produces them for all of its economic sectors. Quebec could simply apply them to temporary foreign workers by integrating them into its labour strategy. It is as easy as that.
When will the federal government stop burdening our businesses and transfer the management of temporary foreign workers to Quebec?
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- May/2/22 2:43:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Quebec reaps significant benefits from the Canada—Quebec accord on immigration.
In fact, Quebec selects 74% of permanent immigrants. It sets the criteria, including knowledge of French. Quebec also determines the profiles for temporary foreign workers and foreign students, including their knowledge of the French language. In 2020-2021 alone, we sent nearly $700 million to Quebec to help integrate immigrants, which includes French-language learning.
We are working together despite the fact that the Bloc would like to stir up trouble where there is none. We are working well together.
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- May/2/22 2:43:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we cannot trust these Liberals. They tell hopeful millennials who make good wages and are stuck in their parents' basement, time after time, that they will act on housing affordability.
Let us take blind bidding. These Liberals promised that they would ban it. Outside of making it a criminal offence, it is clearly an area that is under the exclusive jurisdiction of the provinces. Will the minister admit today that their election promise to ban blind bidding in the last election was false right from the start, or are they planning to start criminalizing real estate agents who take blind bids on behalf of their clients?
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- May/2/22 2:44:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question.
We on this side of the House are well aware that the dream that Canadians have of owning a home is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve. One of the many measures in our budget is about working on a home buyers' bill of rights in collaboration with the provinces and territories, because on this side of the House, we believe that housing is a right, and that is what we want to work on.
I would encourage the member and all his colleagues to vote for the measures in budget 2022. That is leadership.
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- May/2/22 2:44:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canada now has the third highest inflation rate in the G7 at 6.7%.
What this means for Canadians, in concrete terms, is that if they did not get a 6.7% wage increase in the past year, they became poorer. On top of that, the cost of groceries has gone up 8.7% over the past year, and that is the second highest rate in the G7. It seems as though the minister is wearing rose-coloured glasses while making her budget forecasts. Obviously, it is not working.
When will she change her approach and start acting for Canadians?
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- May/2/22 2:45:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question.
I am glad the Conservatives are finally admitting that inflation is really a global phenomenon. Canadians understand that very well. The latest inflation rate reported for Canada was 6.7%. In the United States, it is 8.5%. For the OECD, it is 7.7% and for the eurozone, it is 7.3%.
Putin and COVID-19 caused inflation.
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- May/2/22 2:46:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, housing affordability in Canada is so bad that it is now affecting our military families. It is so bad in CFB Trenton, Canada’s largest air force base, in my riding, that currently 360 families are on a waiting list for housing on the base. Military families that cannot afford homes in the community now do not have anywhere to live, and this is affecting our ability to retain and attract military personnel.
My question for the Minister of Defence is this: How much of the $15 billion in the budget for the military is going to create housing for our Canadian military families?
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- May/2/22 2:47:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are making critical, major investments in personnel, equipment and infrastructure that will support continental defence, will support military families, and will support equipment and resources for the Canadian Armed Forces. We agree that the lives of military families, as well as CAF personnel themselves, are of the utmost importance. That is why budget 2022 committed $8 billion toward increased defence spending, and that is on top of a 70% increase under “Strong, Secure, Engaged”.
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- May/2/22 2:47:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a scathing report from the environment commissioner showed that Infrastructure Canada is no longer accurately tracking emissions for the projects it funds. Local communities depend on this data. They are on the front lines of climate change and are committed to meeting climate targets. They need the federal government to provide reliable information, as well as the stable funding they have been requesting.
How can the Liberal government claim to support local communities when it is not even tracking the climate impacts of the infrastructure it funds?
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- May/2/22 2:48:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we welcome the findings of the commissioner's report. We believe, like him, that Canada should always do better when it comes to fighting climate change.
Specifically on infrastructure, we are doing things that have never been seen before in Canada, such as using infrastructure dollars to invest in nature-based solutions. All across the country, this is one of the best ways not only to fight climate change but to mitigate the impacts of climate change and adapt to those impacts.
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- May/2/22 2:49:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Peguis First Nation is once again facing devastating flooding and unprecedented water levels, with 900 people evacuated and over 600 homes impacted.
In 2009 and 2011, the Manitoba NDP government and the federal government supported Peguis. Today, the situation is worse. This is a climate emergency. Peguis needs support now, including from the military, which has stepped up for first nations during emergencies.
Will the federal government work with Peguis and the province to ensure they get all the help they need, including urgent military support now?
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