44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 5, 2022 10:00AM
- May/5/22 2:23:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday during question period I raised a major problem Canadians are facing: the endless delays in getting service from the federal government. Passports, employment insurance, the Canada Revenue Agency, immigration, absolutely everything is in shambles.
As usual, the Prime Minister avoided answering the question, turning his back on thousands of Canadians who are waiting and waiting. There is a solution, namely, bringing federal employees back to work at their offices, as most Canadian businesses have done.
When will the Prime Minister make Service Canada worthy of its name again?
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- May/5/22 2:23:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.
Our government understands very well how important it is to serve Canadians, especially now that our economy is in full recovery.
However, I have to say that I do not totally agree with the member opposite when he says that everything is going poorly in Canada. The reality is that, according to the International Monetary Fund, we will have the fastest growing economy in the G7 this year and next.
We have hard-working Canadians to thank for that.
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- May/5/22 2:24:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is very disturbing to see that the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance has no interest in the services her government is providing to Canadians.
Public servants themselves are telling Canadians to call their MP's office to gain access to services. We knew that the first 10-year passports were set to expire this year.
Before the pandemic, Service Canada was processing three million passports a year. We are just getting back to normal. Federal employees have been caught off guard because this government has done no planning. Misplaced documents, overwhelmed telephone systems, the list of excuses goes on and on.
Can the Prime Minister give some hope that someone is taking care of this and tell us when federal employees will be back in their offices serving people?
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- May/5/22 2:25:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking government workers for serving the public. They are helping Canadians here and across the country.
Yesterday, I thanked Department of Finance employees in person for their excellent work. I know that public servants across the country work very hard. I think everyone in the House should be grateful for their efforts.
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- May/5/22 2:26:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what federal employees want is to feel as though their government supports them. They want to serve Canadians. They want to be proud of their work at the end of the day because they have the tools they need to provide the services that Canadians expect.
This government is improvising and making it so that the federal employees we are so proud of are unable to do their jobs.
Once again, my question is simple. Will the Prime Minister finally authorize federal employees to go back to their offices so that they can serve Canadians?
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- May/5/22 2:26:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to once more emphasize how truly proud we, on this side of the House, are of our public service and of all the federal government employees who are doing an amazing job. They did great work throughout the pandemic.
I want to assure public servants that we are there to help them do what they want to do, and that is to help Canadians.
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- May/5/22 2:27:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Line 5 is being threatened yet again with another shutdown through an application filed in U.S. federal court. This would cut off gasoline, diesel, propane and jet fuel supplies to Ontario and Quebec.
Has the Prime Minister picked up the phone and talked to President Biden to get this matter resolved, or will he have to invoke the 1977 treaty just to talk to the White House about this matter, as he had to do last year when Governor Whitmer of Michigan threatened to shut down the same pipeline?
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- May/5/22 2:28:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite for the question, because it gives me the opportunity to assure Canadians that our government absolutely understands the importance of Line 5. We understand, today more than ever, how important energy security is.
I want to assure Canadians that our government is always ready to stand up for Canada's rights, including our treaty rights, in our relationship with the United States. We have a constant conversation about energy security with the U.S. I spoke to Secretary Yellen just two weeks ago on this issue.
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- May/5/22 2:28:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government says Line 5 is important to the government. It supplies almost half of Ontario and Quebec's energy needs. If it is so important, why is the government not opposing the application made in the U.S. federal court to shut down this pipeline?
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- May/5/22 2:29:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians can have no doubt whatsoever about our government's preparedness and our government's ability to stand up for the Canadian economy and for Canada's treaty rights, including in our relationship with the United States. We absolutely understand the importance of Line 5. We understand the importance of energy security. I spoke with Secretary Yellen just two weeks ago. We talked about energy security and I pointed out to her how important our relationship is to them.
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- May/5/22 2:30:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is clear to me that there is an immigration crisis. However, when the Bloc asked the Prime Minister whether it would be a good idea for Quebec to have more control, the Prime Minister did not once talk about a solution, not once. He said, “immigration will, by and large, always be under federal control.... I realize our Bloc friend is not happy about this, but Quebec is not yet its own country”.
Is it out of sheer stubbornness that the Prime Minister refuses to collaborate more effectively with Quebec's immigration department? Is that the reality?
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- May/5/22 2:30:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we know that immigration is essential to Canada's economy and to Quebec's economy.
As the member opposite well knows, Quebec sets its own immigration targets. We will always work closely with the Government of Quebec to ensure that the immigration system continues to work for Quebeckers and for all Canadians.
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- May/5/22 2:31:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I believe that we do not understand one another. When Quebec asks for authority to resolve the immigration crisis, the Prime Minister slams the door in its face, saying that Quebec is not a country and that this is Canada's job.
If that is so, then Canada should do its job and get to work on the 29,000 files that have been sitting in Ottawa for years. The immigrants who submitted them were selected by Quebec, are already living in Quebec and want to settle in Quebec.
Unfortunately, the machine is broken. If the government refuses to fix it and refuses to let Quebec take care of it, what then?
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- May/5/22 2:31:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government works closely and effectively with the Government of Quebec.
Last year, Quebec welcomed more than 50,000 new permanent residents. This year, Quebec has significantly increased its immigration targets, which will help reduce wait times.
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- May/5/22 2:32:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls inquiry cited housing and homelessness over 200 times in its final report. Indigenous women are not inherently vulnerable. This is a result of colonization. Access to safe, secure and affordable housing can play a key role in stopping this genocide, yet the Liberals have consistently failed to ensure there is a dedicated housing strategy for indigenous women, girls and two-spirited people.
Will the Prime Minister take immediate action to correct this gross oversight, or will he allow this ongoing genocide to continue?
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- May/5/22 2:33:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am glad to be able to start by recognizing that today is Red Dress Day, and on this day we mourn and honour missing and murdered indigenous women, girls and LGBTQ2+ people.
I also want to say to the member opposite that our government absolutely agrees with her that housing is an essential part of the problem and needs to be an essential part of the solution. That is why housing was a core focus of the budget we tabled last month, including, absolutely, investing in indigenous housing.
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- May/5/22 2:34:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there is not one community in northern Manitoba that has not been devastated by the brutal murder or disappearance of an indigenous woman, girl or two-spirited person. Here at home, people are calling for action to end this genocide, immediate action on the 231 calls for justice, and action to end poverty, the housing crisis and discrimination.
The Liberals say this is important, but it is nowhere to be seen in the budget. Enough with the rhetoric. The government must act to ensure that no indigenous woman, girl or two-spirited individual ever goes missing again.
Let us end this genocide now.
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- May/5/22 2:34:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her very important speech.
Today is Red Dress day, and on this day we mourn and honour missing and murdered indigenous women, girls and LGBTQ2 people.
We know that one day of recognition is not enough, that we must work every day to end violence against indigenous women, girls and LGBTQ2+ people. That is why the budget includes significant investments in this ongoing work, as did previous budgets.
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- May/5/22 2:35:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when first I said that the Liberals’ ban on foreign buyers was so full of loopholes that it was like Swiss cheese, I had no idea that the government would give itself the biggest loophole of all in its budget law. Get this: After royal assent, the government gets to decide if it ever is allowed to come into force. That is right: NDP and Liberal members will vote for the ban that really is not a ban, and the government can simply ignore a law that really is not a law.
They promised millennials they would take action on housing affordability. Why do Liberals make promises they have no intention of keeping?
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- May/5/22 2:36:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our plan will double the housing supply in 10 years, making sure we support first-time homebuyers with a tax-free savings account, doubling the first-time homebuyers' tax credit to $10,000, making sure we extend the first-time homebuyer incentive to 2025 and, in addition to that, cracking down on speculation and unfair business practices while increasing the money for investments in affordable housing.
Our plan to ban foreign buyers for two years is a credible plan; the Conservatives' was full of misinformation.
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