44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 21, 2022 10:00AM
- Jun/21/22 2:43:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have mentioned several times in the House, we are experiencing an unprecedented volume in terms of passport applications. We have, in fact, been planning for this surge and that is why 600 employees were hired since January. Another 600 are in the process of being hired. We are rearranging and reallocating resources within Service Canada and also within other government departments. We understand the situation. We understand the frustration of Canadians, and we will continue to do everything that we can to support Canadians in getting their passports in a timely fashion.
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- Jun/21/22 2:44:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Sally still has not received her new passport that she applied for in March. She needs it next week. The government says that she can now travel five hours to the nearest passport office to get an emergency passport printed. It told her to line up at 4 a.m., but will not guarantee that she will get served that day. It has also said that she must not arrive at the passport office sooner than 48 hours before her flight time in order to qualify for the said emergency printing.
Why does Liberal incompetence mean that Sally is forced to drive five hours one way to stand in line all night with no guarantee that she will have her passport by the time her flight leaves?
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- Jun/21/22 2:45:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are currently triaging people in line because of the unprecedented volume to ensure that people do not miss their flights. We have ensured that, when people get to the passport office, they are receiving their passports. The member opposite can certainly work with my office to support that constituent. I have been pleased to work with many members opposite to support their constituents and make sure that they can get their passports on time. We will continue to support them and Canadians as we go through this surge in volume to support Canadians with their passports.
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- Jun/21/22 2:46:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the passport crisis is quite simply shocking and unacceptable.
Mario Dumont, the well-known TVA host, said that the government is treating Canadians like cattle. Let us think about that. People are exasperated and desperate, but the minister says that everything is fine and has been repeating the same platitudes from day one. She needs to get every employee back in person, and open passport offices evenings and weekends, not just by appointment.
When is the minister going to fix the problem?
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- Jun/21/22 2:46:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I understand Canadians' frustration. We are doing our best to fix this situation.
I have to correct my hon. colleague. All the employees who work on passports at Service Canada are in the office, and have been for months. When he talks about public servants working from home, they are working. They are the same public servants who got the Canada recovery benefit out to Canadians. In all, nine million Canadians received benefits thanks to the hard-working employees of Service Canada.
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- Jun/21/22 2:47:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, wherever we look these days, we see the NDP-Liberal government in chaos. If it is not chaos at our airports, it is chaos at our passport offices. Every week, dozens of constituents call my office looking for help. People have been waiting since January, with little to no response. People are lining up overnight just to get to the office. Some are even being turned away and asked to come back another day after waiting for hours.
What other G7 countries have their citizens sleeping on the ground overnight in order to receive basic government services?
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- Jun/21/22 2:47:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as my colleague points out, this is not a situation unique to Canada. In fact, people in the United States, the U.K., France, Australia and Sweden are waiting for 10, 11 and up to 27 weeks. This is precisely something that is happening right around the world. It does not make it acceptable here, and that is exactly why we are throwing everything we have to fix this situation and to ensure that we can do this better, but almost all of our peer countries are going through the exact same thing.
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- Jun/21/22 2:48:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, KPMG literally counselled the wealthiest Canadians to use offshore tax havens. It told Canadians to put their money and their assets into the Isle of Man tax-free haven and that it would help them recover them, tax-free. It sounds pretty shady to me. It also sounded shady to the CRA, so it launched a criminal investigation, which found that there was no wrongdoing, which clearly means that we need to change the laws.
When will the government finally change the laws to make sure that the wealthiest Canadians are not able to use offshore tax havens and avoid paying their fair share and actually contributing fairly like the rest of Canadians do?
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- Jun/21/22 2:49:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I just love my colleague's enthusiasm for tackling tax evasion.
They Canada Revenue Agency is fighting tax evasion in Canada and abroad. We have a solid network of tax agreements. Our investments are bearing fruit. It is getting harder and harder to hide money abroad.
I have a simple message for everyone considering tax evasion: The CRA will find them no matter where they are.
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- Jun/21/22 2:49:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, KPMG did in fact counsel the wealthiest Canadians to use tax loopholes. That is unacceptable.
The government has the power to repeal the laws that allow this.
Will the government at long last amend the legislation to make the ultrarich pay their fair share like everyone else?
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- Jun/21/22 2:50:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want my colleague to know that the CRA is independent. I do not intervene in investigations, nor do I conduct them.
Ongoing work to address tax evasion is a priority for our government. That is why we invested over $2 billion. We will keep working to tackle both tax evasion and tax avoidance.
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- Jun/21/22 2:50:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of National Defence announced our government's plan to modernize our continental defences, including replacing the North Warning System. Through this plan, our government will invest in state-of-the-art capabilities so that we can modernize and enhance our ability to defend Canadians against new and emerging threats. This modernization will benefit all Canadians and all North Americans.
Can the minister please outline the importance of moving forward with these investments, as well as the importance of doing so in partnership with northern and indigenous communities when investing in the defence of the north?
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- Jun/21/22 2:51:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday our government announced the largest investment in continental defence and NORAD in four decades. As part of that, we will ensure that we partner with indigenous communities in multiple areas, including in the area of infrastructure. We need to make sure they are together with us in terms of the investments we will make to keep Canadians safe and to ensure that our Canadian Armed Forces have the resources and supplies they need. The safety and security of Canadians is our top priority.
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- Jun/21/22 2:52:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government continues to interfere with democratic process. There was the SNC-Lavalin scandal, and now we see, based on the Mass Casualty Commission, that the then public safety minister and the Prime Minister put pressure on Commissioner Lucki.
Why did the Prime Minister and the public safety minister use the death of Canadians to advance their political agenda?
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- Jun/21/22 2:52:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, I want to express on behalf of the government and, I hope, all members of this chamber, our sympathies and our condolences to the families of the victims. I had the—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Jun/21/22 2:52:51 p.m.
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I am just going to make a comment. It is shameful that I cannot hear what is being said, so I just want to remind everyone to keep their voices down so we can hear the answer.
From the top, minister.
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- Jun/21/22 2:53:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank you for creating some pause in this chamber as I express, I hope on behalf of all members, our condolences and our sympathies to the families of the victims, some of whom I have had an opportunity to meet. This continues to be a very difficult moment for them.
In the interim, we know the public commission is doing its important work independently of government. There needs to be due process; there needs to be a trauma-informed process to this, and at the end of the day, we will do whatever we can to support that process, so that there can be justice for the families. They deserve it.
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- Jun/21/22 2:53:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is very clear from recent news reports that the Mass Casualty Commission confirms that the Prime Minister and the then public safety minister interfered with the release of numbers of casualties. We know that what the quote says is that, in reference to victim numbers, it was 100% Minister Blair and the Prime Minister.
Is that not true?
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- Jun/21/22 2:54:01 p.m.
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I just want to remind the hon. members, when referring to someone else in the chamber, to refer to them using their title, not by their name.
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- Jun/21/22 2:54:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to advise this House that this issue has already been dealt with by the Mass Casualty Commission. The commissioner of the RCMP has confirmed for the commission that no such direction or pressure was ever exerted by me or by any other member of this government. Among the important work of the Mass Casualty Commission is examining a number of the significant communication challenges that that event involved—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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