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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 94

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 22, 2022 02:00PM
  • Jun/22/22 2:53:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with the respect to the suggestion and question about my ethics, I will consider the source and ignore the comment. I will— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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  • Jun/22/22 2:53:16 p.m.
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I am just going to cut this off. To both sides, please do not throw out insults. That is all I am asking. I have heard it from both sides, so I am asking both sides to calm down. If members throw one out, they deserve one back. I am sorry. That is enough from both sides. When somebody says, “They did it first”, it makes me feel like I am in a kindergarten yard. The hon. member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles.
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  • Jun/22/22 2:53:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, how can a government sink so low as to exploit a mass shooting for political purposes? Lia Scanlan, a spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said, and I quote: “[The minister], all these people, the Prime Minister, they were weighing in on what we could and couldn't say...It was all political pressure.” This government is totally immoral. Can the Prime Minister tell us who in his cabinet decided to politicize the RCMP and when that person will be relieved of their duties?
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  • Jun/22/22 2:54:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am happy to advise the House that no one made a choice to politicize the terrible tragedy of the murder of 22 people in Nova Scotia in 2020. The independence of law enforcement operations is a key principle of our democracy. It is one that our government deeply respects and one that I have always defended. At no point did our government pressure or interfere with the operational decisions of the RCMP, including their communications strategy. I direct members to the commissioner's statement from yesterday, where she makes it very clear that there was no interference.
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  • Jun/22/22 2:54:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would counter that Superintendent Campbell of the RCMP stated, and I quote, “The commissioner said she had promised the Minister of Public Safety and the Prime Minister's Office that the RCMP would release this information.” For her to make that promise, she would have had to be asked to do so. This is not the first time the Prime Minister and his cabinet have abused their power. They would have us believe that RCMP investigators are lying, but Canadians see what is going on. We Conservatives believe Superintendent Campbell. Does the Prime Minister?
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  • Jun/22/22 2:55:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have already made clear, I have never had a conversation with Mr. Campbell. The conversations between the commissioner and her subordinates are something she can speak to. However, I would reiterate for the member opposite that the independence of law enforcement operations is a key principle of our democracy, which is respected and defended by our government. I can assure the member that at no point did our government pressure or interfere in any of the operational communication decisions of the RCMP. I would direct the member to the commissioner's statement, in which she makes it crystal clear that no such interference took place.
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  • Jun/22/22 2:56:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there are very disturbing allegations that the government directed interference in an ongoing police investigation. Nova Scotians have suffered and they deserve answers. The idea that any government would compromise an investigation for its own political gain is insulting for families of the victims. Any interference from the Prime Minister's Office is completely unacceptable and breaks Canadians' trust in our institutions. Will the government launch a full investigation into these disturbing allegations to give Canadians the answers they need?
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  • Jun/22/22 2:56:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will have to repeat once again that there was no interference. We did not place any pressure on the RCMP for any reason. Several months before, we made a promise to Canadians that we would ban assault-style rifles, and we kept that promise, but this terrible tragedy in Nova Scotia was certainly not to be used. We know that these weapons used in mass shootings are used for the purpose of killing as many people as possible, and we were highly resolved to act.
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  • Jun/22/22 2:57:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals face a test today. Will they take a good idea in my bill to fight climate change or side with their rich friends at the Infrastructure Bank, a corporate welfare scheme? Today we will find out as MPs vote on my bill to support indigenous and northern communities to get the infrastructure they need to survive climate change. During this week's debate, we had to listen to a Liberal MP support public-private partnership scams and push more privatization. The climate crisis is here, and northern and indigenous communities are paying the price. Will the Liberals stand with northern and indigenous communities or their billionaire friends?
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  • Jun/22/22 2:58:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, while we always recognize how we can improve delivering on infrastructure across this country, the member opposite's comments are completely out of touch with the reality of the work that the Infrastructure Bank is doing. Here is one example. Almost 49,000 homes are going to be connected in Manitoba to fibre projects in 53 rural municipalities. Do the member opposite and her leader, who advocated for the abolishment of the Infrastructure Bank, want to talk to those 48,000 residents who are now going to be connected to much-needed fibre, because the New Democrats feel they can do better?
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  • Jun/22/22 2:58:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, halting and reversing the biodiversity decline presents a major challenge that we all need to tackle together. Canada is providing leadership on the world stage when it comes to tackling climate change and protecting nature. Can the Minister of Environment and Climate Change update the House on the latest developments towards achieving an ambitious global framework on biodiversity?
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  • Jun/22/22 2:59:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her work and activism on this issue. I am proud to announce to the House that, at the request of the United Nations, Canada has agreed to host the next United Nations conference on the protection of biological diversity in December. This important conference must be the moment when countries all over the world, including Canada, commit to protecting at least 30% of our land and oceans by 2030, and to reversing biodiversity loss by 2050.
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  • Jun/22/22 3:00:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, who would have thought it? The last time inflation was this high was 40 years ago, when we had another divisive tax-and-spend Liberal prime minister named Trudeau. They say history repeats itself; I say we should have learned from the last experience. With so many Canadians struggling, would the Minister of Finance acknowledge that her $100 billion of stimulus spending is inflationary, that this level of inflation is not fair and is not just? Will she admit today that it is “Justinflation”?
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  • Jun/22/22 3:00:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, global inflation caused by a number of factors. Supply chain bottlenecks, climate change and the war in Ukraine are having significant impacts on the household budgets of Canadians. While Canada's rate of inflation is below average when compared to the Euro area, the U.S. and the OECD, we are continuing to focus on economic growth and making life more affordable for Canadians. Our measures have helped lift 1.3 million Canadians out of poverty, and important programs that have supported seniors, families and individuals are indexed to the cost of living. We will continue to invest in Canadians while lowering our debt-to-GDP ratio and increasing Canada's long-term fiscal advantage.
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  • Jun/22/22 3:01:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, these Liberals always want to talk about what Moody's thinks, but the only Moody that that member should think about right now is the mood of the Canadian people. Conservatives have been pointing to the example of Alberta for months. When the Alberta government cut gas taxes, the price of gas dropped along with the province's inflation. Lower gas prices are a win for consumers and for the economy. Even President Biden is now calling for a three-month gas tax holiday to do the same for the American people. Will the finance minister implement one today, or is the only holiday her government has in the mind a three-month accountability holiday from Parliament?
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  • Jun/22/22 3:01:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we understand rising gas prices have had a negative impact on the household budgets of Canadians, but we also know that the increase is a global phenomenon, in part resulting from the war in Ukraine. If we implement a tax holiday on oil and gas, energy companies could actually pocket the difference in costs. There is no guarantee that the savings would be passed on to Canadian consumers. Similarly, our carbon price at 11 cents per litre is the only fee collected on gas that is returned to consumers, making life more affordable for eight out of 10 Canadian families.
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  • Jun/22/22 3:02:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this morning, Canadians woke up to more bad news from this government: Inflation in Canada is at 7.7%, the highest it has been in 40 years. This affects every Canadian family, especially lower-income earners. For months, the Conservatives have been calling for the tax on the price of gas to be reduced. We are not alone in thinking that way. U.S. President Biden, a Democrat, is calling for the tax to be reduced for the next three months. Could the Prime Minister agree with his friend Biden and lower the tax?
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  • Jun/22/22 3:03:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we know that this is a very difficult time for millions of Canadians. Groceries cost more, and Canadians are having a hard time making their rent or mortgage payments. That is why we have lowered taxes for the middle class twice now. The Conservatives voted against that. That is also why old age security payments, which we just increased, are arriving in July. That is also why the Canada child benefit payments will be transferred in July. We are here to help Canadians deal with the rising cost of living. The Conservatives oppose all these measures.
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  • Jun/22/22 3:03:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, by not following President Biden's lead, the Liberals have made Canada the only G7 country that has not reduced its gas tax. We do not need to search high and low for proof that cutting the gas tax works. In Canada, on April 1, when the government increased the Liberal carbon tax, the Alberta government lowered its tax and even removed it. That has lowered inflation in Alberta. If it works in Alberta, why would it not work everywhere in Canada?
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  • Jun/22/22 3:04:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, I would like to correct my colleague. Americans have not cut gas taxes, not yet anyway, because they know that lowering taxes for big oil does not help Canadians directly. On this side of the House, we help Canadians directly by providing one-time payments to Canadians facing housing affordability challenges, direct payments to seniors, and direct payments to families with young children. We are here to support Canadians. The Conservatives are here to support big oil. That is the reality.
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