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Oct/6/22 4:11:34 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member is trying to bring me back to relevance and immediately starts to argue the point with me. I would say to him, based on his last comment, that no, the Leader of the Opposition has not been clear. He can look at the tape from earlier today, at just after 10 o'clock when he made his speech. I asked him a question, point blank. In a very polite way, I said I would like to give him an opportunity to explain to Canadians what exactly he was doing with his YouTube channel and how he is actively working to prevent that now. I asked him to do that and he would not do it. I can see all the points of order, and I wonder why—

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Oct/6/22 4:12:08 p.m.
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The hon. member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes is rising on a point of order.

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Mr. Michael Barrett

Oct/6/22 4:12:12 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, with respect to relevance, the member for Kingston and the Islands denied unanimous consent to condemn blackface. I am wondering if he would like to do that now.

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Oct/6/22 4:12:23 p.m.
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Does the hon. member have unanimous consent?

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen

Oct/6/22 4:12:23 p.m.
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Is he asking for a unanimous consent motion or is he asking for me to say something?

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Oct/6/22 4:13:03 p.m.
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He is asking for unanimous consent to condemn blackface.

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Oct/6/22 4:13:13 p.m.
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My apologies. As I have been advised, that enters into matters of debate, so I would encourage the hon. parliamentary secretary to conclude his remarks on the motion at hand so we can start questions.

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Mr. Michael Barrett

Oct/6/22 4:13:13 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am asking for that member to condemn it.

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen

Oct/6/22 4:13:52 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I guess this is an issue the Conservatives do not want to talk about. I do not blame them. They are getting up time after time, interrupting me with points of order and trying to prevent me from continuing because they do not want to talk about this issue. We can see that. Some hon. members: Oh, oh! Mr. Mark Gerretsen: Madam Speaker, they are heckling me. They will not stop, and I realize that at the end of the day, the Leader of the Opposition will have to answer for it one way or another. I would encourage him to come forward to this House and explain to Canadians his position on using misogynistic and hurtful hashtags in order to generate views on YouTube.

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Mr. Gabriel Ste-Marie (Joliette, BQ)

Oct/6/22 4:14:01 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. With regard to possible collusion in the food distribution industry, we know that the industry is an oligopoly of five giants that control 90% of the market. These giants can easily agree amongst themselves to negotiate for low prices with agricultural producers or set high prices when selling to consumers. The motion alludes to this indirectly. I believe my favourite part of the motion is the one about asking the Competition Bureau to launch an investigation of the industry, of these giants, to check for collusion and excessive profits, a bit like what was done in England with the British Parliament. What does my colleague think of that?

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen

Oct/6/22 4:15:00 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, this is the third speech in a row that this has happened. Obviously the first opportunity to ask a question goes to the the Conservatives, but not one of them has stood up to ask me a question. I appreciate that. I understand if they are afraid to do that. I will answer the question from the member of the Bloc, and he makes a very good point. Not only can that monopoly develop through collaboration, but, looking at game theory, that collaboration can also happen through the practice of different companies making certain moves without actually having a verbal discussion about it. These are the things that we need to look into. This motion particularly calls on finding out if it is happening and, if so, how that increase has occurred, specifically as it relates to prices going up based on the monopoly.

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Ms. Bonita Zarrillo (Port Moody—Coquitlam, NDP)

Oct/6/22 4:16:01 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, a report came out at the beginning of the year saying that CEOs in Canada are now making 191 times more than their average worker. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the grocery industry. I would ask again what some of my colleagues have asked: Why would the Liberal government not close the loopholes to make those who are making the most money, the wealthiest of the wealthiest Canadians, pay their fair share?

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen

Oct/6/22 4:16:36 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member is absolutely correct. The spread between the haves and the have-nots has only gotten larger and larger. The reality of the situation is that not only is it not good that CEOs are being paid 191 times more because of the difference between those who are making incredible sums of money and those who are making very little bits of money, but it is also generally not good for our economy as a whole when we do not have a strong middle class. We need a strong middle class because they are the ones who actually drive the economy. The member's question was about why the government will not move forward on it. In this motion the NDP calls for that, and I just told her that I am going to support the motion. Therefore, I do support the call that is in the motion.

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Mr. Randy Hoback (Prince Albert, CPC)

Oct/6/22 4:17:31 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank the NDP for bringing this forward. I look forward to seeing the study. I hope they have not predetermined the outcome of the study and will actually let witnesses bring forward the truth. When it comes to the government, does it really understand what is going on in Canada? Does it actually comprehend the fact that people are hurting? As an example, I was talking to a taxi driver this morning. He basically works two jobs. He works at a bank and in a taxi, just so he will be able to get enough money scraped together to have a Thanksgiving dinner. Does the member understand there are single mothers actually watering down the milk they feed their kids so the kids are not going hungry? Does he not understand that there is hurt and need in this country? What is their proposal? They are going to give them $500 more. The Liberals need to do more. Does the member not understand that there is more that needs to be done? They are not presenting anything more.

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen

Oct/6/22 4:18:19 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member says that we are not presenting anything more. Let us look at all the legislation we have brought forward to ease the financial pressures on those who actually need it the most. We can look at $10-a-day child care, the GST rebate and the countless number of initiatives out there that this federal government has brought forward. For this member to say it is just $500, where does that even come from? I realize that the member has not voted in favour of any of it. However, there is a real opportunity here. The Conservatives identified their error with the GST rebate bill, and they did vote in favour of it. Now they have another opportunity to recognize their error with respect to this motion and flip-flop on it as well. I hope they will come forward to vote with the NDP and, at least, me when we come to vote for—

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Oct/6/22 4:19:12 p.m.
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Resuming debate, the hon. member for Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne has the floor.

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Mrs. Sherry Romanado (Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, Lib.)

Oct/6/22 4:19:19 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member from the NDP for bringing forward this important motion. We are at the tail end of three weeks of sitting in this Parliament, and we have been talking a lot about what Canadians are going through, and we hear them. We know, through all of us talking to the citizens in our respective ridings, that people are hurting. They are concerned about the increase in the cost of living and inflation, and they want to know that we are working together to make sure we are there for them. While some members will focus on who did what and who did not do what, I want to focus on what we can do together to help Canadians. This weekend, a lot of folks will be going to the grocery store and maybe getting food for Thanksgiving dinner. Whether it be a turkey or ham, folks know that the cost right now for food has increased a lot, and Canadians are hurting. Since we came back in September, along with the measures we have put in place through legislation that we have been putting forward, we have also put forward legislation for a GST credit, which will help a lot of lower-income Canadians. I know for a fact that a lot of Canadian seniors depend on the GST quarterly payments. They will be able to use that additional fund to help offset some of the costs they will be incurring. I want to thank everybody for supporting that piece of legislation, and I know that Canadians appreciate it. I also want to talk about dental care and rental supports. We know very well that the price of housing has increased enormously in Quebec and that it is hard for young families and seniors to pay their rent. Therefore, I hope that we can find a way to support this measure to help people. When my mother first met our then minister of seniors, she said, “You know what seniors need? Seniors need dental care. They need good teeth.” I am sure our former minister of seniors is laughing because she probably remembers this. However, I was really happy that the NDP worked with us to bring forward a dental care program. It is a very serious problem when seniors cannot afford dental care. With respect to this piece of legislation, I agree that there is a huge discrepancy between CEOs making millions and millions of dollars and Canadians who are struggling. In fact, in the last Parliament, the 43rd Parliament, I chaired the industry, science and technology committee, and on June 16, 2021, I tabled its sixth report with respect to grocery stores and price-fixing in the House. If this motion does get accepted and sent to the agriculture committee, I urge its members to review that report because there was some really good testimony and there were good recommendations that would be very beneficial. I looked through the motion before us very carefully, I agree with most of it, and I want to put it on the record that I will be supporting it. It is important that we put partisan politics aside. It is important that we are there for Canadians in their time of need, and it is important that the issue of price gouging, the issue of food security and the issue of food affordability in this country be studied at the agriculture committee, which is the best place for it to go. Since being elected in 2015, we have been there for Canadians. Thanks to the work that we have done together, bills have been passed and measures have been adopted. We have done good work together since 2015. I hope that will continue. I know that the bills and motions are not always perfect. However, there is a way to work constructively and make improvements to the bills and motions in order to find the best way to help the people we serve. With the Canada child benefit, which is tied to the cost of living, I know Canadian families are getting some additional supports. I am quite pleased that Quebec's child care model was adopted for the rest of Canada. We were real leaders in the area of child care and early childhood centres. I want to commend my colleagues from Quebec, because we have been proud of this program for a long time. In fact, I benefited from it when I was young. Honestly, this program was a real game-changer for families. I hope that the other provinces will benefit from it like we have in Quebec. With respect to the OAS, we have increased the OAS and the GIS for Canadian seniors. There is still more to do, and I agree there is a lot more to do. When the pandemic hit, we all came together. It was a crazy time two years ago. We came together as a collective and said we needed to make sure people were able to put on their tables and pay their rents to ensure they did not end up in severe debt. We were there with CERB. We were there with wage subsidies. We were there to make sure people were able to pay their everyday costs. We are now facing a global inflation crisis. If one thinks about it, it is almost a perfect storm. During COVID, supply chains were cut off. We had ports that were unable to continue to operate because of zero acceptability regarding infections. We saw a huge slowdown in the supply chains, and it has absolutely affected inflation across the world. We also know a lot of folks decided to change jobs over the course of the pandemic, which also caused a lack of manpower. We also know a lot of folks have decided to go back to school, which again reduced manpower. We need to figure out together, as a collective, what we can be doing to make sure Canadians are supported. That is what we are focusing on, and we are focusing on that together. With respect to competition, again, the industry committee looked at this in the last Parliament, the 43rd Parliament. If this motion passes, I urge that the agricultural committee look at that INDU report and perhaps bring back some of the expert testimony regarding what happened, what they are doing since then, because we are now a year later, and if anything has improved, that would be something very beneficial. We need to look at the Competition Bureau to make sure Canadians are paying fair amounts. We are concerned about the offset of credit costs to Canadians, which I believe come into effect today. That is something we are going to look at as well. Again, I want to thank the member from the NDP for bringing this forward. This is a motion that, once it is reviewed and looked at in committee, can really bring some different ideas to the table that we can all get behind. I urge everyone in the House to support this motion.

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Mr. Charlie Angus (Timmins—James Bay, NDP)

Oct/6/22 4:28:48 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I guess the issue for me is the massive disconnect that is happening as people are struggling and we are see announcements of massive profits. Yesterday, I was watching the news and Loblaws was bragging about its newest innovation, which is that it is not going to bother having drivers in its vehicles. It is going to have driverless vehicles. People are standing in the grocery line because they have to do their own checkout now, working for Loblaws for free. The message Loblaws is sending is that not only is it making record profits, and not only is it gouging us, but it is also going to fire its drivers and go to driverless so Galen Weston's gated community can have more money coming in. At a time when we need good jobs, a good solid economy and good corporate behaviour, what kind of message is Loblaws sending us?

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Mrs. Sherry Romanado

Oct/6/22 4:29:41 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, when I go to my local IGA, I too notice that three or four of the checkout counters have now been replaced by self-serve checkout counters. I asked the local manager why and I was told it was due to a shortage of manpower that he had to cut down on the number of cashiers. I too would prefer to speak to a cashier. When the committee looks into what is happening with our grocery chain executives, that is something it can look at it in terms of what the cost savings are based on reducing manpower at the checkouts.

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Mr. Alex Ruff (Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, CPC)

Oct/6/22 4:30:30 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I will build off the last question a little and maybe pick on Loblaws. Considering the record profits that this motion talks about and the price gouging the member talked about in her speech, why did the government think it was okay to give $12 million to Loblaws for refrigerators?

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