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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 117

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
October 25, 2022 10:00AM
  • Oct/25/22 2:39:03 p.m.
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Order. From the top, the hon. member for Beloeil—Chambly.
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  • Oct/25/22 2:39:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, an oath made under duress when one's heart is not in it is meaningless. My only allegiance is to the people of Quebec and the Quebec nation, not to the foreign king. People can tell that to the Prime Minister and the King.
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  • Oct/25/22 2:40:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have one question. If the member was insincere in that case, how many times was he insincere in the House? However, I do want to commend my Bloc Québécois colleague for his almost unconditional love for the Constitution of Canada, his keen interest in it, and his willingness to open it and improve it. However, at the risk of disappointing him and perhaps even hurting his feelings, I have to say that that is not a priority for Quebeckers. If he talked to Quebeckers, perhaps he would learn that their priorities are the cost of living, access to housing and help for families, young people and seniors. Those are Quebeckers' priorities.
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  • Oct/25/22 2:41:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer has confirmed that the government's and the NDP's dental care plan discriminates against Quebeckers. Parents of children 12 and under in Quebec will receive half as much as parents in Canada. Only 50% of Quebec children will be eligible, whereas 100% of Quebec taxpayers will contribute. That is discrimination courtesy of the NDP and the Liberal Party. However, discrimination can be addressed. What will the government do to stop it?
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  • Oct/25/22 2:41:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we very much appreciate this question, which allows me to speak of the importance of dental care for our children. If Parliament agrees, of course, 500,000 children in Canada will have access to a dental benefit. For Quebec children in particular, there will be additional support for preventative dental care. We know that prevention is key to good health, and the Canadian government will be there to help families and children across Canada, and definitely in Quebec.
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  • Oct/25/22 2:42:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will give members another reason why their dental care cheque discriminates against Quebeckers. It is because a greater number of us have group insurance that covers dental care. In Quebec, both workers and employers make contributions to provide this service for our children. Today, the federal government is taking tax money from those same workers, who are making an effort, to write cheques to other people, who are not making that same effort. Do the Liberals and the NDP realize that they are discriminating against thousands of Quebeckers, mainly unionized workers?
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  • Oct/25/22 2:42:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member is absolutely right. Many of us in Canada and Quebec know that dental care is important. That obviously includes businesses and Canadians who already have access to dental insurance. About 4% of dental care expenses are paid by the provinces and territories, and 40% of dental care is unfortunately paid by people who do not have access to dental insurance. That is why all Canadians, including Quebeckers, will be able to benefit from the insurance program provided by the Canadian government.
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  • Oct/25/22 2:43:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, new evidence has surfaced with respect to the political interference in the investigation of the mass shooting in Nova Scotia in 2020. Sadly, 22 people and an unborn child died in this incredibly tragic event. It is exceedingly clear that the former minister of public safety politically interfered in the investigation of Canada's worst mass shooting. Nova Scotians want answers, not cover-ups. Such interference may be expected in a banana republic but not in Canada. Will the minister resign?
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  • Oct/25/22 2:44:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as we have said a number of times in this House, the independence of police operations underpins the rule of law. This is a principle that I have not only always respected but one which I have defended vigorously for decades. To be clear and explicit to everyone in this House, as I have been many times, I did not direct the commissioner of the RCMP in any operational matter, including in the release of information pertaining to the firearms used in this tragedy. Further, the commissioner herself has testified a number of times that there was no interference.
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  • Oct/25/22 2:44:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the former minister of public safety said yesterday that his testimony at committee was entirely accurate, but the commissioner of the RCMP not only directly contradicted his remarks at committee but also in the newly released audio recording of the commissioner during the infamous April 28, 2020, meeting where she reprimanded her deputies. It stands to reason then that the minister is implying that the commissioner lied to her deputies at the April 28 meeting, and she lied to parliamentarians at committee. If that is the case, she should resign. Did the commissioner lie?
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  • Oct/25/22 2:45:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is free to engage in any speculation and even fabrication that she wishes, although I would suggest that she might be somewhat more circumspect when she steps out of the House and makes such spurious allegations. Let me repeat: I did not direct the commissioner of the RCMP in any operational matter. The commissioner has confirmed that in her testimony before committee and under oath before the Mass Casualty Commission. The matter is settled.
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  • Oct/25/22 2:45:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the minister is expecting us to believe that the commissioner acted solely on her own and that she politicized the tragic deaths of 22 Canadians. She reprimanded her deputies for failing to share the models of the firearms used in those deaths and directly tied this to the Liberals' gun control policy. Then she told her deputies that it was the minister's office that asked her to do this. We are supposed to believe that she did this all on her own. It is ridiculous. If that was true, she would be fired, at least by a government with any common decency or integrity. Someone is lying. Who is it?
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  • Oct/25/22 2:46:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have been clear, explicit and unequivocal that at no time did I give direction to the RCMP to interfere with operations. I will simply quote the commissioner's testimony before committee and the Mass Casualty Commission, in which she said, “I did not receive direction and I was not influenced by government officials regarding the public release of information [or] on the direction of the investigation.” That is the commissioner's testimony, and it coincides precisely with my statement that no direction was given.
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  • Oct/25/22 2:47:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us examine the facts as they are. When the RCMP commissioner had a conversation with her acolytes, she said, and I quote, “[I flew] it up the flagpole because it was a request that I got from the minister's office. And I shared with the minister that in fact it was going to be in the news release, and it wasn't.” It could not be any clearer. The RCMP commissioner directly implicates the current minister. Could she act with the dignity befitting her rank and resign?
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  • Oct/25/22 2:47:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, again, what is very clear is that the RCMP commissioner, in her testimony before the public safety committee and in front of the Mass Casualty Commission under oath, was very clear that there was no interference, and that I did not give her direction. In fact, she did clarify for the committee that I have always been meticulously careful in not providing her with direction. That is her testimony. My statement to the House and my testimony previously is that I did not give her any direction on any operational matter.
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  • Oct/25/22 2:48:12 p.m.
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Uqaqtittiji, Inuit elders have endured many atrocities in their lifetimes and deserve to age with dignity. These atrocities include residential schools, forced religious conversion and the slaughter of sled dogs. Due to failures from this government, Inuit are exiled down south in long-term care facilities. It is unacceptable that elders in Nunavut fear dying alone, away from home. When will the government start properly funding home care so that elders can remain home with their loved ones?
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  • Oct/25/22 2:48:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is one of many priorities that we are working on in partnership with the Government of Nunavut and with Inuit rights holders in Inuit Nunangat. We have adopted the Inuit Nunangat policy and, just this morning, I had a very good discussion with the Minister of Health of Nunavut to talk precisely about these issues. We will make progress in partnership with the Government of Nunavut.
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  • Oct/25/22 2:49:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, emergency rooms across Canada are closing, because there is not enough staff to keep them open. Canadians are dying while waiting for care. Just this week, a man passed away in Quebec after waiting 16 hours in the ER. This situation is occurring in every corner of our country. It is an outrageous situation for a G7 nation. We need national leadership. When will the Prime Minister sit down with the premiers to negotiate stable, sufficient and long-term federal health care funding and save Canadians' lives?
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  • Oct/25/22 2:50:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are all grateful for the member's question. We all feel and fear the consequences of the crisis that health care workers throughout the country are going through. That is true everywhere in Canada, as we heard. People are having difficulty accessing appropriate emergency care, but, more than that, difficulty getting access to a family health team, to a safe and quality long-term care home, to home care, to palliative care and to dental care. That is why we are investing many billions of dollars and we are going to continue doing that, because we promised we would do so—
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  • Oct/25/22 2:50:45 p.m.
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The hon. member for Hamilton Mountain.
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