44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 29, 2022 10:00AM
- Nov/29/22 2:40:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am a little surprised by the comments of the member opposite, because I think he voted against dental care for Canadian families. It is important to be honest with Canadians and make sure they know who voted for children's dental care, a necessary and fair program, and who voted against it.
I want to take this opportunity to point out that this great program, which begins on Thursday, is a plan that the Conservatives voted against.
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- Nov/29/22 2:41:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government wanted to add China to the trans-Pacific partnership. It wanted to negotiate a free trade agreement with China. It seems to be ignoring the advice of its very own security services. What kind of credibility do this government and this Prime Minister have if that is their policy on China, which may very well want to keep doing these things? The government is hiding the facts from its very own people.
At the very least, will it tell us whether one of these 11 MPs received funds and was elected?
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- Nov/29/22 2:41:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the government has said, we too are concerned about the threat of foreign interference. That is exactly why we created two committees that operate independently. Both committees found that the 2019 and 2021 federal election results were free and fair.
Going forward, we will continue to invest in making sure we have all the tools we need to protect Canadians' interests.
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- Nov/29/22 2:42:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a study by the AQDR and the Observatoire québécois des inégalités shows that half of seniors do not have the income necessary to live in dignity, and we are not just talking about seniors aged 75 and over. These numbers do not even take into account the record inflation that is currently affecting the cost of groceries and housing.
Unlike the government, inflation does not discriminate against seniors based on their age. We have a study here that shows that half of seniors do not have a livable income. What more will it take for this government to increase the old age security pension for all seniors aged 65 and up?
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- Nov/29/22 2:42:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we recognize the challenges that seniors are facing, and our government has been there for them.
We are delivering for them by doubling the GST credit, which is going to help 11 million people. That is why we are providing dental and rental support. This summer, we permanently increased old age security for seniors aged 75 and over. That is $800 more for full pensioners. That is why we increased the guaranteed income supplement, which is helping over 900,000 seniors and has lifted 45,000 seniors out of poverty.
On this side of the House, we are going to continue to deliver for seniors.
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- Nov/29/22 2:43:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is not what I am talking about. The Liberals gave seniors aged 75 and up a $500 election cheque, but they gave nothing to seniors aged 65 to 74. They are increasing OAS by 10% for seniors aged 75 and up, but they are not giving seniors aged 65 to 74 a penny more. That is the discrimination that I am talking about. Enough is enough.
Half of seniors are living in situations of insecurity. The government knows it. The government could increase OAS by $110 a month for all seniors starting at age 65, as we have been proposing for years. However, the government chooses to do nothing.
Why?
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- Nov/29/22 2:44:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, since 2015, our government has been there to support seniors. This summer, we delivered on our promise to increase old age security by 10% for those 75 and older, strengthening support for Canadian seniors. On this side of the House, we increased the guaranteed income supplement, which has helped over 900,000 single seniors and lifted over 45,000 seniors out of poverty. That is why we doubled the GST credit. That is going to help 11 million Canadians.
On this side of the House, we are going to continue to make sure we support all Canadians, including seniors.
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- Nov/29/22 2:44:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government is not answering our very legitimate questions. We know the Prime Minister has been briefed at least three times about foreign interference since the 2019 election. In the briefings, CSIS mentioned Beijing’s foreign interference and also mentioned politicians and riding associations being targeted.
I have a simple question. Was the Prime Minister told about Beijing targeting candidates in the 2019 or 2021 election?
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- Nov/29/22 2:45:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague has heard on many occasions now, we had independent panels look at allegations of foreign interference. He can also be assured, as all members can, that the RCMP and CSIS have their eyes wide open when it comes to potential threats of foreign interference.
We are giving the community all the tools and resources it needs so we can protect all of our institutions, including for elections. That is something all members should share as a common objective.
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- Nov/29/22 2:45:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, CSIS also said in those briefings that the government's response to foreign interference should be “grounded in transparency and sunlight” so that foreign interference is “exposed to the public”.
The government's response to our legitimate questions has been anything but; it has stonewalled us for weeks. Commissioner Lucki said yesterday that the RCMP has investigations into broad foreign interference, including “interference in democratic processes.”
I have a simple question. Do these investigations include the 2019 or 2021 election?
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- Nov/29/22 2:46:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague is an experienced member of the House and he sat in cabinet. He would know that ministers do not answer questions on details of specific police investigations in the House of Commons. What governments do is put in place the appropriate processes to ensure that our democratic institutions are protected from foreign interference, a concern that all members of the House share.
As my colleagues have pointed out, we took steps that previous Conservative governments did not think they should take to put in place the appropriate mechanisms to ensure the integrity of our elections, and that is exactly what we did.
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- Nov/29/22 2:47:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned from the RCMP commissioner that there are ongoing RCMP investigations into Beijing's election interference in 2019. The Leader of the Opposition has asked a very straightforward and specific question of the Prime Minister, one he has repeatedly refused to answer. It is whether he was briefed about election interference by Beijing.
Canadians deserve transparency, so again, on election interference by Beijing, was the Prime Minister briefed, yes or no?
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- Nov/29/22 2:47:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague and all members of this chamber can be assured of the integrity of the 2019 and 2021 elections, because we had independent panels that looked with great detail and great attention at documents, interviewed witnesses and confirmed the result. More importantly, we will continue to give all tools necessary to our independent police community and independent national security community so they can protect all democratic institutions, and Canadians can have their voices reflected in our governments.
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- Nov/29/22 2:48:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, in response to a request from the parliamentary committee looking into foreign interference in our election, the RCMP refused to provide documents in its possession because they could compromise ongoing investigations.
CSIS has been a bit more forthcoming. I have here a top secret document entitled “Briefing for the Prime Minister on Foreign Interference”. There are just two people who deny that there has been foreign influence in our elections: the Prime Minister and the spokesperson for the Chinese government. No one believes either of them.
When will the Prime Minister finally tell the whole truth?
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- Nov/29/22 2:49:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows full well that the government has been very transparent.
My colleague across the way is referring to documents that a House committee has requested. The good news is that there is a committee of parliamentarians specifically tasked with looking at these kinds of intelligence and national security issues.
I invite my colleague to ensure, as will we, that this committee has access to all the necessary information, as it is the appropriate group to be looking at these kinds of documents.
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- Nov/29/22 2:49:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Royal Bank is about to take over another bank. Loblaws announced profits are up 30%. Large corporations avoided paying $30 billion in taxes. With the Liberals' help, corporate Canada is raking it in while workers, people on fixed incomes, northerners and indigenous peoples are paying the price. The current government is missing in action. The Deputy Prime Minister refuses to bring in a windfall tax. Instead, her solution is to cancel Disney+.
Instead of catering to billionaires, why will the Liberals not stand up for working people and make the ultrarich pay their fair share?
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- Nov/29/22 2:50:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government absolutely is committed to ensuring that everyone in Canada pays their fair share. In fact, we have brought in a COVID windfall tax. It is called the COVID recovery dividend. It is levied at 15% on financial institutions and insurers. We have also brought in a permanent 1.5% tax on banks and insurers. We have introduced a luxury tax of 10% on private planes, luxury cars and luxury boats.
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- Nov/29/22 2:51:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, while Telus has celebrated its highest ever second-quarter profits, shareholders are getting richer at the expense of Canadian workers by outsourcing 11,000 of its jobs overseas, and this is grotesque. Canadian workers are fed up. USW Local 1944 has reached a 97% strike mandate, and the current government is giving Telus millions of dollars in federal procurement contracts.
Will the current Liberal government stand up for workers by ending lucrative contracts with companies like Telus that use taxpayer dollars to ship our Canadian jobs overseas?
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- Nov/29/22 2:51:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are concerned that Canadians pay some of the highest prices in the world to stay connected. That is why our government is taking action to make services more affordable and to hold the big national carriers accountable, and our plan is working. In 2020, our government announced a historic program to reduce mid-range cellphone plans by 25%. I am happy to report that our government reached this ambitious target ahead of schedule, but we know more work remains to be done. That is why we will continue to push for lower prices for Canadians.
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- Nov/29/22 2:52:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we know how important EI sickness benefits are for Canadians who are impacted and have to be able to leave the workforce as a result of injuries or sickness. That is exactly why our government, in budget 2021, extended the EI sickness benefit, to make sure those Canadians who face an income gap between the time their benefits expire and when they are able to get back to work are protected.
Can the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion provide an update to the House on the work of that extension and how we are protecting Canadians?
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