44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 7, 2022 02:00PM
- Dec/7/22 2:38:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we do not get to pick and choose out of the report. The Auditor General found waste in the billions, and the minister then said that she changed her numbers under pressure from the opposition. Yes, she called the Auditor General's integrity into question. It is shameful.
Meals on Wheels in my community had to close because of high food costs and rising gas prices. Volunteers cannot afford to deliver meals. The $32 billion in government waste is an insult to those who have been stretching dimes into dollars.
Why should the Auditor General, seniors, workers and the vulnerable pay the price for Liberal waste?
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- Dec/7/22 2:38:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the difference between us and the Conservatives is that we start from a place of trust with Canadians. We trust that when Canadians need support, they can access it. We trust that when Canadians are in a vulnerable position, they will have access to the benefits and supports they need.
Unlike the Conservatives, we start from a place of trust. That is how we are operating with the Canada dental benefit, the Canada housing benefit, child care and the doubling of the GST tax credit. When there is need, our government is responding, and we are going to keep doing that.
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- Dec/7/22 2:39:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, here on this side of the House, we have confidence in the Auditor General, but the Minister of National Revenue, who was implicated in the Auditor General's report yesterday, is questioning her integrity.
What did the minister say? She said the Auditor General was pressured by the opposition and that it was not her fault that her numbers concerning wasteful government spending were exaggerated.
Yesterday, the Auditor General said, “the requirement to do the audit on the specific COVID benefits was included in an act.... That act...gave us a deadline to provide [the information] to the clerk”.
Who makes these laws? The government.
Why is the minister misleading the House? Will she apologize for the inappropriate remarks she made yesterday, yes or no?
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- Dec/7/22 2:40:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government made courageous choices. We chose to save lives and save the economy by helping Canadians put food on the table and a roof over their heads.
It was either that or the Conservatives' “chop, chop, chop”.
Let me just say that I meet with organizations on the ground, and they all tell me the same thing. They tell me how fortunate it was that the Liberal Party was in power during the crisis.
We will be there to keep working for all Canadians.
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- Dec/7/22 2:40:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the only thing we are going to cut is Liberal taxes. That is what we are going to cut.
When the opposition asks the minister questions, she then goes and insults members in an interview with a local radio station in the Gaspé and refuses to apologize. When the Auditor General, an independent officer of Parliament, criticizes the minister's work, she questions the Auditor General's integrity. That is not even to mention her unacceptable reference to the Second World War yesterday.
Once again, I would ask the minister to do the only honourable thing left for her to do in the House, namely to rise and apologize.
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- Dec/7/22 2:41:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the only thing this party is good for is regurgitating what their leader tells them and repeating the word “triple”.
Imagine what would happen if, instead of singing from the same hymn sheet, they took a look at real issues such as tackling global challenges, supporting Canadians, supporting families, supporting seniors and protecting the environment. Then again, in order to do that, they would have to take on some real problems, and they are not capable of doing that.
I urge them to vote for Bill C-32 this afternoon.
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- Dec/7/22 2:42:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, barely a year ago, the government awarded Sinclair Technologies, a company held in part by China, a contract to secure RCMP communications and the confidentiality of the Prime Minister's communications.
This contract gives a Chinese government-owned company access to the RCMP's classified frequency. That would be like asking Dr. No to create gadgets for James Bond. It is as ridiculous as it is reckless. It is simply impossible to believe.
Will the government immediately cancel this contract?
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- Dec/7/22 2:42:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have already put in place a very rigorous process to protect us from threats caused by foreign interference. We are proceeding with a review of the context of this particular contract.
However, we will continue to make investments. We will continue to provide all the tools the public safety and the security intelligence service need to protect all our institutions, including police services.
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- Dec/7/22 2:43:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in light of China's political interference in political party financing, the espionage at Hydro-Québec, the Winnipeg laboratory and the secret police stations, we would have thought that the RCMP would have started monitoring Chinese operations in Canada, but no, China has been monitoring RCMP operations.
The company has been charged with 21 espionage offences in the United States and the government did not even conduct a security check. The contract could have been awarded to a company in Boucherville, but no. It was given to China instead of Quebec.
Seriously, are they doing this on purpose?
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- Dec/7/22 2:44:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government takes very seriously all threats caused by foreign interference. The RCMP has already acted on some threats caused by foreign interference. On this side of the House, we will continue to provide all the tools and intelligence the public safety community needs to protect all our democratic institutions.
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- Dec/7/22 2:44:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it has not even been two weeks since the government announced its about-face on China in its Indo-Pacific strategy, and we have learned that the Liberals awarded a contract for RCMP communications equipment to a company with ties to the government in Beijing.
Sinclair Technologies was awarded the contract for a system meant to protect the RCMP's land-based communications from eavesdropping. Here is the problem. Sinclair Technologies' parent company is owned, in part, by the Chinese government, and it is charged with 21 espionage offences. There is nothing to review. Will the government terminate this contract today, yes or no?
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- Dec/7/22 2:45:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, of course we are aware of the concerns surrounding the RCMP's contract with Sinclair Technologies. Our government is looking into them and is examining all potential options. We do take very seriously all measures to ensure the integrity of our infrastructure.
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- Dec/7/22 2:45:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, here is an option: terminate it. The government admitted that it did not take security concerns or Sinclair's ownership into consideration during the bidding process. Worse yet, Sinclair's main competitor for the RCMP contract was a Quebec-based firm called Comprod. The government chose made-in-China instead of made-in-Canada, and the difference between Sinclair and Comprod was less than $60,000.
The U.S. blacklisted Sinclair's parent company last year, and Canada just gave it a contract. Did the government really just sell national security for 60 grand?
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- Dec/7/22 2:46:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as we have said on a number of occasions, we are obviously looking extremely carefully at the details of how this contract was awarded, but I assure my colleague—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Dec/7/22 2:46:36 p.m.
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Order.
The hon. minister from the top, please.
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- Dec/7/22 2:46:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I was explaining to colleagues in this chamber, of course we are extremely concerned with the revelations about this contract, which is why we are reviewing it very carefully. Obviously, we have put in place very rigorous protocols to guard against any threats to national security. Those are protocols that this government continues to reinforce with additional supports for law enforcement and national security, as well as additional supports to make sure we are protecting all of our democratic institutions, including the critical infrastructure that supports our police.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Dec/7/22 2:47:27 p.m.
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Before going on, I would like to remind the hon. members that, at times, when they shout out something, it is very clear to the Speaker that it is not parliamentary. I will not call anyone out now, but I would like to put it out there that, the next time I hear something like that, I am going to have to call the person out, and nobody wants to be embarrassed in front of their peers or the constituents who put them here. Hopefully constituents will be proud of the members here because they are being civil to each other.
The hon. member for Charlesbourg—Haute‑Saint‑Charles.
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- Dec/7/22 2:47:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, is there any country in the world where the prime minister allows the Chinese communist regime to have access to its secrets? I know of one: Canada.
Two years ago, the Prime Minister awarded a contract to Nuctech, a company with ties to the Chinese communist regime. It was hired to install systems in our embassies around the world. Luckily, this contract was cancelled.
Today, we learned that the Prime Minister gave a contract to a company that has been charged with 21 counts of espionage. It was hired to install equipment in the RCMP's telecommunications system, where the devices must be as secret as possible. Even the Prime Minister's security detail uses this system.
Why does the Prime Minister give contracts to the Chinese communist regime?
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- Dec/7/22 2:48:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, since this is the same question, I will give the same answer.
We have instructed our independent officials to do a review of this particular contract involving the RCMP.
What is more important is that all members in the House understand that we have made investments to provide all the tools that the public safety community needs to protect our democratic institution.
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- Dec/7/22 2:49:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canada has a major problem with its contracting. Two years ago, when the Nuctech issue came to light, there were specific recommendations to halt purchasing from companies with close ties to the Chinese communist regime.
How could the government have awarded a contract to a company tied to the Chinese communist regime for, of all things, security devices as important as the RCMP's communications systems?
Is there even anyone in charge in this government, or does everyone do as they please?
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