44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 14, 2023 10:00AM
- Feb/14/23 2:37:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am going to talk about the notwithstanding clause, the only bit of autonomy that the Constitution guarantees Quebec and the provinces. It was the compromise that Prime Minister Trudeau senior came up with so that the provinces would agree to his Constitution, which, by the way, was never signed by Quebec. The notwithstanding clause gives Quebec and the provinces the right to make different societal choices without having them overturned by the courts or the federal government. Yesterday, Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau's son's Liberals and the NDP voted against that right.
Why is it that the Liberals and the NDP think that any little bit of autonomy for Quebec and the provinces is too much?
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- Feb/14/23 2:38:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government has always been clear about its concerns regarding the pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause. The charter is there to protect rights and freedoms, and it was created to protect minorities across Canada.
The pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause shuts down dialogue between the courts and the House. That is why we are against the pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause.
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- Feb/14/23 2:39:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it seems complicated and difficult. Maybe my colleague should reread the Constitution, or perhaps read it for the first time. Nowhere in section 33 does it say that the notwithstanding clause represents the first or the last word. It is exclusively up to Quebec and the provinces. That is written in black and white. Therein lies the rub for the Liberals and the NDP. The notwithstanding clause guarantees in black and white that certain decisions can be made by governments other than the federal government, without having to ask its permission.
Is the real problem with the notwithstanding clause the fact that the Liberals do not get the last word?
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- Feb/14/23 2:39:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I remember the debates that took place at the time of the Canadian Constitution very clearly. The notwithstanding clause was always there as the last word during constitutional negotiations.
It is a very serious matter when legislation is used to abrogate the rights of individuals in Canada, which is why the notwithstanding clause must be used only in exceptional circumstances. This is especially true when it eviscerates dialogue between the courts and the House.
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- Feb/14/23 2:40:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the notwithstanding clause has basically only been used by Quebec, in order to protect and promote our national language and our unique values.
It is no coincidence that the Liberals and the NDP are attacking it today. They want to contest Bill 96, which protects French in Quebec, and Bill 21, which protects state secularism. They want to prevent Quebec from tabling any other legislation that they do not agree with.
The real problem is that Quebec is different and the notwithstanding clause allows it to live differently. Is that not what the Liberal government's real problem is?
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- Feb/14/23 2:41:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will talk about the Bloc Québécois's problem.
The Bloc Québécois had an entire opposition day to talk about an issue of their choice. We could have spent a whole day talking about the fight against poverty, how to help our seniors, the environment or the cost of living.
However, they chose to talk about the Constitution. That was their choice. That does not put food on the table. It does not help seniors and it does not help families. They must be really out of touch with reality to do what they did.
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- Feb/14/23 2:41:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the current Prime Minister, Canadian businesses are beginning to sound the alarm. Take Gio, who owns a small coffee shop in Edmonton. He has to bring his beans up from South America, but due to the rising costs of fuel, transportation and utilities, he has had to hike his prices 25%. It is policies like the Liberals' carbon tax that continue to drive up these costs.
Conservatives will keep the heat on and take the tax off, so when will the Prime Minister get out of the way so Conservatives can fix what he broke?
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- Feb/14/23 2:42:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will tell the hon. member what this side of the House does for small businesses. We have their backs every single time. During the pandemic, it was about keeping their employees on the payroll. It was about giving them a loan so they could get through every single day.
Now, it is about helping them get new customers by going through e-commerce. It is about helping those businesses get access to new markets all around the world. I might say that those businesses are doing terrific, because they are increasing their business and creating great jobs for Canadians from coast to coast to coast.
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- Feb/14/23 2:43:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the minister wants to tell us about small businesses. I think it is the Ethics Commissioner who just told us what the Liberals do with small business.
It has been reported now that more than half of Canadians are spending $200 a month or more to heat their homes. Let us ask Linda, who has a family of four. She is choosing to skip meals to heat her home.
Conservatives will keep the heat on and take the tax off, so when will the Prime Minister get out of the way so Conservatives can fix what he broke?
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- Feb/14/23 2:44:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I wonder why my colleague from Edmonton voted against tax breaks for small business when he had the opportunity to support them.
I can tell members that, in the jobs report for January, 150,000 new jobs were created and 121,000 were full-time. I do not know where he is, but in Edmonton things are going well.
We are supporting Canadians. That is our job.
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- Feb/14/23 2:44:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the current Prime Minister, British Columbians are really struggling. Liberal policies have pushed home, rent and fuel prices through the roof. We pay the highest prices in North America. Gas is projected to hit $2.65 a litre this summer. The Liberal solution is to triple down on the carbon tax to force Canadians not to drive to work or take their kids to soccer.
Will the Prime Minister take responsibility for making life more expensive? Will he keep the heat on and take the tax off?
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- Feb/14/23 2:45:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would remind my hon. colleague that eight out of 10 Canadian families actually get more money back than they pay on the price on pollution, but I would also remind—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Feb/14/23 2:45:29 p.m.
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Order. I think things are getting a little out of hand. I am going to ask everyone to take a deep breath and, when someone is speaking, not say anything, other than the person who is entitled to speak.
The hon. minister.
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- Feb/14/23 2:45:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would also remind my hon. colleague, who comes from the same province I do, that it was in 2008 that the British Columbia government put in place the first price on pollution in North America, showing enormous leadership in the fight against climate change. If he has a problem with the price on pollution in British Columbia, he might want to raise that with the premier.
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- Feb/14/23 2:46:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the minister should know that British Columbia has received zero back in tax rebates from the federal government. After eight years of the Prime Minister, everything is more difficult. In Surrey, a thousand Indo-Canadian owner-operators met to protest that the Liberal government and the port authority do not care about their livelihoods. They are being unnecessarily forced to buy new trucks. They are also struggling to pay increased fuel prices, including the carbon tax that is tripling.
Will the Prime Minister take responsibility for his actions and admit he does not care for hard-working Canadians?
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- Feb/14/23 2:46:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the hon. member points out that British Columbians do not get a refund, as every Canadian who lives under the federal system does. Eight out of 10 Canadians get more money back under the federal system. If he has a problem with how that process is implemented, and I believe the hon. member used to be a member of the political party that brought the price on pollution in, he should raise it with the premier.
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- Feb/14/23 2:47:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, for-profit clinics across Canada are selling preferential access to surgery for those with the money to pay for it. They are exploiting a loophole in the Canada Health Act that is costing Canadians up to $28,000 per procedure. Even former Liberal health minister Jane Philpott says this contravenes the principles of medicare. New Democrats believe Canadians should have access to care based on need, not wealth.
Why are Liberals letting for-profit clinics pray on the desperation of patients and allowing two-tier access to care in Canada?
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- Feb/14/23 2:47:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from my colleague and his collaboration on the health committee.
We believe, on this side of the House, that all that people should need in order to get health care is their health card, not their credit card. We will always stand up for Canada's universal, public health care. Canadians are proud of our system, which has always been based on need, not their ability to pay. Our discussions with the premiers included the importance of upholding the Canada Health Act, which means making sure that services are based on need and not a person's ability to pay.
We will always protect Canada's equitable access to universal health care and services.
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- Feb/14/23 2:48:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals said they would defend public health care, and now they are not.
Another example of Liberals putting the interests of corporate profits over people is the flailing Canada Infrastructure Bank. The bank has failed to deliver the climate-resilient infrastructure needed by communities, and Liberals do not want people to know this. The government is keeping that information secret and out of the hands of Canadians.
Why are the Liberals protecting a bank that is not delivering for Canadians?
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- Feb/14/23 2:49:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, the Canada Infrastructure Bank is an innovative way to deal with infrastructure gaps that our country faces. For example, the Manitoba fibre project has created over 400 jobs, and 49,000 households will be connected to broadband. Would the member opposite like to tell those residents, those people who are employed, that the Infrastructure Bank is doing nothing for them?
We are going to continue to invest in good infrastructure right across this country.
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