44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 15, 2023 02:00PM
- Feb/15/23 3:05:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has been in this place for some time. He would recognize that he is absolutely correct to state that the public servants we have are the best in the world. We owe them a tremendous debt for all they do, and that is why we ensure that they are the ones who actually make the decisions with respect to those contracts. Those are made at arm's length. The reality is that one day the Conservatives are trying to cook up these conspiracies and talk about “shadow” whatever they are talking about, and the next day they are talking about Dominic Barton, the former campaign manager to Stephen Harper. They are saying he is right and should be lauded as one of the great Canadians.
I do not know what they are talking about over there.
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- Feb/15/23 3:06:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the creation of the “shadow public service” are not my words; they are the words from the Canadian Union of Public Employees. The Liberals claim they stand in support of our professional public servants, but after eight years, their record says otherwise. After eight years, the amount of taxpayer cash that goes to private consultants has grown exponentially. This was funding that our public service could have used to improve services for Canadians. The Liberal government seems so intent on breaking the public service, just like it breaks everything else.
When will the Liberals stop wasting taxpayer dollars on unethical consulting firms that are not accountable to Canadians?
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- Feb/15/23 3:06:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have already indicated that these are decisions made by the public service at arm's length and that it is inappropriate for the members opposite to imply they would use political influence to influence these contracts, but I will talk about what has grown since the Conservatives left power and we have had the opportunity to serve Canadians.
As I indicated earlier, there are almost two million more people who have jobs today than when the Conservatives were in power. There are 2.7 million fewer people in poverty, hundreds of thousands of children and hundreds of thousands of seniors who are not in poverty today. That is what has improved. That is what has changed since the Conservatives left power.
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- Feb/15/23 3:07:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there has been a lot of talk about Canada's Agriculture Day, which is being celebrated today.
There is also more talk about global food security lately. When we talk about food security, we are also talking about our economy. Agriculture is one of the key pillars of the Canadian economy in the 21st century.
I would like to ask the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food if she can tell us what the government is doing to support the development of this important economic sector.
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- Feb/15/23 3:08:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today we celebrate our agricultural producers and the wonderful food they produce in an increasingly sustainable way.
I want to take this opportunity to update people on our latest initiatives and investments. Yesterday, we invested an additional $150 million in the protein supercluster, and this morning I announced nearly $20 million for two initiatives to support our businesses in their search for workers.
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- Feb/15/23 3:08:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the government, housing is broken. Health care workers are living in tents, students are living in homeless shelters, vacancy rates are at an all-time low and rental rates are now $2,000 a month. Home prices have doubled under the government's watch, and nine out of 10 young people who do not own homes in this country think they never will. Everyone agrees that Canada is in a housing crisis, everyone except the housing minister that is.
If the minister refuses to even acknowledge that a crisis exists, how can Canadians trust him to fix it?
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- Feb/15/23 3:09:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our record is clear. We recognize that more Canadians need to have access to safe and affordable housing. We have invested record amounts of money to make sure that we build more and faster.
The fact of the matter is that the Conservatives' record is clear. That member should talk to the member for Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, who said that the federal government needs to do less, that we need to dump housing on provinces.
Our record is clear. We believe that the federal government has an active role to play. They believe we should do less, and that is why they vote against every housing measure that comes to the floor of the House.
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- Feb/15/23 3:09:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, another day and another Liberal is caught breaking ethics laws. This time it is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister who was caught using his position to further the interests of a company. Now the Liberals are so brazen in their law-breaking that they have a member of the ethics committee who is breaking ethics laws.
These Liberals think they are above the law. For everyday Canadians there are consequences when they break the law. So why does the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister get to keep his job after he broke the law?
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- Feb/15/23 3:10:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary has apologized, as I indicated in the House.
There was a company that supports Black and multi-ethnic communities across—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Feb/15/23 3:10:45 p.m.
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I am having a hard time hearing the government House leader. Maybe he could start from the top, and hopefully it will be a little quieter the second time around.
The hon. government House leader please, from the top.
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- Feb/15/23 3:10:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, the parliamentary secretary errantly, and he has admitted his mistake, supported a business that is supporting and reflects Black and multi-ethnic communities across Canada. He wanted to support the important work it was doing, but recognized that it was inappropriate for him to send that letter. Let me say of that parliamentary secretary that he is somebody with passion and dedication who serves his constituents and his country.
The difference, I guess, between ourselves and the Conservatives is that, when we make a mistake, we apologize and endeavour to do better.
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- Feb/15/23 3:11:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, maybe when Canadians are caught breaking the law, the government is okay if they just say “sorry”.
After eight years of the Prime Minister, Canadians do not expect that the Prime Minister will take any action when his ministers and parliamentary secretaries break the law, because he would have to hold himself to a high standard as well, having twice been caught breaking ethics laws. It is a cabinet of serial lawbreakers, with the trade minister, the intergovernmental affairs minister, the former finance minister and even the Prime Minister.
Both the Prime Minister and his parliamentary secretary broke the law. Who is going to resign first?
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- Feb/15/23 3:12:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, the parliamentary secretary did send a letter attempting to support a business that he believed in, but recognized that it was inappropriate for him to send that letter. The idea that the parliamentary secretary would give up his position for such a mistake is, I think, terrible. The reality is, in my estimation—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
Hon. Mark Holland: They can yell and scream, but maybe they should reflect. We all make mistakes in life. We take ownership for them. The parliamentary secretary did exactly that. The level of his mistake absolutely does not warrant his resigning.
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- Feb/15/23 3:12:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are witnessing a renaissance in Canada's auto sector, and this is only the beginning.
As chair of the auto caucus, I am excited to share that the awaited Canadian International AutoShow is back, celebrating its 50th anniversary, where Canadian innovation in this sector will be on full display.
Can the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance update the House on the transformational investments our government is making in Canada's auto sector to track new investments and create great jobs and bright futures for all Canadians?
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- Feb/15/23 3:13:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and colleague, the MP for Vaughan—Woodbridge, for his hard work on the file.
Our auto-manufacturing sector is the centrepiece of the Canadian economy and a source of many well-paying Canadian jobs. Last year alone, we saw more than $15 billion invested in the EV and battery supply chain. Our government is working with auto manufacturers and labour organizations to ensure that the Canadian auto sector remains strong and competitive not only today, but for decades to come. We are putting hundreds of millions of dollars on the table to make sure that Canada is a leader in the production of electric vehicles built by Canadians and powered by Canadian critical minerals. This is good news for Canada and for Canadians.
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- Feb/15/23 3:14:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a number of people who crossed into Canada at Roxham Road have come to my office in Montreal.
Contrary to what the Bloc Québécois says, Roxham Road is nothing like an all-inclusive vacation. The Quebec National Assembly adopted a motion yesterday to denounce this insensitive and out-of-touch comparison, one that feeds prejudice.
Liberal inaction on this issue has also left room for this kind of divisive and misleading rhetoric.
When will the Liberals suspend the safe third country agreement so we can finally fix this?
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- Feb/15/23 3:14:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think that, as Canadians, we all have a duty to do our part to protect our borders and ensure the safety of people who are fleeing for humanitarian reasons, because they are suffering abuse.
The safe third country agreement is an important bilateral tool. We will continue to work with our counterparts in the United States to modernize this agreement.
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- Feb/15/23 3:15:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on December 2, I asked the government a question concerning a 30-year-old tax law whereby Canadian companies, like Zenit Nutrition in my riding, are penalized by our tax system despite the fact that they use only local and healthy ingredients in producing their food products.
These men and women entrepreneurs are fighting multinationals, and they are only asking to be able to compete on an equal footing.
The Liberal government says that it wants to help our Canadian economy. Will it take the necessary steps to listen to entrepreneurs before the next budget?
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- Feb/15/23 3:16:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government is listening to small and medium-sized businesses. It is also listening to businesses that provide food to Canadians and feed our communities.
We will take the member's specific question, discuss this issue and provide a strong response.
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- Feb/15/23 3:16:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. During Oral Questions, the Minister of Environment misled the House by suggesting that people in Quebec do not pay a carbon tax. I seek the unanimous consent of the House to table my own personal propane bill, which clearly shows that I paid 6.2¢ per litre in carbon tax.
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