SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 178 - Apr/17/23

Mr. Larry Brock (Brantford—Brant, CPC)

Apr/17/23 2:11:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last week the Prime Minister's chief of staff emphasized that there was nothing he had not read or was not briefed on. However, as expected, no explanation was provided for his absence of action. For example, over the last six years, NSICOP reported on the influence of foreign interference and made recommendations to the Prime Minister. Global Affairs identified Beijing campaigns aimed at discouraging Chinese Canadians from voting Conservative. The Prime Minister and ministers were briefed on Beijing's interference network, which involved at least 11 candidates. The director of CSIS was repeatedly asking the Prime Minister for legislative changes. What did he do in response? He did absolutely nothing. It is clear that upholding Beijing's objective to defeat Conservatives was more important for the Liberals than prioritizing the security of our democratic institutions, which only intensifies the demand for an independent inquiry to openly investigate foreign interference in our country.

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Mrs. Rachael Thomas (Lethbridge, CPC)

Apr/17/23 2:13:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, based on Bill C-11 and Bill C-18, we know that the government is committed to censoring what people can see, hear and post online. However, what has just come to light is that it is so committed to this that it has actually gotten a head start. It has been trying to censor social media platforms for quite some time. Thanks to the question put forward by the member for Niagara West, we now have documents, which have been tabled in the House of Commons, and they show that the government pressured social media platforms 214 times in a 24-month period to get them to take down content. Sometimes this was valid due to impersonations or copyright violations, but many times it was simply because the government found the content to be embarrassing. If adopted, Bill C-11 would take this type of pressuring tactic and make it legal, which means the social media companies would not be able to push back. They would simply have to comply. Canadians deserve to have their freedom of speech protected. The government needs to back off from censoring speech. We will be calling for an emergency debate.

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Mrs. Élisabeth Brière (Sherbrooke, Lib.)

Apr/17/23 2:14:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is playoff time in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. After sweeping the Blainville Armada, the Sherbrooke Phoenix will now face the Drummondville Voltigeurs. The famous “route 55” rivalry is back. Having finished in third place after a record year, the Phoenix team is ready to give the Voltigeurs a lesson in how to play hockey. It is off to a good start. I am so confident that the Phoenix will be victorious that I am taking up the challenge issued by the member for Richmond—Arthabaska to the member for Drummond. If the MP for Drummond accepts this challenge, he will come and eat poutine at the Louis Luncheonette in Sherbrooke while proudly wearing the Sherbrooke Phoenix jersey. If by some miracle the Voltigeurs win, I will go to Drummondville to admit defeat. That said, I agree with the member for Richmond—Arthabaska: Poutine comes from Victoriaville. May the best team win. Go Phoenix, go!

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Ms. Rachel Blaney (North Island—Powell River, NDP)

Apr/17/23 2:15:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in my riding of North Island—Powell River, every community I serve is in desperate need of housing. The top three reasons for housing insecurity are a lack of affordable rents or mortgages, low wages and housing in major need of repair with no resources to fix it. Indigenous people are four times as likely to be unhoused. People with core housing needs in my riding are single-income families; those who live on a fixed income, such as seniors and persons living with disabilities; lone-parent households; and indigenous households. This issue requires a real partner in the federal government, and our region is simply not seeing that. My constituents have ideas, such as redesigning the reaching home program's rural and remote funding stream. My communities have sent meaningful and thoughtful feedback. I urge the government to listen to it; prioritize rural, remote and indigenous communities; define affordability based on local realities, not market values; invest in non-market housing; and make capital investments into the upkeep of aging properties to keep people housed.

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Mr. Yves Perron (Berthier—Maskinongé, BQ)

Apr/17/23 2:16:30 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-282

Mr. Speaker, I remember last February 8 when all the parties voted in favour of including supply management protection in international agreements. All the parties voted for Bill C‑282. I know that some people remember that. Maybe it is time that the political parties remembered too. At this time, in committee, the Conservatives are filibustering to block Bill C-282. They keep stalling, slowing down procedures and generally wasting time. They are doing everything they possibly can to undermine a bill they actually voted for. It is such a sad spectacle, when the very future of Quebec agriculture hangs in the balance. I am calling on all Quebec members from every party. All of the parties promised to protect supply management and voted in favour of this vital bill. My Quebec colleagues, Conservatives and Liberals alike, all gave farmers their word. I can assure them that our farmers remember. Today, the time has come for them to honour their word.

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All Topics

Hon. Andrew Scheer (Regina—Qu'Appelle, CPC)

Apr/17/23 2:17:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, here are some simple facts that should not be controversial: water is wet; Saskatchewan is cold in the winter; and the CBC is funded by the government. None of that should freak anybody out, but in Liberal Ottawa, pearls are being clutched and outrage is being manufactured, all because, for greater transparency, Twitter applied the “Government-funded Media” tag to the CBC's account. Liberal MPs are calling it nonsense, an unwarranted attack, even a threat to democracy. What do they not understand? The CBC was created by government. It gets over a billion dollars a year from government, and the government appoints the board that controls it. It is no wonder the Liberals are reacting this way. They love the CBC because they get so much benefit from it. The CBC sued the Conservative Party in the middle of an election. Its CEO openly attacked the Conservative leader, and it eagerly carries Liberal messages all of the time, but I have good news for all of those who are upset and having fits about Twitter's decision. That government-funded label will not be around for long. After the next election, the Conservative leader will make sure it does not get any tax dollars at all.

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Ms. Ya'ara Saks (York Centre, Lib.)

Apr/17/23 2:18:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, tonight, Jewish communities around the world will mark from sunset to sunset Yom HaShoah, Holocaust memorial day. On this day, we remember the six million members of the Jewish community who remain in our hearts so their lives, their stories and their legacies will not have been lost in vain and so their murders at the hands of the Nazi regime will not be forgotten with the passing of time. We mark it on this day, on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw ghetto uprising, the largest Jewish revolt against the Nazis during the war. Even in this darkest moment of history, Jews fought to live. They fought against the evils of hate and anti-Semitism. Tomorrow, communities will commemorate Yom HaShoah by holding ceremonies that remind us not only of the importance of remembering what happened during the Holocaust, but also to be their collected voices, to be the eyes and the hearts that bear witness to the profound loss in the moment of evil that overtook humanity. To direct our focus on educating future generations of what it means when we say never again, we stand together here in Canada and with Jewish communities around the world because it is our duty, our obligation, to honour the victims of the Holocaust and to learn from the tragic moment in humanity's history, as a reminder that we can never be complacent in the face of evil and that we must be tireless in our commitment to fight back against the darkness of hate in all of its forms.

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Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)

Apr/17/23 2:20:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we already knew that, according to intelligence services, Beijing's Communist government contributed $140,000 to the Trudeau Foundation specifically to influence the Liberal leader who is now the Prime Minister of Canada. Now we have learned that it was his brother who signed the agreement to obtain this money. Would the Prime Minister agree to invite his brother to appear before a parliamentary committee to answer questions?

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Hon. Mark Holland (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

Apr/17/23 2:21:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister has said several times, he has not been involved in any way with this non-partisan foundation for approximately a decade.

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Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)

Apr/17/23 2:21:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it was definitely a family business for the Prime Minister, whether it was the WE Charity paying his brother and mother and the Prime Minister claiming to know nothing about it as he handed a half-billion dollars over to that organization or the Trudeau Foundation, which got $140,000 from the dictatorship in Beijing for the specific purpose of influencing his decisions in politics. Now we know that his own brother was the one who negotiated and signed the deal to receive the money. Will the Prime Minister accept to call his brother to a parliamentary committee to answer questions about this?

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Hon. Mark Holland (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

Apr/17/23 2:22:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition knows well that the Prime Minister has not been involved with that foundation for approximately a decade. The member for Carleton's fixation on the Prime Minister's family is well known for its partisan interests, and he wishes to pursue those partisan interests. However, the Prime Minister and the government are not engaged with that foundation.

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Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)

Apr/17/23 2:23:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if the Prime Minister had nothing to hide and no relationship whatsoever with the foundation, he would have no problem inviting his brother to testify before a parliamentary committee under oath about the money the foundation received for the specific purpose of influencing the Prime Minister. I will move on to another Liberal falsehood. They told us the carbon tax would make emissions go down. A new report shows that for the most recent years emissions went up. The tax goes up, the emissions go up and now Canadians are expected to pay a net $1,500. Given that everything the Liberals have said about the tax is false, will they axe the tax?

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Mr. Terry Duguid (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Lib.)

Apr/17/23 2:23:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives just do not seem to get it. The climate rebate puts more money in people's pockets. Eight out of 10 families will be better off. The member can look at page 5 of the original PBO report. What will not leave families better off is investing in cryptocurrency. That was reckless advice by the Leader of the Opposition. I have invited him to stand in this House and apologize. Now, for the fourth time, will he stand up now and apologize to Canadians?

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Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)

Apr/17/23 2:23:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is another falsehood. I will read directly from the report written by the Parliamentary Budget Officer, who was appointed by the Prime Minister. On page 3, he says that, for example, an Ontario family will pay on average $1,820 more in carbon tax costs than they get back in these phony rebate cheques. In Prince Edward Island it will be $1,500. In Newfoundland and Labrador it will be $1,300. I could go on. In every single province, the majority of people pay far more in taxes than they get back in benefits from this scam. Given that it has been false, will they not axe the tax?

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Mr. Terry Duguid (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Lib.)

Apr/17/23 2:24:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have good news. On April 14, climate rebate cheques started to arrive in people's mailboxes. A family of four in my home province of Manitoba will receive $1,000. That is $250 quarterly. That is going to help with cash flow. That is going to help with affordability. The Conservatives do not seem to be interested in either.

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Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)

Apr/17/23 2:24:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, according to a poll, 74% of Quebeckers say they are struggling to pay everyday expenses such as groceries, gas and basic necessities. This is because of inflationary taxes and deficits, which are increasing the cost of living for all Quebeckers. Furthermore, the government threw another $60 billion of fuel on the fire of inflation in its budget. Will the government cancel its inflationary taxes and deficits, which are creating a burden for Quebeckers?

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Hon. François-Philippe Champagne (Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Lib.)

Apr/17/23 2:25:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think that the Leader of the Opposition should listen more closely to Canadians. He may have missed it, but in the latest budget, we introduced three key measures to address three things affecting Quebeckers and Canadians across the country. The first was the cost of groceries. That is why this government proposed a grocery rebate. It will help families in need. The second thing that Canadians told us to take action on was health care. Having a family doctor is a priority. The third thing that Canadians asked us to do was to build the economy of tomorrow with the jobs of tomorrow. That is exactly what we are doing to help Canadians, and I think that he should listen to Canadians a bit more often.

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Mr. Alain Therrien (La Prairie, BQ)

Apr/17/23 2:26:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the House voted for an independent commission of public inquiry on Chinese interference, and that is what Canadians want too. Rather than heeding the consensus, the Prime Minister is hiding behind his special rapporteur and good friend, David Johnston. However, Mr. Johnston is a former member of the Trudeau Foundation, which is itself in the midst of a Chinese interference scandal. That means that a former member of the Trudeau Foundation, which allegedly received money from China, is going to tell the government how to avoid Chinese influence. We cannot make this stuff up. Does the Prime Minister realize that this undertaking has absolutely zero credibility?

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Hon. Dominic LeBlanc (Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, Lib.)

Apr/17/23 2:26:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our colleague opposite certainly has a way with words. However, we do not like when he claims that our government has not taken any action from the get-go to counter potential foreign interference. As we have often said, we put in place a series of measures that we have adapted based on evolving threats. The work of the Right Hon. David Johnston is part of that exercise, and we look forward to implementing his recommendations.

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Mr. Alain Therrien (La Prairie, BQ)

Apr/17/23 2:27:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's chief of staff, Katie Telford, did not tell us much during her testimony on Friday. It took two hours for the committee to hear that she would not say anything. She did tell us that whatever she knows, the Prime Minister knows as well, and she said that the Prime Minister pays very close attention to CSIS reports. Therefore, the Prime Minister has known about the allegations of Chinese election interference all along. If he refuses to launch an inquiry, does he realize that he is sending a very clear message that he has something to hide?

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