44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 24, 2023 11:00AM
- Apr/24/23 2:26:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we were wondering why China was trying so hard to cozy up to the Trudeau Foundation. This morning, La Presse gave us the answer.
In 2016, at the same time that China was writing it a big cheque, the Trudeau Foundation was at a meeting, in the Prime Minister's own office, with not one, not two, not three, but five deputy ministers. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister keeps endlessly repeating that he has had no involvement with the foundation for 10 years.
Does he really think Quebeckers are stupid enough to believe that he does not know what goes on in his own office?
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- Apr/24/23 2:27:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, an independent meeting took place between public servants and the foundation. The Prime Minister had no stake in the meeting and no information about it.
I totally reject the premise of that question. It is absolutely ridiculous to claim that China or any other country has influence over our government or any other member. All members of the House are loyal to Canada. That is clear.
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- Apr/24/23 2:28:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Trudeau Foundation has unfettered access to those in power.
The vast majority of Liberal MPs across the aisle can only dream of having such privileged access to the Prime Minister's Office, with five deputy ministers as an added bonus. That is why China wanted to cozy up to the foundation, and that is why the Prime Minister cannot be trusted to shed light on China's interference in our institutions.
Every time he has had the opportunity to shed light on this issue, for transparency's sake, the Prime Minister instead tells us the opposite of the truth. When will there be an independent public inquiry?
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- Apr/24/23 2:28:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister has repeatedly stated, there is no direct or indirect relationship with the Trudeau Foundation. That is clear. I can repeat it, again and again.
We need to rely on facts in the House. A story or a novel is something entirely different. Perhaps there is another career awaiting members on the other side; maybe they can be novelists. Facts, however, are something else altogether.
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- Apr/24/23 2:29:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today is day six of the public service strike. This government is far from reaching a good agreement at the bargaining table.
It even seems as though the President of the Treasury Board is not taking this seriously. She is giving interviews with a big smile on her face. She is showing no respect for the workers who were there for us. It is time the minister was there for them.
Will the minister stop with the public relations job, start doing her real job and find a solution?
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- Apr/24/23 2:30:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, right now, our team is working long and hard to negotiate new collective agreements that are fair, competitive and reasonable.
This round of negotiations has been very difficult. The union came to the table with 570 demands. I am proud to say that there are only a handful left on the table.
We need to find a balance between what is fair for employees and what is reasonable for Canadians. That is what we are currently doing with the offer that is on the table.
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- Apr/24/23 2:30:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, workers deserve to be treated with respect.
Canada's public service workers have been without a contract for two years. Now they are out in the rain fighting for their rights, and the minister is nowhere to be found. Because the government has failed to get a fair deal for the workers, Canadians across the country are feeling the impacts of the PSAC strike.
It is time for the minister to show that she is going to walk the walk on labour rights, or will the minister continue to ignore these workers' rights?
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- Apr/24/23 2:31:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our team has been working around the clock to negotiate new collective agreements that are fair, competitive and reasonable. This round of negotiations has been a heavy lift. The union came to the table with 570 demands, and I am proud to say that only a handful remain on the table.
We need to find a balance between what is fair for employees and what is reasonable for Canadians, which is what the deal on the table at this time is.
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- Apr/24/23 2:31:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has increased the cost of the public service by 50% in eight years. He has been unable to manage its growth.
Now Canada Revenue Agency employees are on strike in the middle of tax season. This is a difficult time for millions of Canadians. Many are waiting patiently for their tax refunds so they can pay their bills.
Does the Prime Minister realize that Canadians are fed up with his incompetence, and will he act now to ensure that refunds are not delayed?
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- Apr/24/23 2:32:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we will take absolutely no lessons from the Conservatives when it comes to negotiating with unions or providing services to Canadians. Canadians well remember the decade of darkness under Harper. The Conservatives cut services, muzzled scientists and tried to crush the labour movement across the country. After all that, they want to come and give us lessons. They should save themselves the embarrassment.
Canadians have not forgotten, nor will they ever forget, that the public service under the Conservatives was all about cuts. It was “chop, chop, chop”.
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- Apr/24/23 2:33:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when I talk about this government's incompetence, the Minister of National Revenue is the perfect example: She is talking nonsense. Under the Harper government, as she likes to say, there were no strikes. Employees worked and everything was fine.
That said, we see this government's mismanagement and the increase in the public service. Nothing is working and they are striking. All federal services everywhere are broken, such as passports and immigration, and now it is tax time.
Can the government or the Minister of National Revenue give us an intelligent answer and confirm that hard-working Canadians will not have to wait for their tax refunds?
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- Apr/24/23 2:34:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this really feels like a bad movie. When we listen to the Conservatives, we hear them asking us to help Canadians, but then they vote against everything that we put forward to help Canadians. They criticize us for being here for Canadians and then they want to cut what we are delivering.
The Conservatives are experts at two things because they talk out of both sides of their mouths. They continue to give ridiculous advice about cryptocurrency. I want to tell my colleague that this is the best tax season we have had since 2015.
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- Apr/24/23 2:34:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians want to file their tax returns, but they do not know when they are going to be processed or when they are going to receive their refunds. In addition, the Prime Minister spent 50% more on the bureaucracy, but Canadians are receiving poorer services, and just outside these doors, we have the largest public service strike in Canadian history.
When will the Prime Minister take responsibility for the price that Canadian taxpayers have to pay and end this strike?
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- Apr/24/23 2:35:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, for our government, it is important to make sure that we respect the right of workers to strike and we respect the collective bargaining process. We are doing just that because we believe that a good deal can be reached at the negotiating table, while we are also making sure that we are respecting Canadians and the price they are going to pay to ensure that we get a fair deal for Canadians as well as for workers.
I can assure the member opposite, and all members across the House, that for those who file their taxes online, their tax returns will not be impacted at all.
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- Apr/24/23 2:35:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the minister is responsible for the passport backlogs in the first place.
The Prime Minister had two years to negotiate an agreement, and he failed. In addition, he raised the cost of the public service bureaucracy by 50%. Canadians are receiving poor services, and outside these doors, we have the largest strike in Canada in the history of the public service.
Will the Prime Minister commit to providing the most basic services for Canadians and ending this strike?
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- Apr/24/23 2:36:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, unlike the Conservatives, we actually respect workers' rights. We are taking an approach that makes sure that we respect the right to collective bargaining and the right to strike.
We believe, and we are committed to making sure, that the best deal will be reached at the negotiating table. Those negotiations are ongoing. We are going to make sure we get a good deal for both public servants and Canadians. We know how important it is to deliver core government services. We are going to get that deal.
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- Apr/24/23 2:37:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is the largest public sector union strike in 40 years. Revenue Canada workers are off the job, and vital services have been halted. The tax-filing deadline is this week, and Canadians cannot even get their phone calls answered.
What will the government do to ensure continuity of service so that Canadians can get their most basic questions answered?
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- Apr/24/23 2:37:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague stated very clearly in this House that if Canadians file their taxes online before the deadline, there will be no impact from the PSAC strike that is going on right now. Let us be really clear: We believe in a negotiated settlement. We believe in working at the table.
Let us look at the contrast between nine years of economic stagnation on the other side, when the only playbook from the Conservative austerity caucus was chop, chop, chop. This included the status of women offices and veterans offices, as well as raiding EI. Canadians know what government has their back, and that is our Liberal government.
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- Apr/24/23 2:38:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, how can the government expect Canadians to file their taxes by the deadline if they cannot even get their questions answered?
The government knew when the contract was up. It knows when the tax-filing deadline is. How much money will it cost taxpayers for the government to end the strike?
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- Apr/24/23 2:38:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are two-faced.
They say they care about Canadians but they voted against the Canada child benefit. They voted against the Canada workers benefit. They voted against the dental care programs. They voted against the housing programs.
I want to reassure my colleagues by stating that this is the best tax season we have had since 2015, because 95% of Canadians are submitting their tax returns electronically and there are no delays in payments.
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