SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 194 - May/10/23

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

May/10/23 2:44:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, even by the standards of this House these past days, this is getting to be a pretty ridiculous debate. The fact of the matter is, people are saying, “No, I have the best plan. This is the best plan. That is the best plan. No, I have the best plan.” Let us focus on delivering for Canadians every step of the way. Let us—

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The Speaker

May/10/23 2:44:58 p.m.
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I am going to have to interrupt the right hon. Prime Minister. The noise level is starting to creep up again. I am going to ask everyone to calm down and take a deep breath. I want to remind everyone that one person asks the question and one person gives a response; multiple questions should not be asked while the person is answering. The right hon. Prime Minister.

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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau

May/10/23 2:45:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us look at the respective records here. The Conservative Party campaigned in the last election on a single element of a housing plan, which was to give tax breaks to wealthy landlords in hopes of selling their buildings. That is not a plan to help Canadians. Our plan, which we have been delivering on since 2017 with the national housing strategy, is about $70-billion worth of investments, while working in partnership with municipalities, working in partnership with provinces and territories, linking investments and infrastructure to densification, and moving forward on incentives to create better zoning so we can build more homes for more Canadians.

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Mr. Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil—Chambly, BQ)

May/10/23 2:46:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is rarely a good idea to go after the diligence, independence or integrity of a media outlet. It is rarely very democratic, especially when the head of said outlet is Pierre Karl Péladeau. The next person I want to mention needs to be handled very carefully. Gérard Bouchard said that there is indeed cause for concern about the 500,000 immigrants the government wants to welcome annually. He is a highly respected sociologist. The Prime Minister has to weigh his words very carefully in his response. What does he have to say to Gérard Bouchard?

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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

May/10/23 2:46:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to the experts, I spend a lot of time talking to entrepreneurs in Beauce, Abitibi and in the Quebec City area who are struggling to find labour to grow their business. Farmers are concerned about the labour shortage. We are here to help, to work hand in hand with Quebec, which sets its own immigration targets. We will be there to ensure that economic growth, the protection of French and francophone immigration continue to be on the agenda for our entrepreneurs across Quebec—

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The Speaker

May/10/23 2:47:22 p.m.
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The hon. member for Belœil—Chambly.

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Chambly
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Mr. Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil—Chambly, BQ)

May/10/23 2:47:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that the folks at McKinsey are great at preparing answers. In Quebec, the CAQ, the PQ and the Liberals are against it, while Québec Solidaire is uneasy about it at best. In this Parliament, the Bloc Québécois is the only party that is against the target of 500,000 immigrants a year. Who agrees with this target other than the 25 people who participated in the debate at the Liberal Party convention?

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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

May/10/23 2:47:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Department of Immigration consulted 3,000 different organizations and groups across Canada when setting our targets. We understand there is a great need for economic growth and for workers across the country, including in Quebec. I have had conversations with business owners in Gatineau, in Montreal and on the North Shore who need workers. That is what I am hearing. We will be there to ensure that there is francophone immigration. We will work hand in hand with the Government of Quebec and we will enable the economic growth that everyone needs.

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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

May/10/23 2:47:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Department of Immigration consulted 3,000 different organizations and groups across Canada when setting our targets. We understand there is a great need for economic growth and for workers across the country, including in Quebec. I have had conversations with business owners in Gatineau, in Montreal and on the North Shore who need workers. That is what I am hearing. We will be there to ensure that there is francophone immigration. We will work hand in hand with the Government of Quebec and we will enable the economic growth that everyone needs.

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

May/10/23 2:48:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's story continues to change when it comes to the threats made by a Beijing operative against a Canadian MP. He said that no one outside the intelligence community knew about the situation. However, his national security adviser admitted that his office had been made aware. Of all the Prime Minister's staff, both in the public service and in his office, which members of his team were aware of this threat two years ago?

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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

May/10/23 2:49:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my three former intelligence and security advisers confirmed yesterday that the report did not land on their desk. We will always take the concerns of Canadians about foreign interference seriously, which is why we have taken action. We will continue to act in a serious way. While the Conservative Party tries to turn this into a partisan controversy, we will continue to take this seriously and protect Canadians.

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

May/10/23 2:49:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's own national security adviser told the member for Wellington—Halton Hills that her office had received it when her predecessor was in charge. That predecessor would have been the direct adviser to the current Prime Minister. That is important because, if his office or his top officials were aware that a foreign operative was threatening a Canadian MP's family back in July and they did absolutely nothing about it, it demonstrates their unwillingness to protect our country. If the Prime Minister was not aware, it demonstrates his total incompetence in protecting Canada. Which is it?

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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

May/10/23 2:50:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our intelligence agencies receive vast numbers of pieces of information and analyze threats to Canadians, to institutions and to our politics regularly. They make determinations about which pieces of information hit the threshold and need to be passed up the chain and what kind of priority they meet. What I have done over the past week is ensure that any threat, no matter how low the threshold, no matter how unsavoury or unreliable the source, should be elevated if it talks about MPs and their families. Going forward, that will be the story, but this—

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The Speaker

May/10/23 2:51:09 p.m.
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The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

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

May/10/23 2:51:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is basically saying that it just was not important enough for anyone to be informed that a Canadian MP had his family threatened by a foreign operative in order to punish him for a vote. No one believes the Prime Minister when he says that. Everybody knows that this is of the highest importance. If his government is operating in a way that it is not important, then he clearly cannot defend the national interests of this country. Recently, we had testimony from the chair of the Trudeau Foundation, who said that he cannot tell us to whom the donation from Beijing was returned. Can the Prime Minister tell us?

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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

May/10/23 2:51:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have to give credit where it is due. The Leader of the Opposition almost got it right in the beginning of his last question. It is CSIS itself that makes determinations on the credibility, the threat level and the seriousness of the various pieces of information that come in. It makes determinations, quite appropriately, about what to do with that information, how high to elevate it and how urgently it needs to be brought forward. One can draw certain conclusions about the decision CSIS made based on certain elements of information as to the critical nature or the seriousness of the actual information—

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The Speaker

May/10/23 2:52:33 p.m.
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The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

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

May/10/23 2:52:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the question was about the donation from Beijing to the Trudeau Foundation. We know that the Prime Minister's own brother processed the donation. We know that CSIS intelligence, from an intercepted phone call of Beijing's diplomats, revealed that the purpose of the donation was to politically influence the current Prime Minister. In the new development, the chair of the Trudeau Foundation said that he cannot tell where the donation ended up. He said they gave it back, but they do not know whom they gave it back to. Will the Prime Minister support new powers for the Auditor General to fully audit the Trudeau Foundation so that we can get to the bottom of this scandal?

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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

May/10/23 2:53:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite fully knows, and as all MPs have heard me say probably a dozen times in this House, it has been close to 10 years since I have had any direct or indirect engagement with the Trudeau Foundation. He needs to continue to direct his questions to it.

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Mr. Jagmeet Singh (Burnaby South, NDP)

May/10/23 2:53:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in Saskatchewan, first nations are left out of major decisions regarding natural resources because their right to the land is not recognized. The government has obligations to consult with the provinces, territories, and first nations and indigenous peoples. Will the Prime Minister commit today to respect free, prior and informed consent in Saskatchewan specifically, and across Canada, and ensure that the economic benefits flow to the indigenous peoples when the resources are on their land?

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