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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 197

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 15, 2023 11:00AM
  • May/15/23 2:55:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have to get up and say it because it makes no sense. The finance minister has said she is there tomorrow, so I do not know why they have not revised their questions. However, I will ask, if they give me the chance— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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  • May/15/23 2:55:38 p.m.
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I am going to ask the hon. government House leader to wait a second until everything calms down and we can hear his answer. The hon. member for Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley wants to hear the answer. Start from the top, please.
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  • May/15/23 2:55:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I said, the finance minister is appearing tomorrow, so it does seem ridiculous for her to keep standing and saying she is going to be there. However, I do want to come back to their questioning as to why the finance minister of a G7 country would participate in G7 meetings. It may be because we live in an interconnected economy. When the Conservatives were dealing with such issues as climate change, they went to world forums to attack action on climate change and to drag other countries out of doing the essential work of protecting our planet. We talk to other countries' leaders because we understand that we live in an interconnected world.
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  • May/15/23 2:56:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we welcome the finance minister back to the House. However, let us be clear in that what we are asking for is two hours of her time. That is a billion dollars a minute. We have real problems. According to a university report, we have the third-largest increase in total debt-to-GDP ratio, which has resulted in one of the lowest GDP growth ratios. In fact, going forward, we are projected to be at the bottom of the OECD. Will the minister finally come to the finance committee for two hours to explain why she has broken all her promises?
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  • May/15/23 2:57:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is typical of the Conservatives that they will not take yes for an answer. The finance minister is going to committee tomorrow, as long as they do not filibuster it. Let us talk about our economic record. They were talking about the OECD— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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  • May/15/23 2:57:28 p.m.
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I am sorry to interrupt again. It is starting to get a little noisy. I am having a hard time hearing the answer. I am sure the hon. member for Northumberland—Peterborough South is having a hard time hearing a response to his question. I am going to ask the hon. Minister of Families to start from the top.
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  • May/15/23 2:57:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, it is typical of the Conservatives to not take yes for an answer, as the Minister of Finance is scheduled to go tomorrow. Of course, that will depend on the Conservatives' stopping their filibuster. Let us talk about our economic record. My hon. colleague was talking about the OECD, but when the Conservatives came into office back in 2006, they ranked 17th when it came to child poverty. By the time they left in 2015, Canada ranked 24th. They fell. I am not going to take any lessons from the Conservatives. Currently, Canada ranks second in the OECD when it comes to reducing child poverty.
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  • May/15/23 2:58:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is great news. I look forward to having the finance minister for two hours, as she just said. That is terrific. What we do not look forward to is the Liberal budget bonanza that is going to drive Canadians $4,200 deeper into debt per family. What will they get for that? Higher energy costs, higher food costs and a lower standard of living. Will the finance minister finally come to the finance committee for two hours to explain why Canada's economic growth is predicted to be lower than than the growth in Latvia, Chile and— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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  • May/15/23 2:58:54 p.m.
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I am going to interrupt. I am now having a hard time hearing the question. Some hon. members: Oh, oh! The Speaker: Order. When I try to calm things down, it does not mean you get to throw rocks just because you think you do not live in glass houses anymore. Please, everybody, calm down. The hon. member for Northumberland—Peterborough South, from the top, please, so that we can hear the full question. Let us see if we can get through that.
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  • May/15/23 2:59:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the quieting of that childish temper tantrum. The Liberal budget bonanza is driving Canadians further and further into debt. Each Canadian family is being driven down, to the cost of $4,200 a month. What are Canadians getting for it? They are getting higher energy and food costs. I am going to repeat this question one more time. Will the minister appear for two hours to explain her failed economic record?
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  • May/15/23 3:00:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we should not be too troubled by not hearing the question from the Conservatives. It is the same nonsensical question we have heard and answered repeatedly. Let me assure everyone that I am looking forward to appearing before the finance committee tomorrow, as I have enjoyed questions today. As to what Liberal economic policy is delivering for Canadians, I can say this: jobs, jobs, jobs. We have the strongest job market in Canadian history, and that is what matters to hard-working Canadians.
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  • May/15/23 3:00:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Trans Mountain pipeline project continues to be a drain on public money. It is gobbling up money at an alarming rate. When the government bought the pipeline from Kinder Morgan, the estimated cost of expansion was $7.4 billion. In 2020, the estimated cost was $12.6 billion and in 2022, it was $21.4 billion. Today, the estimated cost is $30.9 billion and Trans Mountain continues to push for more. When will it end? How deep into debt will the federal government drag the public for the sake of dirty oil?
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  • May/15/23 3:01:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we understand how important it is to get a fair price for our resources on international markets. The government has no intention of owning the pipeline for the long term. A divestment process will be launched when the project is farther along.
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  • May/15/23 3:01:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, not only is expanding Trans Mountain at our expense an economic failure, it is an environmental disaster. To recoup all the money thrown at this project, the Crown corporation is going to have to ship a lot of oil for a long time. Trans Mountain expects to have a capacity of 890,000 barrels of oil per day after the expansion. It is going to take a lot of oil days to pay back a $30.9-billion debt, but who will take care of our environmental debt?
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  • May/15/23 3:02:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government is very proud of our green industrial plan. This plan is investing $120 billion into the green transition. It is an historic measure that will protect the climate globally and create good jobs for a generation of Canadians. We are very proud to be the government carrying out this plan.
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  • May/15/23 3:03:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Safety falsely stated that all Beijing-backed police stations had been shut down. He now confirms that new stations may still be operating on Canadian soil. Minister, words matter. The incompetent minister continues to mislead the House regarding this crucial issue. He has all the intelligence and security agencies at his disposal to get to the bottom of it. I am just looking for a number. Minister, my simple question is this: How many Beijing-backed police stations are still operating in this country?
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  • May/15/23 3:03:39 p.m.
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I want to remind hon. members to place their questions through the Chair and try to use parliamentary language as much as possible. Do not push it to the limit. Just try to be nice and play well together. The hon. Minister of Public Safety.
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  • May/15/23 3:03:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, by now, I hope my Conservative colleague will have heard the answers, which have been consistent. The RCMP took decisive and concrete action to disrupt the foreign interference activities in relation to those so-called police stations. It will continue to do the same going forward. The bigger question is about what the Conservatives did on foreign interference when they last held the reins of government. The answer is that they did nothing. On this side of the House, we will continue to make the investments and put the authorities in place so that we can protect our democratic institutions.
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  • May/15/23 3:04:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Safety said on CTV news yesterday that there could be a number of Beijing-run police stations on Canadian soil, even though he told a parliamentary committee the opposite. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service has intelligence on this. Even the Spanish organization Safeguard Defenders has produced a report confirming the presence of Chinese police stations operating on Canadian soil. My question is simple. How many Beijing-run police stations are currently operating in Canada?
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  • May/15/23 3:05:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the opposition needs to listen to the government's responses, including my responses in committee. As I said, the RCMP is taking decisive action to disrupt the foreign interference activities associated with those so-called police stations. Now it is important to continue to put in place the authorities to protect our democratic institutions. The Conservatives are the only ones impeding progress on this important issue.
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