44th Parl. 1st Sess.
September 18, 2023 11:00AM
- Sep/18/23 3:07:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, why should Canadians trust the Leader of the Opposition on housing? When he had the file, he failed hard. In fact, a $300-million fund to build housing in first nations, set up by the leader himself, built 99 houses. For every one house he and the Harper Conservatives built on reserve, we have renovated or built nine. We cannot afford his broken ideas.
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- Sep/18/23 3:07:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this Liberal-NDP coalition can deflect and make all the excuses they want, but the fact remains that after eight years of massive Liberal deficits driving up interest rates and driving up inflation, Canadians can no longer afford a place to live. In 2015, the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment was just over $1,100 a month; eight years after these Liberals, it is $2,300 a month. That is the reality Canadians are facing under that Liberal minister.
When will the Liberals end this costly NDP-Liberal coalition and allow Canadians a place to live?
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- Sep/18/23 3:08:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canada has the lowest debt and deficit in the G7, and our AAA rating was reaffirmed by a ratings agency last week.
However, what we need to ask is: What would Conservative austerity do to Canada? Do the Conservatives propose to cut our $200-billion investment in health care? Maybe they propose to cut our investment in early learning and child care, which has already cut fees for parents by 50%. Maybe it is dental care that they would go after.
What we know for sure is that Conservative austerity hurts Canadians.
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- Sep/18/23 3:09:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of this government, mortgage rates have jumped by 151% to $3,560 a month.
Back in 2020, the Prime Minister said, “We took on debt so Canadians wouldn't have to”. Today, however, Canadians and Quebeckers are finding it harder than ever to make ends meet.
When will the Prime Minister stop his wasteful spending and eliminate the inflationary deficit so that Canadians can keep a roof over their heads?
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- Sep/18/23 3:09:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, allow me to thank the Prime Minister for his trust. This is the first time I rise in the House as a minister. I thank him.
What Quebeckers need is a Prime Minister who keeps them in mind and who works collaboratively with the municipalities. They do not need a condescending, arrogant Leader of the Opposition who treats municipal officials like incompetents. As a former municipal councillor for Montreal, I am deeply offended by the Leader of the Opposition's disregard for elected municipal officials, people who are duly elected—
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- Sep/18/23 3:10:32 p.m.
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The hon. member for Châteauguay—Lacolle.
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- Sep/18/23 3:10:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, over the past few months, Canadians have experienced a series of extreme events, including forest fires, drought, heat waves, floods and violent storms that have caused incredible destruction. This has affected the lives of many people in our country.
This week, Canada will be represented in New York at the United Nations for climate week. Can the Minister of Environment and Climate Change tell us what Canada will be proposing at the United Nations General Assembly?
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- Sep/18/23 3:11:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question and her advocacy on this issue.
This summer I had the pleasure of spending time with her and citizens who are concerned about the issue of climate change, protecting and conserving our natural habitats and fighting pollution, including pollution caused by plastics.
That is precisely why the Prime Minister, some of my other colleagues and I are going to New York to work with our colleagues from the international community in order to find solutions to these three major international crises. In 2023, we cannot claim to be a serious government if we do not address economic development, job creation, affordability and pollution.
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- Sep/18/23 3:11:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, throughout the summer, I heard heartbreaking stories from families across Oxford who are struggling to put food on their tables. After eight years of this Prime Minister, this Liberal-NDP government is not worth the cost. Its carbon tax has raised the cost of food. For example, the price of onions is up 69%.
Will the Prime Minister's big meeting with grocery CEOs reverse the 69% hike by Thanksgiving, yes or no?
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- Sep/18/23 3:12:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let me begin by congratulating the hon. member on taking his spot in the House.
Having only recently arrived, he can be forgiven if he is not aware that the party he now is a member of voted against many of the measures that, in fact, make a direct impact on having life more affordable for his constituents.
This includes investments in the Canada child benefit. This includes new investments that reduce the cost of child care. This includes new benefits to provide dental care for low-income families. This includes a rebate that leaves eight out of 10 families in the province of Ontario better off as a result of putting a price on pollution.
We can fight climate change and make life more affordable. It is what we have been doing for eight years and we are going to—
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- Sep/18/23 3:13:14 p.m.
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The hon. member for Calgary Heritage.
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- Sep/18/23 3:13:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, for my neighbours across Calgary, seniors' savings are going up in smoke. Single moms may not be in the homes of the doors that I knocked on. The dreams of young couples and newcomers are devastated.
The Prime Minister and his NDP government have not been worth the cost. After eight years of raising carbon taxes on the farmers and truckers who bring us our food, potatoes are up 68%. Now he wants to quadruple the carbon tax to 61¢ a litre.
How much more will that add to the price of potatoes?
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- Sep/18/23 3:14:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what is irresponsible to a weary planet that is going through some of its darkest days is that although Canada has some of the lowest food inflation and some of the lowest inflation in the world, there is so much more that we have to do, but saying to people who are facing the global challenge of inflation that cutting dental care, that taking away dental care from vulnerable families, is a solution to global inflation and the crises that we face shows—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Sep/18/23 3:14:34 p.m.
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Order.
It is the hon. member for Calgary Heritage's first day here. I am sure he wants to hear the answer to his question.
We really cannot hear it with all the shouting that is going on. I am going to ask the hon. Minister of Health to start from the top so that the hon. member can hear the answer.
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- Sep/18/23 3:14:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in all times of great challenge globally, there is a responsibility for all of us to focus on solutions and answers. Yes, it is incredibly easy on the other side to point out what is wrong in the world and what is happening, but their solutions are cutting support and services from the most vulnerable. Let me just talk about dental care for a second. The number two cause of children in the hospital is oral health, all of which is preventable. We could stop people from getting ill. We could take action to make our world better or we can throw around slogans, like what is being done on the other side. Let us focus on real answers.
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- Sep/18/23 3:15:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when I was talking with friends and neighbours this summer, I heard loud and clear that people cannot afford the Liberal-NDP government's carbon tax. The average farm family will spend an extra $150,000 each year. The people who make the food cannot afford that and the people who buy the food cannot afford that. The Prime Minister is simply not worth the cost. After eight years, the Prime Minister has driven up the cost of everything and Canadians have had enough.
When will the Prime Minister listen to Canadians and finally axe the tax?
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- Sep/18/23 3:16:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when we look at what happened in our area of the country, Fiona alone destroyed barns and killed cattle. It destroyed wharfs. The fact is that if we do not deal with the economy the cost of everything will go up. We have invested in climate change and this government will continue to invest in climate change so we will have a place to live.
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- Sep/18/23 3:16:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this summer the challenges climate change and extreme weather are presenting have become abundantly clear to Canadians. In Kings—Hants, we sadly lost four individuals in our communities to flash floods, which have not been seen in 50-plus years. The importance of real-time emergency alerts to cellphones is so important, but cell reception in some of the communities in my riding is simply non-existent.
Will the Minister of Emergency Preparedness commit to working with the Minister of Industry to push the CRTC and telecoms to improve cell service for communities where no service exists, in the interest of their safety and well-being?
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- Sep/18/23 3:17:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to take the opportunity to pass on my sincere condolences to families who lost loved ones during the flash floods in July.
Every second counts in an emergency and Canadians need to be informed as quickly as possible when there is a threat to their safety. A public alerting system is an absolute priority for our government. We will be speaking to the appropriate agencies. I will be working with the provinces and territories and especially municipalities to make sure we have the right system for Canadians.
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- Sep/18/23 3:18:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this summer over 16 million hectares of forests burned; more than 200,000 Canadians were forced to flee their homes. To call this wildfire season unprecedented is an understatement, and with off-the-charts global temperatures, we can expect climate change to deliver even more extreme wildfires.
It is clear Canada's wildfire response was overwhelmed. Waiting for help from overseas costs valuable time and money, and the Liberals do not seem to be rushing to fix the system.
Will the minister support our call for a national wildfire-fighting service, which can be deployed immediately where needed?
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