44th Parl. 1st Sess.
October 5, 2023 10:00AM
- Oct/5/23 2:34:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it has been 21 months since food prices have outpaced general inflation, and the Prime Minister was not willing to do anything until he started falling behind in the polls. That is two years that Canadians have been struggling because the government is unwilling to take on the real problem, which is corporate greed. Will the government admit that its plan to scramble to try to do something is to save itself and not Canadians?
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- Oct/5/23 2:35:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I beg to differ. We have been putting in place programs to support Canadians with bill after bill and law after law. We supported 11 million Canadians with the grocery rebate, 4.2 million Canadians with the workers benefit and six million Canadians in increasing old age security. Why is that? It is because our government believes in investing in Canadians time after time, and we will continue to do that to build a stronger Canada.
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- Oct/5/23 2:36:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government does not have the courage to take on corporate greed when it comes to the price of groceries or it when it comes to the privatization of our health care system.
Shoppers Drug Mart, owned by Galen Weston, is rapidly expanding American-style for-profit health care delivery in our country, and the government is nowhere to be seen. In the last election, the Prime Minister said he would defend public universal health care and now he calls privatization “innovation”.
Therefore, what is the plan? Is it to wait another two years and then nicely ask Galen Weston to stop?
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- Oct/5/23 2:36:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, together we have made huge progress in reducing drug costs for Canadians. By working together on bulk purchasing, $3.5 billion less is now spent by Canadians by reducing those costs. We need to and must do much more. That is why we are continuing to work, not only with the party opposite, the New Democrats, but also with all parties, with a strategy on rare diseases and with the introduction of legislation on pharmacare. Together, we can make sure that Canadians are not faced with the impossible choice of essentials or the medicine they need.
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- Oct/5/23 2:37:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the NDP-Liberal government, even Thanksgiving dinner has become unaffordable. Food banks across the country are overwhelmed. With Thanksgiving approaching, some food banks have made the tough decision of cutting back on distributing food because they just do not have enough to go around.
The Liberals' carbon taxes have driven up the cost of Thanksgiving staples, such as potatoes, by 77%. Will the Prime Minister reverse the 77% hike on Thanksgiving food before Thanksgiving, as he promised, yes or no?
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Mr. Speaker, if the Conservative member wants to see grocery prices lowered, I hope that she asks her leader why it is that the Conservatives continue to delay the legislation that is before the House.
Just this morning, I was so pleased to see the member for Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon say that he supports Bill C-56. I wonder if other Conservatives can convince their leader to support this bill because Canadians are counting on all of us in the House to help stabilize grocery prices.
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- Oct/5/23 2:38:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are counting on immediate relief before Thanksgiving. People are rationing food across the country. According to Food Banks Canada, people are making impossible choices between paying their rent or putting food on the table for their families. The Liberal-NDP government continues its inflationary spending, which has caused grocery prices to increase by 94%, as is the case with lettuce.
Canadians are realizing that the Prime Minister is just not worth the cost. Will the Prime Minister keep his promise and reverse his punishing food price hikes by Thanksgiving?
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- Oct/5/23 2:39:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there are important measures that can be immediately implemented to help Canadians, but the problem is that, we hear from Conservatives very sincere concerns in question period, but when it comes time to vote and debate legislation, we see procedural delay tactics and Conservatives voting against the interests of Canadians.
I would urge everybody in the House to act to support Canadians, stabilize prices and get more homes built in this country.
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- Oct/5/23 2:40:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this will not be a happy Thanksgiving for many Canadian families because food prices are absolutely out of control, and the NDP leader just said that food inflation has outpaced inflation over the last 20 months, which is coincidentally the length of the Liberal-NDP coalition. What could be happening? The sad fact is this: Canadian families are having to make a hard choice between feeding their families and paying their rents.
Will the Prime Minister finally recognize the damage he has done to Canada and keep his promise so people can have an affordable Thanksgiving dinner?
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- Oct/5/23 2:41:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I was saying earlier, we have presented tangible measures in the House. I do not understand how the Conservatives can claim to be sincere in their concern for Canadians while using procedural tactics to prevent us from helping Canadians. I just cannot understand it.
If the Conservatives want to be there, then they should pull up their socks, take action and help us help Canadians.
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- Oct/5/23 2:41:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, only a party whose leader said that he admires the basic dictatorship of China would say that legitimate debate about a government piece of legislation is so inconvenient and an obstruction. That is a disgraceful comment and opinion, but it is not a surprise coming from the Liberals, whose leader admires a basic dictatorship. Everything they have done has done nothing to improve food affordability. After eight long years of the Liberal government, Canadians cannot pay for food.
Will the Prime Minister keep his promise so Canadians can have an affordable Thanksgiving dinner?
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- Oct/5/23 2:42:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, perhaps the Conservatives can explain in debate what it is about cutting GST on the construction of new homes that they disagree with. What is it about strengthening competition laws to stabilize grocery prices here in Canada that they disagree with?
I ask because I have not heard a single argument in debate that has convinced any Canadian in this country that we should not proceed with those measures, and if the Conservatives want to help Canadians, they should be sincere in their actions. They should vote in the interests of Canadians.
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- Oct/5/23 2:43:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if the Liberals were sincere, they would have voted for our motion to cancel the carbon taxes, which would have had an immediate effect on every Canadian's wallet.
A month ago, they put on a big media show to say that this year's Thanksgiving dinner would be more affordable for everyone. In the meantime, the price of peas has increased by 22%. Since 2015, the price of turkey has increased by 70%, and the price of potatoes has gone up by 74%. The government has four days left to lower the cost of Thanksgiving dinner.
After eight years of empty promises, will the Liberals finally manage to keep a promise for once?
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- Oct/5/23 2:44:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives like to cherry-pick the facts they want to cling to, even when their facts are not facts.
Something they never talk about is the fact that climate change is also increasing the cost of groceries. This year saw the worst harvests in almost every region of Quebec and Canada. More than anyone, our farmers across the country know how important it is to keep putting a price on pollution and fighting climate change.
If the Conservatives really want to help farmers and Canadians, they should support our efforts to fight climate change.
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- Oct/5/23 2:44:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the people of Chambly do not know how they are going to pay for their Thanksgiving turkey. Meanwhile, the Bloc leader of the Bloc-Liberal coalition is playing diplomat. He is spending thousands of dollars on travel and emitting greenhouse gases to attend fancy cocktail parties, but to talk about what? Did he go there to talk about the cost of living, the housing shortage or repealing the carbon taxes? No, he went there to talk about independence. Voting for the Bloc Québécois is costly.
Will the Prime Minister recall his separatist Bloc ambassador and deal with his promise to lower prices in time for Thanksgiving?
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Mr. Speaker, I think today's debate calls for a little more gravitas from the Conservatives.
We are talking about the challenges facing Quebeckers and Canadians. The cost of living has been rising. Today, we presented measures to help Canadians, stabilize grocery costs and fight climate change at the same time. The Conservatives are still voting against these measures.
If they really want to help Canadians, they should vote in favour of Bill C-56 so that we can move forward and stabilize the cost of groceries.
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- Oct/5/23 2:46:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have good news: Quebec will match the federal government's $900‑million investment in housing. Woo-hoo! There is just one small problem: The money cannot flow because the federal government is still trying to impose conditions on Quebec instead of reaching an agreement.
This morning, the Premier of Quebec reiterated that this is urgent. He needs an agreement by next Friday so he can include the $900 million in his November 7 economic update. Will the government stop quibbling and immediately announce that it is giving Quebec its $900‑million share? This is urgent.
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- Oct/5/23 2:46:51 p.m.
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Yikes, Mr. Speaker.
We do not actually need the Bloc Québécois's threats and theatrics. I am going to use a word he does not like very much: whining. Bloc members are here to whine and pick fights. Here are the facts. Negotiations are progressing. Quebec will get $900 million. Quebec will match that figure. Negotiations are going well. Why? Because people on this side are standing up for Quebec.
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- Oct/5/23 2:47:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are not the only ones whining. There are 10,000 homeless people in Quebec who are whining to the federal government right now.
The Quebec finance minister met with the Deputy Prime Minister on Monday. Here is what he said this morning: “I reiterated how urgent it is that an agreement be reached...Ottawa is imposing conditions, and that is unacceptable to us”. The announcement that Quebec will match the funding is supposed to be good news. As long as Ottawa continues to quibble, it means that we are no longer talking about $900 million, but $1.8 billion that is just sitting around waiting for Ottawa to get moving.
Will the government announce that it is letting the money flow to Quebec so that we can finally get to work?
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- Oct/5/23 2:48:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the member is well aware, I am in discussion with Minister Duranceau. I am working with the Province of Quebec to reach an agreement to ensure that federal funds are used to build housing. We agree with the Province of Quebec that this is a priority, and I will continue my work.
It is important that, when we are entrusted with the responsibility of investing hundreds of millions of dollars, we do it sincerely, working alongside our provincial partners, and ensure that Canadians receive the results of that funding.
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