SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 239 - Oct/25/23

Ms. Heather McPherson (Edmonton Strathcona, NDP)

Oct/25/23 2:22:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the world is a dangerous place for women. In the DRC, women are facing the world's highest rates of sexual and gender-based violence. MSF reports that sexual violence now is a public health emergency in the Central African Republic. In Afghanistan and Iran, women's rights are non-existent. In Canada, women who speak up are attacked, not just in politics but also in journalism, on social media and in their communities. I am alarmed by the exclusion of Muslim and Jewish women's voices from critical conversations on Israel and Palestine. Canada claims to have a feminist foreign policy, but where are the investments? As Sudan's Hala Al-Karib said recently, only paying lip service to the women, peace and security agenda without insisting on women's rights and women's meaningful participation in peace and political processes is not enough. Canada must do better.

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Mr. Denis Trudel (Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, BQ)

Oct/25/23 2:23:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are currently seeing a troubling rise in food insecurity and homelessness, a housing crisis that will likely be long and gruelling, and unbearable inflation rates that are primarily affecting the less fortunate, including the young people in our communities. In my riding, Macadam Sud supports young people between the ages of 12 and 35 and gives them the tools they need to improve their living conditions with respect and human dignity, especially those who find themselves marginalized when it comes to education, family and the labour market. I rise today to recognize the 40th anniversary of this organization, which has dedicated the last 40 years to supporting the community, helping young and marginalized people live decent lives, and making a real difference in the lives of all families in Longueuil. Speaking for myself and on behalf of all Bloc Québécois members, I would like to thank Macadam Sud.

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Mrs. Karen Vecchio (Elgin—Middlesex—London, CPC)

Oct/25/23 2:24:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years, too many Canadians are suffering at the hands of crippling mortgage rates. According to a CBC article published this week, a Calgary senior sold his home due to interest rate hikes and is still unable to find an affordable rental. Seniors are forced to couch surf, find roommates, or rent a bedroom in a basement apartment. Under the NDP-Liberal government, the very people who built this country are being forced to sell their homes, with nowhere left to turn except the workforce. Seniors should not be forced out of retirement to make ends meet and achieve their dream of owning a home. It is clear that the NDP-Liberal government is not capable of ensuring housing stability and protecting Canadians of all ages, the thousands of Canadians fighting homelessness and desperate for a change. The Prime Minister is not worth the cost. It is time for Canadians to have a common sense government that brings down inflation and interest rates so hard-working people can keep their homes and a secure life.

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Hon. Steven MacKinnon (Gatineau, Lib.)

Oct/25/23 2:26:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is a very “heady” day in the House as we honour a true trailblazer. Thirty years ago today, the voters of Vancouver Centre opted for a fresh alternative over her opponent, a Conservative prime minister. They chose a physician who was running as the Liberal candidate for the first time. Since October 25, 1993, voters in that constituency have voted Liberal, and they have elected her in 10 successive elections. She is now the longest-serving female member of Parliament in Canadian history. She has been the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Health and the Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and the Status of Women. Over three decades, she has been a supporter of a strong health care system and a champion for the LGBTQ+ community. She currently chairs the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, and back home she is beloved by her fellow residents of Vancouver. Indeed, the City of Vancouver has proclaimed today as a day in her name. Canada has been fortunate to have her in the House.

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

Oct/25/23 2:27:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years in power, this Prime Minister is not worth the price of food. According to a devastating report, in one month alone there were two million visits to food banks. That is by far the highest level of use in the history of Canada, and that, after eight years of this Prime Minister. Will he finally reverse his plan to radically increase the taxes imposed on farmers and truck drivers who deliver our food?

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

Oct/25/23 2:28:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will answer that question in a moment. I want to begin by sharing a few thoughts about Senator Shugart. It is with incredible sadness that I rise in this place to mourn the loss of our friend and fellow parliamentarian, Senator Ian Shugart. Senator Shugart spent his entire career in the service of others and his contributions have been invaluable. He was an incredible clerk to the current government, and I know he was also a valuable deputy minister to the Leader of the Opposition when he was in government. I offer my deepest condolences to his family, his friends, his Senate colleagues and his former public service colleagues.

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

Oct/25/23 2:29:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, indeed, Ian Shugart was my deputy minister. He was a brilliant public servant, serving both political parties and serving Canadians in the Senate. All of us mourn with his family at the tragic loss of this great Canadian public servant. I want to quote Food Banks Canada, which said, “Rates of food insecurity in Canada—the number of people living in households struggling to afford food due to lack of money—have increased to the highest levels on record.” This is happening after eight years of this Prime Minister's inflationary taxes and deficits. Why does the Prime Minister want to deprive Canadians of food just so he can increase taxes at the expense of Canadians and families?

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

Oct/25/23 2:30:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, over the years, we have helped lift 500,000 children out of poverty with the Canada child benefit, a measure that the Conservatives campaigned against. We have helped people create economic opportunities. We know that people are struggling right now. That is why we are stepping up to help them with measures like $10-a-day child care, dental care for children and even more family allowance cheques. The Conservative Party opposed all of those measures. We will continue to be there to help families in these difficult times. We will continue to invest in them and help them rather than making cuts like the Conservative Party is proposing.

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

Oct/25/23 2:31:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there he goes telling Canadians they have never had it so good when, after eight years, he is not worth the cost of food. According to the HungerCount by Food Banks Canada, “the number of people living in households struggling to afford food due to lack of money” has “increased to the highest levels on record.” There is a record-smashing two million visits to Canadian food banks in a month, and his plan is to quadruple the carbon tax on the farmers and the truckers who bring us our food. How many Canadians have to go hungry or homeless before he axes this terrible tax?

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

Oct/25/23 2:32:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we know that Canadians are struggling with the costs of food and groceries and housing. That is why we continue to step up to support them with measures like $10-a-day child care, dental care for children and child benefit cheques, all measures that the Conservative Party has stood against. We will continue to help Canadians. We will continue our work to lift hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty and to lift over a million Canadians out of poverty. However, there is much more to do, and we will keep doing it instead of giving in to the Conservatives' demands for more cuts, cuts to services for Canadians and cuts to supports that people rely on.

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

Oct/25/23 2:32:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, actually, Canadians are making cuts to their food. They are cutting back on their standard of living after eight years under the Prime Minister, who is not worth the cost. I will go back to that nightmarish report from Food Banks Canada, where one Nova Scotian reported to researchers, “Seniors are having trouble with home heating and many times have to choose between food and heating.” With heating bills coming up again soon and a cold winter expected, Nova Scotians will have to pay his carbon tax, which he plans to quadruple. How many Nova Scotia seniors will have to go homeless or hungry in order to pay for his massive carbon tax hike?

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

Oct/25/23 2:33:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member actually cared about seniors, he would not have been part of the government that raised the retirement age, driving seniors further into poverty. We brought it back to 65. We continued to step up with supports for seniors, and we are going to continue to stand to defend their pensions as well. While his Conservative colleagues are attacking the CPP, he has finally realized that perhaps the CPP is a good thing and has come out in defence of it. This is after a decade of attacking seniors and their pensions, of attacking the CPP. We are going to continue unequivocally to stand to support seniors right across the country, unlike the Leader of the Opposition.

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

Oct/25/23 2:34:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, not only have we always defended the CPP, but the number of seniors requiring food banks was also drastically lower when we were in government. Let me quote a British Columbian, who reported the following in the Food Banks Canada report: “The cost of housing is indescribable. Many of our users are paying 50% of their annual income in rent, providing they can find accommodations.” This is the housing hell the Prime Minister and the NDP have caused after eight years. Will he realize that we do not need more photo ops and we do not need more bureaucracy? Instead, we need more homes.

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

Oct/25/23 2:35:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the Leader of the Opposition has put forward no plan for housing, he lacks credibility on this issue. We are taking bold action to get more affordable homes built. Indeed, just today, the Minister of Housing is in British Columbia, in Kelowna, for our most recent housing accelerator announcement. This will streamline building permits and allow for high-density housing near public transit, spurring the construction of up to 20,000 new housing units over the next decade in Kelowna. We are also working with Kelowna to make city-owned lands available for housing, in partnership with non-profits, and we look forward to signing more agreements right across the country, delivering for Canadians on housing.

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

Oct/25/23 2:35:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday the National Assembly of Quebec unanimously passed a motion asserting the economic viability of a possible sovereign Quebec, another in a series of unanimous motions that speak for all of Quebec. Regardless of his personal preference, does the Prime Minister recognize Quebec's ability to succeed economically as an independent country?

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

Oct/25/23 2:36:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois's attempts to reignite a debate on federal-provincial bickering continue to boggle my mind. The reality is that, of course, Quebeckers are a proud people from a proud nation ready to build a better future, but they know very well that their brightest future is within Canada. That is why, as the Canadian government, we are here to invest in things like the Réseau express métropolitain de Montréal, Northvolt, Davie and the lithium mines, all hand in hand with the Quebec government to build a better future for all Quebeckers and all Canadians.

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

Oct/25/23 2:37:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Quebec has heard the “we want change” rhetoric before. However, I would remind the Prime Minister, who claims to speak for the masses, that everyone, including the Premier of Quebec, voted in favour of the motion saying that Quebec is capable. I am not asking if that is what he wants. I am not asking if he knows how to count. I am asking him if he agrees with the statement that Quebec is capable of being an economically sovereign country. That is all.

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

Oct/25/23 2:38:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, over the past few years, I have been very pleased to make announcements alongside Premier Legault, during which we have talked a lot about the importance of reducing the wealth gap between Quebec and the other provinces. That is because we know that Quebec is capable of doing more, and we know that Quebec is poised for economic growth. We are here to help and support people. Canada is here to capitalize on the economic growth and leadership that Quebeckers are capable of and that they demonstrate every day. We will continue to work hand in hand with Quebeckers to build a prosperous future for all.

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Mr. Jagmeet Singh (Burnaby South, NDP)

Oct/25/23 2:38:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, two million Canadians had to use the food bank in one month alone. This is the direct result of Liberals and Conservatives who continue to distract from what is going on. The real reason for what is causing this, as Canadians knew really well when they were asked the question, is greedy CEOs. Why will the Prime Minister not understand what Canadians already do?

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

Oct/25/23 2:39:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we understand and we see first-hand how Canadians are struggling with the cost of food, groceries and housing. That is why we are taking concrete actions to support them through this, whether it be with the grocery rebate, whether it be with $10-a-day child care, whether it be with dental care that is going to support young children, whether it be with the initiatives we are taking across this country to create good jobs and economic growth, whether it be with the GST rebate cheques, or whether it be with the climate action rebate that is putting money in people's pockets right across the country. We are going to continue to be there for Canadians, as we have been in years past, as we lifted hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty and as we lifted over a million Canadians out of poverty. We know that there is more work to do, and we are going to continue to do it.

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