44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 1, 2023 02:00PM
- Nov/1/23 2:50:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am not going to talk about astrology. The member opposite was in the House when I gave my speech yesterday but she must not have been paying attention or she would have heard the details of what we are doing with Quebec to ensure that there is co-operation and coordination.
We have disagreements, of course, but what she does not understand—and this is odd because the agreement has been in place for as long as the Bloc Québécois has existed, since 1991—is that this falls under Quebec jurisdiction.
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- Nov/1/23 2:51:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the irony is, and this question is, for the Prime Minister, that the carbon tax chaos is unfolding within the Liberal tent itself. We saw last week, just as I was about to hold a thunderous rally with a thousand common-sense Nova Scotians to axe the tax, the Prime Minister was in a sweaty ball on the ground. He had to flip-flop and hold a hastily called and humiliating press conference.
Now, Mark Carney has come out against his flip-flop, and Percy Downe, a loyal Liberal senator, has called for the Prime Minister to resign because of his fiscal irresponsibility. Is that why he is hiding under his desk and refusing to answer questions today?
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- Nov/1/23 2:51:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, other than trying to find ways to do indirectly what he is not actually allowed to do directly, the one thing that is consistent about the Leader of the Opposition is that he loves to pat himself on the back continuously.
At the end of the day, what we are interested in on this side of the House is good public policy. We have put into place a plan that will assure affordability for Canadians, that applies across the country and that does so in a manner that actually addresses the reality of climate change.
Once again, it is appalling and a shame that the Conservative Party does not believe in climate change and has no plan to do anything about it.
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- Nov/1/23 2:52:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Senator, Mr. Percy Downe wrote:
The opportunity for a [Conservative] government was created by a lack of fiscal responsibility [by the Liberal] government, and the damage it caused our economy is now showing up in the opinion poll numbers. Within the Liberal Party, many members who are in favour of fiscal responsibility...have given up on this current iteration of the [Liberal] party.
Hence, the leader should resign. However, he will not stand and answer questions, even though his itinerary shows that he was in this building today.
If the Prime Minister will not show up and do his job, which I will, why will he not get out of the way?
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- Nov/1/23 2:53:15 p.m.
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Over the last two weeks, many members have taken it upon themselves to quote my statement back to me, and I am quite happy to defend that statement as your Chair. Again, I will say that it is important for us to recognize that all members of the House have duties, regardless of which side they belong to, duties that sometimes take them out of the chamber. That is the reason why we try not to mention whether or not a member is present in the House. It is part of the duties.
We are going to continue. I believe the hon. House leader is going to answer this question.
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- Nov/1/23 2:54:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I find the last thing that the hon. Leader of the Opposition said particularly troubling, because it is Canadians who decide who sits in the House; it is not the Leader of the Opposition.
Let me be very clear that it is troubling but not surprising, because when he was the minister of democratic reform, he made it harder for 150,000 of Canada's most vulnerable citizens to vote. He was also sanctioned by Elections Canada for violating electoral law. While what he is saying is completely inappropriate, it is unsurprising, given his track record and his lack of respect for democracy.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Nov/1/23 2:55:16 p.m.
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Order.
Could I ask the member for Surrey—Newton to please allow me to continue?
Colleagues, I ask all members to please exercise discretion. These are the things which you all raised with me and others in terms of improving discretion. Temperatures are running hot today. May I ask all members to respectfully sit down until I recognize them to speak, please?
The hon. Leader of the Opposition.
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- Nov/1/23 2:57:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I can understand that as the Liberal members watch their Prime Minister in a panicked huddle, in the fetal position, shaking and trembling, they are losing control of themselves. The last few days of carbon tax chaos have been very hard on them, and now their leader is defending them.
The minister says we should let Canadians decide, so why do we not pause the carbon tax on all home heat until the vote, when Canadians will decide whether they want the Prime Minister's plan to hike the 61¢ a litre or my common-sense plan to axe the tax for everyone forever?
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- Nov/1/23 2:58:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there are several things that we as Liberals are united on. We are united on the fact that the Leader of the Opposition is trying to destroy the action that our government is taking on climate change, not only our government but governments across the world that are finally turning the tide. He wants to go back to the time when they were attacking climate action. We are united in the fact that we led the G7 in 2022 in growth, that we are going to be number one again in 2024 and that 64,000 jobs were created in Canada.
Which country would he change places with when he denigrates Canada? What country does he think is better? This is the greatest country in the world, and we will stand up for it.
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- Nov/1/23 2:59:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have someone now auditioning for the job of prime minister. When the cat is away, the mice will play, but we do not need any more of this chaos.
If the NDP would actually do its job and hold the government to account, it would announce today that its members would vote in accordance with the views of the NDP in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and now Manitoba, all of whom agree that people in cold climates, whether it be in Timmins, Kapuskasing or Churchill, should enjoy tax-free heat.
Will they vote to keep the heat on by taking the tax off, or will they once again serve the out-of-touch Prime Minister?
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- Nov/1/23 3:00:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said a number of times, and perhaps the hon. Leader of the Opposition has not heard me, home heating oil is up to four times as expensive as natural gas. It creates challenges with respect to affordability for Canadians.
We have come forward with a plan that applies in every province and territory in this country. It will address that particular issue in a manner that will be affordable and will ensure long-term savings for families, but will do so in a manner that continues the fight against climate change, a fight against climate change that would not happen if he was on the other side of the House.
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- Nov/1/23 3:01:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, a Palestinian refugee camp was bombed by the Israel Defence Forces. We saw lifeless children being pulled out of the rubble. We heard agonizing screams of the worst human suffering.
Palestinians in Gaza are being used as human shields and being bombed for crimes they have not committed. Canada cannot stand by while innocent people die. We must demand a ceasefire and a release of all hostages now.
How can the Prime Minister defend abstaining from the UN's call for a ceasefire?
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- Nov/1/23 3:01:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think every member of this House of Commons is looking at the situation in Gaza and Israel as a crisis that is of proportions that are dire and are causing us to lose sleep at night.
We continue to negotiate the best way possible for hostages to be released. We continue to work at getting humanitarian aid into the area and getting Canadians out. We will continue to monitor the situation even as hearts are breaking.
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- Nov/1/23 3:02:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the media is reporting that members of the Canadian Forces are currently in Israel. Canada cannot participate in this blood bath and in the deaths of innocents.
The Prime Minister is not calling for a ceasefire and is abstaining from the UN's call for a ceasefire.
Can the Prime Minister confirm that no Canadian troops will participate in the war?
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- Nov/1/23 3:03:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to be very clear: We are not providing military assistance to Israel. What we are doing is providing force protection for Canadians and assisting the Canadian embassy in Israel with contingency planning. This is similar to the CANSOFCOM presence and assistance we have provided in other instances, including in Sudan.
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- Nov/1/23 3:03:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government is focused on building a Canada-wide early learning and child care system, but we know that this will not be possible without the hard work of all our early childhood educators. Attracting and retaining educators is critically important, and for too long, their working conditions and compensation have not met the desired standard.
To the minister, what is our government doing to change this situation across the country and in my home province of British Columbia?
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- Nov/1/23 3:04:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, early childhood educators deserve to be well compensated and respected. That is why on Monday, alongside the Province of British Columbia, my colleague, the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, announced a two-dollar-per-hour wage increase for eligible early childhood educators, effective December 1 of this year.
In the first two years, British Columbia has created an additional 10,000 child care spaces, and parents have been saving up to $550 per month per child. This is what happens when governments work together. We can deliver even more for Canadians.
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- Nov/1/23 3:05:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the NDP-Liberal government, Canadians are struggling to eat as well as heat and house themselves, but money from the carbon tax is lining the pockets of Liberal insiders. One government official said that it is “a sponsorship-scandal level...giveaway”.
It is clear that the Prime Minister is not worth the cost when his $1-billion green slush fund already has $40 million under investigation. One insider, Annette Verschuren, is a friend of the Prime Minister. It turns out she is also chair of the board.
Can the Prime Minister stand up and tell us how much his friend received in contracts from his billion-dollar slush fund?
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- Nov/1/23 3:05:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I find it interesting that the Conservative member began his question by talking about the affordability crisis here in Canada but did not end it that way.
Allow me to address the fact that Canadians are struggling right now and that the supports we have put in place are helping them to make ends meet, whether they are supports through our child care program or supports to Canadians who are having a hard time paying their rent or mortgage. We have lifted over 2.3 million Canadians out of poverty since coming into government. These programs work and we will continue to make sure that Canadians benefit from them.
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- Nov/1/23 3:06:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is astounding to hear the member say this program works. This program is under investigation, and $40 million is the subject of gross mismanagement and conflicts of interest in the Prime Minister's billion-dollar green slush fund.
After eight years of the NDP-Liberal government, it is picking Canadians' pockets with the carbon tax and putting it into Liberal insiders' pockets. The Prime Minister clearly is not worth the cost.
His friend is chair of the board. She is receiving contracts. Can the government tell us exactly how much of the money it has taken out of Canadians' pockets he has put into the pocket of his friend?
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