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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 271

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
January 30, 2024 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 271 - Jan/30/24
Mr. Francesco Sorbara
  • Jan/30/24 4:34:03 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-59 
Madam Speaker, it is very important for our government to help Canadians across the country deal with the affordability issues caused by rising prices. However, we see prices coming down and relief on the inflation front, which is important. We put in place prime measures, whether it is the Canada child benefit, early learning and day care, the Canada workers benefit, middle-income tax cuts, work on the housing front, the $4-billion housing accelerator program or the $4 billion for housing in rural and indigenous communities in the north or northern Quebec and those areas. Those funds are directed specifically to those areas. I hope I answered the member's question.
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Context: House Hansard - 271 - Jan/30/24
Mr. Damien Kurek (Battle River—Crowfoot, CPC)
  • Jan/30/24 6:39:50 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, as always it is an honour to be able to rise and address such important issues in this place, in particular in relation to the question I asked the Prime Minister on November 23, 2023, which specifically had to do with what has come to be known as the green slush fund. We have heard from high-level whistle-blowers and bureaucrats, those involved, who have said that this is a sponsorship-level type of scandal. For those who may not be familiar with that specific scandal, because it was about two decades ago, millions of dollars were funnelled into Quebec. Specifically, public funds were misappropriated for the benefit of a few Liberal elites and those who were closely connected. However, since November 23, we have a growing laundry list. In fact, I was looking at the list of the Prime Minister's scandals and those of his government. The list of scandals is long; there are dozens and dozens since he became Prime Minister. Even since November 23, we see a growing list. Most recently, there was the $80,000-plus holiday, a free gift given by a so-called friend of the Trudeau family. The Prime Minister did not have any concerns like any other Canadian, and went to stay at an $80,000 luxury resort. Certainly, the Canadians I know do not have friends who own $80,000-per-week luxury resorts. We have seen the smackdown in the courts of the Emergencies Act, a calling-out of unbelievable proportions, showing that the government was completely wrong in its application of the criteria required to take away the rights of Canadians, yet it did it anyway. It was another unbelievable scandal, and this is just since November 23. The list of scandals has grown. We see more information related to the arrive scam app. It was recently revealed that there was fraudulent activity that continues to force us to ask questions about where the money went and who got rich. We see that the pattern of poor judgment speaks to something that erodes trust in the institutions of government because it is a very serious issue. It is something that will have to be grappled with not only today but also for decades to come, as current and future parliamentarians wrestle with the fact that the Prime Minister and the Liberals were so irresponsible with the trust granted to them to govern our country. What I have heard from so many constituents, and what Conservatives have heard across the country, is that while the Liberals are living high at luxury resorts, playing loose with the public purse, Canadians are suffering, visiting food banks in record numbers, seeing the cost of housing become unaffordable and, in some cases, losing their home. When a senior goes to the checkout and is forced, incredibly embarrassingly, to put items back or ask the cashier to not ring them through because they cannot afford them, the reality Canadians are facing could not be more dire. Nonetheless, the scandal-plagued Liberals are so out of touch that they have ignored the reality Canadians are facing, while they and their buddies get rich. Canadians deserve better.
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