44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 26, 2024 11:00AM
- Feb/26/24 3:04:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals seem intent on pointing fingers at public servants, but it is inconceivable that a cost overrun of this magnitude was not flagged. It is inconceivable that no one warned the government of the potential embarrassment. The Prime Minister and cabinet must have been alerted to this situation, yet they continued to spend Quebeckers' and Canadians' money like compulsive shoppers.
Was there no reasonable person in this government who said, “Wait a minute, enough already”, or were they all hoping that no one would notice?
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- Feb/26/24 3:04:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I basically answered that question before. What I would add, however, is the importance and value of the Auditor General's work. She deserves not only our thanks, but also our encouragement in performing her work. She plays an essential role in our democracy, because Parliament and parliamentarians rely on her efforts to force governments to do the right thing and ensure that all public servants follow the rules.
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- Feb/26/24 3:05:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years, Canadians know that the NDP-Liberal government is not worth the cost or the corruption. With the help of the NDP, the Liberals gave at least $20 million to a two-person company during the arrive scam scandal for no work done, and Canadians want their money back.
Meanwhile, the Auditor General found a stark absence of documentation. Reports now show that tens of thousands of emails were illegally deleted.
Will the Prime Minister and his NDP partners who are responsible for this scandal stand up and tell us when they will release the documents that are missing?
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- Feb/26/24 3:06:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, while the Conservatives want to pretend that this is an issue that the government does not take seriously, we do. We are very concerned about these documents. That is precisely why we support the Information Commissioner's decision to review this matter. CBSA has already indicated that it will work with the Information Commissioner on providing any information it has.
As I have said before, we want to get to the bottom of this and any wrongdoing will come with consequences.
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- Feb/26/24 3:07:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have a very simple question. When will the government release the Winnipeg lab documents to the House?
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- Feb/26/24 3:07:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the short answer is imminently. It is going to happen right away.
I want to thank all parties, because it is through co-operation and working together, the mechanism that we set forth. Remember that it is the Public Health Agency of Canada that makes decisions around redactions. We set forward a collaborative process that all parties participated in. As a result of that, this is exactly why additional information will be deposed before the House, and that additional information was exactly the intention in setting up that committee. That means Canadians will have additional views on the information therein.
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- Feb/26/24 3:07:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the four MPs on the Winnipeg lab committee found that most of the information the government withheld from Parliament was withheld to shield the Prime Minister and ministers from embarrassment rather than to protect national security. These four MPs, including a Liberal member, recommended that the majority of the information withheld by the government be made public.
Will the government finally admit that its decision to withhold documents from Parliament was not to protect national security, but rather to protect itself from political embarrassment?
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- Feb/26/24 3:08:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member across knows very well that it is the Public Health Agency of Canada, not the Government of Canada, that makes the decision with respect to redactions. Those decisions have to do with national security and also with the protection of employees. What we said, and, by the way, what was initiated by this government, was that there were questions that parliamentarians had, wishing to see additional information.
I would remind us that the Conservatives did not want to participate in this process. They actually were against participating in the process that produced the documents. It was the NDP, then the Bloc and then the Conservatives who all participated. That is exactly why this information is—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Feb/26/24 3:09:07 p.m.
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Order. I would ask the member for Ajax and the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan to please take their conversation outside of the chamber or ask questions and receive responses.
The hon. member for Laval—Les Îles.
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- Feb/26/24 3:09:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, during the pandemic, we reached a historic agreement with Moderna to create life-saving vaccines in Laval.
Can the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry tell us how the work on this facility is progressing and what it means for jobs, growth and the success of Canada's biomanufacturing sector?
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- Feb/26/24 3:10:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Laval—Les Îles and all my colleagues from Laval.
On Friday, I joined my colleagues to celebrate the completion of construction on Moderna's state-of-the-art plant. It is located here in Canada and will be able to manufacture 100 million vaccines to protect the health and safety of Canadians. I was joined there by the Minister of Health and the Minister of Public Services and Procurement.
This is great news for Laval and the Montreal area, great news for research and great news for maintaining Canada's position as a world leader in life sciences.
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- Feb/26/24 3:11:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in the Chaudière-Appalaches region, a violent crime wave is stirring up strong emotions and feelings of insecurity.
These crimes confirm the alarming increase in violence in this country, which, under this government, has seen a 39% increase in violent crime and a 61% increase in assaults with a weapon or causing bodily harm. That is the sorry track record after eight years of this Prime Minister.
When will he reverse his soft-on-crime policies and send criminals to prison where they belong?
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from my colleague across the way.
I want all Canadians watching us right now to know that crime in our communities is a priority for every parliamentarian in the House.
That being said, with Bill C‑48, which was just enacted two months ago and deals with bail, we focused specifically on the most violent offenders who used a firearm in the commission of their crime. We are aiming for a situation where these individuals will stay in prison.
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- Feb/26/24 3:12:30 p.m.
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- Re: Bill C-5
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government's policies let violent criminals serve their sentences in the comfort of their living rooms, thanks to Bill C‑5, which the Bloc Québécois supported.
Another consequence of this slipshod legislation has made the news: A former police officer who lured a teenage girl is serving his sentence at home. That is unacceptable given that sexual violence is up 71%.
What does the Prime Minister have to say to the victim who had the courage to speak out and is seeing her attacker get a slap on the wrist?
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- Feb/26/24 3:13:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, violent and sexual crimes have been a top priority for our government since we came to power.
We have addressed intimate partner violence a number of times in our own bills in terms of bail and other sentences.
When it comes to mandatory minimum sentences, however, we are at the complete opposite end of the spectrum from the Conservative Party. To deal with indigenous and Black overrepresentation in our prisons, in our justice systems, we have to focus on the actual sentences.
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- Feb/26/24 3:13:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, common-sense Conservatives will stop the crime that the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister has unleashed on our streets for eight years. Instead of enforcing the law and stopping crime, he is going after law-abiding sport shooters and hunters.
Machine guns have been illegal in Canada since the 1970s, but last week, caught on video, violent attackers with machine guns opened fire at a home in small city White Rock.
Why does the Prime Minister prioritize billions of dollars going after hunters and lawful gun owners instead of the real criminals?
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- Feb/26/24 3:14:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government has been steadfast and focused when it comes to going after serious criminals, something the Conservatives cannot actually talk about. As they yell out, it would be interesting for Canadians to know that during their time in office, they cut 600 RCMP employees from being able to operate across the country.
The so-called “common-sense Conservatives” means cuts to policing. We are cleaning up the mess they created.
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- Feb/26/24 3:15:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, investments in infrastructure like roads, highways and bridges are crucial for our supply chains, local economies and traditional industries, commuters and all Canadians.
Last week, our government, along with the Province of Prince Edward Island, invested over $21 million to improve local roads, benefiting islanders and building on significant infrastructure investments.
Could the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities share with the House the government's policy on projects like this and how they benefit rural communities?
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- Feb/26/24 3:15:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for his advocacy to get roads built in his community.
This announcement, worth more than $21 million, is going to help build or improve 149 kilometres of road on the island. We continue to fund different road supports across programs, whether it is the Canada community-building fund, the disaster mitigation and adaptation fund, the national trade corridors fund or the investing in Canada infrastructure plan, which included specifically eligibility for rural roads.
We have programs in Calgary, in my own constituency in Nova Scotia and on the island. We are going to keep doing what it takes to put people to work in good-paying jobs that build communities.
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- Feb/26/24 3:16:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians across the country are struggling with the rising cost of food, and it is even worse in northern and indigenous communities, where the lack of competition has allowed NorthMart, often the only option, to jack up the cost of food without consequence.
The Liberals are choosing to stand with wealthy CEOs instead of helping families afford food. In addition to competition, first nations like Garden Hill need reliable all-weather roads to be able to bring in food and supplies.
When will the Liberals stop subsidizing CEO profits, take on the grocery giants and stand up for northerners?
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