44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 18, 2024 10:00AM
- Apr/18/24 1:49:40 p.m.
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The hon. member for Mégantic—L'Érable on a point of order.
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- Apr/18/24 1:49:46 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to add that the 90,000 or so units built on the member for Carleton's watch had an average rent of $970 a month.
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- Apr/18/24 1:50:01 p.m.
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That is not a point of order and the hon. member knows it.
The hon. member for Kingston and the Islands.
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- Apr/18/24 1:50:08 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I admire the work that the Conservative member is trying to do to cover up for his leader and to do his dirty work for him. Unfortunately, in the challenging exchange that occurred, the Leader of the Opposition doubled down on his comments.
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- Apr/18/24 1:50:25 p.m.
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The hon. member for Mégantic—L'Érable is rising on a point of order.
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- Apr/18/24 1:50:28 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I just want to remind the House that the leader of the official opposition sought the unanimous consent of the House to table the numbers that he presented—
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- Apr/18/24 1:50:37 p.m.
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That is not a point of order. It is a matter of debate.
The hon. member for Kingston and the Islands.
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- Apr/18/24 1:50:44 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the good news for the member is that I will be asking to unanimously table something as well. The whip and the people in the Conservative lobby better send some people in now, and tell them to say no. I am giving them a heads-up.
The member for Winnipeg North specifically rose on a point of order to call to the attention of the Chair that the Leader of the Opposition was misleading the House. Then the Leader of the Opposition stood up and said the following, basically what we just heard a Conservative member say. He said, “from the Statistics Canada website, which shows that 92,782 apartment units were built.” The Leader of the Opposition acknowledged the fact, when he stood up again later, that he was not actually talking about the affordable homes his government built, he was talking about the total number of apartment starts, all but six that came from private development.
I would probably say that the private sector was building these homes in spite of the previous government, not in line with it objectives. That is a reality of what is going on. Here is the irony behind all of it. The Leader of the Opposition was the housing minister from February until October 2015. I will give him the benefit of the doubt. Let us say that he was the housing minister for all of 2015.
The reason why we know, and where we are getting the number six from when we keep saying that he only built six affordable homes, is from an OPQ. For the people in the gallery and at home, an OPQ is an Order Paper question that can be tabled by a member to get a response from the government.
The OP question, and this was under the previous government, was about the number of units built in 2015. The response was only a total of six. Six total affordable housing units were built in 2015. With the consent of the House, I would respectfully request to table this so the public can see the Order Paper question I am referencing.
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- Apr/18/24 1:53:13 p.m.
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Is there unanimous consent to table the document?
Some hon. members: No.
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- Apr/18/24 1:53:22 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, that is interesting. The Conservative members said “nay” because the Conservatives do not want me to table the Order Paper question. I have good news for the public. This Order Paper question is already tabled. It was a tabled response to the question. The public can go and get it.
We have Conservative members basically applauding the fact that their record, which is on display in that Order Paper question, consisted of building six total affordable houses during their time in government. They are literally applauding their dismal record.
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- Apr/18/24 1:54:12 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I had the joy of listening to my colleague one more time. He spoke about a different speech than the one he was giving, because he did not seem to have much to say about the budget. He only had criticisms of other things that were said on this side of the House about the budget. It is a critique of a critique.
I wonder if there is anything in the budget that the member actually knows about and whether he could speak positively about in the House of Commons.
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- Apr/18/24 1:54:49 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would ask the member to please go back and review the first four minutes of my speech. It seems that he did not actually listen like he said did. Apparently the Conservatives only listen to the parts when I start to critique them. I spent four minutes talking about the national school food program that would be introduced and how not only did I applaud the government for doing this, but I applauded the local champions in my community. They went from school to school to get people to sign multiple petitions, which I presented in the House.
I am very proud of the fact that our government is bringing in, for the first time ever, a national school food program to help kids get an early start in life.
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- Apr/18/24 1:55:42 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I commend the efforts around the House to try to win the game, but fortunately the Bloc Québécois is here. I hope that there will be even more of us here after the next election, in the next Parliament, in order to control the different extremes on these two sides of the House.
Now, I would like to address my colleague. We are going to have to redefine affordable housing because in the budget we have just been given, I see that, once again, there is nothing, zero, nada, for seniors. For those who are poor and have not gotten significant indexing of the old age security pension in 15 years, they are practically going to need to be given affordable housing. Seniors no longer have anything to live on and they are unable to adapt. They either need to be housed or they need to be fed.
I would like my colleague to talk to us about our seniors in the context of this budget.
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- Apr/18/24 1:56:53 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, affordable housing has a huge spectrum. It can be anything from somebody's rent that is geared to their income right up to helping people get into home ownership. Affordable housing is everything between those two points. Of course, we cannot focus on just one side or the other side. We have to ensure we are helping the entire spectrum of affordable housing.
We have introduced a number of programs, like our national housing plan. We have introduced measures to assist younger individuals getting into home ownership. At the same time, we are building housing. I can name 12 projects in my riding alone, like on Cliff Crescent, Princess Street, Curtis Crescent and Wright Crescent. I will name the rest, if I have time. The point is that this federal government has been there to build housing.
I was mayor in Kingston and a city councillor during the time that Stephen Harper was the prime minister. Members do not have to take my word for it that the Conservatives built nothing; there was an Order Paper question that I tried to table today. It asked what the Leader of the Opposition did when he was housing minister. He was not building housing.
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- Apr/18/24 1:58:26 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, could the member expand on how the leader of the official opposition in particular tends to want to mislead Canadians, especially when it comes to social media?
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- Apr/18/24 1:58:42 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I outlined this very clearly. We had an example earlier today, during this budget deliberation, when the member for Carleton, the Leader of the Opposition, specifically tried to mislead the House. He said, “If [the member] wants to know how many affordable homes were built when I was the minister, we completed 92,782 apartments.” He did not do that. Those were housing starts throughout the entire country, housing starts that were built by developers in spite of his government, not with his government's policies.
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- Apr/18/24 1:59:37 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I rise in the House of Commons today to celebrate National Volunteer Week, which started on April 14.
In my riding of Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, volunteers play a pivotal role in empowering their neighbours and communities and supporting those in need.
This week in Cherry Brook, the Africadian Empowerment Academy is celebrating 10 years of advocacy for local African Nova Scotians. The Cobequid Food Security Network was recently established as a coalition of volunteers working together to eliminate food insecurity within their communities.
I always say that while governments can help by carving out some funds, it is the people on the ground who make the real difference. For the volunteers in Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook and across Canada, I thank them for their stewardship and generosity toward helping our communities.
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- Apr/18/24 2:00:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last month, we lost a giant of Canadian rock and roll. Cornelis van Sprang, better known to his fans as Ronnie King, bass player of the Stampeders, passed away in Calgary at age 76.
Ronnie co-founded the Stampeders in 1966 and they built an audience of dedicated fans with hits like Carry Me, Wild Eyes, Oh My Lady, and especially their iconic, international 1971 hit, Sweet City Woman.
Northwest Calgary is home to many of Ronnie’s friends and family members, and I offer them my deepest condolences, including to Cindy and Zoe van Sprang.
He loved playing music, and was willing to jam with neighbours and friends, including the local member of Parliament. He was always looking forward to the Stampeders’ next tour, including and up to his final illness.
This year, it is the Stampeders' “Rock in Memory of Ronnie King” tour, and it played in Ottawa on Tuesday night. May Ronnie rest in peace; the music lives on.
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- Apr/18/24 2:01:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this week, I welcomed two of my firefighting friends to Ottawa: Tim Sparks and Jeff Jeff Voisin from the Richmond Hill Fire Services.
We discussed matters of concern for firefighters across Canada, such as the risk of PFAS exposure and contamination in their gear, and the need for frequent and routine cancer screenings. We explored solutions and innovations being deployed, such as the Vancouver-led, PFAS-free moisture barrier in firefighters' gear certified by the National Fire Protection Association.
We are determined to work with industry to respond to these health concerns, but we need co-operation between provincial and municipal governments, and our government, to ensure that we take care of the firefighters who take care of us.
I thank Tim and Jeff, deputy chief Rocco Volpe of Central York Fire Services, chief Bryan Burbridge of Richmond Hill Fire Services, and all the firefighters across Canada for their service.
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- Apr/18/24 2:02:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Cheer National Championships took place last weekend.
Over 8,000 athletes from across Canada gathered in Niagara Falls to compete for the title of best Canadian team. As the parent of a young athlete named Ophélie, I have to say that I was very proud.
Every time I have a chance to attend these competitions, I am impressed by the talent and determination of these athletes who push their limits and overcome obstacles and even sometimes injuries. The team members are as synchronized as a metronome during their outstanding routines.
I am even more proud to be able to say that my daughter's team, Furious Pack, won third place at the largest cheer competition in Canada. The team outdid itself under the supervision of two passionate coaches, Geneviève Laurin and Alex Côté.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the outstanding performances of the Coyotes family: the Feral Pack, the Cruel Pack and the Savage Pack, which brought home the bronze medal at the prestigious Canadian Finals.
Congratulations to the Coyotes. We are very proud of them.
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