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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 325

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 5, 2024 02:00PM
  • Jun/5/24 2:29:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is no surprise that the Conservatives do not want to talk about the economy today, but we know that the economy is the issue that most concerns Canadians. That is why I am so glad to share some great news. Today, the Bank of Canada lowered interest rates. Canada is the first country in the G7 where the rates have gone down, and it is thanks to our economically responsible fiscal plan. Our plan is working.
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  • Jun/5/24 2:30:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after nine years of this Prime Minister, and with the support of the Bloc Québécois, Montreal is in a state of chaos, as crime, drugs, and disorder run rampant. Children need police escorts to get to day care. Will the Prime Minister agree to the Conservatives' request to disallow the Criminal Code exemption for supervised injection facilities in order to ban them next to day care centres and schools?
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  • Jun/5/24 2:30:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, once again, it comes as no surprise that the Conservative leader does not want to talk about the economy. We know that the economy is the top concern for Canadians. That is why I am so pleased to share some good news. Today, the Bank of Canada lowered its key interest rate. Canada is the first G7 country to do so.
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  • Jun/5/24 2:31:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, interest rates remain 20 times higher than they were when the member promised they would go down. Remember when she said that the big risk was deflation and low rates? She was exactly wrong then, and she is even more wrong now. Six years ago, I said there was a carbon tax cover-up. The government would not reveal the true cost of its carbon tax. Then the government published information claiming everyone was better off. Now we find out that there is a secret report showing that, with the economic costs considered, the vast majority of Canadians are paying more. Will the government end the gag order, stop the carbon tax cover-up and release the report?
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  • Jun/5/24 2:32:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is really sad and shameful that the Conservatives continue to talk down the Canadian economy and that they are unable to celebrate our great country. The reality is that this has been a great week for Canada. First, the Oilers made it to the Stanley Cup final, and then, today, the Bank of Canada lowered interest rates. Canada is on a roll. Our plan is working.
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  • Jun/5/24 2:32:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government has put the Parliamentary Budget Officer under a gag order. In fact, I have a copy of the gag order right here. This is a letter from the environment minister to the Parliamentary Budget Officer. It says, “the Department is providing...unpublished information. As such, I request you to ensure that this information is used for your office's internal purposes only and is not published or further distributed.” Liberals do not want Canadians to know the true cost of the carbon tax. Why will they not end the gag order, stop the carbon tax cover-up and release this report today?
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  • Jun/5/24 2:33:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the person who seems to be labouring under a gag order is the Conservative leader, and that gag order seems to prevent him from saying anything positive about our amazing country. The fact is that today is a day of really good news. The Bank of Canada has lowered interest rates. Canada is the first G7 country to lower rates. Our government's economically responsible plan has created the conditions that made that possible. Our plan is working.
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  • Jun/5/24 2:34:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the tentacles of foreign interference have extended into the House. The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians has confirmed that members of Parliament are working under the influence of foreign powers in the very heart of our democracy. The committee is bound to secrecy. Political parties are not bound to secrecy, and they are certainly not forbidden from taking action. I do not want to hear a list of what the government has done in the past to deal with foreign interference. Obviously, that has not worked. What is the government going to do today?
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  • Jun/5/24 2:35:06 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-70 
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from La Prairie for his question and for his contribution to the implementation of the Hogue commission. I would also like to thank him, his party and all the other partners for the important work being done today to support Bill C-70, for example. This bill will strengthen our national security institutions and our collective ability to recognize and counter foreign interference. For that, I sincerely thank him.
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  • Jun/5/24 2:35:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is important. The parties need to take the high road. There are members among us who are knowingly or naively working for other countries. That is not nothing. Do they realize how serious that is? I am appealing to the Prime Minister and the leaders of the major political parties. If anyone sitting here with us is under foreign influence instead of the influence of their constituents, they have no business being here and they must leave. What is the government doing to make sure that happens?
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  • Jun/5/24 2:36:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, to me it is a bit surprising that even the Bloc Québécois does not want to talk about the economy. I know that the economy is the key issue for Quebeckers. Today we have good news: the Bank of Canada has decided to lower the key interest rate. That is good for Quebec and good for all of Canada.
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  • Jun/5/24 2:36:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the allegation that there are MPs knowingly working for foreign governments to undermine our democracy is deeply serious. That is why I have requested a classified briefing to get more information. The Prime Minister has known about this since March and has done nothing, and the Conservative leader does not even want to know what is going on and refused this information. Why are these two leaders looking away from foreign interference when it serves them?
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  • Jun/5/24 2:37:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank our colleague, the leader of the NDP, for his important work and the work of his House leader in setting up, for example, the commission led by Justice Hogue. I am very pleased to hear that he is interested, having received, obviously, the appropriate security clearance, in getting all of the confidential information that is behind the important work of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians. Our government created that committee. We appreciate its work. We value its recommendations. We have always acted to put in place strengthened measures when we receive thoughtful analysis, like we did from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, and we will continue to do that important work.
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  • Jun/5/24 2:38:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has known since March and has done nothing. The allegations of MPs receiving help from a foreign government are troubling. The Prime Minister has had this information since March 22 and has done nothing about it, while the Conservative leader does not want to know anything about it. Why are these two leaders content to turn a blind eye to this when they think that foreign interference improves their chances of winning?
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  • Jun/5/24 2:38:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thought that the NDP shared our concerns about the cost of living. That is why I find it surprising that the NDP does not want to discuss the Canadian economy. The reality is that today we have good news. The Bank of Canada has decided to lower the key interest rate. It is our responsible economic plan that created the conditions to make this happen.
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  • Jun/5/24 2:39:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the NSICOP report makes it clear that the Prime Minister was advised, back in 2018, of the national security threats against Parliament from hostile foreign states. He was advised that measures in place at the time were not sufficient. He was advised to take further action. Three times, the senior civil service asked for his approval for action to protect Parliament: in December 2019, in December 2020 and again in February 2022. Three times, the Prime Minister withheld that approval. Why?
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  • Jun/5/24 2:40:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our hon. colleague knows very well that our government was the first government to put in place a series of measures to strengthen our institutions and our democracy from the threat of foreign interference. He knows very well that threat was identified publicly in 2013 in a CSIS report when the Leader of the Opposition was responsible for democratic institutions. The Conservatives did absolutely nothing, so I find it somewhat ironic that my friend would stand in this place and would say that our government, the first government that has acted in this important area and that continues to strengthen these measures, has not done enough.
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  • Jun/5/24 2:40:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the report reveals that parliamentarians, including members of the House, knowingly and wittingly assisted a hostile foreign state in Parliament and in our elections to the detriment of the people of Canada. This is shocking. I cannot believe the following needs to be said. Parliamentarians' duty is not to a foreign state, but to the people of Canada. My question is simple. Will the Prime Minister release the names of these parliamentarians?
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  • Jun/5/24 2:41:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows full well that no responsible government would disclose names involved in specific intelligence situations. It is not entirely accurate of him to claim that a responsible government, one that focuses on the security of Canada and our democratic institutions, would do such a thing. I am glad that there are parliamentarians in the House who have the necessary security clearance to access all the intelligence behind that important committee report. I invite them to have a proper look at it.
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  • Jun/5/24 2:42:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the extent of foreign interference in Canada has been denied, covered up and downplayed. Now, a report by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians has lifted the veil on the culpable indifference of this Prime Minister. This report discloses that parliamentarians, including members of this House, willingly helped hostile foreign countries interfere in this Parliament and in elections, thus working against the interests of Canadians and Canada. This is shocking and unacceptable. Will the Prime Minister, who has the power and, above all, the duty to do this, reveal today the names of his MPs and the facts about their involvement?
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