44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 7, 2024 10:00AM
- Jun/7/24 11:16:16 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on May 17 we marked International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. For the occasion, I received a very special report with a reminder that every day in the world, acts of hate are committed against the 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities.
We are never free from brutal regressions. We are now in June, which is Pride Month. Beyond the festive side of things, let us not forget that we need to continue to fight for inclusion and tolerance.
Let us take the opportunity to promote the right to freely love who we want. No one should be oppressed for their sexual orientation. Let us respond with the rainbow flag, but let us not forget to honour those who advance this cause against discrimination.
We need to keep up the fight for equal rights and for a more inclusive future for everyone. Let us seize this opportunity to look at how far we have come and at what remains to be done. I wish everyone a good Pride Month.
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- Jun/7/24 11:17:24 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a new day means a new scandal for the NDP-Liberal government. Shockingly, it does not involve the Prime Minister this time.
Reports show that the Liberal employment minister's company, Global Health Imports, is involved in numerous criminal offences, including fraud, arson and wire fraud. Alberta courts have forced GHI to pay out millions and millions of dollars after losing multiple lawsuits.
However, wait, it gets better. Now leaked text messages implicate the employment minister in a possible violation of federal ethics laws. Let us go through the facts. GHI is a small, fraud-riddled company. The minister owns 50% of it. He was listed as the director of the company for a year after becoming a minister. Texts from the other partner show that the unknown “Randy”, we will call him “other Randy”, was involved in a text message shakedown of a customer for $500,000, which was paid but mysteriously disappeared.
If the story is true, the minister broke the law. He could put all the speculation to rest today by simply revealing the identity of the “other Randy”. Will the minister tell Canadians the truth? Who is the other Randy, and why is he still on the front bench?
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- Jun/7/24 11:18:34 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Madiha, Salman, Yumna and Talat. Three years ago yesterday, the Afzaal family, a peaceful Muslim Canadian family, out for an evening walk, were brutally murdered, with their nine-year-old son as the only survivor. This was an act of terrorism, plain and simple.
They deserved to grow up and to grow old with their family, go to Jum'ah or school, celebrate the holidays and feel safe in their own community. Yumna Afzaal would have graduated from school today, alongside her friends. Instead, because of Islamophobia and hate, she was taken from us.
Since this horrific day, we must reflect on whether we are doing enough to combat anti-Muslim hate in our society. We have to commit to doing more every single day.
Today, we mourn with many in London, Ontario and beyond who lost a friend, a father, a mother, a sister. We remember this beautiful family.
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- Jun/7/24 11:19:56 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, “Boo hoo, get over it” was the NDP-Liberal government's response to serious questions about members of this House co-operating with hostile foreign powers. The Prime Minister was briefed on the threat of foreign interference for years, since at least 2020, and he did nothing. It is time for him to name names listed in the foreign interference report. Who are they?
Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and reveal whether any of his cabinet ministers are on that list?
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Mr. Speaker, Conservative members know what actually happened at committee that day, but when it comes to foreign interference, this is something we take incredibly seriously. It is something we have taken seriously since we formed government, something that unfortunately Mr. Harper's government did not do. We have put in place measures like the NSICOP committee. We are currently debating Bill C-70 at committee, which will bring forward more provisions to help strengthen our democratic institutions.
I hope Conservatives will stop playing political games and instead focus on resilience in our democratic institutions.
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- Jun/7/24 11:21:12 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the surest way to have resilience is to also have transparency. That was not a credible answer. Our sovereignty is at stake. Our first duty is to Canada. There is only one acceptable answer, and it is not to tell Canadians, “Boo hoo, get over it.” That is unserious, unhinged, in fact. It further proves that that corrupt government is unfit to lead this country.
Can someone, anyone over there, stand up and tell Canadians today the names of the MPs working against Canada? We are waiting.
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- Jun/7/24 11:21:53 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that member knows full well that we do not share secret and highly confidential intelligence on the floor of the House of Commons.
I would simply point out the series of measures, beginning with the creation of NSICOP, and the series of other measures that have been put in place by this government over the past years to combat foreign interference, a problem that countries around the world are dealing with. This is a problem that is being confronted extremely seriously by this government and not in a partisan way.
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- Jun/7/24 11:22:27 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are sick of secret meetings and secret outcomes. This is foreign interference at an unprecedented level. Canadians deserve answers and clarity. The corrupt NDP-Liberal government's lack of political courage in the face of hostile foreign actors is a disgrace.
Yesterday, we honoured our D-Day heroes, soldiers who stormed beaches under fire and died for our freedoms. The least we can do to honour them and their memories is to stand up for Canada.
Come clean, release the names, and at least tell us if they are sitting in cabinet.
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- Jun/7/24 11:23:10 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have always taken the issues of foreign interference seriously. This is precisely why we have implemented a number of measures in dealing with this.
What we have also done is ensure that leaders of the opposition, including the leader of the official opposition, are provided the clearance to review all of the documents unredacted, so that he too has clarity on the national security elements of this information. We are not going to politicize this. We are going to ensure that information that is of national security importance is dealt with in a secure manner.
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- Jun/7/24 11:23:54 a.m.
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The foreign influence affair is very serious. The report released by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians is clear. Members of the House of Commons were elected to this place with the support and assistance of a foreign power that is hostile to Canadian interests. People need to know who these individuals are, so it is important to identify them. Until they are identified, a cloud of suspicion will hang over the House. Ultimately it is the Prime Minister who has the power to tell us.
When will he do that?
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- Jun/7/24 11:24:27 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that member knows full well that the government is bound to secrecy and is keeping our key national security secrets. We will continue to do just that. This member has not taken seriously the measures put in place by our government, including the creation of the committee of parliamentarians, which produced the report outlining the situation. Countries around the world are facing this kind of interference. Canada is a leader in fighting this interference. The opposition members need to take this more seriously.
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- Jun/7/24 11:25:07 a.m.
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- Re: Bill C-5
Mr. Speaker, taking this seriously would mean telling us whether any ministers were elected because of foreign interference, yes or no.
Meanwhile, there is also the matter of crime. Over the past nine years under this government, the crime rate has gone up in Canada, particularly in urban centres. In Laval, the crime rate is over 10%. In Montreal, 112,000 offences were committed.
Unfortunately, crime is not going away. The other problem is that criminals can serve their sentence at home, rather than in prison, thanks to Bill C‑5 that was passed. Members will recall, sadly, that the Bloc Québécois supported Bill C‑5.
When will the government take real action to ensure that criminals serve their sentence behind bars rather than at home?
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- Jun/7/24 11:25:54 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member also knows that this government has been cracking down on crime across the country by making substantial reforms.
When it comes to crime, we obviously support our police forces, the provinces and the municipalities, which overall are fully committed to fighting crime, including auto theft.
We will not take any lessons from the Conservative Party when it comes to fighting crime. The Conservatives have no policy on crime, but we do.
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- Jun/7/24 11:26:34 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are being warned that members are working for foreign powers; meanwhile, yesterday in committee a Liberal MP responded to parliamentarians by saying “get over it”. This is in addition to the Deputy Prime Minister who, on Wednesday, refused to answer questions about foreign interference because she preferred to talk about interest rates.
Our democracy is under attack and the Liberals are acting like children. We all have a responsibility to ensure that these MPs, who are not working in the interests of their constituents, are thrown out.
Are the Liberals finally going to take foreign interference seriously?
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- Jun/7/24 11:27:12 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will repeat for the Bloc Québécois and for the member opposite that we have undertaken a series of measures to combat foreign interference. Many countries, including France, the United Kingdom and the United States, are facing situations of foreign interference, which are very well documented.
Canada has introduced a series of very substantial measures in this area, including the creation of a committee of parliamentarians that has studied the issue and is reporting on it. The government will shoulder its responsibilities.
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- Jun/7/24 11:27:50 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as parliamentarians, we simply cannot be content with the measures outlined by the Liberals. The fact that some members are under foreign influence is proof that these measures are not enough. We also cannot be content with simply offloading the problem onto the RCMP. Our hands are tied because scheming in favour of foreign powers does not always involve criminal acts. In any case, it can only be catastrophic for democracy.
Will the Liberals get their act together, do their own investigations and get rid of the disloyal members?
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that the Bloc members on the committee have been working hard and diligently with us, in good faith, on foreign interference. It is disappointing when Conservative mis-characterization of meetings takes place.
What is most important is that we are working hard to ensure that our democratic institutions are resilient and that we are combatting foreign interference. This is not a partisan issue, and it is why we have introduced a number of measures to strengthen our democratic institutions. This includes Bill C-70, which we are working on in committee.
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- Jun/7/24 11:29:11 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the average monthly price for rental housing in Canada hit a record high of $2,202 in May. This is unprecedented. In Montreal, a two-bedroom apartment costs $2,300 a month. It is crazy.
For decades, Liberal and Conservative governments have allowed wealthy developers to use the housing market as a casino, rather than protect the people. Prices are skyrocketing and families are being squeezed.
What will it take for this government to prioritize social and affordable housing rather than developers' profits?
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- Jun/7/24 11:29:47 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. As he is well aware, we made historic investments in the last federal budget. We even announced a new program, the co-op program. It is the best investment in co-operatives in 30 years, precisely to create non-market housing.
We will continue to work with all partners to build more housing, particularly in Montreal.
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- Jun/7/24 11:30:16 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, people in Vancouver Kingsway are really struggling to find a home they can afford. A two-bedroom apartment costs over $3,600 a month, which is the highest cost in the country. The average renter is now spending 60% of their income on rent, or double the recommended amount. This is the result of decades of underfunding by Liberal and Conservative governments. The Liberals are failing to meet this moment, and the Conservatives offer slogans instead of solutions.
When will the Liberals start building the affordable, non-market homes people need and deserve?
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