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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 338

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
September 18, 2024 02:00PM
Context: House Hansard - 338 - Sep/18/24
Mr. Mark Gerretsen (Kingston and the Islands, Lib.)
  • Sep/18/24 2:59:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice revealed that Russia is funnelling money to Conservative media figures to push its far-right propaganda. This is a clear threat to our democracy and Canada's national security, yet the leader of the Conservative Party— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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The Speaker
  • Sep/18/24 3:00:12 p.m.
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I would ask all hon. members, on both sides of the House, to please not speak out of turn so that we can hear the question that is being asked. I would invite the hon. member for Kingston and the Islands to start from the top so that the Speaker can hear the question. I would ask all other members to please hold their comments.
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Mr. Mark Gerretsen
  • Sep/18/24 3:00:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice revealed that Russia is funnelling money to Conservative media figures to push a far-right propaganda. This is a clear threat to our democracy and Canada's national security, yet the leader of the Conservative Party is directing his MPs to block the public safety committee's study on this real issue. Could the Prime Minister tell the House what our government is doing to protect Canadians from this very real threat of foreign interference?
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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)
  • Sep/18/24 3:01:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Kingston and the Islands for his advocacy on this unbelievably important issue. It is extremely alarming that Russia is pushing its propaganda in our democracy, but it is even more appalling that it is using far-right Canadian Conservative influencers to divide Canadians. We must all stand against this. I call on all parties, including the Conservative Party of Canada, to stand up to investigate these allegations and follow up on them. Let it get through committee.
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Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)
  • Sep/18/24 3:02:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister, housing costs have doubled. He said he was going to create a $4-billion fund to give to cities to speed up home building. He gave Toronto city hall a half a billion. What did it do? It hiked building taxes by 42%. He gave Ottawa city hall $200 million so that it could hike taxes by 11%. He gave Mississauga city hall $113 million so it could hike taxes by 22%. Why does the Prime Minister keep funding bloated local government gatekeepers that block housing rather than building the homes?
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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)
  • Sep/18/24 3:03:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us not take any lessons from that failed Harper housing minister, who did not get anything built while he was on the job. We are going to continue to do what he did not, which is working with cities, working with provinces and territories, and working with non-profits to get homes built.
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Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)
  • Sep/18/24 3:03:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, they are not being built. In fact, housing construction is down, way down. The Prime Minister should take lessons from everyone because, after nine years in power, he has the worst housing inflation in Canadian history and by far the worst housing inflation in the G7, and now he is bloating up the same bureaucracies that have given us the slowest building permits in the G7. Why will the Prime Minister not follow my common-sense plan to link federal dollars to housing completions to incentivize local governments to speed up permits, free up land and actually cut building taxes?
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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)
  • Sep/18/24 3:04:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition's so-called housing plan was universally panned by experts, which is why it failed in the House of Commons. The reality is that we have been working with premiers, working with municipalities and working with non-profits to turn the ship around, which he neglected when he was the so-called housing minister. The reality is that we are delivering for Canadians. We have a lot more work to do, and the Leader of the Opposition's slogans and divisive attacks are not going to get any homes built for anyone.
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Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)
  • Sep/18/24 3:05:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when I was housing minister, the average home price was $450,000. The rent was $950 for a one-bedroom unit and $1,100 for a two-bedroom unit. It has now doubled to over $2,000. As well, we built almost 200,000 homes at rock-bottom, low prices. Now, fast-forward a decade, and 28% of Canadians told a RE/MAX survey that they are considering leaving the country because of housing inflation doubling under the Prime Minister. Why does he not get his gatekeepers out of the way and follow my common-sense plan to build the homes?
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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)
  • Sep/18/24 3:05:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, like so many of his plans, his plan consists entirely of slogans and personal attacks on me, on mayors and on Canadians who are working to get things done. We are investing. We are in partnership with municipalities to change zoning laws, to invest in public lands and to support non-profits to build more units. I was just in Vancouver meeting with the extraordinary folks of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation who are delivering a unit that a young woman can now live in and afford because of investments this federal government has delivered. We are going to be there for Canadians, while the Leader of the Opposition is there for himself.
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Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)
  • Sep/18/24 3:06:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last week, a woman was stabbed near the La Maison Benoît Labre hard drug injection site, next to an elementary school. This tragedy could have been avoided if the Prime Minister had agreed to my request about three months ago to close the hard drug injection site and invest in treatment for drug addiction. Will the Prime Minister finally close this hard drug injection site next to a school?
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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)
  • Sep/18/24 3:07:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, all Canadians deserve to live in safe communities, and that is a responsibility we will always take seriously. Taking this type of challenge seriously means listening to experts and those working on the front lines to address the challenge of opioids and toxic drugs in order to help people get through times like these. Yes, we need to invest in helping these people. We also need to invest in ways to protect Canadians. We will base our decisions on science and evidence, not on ideology and politics.
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Mr. Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil—Chambly, BQ)
  • Sep/18/24 3:08:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like the Prime Minister to remind me of the dates when he held a seat in the Quebec National Assembly. I was not around for that. That being said, if he and all the parties here want to fight Islamophobia and polarization, they should consider passing the bill introduced by the Bloc Québécois, which prohibits or puts an end to the religious exception and religious pretexts when it comes to hate propaganda and inciting violence. Will the Prime Minister do that before he is sent packing?
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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)
  • Sep/18/24 3:08:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Bloc Québécois is doubling down. The reality is that he just very clearly stated that federal MPs from Quebec have less legitimacy than members of the Quebec National Assembly. That leads me to wonder what the hell the members of the Bloc Québécois are doing here if they have no legitimacy to speak for Quebec?
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The Speaker
  • Sep/18/24 3:09:15 p.m.
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I would ask the Prime Minister to withdraw the word that is not parliamentary and use other words to express his opinion. He has 10 seconds left to respond.
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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau
  • Sep/18/24 3:09:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are very clear. We are here to defend the interests of Quebec in Ottawa, at the federal level. I am not sure what he is doing here if he does not believe he has the legitimacy to speak for Quebec.
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The Speaker
  • Sep/18/24 3:09:58 p.m.
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Before we go on, we must settle an important matter. I asked the Prime Minister to withdraw the word that was unparliamentary.
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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau
  • Sep/18/24 3:10:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I withdraw the bad word. Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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The Speaker
  • Sep/18/24 3:10:13 p.m.
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The hon. Prime Minister wishes to add something.
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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau
  • Sep/18/24 3:10:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it was not a bad word. It was a different word, but I withdraw it too.
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