44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 4, 2022 02:00PM
- May/4/22 2:20:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the month of May is MS Awareness Month, and today is carnation day. Every day in Canada, another 12 people are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, so I want to speak to those 12 people today. A diagnosis is not the end of life as we know it. There are many people and families all across Canada who are going through, and have gone through, what those diagnosed are dealing with here today. They are not alone on this journey.
It was only a short year ago that my wife received her official MS diagnosis. I know the emotions of the day run high, but thanks to improvements in detection and treatment, my wife is working every day and continues to be the amazing wife and mother she has always been. She is not letting MS define who she is or limit her in what she can or cannot do.
In conclusion, we do not know how strong we are until being strong is all we have left.
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- May/4/22 2:21:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise today to acknowledge an innovator in indigenous education and Cape Breton’s most recent recipient of the Order of Canada.
Dr. Marie Battiste is a renowned indigenous educator, author and advocate. Dr. Battiste was the first Mi’kmaw to obtain her Ph.D. from Stanford after completing her masters in education at Harvard. Her academic career has spanned over 30 years, and she is the author of books on decolonizing education, indigenous knowledge, indigenous humanities and Mi’kmaw treaties. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and has received four honorary doctorate degrees, as well as a National Aboriginal Achievement Award in Education in 2008.
Today, Dr. Battiste continues her important work at Cape Breton University, as well as being a knowledge-holder, a grandmother, a wife and also the mother of this very proud member of Parliament.
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- May/4/22 2:22:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us try to have a conversation with the Prime Minister. Maybe this time, we will get the answers that Canadians deserve.
In our justice system and in criminal cases, no matter when the crime was committed, once facts are reported to police, charges can be laid against the alleged criminal. Whether we are talking about sexual, economic or violent crimes, time does not forgive.
Does the Prime Minister agree with me?
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- May/4/22 2:23:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, once again we see the Conservative Party engaging in an act of political theatre on a matter that was dealt with years ago.
Conservatives will stop at nothing to distract from their support of the illegal protests that cost our economy dearly, put people out of work and made many people feel unsafe in their own communities.
Instead, let us talk about the real things that matter to Canadians, from the cost of living to Putin's illegal war in Ukraine. Those are the issues that this government is focusing on, while the Conservatives focus on me.
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- May/4/22 2:23:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I asked a simple question about justice in Canada. It concerns all Canadians.
The Prime Minister himself has often condemned the conduct of past governments, and rightly so. He himself has acknowledged that no one can escape from things they did in the past simply because enough time has passed.
My question to the Prime Minister is simple. Should the RCMP investigate criminal cases that are, say, six years old, when new facts are reported to them?
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- May/4/22 2:24:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the RCMP will always do its job.
It is interesting to see how determined the Conservatives are to avoid taking about the economy, about housing and about the budget we tabled just a few weeks ago. They are still blocking the economic statement we tabled last fall. Despite the concerns being voiced right now by women across the country, they do not even want to talk about women's rights. They do not want to talk about anything.
The Conservatives just want to engage in personal attacks, but that is not what Canadians care about.
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- May/4/22 2:25:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we know the Prime Minister is in trouble when he starts bringing up those things.
Every MP in the House is inundated with calls from constituents because this government is not functional anymore. There are incredible delays everywhere: at Immigration, for passports, at the Canada Revenue Agency, and with employment insurance.
Even public servants are recommending that people contact their MP. That says a lot.
Does the Prime Minister not think it is time to end the federal health measures and bring federal employees back to their offices to do their work and serve the public?
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- May/4/22 2:25:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, for the two years of the pandemic, we did everything we could to keep Canadians safe.
The vast majority of Canadians co‑operated. Canada's vaccination rate is higher than that of many other countries—not in the Conservative caucus, but across the country. We saw a tremendous amount of people doing the right things.
We will continue to be guided by the science and by the best recommendations of experts to keep Canadians safe. That is exactly what we will continue to do, while giving Canadians much-needed services, of course.
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- May/4/22 2:26:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, surely the Prime Minister knows that vaccinated Canadians are on planes with unvaccinated international travellers here. Surely he knows that Italy, Greece, the U.K., Denmark and many other countries have no more travel restrictions and no more mandates. There, families have been reunited, workers are back to work and everyone can travel.
In Canada, the government does not trust Canadians. Why?
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- May/4/22 2:26:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, we have seen over the past couple of years that Canadians stepped up incredibly to be there for each other, to get vaccinated, to wear masks and to keep each other safe. That strength of response is why we have not only had less impact from the pandemic than many other countries, but our economic recovery has come back so much stronger than many other countries'. That is why we are going to continue to be informed by experts on how to keep Canadians safe.
Even as variants continue to evolve, we will evolve in our measures to keep Canadians safe.
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- May/4/22 2:27:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, divide and stigmatize, rinse and repeat. Which experts is the Prime Minister listening to, what is the specific advice, what year is the advice from and why is the advice different in Canada than in the rest of the world? It is all secrets.
Canadians want to know this: When will the government end the outdated, ineffective and vindictive mandates?
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- May/4/22 2:27:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we see the Conservative Party talking an awful lot about divisions among Canadians, but that has not been the experience of most Canadians, over 90% of whom stepped up to get vaccinated, and who demonstrated every step of the way that they were there for their neighbours, that they were—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- May/4/22 2:28:18 p.m.
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Order. Hold on a second.
Again, as I have said, talk to your whips and get on the list for question period. I am more than happy to have other questions asked in the House of Commons.
The hon. member for Beloeil—Chambly.
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- May/4/22 2:28:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last week, with the Prime Minister present, journalists asked Quebec's premier if he was still going to demand—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
Mr. Yves-François Blanchet: Mr. Speaker, I cannot continue so could you take care of this first?
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- May/4/22 2:28:50 p.m.
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Apparently, I interrupted the Prime Minister, who had not finished answering the question. I thought he had.
Some hon. members: No.
The Deputy Speaker: In that case, before giving the floor back to the member for Beloeil—Chambly, we will go back to the Prime Minister, so he can finish answering the question from the member for Thornhill.
The hon. Prime Minister.
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- May/4/22 2:29:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, like I said, the Conservatives never miss an opportunity to try to pretend that Canadians are divided, when in fact Canadians were united, from 90% vaccination rates, to pulling together for their neighbours, to following public health rules, to being there for each other.
That is why Canada pulled through better than many countries from this pandemic and why our economy is coming back so strongly. That is why we will continue to listen to experts. That is why we will continue to have Canadians' backs.
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- May/4/22 2:29:43 p.m.
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The member for Beloeil—Chambly can now ask his question.
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- May/4/22 2:29:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last week, with the Prime Minister of Canada present, journalists asked Quebec's premier if he was still standing firm on his immigration demands, essentially for the sake of consistency, whether with respect to social services, education, francization or the labour shortage, and thus ensure that Quebec manages everything, except for security matters.
The Premier of Quebec said yes. When the Prime Minister of Canada was then asked what he thought, he simply answered no. Then the government questioned Quebec's immigration targets and levels.
Is Ottawa attempting to challenge the authority of Quebec and impose its own immigration levels?
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- May/4/22 2:30:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is not at all the case. We recognize that under the Canada-Quebec accord Quebec can choose to accept up to 28% of new permanent residents who arrive in Canada every year.
We will always work with Quebec to achieve its immigration targets, and we will be there if it wants to increase its immigration levels to ensure that Quebec welcomes its fair share of new arrivals.
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- May/4/22 2:31:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, will they be there if Quebec wants it, or only if Quebec wants it?
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship made it clear that the federal government does not think Quebec is taking in enough immigrants. However, the federal system has been backlogged for so many years that there have been files waiting to be processed since 2009.
This government seems to want to impose targets beyond the numbers we are able to integrate, willingly and knowingly, in spite of its own failures. Should Quebec simply stop talking to Ottawa and take care of its own affairs?
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