44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 30, 2022 11:00AM
- May/30/22 2:24:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have no lessons to learn from the Conservatives when it comes to helping the most vulnerable Canadians.
We brought in the Canada child benefit, which is indexed to inflation and has helped to lift nearly 300,000 children out of poverty. It was our government that increased the guaranteed income supplement, which is also indexed to inflation and has helped more than 900,000 seniors.
We have helped the most vulnerable and we will continue to do so.
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- May/30/22 2:25:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia are all acting on high gas prices. Even Germany slashed its fuel tax by $16 billion. Our Canadian government did zip, zero, nothing, nada.
The Conservatives proposed exempting GST from fuel to give Canadians a break at the pumps, but the speNDP-Liberals voted against it. Will the Prime Minister take a cue from other G7 leaders and start acting on high gas prices, or is the only acting he enjoys these days playing the Prime Minister on TV?
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- May/30/22 2:26:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we understand that inflation is a global phenomenon. We understand that it is very much driven today by Putin's illegal war in Ukraine. That is why we are so active on that issue.
However, we also understand that it is causing real hardship for Canadian families, and that is why our government has acted. We created the CCB, which is indexed to inflation, and now a single mother with two children will receive up to $13,666 from this benefit. OAS, indexed to inflation, is going up by 10% this year. Of course, there is also early learning and child care.
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- May/30/22 2:26:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, more recycled talking points are not going to help people on low income due to inflation. Nearly half of all Canadians say that skyrocketing grocery bills are making it impossible to feed their families, and food banks are at a breaking point. Economists say inflation started in meat products, but now it has broadened to the most common food items due to rising gas prices.
Will the speNDP-Liberals cut taxes at the pumps to help curb grocery inflation, or was it their plan all along to simply pass on the burden to food banks?
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- May/30/22 2:27:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the most vulnerable Canadians, precisely the people who need to rely on food banks, we will take absolutely no lessons from the Conservatives when it comes to supporting them.
In 2015, when we formed government, more than 5.1 million Canadians lived in poverty. In 2019, the last year for which we have figures, that number had dropped to below 3.8 million. We have programs indexed to inflation supporting the most vulnerable, and there is more support in the budget.
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- May/30/22 2:28:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the cat is out of the bag. The Liberals have finally announced their intention to challenge Quebec's Bill 21 when it reaches the Supreme Court of Canada. They are in such a hurry to do so that they have announced their intention even though the matter is not yet before the court. They are out of control. As the Premier of Quebec said, “This is a blatant lack of respect...for Quebeckers”.
Bill 21, the state secularism bill, was passed by a majority of the members of Quebec's National Assembly, who represent a majority of Quebeckers. What part of the concept of democracy does this government not understand?
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- May/30/22 2:28:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, from the start, we have made it clear that we have concerns about the pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause in the Constitution. We have made that clear from the start.
I said so clearly the other day when I announced our intention to go to the Supreme Court of Canada if the Court of Appeal's decision were appealed. It is very important to ensure respect for democracy and look at legal jurisdiction and the Constitution. We have concerns relating to section 33 of the Constitution, and we will defend Canadians' rights.
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- May/30/22 2:29:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I hope he is embarrassed.
The Liberals like to accuse the Bloc Québécois of picking fights, and yet just last week, they were quick to launch a full-blown attack on Bill 21 on secularism, for one thing. Second, they also suggested they will challenge Bill 96, which is meant to protect the French language. Third, they refused all of Quebec's requests to better manage its own immigration. Each of those represents a slap in the face to democracy in Quebec. That is what they did.
The Liberals want to stop Quebec from protecting its secular, francophone society. They want to stop Quebec MNAs from doing what Quebeckers want them to do.
Who is the one really picking a fight here?
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- May/30/22 2:30:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am a Quebecker. Quebeckers from various sectors, including anglophones, francophones, legal experts, doctors and other players in the health sector, have all expressed concerns about Bill 96. As we have said, we will be following the legislation's implementation to see whether it violates the constitutional rights of Canadians. That is not an insult. We are simply carrying out our duty.
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- May/30/22 2:30:49 p.m.
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Order. I would like to point out that we enjoy vigorous debate, but not fighting.
The hon. member for New Westminster—Burnaby.
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- May/30/22 2:30:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it has been seven years since Justice Deschamps made specific recommendations on how the government could address sexual misconduct and harassment in the Canadian Armed Forces. Her report has been gathering dust on a shelf for seven years while the government has been doing nothing. Meanwhile, the government's failure to act continues to have devastating consequences for women in the military. Today, Justice Arbour tabled a new report on the situation.
How long will it take for the government to act and implement these recommendations?
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- May/30/22 2:31:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Arbour for her detailed report, which will be the cornerstone of our efforts. I accepted the report in its entirety. I spoke with the Prime Minister this morning, and we completely agree with the important issues raised by Ms. Arbour.
My priority is to build an institution where everyone is safe, protected and respected at work.
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- May/30/22 2:32:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it has been seven years since Justice Deschamps provided specific recommendations on how the government could address sexual misconduct and harassment in the Canadian Armed Forces. In those seven years, we saw brave women come forward while the government covered for powerful men at the top. This failure has devastating consequences for servicewomen and emboldens abusers. Service members have endured incredible harm. The government stood by while careers and lives have been destroyed.
Will the minister apologize to service members specifically for her government's failure to address the toxic culture in the Canadian Armed Forces?
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- May/30/22 2:33:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank Madam Arbour for her comprehensive and detailed report, which will be the cornerstone of our culture change efforts going forward.
This morning, I accepted her report in its entirety. I spoke with the Prime Minister. At the outset, let me be clear that we wholeheartedly agree with the significant issues identified by Madam Arbour. My top priority is to build a military where everyone who puts on a uniform for our country can work in a safe, respected and protected manner.
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- May/30/22 2:33:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Conservatives have been asking the government to release the metrics and the science it has been using to justify the travel restrictions and mandates. Last week, no one in this House could produce any. Today, at committee, the transport minister finally admitted that he has specific advice that led to the decisions to keep the random testing of 4,000 passengers a day and the mandates for domestic travel in place.
If he has it, why is it a secret? Will he tell everyone in this House what his colleagues were not able to tell us last week?
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- May/30/22 2:34:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there is no secret. The data are available. The experts have been very clear.
Consider this example. During the omicron wave, a total of 163,000 deaths could have been prevented in the United States alone if the U.S. had had a higher vaccination rate like we have in Canada.
That said, Canada still has a lot more work to do. We need to keep increasing our third-dose vaccination rate to protect ourselves against the pandemic.
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- May/30/22 2:34:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our airports are still in the news for their worsening delays. The minister blames travellers, and the parliamentary secretary has now taken to blaming stakeholders. He has the health advice, but no one is allowed to see it. That means it is a secret. The Prime Minister once said that Canadians deserve the most transparent and open government in the world.
Would the minister describe refusing to release the scientific evidence as actions of the world's most transparent government, or will he just do the right thing and get back to prepandemic normal?
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- May/30/22 2:35:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am always happy to talk science when it comes to such an important topic.
Take the number 130,000. That is the number of hospitalizations that the United Kingdom was able to prevent in recent weeks because it has a high third-dose vaccination rate. Because so many people have gotten vaccinated, they are better protected individually and are also helping to protect their communities and families.
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- May/30/22 2:35:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, the government refuses to tell Canadians what scientific advice it has received in regard to travel mandates, if any. Worse yet, while denying and delaying, the government is ignoring programs like NEXUS, which significantly reduce wait times during travel. Just this morning, The Canadian Press reported that the backlog of applications has ballooned to nearly 300,000.
Why does the government have so much trouble handling the basic things Canadians expect of it?
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- May/30/22 2:36:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, here is a basic number: 690,000. That is the number of hospitalizations that the United States would have avoided, just in the last few months during omicron, had it had a high vaccination rate like the one we have in Canada. As I said earlier, there is more work to do because, unfortunately, however difficult it may be for some to hear and understand, the pandemic is still with us and we need to keep fighting it.
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