44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 10, 2022 10:00AM
- Jun/10/22 11:17:28 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is not often that colleagues will hear me give praise to the normally silent voices within the Liberal caucus. However, after reading The Hill Times' piece this morning by Abbas Rana, which says a “massive majority of the Liberal caucus wants the Prime Minister to drop federal COVID mandates”, I wanted to sincerely thank those who spoke out against the Prime Minister's Office in an effort to do the right thing.
It is the right thing. I am certain that many Liberal MPs have also heard of the severe hardship the Prime Minister's spite over science and divisive politics on this has created among many of their constituents. We all have. There are citizens who have been unable to care for ailing parents in another part of Canada and grandparents who were unable to visit new members of the family. Being unable to say goodbye to a loved one is cruel.
We know the Prime Minister has refused in the past to listen to his caucus and, worse, seldom consults with them. On this matter, let us be united. This is about the citizens we represent. I commend those Liberal MPs who are putting those people ahead of the Prime Minister's divisive political agenda. There are times when we must unite instead of divide, and I would like to sincerely thank those Liberal MPs who support ending the mandates.
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- Jun/10/22 11:18:44 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today I would like to draw the attention of the House to the humanitarian crisis in Haiti. Political instability and violence are exacerbating the humanitarian situation. That has had a significant impact on the Haitian community in my riding.
Canada has committed $70 million for projects in Haiti that will improve health services for Haitians, address food insecurity and build security capacity as well as infrastructure. Canada will continue to support the Haitian people in their efforts to work towards a more democratic, secure and inclusive future.
I want to thank the Haitian community for its contribution to Canada and its care for the citizens of Haiti.
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- Jun/10/22 11:19:52 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today's headline says it all: “Massive majority of Liberal caucus wants the Prime Minister to drop federal COVID mandates.”
The report says that the Liberal member for Yukon, a doctor and former medical officer of health, has given multiple presentations at Liberal caucus meetings on why the mandates need to be dropped. The member is a real doctor, not a spin doctor, but has the Prime Minister listened to him? No.
Finally, the incoherence of a policy that is punishing and limiting the rights of Canadians is being realized by Liberal MPs.
The Prime Minister will not listen to Canadians, but will he listen to his caucus?
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- Jun/10/22 11:20:30 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when are the Conservatives going to realize that COVID-19 is not over? The Conservatives are just in denial about the reality of this pandemic. We have seen, numerous times, Conservatives trying to immediately remove all federal COVID-19 restrictions.
While we are in a much better place today than we were previously, this pandemic is not over and we must be prepared for any potential future scenarios.
Our government will continue to assess the evolving situation at home and globally, will monitor data and will adjust border measures as required.
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- Jun/10/22 11:21:00 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is becoming clearer by the day that these mandates and restrictions have nothing to do with science or evidence-based decision-making. They are all about control.
They are about the Prime Minister controlling Canadians travelling to see their families, controlling businesses recovering from COVID and controlling Liberal MPs by forcing them to be bit actors in his COVID theatre. People can watch them, when the cameras come on them, and how quickly they put on their masks. There is no coherent reason for these mandates to continue, other than control.
Will the Prime Minister admit that he has lost the plot and that this is all about controlling Canadians?
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- Jun/10/22 11:21:36 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, vaccines remain an important tool in stopping the spread of COVID-19 and variants, but the Conservatives just cannot seem to make up their minds about vaccinations.
For example, the member for Yorkton—Melville claims that the government has a secret agenda, after refusing to get vaccinated, and that there is some sort of conspiracy theory.
Another Conservative, the member for Niagara West, wants to ban all mRNA vaccines. Those are the same ones that have saved millions of lives worldwide.
This type of rhetoric is divisive and it is harmful. All members of the House should stop trying to spread disinformation. We all have an obligation to share good information and ensure that our constituents have what they need in order to go and get vaccinated.
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- Jun/10/22 11:22:15 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the NDP-Liberal government continues to ram through legislation that has criminals jumping for joy. Criminals who steal people's wallets at gunpoint, shoot up the neighbourhood, traffic in weapons or use a gun in their other criminal activities are one step closer to reduced sentences.
Liberals claim it is to address overrepresentation of Black and indigenous people in the corrections system, but they ignore that these same communities are the ones most often victimized by gun crime.
How is it that the government lacks so much compassion for victims and people at risk of violent crime?
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- Jun/10/22 11:22:54 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government is moving forward to make the criminal justice system safer for communities, make it better for victims and make it much more fair and just. What we are doing with Bill C-5 is attacking overrepresentation in the criminal justice system of Black and indigenous people by taking those offenders who do not pose a risk to public security and making conditional sentence orders available to more crimes and by reducing around 20 minimum mandatory penalties. We are also raising the sentences for serious—
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- Jun/10/22 11:23:33 a.m.
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The hon. whip for the official opposition has the floor.
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- Jun/10/22 11:23:36 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I hear from my constituents that their faith in the justice system is absolutely shaken. Rural communities repeatedly targeted by repeat offenders want serious action. Instead, the government is going to let the people who are beating, robbing and shooting at them stay out of jail for these and even more serious offences. This will make things worse.
The government's justice reforms fail to address overrepresentation of minority groups in the prison system and they also fail to enhance public safety. Why does the government not do something useful instead of just virtue signalling all the time?
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- Jun/10/22 11:24:19 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth on what the hon. member is saying. Bill C-21 attacks violent crime, attacks gang crime, attacks trafficking in arms and raises the maximum penalties available for certain sentences. If he is talking about repeat offenders, those offenders do not have access to minimum mandatory penalties. In fact, they go the other way. Public safety is not going to be negatively affected. In fact, it is going to be enhanced by allowing for serious offences to be treated seriously and for more flexibility at—
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- Jun/10/22 11:25:02 a.m.
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The hon. opposition House leader.
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- Jun/10/22 11:25:08 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, since the Liberals like importing American policies so much, in the 1990s the United States experimented with a tax on boats very similar to the one in this year's Liberal budget, but Congress ended up removing it just two years later because it was killing jobs and destroying the industry. It was so bad that the government ended up losing more money from the industry collapse than it generated from revenue. It was a net loss for the Treasury.
Will the Liberals admit that there is absolutely no point in having this tax that will cost jobs and kill a sector of our economy that Canadian families enjoy, or is that their plan?
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- Jun/10/22 11:25:47 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it comes as no surprise that this question is coming from the Conservative Party. It voted against increasing taxes for the 1% and decreasing taxes for the middle class.
With respect to jobs that the member raises, Statistics Canada released a report today indicating that May saw 40,000 new jobs created in this country. These are full-time jobs that are well-paying. Since last year, we have seen an increase in wages of nearly 4%. Canadians are taking home bigger paycheques thanks to the policies that our Liberal government put in place.
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- Jun/10/22 11:26:24 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois was skeptical when the government announced that it would offer Aeroplan points to help people displaced by the war in Ukraine come to Canada. We now know we had good reason to be skeptical, and that is really frustrating.
The government promised to help 10,000 people with this ridiculous idea at least two months ago. Two long months later, all the government has to show for its efforts is 500 plane tickets. That is 500 of the 10,000 tickets promised.
Why did the government break its promise to Ukrainians displaced by the war?
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- Jun/10/22 11:27:00 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with great respect to my hon. colleague, nothing could be further from the truth. As of today, there are more than 30,000 Ukrainians who are being provided with safe haven here in Canada. Yes, the federal government has offered charter to nearly 1,000 Ukrainians.
I want to thank both Air Canada and The Shapiro Foundation for their extraordinarily generous donations, which are going to start bringing Ukrainians from Europe to Canada as soon as this week. They are going to start with 500, but they have secured enough in donations to provide cost-free transportation for at least 10,000 Ukrainians who are in need of safe refuge. This is something we should be very proud of.
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- Jun/10/22 11:27:36 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Ukrainians fleeing the war heard the government tell them they would be welcomed with open arms. Some 127,000 of them applied for emergency travel.
What has the Government of Canada done for these people, 107 days into the war? It chartered three flights, offered 500 plane tickets and says it is happy with that. They cannot be serious.
Will the government arrange a real airlift, or is it actually saying that Canada only welcomes people displaced by war who have money?
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- Jun/10/22 11:28:10 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, again with respect to my colleague, I would point out that there are more than 30,000 Ukrainians who have already arrived in Canada. We have not seen this pace of arrivals of people who are fleeing war and persecution in any other initiative that could be comparable in the history of Canada.
It is extraordinary to see so many people who have been provided with safe haven so quickly, but it is not enough that we work to get people here. We have to support them when they land. We have arranged to have airport reception services through the Red Cross. We have arranged to give access to settlement services with 550 organizations across Canada. We have established income supports. We have established temporary accommodation supports. We are continuing to do what we can to make sure people get here and succeed after they arrive, as well.
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- Jun/10/22 11:28:56 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, affordability issues are top of mind for all Canadians. Liberals like to compare their track record with those of other countries, but when it comes to telecommunications, it is an interesting story. Canadians are paying among the highest prices for services in all the world, and they could actually get worse with the Rogers-Shaw takeover. Canadians will pay the price while Edward Rogers and family will benefit from the takeover and another billionaire's family will also benefit. It is past time to act.
Will the government side with families or with billionaires who want to consolidate power, reduce competition, increase prices for Canadians during the summer and spend their time on yachts while Canadians are picking money out of their pocketbooks for an essential service?
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- Jun/10/22 11:29:41 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, affordability, affordability, affordability: That is what is driving our government policy, and my colleague knows that very well.
My position has been made very clear. I have said I would not allow the wholesale transfer of licences from Shaw to Rogers. The matter is now under review by the Competition Bureau, and it is going to be looked at by the CRTC. I can assure the member that every step of the way we will make sure that Canadians continue to enjoy the affordability that they deserve, but at the same time that we foster competition across the nation.
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