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Hon. Michael Chong (Wellington—Halton Hills, CPC)

Jun/15/22 2:14:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the little guy is losing his shirt. Where are the regulators? House prices doubled in six years, and now they are crashing. Why did regulators not slow the out-of-control growth in mortgage credit? Why did they not stop banks from mortgaging 95% of the value of an asset that had doubled or tripled? Last year, the New York state attorney general banned Bitfinex and Tether from New York's financial markets and fined them. She said they were each a lie and a fraud, but it took regulators here six months to ban Tether, and Bitfinex has never been banned. Now stable coins and crypto are collapsing. Why did regulators not protect ban these frauds and Ponzi schemes? Where are OSFI, CMHC, Finance Canada and the Ontario Securities Commission? Where are Crown prosecutors, attorneys general and law enforcement? Where is the government in protecting the finances of ordinary Canadians?

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Mr. Francis Drouin (Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, Lib.)

Jun/15/22 2:16:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House to welcome the return of festivals and agricultural fairs in Glengarry—Prescott—Russell. Tourism season is back, and our local businesses are ready to welcome visitors. We are kicking off the season with the Maxville agricultural fair this weekend, and other summer festivities include Canada Day celebrations throughout the region, the western festival in Wendover, the Glengarry Highland Games, agricultural fairs in Russell, Vankleek Hill and Riceville, and last but certainly not least, the Popsilos circuit, a project that combines art and agriculture. Everyone is invited to come and enjoy some local beer at one of our five microbreweries and try the local wine at one of our vineyards. Summer 2022 has plenty to offer in Glengarry—Prescott—Russell. I invite everyone to come and spend some time with the good folks of my region.

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The Speaker

Jun/15/22 2:16:55 p.m.
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If I could have the attention of members, please. I would like to remind everyone that statements are very important to individual members and their communities, and I am starting to hear some conversations. It is nice to see everybody talking to each other, but the rumble in the background is really drowning out the person who is speaking. The hon. member for Vancouver East.

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Ms. Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, NDP)

Jun/15/22 2:17:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, migrant care workers are primarily women who come to Canada, leaving behind their families, to take care of children, the sick and the elderly. The Conservatives unfairly imposed high requirements for permanent residency for caregivers, such as passing the English language test at level 5, which is higher than what is required to obtain citizenship; a 24-month work requirement; and additional education accreditation. Even though the Liberals have said publicly that these requirements are too onerous, they made no changes and reimposed them, which closed the door to many. Meanwhile, the IRCC processing backlog is now at over two million. An access to information request exposed that almost no caregiver files have been processed since 2019. This is wrong. Caregivers feel they are being pushed to the back burner. They feel neglected and unimportant. Caregivers should not be treated as second-class citizens. They should be given landed status on arrival. The NDP is demanding status for all now.

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Mr. Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil—Chambly, BQ)

Jun/15/22 2:18:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, tomorrow marks the end of an era. Tomorrow, Pierre Bruneau will host his last newscast, after 46 years as anchor at TVA. Since 1976, Pierre Bruneau has been the face of the news, delivering the information essential to public life with his trademark soothing tone and rigour. He has also been the embodiment of compassion for 32 years as a spokesperson for the Charles Bruneau Foundation, which fights childhood cancer. As an avid consumer of news and politics, I will be among the many Quebeckers who will feel unsettled welcoming another face and voice to the five o'clock news. I will feel even more unsettled at the next leaders' debate, as I will miss that same soothing voice as someone else inherits the delicate task of refereeing. After five decades and 23 Artis awards, meaning he was chosen by the public 23 times, and after receiving the Ordre national du Québec and the Order of Canada, Pierre Bruneau definitely deserves to feel a sense of accomplishment. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois and myself, I wish Mr. Bruneau the best of luck for the future.

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Mrs. Shannon Stubbs (Lakeland, CPC)

Jun/15/22 2:20:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, violent crime is rising in big cities and rural regions alike. Rhonda owns a country store in a community of 10 people. Since 2019, she has been the victim of three armed robberies: one with a knife, one with a machete, and one with a gun. She says, “I live alone and my house and store are attached. My fear is always with me. I can't go home and forget. I see a therapist to help me get through it all and just as I start to get my life back, I get robbed again.” Rhonda wants tougher sentences to stop repeat offences and better enforcement of court ordered restitution, instead of victims being forced to relive their trauma and chase cases through civil courts. Rhonda is in a wheelchair now because she fell and broke several bones during one attack. She says, “I live in fear every day, but I won't sell my store. If I give up, the criminals will have won. I can't let that happen.” It is appalling that her experiences are becoming common in Lakeland. The NDP and Liberals should have her back, but instead they are reducing penalties for the very crimes against her. At least Conservatives stand with brave, innocent victims and all law-abiding Canadians like Rhonda. We will keep fighting for them.

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Mr. Marc Serré (Nickel Belt, Lib.)

Jun/15/22 2:21:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this year marks Peru's 201st anniversary of independence. Canada has eight free trade agreements in the hemisphere. They are with Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, Peru, Mexico and the U.S. Peru is Canada's third largest bilateral trading partner in Latin America and one of the fastest growing economies in Latin America, with an annual growth rate of 5.5%. Since its launch in 2020, the Peruvian Canadian Institute, through Huntington University, aimed at developing economic ties and bridges between our two countries. I encourage all parliamentarians to take part in the ParlAmericas activities to strengthen our bond with Caribbean and Latin American countries. I invite members and senators to attend a meeting this evening in West Block in honour of the ambassadors and high commissioners. Canada plays an important role in fostering relationships with member countries of ParlAmericas when it comes to addressing climate change, gender equality and open government.

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Hon. Candice Bergen (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)

Jun/15/22 2:22:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Emergency Preparedness told the committee that law enforcement never asked for the Emergencies Act, which is yet another contradiction of the Minister of Public Safety. Nobody is backing him up, not even his own colleagues. It is clear the Minister of Public Safety has been misleading Canadians for months. Will the Prime Minister remove him from his portfolio? Yes or no?

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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

Jun/15/22 2:23:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, allow me to be very clear with Canadians. Police do not grant themselves extraordinary powers; the government does that. Parliament debated it and voted on it. As Commissioner Lucki said, the Emergencies Act gave the police the powers they needed to get the job done. Municipalities, provincial leadership and police told us they needed more tools to bring these illegal blockades to an end. That is exactly what we did, and it is exactly what they did when we gave them more tools with the Emergencies Act.

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Hon. Candice Bergen (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)

Jun/15/22 2:23:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Safety has misled Canadians several times. He said protesters started fires in an Ottawa apartment building. That was false. He said foreign money was funding the protest. That was not true. He said law enforcement asked for the Emergencies Act. That was also false. Does the Prime Minister agree that Canadians deserve better than a minister who repeatedly and overtly misleads them?

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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

Jun/15/22 2:24:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what we see right now is the Conservatives desperately trying to distract Canadians from the fact that they stood with these illegal blockaders. They encouraged them. They continue to make apologies for these people having shut down communities, hurt our economy and cost people jobs, at the same time as police were trying to do their jobs. Police asked for more tools. We granted them more tools with the Emergencies Act, and we were able to get things back to normal in this country. People are free to protest legally, but not illegally. That is what Conservative politicians do not seem to understand.

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Hon. Candice Bergen (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)

Jun/15/22 2:24:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the only people whose actions are being scrutinized right now are those of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Public Safety. In fact, as the committee's investigation into the government's use of the act continues, it is clear the legal threshold was not met to justify its use. It is clearer by the day the Emergencies Act was used for one thing and one thing only, and that was to get the Prime Minister out of hot water. It looks like the reason the Prime Minister is not firing the Minister of Public Safety is that the minister is helping cover for the Prime Minister. Is that not the sad but real reality right now?

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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

Jun/15/22 2:25:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, for three weeks, our communities here in Ottawa were facing illegal blockades. The work on Parliament was disrupted. Supply lines were challenged. Border crossings were interrupted. People were losing their jobs and factories were closing. Conservative politicians stood with them, encouraging these illegal blockades. We worked with police to give them more tools, and when they asked for even more tools, we delivered the Emergencies Act, which allowed things to get back under control. There are open and transparent inquiries into that, and we are working with them on that.

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Hon. Candice Bergen (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)

Jun/15/22 2:26:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the inquiry and the committee's investigative work are finding that there is less and less evidence for the government to have used the Emergencies Act, and the evidence points to the only reason it was used was to cover up the problems the Prime Minister was finding himself in. Unfortunately, because the minister has been misleading, the work of the committee is being disrupted and corrupted. It is very interesting to see that, when strong women stand up and speak truth to the Prime Minister, he has no problem firing them. However, when a minister of the Crown misleads Canadians, that is completely fine and he overlooks it. Why does the Prime Minister get rid of people who have integrity and speak the truth, but defend—

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The Speaker

Jun/15/22 2:26:57 p.m.
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The hon. Prime Minister.

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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

Jun/15/22 2:27:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, wow. We can see very clearly how desperately the Conservatives are trying to change the channel from the important work being done in the follow-up to the Emergencies Act to highlight the challenges that these illegal blockaders posed to our economy, to our municipalities and to Canadians. Police asked us for more tools because they said they could not deal with the situation with the existing tools. We delivered the Emergencies Act in a responsible, proportional way, which ended the crisis. At the same time, Conservative politicians kept supporting these blockades—

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The Speaker

Jun/15/22 2:27:39 p.m.
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The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

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Hon. Candice Bergen (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)

Jun/15/22 2:27:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is not the first time the Prime Minister has kept a disgraced minister in his cabinet. He defended the former defence minister, who covered up sexual harassment in the military. The Prime Minister calls Canadians he disagrees with names. He divides and stigmatizes for political gain, and he demotes female MPs who stand up to him. Is it not true that the only reason he will not fire the Minister of Public Safety is because that minister is doing and saying exactly what the Prime Minister wants him to?

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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

Jun/15/22 2:28:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, once again, we see the lengths to which the Conservatives will go to try to distract and deflect from the fact that they stood on the wrong side of this issue. They stood against hard-working Canadians who were disrupted in their daily lives: people who lost their jobs. Factories and supply chains were interrupted, all because of illegal blockades. The Conservatives continue to stand with those at the illegal blockades while we worked hard to make sure the police had the tools necessary to put an end to them.

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Mr. Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil—Chambly, BQ)

Jun/15/22 2:28:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, at the beginning of the year, the Prime Minister invoked the Emergencies Act during the civil, yet obviously illegal, occupation of Parliament Hill. The Minister of Public Safety said he did that at the request of police forces, but there was no such request from law enforcement, the RCMP, the Ontario Provincial Police, or the Ottawa police. Does the minister acknowledge that for the second time in two days, his government has misled Quebeckers and Canadians?

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