44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 5, 2022 11:00AM
- Dec/5/22 2:15:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, something remarkable happened a few weeks ago. After campaigning vigorously on the need for dental care in the last election, the New Democrats have delivered.
We forced the Liberal government, which had voted against the program only last year, to do an about-face and realize the benefits it would bring to millions of Canadians who could not afford to see a dentist. That program is now open for applications.
We are not finished there. Next year, the program will be expanded to include seniors, persons with disabilities and children under the age of 18.
The Conservative MPs voted against this. They did so even with the knowledge that they and their families would continue to benefit from taxpayer-funded dental care available to them as members of Parliament, a classic example of “Good for me, but not for thee.” However, I have great news for people living in Conservative ridings. Even though their MPs voted to deny them this care, the New Democrats have their backs and have made sure it will be there for them and their kids.
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- Dec/5/22 2:16:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today, I am very pleased to mark the 75th anniversary of the Sainte-Thérèse Royal Canadian Legion. The Sainte-Thérèse Legion was founded in 1947 and was the 208th legion in Quebec. We are talking about 75 years of support for veterans and their families, 75 years of community service, 75 years of memories, and 75 years of learning how to care for the living without forgetting the dead.
There is some good news for the legion. After repeated requests to the Department of National Defence, the legion will now be able to count on the 4th Battalion of the Royal 22nd Regiment stationed in Laval to perform during the 21-gun salute at the next Remembrance Day ceremony.
In any case, it is an honour for me to be a member of this thriving, close-knit legion. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to support our legions and take care of those who care for our veterans.
I wish the Sainte-Thérèse Legion a happy 75th anniversary.
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Mr. Speaker, crime in Canada is on the rise. Since the Liberals took office, violent crime has risen by 32% and gang-related homicides have increased by a whopping 92%. The Liberals' soft-on-crime policies mean that it is easier than ever for repeat violent offenders to get bail, and sentences are going down.
Unfortunately the best the Liberal government can do is try to ban hunting rifles and shotguns, some that have been used for well over 100 years. This is not about public safety; it is about dividing Canadians for political gain, and Canadians are taking notice.
Just this past weekend, Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price took a stand against the Liberal government's brazen attempt to criminalize law-abiding hunters and sport shooters. I want to read some of his words into the record, “I love my country and I care for my neighbour. I am not a criminal or a threat to society...What [the Prime Minister] is [doing] is unjust.”
It is time for the Liberals to stop criminalizing hunters and go after the real criminals.
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Mr. Speaker, on December 6, we will once again commemorate the Polytechnique massacre in Outremont. As I do every year, I will be on Mount Royal with the Prime Minister to pay tribute to the 14 women who were murdered in cold blood simply because they were women.
However, it will be in an entirely different context this year, as our government has proposed a ban on assault weapons like the one used at Polytechnique.
A man walked into our local university 33 years ago and gunned down 14 women using an assault-style automatic weapon, a weapon designed to kill as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time possible.
Our government has proposed to take the next step in banning these weapons, but we are now in the midst of a disinformation campaign led by the gun lobby. We all agree that hunting is a long-standing tradition in our country, and we all want to protect that tradition, but we do not need an—
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- Dec/5/22 2:20:03 p.m.
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- Dec/5/22 2:20:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, according to a new report released today, the cost of food for the average family will go up by $1,000 next year, to $16,300. That is unaffordable for the average family, and it is because of this government's inflationary policies. One in five Canadians is skipping meals because they cannot afford their grocery bills.
When is the government going to reverse its inflationary policies so that Canadians can put food on the table?
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- Dec/5/22 2:20:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canada is not the only country facing high food prices. We know this is a challenge for Canadians.
It is also true that extreme weather conditions have led to poor harvests and that supply chain issues have led to higher food prices.
That is why we have a plan to double the GST credit and provide support for dental care and housing. We are taking action. The Conservatives are voting against it. We are here for Canadians.
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- Dec/5/22 2:21:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the same report demonstrated that by 2030, a farm with 5,000 acres, an average farm, would pay $150,000 in carbon taxes, taxes that are already driving up the cost of food because they get passed onto the consumer.
Food prices are expected to be up $1,000 for the average family to $16,000 a year to feed the average family. That is an incredible sum. In fact, the Mississauga Food Bank reports that some people have even said that the poverty is so grinding that they are asking for help with medical assistance in dying. We need to feed our people.
Why does the government not reverse its inflationary policy so people can afford to eat and live?
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- Dec/5/22 2:22:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we remain committed to supporting people get out of poverty. In fact, we understand how difficult life is right now, which is why we have put forward numerous measures to help the most vulnerable Canadian.
However, if the Leader of the Opposition is indeed sincere in his desire to help lift Canadians out of poverty, he would have voted for measures like the Canada dental benefit, or the Canada housing benefit, or perhaps child care, which has fees being reduced by 50% right across the country. Instead of doing that, he voted against it.
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Mr. Speaker, not only is Christmas dinner going to be especially expensive if people buy it at the grocery store, but now the government wants to ban people in rural country sides from actually hunting for their turkey. It has targeted a long list of hunting rifles and shotguns with a sweeping ban that is being widely condemned by experts, by hunters and by first nations people.
The government has admitted in recent testimony that the ban will apply to hunting rifles contrary to prior talking points. Will it reverse this ban?
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Mr. Speaker, before I answer that question, tomorrow we are marking the 33rd anniversary of the École Polytechnique shooting tragedy. To the families of the victims and to the survivors, we stand with them. We know that despite the passage of time, the hurt and loss never completely heal.
We own it to them, to all victims and to all Canadians to end gun violence once and for all. I hope all members in the chamber will join me in a moment of solidarity.
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Mr. Speaker, of course, we are all in solidarity in ending the violence committed with guns. In fact, today we saw an example of the real problem. Police seized 62 firearms in Toronto and 57 of them came from the United States of America. Only one of them was from Ontario and it was stolen over a year ago.
The problem is not hunters in Wainwright, Alberta or in Happy Valley-Goose Bay on the east coast, who are using their tools to feed their families. The problem is the illegal guns coming across the border.
Why will the government not reinforce our border instead of attacking our hunters?
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Mr. Speaker, my Conservative colleague asks what the government is doing to reinforce our borders. We have invested $450 million over the last two years alone to add more boots on the ground for the CBSA, to add more state-of-the-art technology for the CBSA to allow it to build on the progress it has made in seizing illegal guns at the border.
What did the Conservatives do every moment when they had a chance to support those resources for the CBSA? They voted against it.
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Mr. Speaker, the results of the Liberals' policy are a 32% increase in violent crime and a massive 92% increase in gang murders. No matter how expensive their policies are and no matter how much they target law-abiding hunters, it is not getting the job done to protect our people.
Why does the government not want to help fight actual crime instead of targeting our hunters and farmers?
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Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what the federal government is doing. We have already invested $450 million to add more boots on the ground for the CBSA. That is exactly what we are doing with this bill, which brings in tougher penalties for criminals.
Why are the Conservatives not supporting this bill? If they want to target criminals, they have to support this bill.
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- Dec/5/22 2:26:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, COP15 on biodiversity starts this Wednesday. A new report revealed that 2,253 species are at risk in Canada.
Meanwhile, the federal government has authorized exploratory oil and gas drilling off the coast of Newfoundland, no environmental assessment required, smack dab in the middle of natural habitat for endangered right whales as well as seven other whale species, turtles, corals, birds and more.
Is Canada basically telling COP15 that biodiversity matters except when oil companies need it not to?
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- Dec/5/22 2:26:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have already said this, but I want to make it very clear that the Northeast Newfoundland Slope marine refuge will remain a refuge under current conditions, and we will examine all exploration activities in a marine refuge on a case-by-case basis.
What we now have is a tendering process, but that does not authorize production activities.
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- Dec/5/22 2:27:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with COP15 two days away, the federal government continues to demonstrate that Canada has a double standard when it comes to oil companies.
In 2020, Canada announced the creation of marine refuges off the coast of Newfoundland, where fishing is restricted to protect biodiversity. Last month, however, it authorized four oil companies to conduct exploratory drilling in the middle of a marine refuge without an environmental assessment.
As I understand it, fishing is prohibited to protect the ocean floor, but drilling is permitted. If that is not a double standard for oil companies—
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- Dec/5/22 2:28:08 p.m.
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Order. The hon. parliamentary secretary.
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- Dec/5/22 2:28:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I keep repeating the same thing day after day when I get asked this question: It is simply a tendering process that does not authorize offshore production.
I want to clarify that any proposed offshore production would first be subject to the Impact Assessment Act.
These are exploratory zones only. This is not for production.
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