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Context: House Hansard - 150 - Jan/31/23

Jan/31/23 1:49:15 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-35

Uqaqtittiji, I have been hearing a theme from the Conservative members that the choices about child care are being taken from parents. I wonder if the member could explain specifically where in Bill C-35 that choice is being taken away from parents.

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Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay

Jan/31/23 1:49:39 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-35

Madam Speaker, I never said that. I do not know what other people have referred to. What we are saying is that what is being proposed here does not go far enough, that there are too many families it would not help and that there is a very narrow group of people it would help. Even in a successful program like they have in Quebec, there is a two-year waiting list. There are some 40,000 people on that list. What we want to see is something that respects all child care choices so that parents have flexibility.

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (Senate), Lib.)

Jan/31/23 1:50:19 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-35

Madam Speaker, I know that during my question about means testing, I started to get heckles from Conservative members about opening the door. I am not going to disappoint them, and I am going to jump right in and address that point. This is not to worry them that they will not get any answers, because I have a lot to say about that narrative that is being led by Conservatives throughout the debate on this yesterday and today. Before that, I want to talk about this program and how it has had an impact in my community of Kingston and the Islands specifically. I think the YMCA is considered a well-rounded organization. We get all walks of life in the YMCA. Socio-economic backgrounds of visitors to the YMCA vary wildly. I always gauge the YMCA as being one of those not-for-profit organizations that genuinely has its finger on the pulse of what is going on. I want to read a quote from Rob Adams, who is the CEO of the YMCA of Eastern Ontario. In particular, he works out of the Kingston location. He said, “As Canada’s largest not-for-profit child-care provider, the YMCA is delighted to hear of the additional child-care spaces. There is nothing new in stating that child-care fees place a financial burden on families, and extra spaces at affordable rates will have a meaningful impact locally.” I appreciate the incredible work that Rob does at the YMCA. Our son Mason, quite a few years ago, had the opportunity for a couple of years to use one of the child care spaces at the YMCA. The quality of care the YMCA provides in those young developing ages of children truly needs to be applauded, so I thank Rob and all the folks in Kingston. I heard the Conservatives talk quite a bit about this means testing and their sudden new-found interest in means-testing every program. I find it quite ironic for starters, because the default go-to with Conservatives is tax credits. We can look at Stephen Harper's former Conservative government, and everything was a tax credit. There was a sports tax credit, and everything was a tax credit. There was no means testing involved in any of that, so the Conservatives find themselves in a very difficult position right now. Quite frankly, they know they are going to support this. They have to support this. This program is wildly popular. In Ontario alone we heard from a parliamentary secretary that 92% of day cares have already taken it up. Every Conservative premier in Canada has signed on to this. It is a wildly popular program. Conservatives are going to support it, so they are left in this position of asking how they can critique it, and they are going after an angle, talking about the fact that certain people cannot access the child care program. They are trying to cloud and smokescreen using that narrative. The reality is, and I have heard it time after time coming from Conservatives asking this question, that it is up to the provinces to work with the federal government to develop the framework through which they want to have the child care spaces administered and delivered in their provinces. I hope my colleagues from Alberta know that the very framework agreement that Alberta set up with the federal government specifically references individuals who work shift work and individuals who require non-traditional forms of child care. It is being addressed. This is the only thing we have heard from Conservatives. The only critique they have been able to make of this is trying to cloud something and convince people that the program the federal government has put in place, working with provinces to develop that framework, is a program that is absolutely necessary for us to do to work with the provinces. I will spare my Conservative colleagues the need to ask me the question. The issue is addressed. It is in the individual framework agreements. Alberta has it in its agreement. I encourage the Conservatives to go back and read the agreement. We ask ourselves why the Conservatives would have to take this narrative. I think of this quite a bit. I cannot help but go back to a tweet from the now Leader of the Opposition, the member for Carleton, who said, on November 30, 2020, “Why should [the Prime Minister] get to force parents to pay through taxes for his government daycare scheme, instead of letting them choose what's best for their own kids?” This is what the Leader of the Opposition said only two years ago. We know the Conservatives support this bill now, though my sense is that we will not be voting on it until June, but whenever they do let us vote on it, the Conservative leader will vote in favour of it, despite this. It is a complete about-face. That is what it is. The reason he is doing this is that, as I previously said, he knows the program is wildly popular. He knows that he has no choice but to go along with it. Conservatives do what Conservatives do, and they will try to find any other angle to smokescreen and cloud the issue so that Canadians are somehow fooled into believing that the program is something it is not. The member for Carleton was asked a question by a reporter at one point. The question was, “When you say about cutting the supplementary spending, in your view does that include the newly signed child care agreements with most of the provinces?” How did the member for Carleton, the leader of the Conservative Party, respond? He said, “We've said we do not believe in a $100-billion slush fund.” The member for Carleton, the leader of the Conservative Party, who will vote for this, whenever we get around to voting for it, calls the program a “slush fund”. That was his response to an individual reporter when asked about this program. This was before we were able to sign deals with every province and show the Conservatives how successful this program could actually be. This is the problem. That is not leadership. Leadership is not sitting on the sidelines and making commentary, saying one does not support something and then completely changing direction on it when realizing how successful the government has been at working with primarily Conservative premiers to bring this program to fruition. Here we are, in this position, where the Conservatives are somehow fumbling around the issue, trying to figure out what their narrative will be, when it is very clear on this side of the House to the NDP and the Bloc. With all due respect to my Bloc colleagues, I cannot think of a program so national in its scope that the Bloc Québécois ever voted in favour of, but they are going to vote in favour of this because they see the benefit of it. They know the benefit of it. We do not even have to look outside this country to see how successful this program could be in getting people, in particular women, into the workforce. We just need to look to Quebec, the neighbouring province to Ontario. Quebec has had it in place for a number of years and it has been wildly popular and wildly successful. If we look at the statistics, more women have entered the labour force and a higher percentage of women have participated in the labour force since Quebec started this program several years ago. I know that we will eventually get to a point where we can enshrine this into law. That is incredibly important, because provinces, territories and, indeed, families looking to grow their families or individuals who are looking to start a family want to know what their options are. If we have a program that can be so easily removed and discarded because it is only temporary in nature, at least in terms of the budgetary impacts, then we do not have that security. That is what this bill, Bill C-35, would do. It would enshrine these agreements that have been made with provinces into legislation so that any future government, any political party, will have to go through some pretty significant steps in order to remove it.

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Mr. Taleeb Noormohamed (Vancouver Granville, Lib.)

Jan/31/23 2:00:08 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, today I rise in the House to honour Ralph Schwartzman, who passed late last year. Ralph was a pillar of Vancouver's Jewish community. A builder for over 70 years, Ralph's contributions to the community were of many construction projects, including the Vancouver Talmud Torah school and the Temple Sholom synagogue in my riding of Vancouver Granville. Ralph was a kind and honest man, a true mensch. While family, friends, business associates and community mourn this loss, we celebrate the wonderful and charitable life he lived. His legacy will indeed live on through the JCC redevelopment, a symbol of our thriving community, a community he was devoted to building. May his memory be a blessing and his kindness a lesson to us all.

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Mr. Bob Zimmer (Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, CPC)

Jan/31/23 2:01:00 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, despite B.C. having abundant renewable resources, two mills will be closing in my region, with 300 losing their jobs in Prince George and 200 losing their jobs in Chetwynd. The reason was not a lack of timber but a lack of access to it. The Prime Minister's commitment to the radical 30 by 30 agenda, to protect 30% of lands and 30% of waters by 2030, is needlessly blocking our own access to our own lands and waters. Forestry writer David Elstone said, “30% protection of the land base by 2030 is 100% entirely a political move...making a third of the province into a park is not just bad for the economy but for the environment as well.” Jeff Bromley, of the United Steelworkers Wood Council, said, “Some in the environmental movement have been strategically misleading the public for years with false claims about the forest industry.” Unlike the Prime Minister, we Conservatives encourage environmental stewardship and the continued responsible development of our natural resources. For our forestry workers and their families, we can and must do both.

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Ms. Jean Yip (Scarborough—Agincourt, Lib.)

Jan/31/23 2:02:10 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, on January 22, the lunar new year arrived with firecrackers and confetti. I was fortunate enough to ring in the new year in my riding of Scarborough—Agincourt, which is home to one of the largest Chinese populations in Canada. In Chinese culture, the rabbit represents energy, beauty and tranquility. It is considered the luckiest animal in the zodiac. In Korean lore, the rabbit is quiet, clever, fertile and prosperous. For the Vietnamese community, 2023 is the Year of the Cat. The lunar new year concludes with the lantern festival on February 5. I want to wish everyone who celebrates the lunar new year a very happy and healthy one. In Vietnamese, I say chuc mung nam moi. In Korean, I say saehae bok manui badeuseyo. In Chinese, I wish everyone good health and prosperity: shen ti jian kang, gong hey fat choy.

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Mrs. Marilène Gill (Manicouagan, BQ)

Jan/31/23 2:03:17 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, today the Bloc Québécois stood with the workers of Ocean Group who, for several months, have been demanding their right to negotiate on equal footing with their employer. In solidarity with these workers, the Bloc Québécois has reiterated its support for anti-scab legislation like Bill C‑276, which my colleague from Thérèse-De Blainville introduced. We also reminded the government of the promise the Liberal Party made during its election campaign in 2021, that is, the promise to quickly implement anti-scab legislation. That was in 2021. It is now 2023. Quebec has had its own law since 1977. Canada, once again, is trailing behind. The government needs to get things moving, introduce a draft bill if it must. The Bloc Québécois will support any bill that is line with the spirit of workers' demands. Finally, to all the employees, steelworkers and union members of Ocean Group, the Bloc Québécois is with them, with strength, solidarity and respect.

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Mr. Yasir Naqvi (Ottawa Centre, Lib.)

Jan/31/23 2:04:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great news for my community of Ottawa Centre. Last year, I launched the downtown Ottawa revitalization task force, alongside co-chairs Graeme Hussey and Neil Malhotra. Our goal is to reimagine downtown Ottawa to thrive in a postpandemic future. To do that, we have convened a table of community leaders, local business representatives, home builders, sustainability experts and government officials. Together, we are assessing what downtown Ottawa needs to thrive into the future. We are now looking for ideas as part of our new public consultation. We are asking residents of the Ottawa area, or any Canadian interested in how our nation's capital is developed, to have their say. Canadians can find more information about this consultation on my social media, and I am so excited to hear their ideas. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity in this city to reimagine our downtown core. Let us not waste it. Let us think big.

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Mr. Jeremy Patzer (Cypress Hills—Grasslands, CPC)

Jan/31/23 2:05:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, over two years ago, the federal government closed all Canadian border crossings. As COVID restrictions eased, the border began to reopen, but only with limited capacity. As people in Saskatchewan watched the big crossings in Windsor, Coutts and Douglas fully open, they thought it was only a matter of time before their crossing would resume normal hours of operation, but they are still waiting. The most direct route from Denver, Colorado to Canada is through the Port of Monchy south of Val Marie, Saskatchewan. Denver is a key hub of the United States, with market access to all directions. Ranchers, farmers, exporters and tourism operators in Canada use ports like Monchy to access U.S. markets, while fresh produce from California and Florida is imported back through this vital port. However, Monchy and other nearby crossings in Saskatchewan are closed on the weekends and only open for limited hours during the week. One needs to drive over halfway across the province just to find weekend hours. Rural Saskatchewan is once again being punished and forgotten by this government. This leads me to ask, is it negligence or is it just incompetence?

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The Speaker

Jan/31/23 2:06:32 p.m.
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I want to remind hon. members that they cannot do indirectly what they cannot do directly in the House. It is just a little reminder. I know we have been away for a short while, and I would refresh their memory. The hon. member for Mississauga—Streetsville.

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Mrs. Rechie Valdez (Mississauga—Streetsville, Lib.)

Jan/31/23 2:06:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is with deep sadness that I rise today as we say goodbye to Hazel McCallion. She was an icon who served as a mentor and friend to many of us. A trailblazer in every sense of the word, a gifted hockey player, a dedicated councillor, reeve and a mayor for a remarkable 36 years. Hazel's unwavering commitment to her community, her tireless efforts and strong political style earned her the name “Hurricane Hazel”. She has inspired women like me to pursue politics and has left a lasting impact for generations. Last summer, we celebrated the 50th edition of the Bread & Honey Festival in Streetsville. We are all lucky to have been able to celebrate one last time with her for this memorable event. I, along with colleagues, send our deepest condolences to the McCallion family and all the lives Hazel touched. Her passing is a loss to all of us, and we are grateful for the time we shared with her. May she rest in peace.

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen (Kingston and the Islands, Lib.)

Jan/31/23 2:07:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on January 10, Kingston City Council unanimously passed a motion that declared a mental health and addictions crisis in our city. City services are stretched beyond what they can and are mandated to provide to those who are experiencing homelessness, mental health and addiction challenges. The city's motion specifically requested assistance from the provincial Ontario government to invest in additional health care resources, including treatment and rehabilitation beds in Kingston, to support those in need. It further goes on to request the province to lead an emergency working group of frontline health care and social workers to develop long-term solutions. Our federal government is willing and ready to help provinces and territories deal with the mental health and addictions crises that are happening throughout the country. That is why we established a ministry of mental health and invested, through budget 2022, $100 million over three years to support harm reduction, treatment and prevention at the community level. I fully support this declaration, and we need all levels of government to work collaboratively together to tackle the mental health and addictions crisis happening throughout our country.

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Mr. Alex Ruff (Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, CPC)

Jan/31/23 2:09:03 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-5 Bill C-21

Mr. Speaker, since the Liberal government took office, violent crime has increased by 32%. There have been 124,000 more violent crimes under its watch. Who are the primary perpetrators of these crimes? They are repeat offenders and drug traffickers with illegal guns. What is the Liberal solution? It is to remove mandatory minimums and target law-abiding hunters and firearms owners, people like this retired RCMP officer who has four handguns that were carried by his grandfather and father during both world wars. Unfortunately, due to the Liberals' handgun freeze, keeping them in the family is no longer possible. Meanwhile, recent victims of gun violence include a 17-year-old killed in broad daylight and another police officer murdered by a repeat offender out on bail and prohibited from owning a firearm. After an armed robbery this past weekend, the regional police chief stated, “This violent incident was avoidable. Two of the arrested in this incident failed to adhere to the conditions of their release on previous charges. This is why we must pursue bail reform.” Considering these disturbing facts, the Liberal government must withdraw its soft-on-crime Bill C-5, make bail reform a priority, and withdraw Bill C-21.

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Mr. Peter Schiefke (Vaudreuil—Soulanges, Lib.)

Jan/31/23 2:10:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, I was invited to meet with the students on the École secondaire de la Cité-des-Jeunes environmental committee. They led an initiative to collect hopes for the environment as a way of sharing their ideas about how best to protect our planet. Some want unnecessary plastics banned. Others hope there will still be snow in the years to come. Many hope the government will get busy and listen to their calls to action. On behalf of everyone in Vaudreuil—Soulanges, I want to congratulate them on taking action for our environment and our community. I encourage them to continue taking action and getting their message out there. I also want to thank their teachers, Sophie Dyotte and Mariebelle Leclerc-Hallé, for working with the committee. Their engagement and the work they are doing as a group is important and timely. Let us all rally to fight for a better Vaudreuil—Soulanges, a better Canada and a better world for ourselves and for future generations.

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Ms. Lianne Rood (Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, CPC)

Jan/31/23 2:11:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years under this tax-and-spend Liberal government, Canadians are facing desperate situations. One senior wrote me to say that the high price of gas and food has cut his driving to zero and is forcing him to buy food on sale and at low quality. Another wrote to say their debt has never been over $2,000, but because the government printed money and allowed crazy inflation, their debt is now over $12,000 and growing. The most heartbreaking victim of Liberals' cost of living crisis is a constituent who wrote to say the bank will foreclose on their home. Their payments have increased over $1,000 a month thanks to rate hikes. They also say, “I guess it’s a good thing we can commit assisted suicide now. That must have been part of the Prime Minister's plans.” Eight years of broken Liberal promises and apathy have had a real cost on the lives of people. To all those struggling, do not give up. There is hope. The Conservatives are fighting to end eight years of blatant Liberal incompetence and give people back their freedom and their future.

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Mr. Eric Duncan (Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, CPC)

Jan/31/23 2:12:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal government, everything in this country feels like it is broken. However, do not take my word for it. Let us use the words of the Liberals who are confirming this. The member for Yukon called out his government's attack on hunters in Bill C-21. The member for Avalon called out the Liberals' carbon tax on home heating. A 25-year Liberal MP from Toronto is so frustrated with her Prime Minister that even she is calling him out publicly. The former minister of sport said that she was disregarded when it came to stopping abuse in sports. We have the Minister of Canadian Heritage now fighting with cabinet colleagues over another botched appointment. We also cannot forget the member for Louis-Hébert, who called the Prime Minister out for wedging and dividing Canadians when it came to COVID. Everything in this country feels broken because the Liberal caucus is broken. If it cannot get its act together, the solution is simple. Just step aside because the Conservatives on this side are united and ready to go.

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Mr. Bryan May (Cambridge, Lib.)

Jan/31/23 2:13:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise in this House to recognize and pay tribute to the Canadian Forces naval reserve on the occasion of their centennial. On January 31, 1923, the Government of Canada created the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve. For 100 years, naval reservists have served our country with courage and sacrifice. These citizen sailors have been pillars of their communities, whether training for service at sea or coming to the aid of their neighbours in need. Today, from Victoria to St. John's, 4,100 sailors serve across 24 naval reserve divisions. Let us recognize the naval reserve and honour its place in our nation's military history and heritage as it celebrates 100 years of service excellence as a vital element of the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Armed Forces.

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Ms. Bonita Zarrillo (Port Moody—Coquitlam, NDP)

Jan/31/23 2:15:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I stand in solidarity with the people of Iran who are demonstrating against a brutal regime. Their courage and resolve are recognized here in Canada, and the residents of Port Moody—Coquitlam see them. Iranians are protesting worldwide, at great risk to themselves, for the human rights of women. Thousands have been arrested and imprisoned and some have been executed. Farhad Nakhaei was arrested at a protest in Chabahar, and Mahya Vahedi was arrested at work. Speaking their names in the House today is a show of my solidarity and sponsorship for their lives. Canada must not tolerate the Iranian government's brutality. The New Democrats have asked the foreign affairs committee to look at listing the murderous IRGC as a terrorist entity, and we urge all parties to support our motion. I will continue to work with Iranian Canadians to seek justice for political prisoners. Zan, zendegi, azadi. Women, life, freedom.

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Mr. Maxime Blanchette-Joncas (Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, BQ)

Jan/31/23 2:16:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about a quality that the House occasionally lacks, genius. Astrophysicist René Doyon has just been named Radio-Canada's scientist of the year for his role in the design of the James Webb Space Telescope. Launched into space in 2021, this telescope, the most powerful ever launched, is revolutionizing our knowledge of the universe. It is amazing us all with its photos of the most distant galaxies and of earth-like planets orbiting stars other than the sun. This is all a result of decades of work by René Doyon as principal investigator of the Canadian participation, in collaboration with NASA and the European Space Agency. This is the second time the Université de Montréal professor, originally from Beauce, has won the scientist of the year award. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I want to congratulate René Doyon and above all thank him for allowing us to dream by opening our eyes to all the potential the universe has to offer. Bravo, René Doyon.

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Ms. Melissa Lantsman (Thornhill, CPC)

Jan/31/23 2:17:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Mohsen Shekari was a 23-year-old living in Tehran. In September, he was arrested by the Iranian morality police and charged for waging war against God for protesting. At the trial, he was denied the right to a lawyer, denied the right to an appeal, denied the right to see his family and sentenced to death. Trials like these have been repeated hundreds of times since then, but they are trials the Liberal member for Richmond Hill actually called fair and legal. He used those words. There are no fair and legal proceedings against political prisoners in a country that does not have an independent judiciary. The IRGC is still allowed to fundraise, organize and recruit here in Canada. Its members are regularly let into the country and are free to intimidate our own citizens. They have sympathizers in this very government. The Prime Minister did not mislead Parliament when he himself voted to list the IRGC as terrorists, but he did mislead Canadians by not having the courage to do it when he had the chance. It is time for the Liberals to stop defending the IRGC, and it is time to start standing up to it.

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