44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 7, 2023 10:00AM
- Feb/7/23 2:12:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years, do Canadians feel they are better off? Do Canadians think the costly NDP-Liberal coalition will look after them? Do Canadians believe that the Liberals have done what they promised? The answer is no. That is what 67% of Canadians feel: After eight long years of the Liberal government, everything in Canada is broken.
Who can blame them? Time and time again Canadians see rich, connected Liberals getting big government contracts while hard-working Canadians just get hit with more and more tax increases. The government wants to triple, triple, triple the tax on gas, groceries and home heating. After eight years, Canadians want change. In the Conservative leader and his united team, they see a group that will turn hurt into hope. They see change coming.
A Conservative government will keep the heat on and take the tax off.
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- Feb/7/23 2:14:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have a question I would like to put to the House. Can anyone in this place say that they have never experienced significant distress in their life or had suicidal thoughts?
This proves that suicide is everyone's business. In Canada, 12 lives are lost to suicide every day. This week is Suicide Prevention Week in Quebec, and this year's theme is “Prevention is Better than Death”. This highlights the importance of prevention and encourages people to dare to talk about it.
I think that all of us in this place must do more. We can make small gestures, like calling someone who is going through a difficult time, and also promoting organizations in our ridings that are there to provide assistance and support, such as Suicide Détour in Maniwaki.
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- Feb/7/23 2:15:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, sadly, Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island has bid farewell to its former mayor and freeman of the town, Art Skipsey, who passed away last month at the age of 96 following a life well lived. He was a man of integrity, vision, humour and strength, and we came to believe he would go on forever.
Art was born to settler parents in 1927 in the Alberni Valley, where he grew up with a love of the outdoors and the urge to teach, build with his hands and serve his community. He earned a degree in education at UBC and moved to Qualicum Beach to raise a family with Cora, the love of his life. They barged a house from Vancouver when a suitable home was hard to find. In 1975, Art began a two-year term as alderman; he then served as mayor from 1977 until 1990. He made too many voluntary contributions to the community to mention. Suffice it to say that many thought of Art as “Mr. Qualicum Beach”.
We will miss Art. May he rest in peace.
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- Feb/7/23 2:16:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as we speak, rescue workers are still searching for survivors of yesterday's powerful earthquake in Turkey and Syria. The death toll is now over 7,000 and climbing. We are witnessing a race against time. It is a chilling story, a true catastrophe.
The earthquake comes on top of a very serious humanitarian situation. Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since 2011, and the Bloc Québécois wants to reiterate its solidarity with the Turkish and Syrian people.
We also want to point out the importance of investing in a humanitarian emergency division at the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, to enable the federal government to act quickly in the event of a crisis, without having to stop processing regular cases.
We want and need to be part of the solution, for the sake of humanitarianism, security and refugee protection, but most importantly, because lives depend on it.
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- Feb/7/23 2:17:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years, Canadians are out of money and cannot afford food, heating or housing. I spent the last month in my riding talking to friends and neighbours, and they all expressed the same sentiment: Life under the Liberal government has gotten too expensive.
Mary told me she is overwhelmed every time she goes to the grocery store. The cost of groceries has skyrocketed in the last year. She wonders how she is going to keep food on the table for her and her three children. After eight years of the Liberal government, she has had enough.
I spoke with John and Francis, a hard-working middle-class family who say their heat bill has doubled. They do not know where they will come up with the extra $500 a month to put oil in their tank. They are out of money. They cannot afford the Liberal government any longer.
A Conservative government will keep the heat on and the tax off.
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- Feb/7/23 2:18:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last Saturday was World Cancer Day, a time to spread awareness and take action against a disease that has touched each of us. I recently visited Dr. Sheila Singh, who I have no doubt will cure brain cancer, in her lab at McMaster University. I also attended an announcement at SickKids about our investment in pediatric cancer, which will be transformational for kids with cancer.
Some actions we can all take to prevent cancer include making healthy choices, such as living smoke free, being sun safe, moving more, sitting less, having a healthy body weight, limiting alcohol and eating well. I know far too many who have been touched by cancer, and I am always inspired by their strength and resilience.
As Terry Fox said, “dreams are made possible if you try.” I dream of a world without cancer, and I will do all I can to make that dream come true.
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- Feb/7/23 2:19:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of this Prime Minister, health care in Canada is broken. He has accomplished the impossible. He managed to double our national debt, adding more inflationary debt than all prior prime ministers combined, without improving health care. In fact, it is worse than ever.
Today, the Prime Minister admitted that the system does not meet our expectations. Will he finally take responsibility so that we can fix what he broke?
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- Feb/7/23 2:20:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us remember the facts. During the pandemic, we transferred an additional $72 billion to the provinces, on top of the $46 billion in investments.
What is more, the Prime Minister and the premiers of this country are meeting today to talk about building a health care system that will be sustainable for the next 10 years. That is how our Confederation works. It is a great day for Canada.
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- Feb/7/23 2:20:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of this Prime Minister, health care in Canada is broken. He has accomplished the impossible: He managed to double our national debt, adding more debt than all prior prime ministers combined, without improving health care. In fact, by his own admission, it is worse.
Now will the Prime Minister finally take responsibility for the problems in health care he has caused so that we can fix what he broke?
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- Feb/7/23 2:21:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us remember the facts. During the worst pandemic in a century, the Government of Canada transferred $72 billion to the provinces to make sure that we could get through the pandemic, on top of record investments of $46 billion. Today, the Prime Minister and all the premiers of this country are meeting to build a health care system that would be sustainable for the future.
It is a great day for Canada and a great day for Canadians.
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- Feb/7/23 2:21:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of this Prime Minister, inflation is at a 40-year high.
Former Liberal finance minister Bill Morneau said that the Prime Minister spent too much. Another former Liberal finance minister, John Manley, said that this spending caused inflation. The current Governor of the Bank of Canada says that government spending is causing inflation and Mark Carney, the future Liberal leader, agrees.
Will the Prime Minister take responsibility for the inflation he caused so we can fix what he has broken?
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- Feb/7/23 2:22:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the leader of the official opposition because we are going to do just that and take responsibility for all the investments we have attracted to Canada.
I think that the Conservative leader has forgotten the investments in science and biopharma across the country. We attracted Moderna to Canada for the first time. I believe that the opposition leader is forgetting about the investments in the auto industry and green energy. We will continue to invest in Canada to create the jobs of today and tomorrow.
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- Feb/7/23 2:23:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, his investments in pharmaceuticals? He gave $170 million to a pharmaceutical operation that is shutting down; that is a prime example.
After eight years of the Prime Minister wasting our money, inflation is at a 40-year high. Now home heating bills have doubled. Seniors wonder how they are going to keep the heat on because this tax is going to be tripled, tripled and tripled under the NDP-Liberal coalition.
Will the Prime Minister finally take responsibility for the misery he has put on household heating bills, and will he accept that we are going to keep the heat on to take the tax off?
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- Feb/7/23 2:24:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we invested to protect the health and safety of Canadians. Canadians watching today should just watch this guy again. Everyone in the country understood at the time that we needed to invest in all types of vaccines.
Today, we are in solution mode. We want to protect the jobs, manufacturing facility and IP of Medicago.
Canadians learned something from COVID. We have their backs. We will continue to invest in the Canadian economy.
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- Feb/7/23 2:24:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that this government does not have their back; the government has its hands in their back pockets. That is what is happening.
There is $170 million dollars here for this wasted investment, $54 million for the ArriveCAN scam and, of course, $2 billion invested in a company that does not actually exist. Who is paying for it? Well, people are now seeing the bills on their home heating, which has doubled with higher gas prices and, of course, when our farmers and truckers are taxed with a carbon tax, they have to raise the price of the food that comes to our grocery stores.
Will the Liberals finally back down from this crazy carbon tax scheme? We are going to keep the heat on until they take the tax off.
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- Feb/7/23 2:25:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we hear a lot of hot air coming from the Leader of the Opposition, but we do not hear a lot of solutions.
On this side of the House, we are actually focused on making sure that Canadians have the support they need, whether that was at the height of the pandemic, when we made sure that Canadians could stay afloat, and guess what, that is what the Leader of the Opposition is against; whether it is now, when we are reducing child care fees by 50% across this country, and the Conservatives voted against funding child care; or whether it is the Canada child benefit, which is helping nine out of 10 Canadian families.
We are there for them. Conservatives are just not there for Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is dividing Canada's people. His anti-Islamophobia advisor is an example of that. He set out to divide Quebeckers and Canadians by sanctioning Quebec bashing yet again. Another example is how he made his West Island MPs on the official languages committee attack the protection of the French language. He wants to drive a wedge between Quebeckers by spreading misinformation about the Charter of the French Language. Prime ministers should not divide their people.
Will his government reprimand its federal MPs who say things that are not true and tell them enough is enough?
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois's raison d'être is to divide. That is its goal.
This bill would enable workers to work in French, yet the Bloc is voting against it. This bill would guarantee services in French, yet the Bloc is voting against it. This bill would do more for French both inside and outside Quebec, yet the Bloc is voting against it.
When it comes to defending the French language, the Bloc is speaking out of both sides of its mouth.
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Mr. Speaker, the dispute is not within the Bloc Québécois, it is within his caucus. He needs to wake up.
This morning, the Liberal member for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell said, “The smoke show led by some of my colleagues is shameful. The Island of Montreal does not have a monopoly on linguistic policy in Canada. Disinformation has no place in this debate.” It was someone from his caucus who said that. He is right.
Why does it take someone from Ontario to say that? Why have none of the Liberals from Quebec spoken out against this? Where are the Prime Minister and his Quebec lieutenant when their colleagues are literally wiping their feet on the Charter of the French Language?
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Feb/7/23 2:28:16 p.m.
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Order.
The hon. Minister of Official Languages.
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