SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 158

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 10, 2023 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 158 - Feb/10/23
Hon. Mark Holland (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)
  • Feb/10/23 11:59:19 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, of course, the minister in question has taken responsibility and has apologized, but I have great difficulty when the member opposite says that Canadians have never had it worse. The reality is that we are in incredibly difficult times. We have lived through a global pandemic. There is a war going on in Ukraine. We are dealing with global inflation. However, the idea that this is the worst time Canadians have ever faced is offensive. Is he saying that these times are worse than the world wars? Is he saying this time is worse than the Great Depression? Canadians are resilient. They have risen in every moment, and when— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)
  • Feb/10/23 11:59:55 a.m.
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Order. The hon. leader of the government has a few seconds remaining.
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Hon. Mark Holland
  • Feb/10/23 12:00:09 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, these are the hardest times the world has gone through since the Second World War, and they can laugh about that, but the reality is that in every corner of this planet people are facing the most difficult and challenging times that have confronted humanity in a generation. The reality is that Canada is leading in that environment.
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Mrs. Sophie Chatel (Pontiac, Lib.)
  • Feb/10/23 12:00:35 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the tourism sector made a strong comeback over the last year. I wonder what can be done— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)
  • Feb/10/23 12:00:52 p.m.
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The disruption is getting very unruly. It is difficult to control the House and have a proper exchange of questions and answers when members cannot hear because they are shouting.
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Mr. Michael Barrett
  • Feb/10/23 12:01:48 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, when there is disorder on both sides of the House, does the member whose party is responsible for the disorder lose her question, if the Speaker has said that I have lost my—
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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)
  • Feb/10/23 12:01:59 p.m.
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There is disorder on both sides right now, or there was. I will go back to the hon. member right after the member for Pontiac asks her question.
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Mrs. Sophie Chatel
  • Feb/10/23 12:02:04 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, tourism made a strong comeback last year. Fortunately, companies and tourists are coming back to Canada. Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance give us an update on the state of this sector that is so vital to our economy, particularly in rural communities?
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Ms. Rachel Bendayan (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, Lib.)
  • Feb/10/23 12:02:39 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Pontiac for her hard work and the work she does on the Standing Committee on Finance. It is true that last year we saw a huge increase in international tourists. In fact, tourism spending in Canada reached $20 billion in the third quarter. That is $20 billion in just three months. Those tourists are coming from abroad to buy what we have to offer. I would like to thank—
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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)
  • Feb/10/23 12:03:14 p.m.
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The hon. member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes.
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Mr. Michael Barrett (Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, CPC)
  • Feb/10/23 12:03:17 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the government House leader would tell Canadians that they have never had it so good. His metric for how well the government is doing is that Canadians are not currently suffering a world war. His word salad will not fill their bellies, but what the actions of the government are doing is filling the pockets of Liberal insiders. If the minister will not do the right thing and pay Canadians back the tens of thousands she gave to Liberal insiders, then she needs to resign. That is what Canadians demand and deserve.
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Hon. Mark Holland (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)
  • Feb/10/23 12:03:51 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I did not rise in this place and say that Canadians have never had it so good. What I said is that we are living through some of the most challenging times anywhere in the world and that it is small comfort when times are as difficult as this that our inflation in this country is less than that of the U.S., the U.K., the eurozone and the averages of the G7 and G20. It is small comfort that we are leading in terms of GDP growth, employment growth and female participation in the workforce. However, I say to those people that we are there for them with programs and services that lift them up. On the other side, the Conservatives are only doing one thing: amplifying—
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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)
  • Feb/10/23 12:04:30 p.m.
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The hon. member for Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry.
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Mr. Eric Duncan (Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, CPC)
  • Feb/10/23 12:04:33 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, after eight years, everything in this country feels like it is broken, and we need look no further than Cornwall, Ontario, to find another example of Liberal incompetence. Months ago the Liberals signed contracts with local hotels for a major Roxham Road processing centre, but local partners on the ground received zero notice, consultation or resources. The Liberals have broken our immigration system, and their chaos is hurting my community. Will the Prime Minister take responsibility for this mess so we can fix what he broke?
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Hon. Sean Fraser (Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Lib.)
  • Feb/10/23 12:05:12 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, with respect to the resettlement effort and support for asylum seekers who are seeking safe haven in Canada, we want to ensure that we are working with all provinces so that the disproportionate pressures that happen at border communities are not felt in a single place. Regarding his allegation that the immigration system is somehow broken, I would like to correct the record. We have welcomed more than twice as many people coming into this country as permanent residents as the Conservatives did when they were in power. We have more than doubled our productivity. We have returned to the service standard for study permits, and we are close to it for work permits, family reunification and economic immigration. We need to continue to do the work—
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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)
  • Feb/10/23 12:05:49 p.m.
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The hon. member for Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry.
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Mr. Eric Duncan (Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, CPC)
  • Feb/10/23 12:05:52 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the minister is telling the people of Cornwall that there is absolutely no problem when it comes to his failed, broken system in this processing centre. Do not take my word for it; take the words of the mayor of Cornwall, who said this week, “The IRCC is not on site, they’re not here. They’re in Ottawa managing this file from an arm’s-length distance…to make decisions about it without consulting with us or hearing our side, that’s not effective”. I could not agree more. For the minister to paint such a rosy picture, when there is so much chaos happening in Cornwall because of his poor leadership, is tone deaf and out of touch. When will he fix the problem—
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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)
  • Feb/10/23 12:06:29 p.m.
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The hon. Minister of Immigration.
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Hon. Sean Fraser (Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Lib.)
  • Feb/10/23 12:06:31 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am beginning to feel tired of the way the Conservatives begin their questions by talking down Canada. I am proud to be from this country. There is not a country I would rather call home. Are there challenges with communities that are welcoming asylum seekers right now? Absolutely there are. We have worked with members of the community in Cornwall in the past, and we will work with them in the future. The reality is that difficult decisions come across governments' desks, and it depends on how governments deal with them. We will continue to support communities that are trying to do their best to deal with an influx of people who are seeking a safe haven in this country. It is a proud tradition in Canada that we support some of the world's most vulnerable. We will not fail in our duties as the Conservatives would have us do.
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Mr. Scott Reid (Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, CPC)
  • Feb/10/23 12:07:13 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, Canopy Growth, which is the largest private-sector employer in my riding, announced it is laying off half of its workforce. This is why: Canada's legal cannabis sector functions under crushing federal taxes and insanely high regulatory compliance costs. The result is that for consumers, legal cannabis costs about twice the price of illegal product. The government has made it impossible for legal producers to be competitive by closing this price gap. Having created this problem and a robust criminal sector while the legal sector languishes, how will the Liberals fix their own problem?
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