44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 20, 2023 10:00AM
- Apr/20/23 2:53:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a lot of people in the House wonder what interests members of the opposition.
In my opinion, there is at least one thing that should interest them. I am referring to the huge, fantastic announcement made a few weeks ago at the Davie shipyard, in the greater Quebec City area. I know that my colleagues from across Quebec, including my Conservative colleagues, will realize what a game-changer the creation of a major international shipbuilding hub will be for the economy, the industry and the technological environment of the greater Quebec City region.
I am sure that even my Conservative colleagues I see here in the House ought to be delighted by this announcement.
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- Apr/20/23 2:54:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Quebec was already outraged to see Ottawa offer Boeing a $9-billion contract for military aircraft without a call for tenders and without a penny in spinoffs for Quebec.
However, it is worse now that we know that the American jets that Ottawa wants to buy are lemons. According to La Presse, the U.S. defence department itself has said that there are so many issues with the Poseidon P‑8As that they were in for repairs half the time from 2018 to 2020.
We will not pay $9 billion for American lemons when we can build better aircraft in Quebec. When will the government hold a real call for tenders?
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- Apr/20/23 2:54:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his question.
On this side of the House, we all recognize the importance of the aerospace industry across the country, particularly in Quebec.
I have been in contact with Bombardier executives, and everyone in the House agrees that Bombardier is a leading Canadian company that we can all be proud of. We were there for Bombardier at every opportunity, and we will always be there for Bombardier, both now and in the future.
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- Apr/20/23 2:55:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that was not particularly convincing.
To sum up, Ottawa is pushing aside Quebec's expertise and opting for American planes that even the Americans do not want. This is high treason towards our aerospace industry. Quebec has all the components to assemble an aircraft from A to Z. Ottawa does not have the right to offer Boeing $9 billion of taxpayers' money without a call for tenders, especially for planes that do not even meet the maintenance criteria.
Will the government back down and issue a real call for tenders? That is basic common sense.
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- Apr/20/23 2:56:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we will never back down. We will always push to defend Quebec's aerospace industry. I think my colleagues are clear on that.
As I was saying to my colleague, we are in touch with the aerospace industry, we are in touch with Bombardier.
My colleague left out part of the story. Not too long ago, alongside the Quebec government, we announced the largest aerospace investment ever in Canadian history. There is plenty to celebrate in the aerospace industry. We will always be there for the workers.
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- Apr/20/23 2:56:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday Statistics Canada reported that mortgage interest costs rose 26% in March, making the largest increase on record. Under the Prime Minister, mortgage costs have doubled, and food bank usage is up; he also plans for commuters to pay 41¢ a litre in carbon tax.
Does the Prime Minister see that Canadians are struggling, or is he so out of touch that he believes Canadians can just act like him at a Jamaican villa and have their friends pay their bills for them?
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- Apr/20/23 2:57:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should know that the people who are really out of touch are his colleagues, who have said that we should pull back from federal investments in housing. It is the hon. member and his colleagues who have opposed real support for first-time homebuyers. They opposed the $40,000 tax-free first-time homebuyers savings account. They opposed the ban on foreign ownership of Canadian real estate. They opposed the vacancy tax. They opposed investments in affordable housing. Not only did they oppose much-needed rental supports, but they also played procedural games to delay them.
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- Apr/20/23 2:57:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, talking about delays, the minister is the minister of delays. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reported an 11% drop in housing starts. This means we can expect higher rents as supply tightens and more hard-working millennials will be stuck in their parents' basements. If blaming others got housing built, this minister would have delivered results for Canadians.
When will the Liberal government stop blaming and start building, or are they just waiting for the Conservative leader to get it done for them?
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- Apr/20/23 2:58:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Conservatives are a nightmare for Canadians' goals related to accessing affordable housing, accessing home ownership and getting help with rentals. They voted against every single measure brought in the House to help Canadians with their real housing needs. We are the government that has brought back federal leadership in housing.
One would think that being in opposition would educate them on the need of the federal government to actually be involved and provide resources for housing. Instead, even in opposition, all their members believe that we should actually pull back from investments in affordable housing. That is a shameful record to run on.
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- Apr/20/23 2:59:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, since this Prime Minister took office, the average cost of mortgage payments has doubled in this country. Worse yet, because of the successive increases in interest rates, the cost of interest on mortgage payments was up by 26.4% in March compared to February. It is the largest increase ever recorded. Canadians continue to go into debt and have to give up their dream of home ownership.
Will the Prime Minister finally take measures to curb the inflation he himself created?
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- Apr/20/23 2:59:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the biggest gatekeepers to more housing supply, affordable housing, supports for renters and supports for homebuyers are the Conservatives. How do I know that? It is because every single time that we have brought sensible measures to the House to get supports for Canadian homebuyers and renters, to get supports for affordable housing for the most vulnerable and to increase supply in Canadian municipalities, they have voted against it. Then they have the nerve to come back to the House and talk about helping Canadians. That is shameful.
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Mr. Speaker, this morning, our government tabled the budget implementation act, an essential legislative measure to support a strong working class, an affordable economy and a healthy future.
Could the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance tell the House about some of the important measures this bill would introduce?
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Laval—Les Îles for his excellent question and for his hard work.
If it is passed, the budget implementation act would help meet the challenges of today and tomorrow, as we build a safer, more sustainable and more affordable Canada for Canadians across the country.
Here are some of the measures contained in the budget: automatic advance payment of the Canada workers benefit, doubling of the tradespeople's tools deduction, strengthening supply chains and Canada's trade corridors.
These are important measures, but, sadly, the Conservatives have already voted against them.
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- Apr/20/23 3:01:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the top secret Discord leak in the United States showed that the Prime Minister has no intention of ever meeting our NATO commitment. It showed that many of our allies are frustrated and disappointed by Canada's response to recent global crises like those in Haiti and Ukraine. The Prime Minister has once again embarrassed Canada on the world stage, and his empty promises have killed our reputation as a trusted ally.
Why does the Prime Minister waste billions of taxpayer dollars on his pet projects and lavish vacations while refusing to invest in our military?
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- Apr/20/23 3:02:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we must be clear. The Conservatives actively decided to step back and cut our defence spending and end contributions. We should not forget that it was the Conservatives who set our defence capacity back years by cutting military spending by billions and badly mismanaging our major procurement projects.
We have worked hard to reverse this damage by raising spending year over year and delivering key equipment that our armed forces need to do their work. We will keep going and making necessary smart investments in our forces.
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- Apr/20/23 3:02:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, according to The Washington Post, the Prime Minister privately told NATO officials that Canada will never meet the military alliance's defence-spending target. However, that is not what the Prime Minister is telling Canadians publicly. Instead, he is saying that Canada is a reliable partner to NATO and a reliable partner around the world.
How does the Prime Minister square his private comments to NATO officials with his public comments to Canadians?
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- Apr/20/23 3:03:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Armed Forces play an essential role in defending Canadians and supporting global security. As a founding member of NATO, our commitment to Euro-Atlantic and global security is ironclad, and we continue to make landmark investments to equip our armed forces.
Overall, Canada's defence policy has increased our defence spending by over 70%. We also announced over $8 billion in new spending in budget 2022. We will continue to invest in our Canadian Armed Forces and deliver modern equipment to our military, which is renowned around the world for its excellence and professionalism.
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- Apr/20/23 3:04:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when the object over Canadian airspace was shot down by an American F-22 on February 11, the defence minister said at the time that the process was sound and that it was NORAD doing what it is supposed to do. Yesterday, The Washington Post reported that, according to the Pentagon's assessment, Canada's military response was delayed by one hour, necessitating U.S. assistance.
How does the defence minister square her public comments with the Pentagon's assessment?
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- Apr/20/23 3:04:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as we have said, our government is making landmark investments to increase our ability to operate in and defend the Arctic, including announcing a robust $40-billion plan to modernize our continental defence. This is the most significant update to Canadian NORAD capabilities in almost four decades. We awarded a $122-million contract to strengthen the CFS Alert. We are conducting joint exercises in the Arctic, and we have purchased six Arctic offshore patrol ships. We will continue to do more as needed.
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- Apr/20/23 3:05:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will be asking real questions and not just talking about Christmas vacation.
The important meeting of G7 environment ministers concluded on Sunday, in Japan. Canada was there to promote renewed ambition in the fight against climate change, and also in protecting nature while promoting global energy security.
Can the Minister of Environment tell us about the progress being made on these important goals?
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