44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 12, 2023 10:00AM
- May/12/23 11:16:30 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, according to Stats Canada, over 115,000 widowed seniors are living below the poverty line. These are men and women who have worked their entire lives building this country, but they are no longer able to put food on the table. Instead, they are waiting in long lineups at their local food banks.
In fact, according to Global News, over 3,200 people are being served weekly at a Toronto food bank. Food banks are on the verge of collapse. The annual budget of $1.8 million has now become a monthly budget. What will happen when these food banks have no choice but to turn away hungry people due to the Liberal government's out-of-control inflationary spending?
It is clear. The Liberals are out of touch and Canadian seniors are out of money. Our common sense Conservative leader will make life more affordable and fix what the Liberals have broken.
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- May/12/23 11:17:38 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday was such an important day for Canadian sport. Our government announced reforms to the Canadian sport system that will improve governance and accountability, increase athlete engagement and decision making, and enhance safe sport practices right across our country.
Canadians love sport. It keeps us happy and healthy, and ensures that our communities are active, connected and engaged. The changes announced yesterday will ensure that sport continues to be a healthy, happy place for kids and all participants right across our country.
Through the community sport for all initiative, our government has partnered with organizations such as Participaction, Canadian Women and Sport, KidSport, Spirit North and Canadian Tire's Jumpstart, and the results are incredible. Hundreds of thousands of children have had opportunities to learn physical literacy skills, meet new friends and set new goals because of our government's investments in affordable and accessible community-level sport programs from coast to coast to coast.
Last month, I had the chance to go to Canmore, Alberta, to visit Spirit North to see first hand how it is working with first nations communities and leaders to bring sport and traditional activities to Stoney Nakoda youth and indigenous kids right across Canada. I love to see it.
The weather is great, so let us get out and play.
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- May/12/23 11:19:01 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are unable to access basic services. Our streets are being roamed by violent, repeat offenders, and housing and food costs are out of control.
Where has the Prime Minister been? Well, so far this year, he has been on five luxury vacations. It is as if he does not care at all. Is the Prime Minister's only interest in Canada that Canadians are picking up the tab for these luxurious vacations?
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- May/12/23 11:19:29 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, the Prime Minister did go on vacation at Christmas with his family to a friend's house.
The obsession of members opposite with the Prime Minister personally is, of course, driven by a partisan interest, but there are a great number of things in front of the House that have an enormous impact on Canadians' day-to-day lives, whether it is the dental care plan, or the investments we are making in housing and lifting people out of homelessness. There are many better issues to be focusing on.
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- May/12/23 11:20:07 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, these Liberals are out of touch. Canadians are out of money, and often, we find the Prime Minister is out of the country. Meanwhile, an entire generation of Canadians has given up on ever owning a home. While the Prime Minister is jet-setting and spending three months' average rent on a single night in a hotel room, Canadians are wondering whether they will be able to keep the lights on and feed their families.
When will the Prime Minister step out of the luxury suite and step up for Canadians?
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- May/12/23 11:20:39 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the reason they are focusing on the Prime Minister is to cover up for their lack of a housing plan.
We have been working hard, every single day, to make sure more and more Canadians have access to a safe and affordable place to call home. We have put investments in place to help renters pay the rent. We have put investments in place to build more supply, and what did they do? They voted against it. They come to the House to focus on the Prime Minister, and then they pretend to care about housing.
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- May/12/23 11:21:09 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, no one has ever spent as much to achieve so little as the housing minister and these Liberals. The only thing that seems to get them out of bed in the morning to support their Prime Minister is to make sure his next taxpayer-funded trip is paid for by Canadians. He has been out of the country on vacation, with his most recent one being paid for by a donor to the Trudeau Foundation. Now he is tuning up the jet to head off again next week.
While drug use and crime rage, and food bank use soars, is the Prime Minister ready to park the taxpayer-funded jet to step up for Canadians?
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- May/12/23 11:21:48 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, at a time when we are facing the existential challenge of climate change, and at a time when we are dealing with the worst inflation crisis this planet has faced in a very long time, does it not matter that Canada is leading the world? We are ahead of the G7. We are ahead of the average of both the G7, the G20, the eurozone and Japan. We now have it down below 5%.
The member is now suggesting that the Prime Minister going to the G7 to represent our nation among G7 nations and talk about the future is a vacation. They are suggesting that he should not be there, which shows just out of touch the party across the way is.
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- May/12/23 11:22:30 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this government is really out of touch with reality. After eight years, everything costs more. What is more, the government is planing to impose an additional tax of $0.41 per litre of gas. Farmers are struggling as a result of the rising costs of inputs and fuel. Processors and distributers are also frustrated. The result is that 1.5 million Canadians are using food banks. In my riding, there has been a 27.5% increase in the use of the Moisson Beauce food bank. That is unprecedented.
The government's role is simple. It is to ensure that Canadians can put food on their tables. When will the Prime Minister understand that enough is enough with the new taxes?
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- May/12/23 11:23:07 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague should know just how much our government is doing to help farmers.
Right now, we are enhancing and improving the advance payments program, which enables farmers to get interest-free loans of up to $350,000. We also enhanced the program for good agricultural practices on the farm. Most recently, we signed a partnership agreement with the Government of Quebec and all of the provinces and territories. That represents $367 million for Quebec.
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- May/12/23 11:23:43 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think the minister must still have her head in the clouds, because what Canadians are looking for are tangible solutions to the cost-of-living crisis. This government would rather raise taxes and watch Canadians starve.
“Canada's Food Price Report 2023” is very clear. A family of four will have to pay $1,065 more for food.
When will the government show some common sense and commit to not imposing new taxes?
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- May/12/23 11:24:22 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I do not know if my colleague heard, but last week, I announced a new call for proposals for the local food infrastructure fund. We are providing $10 million to help our food banks, community gardens, community greenhouses, youth centres, seniors' programs and more. All those working in our local and regional food systems can submit their projects right now to be fully funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
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- May/12/23 11:24:56 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is hard to follow the Liberals when it comes to the Century Initiative and their goal of increasing the Canadian population to 100 million people. They say they reject the initiative, and yet they refuse to support our motion to reject the initiative. They say they deny the initiative's target of 500,000 people per year, and yet their own target for 2025 is 500,000 people. The Liberals say they are shutting the door on the Century Initiative, but in reality they are keeping it wide open and doing exactly as it says.
Do they take Quebeckers for fools?
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- May/12/23 11:25:31 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let me be perfectly clear. The Century Initiative is not a government policy. The government does not endorse the findings of this independent group. The government does not have a goal of increasing Canada's population to 100 million people. We have announced our immigration thresholds for the next three years. These thresholds were set according to the needs of Canadians and Quebeckers.
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- May/12/23 11:26:02 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is difficult to believe the Liberals when they say that they did not take a page from the Century Initiative, because their immigration targets are identical. However, we will give them the benefit of the doubt. We do not yet know the Liberal targets starting in 2026. Perhaps they will not copy the Century Initiative targets after 2025.
Can they promise Quebeckers that their target starting in 2026 will be lower than the Century Initiative target of 500,000 per year, or, on the contrary, will their silence be confirmation that they are indeed copying the Century Initiative?
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- May/12/23 11:26:38 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we will say it one more time and the Bloc needs to hear it. The Century Initiative is not a government policy. First of all, the Bloc Québécois needs to stop scaring people.
Second, the Bloc Québécois knows very well that the federal government gives the most money to Quebec for the francization of immigrants. We are there with more than $700 million per year to work with the Quebec government and to ensure that immigrants who arrive in Quebec can speak French. Of course, on this side of the House, we will always be there to defend Quebec's interests.
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- May/12/23 11:27:20 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the poppy helps us commemorate the sacrifice and bravery of the women and men who served in the Canadian Armed Forces. Canadians are proud to wear their poppy in remembrance, but not Conservative premier, Danielle Smith. She is picking a fight with veterans to try to score political points for herself. It is shameful.
Will the minister stand up for veterans and condemn the remarks of Danielle Smith?
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- May/12/23 11:27:49 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is so important that we pay respect to our veterans. We have, and we always will. What we have to do is pay respect to our veterans and make sure we support our veterans. I can assure the member, on both issues, that this is what the government is doing and will continue to do.
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- May/12/23 11:28:10 a.m.
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I just want to remind folks to make sure that questions and comments are about federal government issues.
The hon. member for Edmonton Strathcona.
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- May/12/23 11:28:22 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canada's corporate watchdog is responsible for ensuring that Canadian companies act ethically abroad, yet in five years, with an annual budget of millions of dollars, no investigations have been done to protect indigenous people, the environment or human rights. This failure allows bad companies to act with impunity. This harms Canada's reputation, and it makes Canadian companies complicit in rape, murder and the destruction of indigenous communities.
I put forward legislation that would strengthen corporate responsibility. When will the Liberals do what they always do, and copy the NDP work to fix the core?
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