44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 20, 2023 10:00AM
- Jun/20/23 2:18:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, under the current Liberal government, the ultra-rich are getting richer and hard-working Canadians are falling further and further behind. The top CEOs are now making 243 times more than the average Canadian worker at their company. Loblaw CEO Galen Weston is paid $11.79 million a year in salary, which is 431 times more than the average income of an employee at that company.
The Liberals and the Conservatives have repeatedly voted against making CEOs and big corporations pay their fair share. Instead of defending the rich, as the Liberals and Conservatives are doing, it is time we tipped the scales in favour of Canadians.
Today, I introduced a plan to fight corporate greed and end outrageous pay for CEOs. New Democrats believe, we believe, that Ottawa should work for hard-working Canadians, not for wealthy CEOs.
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- Jun/20/23 2:19:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, wildfires continue to threaten my riding of Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou. The last evacuees are returning home, but we are certainly not celebrating yet, because they may have to evacuate again if the current dry weather conditions continue.
I want to thank all the firefighters who have come from abroad and from other provinces, as well as the military, for being there to help us fight these fires. I also want to thank everyone directly or indirectly involved in the evacuation and reintegration process.
A big thank you to the mayors of the cities who took in evacuees, namely Chibougamau, La Sarre, Val-d'Or, Senneterre, Quebec City, Roberval and Chicoutimi. Many thanks to Chantiers Chibougamau and Barrette-Chapais, who dug trenches to stop the threatening fires.
Finally, a special thank you to the mayors of the communities in my riding that were evacuated. They have acted quickly and with remarkable professionalism. The Bloc Québécois is with them in this critical situation. I thank them.
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- Jun/20/23 2:21:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, either people gain control of their money or their money will control them. Thanks to the wasteful spending of the Prime Minister, Canadians' debt is controlling them with crippling interest rate highs. It is a broken promise, an empty promise that said the government would balance the budget or have Canadians' backs.
However, since COVID-19, the Prime Minister has spent $205 billion of taxpayer money on debt, apart from on COVID-19 problems, like how he spent $27 million on bonuses for CMHC executives during the worst housing crisis in Canadian history, and $8.6 million to renovate his taxpayer-funded cottage at Harrington Lake. In addition, $210 million went to the corrupt and Communist Beijing-controlled Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
Inflation makes Canadians' money worthless. It is theft and it is the direct result of a reckless government that spent $100 billion before COVID-19. A promise made is a debt unpaid, and empty promises by the government are leaving Canadians with empty wallets.
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- Jun/20/23 2:22:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in 2020, 5,100 Canadian women died from breast cancer, and 12% of women in Canada will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. They are our mothers, sisters and daughters. They are all among us. Breast cancer screening is important for women of every age. Screening guidelines must be up to standard and based on science, because we know that early detection saves lives.
The government recently announced half a million dollars in funding for the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care to expedite the update of the breast cancer screening guidelines. This could not have been done without the voices of doctors, patient advocates and survivors like York Centre constituents Shira Farber and Adina Isenberg, broadcaster Kim MacDonald, and Ottawa advocate Julie Booker, who are among the many, many Canadian women from coast to coast.
We will keep working together to empower women to protect their health and choose evidence-based preventative health tools for early detection. Together, we can and will continue to work towards a brighter, cancer-free future for all Canadian women.
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- Jun/20/23 2:23:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we need to restore confidence in our democracy after it was shaken by Beijing's interference.
That is why I have already spoken to the other opposition leaders and a minister in the Prime Minister's government about a public inquiry. The Conservative Party is prepared to share the names of non-partisan individuals acceptable to all members of Parliament as soon as the Prime Minister announces a public inquiry.
Will he do it now?
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- Jun/20/23 2:24:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as we have said all along, foreign interference should not be a partisan issue. That is why, in the coming days, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities will continue to consult experts, lawyers and the opposition parties to determine the next steps and the best person to lead this work.
In the meantime, we will continue working to combat foreign interference in our democracy, as we have done since taking office. We hope that the opposition parties will treat this issue with the seriousness that it deserves and that Canadians expect.
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- Jun/20/23 2:25:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, eight years of this Prime Minister's promises and actions have brought suffering to Canadians.
In a letter to one of our MPs and the Journal de Montréal, Émilie Choquet said that rising interest rates will soon force her family to sell their home because monthly payments have increased from $2,300 to $3,700. She may lose her home because this government's inflationary policies are boosting interest rates.
Will he reverse his policies so people can keep their homes?
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- Jun/20/23 2:25:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government implemented concrete measures to help families like Émilie's. The Conservative Party voted against those measures.
For example, the dental benefit will help Émilie's kids and those of families like hers. There is also assistance for low-income renters and the grocery rebate. We are making these investments to help families get through this. Meanwhile, we are building a stronger economy with good jobs for years to come and investing in housing.
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- Jun/20/23 2:26:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister claimed that the government would take on debt so Canadians would not have to, forgetting, of course, that it is Canadians who pay all of that debt through their taxes, and now they are paying it because they have the biggest household debt of any country in the G7. In fact, family debt in Canada is bigger than our entire economy, prompting our banking regulator, today, to force banks to take on more of a rainy day fund to face down future defaults that they expect will rise as a result of growing interest rates.
The Prime Minister's inflationary policies are driving up interest rates on Canadian mortgage holders. Will he balance the budget to bring down inflation and interest rates so Canadians can keep their homes?
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- Jun/20/23 2:27:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are struggling, and that is why we continue to step up with investments to help them out: with dental care, with support for low-income renters, with investments in housing and with investments in supporting families. At the same time as the Conservative Party is proposing cuts and austerity, we are continuing to invest.
If the Leader of the Opposition really wants to come clean with Canadians, will he talk about whether he is going to cut child care for families, dental care for children or better health care services? These are the things he will be cutting.
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- Jun/20/23 2:27:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister, after eight years, is imposing austerity on Canadians.
I just told the story, in French, of a Quebec family that has seen its mortgage payments rise by 64%. The mother of that family is living austerity by having to cut back on her expenses and probably move into a tiny apartment as a result of the Prime Minister's inflationary spending. Even the finance minister admits that deficits drive inflation and that inflation drives higher interest rates for families just like this one.
Will the Prime Minister reverse his deficits and balance the budget to bring down inflation and interest rates, so Canadians can keep their homes?
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- Jun/20/23 2:28:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition is proposing cuts in supports to Canadians at the same time as Canada actually has the lowest deficit in the G7, has the best debt-to-GDP ratio of the G7 and has preserved its AAA credit rating. That is so we can continue to be there to support Canadians with investments in them, in their families, in housing and in the kinds of supports that the Leader of the Opposition would cut.
The Leader of the Opposition is just continuing his attacks to try to distract from the underwhelming election results he got last night.
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- Jun/20/23 2:29:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what is overwhelming is the debt he has imposed on the backs of hard-working Canadians, Canadians who now face the loss of their homes as a result of his inflationary policies. After eight years, the cost of rent has doubled. After eight years, the cost of a mortgage payment has doubled. After eight years, the needed down payment for the average house has doubled. Now, because of the massive mortgages he told Canadians would be consequence-free, which they now hold and now pay higher interest rates on, many could lose their homes.
Will he reverse these inflationary policies so Canadians can keep their homes?
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- Jun/20/23 2:29:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, see how quickly he pivoted away from the disastrous by-election results they got last night.
The fact of the matter is that we are going to continue to stay focused on investing in Canadians, on putting forward a positive vision of this country that is resonating from—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Jun/20/23 2:30:09 p.m.
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I am sorry; I am going to interrupt the Prime Minister.
I want to remind the hon. members that, this morning, there was a dust-up over name-calling and shouting. After hearing a point of order, I really expected everything to be calm, and it started off that way. I feel silly standing up here asking members not to call each other names or to yell at each other.
I will let the Prime Minister continue.
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- Jun/20/23 2:30:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are going to continue to put forward a positive vision for Canadians for the future, investing in great jobs, investing in fighting climate change and supporting families through the challenging times they are in right now. While the Conservative Party continues to promote cuts, division and anger, we are going to continue with a positive vision for the future.
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- Jun/20/23 2:31:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we were prepared to give the government the benefit of the doubt. Its plan to avoid an independent public inquiry on Chinese interference at all costs was hardly a resounding success. Its approach, which consisted of appointing a special rapporteur reporting exclusively to the Prime Minister, was an abysmal failure.
Then, all of a sudden, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities showed some openness to a public inquiry, just as the House prepares to rise for the summer. Honestly, some people are starting to wonder whether the House and the media are being taken for a ride. When is the government going to launch the inquiry?
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- Jun/20/23 2:31:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after the opposition parties turned this issue into a partisan free-for-all through personal attacks against the former governor general, we offered to work with them to create a process that everyone could agree on and that would not be spoiled by acrimonious partisan debates. That is why we are currently discussing positive proposals with the different parties to find a way for everyone to take this matter seriously, as we, the government, have done from the start.
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- Jun/20/23 2:32:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc has taken the high road throughout this debate.
It is a strategy as old as time: lip service to appease the opposition until the end of the session in the hopes that media attention will be elsewhere in the fall. Even worse, he could try to convince his good friends in the NDP to settle for a parliamentary committee over the summer instead of a full-fledged inquiry—a classic move.
This needs an inquiry now, with a chair appointed now and voted on now by the House, not parliamentary “arguing”, not offloading responsibility. It is now that it is happening—
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- Jun/20/23 2:33:00 p.m.
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The right hon. Prime Minister.
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