SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 283 - Feb/15/24

Hon. Mona Fortier (Ottawa—Vanier, Lib.)

Feb/15/24 2:07:27 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, small businesses are the backbone of the Canadian economy. The government is committed to making strategic investments through the My Main Street program so that local businesses and communities can thrive. A concrete example of the success of this program can be found right here, in my riding of Ottawa—Vanier. The Vanier BIA, which represents 400 members, created the Vanier HUB by transforming a parking lot into a unique artistic space where the community can gather. The Vanier HUB focuses on inclusive and integrated programming that draws arts, culture, sports and community engagement for under-represented communities. The funds allowed the HUB to grow its resources and resulted in more than 10,000 event attendees, creating a significant impact on Vanier businesses. The good news is that the Vanier HUB received the Downtown Achievement Award from the International Downtown Association last fall in Chicago. I am proud to share that, very soon, businesses will be able to apply for funding through My Main Street 2.0.

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Context: House Hansard - 283 - Feb/15/24

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)

Feb/15/24 2:31:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, they are working together with municipal politicians to block housing. In fact, the housing minister, when he was immigration minister, was warned his policies would lead to a massive shortage, yet he went ahead with them anyway. He made some incredible admissions yesterday at finance committee. He said, first, that his $4-billion accelerator fund has not completed any homes, and second, “It doesn't actually lead to the construction of specific homes.” Why does he not instead follow my common-sense plan to link municipal funding to housing construction so we can build homes and not bureaucracy?

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Context: House Hansard - 283 - Feb/15/24

Mr. Peter Fragiskatos (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Lib.)

Feb/15/24 2:53:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there are more slogans from the other side. Why is it a slogan? It is because there is no sincerity, and there is no sincerity because Conservatives want to cut funding to cities. They want to cut funding to towns. Every time we put measures on the table to make sure that municipalities are better supported and provinces are there with us, they stand in the way of that. I have given examples here today, such as the Gordie Howe bridge in my province. I just gave an example from his province. He has let down his constituents in the approach that he has taken. It is not a serious approach, and it never was.

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Context: House Hansard - 283 - Feb/15/24

Mr. Tako Van Popta

Feb/15/24 3:42:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there were a couple of good questions in that. I would point out that the Carter decision was about medical assistance for people who were dying. The condition had to be irremediable. The suffering had to be intolerable, and natural death had to be reasonably foreseeable. That was the law that Canadians thought was going to be our law going forward. It was not long before that was overturned by a lower court decision, which should have been appealed. As for the transfer of funding, I would just underline that the federal government promised health transfers to aid those suffering from mental health, and it has not delivered on that. We are holding the government to account for that.

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Context: House Hansard - 283 - Feb/15/24

Mr. Ryan Turnbull (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Lib.)

Feb/15/24 6:54:32 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am happy to respond to the comments made by the hon. member for St. Albert—Edmonton regarding Sustainable Development Technology Canada. We have taken responsible and prudent actions necessary to investigate the claims that have been presented to us. These processes are well under way. The party opposite needs to understand that proper due diligence takes time and that the appropriate measures are in place to allow the processes to play out. Innovation, Science and Economic Development has temporarily frozen SDTC's funding and has appointed a legal agent to review the organization's HR practices. The minister has also accepted the resignation of the board chair and the CEO of the organization. Funding will not be restored until the minister is satisfied that SDTC has fully implemented the actions contained in the management response and action plan issued in response to the recommendations in the Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton report. SDTC has worked diligently to provide documentation to demonstrate that changes have been made, and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada is now in the process of assessing the completeness of SDTC's response in ensuring that the appropriate measures are actually in place. We cannot proceed on half-truths. Facts matter in this case. Our actions and the associated measures put in place will continue to be informed by proper due diligence. We await the Auditor General's report, the results of the legal review of HR practices and the conclusion of the Ethics Commissioner's investigation. We will take the appropriate measures in response to any findings or recommendations that may result from these processes. SDTC is an organization that wants to get back to supporting Canadian innovators in the clean tech sector. I think the party opposite should allow due process to take its course as we remain prepared to take the next necessary actions. The government is committed to supporting Canada's innovative industries in the clean tech sector. Canadian clean technology companies are crucial to ensuring that Canada and the world meet their 2030 and 2050 climate commitments. I am confident that we are on the right path with the implementation of the corrective measures, the review of SDTC's human resources management, the Auditor General's audit and the Ethics Commissioner's investigation.

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Context: House Hansard - 283 - Feb/15/24

Mr. Ryan Turnbull

Feb/15/24 6:58:10 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, what the member implies is absolutely false, but I think he probably knows that. I would like to urge the member opposite to exercise patience and allow the actions that we have put in place to play out. The only way to get to the bottom of the issue at hand is to have the confidence to restore funding to SDTC and to allow proper due diligence in fact-finding to happen. We set conditions before new spending can happen, and the organization is working to meet those conditions. The RCGT report did not uncover deliberate unethical behaviour as the member has implied. Nonetheless, the board chair and the CEO of the organization have resigned. We await the results of the numerous investigations and reports, and we will take action as necessary.

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