44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 29, 2024 10:00AM
- Feb/29/24 2:49:41 p.m.
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The hon. Minister of Health.
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- Feb/29/24 2:50:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, newsrooms and journalists are one of the pillars of Canadian democracy. In our rural communities, local media play an even more fundamental role. In December, the Minister of Canadian Heritage reached a historic agreement with Google, which committed to giving newsrooms more than $100 million.
Can she tell the House when and how newsrooms, and local media outlets in particular, will be able to access this money?
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- Feb/29/24 2:51:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, despite months of opposition from the Conservatives, last year we passed the Online News Act, which allowed us to strike a historic deal with Google. That deal means Google will pay $100 million to local news organizations. Those funds would never have been made available if it were up to the Conservatives alone.
I am pleased to say that Google launched its open call process yesterday to ask eligible news organizations to come forward to benefit from this payment. Canadians can rest assured that, on this side of the House, we will always stand up to the tech giants to make them pay their fair share and behave like good corporate citizens.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Feb/29/24 2:51:46 p.m.
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I would ask the hon. member for Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier to refrain from speaking until he has the floor.
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- Feb/29/24 2:51:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the minister must be confused, because it is not Conservatives making a link between these scientists and threats to national security. It is the government's own security agencies saying that these individuals were collaborating with foreign entities that presented a threat to the security of Canada.
We are talking about research with pathogens and deadly viruses, while, at the same time, these individuals were on the payroll of the People's Liberation Army and the communist regime in Beijing. Rather than inform Canadians and come clean at the outset, the government went into overdrive to cover it up.
How can the Prime Minister be so callous and selfish that he would try to protect himself rather than the security of Canadians?
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- Feb/29/24 2:52:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to answer my colleague. Canada shows leadership when it comes to national security. That is something the Conservatives will not do.
Let me refresh their memory, because they tend to be selective when it comes to the facts. On January 16, we announced that we would ban funding for research in sensitive areas. There are 100 entities around the world. We work with our Five Eyes allies. We work with research centres in this country. We work with universities.
Canadians know that we will always put national security first and defend the interests of Canada.
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- Feb/29/24 2:53:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals want to give themselves a gold star that finally three years later, after fighting, kicking and screaming to keep these documents hidden, that now they have been released only because Conservatives demanded it. Let us remember the facts. They ignored and refused to comply with four parliamentary orders. They took the unprecedented step of taking the Speaker of the House of Commons to court to keep these documents hidden. Then they called a snap election hoping it would all go away.
If this was all just an administrative issue, then why the cover-up?
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- Feb/29/24 2:54:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in the first order, one of the things that is disturbing about what the member is supposing is that if he were in government, and I hope that does not happen, they would interfere in the redaction process and they would be involved in it. We obviously did not do that, particularly not with national security.
The member opposite and I had a conversation about this. First, I suggested immediately that they see the documents at NSICOP. They said that was not good enough. Therefore, I created an ad hoc committee. The ad hoc committee gave them the opportunity not only to see the documents, but put to an independent arbiter whether or not they should be released publicly. We did that together. The documents were released. They are now before us.
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- Feb/29/24 2:54:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is a known admirer of China's basic dictatorship.
Over the past eight years, he has allowed research with the Chinese army. He has allowed the Chinese Communist Party to interfere in our elections. He has turned a blind eye to intimidation of the Chinese diaspora.
With the release of the Winnipeg lab documents yesterday, we learned that the Prime Minister also allowed a person who represented “a very serious and credible danger” to compromise Canada's national security.
Will the Prime Minister finally admit that he tried to hide the documents to protect himself, not to protect Canadians?
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- Feb/29/24 2:55:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, people watching at home must be wondering where the Conservatives were on January 16. I am sure people are wondering.
On January 16, we announced that, as a government, we would stop funding research—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Feb/29/24 2:55:42 p.m.
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May I encourage hon. members who do not have the floor to wait until it is their turn to speak?
That way, we can have a discussion. I am not encouraging discussion across the aisle.
The hon. Minister of Innovation.
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- Feb/29/24 2:56:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I hope the Conservatives will listen.
On January 16, we banned research work in sensitive areas with approximately 100 entities around the world. We have worked with our allies to protect science, intellectual property and the work done by our universities.
We will always be there to defend national security.
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- Feb/29/24 2:56:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, where was the minister in July 2019 when two scientists were expelled from Canada by the security agencies? Where was the minister then? It was not last January; it was in 2019. That was over four years ago.
What we learned yesterday is that the Prime Minister ignored four orders of Parliament to produce documents. He took the Speaker of the House to court. This is unprecedented in the history of our country, and it is the worst cover‑up in the history of our country.
Why did the Prime Minister want to protect himself instead of defending the national security of Canadians?
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- Feb/29/24 2:57:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the people watching at home must be truly appalled.
We just explained to the Conservatives yet again that the Prime Minister and all government members on this side of the House take national security seriously.
On January 16, we banned not one but 100 entitities from working with Canadian research centres, universities and colleges on sensitive research. That is exactly the type of measure that we need to take to defend Canada's interests.
We will always be there to defend science.
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- Feb/29/24 2:58:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when it comes to health, Quebeckers want care, not threats.
A year after forcing Quebec to accept an increase in transfers that cover only one-sixth of our needs, the federal government is threatening to steal $900 million from Quebec if it does not meet the government's conditions by March 31. The Liberals are once again playing political games at Quebeckers' expense and with Quebeckers' own money.
When will the Liberals stop holding patients hostage and start paying Quebec the money it is entitled to?
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- Feb/29/24 2:58:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Bloc Québécois is always trying to pick a fight.
When I spoke with Minister Dubé from Quebec, it was clear that his objective was to co-operate to find a solution. In our health care system, I think that Canadians and Quebeckers want politicians, elected members, who look for solutions, not pick a fight. That is why I am sure that we will reach an agreement with Quebec.
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Mr. Speaker, federal pharmacare is not necessarily just around the corner.
Bill C-64 talks about a principle “to consider when working towards the implementation of national universal pharmacare”. In other words, it is basically just another election promise. Frankly, the NDP got bought off cheap.
If, after discussing a principle to consider when when working towards implementation, Ottawa actually were to someday end up with pharmacare, which Quebec already has, will Quebec be able to opt out with full compensation?
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- Feb/29/24 2:59:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, this year, for the first time in the country's history, anyone with diabetes and anyone who need contraceptives will get what they need. This is such a historic announcement. It is going to make a difference for a huge number of people across the country, even in Quebec.
Yesterday, I had a good conversation with Minister Dubé about this. I am sure we can reach an agreement with Quebec as well.
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- Feb/29/24 3:00:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, common-sense Conservatives will axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime. After eight years, the Liberal-NDP Prime Minister is not worth the cost, the crime or the corruption.
Never before in the history of this great nation have so many people had to resort to food banks. Thousands are now resorting to dumpster diving because they can no longer afford the cost of food.
Will the Prime Minister show some compassion and cancel the April 1 carbon tax hike?
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- Feb/29/24 3:01:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that colleague is from Ontario where I am from and the climate rebate that Ontarians will receive is over $1,100. That is for a family of four. I am not surprised, though, to hear that member and the Conservatives continue to bring up these points. They want to take money out of the pockets of Canadians.
Today, historic legislation was tabled in the House of Commons with respect to pharmacare. The Leader of the Opposition ran away when asked if he would support pharmacare. When it comes to student loans and helping students, and when it comes to EI and pensions in particular, the Conservatives are nowhere to be seen. They want to make cuts. They are a party of austerity.
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