SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 297 - Apr/10/24

Mr. Peter Julian (New Westminster—Burnaby, NDP)

Apr/10/24 4:55:06 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I note that we were supposed to be debating pharmacare today, a pharmacare bill that would make a difference in the lives of millions of Canadians. I also note, as I know the member is aware, that the national defence committee is meeting right now. The NDP proposed and members of the committee from all parties agreed to have a study that talks specifically about housing for our women and men in the service. I note that all of that is taking place and that we are putting aside a debate on pharmacare that will help millions of people. My concern is that I lived through the Harper regime when there were massive cuts to veterans services and the closing of veterans services offices throughout Canada. Veterans were very badly mis-served by the Harper government. I would ask my colleague, whom I have a lot of respect for, if he regrets now all of the actions, the cut-and-gut approach to funding for women and men in the service and our veterans that was done under the Harper regime. Does he regret that now, in retrospect?

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Context: House Hansard - 297 - Apr/10/24

Mr. James Bezan

Apr/10/24 4:56:22 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I will remind the member that, as the shadow minister for national defence for the Conservatives and vice-chair of the Standing Committee on National Defence, we are debating a motion now that came from the Standing Committee on National Defence. This is important. We are talking about how the housing crisis is impacting our troops. We are talking about a rate hike. The Liberals jacked up the rental rates on our troops, and that deserves to be debated here as well. Although the committee is meeting right now and talking about housing, I thought it was important today, pretty much our first opportunity since April 1, to raise this issue and make sure that the government has an eye on the crisis that is currently grabbing hold in the Canadian Armed Forces. Our troops deserve better than that. I know the troops appreciated that, when we were in government, we bought brand new C-17s, we bought brand new Hercules aircraft and we bought brand new Leopard tanks. We were able to support them throughout the war in Afghanistan and, when that war ended, there were actually some savings, which enabled us to fix the budget. I can say that, as much as everybody always talks about where the Conservatives were on the percentage of GDP, we did not use creative accounting by adding in things like the pensions of veterans, the Coast Guard and border services to falsely inflate the GDP numbers.

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Context: House Hansard - 297 - Apr/10/24

Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

Apr/10/24 5:07:47 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is somewhat pathetic when we listen to Conservatives try to defend their own previous record with respect to the Canadian Forces, and then have the audacity to try to say that the Government of Canada is not doing what it should be doing for them. In fact we have invested and continue to invest in our members of the Canadian Forces far more than the Conservative government ever did, and we did not shut down veterans' offices. In fact we are on target to get to, I believe, about 1.7% of our GDP by 2030. Compare that to less than a percentage point under Stephen Harper. How does the Conservative Party live with itself when it tries to give the false impression that its members care about the Canadian Forces?

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Context: House Hansard - 297 - Apr/10/24

Mr. Peter Julian (New Westminster—Burnaby, NDP)

Apr/10/24 5:09:41 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is a sacred trust. The women and men in uniform in this country need to be treated with respect at all times. That is why the NDP actually produced the motion leading to the report that is on the floor of the House of Commons. We believe fundamentally that it is important to provide services for those who are willing to put their lives and physical well-being on the line for their country. I was incredibly dismayed, as were most Canadians, over the period of the Harper regime, when veterans services were slashed. Veterans were forced to drive hundreds of kilometres in order to access the services that had been available in their communities before. It was despicable. It was an absolute and total lack of respect for those who give their lives for our country and those veterans of our country. It is important to make those investments in housing, but it is also important to apologize for the past. Will the member apologize for the despicable actions of the Harper regime in cutting veterans services?

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Context: House Hansard - 297 - Apr/10/24

Mr. Alistair MacGregor

Apr/10/24 5:48:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on the same point of order, I do think it is important for the House to understand this very clearly. For all Canadians watching, the Conservatives did say no twice to our veterans—

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