44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 18, 2024 10:00AM
- Apr/18/24 2:08:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Joy Bond, Peter Bond, Gina Goulet, Elizabeth Joanne Thomas, John Joseph Zahl, Corrie Ellison, Dawn Madsen, Frank Gulenchyn, Aaron Tuck, Emily Tuck, Jolene Oliver, Sean McLeod, Alanna Jenkins, Tom Bagley, Lisa McCully, Constable Heidi Stevenson, Heather O'Brien, Kristen Beaton, baby Beaton, Greg Blair, Jamie Blair, Joey Webber and Lillian Campbell Hyslop are the names of the 23 Canadians who were savagely murdered on April 18 and 19, 2020.
Four years have passed today, and the wounds that were inflicted on Colchester county, all of Nova Scotia and, indeed, Canada have yet to fully heal. We should remember these names. They were our friends, our co-workers, our loved ones and our neighbours.
May they rest in peace, and may they never be forgotten.
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- Apr/18/24 2:09:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a truly fantastic person and mayor in my riding of Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, Mayor Tony Keats of the great town of Dover. Recently, Mayor Keats was short-listed as a top candidate in the World Mayor competition.
World Mayor is a biennial award organized by the City Mayors Foundation since 2004. Out of the 25 global candidates, Mayor Keats was the only Canadian mayor to make the list. Thanks to a local voting campaign, Mayor Tony Keats was one of the top-four finalists, winning the World Mayor Community Award 2023. Recently, a local event was held in Dover, on April 8, to celebrate his win.
Tony is a true advocate for the town of Dover, which people may know for its fault line or from being featured in Come from Away. He is well appreciated by his constituents and is a shining example of the passion and positive influence local politicians have for their communities.
I ask members to join with me in congratulating Mayor Tony Keats.
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- Apr/18/24 2:11:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, budget 2024 has dropped. The reviews are in, and I am sure NDP members and Liberals are excited. Let us see what people have had to say.
Former finance minister Bill Morneau said that aspects of this budget were “clearly a negative to our long-term goal, which is growth in the economy, productive growth and investments.” However, he is just a random Liberal.
Let us hear what the NDP had to say; I am sure the New Democrats are excited. Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair said, “It fell way short”, that it really would be “giving a sock in the jaw to a lot of small business people, entrepreneurs, artisans” and that it was not actually going after “the super rich”; it was going after “super ordinary Canadians”.
The Conservatives agree. This budget should have been about growth and instead it is more failure and more tax and spend. The good news is that it was not like this before the Prime Minister and it will not be after him. Common-sense Conservatives have a common-sense plan. Let us bring it home.
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- Apr/18/24 2:12:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberal government, Canadians are suffering the consequences of the government's weak on crime agenda. Canadian cars have become a target for organized crime. In Canada, a car is stolen every six minutes, and since the Prime Minister took office in 2015, car thefts have tripled in Canada's major cities.
The situation is so bad that The New York Times has described Canadian streets as a “candy store” for car thieves. Criminals are emboldened because of the NDP-Liberal government's weak justice policy. Ontario Provincial Police has confirmed that 68% of convicted car thieves spend less than six months in jail. With sentences like these, it is no wonder criminal networks are focusing their efforts on targeting Canadians.
Car theft is not a victimless crime. The profits from these stolen cars are directly funding violence in our communities, including drug trafficking and homicide. Common-sense Conservatives have the only plan that will stop the crime, chaos and corruption on our streets. It is time to get tough on violent repeat offenders and secure our borders.
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- Apr/18/24 2:13:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as Sikh Heritage Month celebrations continue all April, Vaisakhi night at BC Place Stadium was packed, with amazing performances by anthem singer Juggy Bajwa, legendary singer Jazzy B, and, finally, our Whitecaps beating Toronto FC 4:nil.
Before the match, I had the opportunity to participate in a kickoff message with Whitecaps legend Carl Valentine and young heroes Malia and Noah Kumar, encouraging fans to register as organ donors.
Malia and Noah were chosen as Whitecaps Kid Captains through their work to raise organ donor awareness with BC Transplant in memory of their mother and health care worker, Anju, a dear friend who saved eight lives by donating her organs.
As one of the thousands of fortunate Canadians to have access to great medical care and a donor, I encourage all Canadians to learn and promote organ donor awareness among their friends and families.
I wish the House will join me to recognize the efforts of BC Transplant, the Kumar family, the Vancouver Whitecaps and all volunteers and staff who worked collaboratively. Together, we can build healthier communities and save lives.
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- Apr/18/24 2:14:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today I stand to offer my sincere congratulations to those members of the Inter-Council Network of provincial and regional councils for global co-operation. They are celebrating an important milestone of 50 years.
The ICN is a coalition of eight provincial and regional councils. The ICN represents hundreds of Canadian organizations in every region and every province from coast to coast to coast. The first council was in my home province of Alberta, the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation, which began engaging Canadians and supporting international development operations in 1973.
The Manitoba and Saskatchewan councils began their work one year later, and the Quebec, Ontario, Atlantic, B.C. and northern councils followed after that.
These organizations are a cornerstore of Canadians' international development efforts, engaging Canadians through innovative public engagement initiatives and improving development principles. We are all so thankful and proud of the work they do for Canadians.
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- Apr/18/24 2:15:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, next Saturday is Guy Rocher's 100th birthday. Guy Rocher is one of the great intellectuals of the Quiet Revolution and, because of his own personal journey, an icon of secularism in Quebec. His century of wisdom is worth celebrating.
He is one of the little-known fathers of our education system, having played a key role in the mystical Parent commission and in the creation of the largest university in Quebec and Canada, the Université du Québec network and the extraordinary CEGEP system, which is unique to Quebec.
Rocher is a graduate of Université Laval, Université de Montréal and Harvard University. His biographer, Pierre Duchesne, called him Quebec's leading sociologist. He was the first to understand that we could not modernize our education system without making it secular. He may even have been the first to understand Quebec so well.
As we wish Guy Rocher a happy 100th birthday, which I intend to do in person this evening, let us be inspired by his calm tenacity. Mr. Rocher is indeed 100 years young.
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Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberal government, Canadians are struggling to make ends meet. This year, Canadians will spend over $46 billion to service the Prime Minister's debt, but the Prime Minister's costly coalition does not stop there. On April 1, the NDP-Liberals increased the federal carbon tax by 23%. This increase affects the cost of living for all Canadians, including by a major increase in gasoline prices. This Prime Minister is simply not worth the cost.
It is not just Liberals like David Dodge and Bill Morneau who think the Prime Minister's spending is out of control; former finance minister John Manley said that his spending balloons inflation and interest rates.
Conservatives will vote non-confidence in this budget unless the Liberals cap the spending with a dollar-for-dollar rule to bring down inflation and lower interest rates. For every new dollar spent, the government must find a dollar in savings, and it must immediately pass Bill C-234, in its original form, to axe the tax on farmers and food.
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- Apr/18/24 2:18:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Wally Firth, my predecessor here and the first indigenous member of Parliament from Northwest Territories, passed away last month at the age of 89 years old. He served as the NDP MP for Northwest Territories from 1972 to 1979. He was also one of the first indigenous managers at the Hudson's Bay Company, one of the first northern indigenous commercial pilots, and a radio host and a journalist at CBC North.
Mr. Firth was an advocate for addressing the poverty and injustices that indigenous people have suffered. Wally also pushed the federal government to negotiate modern land claim agreements with the Dene and the Inuit, and it is interesting to note that we are still after the same things 50 years later.
Wally did speak with me before his passing, to talk about these issues and to catch up on family and friends. He will be remembered as a trailblazer. He was humble and a great listener, and he had a passion for music and loved to pick up the fiddle.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.
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- Apr/18/24 2:19:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the Liberal-NDP government and its soft-on-crime policies, Canada's criminal justice system is broken and Canadians feel unsafe in their neighbourhoods. Here is where we are at today: The biggest gold heist in Canadian history with $20 million gone and several suspects involved with gangs and gun-running, and they are already out on bail, 24 hours later.
Why does the government think that gangsters who steal millions of dollars deserve to be released back into the community?
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- Apr/18/24 2:19:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would point out to the member opposite and other members in the chamber that we passed significant bail reform legislation in this chamber with the co-operation of premiers around the country and law enforcement officials around the country.
I would also point out to the member opposite that I share her concern about organized criminality. In fact, I share it so much so that the budget implementation act contains measures that will address money laundering and address financing through criminality. I desperately hope that the member and all of her colleagues will be supporting that aspect of our legislation and helping us to tackle organized crime and money laundering.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Apr/18/24 2:20:30 p.m.
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Before I continue with question period and the next question from the hon. member for Thornhill, I am going to ask the member for Miramichi—Grand Lake as well as the member for Dufferin—Caledon to please wait their turns before taking the floor.
The hon. member for Thornhill.
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- Apr/18/24 2:20:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it did not work because Liberals do think that these criminals should be released back into the community. They passed the very bills that made it possible. They are the reason why gunrunners and gangsters who steal millions of dollars in gold get turned back loose onto the streets.
Did the Prime Minister get a little golden nugget from these criminals to pass his catch-and-release bill, Bill C-75? When will the government finally reverse these policies, protect our communities and keep criminals in jail where they belong?
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- Apr/18/24 2:21:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our resolve to ensure communities are safe is strong. What we did over the past 18 months was that we enacted legislation that addresses the acute causes of crime. What we have done in the past 18 months was ensure that the bail reform system deals with violent, serious offenders. We had the support of law enforcement right around this country. The other thing that law enforcement has been talking to me and my colleague, the Minister of Public Safety, about is the acute need to address organized criminality in this country.
The previous times legislation has been in this chamber, they voted against such legislative initiatives. They have one more opportunity, but they have already announced that they will not be supporting us getting tough with money laundering and organized criminality.
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- Apr/18/24 2:22:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, they are out on bail less than 24 hours later.
Liberal incompetence touches so much more than the criminal justice system. People may need a nugget of gold to buy gas in Ontario today. After nine years of the Prime Minister, his carbon tax prices have hiked the cost of gas by 14¢ a litre today.
If he refuses to call a carbon tax election, will the Prime Minister put a pause on his punishing hikes over the summer so that Canadians can take a little road trip, or will he do everyone in this country a favour and take a permanent road trip so that Canadians can afford to live?
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- Apr/18/24 2:22:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, eight out of 10 families receive more from the carbon rebate than they pay on the carbon price. The reason is that all of the proceeds from the carbon price are sent back to Canadians. Wealthier families pay more so that low-income and middle-class families get more. Eight out of 10 families get more from the carbon rebate than they pay on the carbon price.
In addition, obviously, that reduces pollution and reduces the cost of climate change.
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- Apr/18/24 2:23:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after nine years of this Prime Minister, the cost of living has risen to alarming proportions, food banks are busier than ever, criminals have total impunity and affordable housing is so scarce that Quebeckers are forced to live in motels.
In today's reality, Canadians can no longer afford shelter or even food. This Prime Minister is simply not worth the cost.
Will he show a little empathy for Canadians, or will he keep making their living conditions worse?
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- Apr/18/24 2:23:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, one, two, three, four, five, six; six is the number of affordable housing units that the Conservative leader created across all of Canada over his entire term as minister responsible for housing. It is hard to talk about empathy and the Conservative leader in the same breath when we consider that he created six affordable housing units, or one for every six million Canadians, during his entire term.
In my colleague's riding alone, 170 were created in the past few weeks.
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- Apr/18/24 2:24:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have a number for him: nine. Nine years of this Liberal government means nine years of inflationary policies, nine years of wasting Canadians' money, nine years of recklessness and indifference towards them. It means money everywhere except in the pockets of Canadians. It means criminals everywhere except in prison. It means affordable rent everywhere except in Canada. Why are so many things broken? The answer is very simple and very clear. It is because of this Prime Minister, who is not worth the cost.
Will he put an end to the budget mess and give a little more thought to the Canadians who cannot even put a roof over their heads because of him?
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- Apr/18/24 2:25:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague talks about affordable housing. Six affordable housing units were built during the entirety of the Conservative leader's term as minister responsible for housing. That was during his entire term and for the entire country.
In just that member's riding, 173 affordable housing units have been created by the municipalities with financial assistance from the Canadian government. However, her leader, who built only six housing units, continues to insult Quebec municipalities by calling them incompetent. In her riding, 173 affordable housing units have been built.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh.
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