44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 19, 2024 10:00AM
- Apr/19/24 11:21:02 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, mirror, mirror on the wall; that is all I hear from the member. The spending spree is not just limited to the costly government photo ops that he is talking about. He has been here for nine years. The Liberal insiders and elites are the ones getting in on the action too.
We learned this week that the RCMP raided the home of a guy who grifted taxpayers out of $20 million for the arrive scam app. The Prime Minister failed to get the money back. The House ordered it.
Will someone over there tell their boss to get the cash back?
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- Apr/19/24 11:21:44 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, as I said yesterday in the House, our government takes the use of taxpayers' money extremely seriously. We welcome the investigations that are taking place, including by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. It is well known that it publicly raided a residence earlier this week.
We have said that anybody who abuses taxpayers' money will face the consequences. Of course we will seek to recuperate all money that has been misallocated.
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- Apr/19/24 11:44:16 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the Liberals should never have bought the Trans Mountain pipeline. It threatens our climate and our coasts. Canadian taxpayers are now on the hook for the government's irresponsible spending to the tune of $35 billion. Liberals ignored the calls from environmentalists and coastal indigenous nations, instead choosing to be in the pocket of big oil and gas.
Why does the government keep backing big polluters when it knows this pipeline is an environmental and economic disaster?
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- Apr/19/24 11:48:04 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, just because my colleague on the other side of the aisle repeats something does not necessarily attach it to the facts. The facts in this case are well known.
One thing he said that is entirely factual is that the RCMP is looking into this matter. That is why I would urge people to be careful before they invent and ascribe things to what is an ongoing police investigation. Our government has said that people have a responsibility to be judicious with taxpayers' money, and those who are not will face the consequences.
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- Apr/19/24 11:50:26 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I had a chance earlier in today's question period to answer that question, and I am happy to do it again.
Our government has worked with the Auditor General's Office and with parliamentary committees. There is an internal investigation being conducted by the Border Services Agency. All these investigations will, unlike some of our friends on the other side, establish the facts of what happened.
Anybody who has misused taxpayers' money will be required to repay it, and anybody who has misused taxpayers' money will face the consequences. That is why we are pleased that the RCMP is looking into this matter.
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- Apr/19/24 11:51:05 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, this app went live four years ago in the early days of the pandemic, and it has been the subject of questioning and scrutiny ever since.
While Canadians were losing their businesses and being told by the Prime Minister that we were all in this together, insiders at GC Strategies were milking taxpayers for millions of dollars.
When will the Prime Minister get taxpayers their money back on the arrive scam?
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- Apr/19/24 11:51:35 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, we have said, continually, and we will say it again, if people have misused taxpayers' money or have misappropriated public funds, of course efforts will be undertaken to recuperate that money. That is what a responsible government does. However, a responsible government allows the internal reviews and audits, which are under way, to determine exactly what money might be subject to the reimbursement and what the appropriate process is to have that money reimbursed. At the same time, the RCMP is also looking into this matter.
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- Apr/19/24 11:53:27 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, one of these days, the government will need to explain what an efficient oil subsidy is.
It is funny, though. The carbon tax, which does not apply in Quebec, has a 0.15% impact on inflation, and yet the Conservatives get all worked up about it every day in Parliament. Meanwhile, when the price of gas goes up by 15¢ a litre, we do not hear a peep from them.
There is a code of silence when oil companies pick taxpayers' pockets, just as there is a code of silence when we ask the government to stop subsidizing oil companies.
Does the government think it is okay to subsidize companies to the hilt, only for them to turn around and raise prices to make more and more profit?
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- Apr/19/24 11:55:40 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague knows very well that the idea that the government has not been transparent is untrue. I know he wants to repeat that, but he knows very well that it not the case.
We have worked with parliamentary committees. We have worked with the Auditor General. We completely agree with the idea that all those who have obtained taxpayers' money in an inappropriate way should be required to pay it back. Of course, as my colleague well knows, the RCMP is also investigating this situation.
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- Apr/19/24 11:56:19 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, Canadians work all the time, with nothing to show for their labour and efforts, while the consultants and contractors involved in the ArriveCAN disaster got $60 million from the Prime Minister. That $60 million comes from Canadian taxpayers. It is their money and it was wasted. It was a gift that was handed over in return for no work. Canadians have one simple question, and it demands a simple answer.
When are taxpayers going to get their money back?
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- Apr/19/24 11:56:55 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, allow me to repeat what I said in English a moment ago: My colleague knows that an internal investigation is being conducted by the Canada Border Services Agency. Its purpose is precisely to determine the amounts of money that may have been misused. We have to wait for the facts before demanding repayments. We fully understand and share Canadians' concern about the importance of treating taxpayers' money properly. That is exactly what is going to happen.
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