44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 19, 2024 10:00AM
- Apr/19/24 11:07:37 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, April is Oral Health Month in Canada, an opportunity to highlight good oral health as an essential component of overall health.
In Scarborough North, the Filipino-Canadian Dental Hygienists’ Society has offered no-cost dental hygiene services to residents in need. Most recently, it partnered with the Filipino Centre Toronto and the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto to provide drop-in checkups and cleanings. When I visited its mobile dental clinic last Sunday, I was met by bright smiles, and I thanked the volunteer dentist and dental hygienists for their tireless efforts.
This month, the Canadian Dental Association reminds everyone to brush twice a day, floss daily, check for signs of gum disease and visit their dentist regularly. Now, with the new Canadian dental care plan, up to nine million people without coverage will soon have access to the dental care services they need.
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- Apr/19/24 11:08:35 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise today and to recognize the work of my friend Barb Ward-Burkitt, who is the executive director of the Prince George Native Friendship Centre. I also recognize an incredible program that started in my riding of Cariboo—Prince George. What started as a small grassroots movement, a movement to end violence against women and children, has grown into an international inspiration supported by millions, spurred on by the incredible loss and sorrow of families of over 20 women and girls who have disappeared or who have been murdered on the infamous Highway 16, the Highway of Tears.
Raven Lacerte and her father, Paul, have taken one single moose hide and turned it into an international movement, a movement that has spurred thousands of conversations, workshops, marches and meetings. Today I am extremely proud to honour Barb and the Moose Hide Campaign for their boundless efforts to end violence against indigenous women and girls. On April 30, Barb will be presented with the five millionth moose hide pin, in recognition of her tireless work.
I thank Barb and the Moose Hide Campaign.
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- Apr/19/24 11:09:43 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, as this week has been National Volunteer Week, I would like to take a moment today to speak about the importance of volunteer work.
Each year, the Canada Revenue Agency congratulates and thanks volunteers from across the country, particularly because thousands of them actively help support free tax clinics under the community volunteer income tax program. Last year, these free tax clinics made it possible for almost 650,000 Canadians with a modest income to file their taxes and receive more than $1.75 billion in benefits, credits and refunds. More than 3,400 community organizations, composed of more than 14,700 volunteers, contributed to achieving these results.
I would encourage all members to take a moment to thank all of the phenomenal volunteers and the program.
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- Apr/19/24 11:10:45 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, Yud Alef Nissan is approaching, marking 122 years since the Lubavitcher Rebbe's light began to illuminate the world. The spiritual giant of the Jewish people, the Rebbe's teaching transcends borders and touches all of humanity. He was one of the most prolific thinkers in the recent history of Judaism, whose deep interpretation of Torah, Talmud, Halacha, Kabbalah, philosophy and Chassidus guides Jews and non-Jews everywhere.
In his teachings and his letters, every verse and story eternal to the Torah is as relevant today as it was when it was given at Sinai, and we find the answers to our most profound questions in them. Those teachings, with the daily help of Rabbi Kaplan of Thornhill, inspire me throughout my private and public life.
In the face of darkness, and there is a lot of darkness, we should remember the Rebbe's wisdom and his love for every Jew and every person. On this day, we are reminded to strengthen his call to bring light into the world, to participate, to share, to invest in education and to deepen the moral foundations through clarity and the existence of Jews everywhere.
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Madam Speaker, after nine years of this NDP-Liberal government, Canadians are struggling to make ends meet. The Liberal April Fool's Day joke was a 23% carbon tax increase. April Fool's Day jokes are supposed to last one day, but this one continues, fuelling high inflation.
In Ottawa, the Prime Minister's policies made the price of gas at the pumps jump by nearly 20¢ a litre, reaching its highest level since 2022. Still, the Liberals pretend their tax-and-spend policies are helping Canadians.
When will the government start helping people instead of hurting them? When will it do the right thing and pass Bill C-234 to axe the tax on farmers and food?
One thing we know for sure is that, as prices on everything continue to go up, driven by the costly carbon tax, the Prime Minister is not worth the cost.
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- Apr/19/24 11:12:44 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I rise in the House today to make a solemn declaration about our duty to remember one of the darkest chapters in modern history, the Ottoman Empire's systematic destruction of a people during the Armenian genocide.
Let us take this moment to honour the memory of the 1.5 million innocent lives lost or destroyed just over a century ago. Let us remember that this happened to people who had been living in Anatolia for 1,500 years.
However, again, just a few months ago, after two millennia of existence, the Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan basically ceased to exist. With Turkish military support and Russia's inaction as peacekeepers, Azerbaijan's military offensive ended with the region's 100,000 Armenians fleeing as refugees to Armenia.
Let us recognize the pain and suffering endured by the Armenian people and commit to never forgetting the Armenian genocide.
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- Apr/19/24 11:13:56 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, today I recognize the accomplishments of esteemed historian and Black Canadian heritage expert, Elise Harding-Davis.
Throughout her career, Elise elevated positive Black history in Canada, earning many accolades including the Order of Ontario designation, being named among the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women, and receiving the Ontario Black History Society's Daniel Hill Award, the Ontario Museum Association's Award of Excellence, Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Ontario Historical Society's Carnochan Award.
For over 60 years, Elise has highlighted how African Canadians were essential to Canada's development and was the first Black female curator at the Amherstburg Freedom Museum.
Elise comes from a family of strong character. Her late sister, Shelley Harding-Smith, was Canada's first Black female master electrician and an activist, and was a friend and a mentor to me, personally. Their great-grandfather was a slave, and both Elise and Shelley progressed in a challenging world, where they let nothing stand in their way.
August 1 this year will mark the 190th anniversary of Emancipation Day, marking the day Canada's Slavery Abolition Act came into effect. Canada still needs to apologize for the enslavement of Black Canadians. An official apology would mean a lifetime of work recognized.
Elise exemplifies the true meaning of preserving Black history in Canada. Her legacy will no doubt inspire future generations.
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- Apr/19/24 11:15:05 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, next Monday is Earth Day, the world's largest environmental event. It is a day to raise awareness of environmental and climate issues. Let us remember a few facts. July 2023 was the hottest month in human history. Last month was the 18th consecutive month to set a heat record. Here in Quebec and Canada, unprecedented wildfires ravaged our forests and made the air in our cities the most polluted in the world last summer.
We are in the midst of a climate emergency and Canada's slowness in moving away from oil is a millstone around our neck. In that sense, anyone who calls themselves an environmentalist should support Quebec's independence. With our clean energy, we would finally be free to become an example to follow. We might even inspire our neighbour, Canada. As a woman who cares about our climate security and as a sovereignist, I am convinced that Quebec becoming a country would be good for everyone.
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Madam Speaker, especially in British Columbia and the North Okanagan-Shuswap, Canadians are seeing that, after nine years, the Prime Minister and his NDP-Liberal government are simply not worth the cost.
Their April 1 carbon tax increase of 23% has seen gas prices push past $1.75 per litre in the interior and over the $2 mark in other parts of B.C. The carbon tax only adds to the costs for farmers, who have no choice but to pay if they are to produce food for Canadian families. One chicken farmer in the Shuswap paid over $100,000 last year alone, just for his carbon tax bill. Because of the NDP-Liberal government that carbon tax bill will increase another 23% this year, making it even more difficult for Canadian families to afford food.
Will the Prime Minister take the step to axe the tax on farmers and food by immediately passing Bill C-234 in its original form, or will he continue to prove that he and his NDP partners are simply not worth the cost?
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- Apr/19/24 11:17:25 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, today, I rise to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a significant moment in Canadian queer women's history, that of the Brunswick Four.
In 1974, Adrienne, Pat, Sue and Lamar were arrested for refusing to leave the Brunswick House, a popular Toronto bar, after they had taken to the stage to sing the song I Enjoy Being a Dyke during an amateur performance night. They returned as an act of defiance but were met with violence at the hands of police and charged. They were dubbed the “Brunswick Four”, and a legal defence fund was set up in their name. At trial, all charges were dismissed except one for disturbing the peace.
Long subjected to police harassment, the Brunswick Four became a symbol of resistance for the gay and lesbian community. Their determination to combat systemic prejudice serves as an inspiration, especially in the fight for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.
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- Apr/19/24 11:18:33 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, another day and there is more evidence to show the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister is just not worth the cost.
Former bank governor and proud Liberal, David Dodge, says the new federal budget is certainly not helpful in dealing with the inflationary fire, making it harder for Canadian families to afford anything. Young people are saddled with the Prime Minister's addiction to spending. The call is coming from inside the Liberal house.
Will the Prime Minister listen to experts, to business leaders, to his own party and millions of Canadians struggling to get by, and just stop the spending?
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- Apr/19/24 11:19:08 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, we have the lowest debt and deficit in the G7, a AAA credit rating and a budget that presents a message of fairness for this country, for current and future generations. It is a vision the Conservatives would cut. Before even reading the budget, they already said they would not support it. It is a budget that supports child care and pharmacare and the understanding that Canadians have to have dental care in this country. Canadians who cannot otherwise afford it will have the support of the government. More homes will be built. These things are vital in this country, and the Conservatives are standing against every single one of them.
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- Apr/19/24 11:19:46 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the problem is that nobody believes the Liberals anymore, and the budget is the opposite of fair. It is unfair to saddle our kids with billions of dollars of debt that they will be paying for years. It is unfair to force the inflationary spending on to the grocery bills of every single family. It is unfair to keep interest rates high, while millions struggle to pay their mortgages. The number of Canadians who cannot afford to pay their bills has more than doubled over the last month.
Will the Liberals finally fix the budget so Canadians can keep their homes, put gas in their cars and put food on their tables?
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- Apr/19/24 11:20:23 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition and the Conservative Party seem to be good at posing for photo ops and pretending to care about people in food bank lineups, while our government has introduced the most comprehensive package of competition reforms in Canadian history to increase competition and bring down grocery prices.
How cruel and heartless do people have to be, as a party, to vote against feeding kids in schools? The party over there has already voted against a national school food program once. We have introduced it in budget 2024, and we are going to see them vote—
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- Apr/19/24 11:20:59 a.m.
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The hon. member for Thornhill.
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- 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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Madam Speaker, after nine years of this Prime Minister, who is not worth the cost, farmers are making an impassioned plea. This morning, they are protesting in large numbers in Beauce to show their anger at a government that is completely out of touch with reality.
Our farmers are being asked to fill our pantries while the Bloc-Liberal coalition is preventing the passage of Bill C-234, which would remove the carbon tax on the propane and natural gas needed to heat buildings and dry grain in order to bring down the cost of food.
Will the Prime Minister and the Bloc Québécois show some common sense and agree to this demand from Canadian farmers?
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Madam Speaker, I find it odd that a member from Quebec is asking a question about Bill C-234, because it will not apply in Quebec.
Perhaps he should talk to his colleagues. The Conservatives had a chance to make Bill C-234 a priority for next week. What did they do? They traded two bills, and Bill C-234 is not one of them.
It is important to walk the talk. The member needs to convince his colleagues to introduce Bill C-234. The House needs to vote on it, once and for all.
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Madam Speaker, speaking of people who are out of touch, they are providing a very clear illustration of that this morning.
I invite the government and the Bloc Québécois to go to Beauce today to tell the farmers that the carbon tax has no impact in Quebec. I have room in my car if they want to get in after question period.
If there is no farming, then there is no food. That is something that the Bloc-Liberal coalition does not understand. The Bloc Québécois wants to radically increase the carbon tax again, proving once more that it is costly to vote for the Bloc Québécois.
Will the government take action and pass Bill C‑234 in its original form?
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