OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD)

House of Commons Debates Volume 151 No. 287 1st SESSION 44th PARLIAMENT Wednesday, February 28, 2024 Speaker: The Honourable Greg Fergus HOUSE OF COMMONS CANADA (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) COMMONS DEBATES February 28, 2024 DEBATES No. 287 No. 287 N o 287 Volume 151 287 28 02 2024 2024/02/28 14:05:00 Débats de la Chambre des communes House of Commons Debates House Of Commons 1 44

The House met at 2 p.m. Prayer (1405) [ English ]

The Speaker :

It being Wednesday, we will now have the singing of the national anthem led by the hon. member for Elgin—Middlesex—London . [ Members sang the national anthem ]

Statements by Members Statements by Members

[ English ] Housing

Mr. Mike Morrice (Kitchener Centre, GP) :

Mr. Speaker, it is another day and another renoviction in my community. This time it is folks at 250 Frederick Street in Kitchener who are being made to fear that they will be on the street if they do not vacate their unit by May 31. Folks who pay around $1,000 a month in rent can go online and see fake pictures of units in their own building being posted for rents starting at $1,800, while others are being pressured into signing new leases at the higher amounts. Bad faith landlords are taking advantage of people across the country because there is no where else for them to go.

After three decades of underinvestment, social housing stock is down to 3%. The federal government must show that it is prepared to at least double social housing across the country. In the meantime, I send my thanks to ACORN Canada and the Social Development Centre Waterloo Region for organizing folks at 250 Frederick Street. By sticking together, they can stand up to their landlord and fight to keep their housing. Local organizations are doing their part. It is past the time for the federal government to do its part.

Human Rights in Russia

Hon. John McKay (Scarborough—Guildwood, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, Alexei Navalny was killed on February 16 by Vladimir Putin. Putin ordered him killed in the same manner a mafia don orders a hit. Navalny's only crime was to challenge Putin's illegitimate claim to power and his illegal war on Ukraine. Alexei Navalny was a brave man. He knew the risks of challenging a murderous mafia thug. In fact, he anticipated his murder in a documentary entitled Navalny . Vladimir Kara-Murza shares the same courage. He too has challenged the murderous thug.

It may be hoped that he may not be murdered, but weak, pathetic people such as Vladimir Putin cannot let courageous people live. While we mourn Alexei Navalny, let us hope that Vladimir Kara-Murza will not suffer the same fate.

Jack Donald

Mr. Blaine Calkins (Red Deer—Lacombe, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour the life of my dear friend Jack Donald. In 1964, Jack moved his family to Red Deer, where they opened a service station business called Parkland Oil Products Ltd. Through the years, Jack and his wife Joan grew that service station into Canada's largest independent marketer and distributor of fuels, known today as Parkland Fuel Corporation. There is no denying that Jack excelled at business, but Jack was also a community builder. He was president of the Optimist Club, city alderman, citizen of the year and prominent philanthropist.

He, along with Joan, donated millions to causes in Red Deer and central Alberta, such as the Donald School of Business at Red Deer Polytechnic. Most importantly, Jack was a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend. I will say to Joan, John, Kathy and all of the family that we share in their sorrow. They should know in this difficult time that Jack left an indelible mark on central Alberta and his smile will never fade from our memories.

Canada-Nepal Relations

Ms. Sonia Sidhu (Brampton South, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, Canada and Nepal have deep ties, and the impact of this friendship can be felt in both our countries as we recognize 59 years of our friendship. In Nepal, Canadian organizations, such as Canadian Foodgrains Bank, help fight climate change, support businesses, protect the environment and support women. In Canada, and in my city of Brampton, we have a strong and vibrant Nepalese-Canadian community.

As the chair of the Canada-Nepal Parliamentary Friendship Group, I was honoured to have welcomed the chairperson of the National Assembly of Nepal to Canada and to have attended many community events led by Canada-Nepal community groups, women's groups and the local cricket team. Earlier this month, I also attended the opening of Hakka Desi Spice restaurant in Brampton. As we celebrate vibrant Nepalese culture and cuisine in our city, let us continue to celebrate and nurture the traditions and culture of Nepal here in Canada.

[ Translation ] Centre d'écoute et de prévention suicide Drummond

Mr. Martin Champoux (Drummond, BQ) :

Mr. Speaker, the Centre d'écoute et de prévention suicide Drummond, or CEPS, is celebrating its 40th anniversary. It has spent 40 years promoting life, 40 years working to reduce suffering, 40 years awakening hope. That is what they call sowing the seeds of happiness. Last year alone, CEPS answered over 8,000 calls from men, women, adults, teenagers, and even children. Vulnerability can affect all age ranges. Someone is on the other end of the line 24/7 to lend an empathetic year to those who can see no end to their distress.

They defuse crises, provide support for those in mourning and reignite the flame of life. CEPS volunteers have a gift for bringing light to the darkest corners. I call that working miracles. If listening is an art, CEPS members are artisans; artisans of life. Happy 40th anniversary to CEPS Drummond. Thank you for being there to foster happiness in our community.

[ English ] Pink Shirt Day

Ms. Emmanuella Lambropoulos (Saint-Laurent, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, today is Pink Shirt Day. In Canada, this day is devoted to raising awareness against bullying in schools, in workplaces, at home and online. People may be wondering how Pink Shirt Day came to be. [ Translation ] It all started in a small town in Nova Scotia when two teenagers saw a new kid being bullied at school for wearing a pink shirt. They could have watched from the sidelines, but they did not do that. They decided to take action.

They handed out 50 pink shirts for their classmates to wear in solidarity with the bullied kid. [ English ] This is the story of how one act of kindness had a ripple effect, and now, on this day, people across the country wear pink shirts to stand up against bullying. [ Translation ] Bullying violates a person's right to human dignity and safety. It affects the victim's physical, emotional and social well-being. It is a problem we are seeing in every school and workplace. (1410) [ English ] Let us all be kind and make this world a better place, one act of kindness at a time.

Memorial Park in Listowell

Mr. John Nater (Perth—Wellington, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, February 28, 1959, would come to be known as Listowel's darkest day. It was a Saturday morning, like any other, and the town's peewee hockey team was on the ice, but at 9:27 a.m., the arena's roof collapsed, killing seven boys and the town's recreation director. The town came together and supported those who were injured, grieved with the families of those lost and pledged to remember the eight lives lost. Today, 65 years later, the land where the arena once stood is now vacant, but not for long.

The Friends of '59 and the Memorial Arena Park 59 Committee are working to create a permanent park where the arena once stood. The memorial arena park would ensure that Listowel's darkest day is never forgotten and the light of the eight lives lost will always be remembered.

Order of Canada

Mr. Michael Coteau (Don Valley East, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker as we come to the end of Black History Month, it is important to recognize that Black Canadians continue to make important gains and contributions to our country. They continue to make history, and yesterday, history was made. Ms. Lillie Johnson was awarded the Order of Canada for her outstanding work in health care and advocacy for sickle cell awareness. At 101 years old, Ms. Johnson has already received many awards and recognitions throughout her long-standing career as nurse, midwife and educator.

Her experience and accomplishments in health care made her a vital resource, eventually leading to her becoming the first Black director of Public Health Ontario. While taking care of patients with sickle cell disease, who were disproportionately Black, she realized the impact of the lack of awareness, which led to the creation of the Sickle Cell Association of Ontario. I send Ms. Johnson my congratulations on this well-deserved achievement, and I thank her for her continued advocacy and support for those with sickle cell.

Foreign Affairs

Ms. Lena Metlege Diab (Halifax West, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, constituents have reached out to me to raise the plight of their loved ones in Gaza and the heart-wrenching humanitarian crisis unfolding there. They have asked me to advocate on their behalf for the immediate provision of aid, including food, clean water, medication and medical supplies. They are pleading for Canada to use all our influence to support the passage of aid into Gaza for civilians. This is about our humanity. Canadians are rightly proud of our peacekeeping tradition, and I, like many, am disturbed by what we are seeing on the ground.

Gazans need humanitarian aid, and that requires allowing the unobstructed delivery of the essentials for life. Canada has provided $100 million in aid, but we have to ensure our support and the support that others have stepped up to provide can actually make it to those who are suffering. We cannot fail, and lasting peace is the only solution.

Carbon Tax

Mr. Martin Shields (Bow River, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, while the common-sense Conservatives would axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime, after eight years, the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister is not worth the cost, crime or corruption. On April 1, and this is not an April Fool's Day joke, we can get ready for another 23% carbon tax increase from the NDP-Liberal government, which will rob money from hard-working Canadians, increase food prices and not lower emissions. People such as Ann, Neil and Scott have called me in desperation, and they have shared with me the costs of their skyrocketing energy bills.

Some are paying nearly double in carbon tax than the energy they use, but it does not seem to matter to these NDP-Liberals. If the radical environment minister had his way, all Alberta families would be forced to freeze inside or walk to work in -40°C on roads and bridges that would no longer exist. Common-sense Conservatives would axe the tax for everyone, everywhere, so Canadians could afford to heat their homes, drive their kids to school, get to work and get the government to butt out of their lives for good.

St. Patrick's Parade

Mr. Peter Schiefke (Vaudreuil—Soulanges, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, it is almost that time of year once again, and thanks to an army of volunteers led by Jay de la Durantaye, Rob Dumas, Ken Bell, Mark Noonan and Eileen McAleese, and the entire team at the Soulanges Irish Society, our community of Vaudreuil—Soulanges will become Irish for a day at the 13th annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Hudson.

This year, our grand marshal, renowned Canadian musician Brian Greenway will lead the parade, a parade that will feature Irish woman of the year, Kim Sullivan; parade queen, Veronica Gilmore; princesses Shawnessa Doyle-Guiliani, Vanessa Mooney and Addie Derouin; and reviewing officer, Hudson's mayor, Chloe Hutchison. (1415) [ Translation ] As always, this is a cannot-miss event. On Saturday, March 16 at 1 p.m., everyone is invited to Main Street to celebrate Irish heritage and culture. Let us make the 13th annual Saint Patrick's parade a cannot-miss event. Sláinte !

[ English ] Carbon Tax

Mr. Randy Hoback (Prince Albert, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, while common-sense Conservatives will axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime, the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister is not worth the cost, crime or corruption after eight years. A typical family of four will now pay $700 more in groceries in 2024 because of the Prime Minister 's carbon tax. On April 1, he is increasing the carbon tax yet again, by 23%, as part of his plan to quadruple it, increasing the misery for Canadian families.

Families in Saskatchewan cannot afford this increase, yet the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister will keep hiking this tax, regardless of how expensive groceries and fuel become. He does not understand that if one taxes the farmer that grows the food and the trucker who ships the food, the tax passes down to the person who buys the food. The Prime Minister is not worth the cost.

[ Translation ] ArriveCAN App

Mr. Richard Martel (Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, while the common-sense Conservatives will axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime, after eight years, this Prime Minister is not worth the cost, the crime or the corruption. The failed ArriveCAN app was initially supposed to cost $80,000, but we have learned that this Prime Minister ended up wasting at least $60 million on it. The Prime Minister shamelessly dipped into Canadians' pockets at a time when they are struggling to make ends meet and having a hard time paying their mortgage and when prices just keep going up. This is not the first time.

He has been doing this throughout his term in office. How did the ArriveCAN app end up costing over 750 times the initial price? I cannot even imagine. We, the common-sense Conservatives, have made it our mission to get to the bottom of this new scandal. Canadians deserve answers and they will get them. After eight years of this Prime Minister, things need to change. The only way to achieve that is with our common-sense leader .

[ English ] Black and Indigenous Entrepreneurship

Mr. Andy Fillmore (Halifax, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, last week I had the privilege of meeting with Tribe Network in Halifax, including CEO and founder Alfred Burgesson. Tribe Network is an organization committed to supporting Black and indigenous people and people of colour in pursuit of their entrepreneurial aspirations. Tribe provides invaluable support by offering the necessary knowledge, tools and resources for its network to thrive and innovate. Its mission comes to life through concrete actions. Recently, it has joined forces with Volta in Halifax, which nurtures tech industry talent in Atlantic Canada.

Tribe is also co-organizing a pitch competition encouraging racialized youth to contribute to the development of clean energy innovations. This month, it is hosting a series of online workshops on financial literacy, bringing together experts in the field and facilitating access to knowledge. Halifax has a rich history of Black entrepreneurship, and I am thankful to witness the legacy of pioneers like Viola Desmond being carried on today, thanks to the dedicated work of Tribe Network.

Indigenous Affairs

Ms. Lori Idlout (Nunavut, NDP) :

Uqaqtittiji , Inuit, indigenous and northern women have great strength. They deal with many hardships, including the effects of the lack of federal investments. They deal with overcrowded homes and so much more. Inuit, indigenous and northern women make beautiful clothing from caribou, seal and other materials. They work in partnership with hunters and many others. Funding for Inuit, indigenous and northern women has never been enough, but now they are forced to worry about whether even those meagre funds will continue. Pond Inlet has overcrowded schools. They must be funded for another.

In Cambridge Bay, they ask for funds to keep passing on traditional knowledge. In Kivalliq, economic development programs must continue. The Liberals are planning to sunset programs like the Inuit child first initiative. They need more supports, not less.

[ Translation ] Mirabel, Maple Capital of the World

Mr. Jean-Denis Garon (Mirabel, BQ) :

Mr. Speaker, a year ago, right here in the House, I proclaimed the riding of Mirabel as “Maple Capital of the World”. I call it the capital because quality reigns supreme and pride courses through our veins like sap. To the naysayers I say that a change of capital is nothing short of a revolution. I salute all the maple metropolises across Quebec. On February 21, I, alongside Mirabel mayor Patrick Charbonneau, Tourisme Mirabel president Stéphane Michaud and several maple producers, kicked off the season by awarding the prize for Mirabel's biggest maple to the Vermette family of Saint-Augustin.

It is a beautiful sight to behold, over 15 feet in circumference and over 200 years old. Now that is a maple. It would not surprise me if it is the biggest in Quebec, and maybe even the biggest in the world. Our maple syrup producers are fully prepared to welcome people properly, with all the know-how they have. I welcome my colleagues to the maple capital of the world and wish them a happy maple syrup season.

(1420) [ English ] ArriveCAN App

Mr. Damien Kurek (Battle River—Crowfoot, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister is not worth the cost, crime or corruption after eight years, especially with revelations related to arrive scam. While common-sense Conservatives will axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime, the Prime Minister wasted at least $60 million on his ineffectual app. After fighting for weeks to get witnesses to committee, we have new information that GC Strategies' contract resulted in an expense for $19 million to a company that does not do IT work, for an app that sent more than 10,000 Canadians forcibly into quarantine with no justification.

Today's motion, which Conservatives brought forward, is essential, as it calls out the lack of transparency from the Liberals and will require accountability for this injustice inflicted upon taxpayers. While Liberals use every trick in the book to stop the truth from coming to light, Conservatives will bring accountability back to this country.

Coldest Night of the Year

Ms. Iqra Khalid (Mississauga—Erin Mills, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, this past weekend I joined thousands of people across Canada taking

part in the Coldest Night of the Year, a family-friendly walk organized to raise funds supporting those experiencing homelessness and fleeing violence and abuse, families experiencing hunger, and the most vulnerable in our communities. Whether it was a two-kilometre or five-kilometre walk, our communities stepped up and out into the cold to really support our neighbours who are struggling.

I want to recognize Eden Food for Change, an awesome not-for-profit community kitchen in my riding, and Armagh House, a transitional housing shelter for women, whose teams organized their own family-friendly walks and raised thousands of dollars for our communities this year. I thank all participants and the hosts of this year's Coldest Night of the Year walk for the critical work they do in keeping our communities safe.

Oral Questions Oral Questions

[ Translation ] Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, while common-sense Conservatives fight to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime, this Prime Minister is not worth the cost or corruption. We have just learned that the RCMP is investigating arrive scam. The RCMP commissioner revealed that the Prime Minister blocked them from obtaining documents in the SNC-Lavalin affair. Will he lift PMO confidentiality so the RCMP can get all the facts in this criminal investigation?

(1425) Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, the ArriveCAN situation is obviously unacceptable. That is why authorities are reviewing its procurement process. Anyone who took advantage of our COVID‑19 response to save Canadian lives should face the consequences if they abused the system. It will be automatic. That is why there will be consequences, based on what the authorities find.

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, that non-answer proves once again that this Prime Minister is not worth the cost or the corruption. The question was whether he would let the RCMP see cabinet documents. We know that in another criminal investigation into this Prime Minister's scandals, the SNC-Lavalin scandal, he blocked the police from seeing all the documents. Once again, if he has nothing to hide, will he hand over all the documents, including PMO documents, to the police?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservative leader's desperation and penchant for personal attacks are on full display as he brings up problems that were completely resolved four years ago. The truth of the matter is that we take the ArriveCAN matter extremely seriously. That is why authorities are responsibly following up on it. Anyone who took advantage of a situation where everyone was there to help Canadians in a global pandemic crisis will face the consequences.

[ English ]

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, while common-sense Conservatives fight to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime, the Prime Minister is not worth the cost or corruption. We found yesterday that his government is under RCMP investigation again, this time for arrive scam. The commissioner of the RCMP revealed, however, that the last time they were investigating him for criminal activity, in the SNC-Lavalin affair, he blocked them from getting cabinet documents. Will he lift cabinet confidentiality and hand over all the documents to the police so they can investigate any of his potential crimes?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, the situation around ArriveCAN is obviously unacceptable, which is why authorities are looking into this procurement process. Anyone who took advantage of everything we were doing to try to keep people safe during COVID to get rich will face consequences. That is the way our system works.

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, that is not the way the system has worked since he took office eight years ago. According to the RCMP commissioner, not only did he refuse to be questioned in the SNC-Lavalin criminal investigation and in the Aga Khan billionaire island investigation, but he blocked key cabinet documents from being included in those investigations. We now know that an app that was supposed to cost $80,000 went up to $60 million after the NDP helpfully voted for those extra funds. We do not know who criminally benefited from that, so once again, will the Prime Minister waive cabinet confidentiality and turn over all the documents, yes or no?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition is digging into the past to try to bring up things that were settled many years ago. If he really wants to talk about the past, he should talk about the fact that the Conservative leader was at Transport Canada, working hand in hand with the minister, as the founders of the company involved in ArriveCAN were getting millions of dollars in contracts from the department he was working for. We are taking seriously any concerns around procurement. The authorities are looking into it. There will be consequences for anyone who took advantage of our COVID protection efforts to get rich.

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, that answer proves again that he is not worth the cost or the corruption. We know that after eight years of the Prime Minister , the cost of everything has gone up, in part because he has given away money for nothing. Arrive scam, an app that was supposed to cost $80,000, was actually $60 million at least, and counting, because the Auditor General said she does not have the documentation to do the full calculation today. We have a common-sense Conservative motion that requires the Prime Minister to release the full cost of the app and recover the money for Canadians within the next hundred days. Will he vote for that common-sense motion, yes or no?

(1430) Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition is choosing to fling mud at a question that I have said is unacceptable. The authorities are looking into it. He does not want to talk about the housing investments that we are making across the country. He does not want to talk about the fact that he voted against dental care that seniors are going to be benefiting from as of May. He does not want to talk about child care. He does not want to talk about Ukraine. He does not want to talk about all the things where Conservatives are out of line with Canadians. We are going to continue focusing on the things that matter to Canadians, every single day.

[ Translation ] Pharmacare

Mr. Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil—Chambly, BQ) :

Mr. Speaker, the government and the NDP want to bring in a pharmacare plan that does absolutely nothing for Quebec, since we already have such a plan, which was actually the inspiration for their program. I have no problem with this, as long as Quebec has the right to opt out with full financial compensation and no strings attached. The member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie , a member of that alliance, says that Quebec can opt out. The minister says it is not all that clear-cut. The Prime Minister must know the answer. Which is it?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that too many Canadians across the country are still being forced to make impossible choices between paying for groceries or paying for the medication they need. We are here to make sure that people everywhere can pay for their medication. We will work with the provinces, including Quebec, to make sure that Canadians have the coverage they need.

Mr. Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil—Chambly, BQ) :

Mr. Speaker, I agree that there are likely many Canadians who do not have this service, but Quebeckers do. That is why Quebeckers are talking about the right to opt out with compensation. Should the NDP and the Liberals not have made sure that they were on the same page? Before deciding whether to go into a tango or a nice slow dance, maybe partners should renew their vows by being clear with each other. Can the Prime Minister, in one of his oh-so-clear answers, tell me whether Quebec has a right to opt out, yes or no, as my friend from Richmond—Arthabaska would say?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, across the country, including in Quebec, people are dealing with inadequate prescription drug coverage. That is why we are there to work hand in hand with the provinces and ensure that people can pay for their drugs from coast to coast to coast. We are always there to work constructively with the provinces to ensure that there is support and coverage for all Canadians.

[ English ] Health

Mr. Jagmeet Singh (Burnaby South, NDP) :

Mr. Speaker, New Democrats have long said that corporate greed is driving up the cost of living. It is also hurting our health care system. Galen Weston's Shoppers Drug Mart, which the corporate-controlled Conservatives love, is now ripping off our health care system. That means more money in the pockets of Galen Weston and less money for frontline health care workers. Why does the Prime Minister continue to let Galen Weston get richer while Canadians cannot get the health care that they need?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, I will let the Leader of the Opposition answer why he has a high-profile lobbyist for Galen Weston sitting in his caucus meetings. We are focused on creating more competition for lower prices, more choice, and more innovative products and services for Canadians. Our government recently passed new legislation that empowers the Competition Bureau to hold grocers accountable and prioritize consumers' interests. The fall economic statement would also crack down on predatory pricing, and I urge all parties to vote in favour.

The Environment

Mr. Jagmeet Singh (Burnaby South, NDP) :

Mr. Speaker, Canadians do not have to choose between parties that are both controlled by corporations. [ Translation ] The Prime Minister allocated over $4 billion to the Northvolt plant, a project that poses serious environmental risks and that will not generate any economic spinoffs until 2037. Before he committed to spending so much money, did the Prime Minister conduct environmental assessments or did he just listen to the CEOs?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, this is the largest private investment in the history of Quebec. We are talking about a company that is creating not just jobs but also the products of the future. We do need to continue to fight climate change and protect our environment. We are doing that hand in hand with the Government of Quebec and companies like Northvolt. We are building careers, building a future, and fighting climate change at the same time. I would expect the NDP to understand that fighting climate change and building a strong economy go hand in hand.

(1435) [ English ] Carbon Pricing

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, common-sense Conservatives want to axe the tax. The Prime Minister wants to hike the tax. First of all, he wants to quadruple it between now and 2030, and on April 1 he plans to hike it by 23% with the support of the NDP. The tax hike will be bigger than increases in the rebate, and therefore the average families in all the provinces will be bigger net losers under the tax than they were before. With Canadians unable to eat, to heat, and to house themselves, will the Prime Minister cancel his plan to hike the tax on April 1?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, I do believe this might be one of the first times the Leader of the Opposition has ever recognized that there is a Canada carbon rebate that he would cancel: cheques that he would prevent being delivered to Canadians right across the country. Eight out of 10 Canadian households get more money than they pay in carbon pricing in the provinces in which it applies. In Alberta it is $1,800 a year to a family of four. It is $1,200 a year in Manitoba, and even in Ontario it is $1,120 to a family of four. That is money in their pockets that he wants to take—

The Speaker :

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, I am glad he mentioned his phony rebates, because $1,800 in Alberta is the rebate. That is what he said; we heard him. Here is the gross cost: $2,943. Therefore he is going to take away $2,943 but give back $1,800 and then ask them to be thankful for it. Is that not just proof that the carbon tax is just like him: not worth the cost?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer himself recognized that the $1,800 in rebate that we are sending, for example to a family of four in Alberta, is more than that family of four pays in the price on pollution. That is the calculation that is done right across the country that shows that eight out of 10 families are better off with the Canada carbon rebate than what they pay in the price on pollution in areas in which it is brought in. We are both fighting climate change and delivering more money to households across the country, money that he wants to take away.

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer's report is in my hands. The information is on page 3 of “A Distributional Analysis of the Federal Fuel Charge under the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan”. Google it. Look it up. It is on the Parliamentary Budget Officer's website. Members do not have to believe me, and they certainly do not want to believe him; they can go look for themselves. The average Ontario family will pay $1,674 in carbon taxes next year. That is $630 more than they get back in the rebate. Why does the Prime Minister not google it, look up the report, check the facts and axe the tax?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, the first conclusion of the Parliamentary Budget Officer is, in the math, on the face of it, that eight out of 10 families get more back on the price on pollution through the Canada carbon rebate. The reality is that if one wants to talk about longer-term and broader economic consequences of a price on pollution, they have to talk about the cost of inaction and about the benefits of investing and innovating in carbon reduction technologies. That is the full picture that the Leader of the Opposition does not want to look at because he does not think one can build a strong economy and fight climate change at the same time.

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is doing neither at the same time. I should catch what he said: “on the face of it”, the carbon tax is terrific. While the Parliamentary Budget Officer actually did the calculation of the full fiscal and economic cost for the average family, he found that every family in the middle class is worse off under the carbon tax. For example, in Ontario, the net cost for the average family, above and beyond rebates, is $627 this year. How are they going to pay for that—

(1440) The Speaker :

The right hon. Prime Minister.

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, families in Ontario are going to be getting a Canada carbon rebate worth $1,120 this year for a family of four. A family in Nova Scotia will get $824, and a family in Saskatchewan will get $1,500 this coming year. That is more, for eight out of 10 families, than the price on pollution actually is. We are fighting climate change. We are innovating and creating the jobs of tomorrow. We are putting more money in the pockets of Canadians through cheques that the Leader of the Opposition would take away.

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, here is a very simple way to measure it up, from the Parliamentary Budget Officer's report: The total gross cost of the carbon tax in Ontario is $1,674 for the coming year. How much is the rebate?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, with record-setting wildfires last year, with floods, with climate—

Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

The Speaker :

The hon. Prime Minister has the floor, from the top.

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau :

Mr. Speaker, with record-setting wildfires across the country, with droughts and with floods, Canadians know the costs of the impacts of climate change. The Leader of the Opposition has no plan to fight climate change. He is not proposing anything except to pull away the price on pollution that forces polluters to pay right across the country and puts more money, through cheques that arrive four times a year, in Canadians' pockets in jurisdictions where there is a carbon price. We have a plan to fight climate change and put money in people's pockets. He has no plan.

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister does not need to get angry about it. I am just asking for some numbers here. He was very anxious to talk about these wonderful rebates up until a moment ago, and now he does not want to say a thing about them. He even gave them a fancy new name. I am going to say it again: In Ontario, the gross cost of the carbon tax is $1,674 for the average family. How much is the rebate?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, the member suggests that I do not have to get angry about climate change. I am sorry; Canadians are worried and angry about climate change. They saw the wildfires that cut across this country last summer and that have already started up in Alberta. They see the droughts. They see the floods. The Conservatives have no plan. Their plan is to withdraw the four-times-a-year cheques that land in the bank accounts of Canadians and that the Parliamentary Budget Officer demonstrated give more money to eight out of 10 families right across the country in jurisdictions where the rebate is applied. We have a plan. He does not.

[ Translation ] Seniors

Mr. Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil—Chambly, BQ) :

Mr. Speaker, there was a unanimous vote in committee to support the bill introduced by my colleague from Shefford , which seeks to end the discriminatory treatment of seniors with respect to old age pensions; this discrimination is between those aged 65 to 75 and those over 75. Since the vote was unanimous, it is safe to assume that the Liberal members were instructed to vote in favour of the bill. Consequently, that it will likely be part of the budget. My question for the Prime Minister is this: Will increasing the pension and putting an end to age discrimination be included in the budget?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to seniors, we have taken steps to recognize seniors who face higher costs, namely those who are 75 and older, and to give them a little more support. On top of that, we are implementing dental care for seniors. This week, seniors aged 70 and over can register to start receiving their dental care in May. We are here to help seniors. We are here to invest. We are here to help the most vulnerable. We will continue to be here to support our seniors across the country.

(1445) Mr. Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil—Chambly, BQ) :

Mr. Speaker, that is all well and good, but it is in the past. I want to know what he is going to do in the future. I would remind the Prime Minister that his committee members voted in favour of the bill, which will be sent back to the House. I am therefore going to assume that the Prime Minister is not leading us on, that he is not leading on those who were the most vulnerable during the pandemic, who are the most vulnerable in general and who are the most vulnerable to inflation. Will he use the budget as an opportunity to end age discrimination between seniors and to increase benefits for all seniors?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, since 2015, we have increased benefits, we have increased the guaranteed income supplement and we have recognized that, yes, seniors are facing difficult times, especially older seniors. Vulnerable seniors over the age of 75 have more expenses. That is why we are in the process of giving more targeted help to those seniors while also helping all seniors through investments in housing, dental care, the new horizons for seniors programs and so on. We are investing across the country to help seniors. That said, we are always going to recognize those who are the most vulnerable.

[ English ] Carbon Pricing

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister is not worth the cost of food, as we were reminded by a tragic report by Second Harvest that came out this week showing that there will be another million extra visits to food banks above last year's record-breaking numbers. This is because of the collusion of the NDP and the Liberals on price fixing that is the carbon tax. Will the Prime Minister cancel his April 1, 23% carbon tax hike on food?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, as one of the Conservative leader's own MPs recognized, there is absolutely no data or proof to link their theory around the price on pollution and the price of groceries. However, if the Conservatives actually cared about affordability for Canadians, they would have voted in favour of dental care for our most vulnerable seniors and for young families who cannot afford to send their kids to a dentist. That is what we are delivering and what they are voting against. They would not be stalling on the competition reforms to ensure that we are actually moving forward on greater competition to stabilize grocery prices.

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, after eight years, this NDP-Liberal Prime Minister is just not worth the cost of food. It is not just that two million people a month cannot afford groceries and are forced to line up at food banks, but also that now those food banks are running out of food, and Canadians are diving into dumpsters, literally. There is an 8,000-member Facebook group called the “Dumpster Diving Network”. How can the Prime Minister look those people in the eyes and raise taxes on their food when they are eating out of garbage cans?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, we recognize that many Canadians are facing extremely difficult times, which is why we are continuing to step up our supports across the country for food banks, for programs and for supports for vulnerable Canadians. This is something that we have taken seriously, and we will continue to. At the same time, we are continuing to move forward on concrete measures to help Canadians, such as dental care, pharmacare and child care. These are things the Conservative Party continues to vote against in terms of helping vulnerable Canadians and in helping with affordability.

The Leader of the Opposition is there to instrumentalize vulnerable Canadians and to try to play politics off of them. He is not there to help them.

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, that is the best answer he can come up with after eight years of record food price increases that has forced people not just to food banks, but to literally jump into dumpsters and to bring their phones so that they network on Facebook to share tips on how to eat out of garbage cans in Canada. Life was not like this before the Prime Minister, and it will not be like this after he is gone. In the meantime, will he at least have the humanity to cancel his April 1, 23% tax hike?

(1450) Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, farmers across this country know the impacts of climate change on the food supply in Canada and on the growing and the production of food. These are things that we are fighting against by fighting against climate change and by putting more money in the pockets of Canadians right across the country. We will continue to be there with support for food banks. We will continue to be there with support for vulnerable Canadians.

Now, the Leader of the Opposition loves to talk about them and to try to score political points off of these vulnerable people, but he is offering no real solutions for them as we continue to step up and to deliver supports for people from coast to coast to coast.

[ Translation ]

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, according to Second Harvest, food banks can expect a million more visits this year because of the food inflation caused by this Prime Minister. Professor Sylvain Charlebois, an agri-food expert, says the Prime Minister should at least freeze the carbon tax. The Bloc Québécois voted to drastically increase taxes on the farmers who produce our food. Will he ignore the Bloc Québécois for once, cancel the costly coalition and stop raising the taxes on our food?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, no party in the House is about to take any lessons from the Conservative Party on helping people in need. The Conservative Party is still the party that lowers taxes for the rich and gives benefits to the wealthy. Whether we are talking about food banks, dental care, child care or seniors, its goal is not to help the vulnerable. We know that the Conservatives offer nothing but austerity and cuts to programs that Canadians need. We will continue to be there for people by fighting climate change and by providing them with direct support.

[ English ] Housing

Ms. Lori Idlout (Nunavut, NDP) :

Uqaqtittiji , northerners continue to experience the worst housing crisis in the country. Overcrowding is so bad that families sleep in shifts. One home was cracking in half from the melting permafrost and was only held together by duct tape. This cannot continue. For years, the government has ignored the territories' calls for investments to housing. They need the housing funding now. Will the Prime Minister respect the territorial governments and deliver the funding they need to build homes?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, my thanks to the hon. member for her work as she speaks up for the people in the north. We are always going to be there to invest in housing, to work hand in hand with Premier Akeeagok and others, to make sure we are delivering for people in a situation that is extremely difficult for them. We recognize these challenges, which is why we have sent millions and millions of dollars to the territories for the building of new housing. We will continue to be there with even more.

Grocery Industry

Ms. Lisa Marie Barron (Nanaimo—Ladysmith, NDP) :

Mr. Speaker, sky-high food prices are driving people to food banks. This did not happen overnight. It is because consecutive Liberal and Conservative governments put the profits of rich grocery CEOs before people. Visits to Nanaimo's Loaves & Fishes food bank were up 44% in just six months. Loaves & Fishes is beyond capacity and requires federal support in building a distribution centre to keep up with demand. Will the Prime Minister provide this funding so that people on Vancouver Island are not left to go hungry?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, we have stepped up our supports, as a federal government, to food banks and organizations serving the most vulnerable right across the country, and we will continue to. In terms of grocery prices, more competition means lower prices, more choices and more innovative products and services for Canadians. We are going to continue to work on our new legislation that empowers the Competition Bureau to hold grocers accountable and to prioritize consumers' interests. There is much more to do. We are going to continue to do it, working alongside anyone in the House who wants to tackle affordability and ensure that we are helping the most vulnerable across the country.

Labour

Mr. Peter Fonseca (Mississauga East—Cooksville, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, I have heard loud and clear from unionized workers in my riding about how excited they are about the government's bill to ban the use of replacement workers in federally regulated workplaces. Yesterday marked another significant step in the right direction as Bill C-58 received unanimous support in the House. Workers know that our Liberal government stands with them, because the best deals and the most powerful paycheques are made at the bargaining table. Will the Prime Minister update the House on progress on this historic legislation to ban replacement workers?

(1455) Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Mississauga East—Cooksville for his continued advocacy for Canadian workers. Indeed, the best deals are made at the bargaining table. However, when Canadian workers see Conservative politicians like the members for Battlefords—Lloydminster , Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan and Louis-Saint-Laurent parrot corporate talking points, they know that the Conservative Party of anti-union bills, Bill C-377 and Bill C-525 , is still alive and kicking. Canadians will not be fooled by the Conservative leader caving to pressure after a steady 19-year political career opposing unions.

Housing

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, our common-sense plan will axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has doubled housing costs since he promised to bring them down. A National Bank report, out Thursday, revealed that in Victoria and Toronto, it now takes an astonishing 25 years for the average family to save for a down payment. In Vancouver, it would take 29 years. This is after he has created $80 billion of new housing spending that has been vaporized by bureaucracy. Will the Prime Minister finally follow our common-sense plan to cut the bureaucracy and build the homes?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, we just announced two more housing accelerator agreements today in Whitehorse and in Saskatoon, adding to the dozens of agreements we have signed across the country to fast-track the construction of housing, over 600,000 homes. The Conservative Party's plan, which he is talking about, is to insult mayors and to cut critical infrastructure funding. It will not get any more homes built. Cities understand that we need to change the rules to get more homes built faster. Indeed, the only one gatekeeping this progress is the Conservative leader himself.

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister pretends he has not been in government for the last eight years. He acts like this is his first day on the job. The fact that he has to read off notes would suggest it is his first day on the job. The reality is that housing costs have doubled since he promised to lower them. Yes, he has created massive programs with wonderful new agreements and beautiful photo ops, where politicians pat each other on the backs and smile while they cut ribbons. The problem is that after eight years, nothing is getting built. Why will the Prime Minister not get out of the way and cut the bureaucracy so that we can build the homes?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, 19 years as a politician is the Leader of the Opposition , including some time as the housing minister, and his plan to fix housing is anything but a plan. It will not build homes fast enough. It does not reach enough cities, and it creates unnecessary bureaucracy. He would also, get this, rip up the housing accelerator agreements, which are unlocking over 600,000 new homes, and he would put the GST back on apartment construction. Housing experts like Mike Moffatt say that the Conservative leader's plan is exceptionally weak, and it is a sign that the Conservatives do not understand the urgency or the scale of the housing crisis.

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister brags that there is a housing crisis after he has been in power for eight long years. He quotes the same failed Liberal academics who gave him the advice that helped him double the price in the first place. The Conservatives' common-sense plan will incentivize cities to speed up and to lower the cost of building by requiring that they permit 15% more homes as a condition of getting the money. The more they build, they more they get; the less they build, the less they get. We pay builders based on the number of homes they build and realtors for the number that they sell. We should pay municipalities based on the number they permit. Is that not common sense?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, slogans and buzzwords do not get housing built; constructive deals with municipalities and provinces do. We see time and time again that Conservatives have nothing to propose but cuts, conditions and fights with municipalities, fights with community organizations, crossing their arms and tossing insults at people, instead of actually proposing a real plan. We are busy working on delivering hundreds of thousands of new homes over the coming years. This is the work that needs to get done. The Conservative leader just needs to get out of the way.

[ Translation ]

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, this just goes to show once again that the Prime Minister is not worth the cost of housing. He says that housing will be built over the coming years. He has been the Prime Minister for eight years. What has happened? He has doubled the cost of housing. Housing prices in Montreal have actually tripled in eight years. My common-sense plan will incentivize municipalities to build more housing by giving them bonuses if they build more and penalties if they build less. That is just common sense. Will the Prime Minister finally follow through on a plan for more housing and less red tape?

(1500) Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative leader is offering budget cuts, austerity and disputes with municipalities and non-profit organizations, or NPOs, across the country. We are choosing to work hand in hand with the municipalities, the provinces and NPOs to build more housing, lower rents and create more opportunities for families and young people to purchase a home. We have a concrete plan that we are implementing. He has nothing to offer but insults, attacks, budget cuts and austerity.

Public Services and Procurement

Mr. Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil—Chambly, BQ) :

Mr. Speaker, the government is mired in one of the worst financial scandals in the public service. It happened somewhere in the public service, yet to be determined. It is the worst scandal since the sponsorship scandal, which relegated the Liberal Party to obscurity for many years. We have made four clear requests: that the Prime Minister acknowledge his responsibility; that he call an independent inquiry in addition to, but more limited than, that of other authorities; that he recover the money, for goodness' sake; and that he put the CBSA under administrative supervision after this massive mistake.

Let us start with the first. Will the Prime Minister admit that, as Prime Minister, he is accountable and responsible to the people of Quebec and Canada?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, obviously this situation is unacceptable. That is why the authorities are looking into this procurement project, which obviously did not work as it should have. We expect anyone who took advantage of and personally profited from the activities of a government, whose priority was to save lives during the COVID‑19 pandemic, to face the consequences. We are ensuring that the authorities can do their work.

Mr. Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil—Chambly, BQ) :

Mr. Speaker, at least there is one thing we agree on: This is unacceptable. That means that the Prime Minister is responsible for something unacceptable. Take some action, please. What is he going to do to recover the tens of millions of misspent dollars? Will he put the Canada Border Services Agency under administrative supervision and launch an independent inquiry, one that has the added appeal of going back as far as the Harper years?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, as I said, we agree. This situation is unacceptable. That is why the authorities are closely examining the procurement process and looking at all the years when individuals involved in these companies may have benefited from government procurement projects. This is something that we obviously have to take seriously and that the authorities are taking seriously.

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, we have to wonder what was going through the mind of the Bloc Québécois leader when the Prime Minister asked him to spend $24 million on an app that was supposed to cost $80,000. He said that he would vote yes, regardless of the cost. That is what the Bloc Québécois said. In fact, the Bloc Québécois House leader said that it is not the Bloc Québécois's job to scrutinize everything the government spends. Its members just tell the government, “Go ahead”. What is the point of the Bloc Québécois?

The Speaker :

I see the right hon. Prime Minister rising to answer that question. I would just like to remind all members that questions must concern the administration of government or committee business. The right hon. Prime Minister.

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Conservative Party asked me what the point of the Bloc Québécois is. I think that question shows contempt for Quebeckers. Although I disagree with the Bloc Québécois and the way it is constantly trying to pick fights, Quebeckers in many ridings voted for Bloc Québécois members, who are just doing their job here in the House of Commons. We saw this same contempt for Quebeckers shown to mayors Marchand and Plante. It is something we see from the Conservative Party all the time. The fact is, we all have a job to do, and we do it here in the House.

(1505) Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, this new Liberal-Bloc marriage is a sight to behold. The Prime Minister compliments the Bloc Québécois, who in turn applauds the Prime Minister. The Bloc Québécois votes to give more money for arrive scam and to radically increase the taxes imposed by this Prime Minister. The Bloc Québécois votes for housing policies that have doubled the cost of housing for Quebeckers. The Bloc Québécois votes with the Prime Minister to release criminals back onto the streets. What is the point of this Liberal-Bloc marriage?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, this is another very clear display of the Conservative Party's contempt not only for Quebeckers, but also for democracy. I have spent my entire political career fighting for federalism in Quebec and for a united Canada, quite often against the Bloc Québécois. However, I have always had a deep respect for anyone who runs for office to serve their community and to be elected to the House of Commons. The Conservatives' contempt for democracy should be worrisome to Quebeckers and to all Canadians.

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, I am simply asking the same question the Quebec premier did. It was François Legault who asked what the point of voting for the Bloc Québécois was. I know it helps the Prime Minister, because the Bloc Québécois voted with the Prime Minister to radically increase taxes on gasoline and diesel. The Bloc Québécois supported the ban on hunting rifles for Quebeckers in the regions. The Bloc Québécois is voting to release criminals and cause a crime wave on the streets. That means voting for the Bloc Québécois helps the Prime Minister.

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, I heard another display of utter contempt for democracy and for Quebeckers, but I did not hear a question.

Justice

Ms. Anju Dhillon (Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, protecting children is a priority for our government. On Monday, we introduced the online harms act. Before the House even had the opportunity to look at the bill, the Conservatives indicated that they would oppose this protection. Even more shocking is the fact that they want to make Canadians share their personal information with dubious websites. Can the Prime Minister tell Canadian families how the act will protect them?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle for her important question. We are working hard to fight the very real impacts and tragic consequences of online harms. We are doing that by ensuring that social media platforms adhere to their own security policies. The Conservative leader's plan involves forcing Canadians to have a digital ID and expecting them to share their personal information with dubious websites. Canadians, especially children, deserve to be safe in every aspect of their lives, including online.

Taxation

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is not worth the cost of everything going up. He increased a tax on energy with the support of the Bloc Québécois, which wants to drastically increase it. He increased payroll taxes, once again with the support of the Bloc Québécois. He has driven up inflationary spending with the support of the Bloc Québécois, which voted in favour of all this discretionary spending. Now he wants to increase taxes on beer, wine and all other alcoholic beverages as of April 1. People need a drink after all the taxes this Prime Minister makes them pay. Will he cancel these increases?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, once again, we see how badly the leader of the Conservative Party wants to pick a fight. We are here to invest to support vulnerable Canadians, whether it is with dental care or child care spaces. We are here to invest in our seniors and to protect their pensions when he attacks the pension plan. We are here to help Canadians every step of the way. We will always put the most vulnerable Canadians first.

(1510) [ English ]

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, our Conservative common-sense plan will axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime. Meanwhile, the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister has raised taxes on gas, heat, groceries and paycheques; raised income taxes on middle-class and lower-income Canadians; and raised taxes on small businesses. He keeps raising taxes. It is enough to drive a man to drink, but he wants to tax that too on April 1 with another 5% increase on beer, wine and spirits that will kill jobs for those workers and raise costs for consumers. Will he have the humanity to let someone have a drink in peace?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, while the Conservative leader continues to figure out catchy slogans and buzzwords, we are rolling up our sleeves to deliver for Canadians with more housing, dental care, supports for seniors, supports for young families and fighting against climate change while putting more money in their pockets. We are doing the hard work of delivering for Canadians while he proposes nothing but cuts to programs, austerity and catchy slogans. We need a continued, responsible approach to government, and that is exactly what we are delivering.

Public Safety

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, after reports that the RCMP had to intervene at the Winnipeg Lab due to a security breach and the great public speculation of espionage by a foreign dictatorship at that Canadian lab, the Prime Minister fought tooth and nail to prevent any of the documents from coming out, including by defying a motion of this House. We found out from a letter written by all parties that had seen the documents, including a Liberal MP, that this was to cover up embarrassment, not protect national security. What did the Prime Minister have to hide?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, the ministers will be tabling the documents resulting from this process after question period. I will note in this question period, following the two-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, that the Leader of the Opposition had nothing to say about this war raging in Ukraine, nothing to say to Ukrainian Canadians as Canada signed security assurances guaranteeing support to Ukraine for the next 10 years. He demonstrates once again he is non-committal in his support toward Ukraine and his support toward Ukrainians. It is shameful that the Leader of the Opposition will not talk about—

The Speaker :

The hon. member for Halifax West.

Fisheries and Oceans

Ms. Lena Metlege Diab (Halifax West, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, the lobster industry is a crucial part of the economy in the Atlantic provinces. Last week, Conservative MPs from Ontario and Alberta saw fit to shockingly attack this industry, the economy of our region and, by definition, the women and men who make the industry thrive. Can the Prime Minister tell fishers from my region why, contrary to the opposition, we will always promote this important industry abroad?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Halifax West for her advocacy on behalf of Atlantic Canadians. On this side of the House, we are proud that Canadian lobster is being exported around the world, bringing $2.6 billion to our economy and supporting the livelihoods of communities across the Atlantic. Last week, Conservative leadership demonstrated that it does not care to understand the economic importance of this industry for our east coast. Atlantic Conservative MPs who stand with their constituents should demand an apology from their leader and their deputy leader for the disdain they showed toward hard-working Atlantic—

The Speaker :

The hon. member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley.

Emergency Preparedness

Mr. Taylor Bachrach (Skeena—Bulkley Valley, NDP) :

Mr. Speaker, people across northwest B.C. are deeply concerned about the ongoing drought. Last summer saw record wildfires across Canada. Farmers could not get their crops. Wild salmon were stranded on their way to spawn. Right now, with very little snow in the mountains, next summer could look even worse. While the Conservatives remain silent around the harsh impacts of climate change, the Liberals appear to be satisfied with business as usual. Is there a concerted national plan to address the droughts and wildfires we expect this summer and, if there is, what is it?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, last year was one of the worst wildfire seasons on record. We saw droughts. We saw floods. We know that the impact of climate change is real right across the country, something that the Conservative Party continues to deny. The reality is that our Minister of Emergency Preparedness was there to engage with ministers across the—

Some hon. members : Oh, oh!

(1515) The Speaker :

Order. Colleagues, it is important not to be disruptive in the House and to cause disorder in the House. This applies to all members from all sides. I encourage you, please, to conduct yourselves accordingly, to allow questions to be asked and for answers to be given. The right hon. Prime Minister, from the top, please.

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau :

Mr. Speaker, Conservative MPs just demonstrated their complete lack of respect for their constituents who face the direct impacts of climate change in floods, wildfires and droughts right across the country. The fact is that they have no solutions, no plan to deal with it. Our Minister of Emergency Preparedness has already engaged with partners across the country in provision of what may be a very bad season for climate impacts and for wildfires. That is why we are going to continue to fight against climate change while we grow the economy and be there to support Canadians from coast to coast to coast, something that Conservatives have no plan for.

Climate Change

Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP) :

Mr. Speaker, to the Prime Minister , who is so concerned about the wildfires and the zombie fires still under the snow, the wildfire season has already started and yet, quietly, on Friday, February 16, Environment Canada posted an extension to consultation on clean electricity regulations. The David Suzuki Foundation has posted a warning. Does this mean more delay? Does this mean that clean electricity regulations are to be weakened? Can the Prime Minister assure all Canadians that we have more than rhetoric to throw at the wildfires in this country?

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, following consultations that started in August 2023, we recently released an updated draft of the clean electricity regulations. A net-zero grid will serve as the basis for climate actions across the economy, like helping Canadians switch to electric transportation and heating. Our government is committed to working closely with all provinces, territories and partners on delivering the benefits of a clean grid in a way that ensures reliability and affordability for all Canadians.

National Microbiology Laboratory

Hon. Mark Holland (Minister of Health, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I am tabling, in both official languages, documents from the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service related to the investigation into the activities and subsequent termination of the employment of two scientists at the National Microbiology Laboratory. These documents are being tabled in accordance with the memorandum of understanding agreed to by the government and three opposition parties in the House in October 2022.

They have been reviewed and vetted by the ad hoc committee of parliamentarians, with the support of an independent panel of arbiters, in accordance with the terms of the memorandum of understanding. This process has demonstrated that the parties of this House can work together to ensure accountability and transparency to Canadians. I would also draw members' attention to the departmental statement that will be issued by the Public Health Agency today, which outlines the actions that have been taken by the agency since 2019 to address and highlight these documents.

Points of Order Oral Questions Points of Order

Mr. Mark Strahl (Chilliwack—Hope, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. During question period, the member for Elmwood—Transcona issued a repulsive, vulgar and unparliamentary remark to members of the Conservative opposition. I would like you to ask him to withdraw that remark.

(1520) Mr. Daniel Blaikie (Elmwood—Transcona, NDP) :

Mr. Speaker, in the course of expressing concern for the tongues of certain Conservative members that I feared would get stuck in the backside of their leader as he exited the chamber, I did indeed use unparliamentary language, and for that—

Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

The Speaker :

The hon. member is an experienced member of this House. His language evokes an image that is clearly unparliamentary. I will ask the member to withdraw those comments forthwith.

Mr. Daniel Blaikie :

Mr. Speaker, I unconditionally apologize for the comments, although I insist—

Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

The Speaker :

The Chair has heard the hon. member apologize, which is appropriate. That brings us back to the original point; the hon. member was in the middle of, I hope, withdrawing his comment.

Mr. Daniel Blaikie :

I do, Mr. Speaker. I withdraw the comments.

Hon. Steven MacKinnon :

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I think we just witnessed a very disgraceful, disrespectful display in question period today, which is clearly against the Standing Orders. The members across the aisle here owe an apology to the member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley , who gets to ask a question just like everyone else in this House. I ask that you, Mr. Speaker, consider what you might do in the event that this occurs again.

The Speaker :

I will take that matter under advisement.

Government Orders Business of Supply

[ English ] Business of Supply Opposition Motion—ArriveCAN App Motion

The House resumed from February 27 consideration of the motion.

The Speaker :

It being 3:23 p.m., the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion of the Leader of the Opposition relating to the business of supply. The question is as follows. Shall I dispense?

Some hon. members: No. [ Chair read text of motion to House ]

(1535) [ Translation ]

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

(Division No. 648)

YEAS Members Aboultaif Aitchison Albas Allison Angus Arnold Ashton Bachrach Baldinelli Barlow Barrett Barron Barsalou-Duval Beaulieu Bergeron Berthold Bérubé Bezan Blaikie Blanchet Blanchette-Joncas Blaney Block Boulerice Bragdon Brassard Brock Brunelle-Duceppe Calkins Cannings Caputo Carrie Chabot Chambers Champoux Chong Collins (Victoria) Cooper Dalton Dancho Davidson Davies DeBellefeuille d'Entremont Desbiens Desilets Doherty Dowdall Duncan (Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry) Ellis Epp Falk (Battlefords—Lloydminster) Falk (Provencher) Fast Ferreri Findlay Fortin Gallant Garon Garrison Gaudreau Gazan Généreux Genuis Gill Gladu Godin Goodridge Gourde Gray Green Hallan Hoback Hughes Idlout Jeneroux Johns Julian Kelly Khanna Kitchen Kmiec Kram Kramp-Neuman Kurek Kusie Kwan Lake Larouche Lawrence Lehoux Lemire Leslie Lewis (Essex) Lewis (Haldimand—Norfolk) Liepert Lloyd Lobb MacGregor Maguire Majumdar Martel Mathyssen May (Saanich—Gulf Islands) Mazier McCauley (Edmonton West) McLean McPherson Melillo Michaud Moore Morantz Morrice Morrison Motz Muys Nater Normandin Patzer Paul-Hus Pauzé Perkins Perron Poilievre Rayes Redekopp Reid Rempel Garner Richards Roberts Rood Ruff Savard-Tremblay Scheer Schmale Seeback Shields Shipley Simard Sinclair-Desgagné Singh Small Soroka Steinley Ste-Marie Stewart Strahl Stubbs Thériault Therrien Thomas Tochor Tolmie Trudel Uppal Van Popta Vecchio Vidal Vien Viersen Vignola Villemure Vis Wagantall Warkentin Waugh Webber Williams Williamson Zarrillo -- 170

NAYS Members Aldag Alghabra Ali Anand Anandasangaree Arseneault Arya Atwin Badawey Bains Baker Battiste Beech Bibeau Bittle Blair Blois Boissonnault Bradford Brière Carr Casey Chagger Chahal Champagne Chatel Chen Chiang Collins (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek) Cormier Coteau Dabrusin Damoff Dhaliwal Dhillon Diab Dong Drouin Dubourg Duclos Duguid Dzerowicz Ehsassi El-Khoury Erskine-Smith Fillmore Fisher Fonseca Fortier Fragiskatos Fraser Fry Gaheer Gainey Gerretsen Gould Hajdu Hanley Hardie Hepfner Holland Housefather Hussen Hutchings Iacono Ien Jaczek Joly Jones Jowhari Kayabaga Kelloway Khalid Khera Koutrakis Kusmierczyk Lalonde Lambropoulos Lamoureux Lapointe Lattanzio Lauzon Lebouthillier Lightbound Long Longfield Louis (Kitchener—Conestoga) MacAulay (Cardigan) MacDonald (Malpeque) MacKinnon (Gatineau) Maloney Martinez Ferrada May (Cambridge) McDonald (Avalon) McGuinty McKay McKinnon (Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam) McLeod Mendès Mendicino Miao Miller Morrissey Murray Naqvi Noormohamed O'Connell Oliphant O'Regan Petitpas Taylor Powlowski Qualtrough Robillard Rogers Romanado Rota Sahota Sajjan Saks Samson Sarai Scarpaleggia Schiefke Serré Sgro Shanahan Sheehan Sidhu (Brampton East) Sidhu (Brampton South) Sorbara Sousa St-Onge Sudds Tassi Taylor Roy Thompson Trudeau Turnbull Valdez Van Bynen van Koeverden Vandal Vandenbeld Virani Weiler Wilkinson Yip Zahid Zuberi -- 149

PAIRED Members Deltell Dreeshen Guilbeault LeBlanc Ng Plamondon Rodriguez Zimmer -- 8

The Speaker :

Motion agreed to I declare the motion carried.

Private Members' Business Private Members' Business

(1540) [ English ] Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Act

The House resumed from February 15 consideration of the motion that Bill C-354,

An Act to amend the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Act (Quebec’s cultural distinctiveness and French-speaking communities) , be read the second time and referred to a committee. Bill C-354. Second reading

The Deputy Speaker :

The House will now proceed to the deferred recorded division on the motion at second reading on Bill C-354 under Private Members' Business.

(1550) (The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

(Division No. 649)

YEAS Members Aboultaif Aitchison Albas Allison Angus Arnold Ashton Bachrach Baldinelli Barlow Barrett Barron Barsalou-Duval Beaulieu Bergeron Berthold Bérubé Bezan Blaikie Blanchet Blanchette-Joncas Blaney Block Boulerice Bragdon Brassard Brock Brunelle-Duceppe Calkins Cannings Caputo Carrie Chabot Chambers Champoux Chong Collins (Victoria) Cooper Dalton Dancho Davidson Davies DeBellefeuille Desbiens Desilets Doherty Dowdall Duncan (Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry) Ellis Epp Falk (Battlefords—Lloydminster) Falk (Provencher) Fast Ferreri Findlay Fortin Gallant Garon Garrison Gaudreau Gazan Généreux Genuis Gill Gladu Godin Goodridge Gourde Gray Green Hallan Hoback Hughes Idlout Jeneroux Johns Julian Kelly Khanna Kitchen Kmiec Kram Kramp-Neuman Kurek Kusie Kwan Lake Larouche Lawrence Lehoux Lemire Leslie Lewis (Essex) Lewis (Haldimand—Norfolk) Liepert Lloyd Lobb MacGregor Maguire Majumdar Martel Mathyssen May (Saanich—Gulf Islands) Mazier McCauley (Edmonton West) McLean McPherson Melillo Michaud Moore Morantz Morrison Motz Muys Nater Normandin Patzer Paul-Hus Pauzé Perkins Perron Poilievre Rayes Redekopp Reid Rempel Garner Richards Roberts Rood Ruff Savard-Tremblay Scheer Schmale Seeback Shields Shipley Simard Sinclair-Desgagné Singh Small Soroka Steinley Ste-Marie Stewart Strahl Stubbs Thériault Therrien Thomas Tochor Tolmie Trudel Uppal Van Popta Vecchio Vidal Vien Viersen Vignola Villemure Vis Wagantall Waugh Webber Williams Williamson Zarrillo -- 167

NAYS Members Aldag Alghabra Ali Anand Anandasangaree Arseneault Arya Atwin Badawey Bains Baker Battiste Beech Bibeau Bittle Blair Blois Boissonnault Bradford Brière Carr Casey Chagger Chahal Champagne Chatel Chen Chiang Collins (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek) Cormier Coteau Dabrusin Damoff Dhaliwal Dhillon Diab Dong Drouin Dubourg Duclos Duguid Dzerowicz Ehsassi El-Khoury Erskine-Smith Fillmore Fisher Fonseca Fortier Fragiskatos Fraser Fry Gaheer Gainey Gerretsen Gould Hajdu Hanley Hardie Hepfner Holland Housefather Hussen Hutchings Iacono Ien Jaczek Joly Jones Jowhari Kayabaga Kelloway Khalid Khera Koutrakis Kusmierczyk Lalonde Lambropoulos Lamoureux Lapointe Lattanzio Lauzon Lebouthillier Lightbound Long Longfield Louis (Kitchener—Conestoga) MacAulay (Cardigan) MacDonald (Malpeque) MacKinnon (Gatineau) Maloney Martinez Ferrada May (Cambridge) McDonald (Avalon) McGuinty McKay McKinnon (Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam) McLeod Mendès Mendicino Miao Miller Morrice Morrissey Murray Naqvi Noormohamed O'Connell Oliphant O'Regan Petitpas Taylor Powlowski Qualtrough Robillard Rogers Romanado Rota Sahota Sajjan Saks Samson Sarai Scarpaleggia Schiefke Serré Sgro Shanahan Sheehan Sidhu (Brampton East) Sidhu (Brampton South) Sorbara Sousa St-Onge Sudds Tassi Taylor Roy Thompson Trudeau Turnbull Valdez Van Bynen van Koeverden Vandal Vandenbeld Virani Weiler Wilkinson Yip Zahid Zuberi -- 150

PAIRED Members Deltell Dreeshen Guilbeault LeBlanc Ng Plamondon Rodriguez Zimmer -- 8

The Deputy Speaker :

I declare the motion carried. Accordingly, the bill stands referred to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. Motion agreed to (Bill read the second time and referred to a committee)

Criminal Code

The House resumed from February 16 consideration of the motion that Bill C-321,

An Act to amend the Criminal Code (assaults against persons who provide health services and first responders) , be read the third time and passed.

Bill C-321. Third reading

The Deputy Speaker :

The House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion at third reading stage of C-321 under Private Members' Business.

(1600) (The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

(Division No. 650)

YEAS Members Aboultaif Aitchison Albas Aldag Alghabra Ali Allison Anand Anandasangaree Angus Arnold Arseneault Arya Ashton Atwin Bachrach Badawey Bains Baker Baldinelli Barlow Barrett Barron Barsalou-Duval Battiste Beaulieu Beech Bergeron Berthold Bérubé Bezan Bibeau Bittle Blaikie Blair Blanchet Blanchette-Joncas Blaney Block Blois Boissonnault Boulerice Bradford Bragdon Brassard Brière Brock Brunelle-Duceppe Calkins Cannings Caputo Carr Carrie Casey Chabot Chagger Chahal Chambers Champagne Champoux Chatel Chen Chiang Chong Collins (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek) Collins (Victoria) Cooper Cormier Coteau Dabrusin Dalton Damoff Dancho Davidson Davies DeBellefeuille Desbiens Desilets Dhaliwal Dhillon Diab Doherty Dong Dowdall Drouin Dubourg Duclos Duguid Duncan (Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry) Dzerowicz Ehsassi El-Khoury Ellis Epp Erskine-Smith Falk (Battlefords—Lloydminster) Falk (Provencher) Fast Ferreri Fillmore Findlay Fisher Fonseca Fortier Fortin Fragiskatos Fraser Fry Gaheer Gainey Gallant Garon Garrison Gaudreau Gazan Généreux Genuis Gerretsen Gill Gladu Godin Goodridge Gould Gourde Gray Green Hajdu Hallan Hanley Hardie Hepfner Hoback Holland Housefather Hughes Hussen Hutchings Iacono Ien Jaczek Jeneroux Johns Joly Jones Jowhari Julian Kayabaga Kelloway Kelly Khalid Khanna Khera Kitchen Kmiec Koutrakis Kram Kramp-Neuman Kurek Kusie Kusmierczyk Kwan Lake Lalonde Lambropoulos Lamoureux Lantsman Lapointe Larouche Lattanzio Lauzon Lawrence Lebouthillier Lehoux Lemire Leslie Lewis (Essex) Lewis (Haldimand—Norfolk) Liepert Lightbound Lloyd Lobb Long Longfield Louis (Kitchener—Conestoga) MacAulay (Cardigan) MacDonald (Malpeque) MacGregor MacKinnon (Gatineau) Maguire Majumdar Maloney Martel Martinez Ferrada Mathyssen May (Cambridge) May (Saanich—Gulf Islands) Mazier McCauley (Edmonton West) McDonald (Avalon) McGuinty McKay McKinnon (Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam) McLean McLeod McPherson Melillo Mendès Mendicino Miao Michaud Miller Moore Morantz Morrice Morrison Morrissey Motz Murray Muys Naqvi Nater Noormohamed Normandin O'Connell Oliphant O'Regan Patzer Paul-Hus Pauzé Perkins Perron Petitpas Taylor Poilievre Powlowski Qualtrough Rayes Redekopp Reid Rempel Garner Richards Roberts Robillard Rogers Romanado Rood Rota Ruff Sahota Sajjan Saks Samson Sarai Savard-Tremblay Scarpaleggia Scheer Schiefke Schmale Seeback Serré Sgro Shanahan Sheehan Shields Shipley Sidhu (Brampton East) Sidhu (Brampton South) Simard Sinclair-Desgagné Singh Small Sorbara Soroka Sousa Steinley Ste-Marie Stewart St-Onge Strahl Stubbs Sudds Tassi Taylor Roy Thériault Therrien Thomas Thompson Tochor Tolmie Trudeau Trudel Turnbull Uppal Valdez Van Bynen van Koeverden Van Popta Vandal Vandenbeld Vecchio Vidal Vien Viersen Vignola Villemure Virani Vis Wagantall Warkentin Waugh Webber Weiler Wilkinson Williams Williamson Yip Zahid Zarrillo Zuberi -- 318

NAYS Nil

PAIRED Members Deltell Dreeshen Guilbeault LeBlanc Ng Plamondon Rodriguez Zimmer -- 8

The Deputy Speaker :

Motion agreed to I declare the motion carried. (Bill read the third time and passed)

[ Translation ] Corrections and Conditional Release Act

The House resumed from February 27 consideration of the motion that Bill C-320,

An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (disclosure of information to victims) , be read the third time and passed. Bill C‑320. Third reading

The Deputy Speaker :

The House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion at third reading stage of Bill C‑320 under Private Members' Business.

(1615) [ English ]

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

(Division No. 651)

YEAS Members Aboultaif Aitchison Albas Aldag Alghabra Ali Allison Anand Anandasangaree Angus Arnold Arseneault Arya Ashton Atwin Bachrach Badawey Bains Baker Baldinelli Barlow Barrett Barron Barsalou-Duval Battiste Beaulieu Beech Bergeron Berthold Bérubé Bezan Bibeau Bittle Blaikie Blair Blanchet Blanchette-Joncas Blaney Block Blois Boissonnault Boulerice Bradford Bragdon Brassard Brière Brock Brunelle-Duceppe Calkins Cannings Caputo Carr Carrie Casey Chabot Chagger Chahal Chambers Champagne Champoux Chatel Chen Chiang Chong Collins (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek) Collins (Victoria) Cooper Cormier Coteau Dabrusin Dalton Damoff Dancho Davidson Davies DeBellefeuille Desbiens Desilets Dhaliwal Dhillon Diab Doherty Dong Dowdall Drouin Dubourg Duclos Duguid Duncan (Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry) Dzerowicz Ehsassi El-Khoury Ellis Epp Erskine-Smith Falk (Battlefords—Lloydminster) Falk (Provencher) Fast Ferreri Fillmore Findlay Fisher Fonseca Fortier Fortin Fragiskatos Fraser Fry Gaheer Gainey Gallant Garon Garrison Gaudreau Gazan Généreux Genuis Gerretsen Gill Gladu Godin Goodridge Gould Gourde Gray Green Hajdu Hallan Hanley Hardie Hepfner Hoback Holland Housefather Hughes Hussen Hutchings Iacono Idlout Ien Jaczek Jeneroux Johns Joly Jones Jowhari Julian Kayabaga Kelloway Kelly Khalid Khanna Khera Kitchen Kmiec Koutrakis Kram Kramp-Neuman Kurek Kusie Kusmierczyk Kwan Lake Lalonde Lambropoulos Lamoureux Lantsman Lapointe Larouche Lattanzio Lauzon Lawrence Lebouthillier Lehoux Lemire Leslie Lewis (Essex) Lewis (Haldimand—Norfolk) Liepert Lightbound Lloyd Lobb Long Longfield Louis (Kitchener—Conestoga) MacAulay (Cardigan) MacDonald (Malpeque) MacGregor MacKinnon (Gatineau) Maguire Majumdar Maloney Martel Martinez Ferrada Mathyssen May (Cambridge) May (Saanich—Gulf Islands) Mazier McCauley (Edmonton West) McDonald (Avalon) McGuinty McKay McKinnon (Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam) McLean McLeod McPherson Melillo Mendès Mendicino Miao Michaud Miller Moore Morantz Morrice Morrison Morrissey Motz Murray Muys Naqvi Nater Noormohamed Normandin O'Connell Oliphant O'Regan Patzer Paul-Hus Pauzé Perkins Perron Petitpas Taylor Poilievre Powlowski Qualtrough Rayes Redekopp Reid Rempel Garner Richards Roberts Robillard Rogers Romanado Rood Rota Ruff Sahota Sajjan Saks Samson Sarai Savard-Tremblay Scarpaleggia Scheer Schiefke Schmale Seeback Serré Sgro Shanahan Sheehan Shields Shipley Sidhu (Brampton East) Sidhu (Brampton South) Simard Sinclair-Desgagné Singh Small Sorbara Soroka Sousa Steinley Ste-Marie Stewart St-Onge Strahl Stubbs Sudds Tassi Taylor Roy Thériault Therrien Thomas Thompson Tochor Tolmie Trudeau Trudel Turnbull Uppal Valdez Van Bynen van Koeverden Van Popta Vandal Vandenbeld Vecchio Vidal Vien Viersen Vignola Villemure Virani Vis Wagantall Warkentin Waugh Webber Weiler Wilkinson Williams Williamson Yip Zahid Zarrillo Zuberi -- 319

NAYS Nil

PAIRED Members Deltell Dreeshen Guilbeault LeBlanc Ng Plamondon Rodriguez Zimmer -- 8

The Deputy Speaker :

Motion agreed to I declare the motion carried. (Bill read the third time and passed) [ Translation ]

The Deputy Speaker: I wish to inform the House that because of the deferred recorded divisions, Government Orders will be extended by 51 minutes.

ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS Routine Proceedings

[ English ] Government Response to Petitions

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

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to two petitions. These returns will be tabled in an electronic format. Motion While I am on my feet, I move:

That the House do now proceed to orders of the day.

The Deputy Speaker :

The question is on the motion. If a member participating in person wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division, or if a member of a recognized party participating in person wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.

Mr. Mark Gerretsen :

Mr. Speaker, we request a recorded division.

The Deputy Speaker :

Call in the members.

(1700) (The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

(Division No. 652)

YEAS Members Aldag Alghabra Ali Anand Anandasangaree Angus Arseneault Arya Atwin Bachrach Badawey Bains Baker Barron Battiste Beech Bibeau Bittle Blaikie Blair Blaney Blois Boulerice Bradford Brière Cannings Carr Casey Chagger Chahal Champagne Chatel Chen Chiang Collins (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek) Collins (Victoria) Cormier Coteau Dabrusin Damoff Davies Dhaliwal Dhillon Diab Drouin Dubourg Duclos Duguid Dzerowicz Ehsassi El-Khoury Erskine-Smith Fillmore Fisher Fonseca Fortier Fragiskatos Fraser Fry Gaheer Gainey Garrison Gazan Gerretsen Gould Green Hajdu Hanley Hardie Hepfner Holland Housefather Hughes Hussen Hutchings Iacono Idlout Ien Jaczek Johns Joly Jones Jowhari Julian Kayabaga Kelloway Khalid Khera Koutrakis Kusmierczyk Kwan Lalonde Lambropoulos Lamoureux Lapointe Lattanzio Lauzon Lebouthillier Lightbound Long Longfield Louis (Kitchener—Conestoga) MacAulay (Cardigan) MacDonald (Malpeque) MacGregor MacKinnon (Gatineau) Maloney Martinez Ferrada Mathyssen May (Cambridge) May (Saanich—Gulf Islands) McDonald (Avalon) McGuinty McKay McKinnon (Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam) McLeod McPherson Mendès Mendicino Miao Miller Morrissey Murray Naqvi Noormohamed O'Connell Oliphant O'Regan Petitpas Taylor Powlowski Qualtrough Robillard Rogers Romanado Rota Sahota Sajjan Saks Samson Sarai Scarpaleggia Schiefke Serré Sgro Shanahan Sheehan Sidhu (Brampton East) Sidhu (Brampton South) Singh Sorbara Sousa St-Onge Sudds Tassi Taylor Roy Thompson Trudeau Turnbull Valdez Van Bynen van Koeverden Vandal Vandenbeld Virani Weiler Wilkinson Yip Zahid Zarrillo Zuberi -- 170

NAYS Members Aboultaif Aitchison Albas Allison Arnold Baldinelli Barlow Barrett Barsalou-Duval Beaulieu Bergeron Berthold Bérubé Bezan Blanchet Blanchette-Joncas Block Bragdon Brassard Brock Brunelle-Duceppe Calkins Caputo Carrie Chabot Chambers Champoux Chong Cooper Dalton Dancho Davidson DeBellefeuille Desbiens Desilets Doherty Dowdall Duncan (Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry) Ellis Epp Falk (Battlefords—Lloydminster) Falk (Provencher) Fast Ferreri Findlay Fortin Gallant Garon Gaudreau Généreux Genuis Gill Gladu Godin Goodridge Gourde Gray Hallan Hoback Jeneroux Kelly Khanna Kitchen Kmiec Kram Kramp-Neuman Kurek Kusie Lake Lantsman Larouche Lawrence Lehoux Lemire Leslie Lewis (Essex) Lewis (Haldimand—Norfolk) Liepert Lloyd Lobb Maguire Majumdar Martel Mazier McCauley (Edmonton West) McLean Melillo Michaud Moore Morantz Morrice Morrison Motz Muys Nater Normandin Patzer Paul-Hus Pauzé Perkins Perron Poilievre Redekopp Reid Rempel Garner Richards Roberts Rood Ruff Savard-Tremblay Scheer Schmale Seeback Shields Shipley Simard Sinclair-Desgagné Small Soroka Steinley Ste-Marie Stewart Strahl Stubbs Thériault Therrien Thomas Tochor Tolmie Trudel Uppal Van Popta Vecchio Vidal Vien Viersen Vignola Villemure Vis Wagantall Warkentin Waugh Williams Williamson -- 144

PAIRED Members Deltell Dreeshen Guilbeault LeBlanc Ng Plamondon Rodriguez Zimmer -- 8

The Deputy Speaker :

I declare the motion carried. Motion agreed to It is my duty pursuant to Standing Order 38 to inform the House that the questions to be raised tonight at the time of adjournment are as follows: the hon. member for Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa , Carbon Pricing; the hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni , Taxation; the hon. member for Calgary Nose Hill , Public Safety.

Government Orders S. O. 57

[ Translation ] Government Business No. 35—Extension of Sitting Hours and Conduct of Extended Proceedings Motion That Debate Be Not Further Adjourned

Hon. Steven MacKinnon (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.) :

Motion Mr. Speaker, in relation to the consideration of Government Business No. 35, I move:

That debate be not further adjourned.

[ English ]

The Deputy Speaker :

Pursuant to Standing Order 67(1), there will now be a 30-minute question period. I invite hon. members who wish to ask questions to rise or use the “raise hand” function so the Chair can have some idea of the number of members who wish to participate in this question period. The hon. member for Barrie—Innisfil.

Mr. John Brassard (Barrie—Innisfil, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, what a tangled web we weave and how cynical the government has become over the years. I recall, in 2015, when the Prime Minister , with hand over heart, said that better was possible and things were going to be different. In the 2015 election, one of the things Liberals talked about was making Parliament more functional and allowing the opposition parties to be the voices of their constituents, yet here we are again with this motion, which is effectively controlling this place, just as the Prime Minister has had a propensity to do in the past.

Does the government House leader not understand the significance of his actions for future Parliaments and what this could mean for the future of this place? In this place, things, as they relate to the Standing Orders, are built on consensus. This is anything but. This is the government strong-arming itself over the will of Parliament.

Hon. Steven MacKinnon :

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I reject the premise of the member's question. I fail to see how a motion that expands the time available for members to debate bills, budgets and motions in this chamber is somehow undemocratic. In fact, we would be giving the opposition more opportunity to do so. However, as the member well knows because he attends caucus meetings, the word from on high, from the Leader of the Opposition , is to block everything and not allow any progress on any bill. It does not matter if it is child care. It is does not matter if it is for supports for Canadians.

It does not matter if it is dental care. It does not matter if these things are positive and could positively impact Canadians' lives. They are to obstruct all the time. We would be allowing members of the opposition to debate these things for a longer period of time, and I fail to see how that creates anything but a healthy precedent of the hours we spend in this chamber.

(1705) Mr. Peter Julian (New Westminster—Burnaby, NDP) :

Mr. Speaker, I have said many times that there are two bloc parties in the House of Commons, the Bloc Québécois and the “block everything” party, which is the Conservatives, who have systematically blocked every piece of legislation. Now, if the Conservatives read the motion, and I am not sure that my colleague from Barrie—Innisfil actually read what is before the House, they would see that there are two aspects to it. First, of course, is the fact that we would be working into the evening, which would allow more time for debate in the evenings and more time for members of Parliament to be heard.

Second, and this is perhaps the most important aspect, is that it would eliminate the toxic overnight voting, which has been propelled by the member for Carleton , who did not even show up last time. During 30 hours of votes, he showed up for an hour. This just shows—

The Deputy Speaker :

I cannot believe we are getting into this discussion once again of underlining who is here and who is not. I will say that, when we bring up who voted, when they voted, whether they were here or whether they were not, we are not supposed to say that part. How members voted and what is on the public record are full game. The hon. member for New Westminster—Burnaby.

Mr. Peter Julian :

Mr. Speaker, absolutely, the member for Carleton voted six times in person and the rest of the time voted, I guess, online. The reality is that we need to ensure that the employees of the House of Commons, who are really the bastion of this democracy, are not forced to work overnight for 25 or 30 hours straight. The nine-hour health break would actually make a big difference in ensuring the health and safety of the employees who work here, as well as members of Parliament. What happened to my colleague and good friend, the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands , last June has to be a wake-up call for all of us.

As a result, I would simply ask my colleague across the way why the Conservatives have been blocking a motion that would basically do two things. It would allow more members of Parliament to speak in evening sessions, and it would stop toxic overnight voting, which the member for Carleton always seems to run away from.

Hon. Steven MacKinnon :

Mr. Speaker, I certainly want to thank my colleague for his excellent

summary of what this motion would accomplish. It would, simply put, allow more time for debate. Every time we have discussions among parties, it is often stressed, from parties in any corner of the House, that we require more time to debate bills. Sometimes that is constructive, but sometimes it is obstructive. Sometimes members across the way simply talk things out that they know perfectly well would be good for Canadians and would impact positively on Canadians' lives in an immediate fashion, but they still persist in blocking and obstructing.

Therefore, we are looking to give them more opportunities to speak and we will see whether they can, in fact, bring some constructive elements to the debate. As to the health break, as with long-haul truckers, nurses and hard-working Canadians, and with the advances of the past few years in working conditions, no Canadian is expected to work 30 hours around the clock, much less to vote on billions of dollars of public expenditures. If we want to talk about irresponsibility with public expenditures, that would be the Conservatives asking 338 members of Parliament to opine on important matters at 3 a.m. or 4 a.m.

That is not a reasonable proposition. No Canadian expects that. It is unhealthy, and it is unhealthy for the people who are forced to be in the chamber or around the parliamentary precinct to protect and support us as we do our work. Therefore, it is important that we move from this very toxic, obstructive environment to one that is healthier for all members in the House.

Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP) :

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. friend from New Westminster—Burnaby for his really heartfelt concern for my health. I did have a hemorrhagic stroke after working, straight, seven days a week, for 51 days. For May and June, we were sitting until midnight. I can remember well when a different Speaker would say, “It now being 1:15 in the morning, the question is that the House do now adjourn. The hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands.” He did not stop for a breath because I was doing adjournment proceedings.

I think that, if we are going to work those long hours, and everyone knows that I am not afraid of hard work, I want a nurse's station in the foyer. I want some health care professionals checking the blood pressure of members of Parliament, checking to see if their health needs attention. This would also be very important, as the hon. member for New Westminster—Burnaby has said, for the workers in this place, who are not elected and who do not have the fantastic salaries we have to do this work.

I also believe if that, if we were to use the rules that exist, for instance, against reading a speech, as they do in the Parliament of Westminster, we could more expeditiously

schedule our work so that we would have meaningful debate, as opposed to what sometimes, although I hate it to say it and I should not say it, resembles bad high school theatre. I think we really do need to focus on debates and take our time to do it right. It is not about being afraid of hard work, but about not being forced into late night sessions, which are inevitably bad for everyone's health. I thank all of my friends across all party benches who let me know that they prayed for me. I am miraculously healed.

(1710) Hon. Steven MacKinnon :

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands for her observations. I know all of us are happy that she is back, hale and hearty, and that she is participating in this debate. I would also say that, like so many other members on this side of the House, the member is not afraid of hard work and, more importantly, of putting in the preparation and study required to bring constructive ideas to the House and positive contributions to debate. Way too often, we fall into the trap of what we call dilatory motions. Those are things such as proceedings to consider committee reports from six months ago.

They are designed just to block and obstruct, and obstruct what? They are designed to obstruct positive things, such as child care. We are on the cusp of adopting a national child care plan for Canadians. Conservatives even voted for the bill in previous iterations, yet they will refuse to allow these things to come to a vote. Moms and dads out there watching need to know that the people standing in the way of putting a national child care program into law are Conservatives.

Ms. Michelle Ferreri :

Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, just to reiterate to the hon. member opposite speaking about child care, that is already in place. There does not need—

The Deputy Speaker :

That is debate. The hon. government House leader.

Hon. Steven MacKinnon :

Mr. Speaker, I think we will all note that, once again, the member is standing up and refusing to allow a debate on child care and a vote on child care to occur in this chamber. I want to finish my remarks and my thanking the hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands for her many contributions and for her eternal concern for the respect of the rules of this place, as well as for the health and well-being of the people who inhabit this place from all parties and those who support us here. I think that her contributions have been very positive.

[ Translation ] Business of the House

Hon. Steven MacKinnon (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform the House that the opposition day designated for Thursday, February 29 has been undesignated and will now take place on Friday, March 1.

Canada Early Learning and Child Care Act Notice of Closure Motion

Hon. Steven MacKinnon (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that, with respect to the consideration of the motion relating to the Senate amendment to Bill C-35 ,

an act respecting early learning and child care in Canada, at the next sitting of the House a minister of the Crown shall move, pursuant to Standing Order 57, that debate be not further adjourned.

[ English ] Government Business No. 35—Extension of Sitting Hours and Conduct of Extended Proceedings Motion That Debate Be Not Further Adjourned Motion

The House resumed consideration of the motion.

Mr. Mark Gerretsen (Kingston and the Islands, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, I listened to the member for Barrie—Innisfil talking about the Prime Minister 's committing to doing things differently in Parliament. Perhaps the Prime Minister was giving too much credit to the Conservatives when he was making those comments, but they rely on the assumption that everybody, all 338 of us, comes here to do the job we were elected to do. The problem is that Conservatives have come here and think that their job is to obstruct absolutely everything. The House leader has already mentioned that Conservatives, even if they agree with the bill, obstruct at every possible opportunity.

The member for Peterborough—Kawartha was just going on about the child care bill, a bill that she routinely got up to criticize the government on. Time after time, Conservatives would get up to criticize the bill. Then what did they do at the end of it? They voted in favour of it. The same thing can be said regarding the scab legislation. They spoke against it and put up all the roadblocks to prevent it from being actually voted on, then when it came time to vote, they just really quietly yesterday stood up and started voting in favour of it.

I am wondering whether the House leader can provide some insight as to why Conservatives are so genuinely interested in just obstructing absolutely everything.

(1715) Hon. Steven MacKinnon (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, I do not reject the premise of that question. I cannot speak to their motivations, but I can speak to the phenomenon we see. We see it south of the border. We see it in some parts of Europe. We see it in the populist right wing that seeks to toxify our democratic institution, that seeks to conflate minor things and that seeks to make so toxic and so negative the proceedings of places like this, the most solemn of our democratic chambers in this country, so that Canadians turn away in anger or in sorrow from the debates we have in this place and tune out the very important things we discuss here.

That is because the Conservatives think that if they make it toxic and negative, throw in enough vitriol, Canadians will turn away. That is why we want to give more space for debate in this place. That is why we want to make sure members come to work healthy and prepared to seriously debate the issues, as many members choose to do in this chamber. However, on the right, we see more and more unfortunate efforts to toxify our politics, to make it negative and to make Canadians turn away and recoil in horror from the very important democratic debates we have in the chamber.

Mr. Scot Davidson (York—Simcoe, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure whether the member is the government House leader or whether the member for New Westminster—Burnaby is the government House leader; I have not had that clarified. However, I have listened to his comment. Our job is to be the opposition. With all due respect to my colleague from Saanich—Gulf Islands , I listened to her saying we need a doctor and we need a nurse, but these are the very things we are in the House of Commons fighting for. The people in York—Simcoe cannot even ask for that. They do not have a doctor. They do not have a nurse.

It is the very government across the aisle that is shutting down debate. In my riding, we are sitting there fighting, wanting to talk about getting the rural top-up on the carbon tax. Here we are, and the current government is classifying my first nations, our first nations in York—Simcoe, as urban and part of Toronto. These are the debates we want to have, and again we see the government shutting down debate.

Hon. Steven MacKinnon :

Mr. Speaker, the member ridiculed the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands for her very appropriate concern for the well-being of all members of the House. Let me point out to him once again a very ironic fact—

Mr. Scot Davidson :

Mr. Speaker, I am rising on a point of order. I have to clarify that. With all due respect, I did not ridicule the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands .

The Deputy Speaker :

Even though that is a point of debate, I appreciate the clarification. The hon. government House leader has the floor.

Hon. Steven MacKinnon :

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member, however, for his concern for health care. I would really have appreciated it if he had been concerned enough about health care to go to his leader , on the eve of the estimates we just finished voting on before Christmas, to tell him to not vote against the 3.1 billion additional dollars we have provided for doctors, nurses and personal care workers in the member's home province of Ontario. This makes the point so eloquently. He talks about health care; we have addressed health care. Who else thinks we have addressed it in Ontario? Doug Ford does.

He was at the hospital with the Prime Minister , signing for the $3.1 billion that the member, who professes to care about doctors and personal care workers, voted against. That is shameful. It is obstructive. It is toxic. It is cynical, and it does not help the people in York—Simcoe or the people anywhere in this country.

(1720) Mr. Gord Johns (Courtenay—Alberni, NDP) :

Mr. Speaker, I find it comical when I come in here and hear my Conservative colleague talk about people working hard, like my colleague from Saanich—Gulf Islands , for whom it takes 12 and a half hours, as it does for me, and three flights, on average, to get here. Members know we will be here tonight in late Adjournment Proceedings, dragging the Speaker and the government here. It is not a question of working hard. It takes some Conservative colleagues two hours to get here, and they are complaining about how hard we work. The Conservative member talked about health care.

Conservatives cut funding to health care. Ask people who live in Ontario, where Doug Ford lives, or people where Danielle Smith of the UCP lives. They do not stand up for workers. What we are talking about here is ensuring that workers are not working 30 hours, or from midnight to 9 a.m. The member for Saanich—Gulf Islands talked about ensuring health supports for somebody. We cannot wait until somebody dies of a heart attack. “It is not worth the cost” is what the Conservatives keep talking about.

Someone losing their life here by working from midnight until nine in the morning is not standing up for workers' rights. It is not being responsible and is not showing leadership. If we listen to experts, a medical doctor or a mental health doctor, they would say this is not sustainable and is not appropriate. If we are going to show leadership in this country, it is time we stop sitting all night, from midnight until nine in the morning. I want to be here until midnight. I want to work; I came here to work, but we have to take responsibility and show leadership. This is the right decision and long overdue.

Hon. Steven MacKinnon :

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Courtenay—Alberni , because it is time to actually address this in a very serious manner. There are 338 members of the chamber. It is not healthy for any single one of us to be forced to vote on billion-dollar items for 30 straight hours. It is not healthy for anyone, and there are members of the House with health conditions, issues that quite predictably make their families, friends and constituents anxious because they should not be here voting for 30 consecutive hours, forced by the Leader of the Opposition and an obstructive, toxic force across the way.

That is not okay. Someone could be seriously harmed by that. I used to be the chief government whip, and the welfare of the members was very important to me, as it is to our current chief government whip and, I am sure, to all whips. The fact is that we cannot make sure the resources such as the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands was calling for, or any of the other supports that are required, are here so we can be certain all members are safe. We need members to be safe. No one sends us here to be unsafe and to enjoy unsafe working conditions. Those are unsafe working conditions. Who knew they were unsafe?

The Leader of the Opposition did. He did six votes from his seat and 124 of them from a M