OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD)

House of Commons Debates Volume 151 No. 277 1st SESSION 44th PARLIAMENT Wednesday, February 7, 2024 Speaker: The Honourable Greg Fergus HOUSE OF COMMONS CANADA (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) COMMONS DEBATES February 7, 2024 DEBATES No. 277 No. 277 N o 277 Volume 151 277 07 02 2024 2024/02/07 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) [ Translation ]

The Speaker :

It being Wednesday, we will now have the singing of the national anthem led by the hon. member for Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation . [ Members sang the national anthem ]

STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS Statements by Members

[ English ] Black History Month

Mr. Shafqat Ali (Brampton Centre, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, February is Black History Month. This month, we celebrate the contributions that Black Canadians have made to our society. This year, let us recognize the contributions and achievements of the hon. Jean Augustine. She was the first Black woman MP and cabinet minister. Her motion to recognize February as Black History Month was adopted by the House in 1995. She was a Liberal MP from 1993 to 2006 and served as the parliamentary secretary to the then prime minister, as well as to the minister of state for multiculturalism and the status of women.

She is a role model and an inspiration to many Canadians, including me. I want to thank the hon. Jean Augustine for making a real difference in our country. Happy Black History Month everyone.

Medical Assistance in Dying

Mrs. Cathay Wagantall (Yorkton—Melville, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, Canadians breathed a collective sigh of relief last week when the special committee on assisted death recommended a pause to the government's reckless and radical death-on-demand agenda. Mental illness should never have been considered as an acceptable reason for MAID. Conservatives have been warning the government for years that extending assisted suicide to those with mental illnesses would lead to the deaths of those who could have recovered.

Liberals ignored us, but even worse, they ignored the advice of mental health experts and advocates that it would further stigmatize mental illnesses and place euthanasia ahead of other solutions to these illnesses. It bears repeating that assisted death is not medicine. It is not the personalized treatment that vulnerable people need and deserve. While medical science continues to make leaps and bounds, our lawmakers have made decisions that increasingly devalue life. The government must fully abandon its plan to one day permit death-on-demand for mental illness.

Those who are struggling deserve treatment and support, not encouragement to end their life.

Co-op Students

Mrs. Marie-France Lalonde (Orléans, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, last week, I had the pleasure of welcoming Marcos Farid Somarriba-Castillo, a student from Cairine Wilson Secondary School, along with his parents. It was a particularly significant occasion for him as it marked his very first time at question period and in the House of Commons. As a parliamentarian, I take great joy in being able to help students like Marcos who choose the co-op program, which provides them with work experience through a co-op placement in my constituency office.

I want to express my gratitude to co-operative education teachers, like Julia Banks from Cairine Wilson, who has gone above and beyond to ensure that students can immerse themselves in a positive work environment. Marcos's visit serves as a reminder that our commitment to education and mentorship can have a profound impact on shaping the leaders of today and tomorrow.

[ Translation ] Quebec Winter Carnival

Mrs. Julie Vignola (Beauport—Limoilou, BQ) :

Mr. Speaker, there is only one weekend left to attend the world's greatest and most popular winter carnival, the Quebec Winter Carnival. Visitors will be just in time to watch the parade in upper town this Saturday. Come one, come all, for some dancing and some fun. Come one, come all, to marvel at everything made of ice, such as cups, sculptures, and even Bonhomme's Ice Palace. Come one, come all, to enjoy the warm, friendly welcome that the 1,500 volunteers, Quebec City residents and shopkeepers are so well known for.

Quebec City is like no other city in North America, and its carnival is unlike any other in the world. Come one, come all, and join in the 70th Quebec Winter Carnival. Enjoy the carnival.

[ English ] Black History Month

Mr. Brendan Hanley (Yukon, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, Lucille Hunter was a prospector, business owner, nanny, cook, and the first female honorary member of the Yukon Order of Pioneers for her decades of devotion to mining. She and her husband, Charles, came to the Yukon over the perilous Stikine trail in 1897, one of only a few Black families to make the trek north for gold. Lucille regularly walked over 100 miles from Dawson City to Mayo to manage her mining claims.

Helping bring such stories to light is a small organization in my riding called Hidden Histories Society Yukon, documenting the invaluable contributions of the Black community to our territory from the gold rush to today. Meanwhile, we are gearing up for the 11th annual Yukon African Music Festival, organized by Yukoner Leonard Boniface, who is also hosting the Yukon International Conference on Diversity and Inclusion. Black History Month recognizes the outstanding contributions of Black Canadians around the country, including Canada's north.

I encourage Yukoners and all Canadians to learn and get involved in the many community events for Black History Month this February and beyond.

(1410) Bill Gairdner

Mr. Tom Kmiec (Calgary Shepard, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, athlete, author, thinker, businessman, husband and grandfather are a few of the ways to describe Bill Gairdner, who passed away at age 83 last month. He won a silver at the decathlon in the 1963 Pan American Games. He competed in 1964 at the Tokyo Olympics, in 1966 at the Commonwealth Games in Jamaica and in 1970 at the Edinburgh Commonwealth Games. He married his beloved wife, Jean, in 1979, and they were blessed with five children and 16 grandchildren. Bill was also a fearless conservative writer, with bestsellers including The Trouble with Canada and The War Against the Family .

He co-founded Civitas in 1996, a key debate forum for conservative thinkers. I want to offer my sincerest condolences to Jean and the Gairdner family, and to Bill's friends and business colleagues. I join them in their grief and sorrow. I did not know Bill personally, but I knew his ideas; I read them. Many Conservatives did, so on behalf of a grateful Conservative movement, I thank Bill for the cherished ideas he gave us. May he rest in peace.

Government Priorities

Ms. Joanne Thompson (St. John's East, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, the facts are clear: We are there for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Ten-dollar-a-day child care saves families an average of $6,300 per child a year. Forty thousand Newfoundlanders and Labradorians received the enhanced Canada workers benefit, and over 47,000 parents received an average of over $6,000 from the Canada child benefit. More than 5,000 kids have accessed the Canada dental benefit, and 4,300 homes are saving on energy bills from the greener homes grant. One hundred and sixty thousand received the grocery rebate and the doubling of the GST credit.

There were over a billion dollars in federal transfers, including almost $700 million for health care. Let us not forget the pollution price rebate cheques for 295,000 individuals or families every four months. Our plan is having a positive impact on Newfoundland and Labrador, so I challenge the opposition to be honest and tell the people of the province what it will cut.

Black History Month

Ms. Pam Damoff (Oakville North—Burlington, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, each February we celebrate Black History Month, when we honour and recognize the amazing hard work, dedication and challenges of Black Canadians throughout history and beyond. We also celebrate the amazing work of community organizations that provide continued support and guidance to the Black community. The Canadian Caribbean Association of Halton is one of these community organizations; its continued presence and leadership in ensuring that Black history and culture are recognized, shared and celebrated does not go unnoticed.

I am excited that this February 26, with Sheridan College, the association will hold the public premiere screening of the film Finding Freedom on the Sixteen at Film.Ca Cinemas in Oakville. Most people are unaware of Oakville's ties to the Underground Railroad, and this film tells the amazing story of former enslaved African Americans from Maryland and Louisiana who fled in search of freedom to the small town of Oakville.

Housing

Mr. Scott Aitchison (Parry Sound—Muskoka, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, after years of the Prime Minister , life has never been so expensive. Rent has doubled and mortgages have doubled. New home construction was down again last year, and the housing bureaucrats of the government predict that it is going to be down again in 2024. The Liberal-NDP cost of living crisis is forcing Canadians to choose every month between paying their rent, putting food on the table and heating their homes. Of course, the Prime Minister is performing in his favourite of plays. He criss-crosses the country, taking pictures, spending even more money and delivering worse results.

The out-of-touch Prime Minister is paying city gatekeepers all across Canada for a picture and a promise that Liberals will do better. An entire generation of Canadians who are locked out of home ownership are living the pain every day of the government's endless empty promises. A Conservative government will ignite action in cities by tying federal funding to housing results, not promises. Only a Conservative government will bring it home.

Storm in Cape Breton

Mr. Jaime Battiste (Sydney—Victoria, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the extreme weather emergency in Sydney—Victoria following the unprecedented snowfall of more than 150 centimetres this past weekend. Once again Cape Bretoners are faced with the impacts of climate change and must persevere. I would like to thank the first responders, volunteers, employees at public works and all those who have stepped up to help, including the local Coast Guard College. Their efforts are appreciated, and I ask that everyone continue to lend a hand to their neighbours while helping each other get through this difficult time.

Please know that the federal government is providing support, both financial and human resources, to help with the challenging cleanup efforts. As Liberals, we will always act in situations of emergency. We are here to support people today, and we will be there tomorrow too. Cape Bretoners are known for their kindness, compassion and willingness to help each other; because of that, we will get through this together.

(1415) Carbon Tax

Mr. Jeremy Patzer (Cypress Hills—Grasslands, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal-NDP government, the Prime Minister is not worth the cost. The Liberals have known for a while now that their carbon tax is a scam, but they refuse to give it up. Their latest idea is to rename it, telling Canadians that it is a good thing that they raise the tax again on April 1. The Liberals keep ignoring what Canadians have been telling them for years, and they are still offside with their coalition partners in the NDP, who voted with Conservatives to at least give our farmers some relief from the carbon tax cash grab.

Instead of reducing costs for the farmers and for the people buying their food by passing Bill C-234 , the government would rather work to prevent this tax relief from happening. There is no reason to think the Liberals are interested in fixing what they have broken. If they get their way, their carbon tax will be higher and higher year after year, even though the minister admitted he is not measuring whether it is reducing emissions. Conservatives stand ready to stop this nonsense. Canadians can count on us to axe the tax and to bring the much needed relief they deserve.

Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada

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

Mr. Speaker, the former Speaker of the House of Commons was forced to resign after a scandal that saw an SS soldier recognized in this place last September during President Zelenskyy’s visit. I want to read a few quotes about the former Speaker during the period that led to his resignation. “I can’t see, based on the conversations I have had, how he can continue to have the support of Liberal members of Parliament,” said the Liberal House leader in calling for the Speaker to resign. “What happened on Friday is completely unacceptable.

It was an embarrassment to the House and Canadians,” said the foreign minister . Last week, after months of denial, written evidence in an email came to light that the Prime Minister did in fact invite the same SS soldier to a government reception in Toronto, so where is the same condemnation for the Prime Minister from those cabinet ministers and Liberal MPs who threw the former Speaker under the bus? The Prime Minister and his office are guilty of the exact same sin as the former Speaker, and because he is, he deserves the same punishment for embarrassing our nation once again.

Like the Speaker before him, the Prime Minister needs to resign.

[ Translation ] Les Complices alimentaires

Mrs. Brenda Shanahan (Châteauguay—Lacolle, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, we have been hearing a lot about food prices and food waste. In the riding of Châteauguay—Lacolle, Les Complices alimentaires is offering an innovative way to tackle those issues. Based in the RCM of Jardins-de-Napierville, the organization takes less-than-perfect fruits and vegetables from local vegetable growers, then processes and freezes them. Thanks to solidarity pricing, the organization can distribute them at reduced prices via a network of retail locations throughout the region.

Les Complices alimentaires has just received financial assistance from the Public Health Agency of Canada through the healthy Canadians and communities fund. The organization will use this funding to develop its model so that it can be implemented elsewhere in Canada. This is how we support our communities to make them even more resilient and united.

[ English ] Human Rights

Ms. Heather McPherson (Edmonton Strathcona, NDP) :

Mr. Speaker, more than 660 million women and girls are living in conflict zones, which is a 50% increase in the last six years. In Ukraine, two-thirds of those who are internally displaced are women. In Sudan, women make up 69% of those displaced, and 90% of the people crossing into Chad are women and girls. In Afghanistan, a United Nations expert said that 20 years of progress for women's and girls' rights have been erased since the Taliban took over, and in Palestine, 70% of the victims in Gaza are women and children. Heartbreakingly, two mothers are being killed per hour in Gaza right now.

Canadian organizations can alleviate this suffering and promote human rights, yet every year, Canada's investment is a fraction of what we have promised. For budget 2024, the government must listen to experts, to those 100 organizations that wrote to it, and do what is best to stand up for those around the world who need our support.

(1420) [ Translation ] French Language

Mr. Mario Beaulieu (La Pointe-de-l'Île, BQ) :

Mr. Speaker, after the English-only Grey Cup controversy, and the hockey game in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where Punjabi was used in place of French, Louis Riel must have turned over in his grave. This Saturday, francophones had to endure more disrespect, this time at the NHL all-star game in Toronto, where the national anthem was performed in English only. Need we remind people that Canada is supposed to have two official languages and that its national anthem was originally written in French? Only a tiny little bit of the original French version still gets heard.

That shows contempt for francophones and contempt for Quebeckers. More and more, Canada is erasing French from its history and emblems. Quebeckers feel a growing sense of exclusion from Canada. The time has come for Quebeckers to make the necessary decisions.

Public Safety

Mr. Pierre Paul-Hus (Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, after eight years under this Prime Minister , the number of auto thefts in Canada has skyrocketed, and this can be directly attributed to the Liberals' soft-on-crime policies. While the Prime Minister prefers to hold summits and have discussions, for the past three days, the Leader of the Opposition has been proposing common-sense solutions to combat this scourge. First, we will amend the Criminal Code to keep car thieves behind bars. We will not release them into the community like the Liberals do.

We are going to get to the heart of the problem and create a specific aggravating factor when the offence is committed for the benefit of organized crime. We will provide the CBSA with the equipment and personnel it needs to do its job properly, by significantly increasing the number of border officers to scan containers. We will even do this without dipping further into taxpayers' pockets. We invite all parties and all members to join us in our efforts to combat crime.

[ English ] Lunar New Year

Mr. Wilson Miao (Richmond Centre, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, as we embark on the lunar new year, Asian communities in Richmond Centre and across Canada are ready to join the world to celebrate the spring festival and to welcome the Year of the Dragon. This is the time when we gather with friends, families and loved ones to celebrate this festive season with the rich tradition of the lunar calendar. The lunar new year is an opportunity to celebrate the traditions that enrich Canada's diverse social fabric. Let us take a moment to acknowledge and recognize the contributions of Asian Canadians to Canada.

As we celebrate the Year of the Dragon, I would like to wish everyone a successful, prosperous and healthy year ahead. To our communities in Richmond Centre and across Canada, happy lunar year. Bonne année lunaire . Chúc mung năm moi . Saehae bok mani badeuseyo . Gong xi fa cai . Xin nian kuai le .

Oral Questions Oral Questions

[ Translation ] Housing

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

Mr. Speaker, after eight years, this Prime Minister is not worth the cost of housing, which has doubled since he promised to make it more affordable. In fact, we have now learned that, according to Rentals.ca, rent has increased by more than 20% in two years across the country. In other words, it costs nearly $400 more. Will the Prime Minister cancel his policies that caused the crisis, stop funding the bureaucrats who are preventing construction and eliminate the deficits to lower interest rates?

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

Mr. Speaker, it was the Conservative member for Dufferin—Caledon who described our ambitious approach to housing best when he said that our Minister of Housing seems to come out every day with a new program, a new announcement or a new cheque for Canadians. He is right. We have worked hard week after week to conclude new agreements under the housing accelerator fund and to provide new tools to accelerate the construction of affordable housing. While the Conservative leader insults the municipalities, we remain focused on our goal to accelerate housing construction.

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

Mr. Speaker, there are announcements, programs and cheques, but no housing. That is the only thing missing. People cannot live in the programs and announcements of this Prime Minister, who is not worth the cost. Housing starts are in free fall, down 28% in December relative to the previous December. Will the Prime Minister put an end to programs that are driving up interest rates and creating bloated bureaucracies so that we can build housing?

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

Mr. Speaker, the only thing the Conservative leader is offering is insults and more insults aimed at elected officials from Quebec. He described the home of a family in Niagara as a shack. He is using the homeless as accessories for political photo ops. The reality is that a responsible leader will take action to invest in communities and housing. That is what we are doing by eliminating the GST on the construction of new apartments and by making funding announcements, including $900 million for Quebec to invest in housing. We are here to invest and build. He is here to hurl insults.

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

Mr. Speaker, there are hundreds of millions of dollars for bureaucracy. We do not need bureaucracy, which has grown by 50% since this Prime Minister took office. We need housing. According to his housing agency, there will be a shortage of 3.5 million homes. However, this week, the CBC said that there will be a shortage of five million homes, since we expect massive population growth and a drop in construction. Where are those five million families going to live?

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

Mr. Speaker, he talks about bureaucracy, but, on the contrary, we are investing in municipalities to reduce red tape and speed up housing construction. We have made about 30 housing accelerator announcements across the country to build more housing faster, providing for greater density, better zoning, faster approval to use vacant land and more affordable homes. We are there to make real investments, while he would rather insult people.

[ English ]

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

Mr. Speaker, those are the same promises he made eight years ago before he doubled housing costs. He is not worth the cost of housing, which is up 100%. In the last two years alone, according to Rentals.ca, rent is up 20% or $400 for the average family. Now we learn that construction is in free-fall, down 28% last December versus the December before. Will he stop funding bureaucracy and driving up interest rates, so we can bring homes Canadians can afford?

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

Mr. Speaker, our housing ambition can be best summed up by the Conservative member for Dufferin—Caledon who said that it seems that every day our Minister of Housing has a new program, a new announcement or a new cheque for Canadians. That is exactly right. We continue to work hand in hand with Canadians and with municipalities across the country, municipalities he would rather insult, to get more homes built faster. The investments we are making, including things like taking the GST off purpose-built rental housing, which the Conservatives voted against, will continue to create more homes for Canadians right across the country.

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

Mr. Speaker, people cannot live in announcements and programs; they need homes that have walls, floors and ceilings. The Prime Minister doing another selfie in front of a construction site will not do that. In fact, construction was down 28% in December. After eight years of the Prime Minister 's promises and spending, will he accept our common-sense plan to build homes and not bureaucracy?

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

Mr. Speaker, just last week I was in Kitchener–Waterloo making an announcement for the housing accelerator program for Waterloo. What the Leader of the Opposition seems to have missed is that we were standing in a freshly completed building for seniors. In fact, $33 million of funding from the federal government a few years ago allowed that building to be built today. We are building things today that people are moving into in the coming weeks. We are announcing how we are building things for tomorrow, while he just chooses to insult Canadians, insult mayors and insult our intelligence.

(1430) [ Translation ] Justice

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

Mr. Speaker, the government wants a three-year extension on its deadline to comply with a ruling on medical assistance in dying for mental illness. Imagine what will happen if the Conservatives form government. That is not what we want, but the alternative is not much better. Just imagine what will happen if the Conservatives come to power: They would delay MAID forever and a day. They would never act on it. Does the Prime Minister realize that he is acting as though he is afraid of the religious right?

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

Mr. Speaker, we could not agree more that a Conservative government would pose a threat to fundamental rights and freedoms. At the same time, when it comes to medical assistance in dying, we understand how difficult and personal a choice this is. We have a duty to protect the most vulnerable while respecting fundamental rights and freedoms. That is why, with regard to advance requests for people with mental health issues and for minors, we have been holding and will continue to hold in-depth discussions and consultations before going any further.

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

Mr. Speaker, indeed, there is a solution to consider. With the support of the Quebec National Assembly, Quebec has proposed that the Liberal government's legislation include a conditional provision allowing Quebec or any other interested province to authorize advance requests for medical assistance in dying. If that happens, the three-year extension would then be acceptable because Quebec could proceed according to the values of Quebeckers. Is the Prime Minister willing to agree to Quebec's proposal?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I pointed out, the issue of advance requests was raised a number of years ago and has been identified as one of the important but difficult discussions we need to have as a society. Could someone make an advance request to receive medical assistance in dying if their condition reaches a certain point, even if they are unable to consent to it? This is a difficult and important issue. I welcome Quebec's debates on the issue. We are going to pursue our discussions on that.

[ English ] Grocery Industry

Mr. Jagmeet Singh (Burnaby South, NDP) :

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister could learn a lot from the young women I met earlier today, who are struggling to put food on the table. They are living a struggle that he has never had to face. They are getting ripped off by corporate grocery stores, and the Prime Minister has let it happen for over two years. Will the Prime Minister get serious now about taking on corporate greed by supporting my bill to reduce the price of groceries?

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

Mr. Speaker, right now, with the fall economic statement, we are proposing significant measures to increase competition in the grocery sector. Many of them are ideas that we are in alignment with the leader of the NDP on. We believe in moving forward with greater competition in the grocery sector. That is something the NDP and the Liberals agree on. It is not something Conservatives agree on; their chief strategist is actually on the Loblaws' payroll. They choose to promote disinformation and misinformation while defending big grocers. On this side of the House, we will stand up for Canadians.

Mr. Jagmeet Singh (Burnaby South, NDP) :

Mr. Speaker, both the Liberals and the Conservatives have a history of letting rich CEOs off the hook. We can change that today. [ Translation ] The Prime Minister could learn a lot from the young women I met earlier today who are struggling to make ends meet. They are living a life he has never had to face. While they are being gouged by the major grocery chains, the Prime Minister is siding with the CEOs. Will the Prime Minister vote in favour of my bill to bring down grocery prices?

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

Mr. Speaker, I welcome the NDP's efforts to increase competition in the grocery sector, because we really believe in that. We have included measures in our legislation that correspond to the measures proposed by the NDP. We absolutely believe in increasing competition in the grocery sector. That is something the NDP and the Liberals agree on. The Conservatives would rather listen to their lobbyist buddy who works for Loblaw and defend the interests of major grocery retailers, instead of fighting on behalf of Canadians to bring down grocery prices.

(1435) Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of this Prime Minister, he is not worth the crime caused by his automatic catch-and-release policies for car thieves and his mismanagement of the ports. Mark Roos had his Dodge Ram stolen. According to the AirTag he put in his truck, it was at the port of Montreal. He knows it is there. However, according to port security, they cannot go find the truck because there are not enough scanners. Will the Prime Minister agree to my common-sense plan and buy 24 scanners to find the Dodge Ram?

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

Mr. Speaker, organized crime is responsible for the rise in auto theft across the country. The Conservative Party's attacks on Bill C-5 and Bill C-75 are simply not the solution or the way to solve this problem. We will continue to invest in the fight against auto theft with, for example, $121 million for the Government of Ontario. We will continue to work with the CBSA to increase its staff. We are there to do our part.

[ English ]

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

Mr. Speaker, the question was about scanners at ports. After eight years, the port authorities are only scanning or inspecting 1% of shipping containers leaving our ports. That led to the case where Mark Roos had his 2021 Dodge Ram stolen. Luckily, he had an Apple AirTag, so he could follow its transit to the port of Montreal, where he knows it to be. He called the cops and the port authority, both of which said that they do not know which box it is in, so they cannot find it. Why will the Prime Minister not accept my common-sense plan to buy 24 scanners so we can scan the boxes, find the Dodge Ram and give it back to Mark?

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

Mr. Speaker, this would perhaps be a little more credible from the Conservative Party if it had not cut 1,000 CBSA officers when it was last in government. Conservatives proposed to cut 400 more, if they had the 2015 election. The reality is that we restored every single border officer they cut and added 800 more. We are continuing to do the necessary work. We recovered 1,800 stolen vehicles last year. We will continue to do—

Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

The Speaker :

I ask members to please keep their comments to themselves until they have the floor to ask or answer questions. The right hon. Prime Minister.

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau :

Mr. Speaker, while Conservatives cut frontline border services officers, along with cuts to the RCMP and cuts to police forces across the country, we invested in them. We are going to continue to do that, with $121 million for Ontario and more investments for port and border security. We are going to continue to step up and keep Canadians safe.

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

Mr. Speaker, we know the Prime Minister 's strength is not math, but the facts are that, when we took office, there were about 12,000 people working as CBSA officials. When we left office, there were over 14,000. To help the Prime Minister with the numbers, 14,000 is more than 12,000. It is true that we cut back office bureaucracy and high-priced consultants, which he has let balloon. That is why, after eight years, he has increased auto theft by 32%. Will the Prime Minister accept our common-sense plan to cut high-priced consultants and hire more frontline inspectors?

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

Mr. Speaker, I cannot help but smile when the Leader of the Opposition talks about high-priced consultants, because his campaign is being run by a high-priced consultant for Loblaws. When he stands in this place and across the country, wrenching his heartstrings about the prices that Canadians are paying for groceries, his top adviser is in the pocket of Loblaws, giving him the same talking points as she gave Galen Weston when he appeared at a parliamentary committee. If Canadians are going to believe the Leader of the Opposition, he needs to come clean with who is funding his organizations.

(1440) Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, he is sure getting desperate if he has to blame Conservative campaign workers for the fact that he raised food prices, especially when the Prime Minister 's new marketing director, Max Valiquette, did marketing for Loblaws for four years. Don Guy, the Prime Minister's chief pollster, works for GT&CO, which collects cheques from Loblaws. Dan Arnold, his other pollster, also get cheques from Loblaws. Are they the ones who forced him to quadruple the carbon tax on our food?

Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

The Speaker :

Order. I know it is Wednesday and members are very keen to hear the answer to this question, so I will ask them to restrain themselves while the right hon. Prime Minister answers. The right hon. Prime Minister.

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

Mr. Speaker, we can tell it is Wednesday because, this morning, the members of the Conservative caucus got to hear directly from Jenni Byrne, who sits in their caucus with them, giving them advice. That is exactly where they are coming from, when she is actively on the Loblaws payroll while at the same time feeding lines to the Leader of the Opposition about food prices and concocting a theory around carbon pricing and grocery prices that, as the member for Regina—Lewvan pointed out yesterday, has no basis in fact. We see the kind of torque he chooses to pull.

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

Mr. Speaker, he makes it too easy. He talks about caucus meetings and Loblaws. Get this, Mr. Speaker: The Prime Minister had someone who is his director of caucus services, named Julie DeWolfe, who is now a lobbyist for Loblaws. Not only that, but he digs up a lot of dirt. His chief dirt digger, Kevin Bosch, left his office so that he could go and work as a lobbyist for Loblaws. Would the Prime Minister like us to continue going down the list of all his Loblaws lobbyists?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is quite something to watch the flailing of the Conservatives right now as they do anything to try to distract from the fact that their campaign manager, the Leader of the Opposition 's top adviser, still gets contributions and paycheques from Loblaws. This is an issue, when he has stood up and pretended to care about food prices. When we have heard the exact same talking points come out of Galen Weston's mouth as out of the Leader of the Opposition's mouth on some invented connection between the price on pollution and grocery prices, we know exactly who is behind the Conservative Party.

[ Translation ] Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

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

Mr. Speaker, former minister Lametti and other members of the Liberal Party openly considered the idea of opening up the Canadian Constitution. As it happens, Quebec is considering—warning, I am about to use a dirty word—a referendum. Yes, it is considering having a referendum on repatriating all powers in the area of immigration. Why does the Prime Minister not talk to the Quebec government and give it all the powers so that we can finally have an immigration policy by Quebec, for Quebec?

(1445) Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, every country is in charge of its responsibilities in immigration. Canada is responsible for border management and immigration in Canada. Recognizing Quebec's unique status and the need to defend the French language and Quebec culture, Canada has long given Quebec specific powers that no other province has for the defence of Quebec. We will continue to work with Quebec on immigration.

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

Mr. Speaker, we agree, Quebec should be a country and should have all the power. We will get there. In the meantime, the Prime Minister and his minister are saying that they are working hand in hand with Quebec. The Minister of Immigration says that he is working hand in hand with Quebec. However, Quebec's immigration minister wants to hold a referendum to repatriate all immigration powers. Does the Prime Minister realize that this is a repudiation of the Liberals' immigration policy, a repudiation of their failure in immigration, and a repudiation of his immigration minister?

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

Mr. Speaker, we keep seeing how desperate the Bloc Québécois always is to pit Quebec and Canada against each other and look for excuses to hold a referendum. The reality is that, yes, we are working hand in hand with the Government of Quebec, and Ottawa and Quebec have been doing that for decades to ensure that the immigration numbers are appropriate for Quebec. We will continue to work respectfully, without fighting, despite what the Bloc Québécois wants.

[ English ] Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is still not worth the crime. He unleashed the car theft crisis by bringing in house arrest and bail, not jail, for repeat career car thieves and by allowing our ports to become sieves where our cars are stolen from, so much so that we are now becoming world-famous for the Prime Minister's failures. Ghana's Economic and Organised Crime Office says, “We are...in possession of the stolen vehicles. The victims...it's all in Canada,” and, “No Canadian agency has approached us directly or made a formal complaint”. Will the Prime Minister take the money from the back-office bureaucrats and consultants and put it into frontline law enforcement to protect our cars?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition likes to make base political accusations. He likes to talk about Bill C-5 and Bill C-75 as the reason there is auto theft in this country. The reality is that Bill C-5 is the bill that keeps mandatory minimum penalties for car theft on the books, and Bill C-75 is the bill that raises the maximum penalty on car theft. We have continued to step up in terms of keeping Canadians safe. We will continue to invest in the CBSA and in the resources necessary to counter these challenges. We will keep working based on facts and evidence.

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

Mr. Speaker, here are the actual facts: Bill C-5 keeps mandatory prison sentences. They were already in place, put there by the previous Conservative government; they were not created by Bill C-5 . What Bill C-5 did was bring in house arrest for career car thieves, so they could watch Netflix or perhaps play Grand Theft Auto in their living room and then go out onto the street and steal another car whenever they want. Will the Prime Minister follow my common-sense plan to end house arrest for career car thieves?

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

Mr. Speaker, in the Leader of the Opposition 's simplistic world view, someone sitting on their couch at home playing video games goes out and steals an Escalade. That is not what happens. Organized crime is directly involved in the massive spike in auto thefts in this country. That is why we are stepping up on investment in anti-organized crime; investments against money laundering, which that party voted against; and investment in more powers and more resources for Ontario to counter auto theft, as well as more resources for the CBSA that the Conservatives cut when they were last in office. We will continue to be there.

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

Mr. Speaker, actually, people do steal cars when they are on house arrest, because all they have to do is open the door, walk out and steal the car. Then there is his bail policy, which allowed the same 40 offenders to be arrested 6,000 times in Vancouver in a year, many of them car thieves. Will the Prime Minister accept my common-sense plan to get rid of house arrest and bring in jail, not bail, for career car thieves, yes or no?

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

Mr. Speaker, in all the questions the Leader of the Opposition asked about car theft, he has not once mentioned organized crime, which is the cause of car theft in this country right now. Perhaps he is not mentioning it because, when we brought forward measures to counter organized crime and money laundering, the Conservative Party voted against them. We moved forward with more resources for Ontario, $121 million, to counter organized crime and car theft, and the Conservative Party voted against. We will continue to anchor ourselves in facts and data and deliver on keeping Canadians safe.

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

Mr. Speaker, he wants facts, so here is another fact. Extortions are up 218% since he took office. Why? It is because he got rid of mandatory jail time for extortion with a weapon, so now he allows extortionists to go around with guns, harassing small business owners in Brampton, Surrey, Calgary and Edmonton, where horror stories are unfolding. Will the Prime Minister agree to our common-sense plan to reverse catch-and-release, so that Canadians are safe from extortion?

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

Mr. Speaker, first of all, the situation faced by far too many people across this country around extortion from organized crime is unacceptable, and that is why we are taking action directly with the RCMP and local police forces to counter it. However, once again we see Conservatives falling into the same far-right American trap in their approach on crime that does not work, that does not keep Canadians safe. It sounds good in sound bites and attacks but does not actually deliver safer communities. It is like their opposition to gun control and their desire to put assault-style weapons back on the streets. They do not keep Canadians safe. The work we do does.

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

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about the cold, hard facts. There were two-thirds fewer cases of extortion in the last year of the common-sense Conservative government than there are today. In the 10 years we were in office, the number of car thefts fell by half, and that was because we targeted the worst offenders and kept them in prison, secured our ports and stopped organized crime. The Prime Minister has only multiplied crime with his catch-and-release policies. Will he follow the evidence and reinstate a common-sense criminal justice—

An hon. members: Oh, oh!

The Speaker :

I hate to interrupt the hon. member, and I do not know if it was picked up on the mikes, but I did pick up some language that was unparliamentary. I would ask all members to please watch themselves. The right hon. Prime Minister.

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

Mr. Speaker, what we heard from the Leader of the Opposition is that under the previous Conservative government, everything was perfect, and what he is proposing is to make Canada great again. That is not what Canadians want. He is pining for a nostalgia that, quite frankly, Canadians do not feel. They remember what he did as Stephen Harper's failed housing minister. They remember the rights of indigenous people violated, the ignoring of environmental responsibilities and the lack of an environmental and economic plan for the future. We are going to continue—

The Speaker :

The hon. member for Port Moody—Coquitlam.

Persons with Disabilities

Ms. Bonita Zarrillo (Port Moody—Coquitlam, NDP) :

Mr. Speaker, Canadians with disabilities are being treated unfairly by big airlines, and the Liberal solution is another gentlemen's meeting with a CEO who cares only about his own bottom line. This is a slap in the face to passengers who have had their human rights violated, having to drag themselves off a plane. Like with the greedy grocery CEOs, the Liberals are just letting Air Canada get away with it. Will the Prime Minister get serious about holding these CEOs to account to protect Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, we will continue to be there to protect vulnerable Canadians. We will continue to make sure that areas of federal jurisdiction like airlines continue to meet all their responsibilities and obligations toward Canadians. This is something we take extraordinarily seriously, and we will continue to ensure that all airlines are respecting Canadians and their rights.

Indigenous Affairs

Ms. Lori Idlout (Nunavut, NDP) :

Uqaqtittiji , the Liberals are skirting their responsibility by underfunding the non-insured health benefits that provide dental care, eye care, mental health and medical travel for Nunavummiut. Their actions are forcing Nunavut to divert funds to this program instead of to their own health priorities. The Liberals need to step up. Their failure to live up to their responsibilities to Nunavut is unacceptable. Will the Prime Minister commit to his obligations to ensure that Nunavummiut have the health care they are owed?

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

Mr. Speaker, just a few weeks ago I was in Iqaluit to talk to the premier of Nunavut, P.J. Akeeagok, about how we can continue to be partners as we move forward and ensure that we strengthen opportunities for all Nunavummiut. This is what we are continuing to do. Whether it was celebrating the historic devolution agreement that we made possible or looking at further supports, including non-insured health benefits, we will continue to be there for the people of Nunavut. We will continue to be there for the people of the north.

Dental Care

Mr. Tim Louis (Kitchener—Conestoga, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, last week the government announced that eligible Canadian residents aged 72 and older can now apply for the Canadian dental care plan. Over 500,000 applicants have been approved for the Canadian dental care program, making dental care more affordable and accessible. This is great news for seniors in Kitchener—Conestoga and across Canada, as more and more seniors have access to affordable dental care. Can the Prime Minister please update us on the Canadian dental care plan, which will help seniors smile and be an important part of their overall health?

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

Mr. Speaker, I know the member for Kitchener—Conestoga is passionate about ensuring that seniors and kids get access to dental care. I am happy to announce that in the first few weeks, over 600,000 seniors have successfully signed up for the Canadian dental care plan. While the Conservative Party voted against funding dental care for those who need it most, we want to reassure Canadian seniors that on this side of the House we will always have their backs. We will fight for them, and we will make sure that the leader opposite never cuts essential supports to seniors.

Housing

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

Mr. Speaker, after eight years, the Prime Minister is not worth the cost of housing, which has doubled since he promised to lower it. Now, we have a brand new phenomenon: the middle-class homeless. In fact, according to the executive director of the Royal Canadian Legion of Nova Scotia, members of the Canadian Forces are now forced to live in tents and cars and to couch surf. There are 30 homeless encampments in Halifax after eight years of the Prime Minister. Why would the Prime Minister then plan to go ahead with a $450-a-year rent increase for our armed forces members, who are already forced to live in tents?

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

Mr. Speaker, military members and their families are a priority, and we are taking steps to ensure that they are supported. We are investing $445 million over the coming years to tackle the supply of military housing. When the Conservatives had an opportunity to support our military personnel, they chose not to. The Conservatives stood up in this House and voted against supporting our men and women in uniform just last December.

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

Mr. Speaker, that is an outrageous non-response to the men and women who put their lives on the line for this country. He rewards them with a tent, or a couch in someone else's basement to sleep on. After eight years of this Prime Minister , there has been a 177% increase in Bagotville and a 261% increase in the wait line for military housing. Now, he plans a $450 rent increase on the people who protect our country. Should he not be ashamed of himself?

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

Mr. Speaker, we will take no lessons from the Conservatives, who nickel-and-dimed our military service members and veterans through nine years of their time in office, and even dropped military funding to below 1% of GDP. We will continue to step up, including with $445 million for military housing in the coming years, as we continue to honour and support the women and men who serve our country with their lives.

(1500) Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, who honours them with a tent to live in? He honours them with a $450 increase in their rent. Before the Prime Minister , we did not have masses of military members living in tent cities. They could put a roof overhead. In fact, we did not have 30 tent cities in Halifax. We did not have two million people lined up at food banks in lines that are reminiscent of the Great Depression. We did not have young people forced to wait until age 40 to get a home. The good news is life was not like this before the Prime Minister and it will not be like this after he is gone.

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

Mr. Speaker, why does he not just say it straight out? He is planning to make Canada great again. The reality is that Canada is great. Canada is the best country in the world. Yes, there are challenges and that is why we are stepping up to invest. Whether it is with $445 million for military housing, dental care for vulnerable seniors and youth, cutting child care fees in half or continuing to step up for vulnerable youth, we are going to be there for Canadians, while he proposes cuts to services, cuts to programs and cuts to the supports that Canadians need.

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, that is what the Prime Minister has to say to the two million people lined up around street corners, clamouring for the food bank, after eight years: that things are just going great. To the people in Montreal who have seen their rent quadruple after his eight years, life is just great for them too. To the Torontonians who have to spend 25 years now saving up for a down payment on an average home, he says things are just great. How can he possibly fix the misery he caused if he cannot even realize it is right in front of his face?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition may not think that Canada is the best country in the world, but we do. The reality is that we recognize Canadians are struggling right now and that is why we continue to invest in supports for them. Whether it is cutting child care fees in half, investing in the kinds of jobs and careers we are going to need in the number one battery supply chain country in the world, drawing in significant investments right across the country, or moving forward into a brighter economic future, we recognize that Canadians need support now. He offers fear and cuts, while we offer support and a brighter future. That is what we are going to—

The Speaker :

The hon. member for Lac-Saint-Jean.

[ Translation ] Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Mr. Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Lac-Saint-Jean, BQ) :

Mr. Speaker, the federal government still owes Quebeckers $470 million for taking in asylum seekers, who are actually Ottawa's responsibility. The funding announced for housing future asylum seekers is good, but it will not cover the federal government's debt, which has been accumulating since 2021. Every time we raise the issue, the Minister of Immigration ratchets up the rhetoric and insults. Today, we are appealing to the Prime Minister because this is too important. I would invite Ottawa to take the high road. It is essential if we want to continue offering services to asylum seekers. Will the Prime Minister finally repay the debt he owes Quebeckers?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I have often said in the House, Quebeckers have shown tremendous generosity and commitment to the vulnerable people who come to Canada. We are grateful for that, and we are here to help and to invest in Quebec to make it possible to welcome these people. We recognize that this has created additional costs not only for the Quebec government, but also for social services and community organizations. That is why we are working with Quebec on an ongoing basis to make sure that we recognize its sacrifices and efforts, and to make sure that we thank and reward it for that.

Mr. Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Lac-Saint-Jean, BQ) :

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister must also ensure that there are not too many asylum seekers entering the country at the same place. Quebec has exceeded its intake capacity. There are 289,000 asylum seekers in Canada, and Quebec has shown that it has taken in 160,000, or 55% of the total number. Quebec's immigration minister even announced yesterday that she is considering holding a referendum on the repatriation of all immigration powers because she is so frustrated with the federal government's inaction. Does the Prime Minister understand that when people start talking about a referendum, it might be time for him to wake up?

(1505) Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, for many years, Quebec grappled with the challenge of Roxham Road. We worked with the Quebec and United States governments. We fixed that problem. Now there is a new issue at airports, but we will be there to help the Government of Quebec and Quebeckers deal with the situation. We will always work together. The Bloc Québécois is the only one looking to pick fights and hold referendums. We will always be there to work hand in hand and respectfully with the Government of Quebec.

[ English ] Carbon Pricing

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is not worth the cost of food after eight years of the NDP-Liberal carbon tax. It has caused food prices to rise 20% in the last two years alone. So much for the affordable food they promised when they signed their coalition with the NDP leader . So much so that the Kanata food bank is now forced to cut in half the number of potatoes it is giving out. They are too expensive and there is too much demand. Instead of just telling those people who are eating half as much in Kanata that things are great, why will he not follow our common-sense plan to axe the tax?

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

Mr. Speaker, as the member for Regina—Lewvan recognized yesterday, there is absolutely no data to support any link between our price on pollution and higher grocery prices. There simply is none. On this side of the House, we are a government anchored in evidence and data, and we will continue to be there to deliver things like the grocery rebate to Canadians to put more money back in Canadians' pockets, even as we put a price on pollution with the carbon price rebate. We will continue to defend Canadians' interests against the cuts proposed by that Conservative.

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

Mr. Speaker, he wants to know the link between the carbon tax and the food price. Well, I will help him out. Farmers use something called diesel. It goes in their tractors, combines and drying machines. It goes in their on-farm fuels that pay the carbon tax, and he wants to quadruple the tax. Then the truckers who pick up the food and transport it to the grocery store pay the carbon tax. Then the grocer pays the carbon tax to power the heat in that big Olympic stadium-sized chamber we call a grocery store. If he does not get the link, how is he ever going to fix the problem?

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

Mr. Speaker, the problem with the story the Leader of the Opposition just told is there is absolutely no data to support it. He is all about political attacks. He is all about inventing reasons to not take action on the fight against climate change, because his Conservative Party still does not understand that one cannot have a plan for Canadians' future or the future of the economy if one does not have a plan to fight climate change. Not only are we fighting climate change, we are putting more money back in the pockets of Canadians and building the economy of the future.

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

Mr. Speaker, speaking of no evidence, we actually filed an Order Paper question asking for proof that his carbon tax is reducing emissions, and it came back that there was no evidence. After eight years in government, after years of raising the tax, they have no proof it reduces emissions at all. However, we know it increases food prices, and this is why Canada's “food professor” said, “I am recommending a pause on the carbon tax for the entire food industry from farm gate to stores and restaurants.” If the Prime Minister does not have the common sense to axe the tax, will he listen to the “food professor” and cancel his plan to hike it?

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

Mr. Speaker, Canada is actually reducing its emissions faster than our G7 partners largely because we put a price on pollution. The Leader of the Opposition wants to make pollution free again. We do not think that is the right path for Canada. We know that investing in reduction of carbon emissions while putting more money back in Canadians' pockets, switching from home heating oil to heat pumps, moving forward in responsible ways as we are investing in supporting Canadians is the way to build a stronger future, but he proposes ideology, cuts and fear tactics.

[ Translation ] Automotive Industry

Mr. Fayçal El-Khoury (Laval—Les Îles, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, since 2015, the government has made the development of the battery sector a priority and we are seeing results, with hundreds of millions in investments in thousands of well-paying jobs that have been created. Can the Prime Minister inform the House of the progress on this file?

(1510) Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Laval—Les Îles for his important question and his hard work. While the Conservative leader does not even believe that climate change is real, we are taking the lead with historic investments in the electrification of our automotive sector and we are investing every day in homegrown talent and ingenuity and in Canadian workers. It is working. Canada is now the world leader in lithium-ion battery manufacturing. While the Conservative leader would cut these investments, we are proud to invest in Canada and in Canadians.

[ English ] Carbon Pricing

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

Mr. Speaker, it has been eight years since the costly Prime Minister took office, but it was two years ago that he signed a deal with the NDP leader that promised it would bring more affordable food. Since that time, the NDP-Liberals have helped raise food prices by 20%. Their favourite inflationary instrument is the carbon tax. Now they plan to quadruple the carbon tax on the farmers who produce the food, the truckers who ship the food and, therefore, all who buy the food. Canada's “food professor” is calling for a cap on the carbon tax. Will the Prime Minister cancel his 23% carbon tax hike for April 1?

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

Mr. Speaker, once again, we heard in a parliamentary committee yesterday absolutely no evidence and no data to support the Leader of the Opposition 's contention that the price on pollution impacts grocery prices. The reality is that our price on pollution returns four times a year more money to 82% of Canadians in the areas where it is in play than it costs them. That is how we can both fight against climate change and put more money into the pockets of Canadians. The Leader of the Opposition is proposing to take away those four-times-a-year rebate cheques from Canadians.

Housing

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

Mr. Speaker, the New Democrats also promised affordable housing when they sold out their constituents and signed on to a coalition with the leader of the Liberals . However, since that time the rent is up well over 20% as they fund more bureaucracy to block homes and deficits that drive up interest rates, so much so that Tim Chen, a student in Vancouver, actually needs to commute to university from Calgary. Yes, he has to fly back to Calgary where he can afford the rent under a Conservative government and then fly over to Vancouver in order to study. How crazy is it that he has to commute across—

The Speaker :

The right hon. Prime Minister.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition likes to talk about the challenges Canadians are facing, and while we are busy solving them, he is proposing nonsensical solutions. Let us talk about the Conservative leader 's housing plan. It would not build homes fast enough. It would not reach enough cities. It would create unnecessary bureaucracy. He would also rip up our housing accelerator agreements, which are unlocking half a million new homes, and would put the GST back on apartment construction. Housing experts like Mike Moffatt say his plan is exceptionally weak and a sign that the “Conservatives don't understand the...scale of the housing crisis.” We will take no lessons from—

The Speaker :

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

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

Mr. Speaker, the results speak for themselves. When I was the housing minister, rent was $950. It is now over $2,000. When I was the housing minister, the average mortgage payment on a newly purchased home was $1,400. It is now over $3,500. My common-sense plan would require cities to permit 15% more homebuilding as a condition of getting federal money. It would require that they build housing around transit stations rather than having empty fields there. It would require the sale of 6,000 federal buildings and thousands of acres of federal land to build. Why will the Prime Minister not build homes instead of building bureaucracy?

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

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that Canadians just cannot trust the Conservatives, their attacks and their talking points. Why? Because an active paid lobbyist is the one giving them all the advice on how to win their campaign. The reality is the big business and money behind the Conservatives is once again driving their agenda as they propose cuts to vulnerable Canadians, underinvestments in housing and no solutions to the very real challenges Canadians are facing. They are in the pockets of big business, as evidenced by Jenni Byrne's work for Loblaws.

(1515) International Trade

Mr. Ben Carr (Winnipeg South Centre, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, after months of debate in this House, albeit without the support of a single member of the Conservative Party, we voted to advance the new Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement. President Zelenskyy and the thousands of Canadian Ukrainians I represent in my riding of Winnipeg South Centre expect our government to be there for them, and we have been every step of the way. Can the Prime Minister tell Canadians why this deal is important for Ukraine and Canada? Will he reaffirm Canada's unwavering support for our ally as it fights to defend the interests of democracies around the world?

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

Mr. Speaker, the President of Ukraine asked us for a modernized Ukrainian free trade deal with Canada that would deal with investments, digital services and a range of things that are necessary for Ukraine's reconstruction and recovery from the war. The Conservative leader yesterday again shamelessly strong-armed his MPs who represent Ukrainian communities to betray them and play straight into Putin's hands. On this side, the members for Winnipeg South Centre , Etobicoke Centre , Kingston and the Islands , University—Rosedale , Winnipeg South , Markham—Thornhill , Scarborough Southwest , Ahuntsic-Cartierville and the entire Liberal caucus—

The Speaker :

The hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni.

Health

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians spend over a billion dollars out of their own pockets on mental health services every year. With the cost of everything only going up, Canadians are making a difficult choice. Do they put food on the table or get the therapy they need? The Liberals promised $4.5 billion in mental health funding, but they are still well over a billion dollars short, even with the bilateral agreements. Our communities need support. It cannot be left to Conservative premiers. Will the Prime Minister commit to delivering direct mental health funding to community-based mental health organizations in the upcoming budget?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am certain that the member for Courtenay—Alberni is not proposing that we work around the outstanding government of the Province of British Columbia. We are working hand in hand with provinces to deliver mental health services across the country with our historic health accords, worth $200 billion, which include significant transfers for mental health and accountability so Canadians can see real results. We are moving forward and stepping up on making sure that Canadians have proper access to mental health care.

We will do it through partnership with the provinces who want to and with clear data from the provinces that are resistant. We need to make sure we are delivering mental health right across the country.

Housing

Mr. Kevin Vuong (Spadina—Fort York, Ind.) :

Mr. Speaker, whistle-blower information from HSBC documents shows rampant mortgage fraud by people using fake high salaries from fake jobs in China to get mortgages and buy houses in Canada. How is it possible for a person with no income to buy four houses? These frauds fuel real estate bubbles and the information supports FINTRAC findings on Chinese money laundering in Canadian real estate. How can the Prime Minister make housing more available and affordable when fraudsters are buying up multiple homes? Why is the government ignoring the damage created by money laundering and mortgage fraud in Canada?

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

Mr. Speaker, just a few days ago, we reinforced and extended our foreign homebuyer ban to make sure that homes in Canada are used by Canadians to live in, not as investment vehicles for foreign entities or foreign owners. This is part of our broad plan, which invests in more housing, that increases supply and ensures that families are able to afford the future they want to build for their kids in their communities right across the country. We are stepping up on housing. We will continue to do so while the Conservatives have no plan.

Presence in Gallery

The Speaker :

I wish to draw to the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of Mr. Ville Tavio, Minister of Foreign Trade and Development for Finland.

Some hon. members : Hear, hear!

The Speaker :

In addition, in recognition of Black History Month, I also wish to draw the attention of members to the presence in the gallery of Zanana Akande, the first Black woman to serve as a cabinet minister in Canada.

Some hon. members : Hear, hear!

(1520) Mr. Kevin Lamoureux :

Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and, if you seek it, I believe, or at least I hope, you will find unanimous consent to adopt the following motion. I move that, notwithstanding any standing order or usual practice of the House, for today's sitting, the ordinary hour of daily adjournment shall be midnight, and after 6:30 p.m., no quorum calls, dilatory motions or requests for unanimous consent shall be received by the Chair, and when no member wishes to speak on the motion for the second reading stage of Bill C-62 ,

an act to amend the Criminal Code, medical assistance in dying, No. 2, or at midnight, whichever is earlier, the debate on the said motion shall be deemed adjourned, the House shall adjourn until the next sitting day, and the debate, pursuant to Standing Order 38, shall not take place.

The Speaker :

All those opposed to the hon. member's moving the motion will please say nay.

Some hon. members: Nay.

Mr. Frank Caputo :

Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the people of Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo. On a point of order, during question period, the Prime Minister said that people do not just leave house arrest and steal a vehicle. I would like to table—

Some hon. members: No.

The Speaker :

I have already heard the noes coming from members.

Routine Proceedings Routine Proceedings

[ Translation ] Committees of the House Finance Motion for concurrence

The House resumed from February 5 consideration of the motion.

The Speaker :

It being 3:21 p.m., the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion to concur in the 15th report of the Standing Committee on Finance concerning the extension of time to consider Bill C-323,

An Act to amend the Excise Tax Act (mental health services) . Call in the members.

(1530) [ English ]

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

(Division No. 628)

YEAS Members Aldag Ali Anand Anandasangaree Angus Arseneault Arya Ashton Atwin Bachrach Badawey Bains Baker Barron Barsalou-Duval Battiste Beaulieu Beech Bérubé Bibeau Bittle Blaikie Blair Blanchet Blanchette-Joncas Blaney Blois Boissonnault Boulerice Bradford Brière Brunelle-Duceppe Cannings Carr Casey Chabot Chagger Chahal Champagne Champoux Chatel Chen Chiang Collins (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek) Collins (Victoria) Cormier Coteau Dabrusin Damoff Davies DeBellefeuille Desbiens Desilets Desjarlais Dhaliwal Dhillon Diab Drouin Dubourg Duclos Duguid Dzerowicz Ehsassi El-Khoury Erskine-Smith Fillmore Fisher Fonseca Fortier Fortin Fragiskatos Fraser Freeland Fry Gaheer Gainey Garon Garrison Gaudreau Gazan Gerretsen Gill Gould Green Guilbeault 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 Larouche Lattanzio Lauzon LeBlanc Lebouthillier Lemire Lightbound Long Longfield Louis (Kitchener—Conestoga) MacAulay (Cardigan) MacDonald (Malpeque) MacGregor MacKinnon (Gatineau) Maloney Martinez Ferrada Masse Mathyssen May (Cambridge) May (Saanich—Gulf Islands) McDonald (Avalon) McGuinty McKay McKinnon (Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam) McLeod McPherson Mendès Mendicino Miao Michaud Miller Morrice Morrissey Murray Naqvi Ng Noormohamed Normandin O'Connell Oliphant O'Regan Pauzé Perron Petitpas Taylor Plamondon Powlowski Qualtrough Rayes Robillard Rodriguez Rogers Romanado Rota Sahota Sajjan Saks Samson Sarai Savard-Tremblay Scarpaleggia Schiefke Serré Sgro Shanahan Sheehan Sidhu (Brampton East) Sidhu (Brampton South) Simard Sinclair-Desgagné Singh Sorbara Sousa Ste-Marie St-Onge Sudds Tassi Taylor Roy Thériault Therrien Thompson Trudeau Trudel Turnbull Valdez Van Bynen van Koeverden Vandal Vandenbeld Vignola Villemure Virani Vuong Weiler Wilkinson Yip Zahid Zarrillo Zuberi -- 212

NAYS Members Aboultaif Aitchison Albas Allison Arnold Baldinelli Barlow Barrett Berthold Bezan Block Bragdon Brassard Brock Calkins Caputo Carrie Chambers Chong Cooper Dalton Dancho Davidson Deltell Doherty Dowdall Dreeshen Duncan (Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry) Ellis Epp Falk (Battlefords—Lloydminster) Falk (Provencher) Fast Ferreri Gallant Généreux Genuis Gladu Godin Goodridge Gourde Gray Hallan Hoback Jeneroux Kelly Khanna Kitchen Kmiec Kram Kramp-Neuman Kurek Kusie Lake Lantsman Lawrence Lehoux Leslie Lewis (Essex) Lewis (Haldimand—Norfolk) Liepert Lloyd Lobb Maguire Majumdar Martel Mazier McCauley (Edmonton West) McLean Melillo Moore Morantz Morrison Motz Muys Nater Patzer Paul-Hus Perkins Poilievre Redekopp Reid Rempel Garner Richards Roberts Rood Ruff Scheer Schmale Seeback Shields Shipley Small Soroka Steinley Stewart Strahl Stubbs Thomas Tochor Tolmie Uppal Van Popta Vidal Vien Viersen Vis Wagantall Warkentin Waugh Webber Williams Williamson Zimmer -- 114

PAIRED Nil

The Deputy Speaker :

Motion agreed to I declare the motion carried.

Government Orders Business of Supply

(1535) [ English ] Business of Supply Opposition Motion—Auto Theft Motion

The House resumed from February 6 consideration of the motion.

The Deputy Speaker :

The House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion of the member for Edmonton Mill Woods relating to the Business of Supply. The question is as follows. May I dispense?

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

(1545) (The House divided on the motion, which was negatived on the following division:)

(Division No. 629)

YEAS Members Aboultaif Aitchison Albas Allison Arnold Baldinelli Barlow Barrett Barsalou-Duval Beaulieu Berthold Bérubé Bezan Blanchet Blanchette-Joncas Block Bragdon Brassard Brock Brunelle-Duceppe Calkins Caputo Carrie Chabot Chambers Champoux Chong Cooper Dalton Dancho Davidson DeBellefeuille Deltell Desbiens Desilets Doherty Dowdall Dreeshen 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 Morrison Motz Muys Nater Normandin Patzer Paul-Hus Pauzé Perkins Perron Plamondon Poilievre Rayes 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 Therrien Thomas Tochor Tolmie Trudel Uppal Van Popta Vecchio Vidal Vien Viersen Vignola Villemure Vis Vuong Wagantall Warkentin Waugh Webber Williams Williamson Zimmer -- 148

NAYS Members Aldag Ali Anand Anandasangaree Angus Arseneault Arya Ashton Atwin Bachrach Badawey Bains Baker Barron Battiste Beech Bibeau Bittle Blaikie Blair Blaney Blois Boissonnault Boulerice Bradford Brière Cannings Carr Casey Chagger Chahal Champagne Chatel Chen Chiang Collins (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek) Collins (Victoria) Cormier Coteau Dabrusin Damoff Davies Desjarlais Dhaliwal Dhillon Diab Dong Drouin Dubourg Duclos Duguid Dzerowicz Ehsassi El-Khoury Erskine-Smith Fillmore Fisher Fonseca Fortier Fragiskatos Fraser Freeland Fry Gaheer Gainey Garrison Gazan Gerretsen Gould Green Guilbeault Hajdu Hanley Hardie Hepfner Holland Housefather Hughes Hussen Hutchings Iacono Idlout Ien Jaczek Johns Joly Jones Jowhari Julian Kayabaga Kelloway Khalid Koutrakis Kusmierczyk Kwan Lalonde Lambropoulos Lamoureux Lapointe Lattanzio Lauzon LeBlanc Lebouthillier Lightbound Long Longfield Louis (Kitchener—Conestoga) MacAulay (Cardigan) MacDonald (Malpeque) MacGregor MacKinnon (Gatineau) Maloney Martinez Ferrada Masse Mathyssen May (Cambridge) May (Saanich—Gulf Islands) McDonald (Avalon) McGuinty McKay McKinnon (Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam) McLeod McPherson Mendès Mendicino Miao Miller Morrice Morrissey Murray Naqvi Ng Noormohamed O'Connell Oliphant O'Regan Petitpas Taylor Powlowski Qualtrough Robillard Rodriguez 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 -- 179

PAIRED Nil

The Deputy Speaker :

I declare the motion defeated. Motion negatived

Orders of the Day Orders of the Day

(1550) [ English ] Committees of the House Agriculture and Agri-Food

The House resumed from February 6 consideration of the motion, and of the amendment. Motion for concurrence

The Deputy Speaker :

The House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the amendment to the motion to concur in the 10th report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food.

(1600) (The House divided on the amendment, which was negatived on the following division:)

(Division No. 630)

YEAS Members Aboultaif Aitchison Albas Allison Arnold Baldinelli Barlow Barrett Berthold Bezan Block Bragdon Brassard Brock Calkins Caputo Carrie Chambers Chong Cooper Dalton Dancho Davidson Deltell Doherty Dowdall Dreeshen Duncan (Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry) Ellis Epp Falk (Battlefords—Lloydminster) Falk (Provencher) Fast Ferreri Findlay Gallant Généreux Genuis Gladu Godin Goodridge Gourde Gray Hallan Hoback Jeneroux Kelly Khanna Kitchen Kmiec Kram Kramp-Neuman Kurek Kusie Lake Lantsman Lawrence Lehoux Leslie Lewis (Essex) Lewis (Haldimand—Norfolk) Liepert Lloyd Lobb Maguire Majumdar Martel Mazier McCauley (Edmonton West) McLean Melillo Moore Morantz Morrison Motz Muys Nater Patzer Paul-Hus Perkins Poilievre Redekopp Reid Rempel Garner Richards Roberts Rood Ruff Scheer Schmale Seeback Shields Shipley Small Soroka Steinley Stewart Strahl Stubbs Thomas Tochor Tolmie Uppal Van Popta Vecchio Vidal Vien Viersen Vis Vuong Wagantall Warkentin Waugh Webber Williams Williamson Zimmer -- 117

NAYS Members Aldag Ali Anand Anandasangaree Angus Arseneault Arya Ashton Atwin Bachrach Badawey Bains Baker Barron Barsalou-Duval Battiste Beaulieu Beech Bérubé Bibeau Bittle Blaikie Blair Blanchette-Joncas Blaney Blois Boissonnault Boulerice Bradford Brière Brunelle-Duceppe Cannings Carr Casey Chabot Chagger Chahal Champagne Champoux Chatel Chen Chiang Collins (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek) Collins (Victoria) Cormier Coteau Dabrusin Damoff Davies DeBellefeuille Desbiens Desilets Desjarlais Dhaliwal Dhillon Diab Dong Drouin Dubourg Duclos Duguid Dzerowicz Ehsassi El-Khoury Erskine-Smith Fillmore Fisher Fonseca Fortier Fortin Fragiskatos Fraser Freeland Fry Gaheer Gainey Garon Garrison Gaudreau Gazan Gerretsen Gill Gould Green Guilbeault 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 Larouche Lattanzio Lauzon LeBlanc Lebouthillier Lemire Lightbound Long Longfield Louis (Kitchener—Conestoga) MacAulay (Cardigan) MacDonald (Malpeque) MacGregor MacKinnon (Gatineau) Maloney Martinez Ferrada Masse Mathyssen May (Cambridge) May (Saanich—Gulf Islands) McDonald (Avalon) McGuinty McKay McKinnon (Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam) McLeod McPherson Mendès Mendicino Miao Michaud Miller Morrice Morrissey Murray Naqvi Ng Noormohamed Normandin O'Connell Oliphant O'Regan Pauzé Perron Petitpas Taylor Plamondon Powlowski Qualtrough Rayes Robillard Rodriguez Rogers Romanado Rota Sahota Sajjan Saks Samson Sarai Savard-Tremblay Scarpaleggia Schiefke Serré Sgro Shanahan Sheehan Sidhu (Brampton East) Sidhu (Brampton South) Simard Sinclair-Desgagné Singh Sorbara Sousa Ste-Marie St-Onge Sudds Tassi Taylor Roy Thériault Therrien Thompson Trudeau Trudel Turnbull Valdez Van Bynen van Koeverden Vandal Vandenbeld Vignola Villemure Virani Weiler Wilkinson Yip Zahid Zarrillo Zuberi -- 211

PAIRED Nil

The Deputy Speaker :

Amendment negatived I declare the amendment defeated. The next question is on the main motion.

(1610) (The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

(Division No. 631)

YEAS Members Aboultaif Aitchison Albas Aldag Ali Allison Anand Anandasangaree Angus Arnold Arseneault Arya Ashton Atwin Bachrach Badawey Bains Baker Baldinelli Barlow Barrett Barron Barsalou-Duval Battiste Beaulieu Beech 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 Deltell Desbiens Desilets Desjarlais Dhaliwal Dhillon Diab Doherty Dong Dowdall Dreeshen 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 Freeland Fry Gaheer Gainey Gallant Garon Garrison Gaudreau Gazan Généreux Genuis Gerretsen Gill Gladu Godin Goodridge Gould Gourde Gray Green Guilbeault 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 LeBlanc 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 Masse 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 Ng Noormohamed Normandin O'Connell Oliphant O'Regan Patzer Paul-Hus Pauzé Perkins Perron Petitpas Taylor Plamondon Poilievre Powlowski Qualtrough Rayes Redekopp Rempel Garner Richards Roberts Robillard Rodriguez 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 Vuong Wagantall Warkentin Waugh Webber Weiler Wilkinson Williams Williamson Yip Zahid Zarrillo Zimmer Zuberi -- 328

NAYS Nil

PAIRED Nil

The Deputy Speaker :

Motion agreed to I declare the motion carried.

Private Members’ Business Private Members’ Business

[ English ] Polish Heritage Month Motion

The House resumed from February 1 consideration of the motion.

The Deputy Speaker :

The House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on Motion No. 75, under Private Members' Business in the name of the member for Mississauga East—Cooksville .

(1625) (The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

(Division No. 632)

YEAS Members Aboultaif Aitchison Albas Aldag Ali Allison Anand Anandasangaree Angus Arnold Arseneault Arya Ashton Atwin Bachrach Badawey Bains Baker Baldinelli Barlow Barrett Barron Barsalou-Duval Battiste Beaulieu Beech 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 Deltell Desbiens Desilets Desjarlais Dhaliwal Dhillon Diab Doherty Dong Dowdall Dreeshen 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 Freeland Fry Gaheer Gainey Gallant Garon Garrison Gaudreau Gazan Généreux Genuis Gerretsen Gill Gladu Godin Goodridge Gould Gourde Gray Green Guilbeault 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 LeBlanc 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 Masse 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 Ng Noormohamed Normandin O'Connell Oliphant O'Regan Patzer Paul-Hus Pauzé Perkins Perron Petitpas Taylor Plamondon Poilievre Powlowski Qualtrough Rayes Redekopp Reid Rempel Garner Richards Robillard Rodriguez 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 Vuong Wagantall Warkentin Waugh Webber Weiler Wilkinson Williams Williamson Yip Zahid Zarrillo Zimmer Zuberi -- 328

NAYS Nil

PAIRED Nil

The Deputy Speaker :

I declared the motion carried. Motion agreed to

Lowering Prices for Canadians Act

The House resumed from February 2 consideration of the motion that Bill C-352,

An Act to amend the Competition Act and the Competition Tribunal Act , be read the second time and referred to a committee. Bill C-352. Second reading

The Deputy Speaker :

The House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion at second reading stage of Bill C-352 , under Private Members' Business.

(1635) (The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

(Division No. 633)

YEAS Members Aboultaif Aitchison Albas Allison Angus Arnold Ashton Bachrach Baldinelli Barlow Barrett Barron Barsalou-Duval Beaulieu 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 Deltell Desbiens Desilets Desjarlais Doherty Dowdall Dreeshen Duncan (Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry) Ellis Epp Erskine-Smith Falk (Battlefords—Lloydminster) Falk (Provencher) Fast Ferreri Findlay Fortin Gallant Garon Garrison Gaudreau Gazan Généreux Genuis Gill Gladu Godin Goodridge Gourde Gray Green Hallan Hardie Hoback Hughes Idlout Jeneroux Johns Julian Kelly Khanna Kitchen Kmiec Kram Kramp-Neuman Kurek Kusie Kwan Lake Lantsman Larouche Lawrence Lehoux Lemire Leslie Lewis (Essex) Lewis (Haldimand—Norfolk) Liepert Lloyd Lobb Long MacGregor Maguire Majumdar Martel Masse 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 Plamondon Poilievre Rayes Redekopp 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 Vuong Wagantall Warkentin Waugh Webber Williams Williamson Zarrillo Zimmer -- 178

NAYS Members Aldag 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 El-Khoury Fillmore Fisher Fonseca Fortier Fragiskatos Fraser Freeland Fry Gaheer Gainey Gerretsen Gould Guilbeault Hajdu Hanley Hepfner Holland Housefather Hussen Hutchings Iacono Ien Jaczek Joly Jones Jowhari Kayabaga Kelloway Khalid Khera Koutrakis Kusmierczyk Lalonde Lambropoulos Lamoureux Lapointe Lattanzio Lauzon LeBlanc Lebouthillier Lightbound 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 Ng Noormohamed O'Connell Oliphant O'Regan Petitpas Taylor Powlowski Qualtrough Robillard Rodriguez 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 Nil

The Deputy Speaker :

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

[ Translation ] Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform

Motion The House resumed from February 5 consideration of the motion.

The Deputy Speaker :

The House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on Motion No. 86 under Private Members' Business in the name of the member for Nanaimo—Ladysmith . [ English ] The question is as follows. May I dispense?

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

(1650) (The House divided on the motion, which was negatived on the following division:)

(Division No. 634)

YEAS Members Angus Ashton Atwin Bachrach Badawey Barron Beaulieu Bérubé Blaikie Blanchet Blanchette-Joncas Blaney Boulerice Brunelle-Duceppe Cannings Carr Casey Chabot Chagger Champoux Collins (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek) Collins (Victoria) Coteau Dabrusin Davies DeBellefeuille Desbiens Desilets Desjarlais Dong Dzerowicz Erskine-Smith Fillmore Fisher Fortier Fortin Fragiskatos Gainey Garon Gaudreau Gazan Gerretsen Gill Green Hanley Hughes Idlout Johns Jowhari Julian Kayabaga Kwan Lalonde Larouche Lemire Lightbound Lobb Long Louis (Kitchener—Conestoga) MacGregor Masse Mathyssen May (Saanich—Gulf Islands) McLeod McPherson Mendès Mendicino Michaud Morrice Murray Naqvi Nater Noormohamed Normandin Pauzé Perron Plamondon Rayes Rota Ruff Savard-Tremblay Serré Simard Sinclair-Desgagné Singh Sousa Ste-Marie Taylor Roy Thériault Therrien Trudel Turnbull Van Bynen van Koeverden Vandenbeld Vignola Villemure Vuong Weiler Zahid Zarrillo -- 101

NAYS Members Aboultaif Aitchison Albas Aldag Ali Allison Anand Anandasangaree Arnold Arseneault Arya Bains Baldinelli Barlow Barrett Battiste Beech Berthold Bezan Bibeau Bittle Blair Block Boissonnault Bradford Bragdon Brassard Brière Brock Calkins Caputo Carrie Chahal Champagne Chatel Chiang Chong Cooper Cormier Dalton Damoff Dancho Davidson Deltell Dhaliwal Dhillon Diab Doherty Dowdall Dreeshen Drouin Dubourg Duclos Duguid Duncan (Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry) Ehsassi El-Khoury Ellis Epp Falk (Battlefords—Lloydminster) Falk (Provencher) Fast Ferreri Findlay Fonseca Fraser Freeland Fry Gaheer Gallant Généreux Genuis Gladu Godin Goodridge Gould Gourde Gray Guilbeault Hajdu Hallan Hardie Hepfner Hoback Holland Housefather Hussen Hutchings Iacono Ien Jaczek Jeneroux Joly Jones Kelly Khalid Khanna Khera Kitchen Kmiec Koutrakis Kram Kramp-Neuman Kurek Kusie Kusmierczyk Lake Lambropoulos Lamoureux Lantsman Lapointe Lattanzio Lauzon Lawrence LeBlanc Lebouthillier Lehoux Leslie Lewis (Essex) Lewis (Haldimand—Norfolk) Liepert Lloyd Longfield MacAulay (Cardigan) MacKinnon (Gatineau) Maguire Majumdar Maloney Martel Martinez Ferrada May (Cambridge) Mazier McCauley (Edmonton West) McDonald (Avalon) McGuinty McKay McKinnon (Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam) McLean Melillo Miao Miller Moore Morantz Morrison Morrissey Motz Muys Ng O'Connell Oliphant O'Regan Patzer Paul-Hus Perkins Petitpas Taylor Poilievre Powlowski Qualtrough Redekopp Reid Rempel Garner Richards Roberts Robillard Rodriguez Rogers Romanado Rood Sahota Sajjan Saks Samson Sarai Scarpaleggia Scheer Schiefke Schmale Seeback Sgro Shanahan Sheehan Shields Shipley Sidhu (Brampton East) Sidhu (Brampton South) Small Sorbara Soroka Steinley Stewart St-Onge Strahl Stubbs Sudds Tassi Thomas Thompson Tochor Tolmie Trudeau Uppal Valdez Van Popta Vandal Vecchio Vidal Vien Viersen Virani Vis Wagantall Warkentin Waugh Webber Wilkinson Williams Williamson Yip Zimmer Zuberi -- 220

PAIRED Nil

The Deputy Speaker :

Motion negatived I declare the motion defeated. [ Translation ] I wish to inform the House that because of the deferred recorded divisions, Government Orders will be extended by 89 minutes. [ English ] 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 Port Moody—Coquitlam, Housing; the hon. member for Calgary Nose Hill, Foreign Affairs.

Routine Proceedings Routine Proceedings

[ Translation ] Committees of the House Justice and Human Rights

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

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 19th report of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights in relation to Bill C-40,

An Act to amend the Criminal Code, to make consequential amendments to other Acts and to repeal a regulation (miscarriage of justice reviews) . [ English ] The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.

Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities

Mrs. Rosemarie Falk (Battlefords—Lloydminster, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 14th report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in relation to Bill C-318 ,

an act to amend the Employment Insurance Act and the Canada Labour Code (adoptive and intended parents). The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.

[ Translation ] Transport, Infrastructure and Communities

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

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 16th report of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in relation to Bill C-33,

An Act to amend the Customs Act, the Railway Safety Act, the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, 1992, the Marine Transportation Security Act, the Canada Transportation Act and the Canada Marine Act and to make a consequential amendment to another Act . The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.

(1655) [ English ] Petitions Employment Insurance

Mr. Warren Steinley (Regina—Lewvan, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise once again to present a petition.

Whereas employment insurance, maternity and parental benefits provide parents with critical financial support while they care for and bond with a new child, and having a parent at home longer in the critical first year of a child's life or placement within a family better supports healthy attachment and the well-being of a child, adoptive and intended parents are at a disadvantage under the current EI system.

Bill C-318 would deliver equitable access to parental leave for adoptive and intended parents, and the Speaker of the House of Commons has ruled that the passage of Bill C-318 requires a royal recommendation. The undersigned citizens and residents of Canada call upon the Government of Canada to support adoptive and intended parents by providing a royal recommendation for Bill C-318, which was just presented in the House.

First Responders Tax Credit

Mr. Kody Blois (Kings—Hants, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, members will agree with me that in Kings—Hants, volunteer fire departments have a really important role in our communities. We saw that throughout the last summer, in terms of the roles they played. I stand today to present a petition on behalf of supporters, friends and, ultimately, firefighters from Hantsport, Kings County, Milford and Waterville. They are petitioning the government to support Bill C-310 , which proposes increasing the volunteer tax credit from $3,000 to $10,000. It is a private member's bill that I support.

We have seen the impacts across the country that have resulted from forest fires caused by extreme weather. Our volunteer firefighters are extremely important, and I am pleased to present this petition on their behalf today.

Public Safety

Mr. Dan Mazier (Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to present a petition on behalf of constituents. I rise for the 29th time on behalf of the people of Swan River, Manitoba, to present a petition on the rising rate of crime. The NDP-Liberal government has done nothing while the rural community of Swan River has been terrorized by a wave of crime that never used to exist in this small town in Manitoba, yet the Liberals give the same copy-and-paste statements to the people of Swan River, with no real solution in sight. Rural communities like Swan River are petitioning the Liberal government for a tough-on-crime approach.

They are calling for jail, not bail, for violent repeat offenders, to stop the crime. The people of Swan River demand that the Liberal government repeal its soft-on-crime policies, which directly threaten their livelihoods and their community. I support the good people of Swan River.

First Responders Tax Credit

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

Mr. Speaker, you will not be surprised that I am tabling another petition in support of volunteer firefighters and search and rescue personnel from coast to coast to coast. Over 165 communities have sent in petitions, representing every single party and rural riding in this House. They are calling for the firefighter tax credit to be increased from $3,000 to $10,000.

It is the least the government can do to support fire departments and search and rescue, for retention and to show search and rescue and volunteer personnel that they matter and that we value the work they do and the sacrifice made by their communities and their employers to ensure that they can get out and protect people in rural Canada. I hope that all members of the House will support Bill C-310 and the efforts of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, which has been working very hard to get support for this bill.

Medical Assistance in Dying

Ms. Julie Dabrusin (Toronto—Danforth, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, today I will be presenting two petitions. The first is from members of my community who wanted to express their opinions with respect to medical assistance in dying.

Climate Change

Ms. Julie Dabrusin (Toronto—Danforth, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from my constituents, who care greatly about the climate crisis. They are supporting the implementation of strong, clean electricity regulations, along with federal funding, affordability measures and complementary policies to support an emissions-free grid.

(1700) Medical Assistance in Dying

Mr. Dean Allison (Niagara West, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, I want to present a petition that deals with mental illness and MAID. The petitioners say that mental illness is complex. It can include suicidal thoughts and other symptoms, and people really should be provided treatment and support and not offered MAID.

Transportation on Vancouver Island

Mr. Alistair MacGregor (Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, NDP) :

Mr. Speaker, I am rising today to table petition e-4576, which was signed by 7,610 people. The petitioners recognize in the

preamble that the Island Corridor Foundation is a non-profit partnership that is governed by 14 first nations and five Island regional districts. They also recognize that the population of Vancouver Island is expected to grow to one million people by 2030 and that expanding the congested highways on Vancouver Island is quite problematic. Therefore, the petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to work with dedicated resources and with a nation-to-nation approach to reconcile and resolve long-standing first nations concerns with certain sections of the Island corridor.

They also want to see the Government of Canada create a $1-billion fund to implement the development of the Island corridor. They want to see the Island Corridor Foundation as a non-profit partnership that is very much in the public interest, and they want to apply the funding to create a modern freight and passenger service on Vancouver Island to retain and develop the strategic asset that was recognized by the B.C. and federal ministers of transportation and infrastructure on March 14, 2023.

First Responders Tax Credit

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

Mr. Speaker, I am so proud to present a petition signed by a firefighting force within my riding. On the very small island of Piers Island, the fire truck is the only internal combustion engine on the entire island. The volunteer firefighters of Piers Island have asked me to present this petition in support of the private member's bill by the hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni , which has been spoken to a number of times this afternoon. Volunteer firefighters account for 71% of Canada's total firefighting first responders.

Right now, we have a good step in the right direction, which we supported at the time, of a $3,000 tax credit for volunteer firefighters. Bill C-310 is supported by the petitioners, and it asks that volunteer firefighters and search and rescue volunteer services have that grown from a $3,000 tax credit to a $10,000 tax credit. I am proud to present this petition, and I urge Parliament and the House to get behind it.

Employment Insurance

Mrs. Rosemarie Falk (Battlefords—Lloydminster, CPC) :

Mr. Speaker, adoptive and intended parents are at a disadvantage under the current EI system here in Canada. All parents are deserving of equal access to parental leave benefits. Bill C-318 would deliver equitable access to parental leave for adoptive and intended parents. The undersigned citizens and residents of Canada call upon the Government of Canada to support adoptive and intended parents by providing a royal recommendation to Bill C-318 .

Health Care Professionals

Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Winnipeg North, Lib.) :

Mr. Speaker, as we all know, Canadians are very passionate and care deeply about health care. However, the backbone of that system, of course, is our health care workers, and this petition is dealing particularly with our nurses at the many different levels. The petitioners are asking, in essence, to have their valuable contributions recognized, whether it is through enhancement of salary, credentials being recognized, incentives or the type of workload they have to experience. In general, they are looking for governments at all levels, whether it is provincial or federal, to be more proactive in supporting our nurses.

Questions on the Order Paper

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

Mr. Speaker, I would ask that all questions be allowed to stand at this time.

The Deputy Speaker :

Is that agreed?

Some hon. members: Agreed.

Motions for Papers

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

Mr. Speaker, I would ask that all notices of motions for the production of papers also be allowed to stand.

The Deputy Speaker :

Is that agreed?

Some hon. members: Agreed.

[ Translation ] Privilege Alleged Misleading Comments by the Prime Minister Privilege

Mr. Alain Therrien (La Prairie, BQ) :

Mr. Speaker, I would like to return to the question of privilege that was raised by the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle yesterday regarding who was responsible for inviting Yaroslav Hunka to attend events with the President of Ukraine during his visit to Canada in September 2023. I must say that I agree with the House leader of the official opposition on this issue. Here are the facts.

On the afternoon of Monday, February 5, The Globe and Mail reported that the Prime Minister 's Office had invited Yaroslav Hunka, a former soldier of the Ukrainian Waffen-SS who received ovations in the House of Commons during Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit on September 22, 2023, to a reception that was held in honour of the Ukrainian President that evening in Toronto at the Fort York Armoury. The

article also stated that the Prime Minister's invitation had in fact been sent by Canada's protocol office four days before the reception. However, when the Prime Minister was repeatedly asked about it in the House in the week following President Zelenskyy's visit, he blamed the Speaker of the House without taking any responsibility himself. He said on September 27, 2023, that the Speaker was “solely responsible” for inviting and paying tribute to former Nazi soldier Yaroslav Hunka.

He said, “we all recognize that the former speaker of the House made a serious mistake.” He also said, “the Speaker of this House of Commons invited an individual without apparently doing that Google search, but it is not up to the government of the day to oversee or to have a veto power over those who the Speaker or, indeed, members of official parties choose to invite into this House.” The then speaker took f