Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, inflation is making goods and services more expensive this Christmas. Families were already struggling to make ends meet, and now many will have to decide between heating their homes or feeding their families. Natural gas is up 18.7%; food bank visits have climbed 20% and are expected to double in the months ahead. The costs keep climbing, but the paycheques just are not keeping up.…
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Madam Speaker, inflation is rising and Canadians are going to feel it even more at Christmas. For many, it will not be just gifts and presents that are more expensive this year, but putting food on the table for family and friends. If they can even afford to plan a Christmas dinner, a turkey will cost 25% more; eggs for their eggnog are up 7.4% and bacon for breakfast is up 20.2%. When will the mi…
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Mr. Speaker, a Quebec court found that a street gang in Montreal fraudulently obtained over $100,000 from the Canada emergency response benefit program to fund illegal firearms smuggling operations, not to mention reports of this money also being used for both human trafficking and prostitution. How can the government not take immediate action instead of funding organized crime with taxpayer dolla…
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Madam Speaker, I can hear that my colleague's constituents are facing the same problems I referenced in my speech, and that many Canadians are facing from coast to coast to coast. I am not sure if the member missed the beginning part of my speech when I gave credit to our member for Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon. He developed incredible platform contributions regarding this specific piece and indi…
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Madam Speaker, after listening to my colleague's question, I think we share the same idea. The most important thing to facilitate Canadians' access to housing is a strong economy. We need to ensure that lots of good jobs are available to Canadians. I think we agree on those ideas.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, that question is totally irrelevant to everything that I talked about. It does not matter about the parkland, where we are going to get it or what parklands we are going to take. We love conservation. Conservatives were in fact the original conservators. We love nature. I know what the government will continue to do. The Liberals will continue to destroy the economy so that they can…
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Madam Speaker, I will share my time with the member for Wellington—Halton Hills. It is always an honour to rise in the House and to speak, especially on the important motion we have before us today, which is our opposition day motion. Before I get started, I would like to give some credit. I am a shameless team promoter. I love this team. I will say it time and again. I want to give credit to the …
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Mr. Speaker, there has been a surge of deadly shootings across Montreal, and now we have found out that criminals have been using CERB to purchase these illegal firearms. The irony of this being a government that purports to fight gun crime is overwhelming. What will the minister do to ensure this fraudulent activity ends and, more importantly, to bring these criminals to justice?
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Mr. Speaker, it was reported yesterday that Montreal street gangs defrauded Canadian taxpayers and used CERB money to purchase illegal firearms. It is inconceivable that the government would allow this to happen. When did the minister learn that money intended for Canadians was being used by criminals?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, data shows that 8.9 million Canadians claimed CERB cheques, yet the actual number of new unemployed peaked at 1.5 million in May 2020. Clearly, there was some type of fraud going on. What is the government doing to hold these fraudsters to account and get that money back into the public purse?
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Madam Chair, salaries are rising at a rate of 2.5%, yet the consumer price index is rising at 4.1%. That is a delta of 1.6%. What is the government doing so that wages are keeping pace with inflation?
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Madam Chair, year-over-year increases of the CPI are approaching 5% annually. It is supposed to be a target of 2% annually. Again, what is the government doing so that wages are keeping pace with inflation?
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Madam Chair, in a tight labour market, where we are statistically at full employment but where employers are struggling to find employees, what is the government doing to avoid wage inflation?
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Madam Chair, the jobless rate plunged from 6.7% to 6% in November, putting us in a labour shortage crisis. What is the government doing to end the labour shortage crisis?
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Madam Chair, the government is proposing solutions such as formal hiring processes and holistic packages, but this is only shifting the players on the board. We need new workers. What is the government doing to find new workers to end the labour shortage?
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Madam Chair, for thousands of low-income seniors the guaranteed income supplement significantly declined because they received the Canada emergency response benefit. What is the minister going to do to actively fix this issue for affected Canadians?
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Madam Chair, I will give the government an easier question: It is also proposing automation, which I actually think is a good idea. What is the government doing to promote automation in industry, again, to end the labour shortage here in Canada?
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Madam Chair, employers are experiencing delays of up to a year in receiving their labour market impact assessments. What is the government doing to expedite the LMIA process in an effort to address the labour shortage?
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Madam Chair, up to 55% of entrepreneurs cannot find enough workers. This is limiting growth, which we need desperately at this time, and it is forcing businesses to delay or refuse new orders. What is the government doing to help these small and medium-sized businesses find employees?
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Madam Chair, I hope that the government can answer this question. Industries such as hospitality and tourism have been among the hardest hit in the pandemic, but are now struggling to come back because they cannot find enough workers. Again, what is the government doing to help these industries, which are struggling the most, to find employees?
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Madam Chair, as the House examines Bill C-2, which is in front of the finance committee currently, we are looking at spending another $8 billion. What is the government doing to ensure that fraud does not occur in the future?
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Madam Chair, as reported today in the Toronto Sun, the benefits are actually going to organized crime, including human trafficking, prostitution and illegal firearms. How can this possibly be? This includes a Montreal street gang called STL and gangs across the GTA. I asked it in the Toronto Sun, and I am going to ask it here: Was the government aware that this was taking place?
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Madam Chair, if the government was aware, why did it not act sooner?
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Madam Chair, when will these be investigated?
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Madam Chair, when will those implicated be prosecuted?
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Madam Chair, the government is also turning its back on Canadians with disabilities. Those eligible for CERB and CRB had to make $5,000 or more in the year prior. This could be from various sources, including provincial EI programs. However, the government chose not to consider the CPP—
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Mr. Speaker, I think we can see that, much like the Liberals, the Bloc Québécois wants to live in the past. We, the Conservatives, are living in the now. We can see that with the question we heard from our Quebec caucus of the Conservative Party this week. It had to do with a very important issue for Quebec and for the members of the Conservative caucus, namely, the labour shortage. We, the Conser…
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Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to be here. I will be splitting my time with the member for St. Albert—Edmonton. He has always got such incredibly intelligent debate and I always look forward to his words. I am so thrilled to be back in the House. I very much thank the people of Calgary Midnapore for returning me to the chamber with the highest percentile of votes in Calgary, the highest percentile …
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Mr. Speaker, I think it is very apparent that the government wanted a blank cheque from the very beginning. Fortunately, it was the member for Carleton who was able to recognize it at the time and make those amendments so that Canadians were not on the line for that. As well, I will say this. We outlined four incidents at the very beginning of the pandemic where we collaborated and acted with comp…
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Mr. Speaker, The Globe and Mail has reported that job vacancies have soared to unprecedented numbers, with more than one million unfilled positions. Vacancies jumped by 16.4% in September alone. When will the minister admit the government's plan for the labour shortage is just not working, take responsibility and fix this problem?
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Mr. Speaker, The Globe and Mail indicated that a fifth of all vacancies were in hospitality, including restaurants and hotels. Despite a hectic tourist season in Alberta, restaurant owner Stéphane Prévost had to close his restaurants for as many as two days a week this summer because there simply were not enough workers. Why is the government always too little too late when it comes to helping emp…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, we are facing a national crisis. It is not inflation that I want to talk about today, but rather another very important issue affecting our economy and our country, namely, the labour shortage. This is important because this shortage exists everywhere and on two levels. First, it affects all regions. No region in Canada is spared: grocery stores in Quebec, restaurants in Banff and fac…
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Mr. Speaker, sectors across Canada are grappling with labour shortages. A BDC report has found that 64% of companies say that difficulties finding workers are limiting their growth. RBC reported that over one-third of businesses are having problems finding employees, resulting in 870,000 vacancies across Canada. Businesses need workers to make money. What is the minister doing to resolve these lab…
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With regard to the Air Travellers Security Charge (ATSC) since January 1, 2016, broken down by year: (a) how much was collected from passengers, broken down by averages per (i) day, (ii) month, (iii) year; (b) how much was used to pay for security services; and (c) what other programs or services are funded with the ATSC, and how much funding was provided to each program?
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. The Liberal government is incapable of accepting responsibility. I am so tired of receiving the response that Nav Canada is an arm's-length organization. The government has to take responsibility for the decisions of Nav Canada. However, we have seen this consistently. We see this with the documents from the Winnipeg lab. We saw this with Bill C-10…
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Madam Speaker, it is always a pleasure to see my friend, the member for Hull—Aylmer. We have had some good times together here and abroad. I am always happy to see him. I find it unfortunate, though, that the Minister of Transport is not here to give a speech and answer questions, because it is quite clear that this motion is directly related to transportation. Although my friend from Hull—Aylmer …
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Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Niagara Falls. I mentioned in my question earlier that the reason we are here today is to discuss the estimates, specifically as they relate to transport. My message here today is about the overwhelming incompetence of the government regarding transport. The estimates here today are just a symptom of that. There have been so many insta…
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Madam Speaker, I do not believe I recognized someone as being in the House or not. I was recognizing who delivered a speech. There is a difference between the two. One indicates the physical presence of someone, which is what the Standing Orders say we are not able to comment on, and the other indicates someone who gives an address. For example, because this is specifically regarding transport, I …
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Madam Speaker, I know the hon. member for Edmonton Strathcona, like myself and the leader of the official opposition, share a commitment to Canada's workers. She is right that the government, in not coming up with a reopening plan for the nation, is leaving all of Canada's workers in the lurch. I stand beside her in the hopes that the government soon will pay attention to Canada's workers and come…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his advocacy for the cruise line sector in British Columbia, which also serves the cruise line sector across Canada, of course, because other ports are affected. The cruise line industry was clear with the government, when U.S. legislators put in temporary legislation, that action was necessary, yet it did not act. Now we see an effort from the U.S. …
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Madam Speaker, during my conversations with port authorities, they told me that there were gluts of anchorage all along the western coast as a result of this pandemic. Once again, it falls upon the federal government to find solutions to these problems. I hope it starts to do that.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the negotiations between the government and major Canadian airlines that are related to financial assistance, since November 8, 2020: what are the details of all meetings, including any virtual meetings, held between the government and major airlines, including, for each meeting, the (i) date, (ii) number of government representatives, broken down by department and agency, and, if m…
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Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to speak in this chamber. I will start by saying that I will be splitting my time with my colleague from Battle River—Crowfoot, so I look forward to his comments at the conclusion of mine. As indicated, this current debate is regarding the concurring report from the foreign affairs committee, which condemns the imposition of sanctions by the Government of China…
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With regard to the government’s decision to ban all pleasure craft in the Canadian Arctic Waters and cruise vessels in all Canadian waters until February 28, 2022: (a) why was the length of the ban not contingent upon vaccination levels of Canadians or related to vaccination requirements for those on-board the vessels; and (b) what role did the low level of Canadians vaccinated in January and Febr…
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Mr. Speaker, Nav Canada handed out $7 million in bonuses, this after laying off 700 workers and increasing airline fees by 30%. These emergency funds were meant to keep workers employed, not to hand out to executives. Will the minister start standing up for Canada's aviation workers and demand that these bonuses are paid back?
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to be here to discuss Motion No. 58 before us today. It is always a pleasure for me to rise in the House to speak to a motion when the objective is to support women. I am always so happy to see more women in the House and more women candidates, and it is just a pleasure when they get elected and join us here in the House. The thing I struggle with regarding this piece o…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, we found out this week that Nav Canada distributed $7 million in executive compensation with taxpayer funds. This was after 700 workers lost their jobs and airline fees were hiked 30%. I received numerous messages over the last year from Nav Canada employees who told me of the fear of losing their jobs. The current government is not capable of understanding what it is like for middle-…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague. They are obviously not working tirelessly, since I am here again today and there is still no plan. There is no plan for the sector and no plan regarding Canadians' travel plans. The minister is fully responsible for this, which is why I did not get an answer on May 14. I am once again asking for a plan, because the sector needs one and Canada needs one. I am wa…
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Madam Speaker, it is always a pleasure to be in the House speaking for the people of Calgary Midnapore. On May 14, I asked the following question of the Minister of Transport: Madam Speaker, the U.K. has announced its restart plan for international travel, using the traffic light system, but here in Canada we are still stuck under the Liberals' third wave— We are still stuck in the third wave. —an…
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned for the second time this week that the government gave taxpayer funds to an organization that were used for executive compensation. Nav Canada laid off 700 workers and increased airline fees by 30%, yet gave out $7 million in executive bonuses. Will the Prime Minister do the responsible thing, ask for Canadians' money back and demand that these executives give the…
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