Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, today is a big day. Today is the day when, if all goes well, we will be passing historic assistance for Canadian families grappling with affordability issues with respect to food and essential goods. After much cajoling, the opposition finally decided to stop the games, stop the obstruction and allow this bill to move on to the Senate so we can get that aid to Canadian families now.
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Mr. Speaker, what the people in Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean, elsewhere in Quebec and across Canada really want is a plan: an economic plan, the Prime Minister's plan, the plan they voted for, the plan that is before the House. The Conservatives are filibustering the Prime Minister's economic plan. We managed to get Bill C‑19 passed so we can help Canadians. Now I urge the Conservatives to pass the bud…
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Mr. Speaker, today the House will likely decide to send a bill to the Senate that will provide up to $1,800 in support to Canadian families to help them cope with affordability issues, particularly with regard to food and essential goods. We urged the official opposition to support us on this. We are very pleased that they saw fit to do so. Today is a historic day for affordability in Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, there is a plan in front of the House to create $1 trillion of investment in Canada. There is a plan before the House to continue to build the kind of infrastructure that my colleague just referred to. There is a plan before the House that would deregulate, that would free up, that would invest and that would make Canada the most attractive tax investment destination in the world. It …
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Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition knows full well that we have taken steps to help families. That is why he bowed to our demand to fast-track Bill C‑19, which will provide no less than $1,800 to Canadian families to help them deal with food and affordability issues.
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Mr. Speaker, I do not know, but the math I have is that $1,800 divided by 52 is a lot more than $10 a week. The Leader of the Opposition knows very well that this is substantial assistance for Canadians who are experiencing affordability issues. That is why he bent over when we asked him to accelerate and pass Bill C-19 and make sure that we can get that aid to Canadians right away.
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Mr. Speaker, I regret omitting the word “backward”, as in “bent over backward”, in an earlier answer.
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Mr. Speaker, in fact, consultations were held and there will be more. We are consulting all the mayors and community stakeholders in the Lower Laurentians, across the entire region, as well as in Quebec and Ontario. Guess what? Canadians are excited about this new technology, this progress. Come on. My colleague is comparing an international airport to a small corridor that is 60 metres wide. Give…
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Mr. Speaker, well, the Conservatives are back from Calgary. They heard more old—
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Mr. Speaker, in Calgary the Conservatives heard more old hits than at the Elvis tribute show at the casino, and they came back and are repeating them just the way the leader writes it out for them in the back rooms: imaginary taxes and no plan for affordability. We have a bill before the House that would give up to $1,800 for families to afford the cost of groceries in this country. We know afford…
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Mr. Speaker, why did the member not stand up to oppose Quebec's Act Respecting Expropriation, which made it possible to build and complete the Réseau express métropolitain? The bill is based on the exact wording of that Quebec act and Ontario's legislation, which also allows for the development of public transit projects. This is not new, and we are obviously going to negotiate directly with the p…
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Mr. Speaker, one mistake is one too many, no question. We encourage anyone who believes they are affected to contact Service Canada. We are talking about a significant and successful modernization of government systems, which will allow seniors to self-register and start receiving their benefits even faster, without having to wait on the phone or in a long line at a government office. If there are…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to wish my friends in the official opposition well as they make their way to Calgary for their convention, which is of course why the House will not sit tomorrow. The customary courtesy is afforded to the important work of all political parties, and we appreciate the involvement of all those who feel passionate about our country. This afternoon, we will continue with second rea…
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Mr. Speaker, I do not know which major project the member is referring to. If he has a major project that is not currently before the government, I would like him to bring it to me. What I can tell him is that the MOU signed with his premier envisages nuclear development in the province and carbon capture and storage in the province, and it will interconnect among prairie provinces. Those are all …
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Mr. Speaker, we are confident that this system and its implementation will ultimately benefit all OAS recipients. They will be able to receive the right amount and receive it on time, as they deserve. That is the government's job. We replaced an outdated system so that we can better serve Canadians and all seniors in Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, no one can bring back the victims of such tragedies. That much is certain. We can also be certain that the government has taken and will continue to take action that will continue to be welcomed by the Quebec trucking association, just as our actions have been welcomed by stakeholders in the industry. The member is unable to tell me which of Quebec's jurisdictions he would like me to …
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Mr. Speaker, the Alberta MP may well want to return to Calgary, where his party is having a convention, at which, I understand, Premier Smith may welcome delegates. He might ask her about the contents of that very important MOU, which is going to make Canada an energy superpower in renewable and conventional energy, create jobs for the working men and women of the province of Alberta and create pr…
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Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to everyone affected by tragedies on Canada's roads and highways. Like all members of the House, I sympathize with the victims. We have taken concrete steps that will significantly impact the Driver Inc. scheme in Canada. These measures are set out in the budget, and we hope that the Bloc Québécois will join us in passing the budget as quickly as possible so that we …
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Mr. Speaker, obviously, there are public servants working on this system to minimize mistakes and correct them. We are confident that this successful modernization of government systems will ultimately enable seniors to self-register, get better service and receive their benefits even faster. This is already happening. If there are any mistakes, they will be fixed.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for that question and for his very constructive and productive involvement on that very important issue. We thank him for bringing this issue to the House's attention. We will consider the matter and report to the House at the appropriate time.
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Mr. Speaker, it is good to see Conservatives finally coming around to the Liberal plan, which is precisely that: To diversify trade markets, to build our country up with Canadian steel, Canadian aluminum, Canadian ingenuity, Canadian know-how and Canadian union men and women building our country together. The Conservatives' proposals were tested. They had the ultimate test, a general election, whi…
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Mr. Speaker, we have nation-building projects going on right across this country. I would refer the member to his own province of Ontario, where we are in major developments in the nuclear sector and will be developing the Crawford nickel mine, and where we are going to build North America's very first high-speed rail network, from Quebec City to Toronto. We are going to build in British Columbia,…
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Mr. Speaker, we put our ideas to the test last year during the election, and the Prime Minister's plan to build Canada strong won the day, while the member's approach was rejected. I guess that is news to them. I want to reiterate to my colleague that we just announced a project at the port of Saguenay, not to mention the port at Contrecoeur, a logistics and supply chain megaproject in Quebec.
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Mr. Speaker, as a proud resident of the national capital region, I can only lament this member's repeated, and he has been consistent on this, endorsement of the occupation of this downtown and of the disturbance and unbelievable annoyance this created for residents of downtown Ottawa. The fact is that it was an unlawful demonstration that was ultimately ended by the good graces and very Canadian …
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Mr. Speaker, we obviously take very seriously the need to provide benefits to those who are entitled to them. The government modernized its outdated software, and that is good news. The new software enables seniors to access services online and receive an enhanced level of service. A few people have been affected, and that is a few people too many. We agree on that. We are asking these individuals…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada has one of the most vibrant, important and imposing mining sectors in the world. Toronto is one of the most important mining finance centres in the world. The Building Canada Act will permit us to accelerate work on mines like Crawford, on LNG projects, on critical minerals, on the Sisson mine in New Brunswick, on mines right across this country, on the minerals of the future a…
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Mr. Speaker, we obviously find it unfortunate if a senior citizen has experienced an issue with their cheque. The member should speak to the government, and we will try to resolve the issue. That said, enough is enough. We changed computer systems, which is a huge undertaking. We have replaced outdated software from the 1970s with new software that allows citizens to manage their own accounts and …
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Mr. Speaker, we had a very important debate last year about the purported Canada sovereignty act. It is called a general election. The Conservatives put that to the people. We put the Prime Minister's plan to build Canada strong, to build it up with our aluminum, with our lumber, with our steel, and with our unionized men and women across this country. Guess which plan Canadians selected. We expec…
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Mr. Speaker, allow me to be a bit skeptical about the member's outrage. Software bugs happen. In this case, we have very successful software that was able to update ancient software dating back to the 1970s. Seniors can now access self-service options online and over the phone, making payments even faster. If there are any problems, we will fix them, but—
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The first thing, Mr. Speaker, is I know we want to acknowledge the member's acknowledgement of our Prime Minister's fantastic speech at the World Economic Forum. I know Canadians were very relieved when the Leader of the Opposition said that never, ever, shall he or any of his ministers ever go to Davos to that World Economic Forum. They would not want to run across the President of the United Sta…
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Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, we want to express our support for the Leader of the Opposition during this decisive week for him. I am sure that he will be able to convince a majority of Conservative members to support his leadership. We also welcome his receptiveness to the legislation before the House. One of the bills on the agenda is the Prime Minister's plan for our economy; it aims to crea…
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Mr. Speaker, we certainly want to wish the Leader of the Opposition well in this very decisive and important week for him. We know that he will have success at his party's convention. The Prime Minister's plan to grow our economy, to create a trillion dollars in investment and to protect our workers and our industries from trade threats is before the House in Bill C-15. We take very well the leade…
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Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers are telling us loud and clear to focus on affordability, end-of-month needs, rent, housing and protecting our industries, such as softwood lumber and aluminum. They are asking us for broader protection against tariffs and other threats in a highly complex world, and to protect our culture and language. That is what the federal government and the Liberal Party are going to d…
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Mr. Speaker, forestry, mill jobs and the forestry sector in Canada are part of the very fibre of our country, the very fibre of our communities. The parliamentary secretary just outlined the many measures we are putting in place to make sure we protect those workers and those facilities against an ill-advised trade war that will only increase the cost of housing in the United States and elsewhere.…
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Mr. Speaker, English- and French-speaking Canadians have built a great country, the best country in the world. We have created great prosperity through mutual respect for official languages and human rights. No one, not even the Bloc Québécois, can downplay this achievement. We will continue to work on the issues that concern Quebeckers, namely, affordability, job creation and building prosperity …
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague is speaking to a government House leader who is a proud descendant of Scottish immigrants, who studied French in Prince Edward Island, who did his undergraduate degree at the Acadian university, the Université de Moncton, who is living his life in French and who was elected four times in a riding that is 90% francophone. That is what is possible in Canada. Mutual respect …
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Mr. Speaker, there is a bill before this Parliament that would let investors invest, that would let builders build and that in fact would attract $1 trillion of investment in our country that will protect our workers and build our industries. It is the budget implementation act. Canadians in Conservative ridings are telling us that they want this Parliament to work and that they want to endorse th…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. For the record, it is “Death Valley well driller”.
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Mr. Speaker, several years ago, the member earned the nickname “Death Valley well driller”. The Death Valley well driller is that lonely guy out in the desert who has gone looking for water and never finds it. Here he is once again, winding up the big pitch, and it all ends in nothing. Of course, there are talented men and women joining with the government. We are going to help build the country. …
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, the chief opposition whip, for at least the festive part of that statement. If he wants to stand and propose that Bill C-14 be read at all stages and passed, we will absolutely support that on this side of the House. Before discussing the business of the House, I would like to join with my hon. colleague and take this opportunity to thank all members of P…
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Mr. Speaker, no one calls the Conservative Party the “party of hope”. This holiday season, I want to wish even the grinch across the way, the Leader of the Opposition, a very merry Christmas. My wish for the entire Conservative caucus is that they will stop imagining taxes, taxes that do not exist, taxes that Canadians do not have to pay and will never have to pay. What we are actually going to do…
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservative leader lives in a bit of a parallel universe if he thinks we are the ones in the way of the most ambitious crime-fighting agenda that has been presented to this Parliament ever. The Conservatives are blocking progress on bail reform. They are blocking progress on immigration reform. They are blocking progress against extortion, child pornography and all manner of crim…
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Mr. Speaker, it is important to not twist the facts just because it is the holiday season and everyone is feeling generous. The Conservatives spent September, October, November and December filibustering the most ambitious crime-fighting agenda in Canadian history. Now, at the eleventh hour, on the very last day, they show up and want to rearrange everything. We have bills on bail, on combatting h…
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Mr. Speaker, as we just mentioned many times in the House, the policy to which my colleague refers has never been and never will be the policy of the Government of Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, of course we can call this a democracy. We are here to debate it publicly. That is the very definition of democratic debate. As for Bill C-15, it contains very important tools for advancing our economy, advancing Canadian innovation and ensuring that we can achieve great things together, so that Quebec can reach its goals and Canada can reach its economic and other goals. We look forw…
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, since we are on the subject, we want to send our best wishes to our ambassador to the United States, Kirsten Hillman, who has done a tremendous service for our country and continues to guide and advise us well. The policy the Leader of the Opposition is referring to has never been and will never be the policy of the Government of Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, this government has implemented far more than just one measure. We lifted the T4A moratorium. We instituted information sharing between the CRA and the Department of Employment and Social Development. We made sure that the Department of Employment and Social Development conducted inspection blitzes. Now, we expect the provinces to perform roadside checks, take charge of certification …
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Mr. Speaker, I know that in the spirit of the holiday season, the Leader of the Opposition is surely not suggesting that the Prime Minister not attend as auspicious an event as the ceremony with respect to peace in the Middle East and Gaza, and join multitudes of other world leaders at that occasion, representing and making Canadians proud for his attendance at that event.
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Mr. Speaker, because the member wrote the biography of the member for Battle River—Crowfoot, he knows very well the tricks of the trade when it comes to obstructing legislation. Here is the problem the Conservatives have. We have systematically tabled legislation in the House to battle child pornography, extortion and intimate partner violence and to do bail reform. We have put border measures and…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on the same point of order. It is absolutely absurd and outrageous to suggest that Parliament would act to constrain the rights and privileges of Canadians to prayer, to choose their faith and to practise their religion in any way possible.
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