Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my colleague often speaks about her son, who is an example of exactly the kind of worker and skilled professional the country and, frankly, this government want to support. I was encouraged by conversations with labour leaders representing not only the skilled trades but a series of other professions that would benefit from exactly this kind of nation-building exercise. Provincial pre…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Louis-Saint-Laurent—Akiawenhrahk for his question. He just put his finger on exactly what we want to do with this bill. We have been very clear. The Prime Minister was very clear during the election campaign. Within six months at the most, we would like to have exactly the kind of agreement that my colleague just described to avoid duplication and to minimize co…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister, of course, did not mislead Canadians. Our colleague will know that it is only within the jurisdiction of this Parliament or the Government of Canada to remove barriers that are properly federal barriers to free trade within Canada. The provinces also have a series of measures that they are working on removing. In fact, I have been very encouraged by provinces signi…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Bloc Québécois knows full well that we just finished an election campaign during which the Prime Minister, our party leader, asked Canadians for a clear mandate to accelerate projects of national interest. That is precisely what the bill before the House of Commons will do. However, to suggest that the government would scale back environmental impact assessments and …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, on the contrary, we are not waiting. Yesterday, my colleague the Minister of Finance and I met with people from the steel industry and others. We talked about the importance of supplying liquidity to support the aluminum sector in Quebec and across Canada. The Department of Finance has a mechanism specifically designed to provide that support. We already adapted EI measures before t…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-5, An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act. (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we fully share the concerns of our colleague from Chicoutimi—Le Fjord. Aluminum workers in Saguenay are among the best workers in Canada. The United States relies on the aluminum that Canada produces. It decided to impose 50% tariffs. That is going to hurt its economy. We understand that this is a worrisome situation for workers and the industry in Canada. That is precisely why we are…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, our government received a mandate from Canadians to negotiate a new security and economic partnership with the United States. We entirely share our colleague's view that the tariffs imposed, and they are not only on steel and aluminum, at a ridiculously punitive rate of 50%, are unjustified and illegal, as are all the other tariffs imposed on the Canadian economy. That is why Canada r…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, once again, I can assure my colleague that we fully share the concerns of all Canadians about the negative consequences the American tariffs are having. As I said in a response a few moments ago, with regard to the aluminum industry in Quebec and the steel industry in the rest of Canada, the Americans rely on our product. We have responded very firmly. We are one of the countries that…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, our government took action even before the election to support workers across Canada who are affected by the illegal and unfair tariffs imposed by the Americans. As the Prime Minister said, Canadians gave us a mandate to negotiate a new economic partnership and security agreement with the United States. We also have a mandate to protect our industries and our workers.…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Terrebonne for her excellent question. During the election campaign, our government promised to build one Canadian economy out of 13. By Canada Day, we will introduce a bill to eliminate all federal barriers to interprovincial trade and work with the provinces and territories to catalyze projects in the national interest. That is how we will build the strongest …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, once again, Canadians expect the federal government, in partnership with provincial governments of course, to be hard at work protecting the economy from the threat of tariffs. This is precisely the work we have been doing since the dinner we had in Florida with President-elect Trump. I can inform our colleagues that I have had quite encouraging exchanges with the incoming commerce se…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, far from misleading Canadians, the government thinks it is important to be transparent in terms of the fiscal picture of the government. This is why, based on legal advice and accounting practices, the government booked contingent liabilities that increased the initial deficit projection to the level my colleague referred to. This is about righting historical wrongs with indigenous pe…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I thank the leader of the Bloc Québécois for his congratulations. A government is legitimate when it has the confidence of the House of Commons. That is exactly what the House gave the government several times last week. As the leader of the Bloc Québécois mentioned, our objective remains to support Canadians in tough economic times and to work with the administration of President-ele…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I thank our colleague for his congratulations. It will come as no surprise that we do not share his pessimism. We have every confidence in the Canadian economy, in Canadian workers and in the fall economic statement, which gave Canadians a great deal of hope in terms of support for these difficult economic times. We have also announced significant investments. I look forward to sharin…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, our colleague is talking about the government's deficit. He knows full well that the net debt-to-GDP ratio is dropping. He knows that this is the best performance in the G7. He also knows that Canadians expect their government to support them in tough economic times, whether it be with $10-a-day child care or a dental care program. The Conservatives actually voted against all of those…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, our colleague will not be surprised that we do not agree with the idea of having a Conservative government that wants to cut programs that support Canadians, that voted against $10 child care to support Canadian families, and that voted against a dental care program in Canada. Canadians expect to have a responsible government that works to support them in economically tough times. Tha…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as I said a moment ago, we are proud of the fiscal and economic record of this government. This is a record of supporting Canadians through the pandemic. This is a record of investing in entrepreneurship and innovation. This is a record of providing, for example, Canadians with $10-a-day child care, historic investments that speak to not only affordability issues, but growing the econ…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect their government to be focused on their economic concerns. They expect their government to be focused on the real threat that 25% tariffs across the board would mean to the Canadian economy. That is the work our government is doing. I can report that I had an encouraging preliminary conversation with the foreign affairs minister yesterday, with the U.S. border czar, M…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the fall economic statement was indeed tabled in the House of Commons yesterday. It is an economic statement that focuses on economic growth and the need to support Canadians during hard times, given the cost of living. That remains our government's primary objective, as it should. This statement also shows that we are using taxpayers' money responsibly. That is exactly what we will k…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I want to start by thanking the opposition House Leader for his heartfelt congratulations on my new role. I want to tell him and all Canadians that our government is very proud of the fall economic statement we made public yesterday. The fall economic statement speaks to growth in the Canadian economy. It speaks to supporting Canadians with serious affordability challenges. It speaks …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we certainly share our colleague's concerns about the circumstances of what happened at the Laval centre on the weekend. I have asked border services to conduct an immediate review of the facility's security systems. We have tripled the number of guards on site. We have changed protocols for certain people to access certain parts of the facility. We will keep working to ensure that th…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we are always in problem-solving mode. As my colleague knows, this system replaced a 36-year-old system that was at risk of failing across the board. It is used for assessing $40 billion in duties and taxes every year. A responsible government always tries to secure such an important system for the Canadian economy. We are addressing all the problems quickly to guarantee quick respons…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, it will come as no surprise to my colleague that the answer is neither. Many countries around the world are experiencing similar situations as the number of asylum seekers is increasing. However, we accept that we have a responsibility, by law, and in accordance with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, to ensure that certain individuals who pose a threat to Canada's public sa…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, our colleague is well aware that deporting people who do not have legal status in Canada and who have violated our criminal law is a serious responsibility that we accept. It goes without saying that it is a serious responsibility to work with our police forces and the CBSA. We are also working with our partners in some provinces to ensure that we can detain anyone who poses a real th…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I do not want to correct my colleague, but he said that the committee adopted a motion unanimously, implying that our Liberal colleagues also adopted it. This confirms our desire to see parliamentary committees fulfill their responsibilities while respecting the independence of the Auditor General. If the Auditor General decides to investigate, the government will obviously be very ha…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, our colleague is well aware that the government does not give instructions to the Auditor General. We respect the freedom of committees to study what they want and to invite the Auditor General to look at issues that are important to Canadians. The CARM replaced a 36-year-old system that was likely to fail. We understand the concerns of businesses and the private sector. I have full c…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, again, we obviously share our colleague's concerns. We want to support Canadian businesses and ensure that their payments are accurate and efficient. We want to avoid extra costs for these businesses. That was the point of modernizing this technology, a process, I would remind my colleagues, that began in 2010. It is not just one government that made the decision to take on this moder…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, here in the House, we have repeatedly talked about the how important the work of our border services officers is. They keep our country safe, process immigration cases when necessary and prevent drugs like fentanyl from crossing our borders. CBSA officers do important work for our country every day. We have full confidence in that work. We are going to invest more to support their imp…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, it is completely irresponsible to pretend that they can solve the problem by adding to the existing misinformation about the security of our border. I would ask our colleague to be more responsible before repeating slogans that I am sure his head office has forced on him. That is not in the interest of Canadians or in the interest of the Canadian economy. What is in our interest is to…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the safety and security of children who participate in the mother-child program is obviously a top priority for the Correctional Service of Canada. It is important to understand that this program has existed for decades, including during the time that Mr. Harper was prime minister of Canada. There are eligibility criteria and protocols to participate in this program. It includes child…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we have made clear, and the Prime Minister repeated it again just a few minutes ago, that we will continue to support the important work done by the women and men who work for the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. We think it is unfortunate the previous Conservative government cut the money available for this important work. We have also said that we…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, it would appear that the only plan the Conservatives have is to think up silly new rhymes in question period. What we said at the committee that the member referred to a few moments ago is something we have said for many months: We will continue to invest additional resources in the important work of the CBSA and of the RCMP. We are obviously looking at all ideas that would help stren…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I do not want to disagree with my friend for Edmonton—Griesbach, but the idea that we came back empty-handed is completely false. He knows very well that we had a productive discussion with Mr. Trump and his future cabinet secretaries. The Prime Minister, of course, spoke about the importance of protecting the Canadian economy and Canadian workers from tariffs. We also discussed with …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I share my colleague from Windsor West's support for the extraordinary women and men who work for the Canada Border Services Agency. Like him, I had an opportunity to meet many of these women and men who serve in protecting the security of our country and do very important work. I was glad the member highlighted the draconian cuts that the previous Conservative government made to the …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, one of the first things in our plan was to reverse some of the draconian cuts that the previous Conservative government made to the brave women and men who work in our Canadian border services. We take the issue of border integrity and border security seriously, as do the Americans. Our discussion on Friday evening with our American friends was very much about the joint work that we c…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we thank our colleague for that important question. We obviously share her concern and concern of all Canadians when we see these tragic outcomes. I have talked to the RCMP commissioner, the leadership of the RCMP, about this. I have had a chance to talk to indigenous leaders and territorial premiers about this. We share our colleague's concern about moving toward a circumstance where…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, once again, we had a very cordial and constructive conversation with our American partners on Friday evening. We talked about security at the Canada-U.S. border over the decades and the integration of Canadian police forces with their American partners. We talked, for example, about the important work that the RCMP is doing in the fight against fentanyl, which has led to drug seizures…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, my colleague is absolutely correct. Imposing the tariffs that the Americans are considering will harm Canadian workers and the Canadian economy, but also the American economy and American workers. That is why we spoke with President Trump and his future secretaries about the importance of working together and recognizing the integration between our two economies. Obviously, we discuss…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, my colleague across the way has a list of things that our government has actually done. We have worked with our law enforcement. We have invested more to reverse the cuts made by the former Conservative government. If my colleague is serious about our country's national security, I suggest that he encourage his boss to obtain the security clearance needed to access information that wi…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, again, we have always allocated sufficient resources to support the extraordinary work that the RCMP and CBSA do with their law enforcement partners, whether it is the Sûreté du Québec or their American partners. The good news is that we are going to continue to make sure they have the technology and the people they need. We are going to further support these technologies and personne…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we are always ready to support good ideas that aim to assist our law enforcement agencies in their fight against organized crime. Provisions already exist in the Criminal Code that allow law enforcement and the courts to seize property and bank accounts that are the proceeds of crime. However, if my colleague has other suggestions, we would gladly look into what we can do to constantl…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we do understand the importance of supporting our police forces, the RCMP and border services, but we did not just realize it now. We have been doing exactly that for the past nine years. We have exactly the same interests as the Americans, namely, to strengthen the integrity of our border and to enable Canadians to choose who enters Canada. It is the same thing for the United States.…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, again, I thank my colleague for underscoring the fact that it is important to support law enforcement and prosecutors and ensure that no one profits from crime, especially organized crime. We recognize the important work that the RCMP does with its partners such as the Sûreté du Québec, the Ontario Provincial Police and municipal police forces. Provisions in the Criminal Code already …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I will repeat what I just said. Our government condemns the violence and criminal acts that we saw in the streets of Montreal in all of our policies. It is completely unacceptable to express a political view by destroying Canadians' property, committing assault and attacking police officers. These people are not demonstrating peacefully. They are criminals and they will have to face C…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the RCMP continues to work closely with law enforcement agencies in Montreal, namely the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal, which is doing a good job. The RCMP always supports its partners, whether in Montreal, Quebec or other parts of the country. We have criticized and will continue to criticize the increase in anti-Semitism and hate crimes in Canada. We will continue to wor…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, my colleague, I think the Minister of defence properly explained the outrage all Canadians felt at the wanton, reckless violence on the streets of Montreal. We condemn unequivocally the rising and concerning rates of anti-Semitism and all other hate crimes in the country. We are working with provincial authorities and local police to combat them. Let me be very clear: No matter what g…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what our government does. It supports police doing dangerous and difficult work across the country. I was briefed on the incident in Winnipeg. I share the hon. member's relief that the officer is expected to recover. These are exactly the kinds of incidents that should make all members of the House support, in a non-partisan way, the important work that police forces d…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, our colleague knows very well that is not the case. He knows that all members of the House should properly be concerned about victims of crime. I think all members of the House should also be judicious with respect to continually repeating in the House the names of Canada's most heinous criminals. We think, on this side, that is also disrespectful to victims. Heinous criminals remain …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Absolutely, Mr. Speaker, and that is why we worked with our American partners to harmonize the hours of operation at certain border crossings. Obviously, that also allows us to reassign resources, as needed, to other areas that might be under pressure. This is a discussion that we have been having with the U.S. government for several years now, and it will enable us to apply the safe third country…
Read full speech →