Routine Proceedings
With regard to expenditures on hotel rooms by the government during or related to the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) in Montreal from December 7 to 19, 2022: (a) what was the total amount spent; (b) what are the details of the spending at each hotel, including the (i) total amount spent, (ii) name of the hotel, (iii) number of rooms rented each night, (iv) rate paid, including the…
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With regard to the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario (FedNor), since November 4, 2015: (a) what is the total amount of project funding announced by FedNor, broken down by (i) fiscal year, (ii) program; (b) of the amount announced in (a), how much (i) was transferred to the recipient, (ii) was eventually cancelled, (iii) is still awaiting transfer, broken down by fiscal year …
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With regard to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and shrinkflation: (a) will the government be lowering the size or volume threshold for items which are subject to GST when they are under a certain level (e.g., 500 ml of ice cream); (b) if the answer to (a) is affirmative, (i) on what items will the threshold be lowered, (ii) what will be the new threshold, (iii) when will the new threshold take ef…
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With regard to government subsidies for Volkswagen (VW) and the announcement in St. Thomas: (a) when was the timeline of decisions related to VW made and when were the offers sent or received; (b) did the government consider alternative companies to receive subsidies, and, if so, what (i) expressions of interest were received from other companies in this regard, (ii) monetary and non-monetary dema…
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Mr. Speaker, what is appalling is that the government has done absolutely nothing to help struggling Canadians. We know the Liberals already have one carbon tax in place that will add 41¢ a litre to the price of gas. Now they have carbon tax 2, the terrible sequel that will add another 17¢. Of course, on top of that, they have added the GST. When we add that all up, we have an extra 61¢ a litre th…
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Mr. Speaker, to quote former Liberal Premier McNeil, “we would all benefit from all governments being able to manage their own budget a lot better.” Go figure. After the budget was released, inflation went up. After the carbon tax increase, inflation went up. The Liberals must give Canadians a plan to end their deficits and bring down spending so that we can stop inflation and interest rates. They…
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Mr. Speaker, it is incredibly disappointing to see the minister politicizing these disasters for his own gain. The fact of the matter is after eight years of the Prime Minister Canadians are struggling like never before as the cost of government is driving up the cost of living and people are struggling to afford gas, groceries and home heating. Now they are planning a 41¢-a-litre tax on gas as we…
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Mr. Speaker, there have been far too many closures, far too many accidents and far too many lives lost along the Trans-Canada Highway through northwestern Ontario. That is why we have been calling for the twinning of this stretch for years. This project was supported by the former Conservative government, and it is supported by the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba, but the only missing piece is s…
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Mr. Speaker, the NDP-Liberals are at it again. The minister wants to talk about saving lives, but, under his watch, we have seen a violent wave of crime across the country. The Liberals have failed to fix the broken bail system. They are failing to address violent repeat offenders. What they are doing is bringing forward a confiscation plan that would only hurt hunters and sport shooters. In fact,…
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Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is the policies of the government are the very ones that are driving up inflation and making everything more expensive for Canadians. Now grocery prices are rising to the point where people have to turn to food banks, housing prices have doubled and many young people are worried they will never be able to afford a home. The clawbacks on paycheques are making it …
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Madam Speaker, we need an all-hands-on-deck approach in addressing the housing crisis. I certainly see a federal role to play in terms of what I laid out, which is in our motion today, but we also have to work with the municipalities and the provinces as well. We probably could have had a 50- or 60-page opposition motion, given the extent of the housing crisis. There is a lot of work that we can d…
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Madam Speaker, I greatly appreciate the opportunity to take part in this important discussion today on our opposition day motion looking to address the housing crisis that we are seeing right across this country. It truly is a crisis. Unfortunately, the housing minister has not been able to say that it is a crisis, but at least we have heard that terminology reflected in the comments of some of th…
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years under the Prime Minister, Canadians are struggling; however, Conservatives have a plan to make Canada work for the people who do the work. We will bring home lower prices by ending inflationary deficits and scrapping the carbon tax on gas, groceries and home heating. We will bring home more powerful paycheques by cutting taxes and clawbacks to reward hard work, as we…
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Madam Speaker, as I mentioned in my remarks, I had the opportunity to join the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association last week and was able to connect with all nine mayors from my riding. I can say that they were incredibly enthusiastic about the approach that we are bringing forward because they know we need to get more development moving forward. What I see here is an opportunity to work wi…
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Madam Speaker, as I said to my Liberal colleague when he asked his question, I do think this is an opportunity to work with our municipalities. Members of parties opposite like to flash their municipal credentials. Of course, the member for Parry Sound—Muskoka, who brought forward the motion today, is a former mayor himself and understands these issues quite well, as do the nine mayors in my ridin…
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Madam Speaker, although we do not always see eye to eye on everything, I do appreciate the tone my colleague from Kitchener Centre brings to this place. I would like to stick on the topic of housing. To the point that was just made, the Conservative Party has brought forward a number of solutions, such as bringing forward a plan to speed up building permits to get more homes built and create an in…
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Madam Speaker, the member opposite talked quite a bit about affordability and its importance in his speech, but the budget really does the opposite of addressing affordability. It adds billions of dollars of debt, which is going to drive up inflation. It adds new taxes, especially the carbon tax, which is going to make the costs of gas, groceries and home heating more expensive. My question for th…
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With regard to the processing of requests made under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act: (a) what is the policy or standard practice, broken down by department, agency, Crown corporation, or other government entity, with respect to consultations concerning personal or third-party information of former members of Parliament; (b) during the course of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police'…
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Mr. Speaker, just over a week ago, the City of Kenora played host to the top curlers from across northern Ontario for the regional playdowns. This is always an incredible opportunity to showcase the great talent we have across the north, and I know that Kenora was honoured to once again host this important event. I want to thank and congratulate all of the volunteers and organizers who put togethe…
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With regard to the Canada Revenue Agency: what is the total number of employees or full-time equivalents in each division and section of the agency (human resources, administration, corporate tax processing, etc.), broken down by year, since 2016?
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With regard to the 2022-23 departmental plan for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario: (a) what is the government's target for the percentage of companies engaged in collaborations with higher education institutions in Northern Ontario; and (b) what is the government's target in terms of the dollar value of exports of clean technologies from Northern Ontario?
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With regard to applications received for funding under the Economic Development Initiative in Northern Ontario, since 2018, broken down by the year the applications were received: (a) how many applicants and what percentage did not receive a decision within 80 days of government receiving the application; (b) of the applicants in (a), how many organizations were (i) Indigenous-owned or were from I…
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With regard to applications received under the Northern Ontario Development Program, since 2018, broken down by year the applications were received: (a) how many applicants and what percentage did not receive a decision within 80 days of the government receiving the application; (b) of the applicants in (a), how many organizations were (i) Indigenous-owned or were from Indigenous communities, (ii)…
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate the comments from the government member across the way. In the debate today, a number of concerns have been brought forward around some of the ministerial powers included in Bill C-26, as well as the lack of accountability mechanisms. I think we have heard from all parties about the desire to bring forward amendments and improvements at the committee stage. Does the mem…
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Madam Speaker, I had the pleasure of working with my colleague from the Bloc previously on the indigenous and northern affairs committee. To that end, I want to talk a bit about the amendment that was put forward by the Liberal Party to remove the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples from having a seat on this council. The Conservatives proposed that initiative at committee and we had support from the N…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Edmonton Griesbach for his comments. I have appreciated the opportunity to work with him on a number of files over the last year. I want to go back to the amendment that has been proposed by the Liberals. In 2018 the government signed an accord recognizing the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples as one of the five national indigenous organizations, which is why at …
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moved: That Bill C-29, in Clause 10, be amended by replacing line 15 on page 5 with the following: “in paragraphs (1)(a) to (e), the remaining directors may”
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Madam Speaker, I have appreciated the opportunity to work with my colleague once again on the indigenous and northern affairs committee, as he alluded to. The short answer is all of them. I support the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and I support moving forward on the calls to action, but the point the parliamentary secretary made, and he alluded to it as well in his speech, is talking about…
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Madam Speaker, I want to start by saying I am very concerned with the Liberals' proposal to remove the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples from this legislation. I recently had the opportunity to visit Prince Edward Island, not too far from where the hon. member is. I met with both the Mi'kmaq Confederacy of P.E.I. and the Native Council of P.E.I., which I am sure the hon. member is well acquainted wit…
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Madam Speaker, it is an honour for me to join the debate today on Bill C-29, the truth and reconciliation council. It has been an honour for me as the member for Kenora representing northwestern Ontario, which includes 42 first nations across three treaty territories as well as the Métis homeland, to work on this bill throughout the committee process. I am pleased that the vast majority of the ame…
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Madam Speaker, as I alluded to in my speech, a very important aspect is that the government needs to listen and be responsive to the needs of indigenous communities. When I talk to chiefs and leaders across my riding, they know what their communities need and they know where the gaps are, but too often we have Indigenous Services trying to dictate where those dollars should flow, and that is why I…
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Madam Speaker, my colleague from Winnipeg had quite a few questions within that, so I will try to address them in the time I have. To her point around the spending, I alluded to it in my speech. It is not necessarily about more or less, but about spending more efficiently and more effectively. When we have Parliamentary Budget Officer reports saying ISC is throwing money away and not actually achi…
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Madam Speaker, the member for Nunavut touched on a number of very important issues. I really appreciate the passion she brings to this place. She really speaks from the heart on a lot of these issues. I have had the pleasure of working with her on the indigenous and northern affairs committee, as the parliamentary secretary has as well. A lot of the issues that are experienced in the northern part…
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Madam Speaker, I just wanted to pick up on something my hon. colleague talked about around the tribunal. Given the fact that the EU and the United States do not have tribunals and given the fact that the Federal Court has the ability, presently, to appeal the Privacy Commissioner, I have a simple question for my colleague from the Liberal Party. Does he feels that having that tribunal included is …
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Mr. Speaker, I too wish to touch on the technology aspect of Bill S-4. With technology, obviously the Internet is a very important component of that. I know in northern Ontario and across many parts of the country, Internet access is unaffordable, is unattainable and is not reliable for many individuals. The Liberal government has been in power for seven years, and it has made many bold promises o…
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With regard to Bill C-19, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 7, 2022 and other measures, which received Royal Assent on June 23, 2022, and which included amendments to the Special Economic Measures Act, allowing for the forfeiture of assets and property of sanctioned individuals and entities, by the government: (a) how many applications for forfeitur…
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Madam Speaker, I would agree in many respects with my colleague from the Bloc, that the Liberal government has missed every single environmental target it has set. Canada is now at the bottom of the pack when it comes to climate change. The government has brought forward all these taxation policies that cause economic pain for Canadians, but we are not seeing any environmental gain as a result. Th…
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Madam Speaker, as I said in an earlier response to a Liberal member's question, there are many aspects that are impacting a lot of the challenges we are seeing here in the country, but there is no denying the fact that, as the PBO pointed out, as Mark Carney has pointed out and as many economists across the country have pointed out, when the government spends more it makes life more unaffordable f…
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Madam Speaker, fuel costs are up nearly 56% from last year. For those in northern Ontario, that means they are struggling to afford to fill their gas tanks. It means that rising grocery bills are causing many people to cut back on their diets. The rising cost of home heating has many people concerned about the upcoming winter months and how they will pay the bills to heat their homes. This is a cr…
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Madam Speaker, I am honoured by the opportunity to rise again today and speak to a government bill, Bill C-32, in regard to the fall economic statement. The member for Winnipeg North believes it is a good bill. Unfortunately, I cannot really say the same, and I am going to get into that here with my remarks. Obviously, it is an important discussion we are having today, with the cost of living cris…
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Madam Speaker, that is another out-of-touch comment from the Liberal government. The Liberals simply seem to believe that prices are skyrocketing and they are just victims of it and have absolutely no responsibility here. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has indicated that it is the government's inflationary spending that is the cause of inflation. Future Liberal leader Mark Carney has said so, as…
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Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the government's economic policies, one thing I find very troubling is the fact that the government always spends and spends, but the results are not there for Canadians. That is very true when it comes to indigenous services. The government has increased spending by over 100% for Indigenous Services Canada since it took office, but reports from the Parliamentary Budg…
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Mr. Speaker, one of the things I want to pick up on is the fact that we are clearly in an economic crisis, with Canadians struggling across the country just to put food on the table and heat their homes. They are struggling to get by. The answer from the government, time and time again, is to spend more money, when this spending is the very thing that is causing the inflationary crisis to begin wi…
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Madam Speaker, the economic update released by this costly coalition only features more of the same reckless spending policies that have driven up inflation on Canadians. Now people are worried and wondering how they are going to be able to fill their gas tanks, heat their homes this winter or put food on the table. When will the Liberals finally stop their spending and cancel their plan to triple…
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Madam Speaker, inflation is at record highs, and this month food inflation has jumped to over 11%. This is something that we are feeling especially across northern Ontario. In communities in my riding, people are now having to choose between heating their homes, filling their vehicle's gas tanks or putting food on their tables. In Sandy Lake, one individual can of beans is now costing five dollars…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are struggling because of the inflation caused by the Prime Minister and his government. Now, as temperatures are dropping below zero across northern Ontario and the Liberals are planning to triple the taxes on home heating, people are worried and are wondering if they are even going to be able to afford to heat their homes this winter. Will the government do the right thing…
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Mr. Speaker, everything is getting more expensive as the government drives up inflation with its tax-and-spend policies. Now it is planning to triple taxes on gas, triple taxes on groceries and triple taxes on home heating. This is all while Canadians are struggling to get by and are just barely able to afford the basic necessities. Will the finance minister, today, finally announce a plan to canc…
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Madam Speaker, the member for Winnipeg North is definitely not shy to rise in this place and share his thoughts with the chamber. My question is regarding a recent PBO report that showed the increase the government has had in expenditures through ICS since 2015 has not measured up to the government meeting its targets of improving lives in indigenous communities. It is unfortunate that we see, tim…
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Mr. Speaker, our new Conservative leader will put the people first: their paycheques, their savings, their homes and their country. People feel like they are losing control of their pocketbooks and of their lives, as the government has doubled the national debt and is driving up the cost of everything. With prices on gas, groceries and other essentials skyrocketing, many people are struggling to g…
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Madam Speaker, I agree with much of what my colleague from the Liberal Party had to say, and I appreciate his sentiment. I have a question around the timing of this. Of course, the government has said that no relationship is more important to it than its relationship with indigenous peoples. It has said a lot of the right words around reconciliation, but the final report of the interim board for t…
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