Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I do read the francophone media, but I also work in English and French, as do many people in the House. I will also say that we have focused all our resources on making sure that we get through the waiting list. It is shrinking every day. I thank the civil service for making the effort to learn this system and learn it well. As I mentioned, we have been in contact with these members o…
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Mr. Speaker, last fall, all the Conservatives did was quote Food Banks Canada. Over and over, they talked about Food Banks Canada. They failed to notice that Food Banks Canada recommended exactly what we are doing right now, which is to put more money in the pockets of those who need it the most. Conservatives say they want to co-operate. Can they stop obstructing legislation that is helping Canad…
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Mr. Speaker, the average family is saving $16,000 a year on child care. Who refuses to support young families with the cost of living? It is the Conservatives across the aisle. Families are saving $800 a year in food costs for their children at school. Who refuses to feed hungry children at school? It is the Conservatives. Every step we take, they obstruct. They get in the way of the very things t…
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Mr. Speaker, rolling out a new benefits delivery platform requires an adjustment period. The department is working tirelessly to ensure that staff have the tools they need to familiarize themselves with the new system and deliver benefits efficiently. If anyone is experiencing problems with their benefits, I encourage them to contact Service Canada. I also invite them to contact my office directly…
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Mr. Speaker, our office has contacted the member opposite, but has yet to receive a response. If they have urgent cases to resolve, I would ask them to contact my office so that we can answer their requests. I am ready to help my colleague's constituents.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives would need to start having some good ideas for us to steal them. We are always interested in good ideas on this side of the House. The member for Fort McMurray—Cold Lake just said that nothing is working in her province. Let me tell her that the national school food program is feeding 58,000 children in her province. In fact, parents in her province are saving up to …
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Mr. Speaker, all we hear from the opposition are imaginary taxes that they—
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Mr. Speaker, all we hear from the opposition members are conversations about imaginary taxes that theoretically are impacting the price of food. They do not want to work with evidence. They do not want to listen to experts who are telling us that the very thing we need to do is increase the money in people's pocketbooks. That is what we are doing, whether by cutting taxes for 22 million Canadians,…
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Mr. Speaker, this is not an easy fix. The department is in the process of modernizing systems that are more than 60 years old so it can better serve more than 7.5 million people every year. If the member opposite is aware of any instances where seniors are having difficulty accessing their benefits, I would ask her to please share them with me so that my department can resolve these issues as quic…
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Mr. Speaker, the Daily Bread Food Bank, Food Banks Canada, Food, Health and Consumer Products of Canada, and Roots Community Food Centre, in my own riding, are all food centres that have praised the work of the government and the new groceries and essentials benefit, which many are saying will provide relief exactly when people need it. Across the aisle, Conservatives talk, but do they ever suppor…
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Mr. Speaker, here we go again, talking about imaginary taxes instead of the real things that help Canadian families. Last week I met with provinces and territories from across the country, who all agree that, for example, the early learning and child care system is saving families in all of our jurisdictions, sometimes up to $14,000 a year. That is the kind of thing that Conservatives vote against…
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Mr. Speaker, the minister is working diligently to resolve the cases of people who are having trouble getting their benefits. Over 98% of OAS applicants are receiving their benefits promptly. The department is working to overhaul an old system in place for decades and replace it with a system built to last for generations. I invite the member opposite to give me the names of these people and we wi…
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Mr. Speaker, Conservatives like to talk about making life affordable, but every time Canadians ask for help and the government provides that help, whether it is through affordable child care, which, by the way, saves families up to $16,000 a year; the school food program, which reaches families all across the country; or this new tax benefit that will help 12 million Canadians, they say, “Oh, that…
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Mr. Speaker, my department is in the process of transferring benefit delivery to a more modern system. The delay in the processing of applications affected 1.2% of OAS applicants. The department is committed to delivering the OAS swiftly and accurately. My department and I are working tirelessly to resolve these problems. If anyone is having difficulty accessing the OAS, we encourage them to conta…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member of Parliament for their advocacy for northern Ontario, a topic I am always happy to get up to talk about. As the member knows, we have been there for northern Ontario in many difficult and challenging ways. Most recently I have been working with Kap Paper to support the mill as it reorients its product to a product that will be sellable across the world. We will be …
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Mr. Speaker, all fall, the Conservatives across the aisle quoted Food Banks Canada time and time again in their litigation on the cost of food. Now, when the government steps up to help 12 million families with up to $1,900 to pay for those very costs of food, the Conservatives are fighting against it. Why can Conservative MPs not listen to their constituents, get out of the way and help those ver…
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Mr. Speaker, we have good news, and just in time for Christmas. Tomorrow we will be signing the extension of the early learning and child care agreement with Alberta. Now all the provinces and territories have agreed to continue this important program. This means that in Alberta, child care costs have been reduced to $15 per day, which saves families, on average, $7,600 per year. That is money tha…
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Mr. Speaker, rather than focusing on imaginary taxes like the opposition does, we stay focused on helping Canadian families. It is why Canada child benefit cheques will be delivered early this month, so families can have the money when they need it most, as they get ready for a happy holiday and merry Christmas. We are focused on supporting Canadians and Canadian families, something that I would h…
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Mr. Speaker, while the member opposite talks about imaginary taxes, Canadians know exactly what is going on, and it is related to climate change. Our thoughts are with the cattle farmers in the western provinces this year, who have faced unimaginable loss of crop and loss of cattle as a result of drought. That is driving up the price of beef, something that we cannot actually control right now. Wh…
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Mr. Speaker, the opposition wants to talk about nonsense taxes that do not exist on food instead of supporting the very things that Canadians have told us, time and again, that they want. They want a Canada child benefit that is indexed to inflation. They want seniors' benefits that are indexed to inflation. They want to make sure, as do all mothers, that children get healthy food in schools. Howe…
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Mr. Speaker, if we listen to the Conservatives over there, there is no solution. The solution is to sink or swim. If a person cannot afford to feed their family, too bad, the state's not there to take care of them. Here in Canada, we have always believed in taking care of each other. That is why we are known for our universal health care system around the world. We have built on that. We make sure…
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Mr. Speaker, actually what I said was that it is all in the member's head. There are no taxes on food, and there are no taxes on farms. Rather than look for solutions, the Conservatives just throw roadblocks in the way of every single Canadian who knows they need supports in difficult times. By the way, what Canadians are counting on is a government that will stand with them; that will make sure t…
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Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition has said he does not want to do anything about climate change and he wants to talk about imaginary taxes, but when we want to do things for Canadians who are really struggling, as he points out, such as, by the way, indexing the Canada child benefit to inflation; ensuring we have a strong school nutrition program; and signing agreements on child care that …
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Mr. Speaker, while the opposition focuses on imaginary taxes, we are focusing on real supports for Canadians, and that includes the Canada child benefit that keeps up with inflation, seniors benefits that keeps up with inflation, and a dental care plan that allows Canadians to get their teeth fixed, for God's sake, which is something the Conservatives vote against time and again. I ask myself what…
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Mr. Speaker, the opposition party likes to talk about farmers, but let us talk about what farmers were going through last year, when 66% of agricultural land in Canada was experiencing drought, extreme drought, which drove up the price of beef. Not only that, but all across the world, prices for imports like coffee and tea and cocoa and strawberries and oranges went up as a result of climate chang…
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Mr. Speaker, we are not focused on imaginary taxes. We are focused on what actually helps Canadians. Do members know what helps Canadians? More money in their pockets helps Canadians. A decade ago, the Canada child benefit was worth up to $6,000. It is now worth up to $7,200. It has kept pace with inflation. It has made sure that families have what they need to buy those children the food they nee…
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Mr. Speaker, that is another example of the opposition's using a report without actually taking the time to read it. In fact, the price of beef, one of the prices that is going up most dramatically, is directly linked to climate change. In fact, the report says challenges persisted for producers throughout the year in western Canada as they experienced a drought and as input costs like feed rose. …
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Madam Speaker, I find it interesting that the member from Saskatchewan failed to reference the historic agreement to extend $10-a-day child care to Saskatchewan. My colleague, the Secretary of State for Rural Development, made that announcement with his counterpart from Saskatchewan. This is $10-a-day child care for families in Saskatchewan. In fact, the premier and province are working collaborat…
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Madam Speaker, I note that the member opposite quoted Feed NB. I wonder if he could comment on the recommendation by Feed NB to ensure healthy school food programs, including breakfast programs, and why he would vote against the very thing that Feed NB recommends as part of its strategy to feed hungry folks. I also wonder why the member voted against the packages for trade-affected workers, like s…
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Mr. Speaker, it is clear the Leader of the Opposition has not read the report because, in fact, the report predicts that inflation is actually going to stabilize and go down. Here is what we are doing on this side. We are putting money in the pockets of Canadians, whether it is through the Canada child benefit, which, by the way, is indexed to inflation and that they voted against, whether it is a…
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Mr. Speaker, instead of focusing on imaginary taxes, we are working to control the things we can, which is putting more money in the pockets of Canadians. That is how we help Canadians with affordability challenges. We make sure they have the money so they can adjust to whatever happens in the market. One would think Conservatives would understand market pressures. It is clear they do not. Today w…
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Mr. Speaker, I know the Conservatives do not know much about working together in collaboration, but Doug Ford does. The Premier of Ontario is working just as hard as this government to save those jobs in Sault Ste. Marie. That is why we made a $400-million loan to Algoma Steel, because we know that those jobs are important, that the company is important to the future of Canada and that we need a s…
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Mr. Speaker, while the member opposite talks about affordability for Canadians, I just want to remind the House that it is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and we have members here in Ottawa today who work so hard to make sure that people with disabilities have full opportunities to participate in the workforce, something we should all take seriously. That member voted against t…
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Mr. Speaker, it is pretty clear that those Conservatives would not have lifted a hand to help save our steel industry in Canada. That is pretty clear from the nature of the questions, but more than that, do members know what happens when someone loses their job? It is a time of panic. That is why we extended EI for 20 weeks for long-tenured workers. The Conservatives will mock this because they vo…
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Mr. Speaker, I am so proud of the City of Thunder Bay, which just passed, through its council—
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Mr. Speaker, it is historic. For the first time in this country, we have a disability tax benefit, and I want to thank all parliamentarians who supported this. Unfortunately, again the Conservatives voted against the very people they say they wish to help. Budget 2025 actually goes a step further, and it compensates people for the financial burden of getting doctors' forms to file for their credit…
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday it was distressing to see member of Parliament after member of Parliament from the Conservative side vote against and argue against relieving consumers of the price of carbon, which we have, in the bill in front of the House, promised to do. They have voted against. They will vote against a tax cut for 22 million Canadians. It is again something that Conservatives like to ta…
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Mr. Speaker, all across the country, municipalities are stepping up to make new housing available for some of the most vulnerable people in our community. Take the City of Thunder Bay, which, just last night, through its council, approved a motion to free up surplus city land for 1,400 homes. It is facilitated by the housing accelerator fund. That is the work of a government that is behind communi…
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Mr. Speaker, it would be really nice if the Conservatives would read the reports that they quote in the House of Commons. Food banks Ontario talks about the importance of increasing base rates for social assistance, making sure that people living in poverty have sufficient social supports and investing in income supports for Canadians, like we have done through the Canada disability support paymen…
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Mr. Speaker, here we go again with the imaginary taxes. In fact, the food professor himself said that one of the hardest things to predict is the effect of climate change on the cost of food. They do not use that quote when they are misleading Canadians with inaccurate information. On this side of the House, we know what helps families; it is actually money in their pockets. When the Canada child …
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Mr. Speaker, every step of the way, the Conservatives fight against the supports Canadian families talk about needing. In fact, they just asked a question about workers who are facing job losses at Algoma Steel, yet when they had a chance to vote for the expansion of EI for easier access, longer duration and more generous benefits, they voted against it. How do the Conservatives, in any way, have …
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Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize the northern Ontario mayors who were here this week, talking about their incredible work to attract people to northern Ontario. These mayors are actually investing in the very things that create affordable housing, using the housing accelerator, working with infrastructure, working with the Province of Ontario and making sure that as critical mineral projects boom …
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Madam Speaker, Canada's GDP growth last quarter was 2.6%, blowing out economists' projections. That is what growing Canada strong looks like. It is an investment in the potential of the country. It is an investment in right now. We have the highest rate of women ever in the workforce. Do members know why? It is because we have an affordable child care agreement. Yesterday, Saskatchewan signed an e…
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Madam Speaker, yesterday, I met with operating engineers from all across the country who came to talk to me about the investments we are making in building Canada strong. They are so excited about the work for their members. As the proud mother of an operating engineer, I could not be more thrilled as well. These are great jobs for young people and tradespeople all across the country. This is how …
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Mr. Speaker, finally, Hamilton gets a voice in the House of Commons with a strong MP who had to repeat his question four times. How disrespectful is that to the workers of Hamilton, who are really struggling and working so hard to pivot to new product and new markets. That is why standing beside ArcelorMittal Dofasco yesterday, one of the backbones of our steel industry here in Canada, and the Pri…
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I stood with the Prime Minister and the president of Dofasco as we announced additional supports for steel, for lumber, for communities, for organizations and for their employees, who have been deeply impacted by tariffs. They are not only encouraged by our support; they are excited about the future. Do members know why? It is because they have an opportunity through buy Ca…
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Mr. Speaker, today, the announcement with the Prime Minister and the Premier of Alberta is good news for workers all across the country. It is good news for workers in Alberta. It is certainly good news for skilled tradespeople and the young apprentices who are and learning these trades. This is an announcement about prosperity and shared prosperity. It scopes in indigenous people and creates weal…
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Mr. Speaker, since this Prime Minister took office, that is exactly what he has done. In fact, we stood up for Canadian companies and workers all across this country. In just a few minutes, the Prime Minister will do it again. He will stand up for Canadian companies, lumber companies, steel companies and their hard-working union members, who are fighting so hard to protect the economy of their reg…
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Mr. Speaker, I have had the opportunity to meet with youth from across the country about the investments we are making in budget 2025: $1.5 billion for youth skills and training. However, there is a very specific program. I met with some members of youth from that member's riding, who talked about their excitement and enthusiasm about seeing the youth climate corps in this budget. Youth are worrie…
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Mr. Speaker, today there is good news for the many companies around the country that are working so hard to stay in business in the middle of this trade war. Whether it is steel or whether it is lumber, we have their backs. Today, we are going to talk more about what else we can do, not only to make sure that we protect these companies but to help them grow their footprint, to sell their product t…
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