Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, once again, I know the hon. deputy leader of the Conservative Party is not suggesting that the Prime Minister of Canada should not have joined with dozens of his international counterparts for as auspicious an event as the commemoration of a ceasefire in the Middle East, an issue upon which, I might add, she has had a lot to say over the last little while. The Prime Minister of Canada…
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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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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, 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, I think we diverge on a very significant point above all others, which is that, over here, we believe in the future of Canada and in our ability to create our own future, to make our own decisions and to choose our own destiny. Part of choosing that destiny is the negotiations with members and the constituent parts of our vast and great land, which includes, of course, the province of…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague, the Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement, asked a very important question earlier: What exactly is inflationary spending? We keep asking this question month after month, day after day, and week after week in this chamber. Is it support for aluminum workers? Is it support for school food? Is it the dental care program? Is it health transfers…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge and commend my esteemed colleague for the great job he did coaching the Chicoutimi Saguenéens. What he may not realize is that no one in Saguenay is asking the government to eliminate the school food program, support for organizations and volunteers, the Canada child benefit or support for housing. No one in Saguenay is asking for that. I would like the member to…
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Mr. Speaker, this Prime Minister is the one who called on the Canada Revenue Agency to crack down on Driver Inc. truckers. He is the one who ordered more inspections to ensure compliance with the Canada Labour Code and he is the one who is making sure that legitimate trucking companies can operate in Canada. This was acknowledged at a meeting I had this morning with the Association du camionnage d…
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Mr. Speaker, for a fleeting moment there I thought we were going to get another lecture on wood. We were all bracing ourselves on this side for another one of the Leader of the Opposition's lectures on wood. I do take his point on steel. Indeed there is steel in farm equipment. Indeed Canadian farmers are the best in the world. Indeed our Minister of Agriculture and the entire government are rally…
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Mr. Speaker, amidst all the action taken by the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Jobs and the Minister of Transport to crack down on Driver Inc., a system created by Mr. Harper, incidentally, the Bloc Québécois is forgetting one thing. I think the member for Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel—Alnôbak will be chastising his party because the Bloc Québécois is asking the federal govern…
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Mr. Speaker, every one of those 11 people and, indeed, every one of the 170 people on this side of the House were elected to put Canadians to work building major projects, building them with Canadian steel, Canadian lumber and Canadian aluminum, protecting our workers, protecting those most vulnerable and coming to the aid of families. The 170 Liberal members on this side of the House support a st…
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Mr. Speaker, do you know what people are not talking about in Saguenay—Lac‑Saint‑Jean this morning? They are not talking about this obsession with referendums. They are not talking about breaking up, separation, division or bickering in society. What do they care about? They care about their jobs, they care about building a country, they care about taking care of their kids, they care about puttin…
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Mr. Speaker, once again, I challenge my colleague, or any group among his colleagues that he cares to bring, to define what he means by inflationary spending. Does he mean school nutrition? Does he mean dental care? Does he mean investments in jobs or in renewable energy? What exactly does he mean by inflationary spending? We have been asking him that forever. My colleague seems not to know, but I…
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Mr. Speaker, there we have it. The members says “handouts” and “dependence” when talking about school food programs and about child care. He is trying to lecture my colleague from Churchill—Keewatinook Aski about not getting out enough. That member needs to talk to more single mothers. That member needs to talk to more young people, more steelworkers, more aluminum workers and more auto workers ab…
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Mr. Speaker, perhaps the verdict will be overturned. I will explain what we consider to be important expenditures. For us, an important expenditure leads to job creation. It is an expenditure that enables a single mother to send her child to day care where the child will be fed through a school food program. For us, an important expenditure is something that gives young Canadians the dignity of a …
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak to that point of order. The leader of the Bloc Québécois himself is saying that federal funding for culture in Quebec is being used to silence separatists. If he wants to bring those topics to the House, he has to take responsibility. The Bloc Québécois has to take responsibility so that the matter can be debated. Members of the Bloc Québécois are suffering from …
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Mr. Speaker, it will come as no surprise to anyone that I totally disagree with my esteemed colleague's version of the facts. It is precisely the outbursts of Conservative members, true to their leader's example, with their three-word slogans and determination to upend the work of the House and committees, that prompted the decision by the member for Etobicoke—Lakeshore to cancel this morning's co…
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Mr. Speaker, to listen to the members of Parliament from Alberta is to get a taste of real dejection: real dejection that a prime minister of Canada and a premier of Alberta put their signatures to a solemn document that creates major possibilities in renewable power, in electricity generation, in carbon sequestration, in resource development and in making Canada a renewable and conventional energ…
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Mr. Speaker, after spending 10 years on the other side of the House, I can understand why they are fed up. They must be fed up with voting against dental care, official languages legislation and renewable energy in Quebec. They must be very fed up with losing three, soon to be four, different leaders.
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Mr. Speaker, for the record, the Prime Minister is doing his job, and now he is off to speak with the Assembly of First Nations. He is doing the job of the Prime Minister of Canada, not standing in the House doing quippy quips for Twitter—
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Mr. Speaker, here we go again with the imaginary taxes. As my colleague just said, when presented with the opportunity to vote for a tax cut for every single income-tax payer in this country, they say no. When they get a chance to vote to remove the GST for first-time homebuyers, they say no. When they get the chance to vote for the removal of the consumer carbon tax, what do the Conservatives say…
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Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, the Prime Minister is doing his job and is off to give an address and consult with the Assembly of First Nations, not doing quippy quips for Twitter with the Leader of the Opposition, which I know the Leader of the Opposition would very much like to do as he likes to obstruct, obfuscate and, as he has shown earlier in question period, not have a single handle on a sin…
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Mr. Speaker, the lid has been blown off but the lid has been blown off the tired lines that the Leader of the Opposition has been using for two years. He has systematically stood in the way of investments in supportive, social, low-cost and low-income housing in the country throughout his exclusive 20-year career in the House of Commons. He has systematically stood in the way of supports like dent…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an important issue. We want to make sure we have marine safety and indeed the safety of all vessels. Their seaworthiness, the safety and security of those aboard them and the environment of those who must deal with these transgressions must all be dealt with. I am very glad to have the hon. member's co-operation and interest in this file. I can assure him that we will continue t…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order, with apologies to my hon. colleague and his speech. I simply want to inform the House that I will be bringing forward a motion for the unanimous consent of the House to schedule a take-note debate on the auto sector for this Wednesday evening.
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Mr. Speaker, like the member, I am making appearances at food drives, dinners and food banks this festive season. We are making sure that we show the same solidarity that Quebeckers and Canadians have always shown. However, what the people at these events ask me is why the Conservatives always vote against school food programs, the Canada child benefit, tax cuts, dental care and pharmacare. Why do…
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is saying things that are not true. Nobody understands why those members are getting so worked up. We have a climate plan with Alberta to develop renewable energy in western Canada, to focus on nuclear energy and to set very specific conditions for conventional energy development. At the same time, we are working with Quebec and the other provinces to continue our e…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague just mentioned Canada's national school food program. We could also mention the Canada child benefit and automatic benefits. There is no bureaucracy in these programs, but they provide direct assistance to moms and dads who are experiencing food insecurity, which, yes, is all too widespread in our society. Why are this leader and his party so bent on voting against measur…
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Mr. Speaker, the agreement reached last week is a major step forward for climate change and the environment in Canada. The deal includes carbon capture. It includes renewable energy intertie projects across western Canada. It includes nuclear energy, and it also includes a clear process and clear conditions for the Province of Alberta to meet. This is a major step forward for our environment. The …
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Mr. Speaker, does the Bloc Québécois know what the people in British Columbia are not saying? They are not saying that they need the Bloc Québécois to stand up for them. We have a clear path in British Columbia. We are creating jobs and opportunities. We are ensuring that we work collaboratively with B.C. first nations. We are creating renewable energy and electricity grids. B.C. is the big winner…
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Mr. Speaker, this morning, Canadians are celebrating the results of our incredibly strong economy, which is becoming the best in the G7. The Canadian economy grew 2.6% in the last quarter. What does that mean? It means opportunities for our young people. It reflects our military spending. It reflects our economic development efforts. It is the result and the fruit of our work with the provinces to…
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Madam Speaker, we had, yesterday, a very comprehensive display of meeting the ambitions and meeting the moment in western Canada in Alberta, making sure that we have a better path to fighting climate change and a higher price on industrial carbon. Premier Smith has signed on to a radical set of new measures to make sure we have clean electricity, to make sure we build data centres and to make sure…
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Madam Speaker, on this side of the House, count us a little perplexed as to the approach of the Conservatives in question period today. First, there is the news of 2.6% growth in our economy, which leads all published data in the G7. We signed a landmark agreement with the Province of Alberta yesterday that will secure an economic future for families, children, and people looking for jobs, and an …
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Madam Speaker, when it comes to the forestry sector, we will take no lessons from a Conservative member. We are in a trade war. In the case of softwood lumber, the trade war has been going on for 40 years. The United States has not budged on this issue. What are we doing? We are responding by supporting our workers. We are responding by supporting our businesses. We are responding by modernizing a…
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Madam Speaker, this morning, I heard some good news about the economy. Canada's economy grew 2.6%. What I did not hear was people from British Columbia saying that they needed the Bloc Québécois to stand up for them. We will work with the Province of British Columbia. We will work because we have a duty to consult and respect the first nations of British Columbia. That is what we are going to do. …
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Madam Speaker, we are strong here on this side of the House. Why? It is because we are steadfast. Unlike the Bloc Québécois, we are steadfast in keeping our election promises. What were those promises? We promised to build Canada, to respect jurisdictions and to work with the provinces to meet their economic objectives. We also promised moms and dads in Canada that their children would have an eco…
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Madam Speaker, as the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources mentioned, the economic and trade situation has changed recently. I think that all Quebeckers understand that we are in a new era when it comes to trade with the United States and perhaps with the rest of the world. That is forcing us to secure our economy, work with the provinces, meet our economic objectives and implement major renew…
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Madam Speaker, I sympathize with the members of the official opposition. They do not know whether they are coming or going. Every day, we are practically being harassed by the members opposite, who are demanding economic growth and results. This morning, we have the proof. The economy grew 2.6%. That means jobs and economic development for our regions. The results are there. We are building Canada…
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Madam Speaker, does my colleague want to talk about respecting provincial jurisdictions? Let us talk about Quebec's development ambitions, which include mines, critical minerals, renewable energy and clean energy. Our approach is paying off, with 2.6% growth in the last quarter. What does that mean? It means that in my esteemed colleague's riding, moms and dads can have ambitions for their childre…
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Actually, Mr. Speaker, this is a big, large, great, grand day for Canada. Our government has reached an important MOU with Danielle Smith, the premier of the province of Alberta, that creates an energy transition in all aspects of energy. It sets the stage for an industrial transformation. It will make Canada stronger, more independent, more resilient and more sustainable, and it will include the …
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Mr. Speaker, the country and indeed the world are calling out for serious leadership, for co-operative leadership, for leadership that brings people and parties together. I do not think the Conservative leader has any concept of what is required to do the kind of development he is proposing. Of course we will consult and deal with the duly elected Premier of British Columbia. Of course we have a d…
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Mr. Speaker, I suspect Canadians are straining to find the Leader of the Opposition credible on any of this. This memorandum of understanding would create a carbon capture and storage system that would lead the world. It would include, of course, the bringing together of partners with whom we have a duty to consult and other jurisdictions. It would create jobs in the electrical system. It would cr…
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Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Bloc Québécois is looking for any excuse to sow division and stir up trouble in Canada. This should come as no surprise. What we saw today are the same things we are doing with Quebec, namely, working together to take ambitious action, ensuring that federalism generates economic opportunities, and yes, building an economy based on renewable energy and creating a clim…
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Mr. Speaker, I will not trouble members once more today with the exciting details of our memorandum of understanding with the Province of Alberta, but I will provide some transparency and clarity, as always, on the way forward for Parliament in the spirit of co-operation and transparency as we work with my honourable friend and, indeed, all members of the House. This afternoon, we will continue th…
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Mr. Speaker, this is not a question about government operations, but I can confirm that all members and all ministers sitting on this side of the House rigorously follow the code of ethics imposed on us, which is one of the strongest and strictest in the world.
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Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, I am standing up, as are all my colleagues on this side of the House, because we have work to do. We are going to build a country, work with the provinces, consult with first nations and develop a climate framework that will enable us to achieve net zero by 2050. We are going to work together with all Canadians from coast to coast to coast. That is what we are going t…
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Mr. Speaker, I think the members across, and maybe in particular those members from the province of Alberta, really underestimate how strongly their constituents feel about having a plan to reduce our carbon emissions, to reduce the intensity of our energy production, to, yes, lead the world in carbon capture and storage, and to build an energy grid throughout western Canada that makes sure renewa…
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Mr. Speaker, that member is a British Columbian MP. Is she seriously suggesting the people and the Government of British Columbia should have no say about a piece of infrastructure that will go across the entire breadth of that province? It is very interesting to me that this member, who represents British Columbians, would want to subtract the voice of her own provincial government from that deba…
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Mr. Speaker, as Canadians watch this debate unfold, they will take note of lines like putting “air into the ground”. In fact, we are putting carbon into the ground. We are taking it out of the atmosphere, making our production of energy resources less carbon-intensive and putting carbon, in fact, underground, therefore, committing Canada to the fight against climate change. It is very interesting,…
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Mr. Speaker, once again a British Columbian member of Parliament is standing up wishing to subtract the voice of his own provincial government, the duly elected government of the people of British Columbia, who wish to have a say over a development of infrastructure that would span the entire breadth of that province. I think when the member thinks a little more seriously about this issue, he will…
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