Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, indeed, world events and a number of disruptions around the world have caused prices to increase. The government has been there with a timely reduction in fuel taxes, including on cars, trucks and airplane flights. In the month of June, we will see the first payment under the groceries and essentials benefit. That is all on top of 22 million Canadians getting a tax reduction from this…
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Mr. Speaker, the member opposite knows full well, having been here for several years, that he has consistently voted against the Canada child benefit, against school meals, against the Canadian dental care plan, and against both the one-off and sometimes permanent assistance we have offered to Canadians specifically to tackle the issue of affordability. We acknowledge that affordability is an issu…
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Mr. Speaker, dental care is not pathetic. School meal assistance is far from pathetic. The Canada child benefit is far from pathetic. It is far from pathetic that this government offered a 10¢-per-litre savings on gasoline and diesel this week. The member rejects any assistance and then accuses us of doing nothing. Why do this member and his colleagues not stand up and speak out against their lead…
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moved for leave to introduce Bill C-28, An Act to amend the Aeronautics Act and other Acts. (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
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moved: That, pursuant to Standing Order 111.1(2), and in accordance with subsection 79.1(1) of the Parliament of Canada Act, R.S.C., 1985, c. P-1, the House approve the appointment of Annette Ryan as Parliamentary Budget Officer for a term of seven years.
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Mr. Speaker, I wish to inform the House that tomorrow, during Routine Proceedings, the government intends to introduce Motion No. 359 to approve the appointment of Annette Ryan as Parliamentary Budget Officer for a term of seven years.
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Mr. Speaker, today is the day we implement the 10¢-per-litre reduction on gasoline in Canada, and also the four-cents-per-litre reduction on diesel and the four-cents-per-litre reduction on jet fuel. These are important reductions. They go with the groceries and essentials benefit, which we have already brought into the House. The government is doing many things to help Canadians with affordabilit…
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Mr. Speaker, my esteemed colleague will surely acknowledge that, today, in his riding and in all 343 ridings in Canada, the price at the pump will be dropping by 10¢ a litre for gasoline, four cents a litre for diesel and four cents a litre for jet fuel. We are providing this temporary support because an international conflict is causing oil shortages. The Government of Canada is proud to add this…
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Mr. Speaker, as the member knows because he lives under the same rules, all members of the House, all public office holders in Canada, live under some of the strictest ethics rules in the world. The Minister of Finance rigorously follows these rules, as must all members, and he will continue to do so.
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Mr. Speaker, what Canadians are witnessing, and what they are quite rightly sick of, is Conservative filibustering, obstruction and getting in the way of the plans for our economy, the plans to build this country, the plans to attract investment, to diversify trade and put men and women to work while getting Canadians' costs down. The Conservatives have been obstructing that for months now, and on…
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Mr. Speaker, the member knows this full well, because he is subject to the same rules as the 343 members of the House: Everyone who holds important positions in the government must abide by the strictest code of ethics in the world. We will continue to do so, just as the Minister of Finance is doing so diligently.
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moved that Bill C-25, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act and to enact An Act to change the names of certain electoral districts, 2026, be read the second time and referred to a committee. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to address the House of Commons today to speak to Bill C-25, the strong and free elections act. Bill C-25 introduces amendments to the Canada Elections Act that would bolster the s…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member first of all for his very constructive suggestions as we have prepared for the introduction and the debate on the bill, and I want to acknowledge the very real concern about foreign, or in any other way inappropriate, implication or involvement in our electoral processes. The goal is, I think, exactly as the member expresses, such that we would eliminate any…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Bloc Québécois and applaud its contributions. I am also looking forward to hearing its comments and suggestions over the course of the legislative process. Once again, I think that this has been a shining example of collaboration, and we shall see where these proposals lead. Where political financing is concerned, Canada has reason to be proud. In other countries, …
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Mr. Speaker, this is an example of a loophole. I want to thank my colleague for her commitment to our democracy as well. With respect to longest ballot initiatives, let us be frank about this. There was repeated targeting of the Leader of the Opposition in this regard, whether in Carleton or in Battle River—Crowfoot. There was also targeting of the by-election in Terrebonne. Voters have been, I th…
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Mr. Speaker, we have certainly engaged in a process. I thank the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands and her party for their constructive participation, and I look forward to her suggestions as this debate unfolds. In fact, with Bill C-65 in the last Parliament, proposals to amend the Elections Act, some of those proposals emanated from the processes I outlined, notably recommendations from the Chief …
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Mr. Speaker, I want to express my openness to that suggestion. I think my colleague, the government and I are united on the objective. From my perspective, I would be happy to engage with the member, his party and other colleagues on any proposal that would eliminate the possibility of foreign money, dark money and otherwise inappropriate financial involvement in our electoral processes.
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Mr. Speaker, that was a well-considered speech and I, indeed, look forward to continuing the debate and consideration of this very important piece of legislation. Among the other interesting elements of the member's speech, I note his comments on the longest ballot. Some of the commentary around this is almost adulating in terms of applauding what I would consider to be the harassment of electors …
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Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague's speech, and I would like to reiterate that we should be proud of the fact that, in Canada, all parties represented in the House of Commons have made a solemn commitment to strengthen our democracy. One of the things that struck me was her remarks about political financing. In a way, René Lévesque was the father of public financing of political parties in Canad…
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Mr. Speaker, we are offering relief to Canadians, but the Conservatives are rejecting all of it. They reject dental care, they reject tax cuts, they reject GST cuts, and they still reject lowering the excise tax on gasoline and eliminating the carbon tax. Since my colleague is talking about comparisons with last year, I would like to point out that wages in Canada increased by 4.7% in the last yea…
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Mr. Speaker, I did not even have time to go over all the numbers, which are very, very encouraging. The member is likely well aware of the following, and if not, he needs a better researcher. Inflation in Canada in February was 1.8%. That is at the lower end of the Bank of Canada's target range. We are creating jobs and building this country, and we are doing so with Canadian workers and materials…
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Mr. Speaker, we would like to welcome little Clémence. However, I would warn the member opposite that, when she grows up, he will have to answer some difficult questions. With eight children, the Canada child benefit starts to add up to quite a bit of money each month, and, unfortunately, the member opposite voted against it. We can spare pretty little Clémence a bit of disappointment if the membe…
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Mr. Speaker, last week, I was proud to announce, together with my hon. colleague, the Prime Minister and many government members from Quebec and elsewhere, the start of the work to expand the port of Montreal in Contrecoeur. It is an interesting project, a megaproject in fact, that will increase by 60% the capacity of the port of Montreal. We are very proud of that. It is the latest example of how…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada has among the strictest ethics rules in the world. All members of this House and designated public office holders must follow those rules to the letter, and that is certainly the case in the case of the Minister of Finance. However, let us talk about high-speed rail. The Conservatives are promising to cancel a nation-building and unifying project that would help build the count…
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Mr. Speaker, I will just repeat again for the hon. member that the Minister of Finance has followed the strictest rules in the world, and he has followed them to the letter. What this member needs to do is walk down to the front row and tell his leader to get out of the way and off the tracks, because high-speed rail is coming right at him. It is coming fast, and it is coming with Canadian steel, …
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Mr. Speaker, we have the strictest rules in the world. We indeed have a Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. This matter has been put before that Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, as this member knows very well, many times, and they have found precisely zero. This is because the Minister of Finance rigorously follows the rules, as do we all. As for high-speed rail, which will …
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Mr. Speaker, I think my hon. friend took a few liberties with the facts. However, if he wants to know generally whether the government is going to put in place measures to make sure that Canada has the strongest economy in the G7, then the answer is a resounding yes. I would simply point out that there is, in that number, a number of investments that, of course, reap returns that are brought back …
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Mr. Speaker, this question was properly answered by the Minister of Finance and the member knows full well that we carefully follow the strictest ethics rules in the world. Concerning Alto and high-speed rail, I can assure the member that Quebeckers have noticed the Conservative leader's opposition to this major, unifying national project that is set to be a game-changer for mobility in Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, the member heard about Highway 50 because I was thanking my colleague from Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation for constantly bringing our attention to the issue of Quebec's most dangerous highway. As for my colleague the Minister of Finance, he is meticulous and strictly adheres to ethical guidelines. Again, when it comes to high-speed rail, we will not take any lessons from the Conservative…
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Mr. Speaker, who is championing high-speed rail in Canada? It is the 173 Liberal MPs on this side of the House, who are going to build major nation-building projects, including high-speed rail. It is a major project for national unity, a major project for mobility in our country and a project that will favour the building trades, men and women, and steel, aluminum and lumber. We are going to put p…
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Mr. Speaker, I listened attentively to my colleague's speech, and I would like to inform him that literally as we speak, the Prime Minister is announcing a historic break for Canadians, a summer break from excise taxes on diesel, jet fuel and gasoline. That follows the incredibly generous and necessary groceries and essentials benefit that was previously introduced. The government is putting in pl…
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Mr. Speaker, in addition to all this good news, I want to highlight one additional measure the Prime Minister and my colleagues announced today, and that is that Canadians are going to find it less expensive to get out and travel around the country this summer, because we are lowering the excise tax on jet fuel. We are going to reduce the cost of domestic flights. We will even go visit the member …
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Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, Canadian members of Parliament and designated public office holders follow among the most stringent ethics rules in the world. We will comply vigorously, as my colleague the Minister of Finance has done. I will take this opportunity to remind the hon. member across the aisle that Alto is a crown corporation, 100% owned by Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, while we are on the topic, let us talk about the dream of high-speed rail for Canadians: 1,000 kilometres of a linear project that will change the face of mobility in this country, for workers, for students, and for people who live in one city and work, play or study in another. This will take greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere and will change life for millions of Canadians. This …
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Mr Speaker, just three years ago, in 2023, a grand gathering of Conservatives gathered in convention and solemnly debated the great dream of high-speed rail in this country. The conclusion the Conservative delegates came to overwhelmingly, just three years ago said, was to build high-speed rail in this country. Now the Conservative leader cynically says he would cancel it. The Conservatives used t…
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Mr. Speaker, I will answer the question in a second. As a member from Quebec, and on behalf of the government, I first want to congratulate Christine Fréchette on getting elected to lead the Coalition Avenir Québec. She thereby becomes the next premier of Quebec. As for the fuel tax, I would remind my colleague that we have eliminated the consumer fuel tax. We have lowered taxes for 22 million Can…
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Mr. Speaker, this question dishonours the Bloc Québécois and the member across the way. The minister just answered it. As for Terrebonne and all the communities along the high-speed rail route in Canada, I can assure residents that everything will be done with consideration and respect, and their concerns will be heard. However, we are moving forward, and we are going to build a dream train for al…
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Mr. Speaker, the ones who stand to benefit are the 40 million Canadians who have been dreaming of high-speed trail for 40 or 50 years. This dream is within their grasp, starting with the section between Quebec City and Toronto. We are going to keep going, because we will have implemented an advanced technology in Canada. We are going to deliver a travel game-changer for all Canadians. We are going…
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Mr. Speaker, even though the Bloc Québécois has a new critic, that does not make it any less shameful to raise this question. Alto is a government-owned corporation that is overseeing the construction of the high-speed rail line, a project that Canadians, including residents of Laval, Montreal, Trois-Rivières and even Terrebonne, are eager to see completed. We are going to build this high-speed ra…
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Mr. Speaker, the people of Terrebonne want this project as much as anyone, but they want to be listened to. They want their concerns to be taken into consideration and they want the government to meet with them and take their opinions into account. They also want to have a high-speed train, which will connect Quebec City and Toronto and change the way Quebeckers and Canadians travel. We are going …
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Mr. Speaker, the minister has already answered that question. There is no risk, of course, and the minister complies, as we all must, with some of the most stringent ethics rules in the world. As for Alto and high-speed rail in Canada, it is a generational project, one that is desired by people in that member's riding and people all over Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, the minister has answered that question repeatedly and we follow, as everyone must, the highest ethics code and the most stringent ethics code in the western world. We will continue to do so.
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Mr. Speaker, high-speed rail is a major nation-building project. High-speed rail is something that Conservatives used to talk about. Their 2023 convention voted overwhelmingly to ask the government for high-speed rail. We listened very carefully to that Conservative convention, and I can assure the member we are moving forward on at least one Conservative policy: high-speed rail for Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, I think that member, who was around in those days, is not really very nostalgic for the peak of 0.99% of GDP that was achieved under the Conservatives. This government is going to equip our members in uniform. We are going to give them raises. We are going to improve their bases. We are going to buy new equipment. We are going to create jobs, jobs and more jobs in the defence industry…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to join with my hon. colleague a little bit in advance, as it is only, of course, a week from now, to wish all hon. colleagues, and indeed all Canadians, a happy Easter. I wish all members two safe and productive weeks in their ridings. As to the industrial carbon tax, the member well knows that it cannot possibly be preventing investment, as Canada has achieved record outputs …
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moved for leave to introduce Bill C-25, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act and to enact An Act to change the names of certain electoral districts, 2026. (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
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Mr. Speaker, we understand that world events, supply chain challenges and other things have generated inflation, and we understand that it has had a deleterious impact on the ability of families to afford some basic essentials. That is precisely why this government put in place the Canada child benefit, dental care and pharmacare, and made child care agreements resulting in $10-a-day child care in…
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Mr. Speaker, it seems that the Conservatives never tire of standing up for the people who illegally occupied the main street of our nation's capital, refused to leave, were implored to leave by local residents and the police, and were asked politely but refused to leave this city and this capital that Canadians are so proud of. The real question is, why do the Conservatives continue to stand up fo…
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Mr. Speaker, we will stand up every day and be proud of the Liberal track record in standing up for Canada and building Canada. What the Leader of the Opposition has been treated to today is a minister who is in control of this file and who has seen immigration levels and student visas go down. In fact, last year, for the first time ever, Canada dropped 100,000 from its population. Canada has one …
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Mr. Speaker, step one is they have a 25-point lead in the polls. Step two is we have an election. Step three is a member loses his seat. Why is the Leader of the Opposition still in his seat?
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