Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the job of the Minister of Labour is to respect the Canada Labour Code. That is exactly what we have done. Today, I acted decisively to use one of the powers granted to the Minister of Labour by Parliament, under the Canada Labour Code, to provide a reasonable solution to workers and a creative way out of this very fundamental impasse that we see at the bargaining table. We are going …
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Mr. Speaker, we acted decisively today to offer a creative solution to the labour dispute between Canada Post and its workers. That constitutionally protected right to strike has been exercised for four weeks. If workers were not to be on picket lines for some indefinite period over the holidays, a solution had to be brought. We work for all Canadians in the House. Canadians were suffering. Small …
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Mr. Speaker, we sit in this place and hear Conservatives ask the same question, written by their party leader, over and over again. That question has been asked and answered dozens of times in the House, so I have a question for my Conservative friends. They seem very concerned about deficits. Can they offer one thing? Where are they going to start cutting? They should be specific.
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Mr. Speaker, of course we did respect and do respect workers' rights to negotiate a collective agreement. That is why the government has proposed, and I have proposed, a way forward where we can avoid the postal workers' being on picket lines for an untold and unknown amount of time, take a pause and have an independent, respected arbitrator look at the situation, propose a way forward and indeed …
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Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, Canada's report with respect to international labour organization instruments adopted at the 111th session of the International Labour Conference held in Geneva, Switzerland, in June 2023.
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C‑377 and Bill C‑525, some of the most anti-labour legislation in western history, passed in a previous Parliament. The spokesperson and main architect of those bills was none other than the current Leader of the Opposition. That makes him the most anti-union leader in Canadian history. I invite that member to explain his position.
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C-377 and Bill C-525 will go down in history as some of the most oppressively anti-labour legislation ever passed in Parliament. One of the very first acts of this government was to repeal both of those pieces of legislation. The author of those pieces of legislation was none other than the Leader of the Opposition, its chief architect and chief salesman. He is the most anti-work…
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Mr. Speaker, no one believes the Leader of the Opposition. He will not stand up for Canada and he is in the right-wing echo chamber with respect to trade with the United States. He failed to stand up for farmers and for others in a bumper crop. There are these foreign interference allegations, and the member is quite right: The member for Calgary Nose Hill ran as fast as I have ever seen anyone ru…
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Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that the member is talking about the government's track record. This member will never have a track record, because his party will never form the government. However, he is talking about a very serious situation: homelessness. That is why, yes, we are investing record amounts in housing. We are investing $110 billion in the national housing strategy, which includes t…
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Mr. Speaker, here is what needs to be weighed by the member and all members of this House of Commons: The Conservatives are asking the New Democratic Party to vote for a leader who says, “The union has the power to shut down a workplace.... These legal powers give the union a state-enforced monopoly on labour”. Those are the exact words of the member for Carleton, the leader of that member's party…
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Mr. Speaker, I fear my friends across the aisle will not enjoy the rest of my speech. When I left off, I was talking about the abject hypocrisy of the Leader of the Opposition when it comes to working people, unions and the labour movement in this country. I am going to quote a few things here. The Conservative leader said union contracts that pay workers a decent wage result in a pointless, unnec…
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Mr. Speaker, of course, we are very proud of the low unemployment rate in Quebec, the record level of foreign investments coming into our country and being a world leader in that regard. What does my colleague do when we offer a tax holiday on children's clothing, toys, Christmas trees and restaurant meals? He stands up and votes nay. He wants to make life affordable, but he is against affordabili…
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Mr. Speaker, I find what my colleague said hard to believe. Let us consider the fact that he just voted against removing the GST from coats, mittens, children's clothing, and a good number of restaurant and prepared meals. This member not only voted against the GST cut, but, believe it or not, he is also against the breakfast club. He does not want to fund breakfast and lunch at schools. It is unb…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time. Perhaps the member for Kings—Hants will even be nice enough to finish my speech. I am honoured to rise today to speak about our government's strong commitment to fairness for Canadian workers in the face of a very hypocritical Conservative leader who is determined to weaken the labour movement in Canada. The member for Carleton is trying to wax poetic in t…
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Mr. Speaker, in the House, and in other public settings, there has been a member of Parliament, and I will let the leader guess which one, but that member has been here for about 20 years and has a big pension, who has said the following couple of quotes. Perhaps the member could comment on them. This member has said, “The union has the power to shut down a workplace...legal powers give the union …
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Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. During question period this Tuesday, I made a remark that I wish to withdraw.
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Mr. Speaker, in the spirit of the season where white stuff is indeed on the ground, if members take offence to being called a snowflake, then I certainly withdraw the snowflake comment that I said about the snowflake thing.
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Mr. Speaker, there was a time in the House when the honour of the members was to be presumed. The question that came from across was strongly intimating that the Minister of Public Safety willingly put children in danger. We do not do that in the House. We should not do that in the House. That is not cool and that is not correct. That member should apologize to the Minister of Public Safety for im…
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Mr. Speaker, happily, the member and her party have supported the Liberal record of success in supporting seniors, on things like dental care, expanding old age security and topping up the guaranteed income supplement. We have managed to accomplish this in this Parliament and it is a great tribute to those members who have voted for those things. Unfortunately, we have had to do so walking into th…
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Mr. Speaker, the member seems to be referring to incidents last summer where, I might add, I consulted with the Conservative Party, which was urging me, as we did at the time, to come to the aid of farmers in Saskatchewan and throughout western Canada who were trying to get what was a bumper crop to the ports and international markets, which is the pride of Canada. We intervened to save Canadian f…
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Mr. Speaker, let us not get into the Bloc Québécois's political choices. It has made several political choices that are bad for the future of Quebec and for the future of seniors in Quebec. On a different note, we have improved the Canada pension plan. Quebec adopted its own version to improve retirement pensions for future generations and future seniors. The Bloc Québécois was against that. We we…
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Mr. Speaker, the member spoke about a political decision. Was it a political decision for the Bloc Québécois to vote against every increase to the guaranteed income supplement? What did the Bloc Québécois do when it came time to support the Canadian dental care plan for the most vulnerable seniors in Quebec and Canada? It made a political choice to say no to dental care for seniors. That side of t…
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Mr. Speaker, how dare the Conservative Party of Canada members stand up in the House and talk about the treatment of seniors. I will remind the member that her former leader, Stephen Harper, went to Davos for the World Economic Forum, instead of going to King—Vaughan, to announce to Canadians that henceforth, the retirement age would be moving to 67 from 65. We reversed that. That member should be…
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Mr. Speaker, I guess that member is back from announcing the housing projects in her riding, which she voted against in the House of Commons. It is a joke. It is a sick joke to watch these Conservatives line up behind this leader and his fake, false bravado, putting motions on the floor of the House. Then, when we ask them to debate those very motions, what do they say? They say no. They refuse to…
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Mr. Speaker, we would think that was not the party that opposed 10 sick days for employees in federally regulated industries. We would think that was a party that did not have right-to-work, Mississippi-style legislation in its policy platform. We would think that was not the party whose very leader decried the involvement of unions in procurement and other processes. The current Conservative Part…
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Mr. Speaker, we would think this was not from the party that supported the anti-union, oppressive Bill C-377 and Bill C-525. We would think this was not from the party who has in its own policy handbook the fact that it will be bringing in right-to-work, Alabama-style legislation to the House. We would think this was not the party that refused to debate that very motion this morning in the House o…
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Mr. Speaker, we are committed to helping seniors, despite the push back from the other side of the House, from the Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois, who consistently vote against helping our seniors, time and time again. Consider the Canadian dental care plan. The Bloc Québécois has systematically voted against hundreds of thousands of Quebeckers who benefit from it. The Bloc Québécois voted a…
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Mr. Speaker, my friend across the aisle would have more credibility if he had not systematically voted against all the supports we thought were needed during and after the pandemic to help our seniors. Consider, for example, the GIS increase and the housing programs that will build more homes for seniors in Quebec and across the country. We will take no lessons from the Bloc Québécois when it come…
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Madam Speaker, we will always stand up for Canadian workers. We stood up for Canadian workers previously, and we will stand up for Canadian workers at all times. In fact, even today, I know the Deputy Prime Minister is dialoguing with labour leaders across the country. On many levels, all members of the government, on a regular basis, talk to working men and women from our communities to make sure…
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Madam Speaker, we join with the hon. member in worrying about the hare-brained schemes to put Albertans' pensions at risk. The Canada pension plan is a sterling pension plan that Canadians rightly have come to rely on and that, the world over, has been recognized as a model of good management and stability. In fact Canadians can be reassured that the Canada pension plan will be there for them for …
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Madam Speaker, we have made the necessary plans to secure our borders and, obviously, we are also working with the Government of Quebec. We have given more funding to provide asylum seekers with shelter and services. These are perhaps the most vulnerable people in the world. Once again, the Bloc Québécois members cannot stop talking about immigration, because they have discovered that they can sco…
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Madam Speaker, let us calm down. The Bloc Québécois keeps making up scenarios that are absolutely not in play. Our border services have a plan. They have always had a plan and will always have a plan to keep our border secure. We will work with the U.S. administration, regardless of which party is in power. We will collaborate with our partners in the United States. The Bloc Québécois should rest …
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Mr. Speaker, I spoke with the BC MEA and the ILWU on the weekend and reminded them that it is their responsibility to their members, to each other, to Canadians, to farmers, to workers and to businesses to make a deal. It is their responsibility, and they need to do the work necessary to make an agreement.
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Madam Speaker, let us talk about members. In the riding of Shefford, we used to have a member who supported organizations and the idea of dental care for the 14,000 or so people who benefit from it in that riding alone. That member voted against it. If she wants to help Quebec seniors, even just a little, all she has to do is call the Quebec government and convince it to give the green light so th…
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Madam Speaker, obviously, I thank all members of the House who voted for progressive measures, including measures to assist seniors. As Minister of Labour and Seniors, I am delighted every time a member, like my colleague here, rises to support the initiatives we are able to put in place to help seniors in Canada and Quebec. What bothers me, as I said, is the cynicism and opportunism of a politica…
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Madam Speaker, first, I invite my colleague to tour Gatineau with me. He will see that it is a lot of work to follow me around my riding, visiting seniors in particular. Second, I remind the member that we voted against this bill at second reading. Third, we have never claimed to solve all the problems. We know that we are facing a cost-of-living challenge. We also know that there are needs we can…
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Madam Speaker, we have just seen a perfect illustration of how the Bloc Québécois works. Everything we just heard was for show. Why is the Bloc putting on such a show? It is simply so it can cover up its plans for the future. It is obvious. Sometimes, I think Bloc Québécois members do not realize that their vote is recorded on paper. It is true, they voted against dental care for seniors, a progra…
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Madam Speaker, I am flabbergasted that a political party which claims to champion Quebec would object to Gatineau's meals on wheels program for seniors. Now I have seen everything. These two programs make a real difference to seniors, and they are helping make Canada a better place to live, grow and age. That is why they are so important. After what we saw during the pandemic, we know that Canadia…
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Madam Speaker, today, October 1, is National Seniors Day. I wish all seniors in Canada and around the world a very happy day. It is a real privilege to rise in the House to talk about our government's work to make life better and more affordable for Canadian seniors. Seniors are a growing segment of the Canadian population. It is therefore important that governments reflect on how our policies and…
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Mr. Speaker, I welcome the member to the House. I can assure him that I heard him loud and clear, despite the fact that he will be excluded from a position of power until the end of his days in this House. Over the next five years, our government will spend more on old age security to protect the incomes of retirees than any previous government. For my colleague's information, that is $71 billion …
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Mr. Speaker, when the member for Thérèse-De Blainville had the chance to help vulnerable seniors, including 7,300 in her own riding, save hundreds of dollars, she voted against it. That is hypocrisy. Now she wants to lecture us on her opportunistic policies. We are there for seniors. The Liberal Party of Canada supports seniors. It is the Bloc Québécois that—
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Mr. Speaker, we are particularly proud of the age well at home pilot project. It is a government priority for seniors to stay at home and live independently. We have transferred the funds to all provinces and sent Quebec 60% of its funding. There are a few projects left. The Quebec government just needs to check a box and it is ready to go. Organizations such as the volunteer centres and Montreal'…
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Mr. Speaker, no party in the House has done as much for seniors in Canada and Quebec as the Liberal Party of Canada, despite the push back from the opposition—the Conservative Party and the Bloc Québécois. What did they vote against? They voted against the dental care program, the GIS and additional housing for vulnerable seniors. The Bloc Québécois voted against all that. Now, what are they accus…
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to talk about the Bloc Québécois's hypocrisy. The member for Shefford should know that in the province of Quebec, 13,300 people are eligible for the dental care program. They are saving hundreds and hundreds of dollars. The member voted against dental care for vulnerable seniors in Quebec. Shame on her.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to wish a happy National Seniors Day to everyone, including the people from the Outaouais branch of AREQ who are here, according to the member for La Prairie. The member for La Prairie rises every day, but he seems to forget that when we voted to lower the retirement age to 65, he voted against that. He wanted to keep the retirement age—
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Mr. Speaker, we are a little incredulous at everything the Bloc Québécois is saying, when we know what it voted against. It voted against dental care, which is currently saving hundreds of thousands of Quebeckers and Canadians hundreds of dollars. We are incredulous at the fact that the Bloc Québécois voted against enhancing and increasing the guaranteed income supplement, which helps the poorest …
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Mr. Speaker, that is not all. When we moved the age of retirement back down from 67 to 65, what did the member and her colleagues do? They voted against it. When we increased the GIS, a federal program helping hundreds of thousands of vulnerable seniors, the Bloc Québécois and my colleague voted against it. Yes, we proudly increased OAS for vulnerable seniors. She and her colleagues voted against …
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Mr. Speaker, 14,600 seniors in my Bloc Québécois colleague's riding, Shefford, now benefit from the Canadian dental care plan. Nevertheless, she has stood up in this House time and time again and voted against vulnerable seniors in her riding who are currently benefiting from this program and saving hundreds of dollars. Why?
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Mr. Speaker, the member for La Prairie is very late when it comes to helping seniors. He voted against every measure proposed in the House that was solemnly adopted by members to help seniors, often the less fortunate seniors in Canada. I would like to know what the member for La Prairie has to say to the 6,300 constituents in his own riding who are enrolled in the federal dental care program. Wha…
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Mr. Speaker, I will repeat myself for the benefit of my friend from La Prairie and his political party: Quebec's seniors have the right to wake up this morning and ask what just happened to them. Bloc members have always voted against seniors. They have always voted against our plans to improve the lives of seniors, especially the most vulnerable. Recently, they voted against the dental care plan …
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