House of Commons Hansard #25 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was liberals.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Citizenship Act Second reading of Bill C-3. The bill amends the Citizenship Act, drawing debate on its provisions. It aims to restore citizenship to lost Canadians and grant automatic citizenship to adopted children born abroad. Conservatives oppose removing the "first-generation limit" for citizenship by descent, fearing it weakens Canadian citizenship with a weak 'substantial connection' requirement and lacks security checks. Liberals argue the bill ensures fairness, embraces diversity, and rectifies past errors, particularly regarding family reunification. 7800 words, 1 hour.
Financial Administration Act First reading of Bill C-230. The bill requires the government to publicly disclose corporate debt write-offs exceeding $1 million, addressing Conservative concerns about secrecy regarding large amounts owed by corporations. 200 words.
Youth Criminal Justice Act First reading of Bill C-231. The bill amends the Youth Criminal Justice Act to clarify measures for youth addiction treatment, allowing courts to delay sentencing or include program attendance as a condition, helping young people access treatment. 200 words.
Corrections and Conditional Release Act First reading of Bill C-232. The bill amends the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to require dangerous offenders or those convicted of multiple first-degree murders to be assigned and confined in maximum security penitentiaries. 200 words.
Export and Import Permits Act First reading of Bill C-233. The bill amends the Export and Import Permits Act to close loopholes in arms export controls. It seeks to prevent Canadian weapons from contributing to war crimes and human rights abuses by strengthening export criteria and transparency. 400 words.
Sean Fraser LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Mr. Speaker, it is clear that this case raises issues that are of national interest. It is appropriate and essential for the federal government to defend our charter.
As the member is aware, this matter is now before the Supreme Court of Canada. That is the appropriate forum for making arguments.
Alexis Deschênes Bloc Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC
Mr. Speaker, the notwithstanding clause in Quebec has been used to protect fundamental aspects of Quebec's identity, such as the French language and secularism, but it has also been used for much more utilitarian purposes in other areas, such as small claims court and employment equity.
To suggest that Quebec would use the notwithstanding clause to authorize slavery, executions and censorship and ban places of worship exposes the federal government's total contempt in this matter.
When will Ottawa stop using the courts to carry out its crusade against Quebec's laws?
Patricia Lattanzio LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say that I am a member from Quebec. The member opposite knows full well that our government is the party of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Again, our government protects the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and will always do so.
The member opposite, all members and all the citizens who elected us in our respective ridings, all Canadians, men and women, old and young, have enjoyed these Charter rights and freedoms for 43 years now.
This government knows it is our responsibility to defend one of the pillars—
JusticeOral Questions
Marilène Gill Bloc Côte-Nord—Kawawachikamach—Nitassinan, QC
Mr. Speaker, the notwithstanding clause was the condition without which the provinces would never have signed the 1982 Constitution. For Quebec, who never signed the Constitution, the provision remained too weak a safeguard against the federal government's desire to subject Quebeckers to a centralized Canadian authority.
Today, that same weak safeguard is too much for Ottawa. The Liberals want to weaken the notwithstanding clause to the point of being meaningless. This is not a legal battle unfolding at the Supreme Court. This is a political battle against Quebec.
Will Ottawa back off?
Patricia Lattanzio LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows full well that the federal government's intervention before the Supreme Court will not prevent any province or territory from continuing to use the notwithstanding clause. That is very clear. She knows that. If there are any concerns, I will be happy to sit down with the member and organize a presentation with the Department of Justice and myself.
Our intervention serves to protect Canadians' rights. These rights have been guaranteed for 43 years. This is sacred to Canadians across the country, from Newfoundland and Labrador to the Yukon.
Jacob Mantle Conservative York—Durham, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was in Mexico this week, and when Mexico decided to get serious about its border, it deployed 10,000 new personnel in a matter of days. At the same time, the Prime Minister promised Canadians he would hire 1,000 new border officers.
I have a very simple question for the Minister of Public Safety: How many officers have been hired and are deployed today?
Jacques Ramsay LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, we are in the process of hiring 1,000 new customs officers and 1,000 additional RCMP personnel. We are already seeing a dramatic drop in illegal imports of firearms and fentanyl.
We are keeping our promises, and we will soon have the personnel we need to do this work.
Jacob Mantle Conservative York—Durham, ON
Mr. Speaker, in all that, I did not hear a number, but let me give him the number. The information disclosed to the House by the Canada Border Services Agency says the Liberals have hired zero new officers. It gets worse. Not only have they not hired any officers; they do not even have a plan to hire any officers.
My question again is, when will they hire border officers?
Jacques Ramsay LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, not only are we hiring more personnel, but we also have more helicopters, drones and scanners. We are making more arrests and finding more and more drugs. In short, it is working.
Two weeks from now, I will be attending a graduation ceremony for new recruits who will be joining CBSA.
Harb Gill Conservative Windsor West, ON
Mr. Speaker, people in Windsor and across this nation are tired of feeling unsafe and under siege in their own communities. For 10 years, the Liberals have pushed catch and release. Violent repeat offenders are arrested and then are back on the streets, sometimes within hours. My former colleagues in policing are tired of arresting the same criminals over and over again. The Conservatives have a clear solution: “three strikes and you're out”. People out there are demanding jail, not bail.
Sean Fraser LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Mr. Speaker, I have immense respect for my colleague's service and that of his colleagues. However, I disagree with a number of the points he made. He referred to policies of the Liberal government, but he may not appreciate that the very policies he criticizes made it harder for people charged with intimate partner violence to get bail and made it harder for people to avoid sentencing when it came to serious crimes such as attempted murder or torture.
We are going to move forward with made-in-Canada solutions, informed by experts who understand the context in this country, to determine what will keep our country safe.
Tony Baldinelli Conservative Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of passing catch-and-release laws that turn criminals loose on our streets, the Liberals are obstructing the passage of common-sense jail-not-bail proposals. Violent crime is up 55%. In Niagara, residents were horrified when they heard the news of Daniel Senecal breaking into a Welland home and sexually assaulting a three-year-old girl while her family slept.
On Monday, will the Liberals accept our common-sense proposal on criminal justice reform and pass our Conservative “three strikes and you're out” bill?
Vince Gasparro LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)
Mr. Speaker, everyone in the House has a great deal of empathy, and nobody wants to see animals like that on our streets. This is why this government, our new government, has three initiatives in front of us. The first is the strong borders act. The second is bail reform. The third is safe zone, hate zone legislation. These three initiatives have one objective: to go after the bad guys and put them away. The question is, will the Conservatives back us in being tough on crime?
Tony Baldinelli Conservative Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
Mr. Speaker, the cities of Welland, St. Catharines and Niagara Falls have all indicated that our justice system fails Canadians when repeat violent offenders are allowed back onto our streets. That is why common-sense Conservatives have proposed a jail-not-bail law, a “three strikes and you're out” bill and more. Today, I will introduce a bill that proposes to keep monsters like Paul Bernardo locked up in maximum security where they belong.
Will the Liberals support our common-sense justice reforms to restore Canadians' confidence in our criminal justice system?
Vince Gasparro LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)
Mr. Speaker, I did not hear an answer from the hon. member as to whether he was going to support our tough-on-crime legislation. That is part one. I guess the canned answer he had prepared beforehand did not prepare him for that, so that is okay.
Here is the good news: We have the strong borders act that would hire 1,000 new CBSA officers and 1,000 new RCMP officers to go after the bad guys and put them away.
Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands—Rideau Lakes, ON
Mr. Speaker, under the Liberal government, the dream of home ownership has been pushed out of reach, with home ownership now costing 55% of Canadians' pre-tax income. Meanwhile, the Liberals are at secret cash for access fundraisers with developers, bankers and lobbyists, but their conversations have not been reported to the lobbying commissioner.
Before these insider deals drive prices even higher, will Liberals tell us which members and which ministers attended?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalMinister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, as we know, Canada has some of the toughest ethics and fundraising guidelines in the entire world. The Liberal Party of Canada has in the past surpassed those guidelines, and the Liberal Party of Canada will always apply the rules and make sure we follow the rules. We hope that the Conservatives can say the same.
Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands—Rideau Lakes, ON
Mr. Speaker, members should not take my word for it. As reported in The Globe and Mail, let us see what the commissioner has to say, “[The commissioner] has complained in the past that some lobbyists and their clients use caucus and cabinet retreats as an opportunity to mingle with politicians without declaring the conversations to her office.” This is happening at the same time as the Liberal Prime Minister has made sure that the Liberals' fundraising events are now, as a rule, closed to the media, closed to any scrutiny by the public. We are talking about the Prime Minister. We are talking about ministers.
We want to know who was in the meeting, so we can find out who is going to get rich.
Steven MacKinnon LiberalMinister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, for years, the former member for Carleton skulked around the country without telling anyone where the Conservatives' fundraising events were, while we were publishing them on our website. The Liberal Party has in the past exceeded the rules and guidelines for these activities. The Conservative Party has not always risen to that high standard. We hope it does.
Xavier Barsalou-Duval Bloc Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC
Mr. Speaker, nothing is too good for the monarchy. The Governor General, yes her again, billed taxpayers $1,117 for shoes and nearly $7,500 for clothing last year.
Meanwhile, Quebeckers are talking to us about the cost of groceries. How are we supposed to explain to taxpayers that they have to pay for the high heels of a monarch who earns $400,000 a year while they are struggling to cope with skyrocketing inflation?
The Governor General, like all of her predecessors, has a compulsive shopping problem. When will the government take away her credit card?
Madeleine Chenette LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages and to the Secretary of State (Sport)
Mr. Speaker, the Governor General does important work by representing Canada at home and abroad. The Governor General's annual budget was approved by Parliament and the spending related to this position is made public.
We know that Canadians expect all public funds to be spent responsibly, and this is something that our government takes seriously. We hope that a woman can decide what she needs to buy.
Xavier Barsalou-Duval Bloc Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC
Mr. Speaker, the other ministers do not spend thousands of dollars. They may spend $100 on a pair of boots, but not thousands of dollars. Her salary is $400,000 a year. At that rate, she can afford to buy her own shoes.
In 2023 and 2024 alone, the position of Governor General and her entire royal entourage cost taxpayers $59 million. That is $59 million wasted in one year to maintain the luxurious lifestyle of a symbol that could be replaced by a stamp; $59 million for a symbol of domination by a foreign sovereign.
When is the government going to put a stop to this?
Madeleine Chenette LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages and to the Secretary of State (Sport)
Mr. Speaker, the Governor General's annual budget has been approved by Parliament, and the expenses related to this office are made public.
We know that Canadians expect all public funds to be spent responsibly, and this is an issue that our government takes very seriously.
Michael Kram Conservative Regina—Wascana, SK
Mr. Speaker, in the not too distant past, the Liberal Party used to be the party of fiscal responsibility. I remember when former finance minister Paul Martin promised to balance the budget “come hell or high water”. Now Liberal deficits are causing inflation, and Canadians are paying the price.
My question for the current finance minister is this: How much is this year's budget deficit, and will the Liberals ever balance the budget again?
