hazylavender/hi huggingface dataset:
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Kevin Lamoureux: the good news for the member is he was able to cut my speech a bit shorter. The Conservatives do not like it when I stand up to speak because they get a sense of reality, which is that the more Canadians find out what the Conservative Party members are truly up to, the more they are in deep trouble in the next election. Within this budget is a true reflection of what Canadians expect of the government: to demonstrate it has been listening and there is leadership from Ottawa. This budget delivers. For important issues such as inflation, we have things such as the grocery rebate. We have the expansion of the dental plan program. We have things such as the doubling of the tax credit for tradespeople so they can acquire their tools. There are so many aspects of this budget that are there to support Canadians. It truly is a reflection of what Canadians want to see in a national budget. This is an opportunity to emphasize that as a government working with Canadians we have seen the creation of thousands of jobs. In fact, close to two million jobs have been created through this government since we have been in government. This is well past the prepandemic number. When it comes to dealing with issues such as inflation, we are on the right track and are seeing our inflation numbers going down. Hopefully we will be able to see that downward movement on inflation rates continue. If we compare Canada to any other country, and in particular our peer countries, whether in Europe or just south of us, we will find Canada is doing exceptionally well. We continue to work day in, day out in order to deliver the type of programs expect of us. No matter how focused the Conservative Party of Canada is on personal attacks or personal assassinations of members on the government benches, we will continue to remain focused on Canadians first and foremost, no matter what region of the country one lives in. This is a government that truly cares. The budgetary and legislative measures we brought forward will continue to have the backs of Canadians as we recognize the value of our middle class and those aspiring to be a part of it. We are going to develop an economy that works for all Canadians, no matter where they live.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
The Assistant Deputy Speaker: It being 5:40 p.m., it is my duty to interrupt the proceedings and put forthwith every question necessary to dispose of the ways and means Motion No. The question is on the motion. If a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division or wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.
The Budget
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mrs. Sherry Romanado: I am rising to respond to your statement of March 30, respecting the 15 new items of Private Members' Business added to the order of precedence on March 10, 2023. In particular, I am rising to raise two arguments respecting the financial prerogative of the Crown and whether two Private Members' Business bills infringe upon the Crown's prerogative in this regard. Without commenting on the merits of Bill C-318 , an act to amend the Employment Insurance Act and the Canada Labour Code regarding adoptive and intended parents, sponsored by the member for Battlefords--Lloydminster , and Bill C-319 , an act to amend the Old Age Security Act regarding amount of full pension, sponsored by the member for Calgary Shepard , I submit that both of these bills require royal recommendation. Bill C-318 seeks to add a new type of special benefit for adoptive parents and parents of children conceived through surrogacy through the Employment Insurance Act, as well as making corresponding changes to the Canada Labour Code. Since the bill would add a new type of benefit under the Employment Insurance Act, it would need to be accompanied by a royal recommendation. These new benefits are not currently contemplated in the Employment Insurance Act and would authorize a new and distinct charge on the consolidated revenue fund for purposes and in a manner not authorized by any statute. I therefore submit that, absent of royal recommendation, the bill should not be put to a third reading vote. Bill C-319 proposes to increase the amount of the full pension for Canadians aged 65 to 74 by 10%. This increase is not provided for under the Old Age Security Act, and the charge against the consolidated revenue fund for this purpose is not authorized by that act or any other. I therefore maintain that, without a royal recommendation attached to the bill, Bill C-319 should not be put to a vote at third reading.
Financial Protection for Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Farmers Act
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Kevin Lamoureux: when I think of vegetables and fruits, I think of Peak of the Market in the province of Manitoba. Manitoba produces the best vegetables, I would argue, in the world. Some might question that, but it is the yellow potatoes, white potatoes, red potatoes and so much more, along with the carrots, cabbage and turnips. There are so many things. Peak of the Market seems to know what it is doing. It brings everything together and puts that stamp of it being made in Manitoba or being from the Prairies. I appreciate what the member says. I love the farmers. These people who are producing, helping us and feeding the world, are doing an incredible job. Has the member had any discussions with organizations, such as Peak of the Market, to get their sense of what he is proposing today?
Financial Protection for Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Farmers Act
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Scot Davidson: I know the member loves the fresh fruit and produce business. As I mentioned in my speech, we have support right across Canada from all producers. This is one thing, and I know the member for Winnipeg North prides himself on this as well, where we were getting out and talking to constituents. I would love to have him come out to Bradford and see that rich, dark soil, and come out to cut celery with me one day. This is much needed. I encourage members to get out to talk to the farmers and to listen to what they are saying.
Financial Protection for Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Farmers Act
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Andreanne Larouche: I thank my colleague for his speech in which he talked about the future of farming. This week, the Bloc Quebecois has made a point of calling for more help for the agricultural industry, particularly for young farmers. It is important to recognize that, right now, farmers are not doing well from a mental health perspective. One in 10 agricultural businesses are at risk of closing in the next year because of all the problems. How will the member's bill meet the needs of all sorts of farmers, particularly vegetable growers? How will the bill help them to get through this period of inflation, which is so difficult for them and for young farmers in particular?
Financial Protection for Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Farmers Act
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Scot Davidson: that relates to a quick story. When COVID first started, I had a farmer reach out to me in Bradford. He said to me, "Scot, I don't think I'm going to plant in my field this year." I asked him, "Ken, why aren't you?" He said, "I'm so worried about getting paid. The stress is for my family. I cannot plant my field, sit at home and pay the $20,000 in taxes because, if I plant my fields, it's going to cost me in excess of a million dollars. If I don't get paid, I'm going to lose this family farm that has been in the family for four generations." These are the kinds of stresses they have. Then he said, "I'm not even looking to the government for any money. I'm just looking for insurance that I am going to get paid."
Financial Protection for Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Farmers Act
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Niki Ashton: first of all, I want to indicate that we in the NDP support this proposal. In fact, it has been part of our last three federal election platforms to recognize that this support is critical for farmers and farming families to put our farmers on a level playing field with those to the south of us. Obviously I want to acknowledge as well the impacts of climate change, which are rendering agriculture to be much more unpredictable in our country. Whether it is in western Canada or eastern Canada, it reinforces the need to support farmers during this time. I am wondering if the member could speak to how important it is to move on this legislation as soon as possible.
Financial Protection for Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Farmers Act
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Scot Davidson: it is so important. We should be number one in the world in Canada with agriculture. I have always said that a General Motors plant can be moved but a farm cannot be. We have the most arable land in the whole world. That has to come into the vision for Canada. That is one thing I talked about missing in the budget. Where is the vision? We should be number one in the world with agriculture. We should be teaching people throughout the world how to grow food and have fresh water. We need to keep pushing for agriculture.
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Irek Kusmierczyk: I would like to thank my colleague and friend from Kitchener Centre for the excellent question on an issue that both of us truly care deeply about. Just last week, I met with over a dozen stakeholders and community leaders in my community of Windsor--Tecumseh at a round table focused on the issue of affordable housing, and that includes housing for those experiencing homelessness. Our government has made housing a priority since the very beginning of our mandate. That is why in 2017 we launched the landmark national housing strategy, a first in Canadian history and a return to federal involvement in housing. Prior to this, the federal government had not been seriously involved in housing for decades, and we knew we had much work to catch up on. The range of programs under the strategy addressed the needs of people across the housing spectrum, from building new shelter units to supporting the purchase of a first home to support directly for renters. The rapid housing initiative is an example of one such program having tremendous success. The initiative helps people most in need, like people who are homeless or at risk of becoming so. This program provides grants to support the rapid creation of permanent affordable housing units. It has continually exceeded its targets, and now, with the third round, we hope to create a total of nearly 15,000 units. The national housing co-investment fund is another program lifting people out of homelessness. Among its achievements, it has yielded over 3,700 shelter beds, 3,500 supportive housing units and 1,600 transitional housing beds so far. However, I do not want to talk about numbers here. I would rather talk about people. These are people like Emily from Vancouver, who was homeless and struggled with addictions. She found a home at Union Gospel Mission's Women and Families Centre, and she says the support she received changed her life. The centre was built with funding from the national co-investment fund. There is also Bill, a Canadian Forces veteran in Ottawa who went from being homeless to living in Veterans' House. That project was also financed by the co-investment fund. Projects like these are successful because they acknowledge the complex nature of homelessness and the range of factors that lead to it. Our government's homelessness strategy, Reaching Home, takes a whole-of-government approach to the issue. We also work closely with partners in other orders of government and elsewhere in the housing sector. Our government takes a human rights-based approach to housing because we fundamentally believe that access to housing is indeed a human right. This is unlike the Conservative Party, which has no plan for housing, did nothing when it was in government and still will not say whether it believes housing is a human right. This should be something that all parties agree on.
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Mike Morrice: I would agree that there are other parties here that are not doing enough on housing, but that was not the question I asked. I asked how the parliamentary secretary can stand by a budget that does not invest in the housing we need. He spoke about the rapid housing initiative. That is one of the issues I am calling on to be renewed. The City of Kitchener was calling for it to be renewed too, and it was not in this budget. The calls of organizations across the country are clear. We cannot spend time patting ourselves on the back for investments from past years in the midst of a housing crisis. I would invite the parliamentary secretary , as I have said to others, to come by my community and meet the people who are living unsheltered and calling for so much better. Will he come and visit?
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Irek Kusmierczyk: I appreciate my colleague's concern about making sure that our policies are also forward-facing, not just talking about the major historic investments we have made, but what we will do looking forward. The plans we announced in the spring budget acknowledged the complexity of the issue by approaching it from multiple directions. That includes increasing supply, like the supply of deeply affordable housing, tackling speculation in the housing sector and so much more. We will continue to prioritize housing, as we have done since the start of our mandate, unlike the Conservatives, who simply spew buzzwords instead of putting forward a real plan. They did nothing on housing when they were in government and continue to do nothing in opposition. I am pleased to know that my colleague from Kitchener Centre shares our concern, and I hope we can count on the support of everyone in the House as we continue to work to ensure everyone has a safe and affordable place to call home.
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Kyle Seeback: on March 9, I raised questions with respect to foreign interference here in Canada, and I asked a very specific question. We have more and more reports, specifically from Global News, that talk about the type of well-organized orchestrated interference of our elections, and what became abundantly clear from these reports is that it was being orchestrated by Beijing diplomats. The question I asked was how many of these diplomats had been expelled. Of course, I did not get an answer to that question, but we do know the answer to that question, and the answer is absolutely none. Our security services are doing the hard work. They are identifying what the problems are. These reports are delivered to the government. We also heard from the Prime Minister 's chief of staff that he reads every single report, so that would mean that the Prime Minister actually read these reports we were hearing so much about in Global News, which included the fact that diplomats were orchestrating and organizing the donation of funds to preferred candidates through an organization they called the "tea party". Absolutely no action was taken by the government to expel any diplomats who were involved in this. The government knew there were some, because CSIS delivered that report, and we know from the Prime Minister 's chief of staff that the Prime Minister reads every single report. Why was nothing done? Why has nothing been done to date, with respect to that? We are now a month and a half later. Absolutely nothing has been done. What is so embarrassing about this and so difficult for us to justify with our allies is that we have now heard the Prime Minister has been telling our allies that the government will never meet the 2% target for spending on our armed forces, as required by NATO. The blows to our reputation never stop, but we can look where we are now. The United States now has made 36 arrests, including an arrest of one who has information on their cellphone and photos of folks proudly opening a police station here in Canada. Not only do we not expel diplomats in this country who we know are actively engaged in foreign interference in our elections, but we do not make any arrests either. The United States is taking decisive action on this. Here in Canada, what are we doing? Why are we always behind the eight ball on these things? Why are we always playing catch-up? Why can we not get in front of some of these things, and do something? I have heard on the special committee on Canada-China relations from Canadian citizens who talk about the orchestrated harassment they endure from Beijing in foreign influence operations, and we have clear evidence that the diplomatic corps is actively involved in this. No one gets expelled. Why is the government so afraid to stand up to Beijing foreign influence?
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Kyle Seeback: it is Groundhog Day here on Parliament Hill. When I raised the question the first time, the sum total of the answer was that the Liberals have had a stern conversation. It is a month and a half later and they have had a stern conversation, or they did not accredit someone. This kind of inaction actually emboldens someone. I think back to my father saying to me, "Don't do that" or "You shouldn't do that." If I kept doing it six or seven times and my father just kept saying that I really should not do it, nothing actually happened. What we are doing to try to curb the behaviour is not working. What the government is doing to try to curb the foreign interference is not working. We actually need some bold action, like what is happening in the United States, with 36 arrests. They are taking it very seriously. Why will the government not?
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Hon. Robert Oliphant: while I appreciate the hon. member's consideration on this issue, he is completely wrong. He is off the mark. If he has any evidence of individuals doing wrong, it is his responsibility to report that to the authorities. That is his responsibility. We cannot just cast aspersions in the House. We cannot just say anything we want without evidence. I wish to be very clear. Our government will never tolerate any interference in any domestic issue that is beyond the rights and responsibilities under the Vienna Convention of diplomats in this country. Our minister and our Prime Minister have been completely clear: Any evidence that is brought forward will be dealt with seriously. We will continue to operate to ensure that Canadians are safe and that everyone is following our expectations on domestic law, international law and international conventions. We will do that because it is our job.
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Irek Kusmierczyk: I would like to begin by thanking the member for Port Moody--Coquitlam, my friend, for her question, advocacy on behalf of Canadians with disabilities and, furthermore, her excellent teamwork in getting Bill C-22 through committee and improving that bill at committee. I wanted to thank the hon. member for her tremendous advocacy and her great teamwork. I want to especially acknowledge the advocacy of the hon. Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion . She has been working tirelessly throughout her career to promote the rights of persons with disabilities. The minister understands the challenges that so many persons with disabilities face each and every day. She understands that many working-age persons with disabilities face a challenging income gap. That is why the minister has been working tirelessly to create the historic Canada disability benefit, an income supplement that has the potential to seriously reduce poverty and improve financial security for hundreds of thousands of working-age persons with disabilities. Like my colleague, I too want nothing more than to see Canadians with disabilities receive the new Canada disability benefit as quickly as possible. I remind my colleague that, as set out in the legislation, the details of the proposed Canada disability benefit will be addressed in future regulations. These details include the benefit amount, eligibility criteria and other features such as the treatment of employment income. We will work out all of those details in consultation with our partners, including persons with disabilities and disability stakeholders, as well as with provinces and the territories. In the spirit of "nothing without us", we will continue engaging the disability community at every turn to ensure that the benefit is designed with their voices at the table. I am pleased to say that engagement activities began in the summer of 2021 and that work has not stopped. We have also been working closely with provincial and territorial governments because they play a key role in providing benefits and supports to many Canadians with disabilities. This will help us ensure that every person who receives the Canada disability benefit will be better off. It will also help us harmonize delivery of the CDB and ensure that there are no clawbacks to other benefits. The Canada disability benefit has the potential to make a profound difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of working-age Canadian with disabilities. For that to happen we need to take the time to do things the right way. That is exactly what we are doing.
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Bonita Zarrillo: I certainly do not question the wishes of the minister but what I do question is the understanding and the political will of the government. I just wanted to point out that more people like the man whose mum came to see me just last week in my office will lose their housing and will go hungry. This is not acceptable. It is not acceptable that we will let people lose their housing and they will not be able to have a meal a day because we will not support the income supports they have been asking for. Through the full consultation that I know this department has done, the number one pillar that people needed was financial security. Why will the government not look after the people in this country? Why will they not do it?
Date: 2023_04_19
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Irek Kusmierczyk: the story of my colleague's constituent is absolutely heartbreaking but that is the story that motivates all of us to work together as urgently as possible to bring about the Canada disability benefit, which is groundbreaking legislation. It has the potential to significantly reduce poverty and improve financial security for hundreds of thousands of working-age persons with disabilities from coast to coast to coast. That is why we are taking the time to get it right. Persons with disabilities know what they need. With their input we will determine all the details of the Canada disability benefit. We look forward to sharing those details with everyone, including my colleague, the member for Port Moody--Coquitlam .
Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
The Speaker: It is my duty to lay upon the table, pursuant to subsection 23(2) of the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act, a certified copy of the report of the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for the Province of New Brunswick. Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), this report is deemed to have been permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.
Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission
Date: 2023_04_18
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Rene Arseneault: I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Standing Committee on Official Languages on Bill C-13 , an act to amend the Official Languages Act, to enact the use of French in federally regulated private businesses act and to make related amendments to other acts. The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.