All sittings← 2023-05-092023-05-11 →
Wednesday, May 10, 2023 · sitting No. 194
Commons advances official languages bill amid Poilievre-Trudeau clashes on passports and housing
The House spent the largest share of the sitting on report stage of Bill C-13, an act to modernize the Official Languages Act. Liberal MP Darrell Samson said the bill would strengthen French-language protections across the country after decades without such updates. Conservative MP Joël Godin questioned why the government had moved amendments in the House rather than at committee.
Question period featured repeated exchanges between Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on passports, carbon pricing, housing costs and foreign interference. Poilievre accused the government of deleting historic images from passports and of failing to act on threats to an MP's family. Trudeau defended the record on veterans, climate policy and intelligence handling.
Other exchanges covered pharmacare, immigration targets and overdose deaths, with NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet pressing the government on costs and provincial concerns.
Decided that day
- Referral of a question of privilege to committee passed
- S-211, S-227 and C-46 received royal assent
From the Hansard record of the sitting. Full Hansard
Question Period – May 10, 2023. Video from CPAC. Watch on YouTube
Who held the floor · 2023-05-10
AI-rated The sitting score and the rating of each answer come from a language model reading Hansard. How the AI rates this
Other moments
Passports
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre asked why images of Quebec City, Terry Fox and the Battle of Vimy had been removed from new passports.
Read the exchangeCarbon Pricing
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said the carbon tax was driving up food prices and cited the closure of a Montreal deli.
Read the exchangeImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said no party in the Quebec National Assembly supported federal plans for 500,000 immigrants a year.
Read the exchangePharmacare
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said the government had met pharmaceutical lobbyists 126 times in less than a year and had not lowered drug prices as promised in 2017.
Read the exchangeHealth
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said government safer-supply programs had flooded streets with hydromorphone and driven overdose deaths higher in British Columbia.
Read the exchangeQuestion Period, exchange by exchange
AI-rated Each answer’s rating (answered, partly answered, deflected, answered something else) is a model’s reading of the exchange. How the AI rates this
- misdirectedPassportsPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer ignores passport images and attacks Conservatives on veterans instead.
I want to point out that no one will take any lessons from the Conservative Party about how to treat veterans.
- misdirectedPassportsPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer again pivots to attacking Conservatives on veterans rather than addressing passport changes.
Conservatives have always disrespected veterans while wrapping themselves in the imagery.
- deflectedPassportsPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer changes subject to budget measures instead of responding to passport imagery claims.
while the Conservatives are trying to pick fights here in the House, we are focused on delivering for Canadians.
- deflectedCarbon PricingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer begins a deflection to general Montrealer concerns without addressing the deli closure or carbon tax.
Montrealers, like Canadians all across the country, care deeply—
- misdirectedCarbon PricingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer shifts to attacking the questioner on misogyny and social media instead of carbon tax or food prices.
if the member opposite wants to talk about how we use social media respectively, let us remind everyone that he used misogynistic, anti-women hashtags
- answeredImmigration, Refugees and CitizenshipMr. Yves-François Blanchet (Bloc) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Answer directly explains the immigration plan and Quebec's role in thresholds.
Of course, Quebec has tremendous control over its own immigration thresholds.
- partly answeredImmigration, Refugees and CitizenshipMr. Yves-François Blanchet (Bloc) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Answer covers the plan and economic needs but adds partisan remarks about the Bloc.
we are going to continue to table an ambitious plan to meet our country's economic needs
- answeredPharmacareMr. Jagmeet Singh (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer addresses pharmacare progress and drug price reductions despite the loaded premise.
We have made big changes by moving forward on bulk-buying power, by including and developing a national strategy for drugs for rare diseases
- partly answeredPharmacareMr. Jagmeet Singh (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer addresses pharmacare progress but ignores the core accusation of being influenced by pharma.
we have taken concrete steps to lower the cost of medication, and we will continue to do so, especially by developing a national strategy for drugs for rare diseases and progressing toward a universal national pharmacare program.
- deflectedHousingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer avoids the bonus question by attacking Conservative proposals instead of addressing CMHC payments.
The only solution we have heard from the Conservatives is to cut taxes for the owners of large buildings.
- misdirectedHousingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer turns to criticizing Conservatives for filibustering rather than addressing the CMHC bonus payments.
which, unfortunately, is being filibustered by Conservatives, who do not want to see the budget pass with measures to help Canadians right across the board.
- deflectedHousingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer avoids the construction decline statistic by restating Liberal investments and attacking Conservative plans.
- deflectedHousingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer sidesteps the plagiarism and construction drop claims by emphasizing ongoing agreements and contrasting with Conservative cuts.
They were glad to be able to take ideas from us and now blame us for taking ideas from them.
- deflectedHousingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer avoids the implementation failure and construction drop by accusing Conservatives of having no plan.
They have no plan for fighting the housing crisis.
- deflectedHousingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer dismisses the exchange as ridiculous and pivots away from the specific plan and statistics raised.
even by the standards of this House these past days, this is getting to be a pretty ridiculous debate.
- partly answeredImmigration, Refugees and CitizenshipMr. Yves-François Blanchet (Bloc) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer addresses labor needs and Quebec cooperation but does not directly respond to the expert's concern about immigration levels.
I spend a lot of time talking to entrepreneurs in Beauce, Abitibi and in the Quebec City area who are struggling to find labour to grow their business.
- deflectedImmigration, Refugees and CitizenshipMr. Yves-François Blanchet (Bloc) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer discusses consultations and needs but avoids naming who supports the specific target.
the Department of Immigration consulted 3,000 different organizations and groups across Canada when setting our targets.
- deflectedDemocratic InstitutionsPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Answer avoids naming staff aware of the threat and instead attacks Conservatives as partisan.
While the Conservative Party tries to turn this into a partisan controversy, we will continue to take this seriously and protect Canadians.
- deflectedDemocratic InstitutionsPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer explains intelligence processes and future changes but does not address the specific past inaction or choice between incompetence and unwillingness.
What I have done over the past week is ensure that any threat, no matter how low the threshold, no matter how unsavoury or unreliable the source, should be elevated if it talks about MPs and their families.
- misdirectedDemocratic InstitutionsPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Answer discusses CSIS threat determinations instead of addressing the Beijing donation to the Trudeau Foundation.
It is CSIS itself that makes determinations on the credibility, the threat level and the seriousness of the various pieces of information that come in.
- deflectedDemocratic InstitutionsPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Answer refuses to engage and redirects questions to the foundation rather than addressing support for an Auditor General audit.
it has been close to 10 years since I have had any direct or indirect engagement with the Trudeau Foundation.
- partly answeredIndigenous AffairsMr. Jagmeet Singh (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Answer affirms moving forward on UNDRIP including FPIC but notes provincial control over resources without a specific commitment for Saskatchewan.
we are moving forward on legislating the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which includes free, prior and informed consent.
- partly answeredHousingMs. Bonita Zarrillo (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.Answer lists rental supports and supply measures but does not address cracking down on corporate landlords.
we have taken significant steps on supporting low-income renters, including a $500 housing benefit top-up, which the Conservatives voted against and tried to delay.
- deflectedHealthPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer defends harm reduction and funding but does not address whether the government will back away from decriminalization plans.
The evidence is clear that harm reduction measures save lives.
- deflectedHealthPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer attacks Conservative ideology instead of addressing the claim about street prices or ending specific policies.
the Conservatives' ideologically driven solutions are good for bumper stickers, but they are not effective in supporting people in moving forward on a health-based approach to opioids
- deflectedHealthPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer dismisses the question as ideological fearmongering without engaging the overdose statistics or decriminalization policy.
the ideological fearmongering coming from the Conservatives is all too typical and too unfortunate
- deflectedHealthPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer pivots to criticizing past Conservative governments rather than responding to the current policy critique.
We spent years in opposition fighting against the Stephen Harper ideological approach that stood against harm reduction
- partly answeredImmigration, Refugees and CitizenshipMr. Yves-François Blanchet (Bloc) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer addresses the economic need for immigrants but does not engage the McKinsey or cheap labour premise.
entrepreneurs across Quebec and the country need workers
- deflectedIntergovernmental RelationsMr. Yves-François Blanchet (Bloc) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer accuses the Bloc of wanting conflict and ignores the sovereignty question.
They just want Quebec and Ottawa to argue
- deflectedCarbon PricingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer defends the existing carbon price but does not address the second tax or its cost.
years ago we decided that here in Canada it is no longer free to pollute
- misdirectedEmploymentPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer attacks the questioner's understanding of Quebec instead of addressing the beluga data or project reversal.
the Conservative Party leader is once again demonstrating that he understands nothing about what is happening in Quebec
- deflectedEmploymentPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer criticizes Conservative climate denial without answering the LNG export or Putin claim.
clever buzzwords is not a plan to grow the economy and create opportunities for the middle class
- partly answeredOil and Gas IndustryPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer cites LNG Canada approval to counter the no-business-case claim but ignores comparisons to other nations and the call to replace Asian coal.
The reality is this is the government that approved a historic $40-billion LNG Canada investment by Shell and Asian partners to export LNG to Asian economies to replace coal and to make sure we are contributing in a strong way.
- deflectedOil and Gas IndustryPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer pivots to criticizing Harper-era thinking instead of addressing the count of approved projects or exemptions.
again we are suddenly back in the Stephen Harper era, where Conservatives continue to think one can just drive a pipeline anywhere one wants, build a plant, move—
- misdirectedOil and Gas IndustryPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). loaded question.The answer falsely attributes opposition to TMX to the asker and shifts to unrelated investments rather than addressing cost overruns or foreign spending.
we just heard it from the Conservative Party of Canada: We should not have moved forward with the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.
- answeredDisaster AssistanceMr. Blake Desjarlais (NDP) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer directly assures federal support for evacuees including indigenous communities and coordination with provincial and Red Cross efforts.
We will be there for them. We will continue to work with the provincial government.
- answeredElectoral ReformMr. Mike Morrice (Green) asked Justin Trudeau (Liberal). substantive question.The answer explains the lack of consensus that halted ranked-ballot reform and states openness to further discussion.
When we change something as fundamental as the way we elect members of the House, it has to be done with consensus.