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Monday, April 8, 2024 · sitting No. 295

Commons holds take-note debate on softwood lumber dispute

The House spent the largest share of the sitting on a government orders take-note debate concerning the softwood lumber dispute with the United States. Members discussed ongoing negotiations, past rounds of talks since the 1980s and the need for a negotiated settlement, with interventions from Liberal MP Brenda Shanahan and Conservative MP Kyle Seeback.

Question period featured repeated clashes over inflation, housing costs and the carbon tax. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre pressed the government on spending and deficits while Liberal ministers Jonathan Wilkinson and Sean Fraser defended investments and affordability measures.

From the Hansard record of the sitting. Full Hansard

Question Period – April 8, 2024. Video from CPAC. Watch on YouTube

Who held the floor · 2024-04-08

Government (Liberal)OppositionOver the day: government 29%, opposition 71% of the words spokenOrders of the DayOrders of the DayGovernment business▲ Government side held the floor▼ Opposition held the floorOpened 11:0013:0014:0015:0016:0017:0018:0019:0020:00Last speech 21:50Time of day, Ottawa · the House sat 10 h 50 min · each dot is a stretch of debate, placed at the minute it began
19Another sitting that went nowhereThe House spent most of its time on privilege complaints and order-paper questions rather than advancing legislation. No bills moved forward and recorded votes were absent.AI-rated Score out of 100; the verdict and the answer ratings behind it are a model’s reading. How the AI rates this

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

Privilege

NDP MP Peter Julian argued that former GCstrategies executive Kristian Firth should be summoned to the bar of the House to answer questions on contracting practices raised in the ArriveCAN report.

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Housing

Bloc Québécois MP Alain Therrien accused the federal government of interfering in Quebec's jurisdiction by announcing new housing measures after previous failures on immigration and procurement.

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Carbon Pricing

Conservative MP Jasraj Singh Hallan called for the government to axe the carbon tax on farmers and food producers in the upcoming budget and restore the original form of Bill C-234.

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Northern Affairs

Liberal MP Lori Idlout pressed the minister of northern affairs to fix the nutrition north program without further studies so northerners can afford groceries.

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Firearms

NDP MP Charlie Angus asked the government to confirm it is targeting AR-15-style weapons rather than hunting rifles in its regulatory changes.

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Question 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

  1. deflected
    FinancePierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Jonathan Wilkinson (Liberal). loaded question.The answer shifts to employment and poverty figures instead of addressing spending and inflation.I can say that 1.2 million more Canadians have a roof over their head today than before the pandemic, and 2.3 million Canadians have been lifted out of poverty since we took office.
  2. deflected
    HousingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Jonathan Wilkinson (Liberal). loaded question.The answer attacks the Conservative leader's understanding rather than addressing the spending and mortgage question.This Conservative leader does not understand affordability, does not understand housing, does not understand the economy and does not understand the environment.
  3. deflected
    HousingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Jonathan Wilkinson (Liberal). loaded question.The answer pivots to a general plan and attacks the opposition instead of responding to the spending and inflation claim.The Conservative leader has no plan for affordability other than a bunch of tag lines.
  4. misdirected
    Carbon PricingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Sean Fraser (Liberal). loaded question.The answer addresses housing policy instead of the carbon tax on farmers and food.it is laughable when I hear the Conservative leader talk about affordability.
  5. misdirected
    Carbon PricingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Sean Fraser (Liberal). loaded question.The answer discusses GST and past housing record instead of the carbon tax on building materials.His plan includes putting the GST back on apartment construction for hundreds of thousands of middle-class homes in this country.
  6. deflected
    HousingMr. Alain Therrien (Bloc) asked Pablo Rodriguez (Liberal). substantive question.The answer reframes the question as opposition to investments and equates the Bloc with Conservatives.If so, then they can do like the Conservatives and vote against our proposals.
  7. deflected
    HousingMr. Alain Therrien (Bloc) asked Pablo Rodriguez (Liberal). loaded question.The answer emphasizes agreements with Quebec and attacks the Bloc rather than addressing the blackmail claim.It is just not a win for the Bloc Québécois.
  8. deflected
    HousingMr. Jagmeet Singh (NDP) asked Jonathan Wilkinson (Liberal). substantive question.The answer focuses on general fairness and housing goals without addressing corporate handouts.Our budget is going to focus on building more homes faster, making life more affordable for Canadians and growing an economy for the future.
  9. deflected
    HousingMr. Jagmeet Singh (NDP) asked Sean Fraser (Liberal). loaded question.Answer promotes housing investments but ignores the yes/no demand to reverse the $60B corporate measure.We have been making the investments necessary to ensure that we can solve the housing crisis.
  10. misdirected
    Carbon PricingMr. Jasraj Singh Hallan (Conservative) asked Randy Boissonnault (Liberal). loaded question.Answer pivots to Danielle Smith and personal finances instead of addressing Bill C-234 or the carbon tax hike for farmers.I would like to know whether members of the Conservative Party who come from Alberta have paid particular attention to what Premier Danielle Smith said about the Canada carbon rebate.
  11. misdirected
    Carbon PricingMr. Jasraj Singh Hallan (Conservative) asked Randy Boissonnault (Liberal). loaded question.Answer attacks the MP personally and shifts to unrelated government priorities rather than engaging the carbon tax meeting request.it is nice to see how focused that particular MP is on me and my career.
  12. deflected
    Carbon PricingMs. Leslyn Lewis (Conservative) asked Jonathan Wilkinson (Liberal). loaded question.Answer defends the carbon tax with economist quotes but does not address passing Bill C-234 or the food bank impact.The price on pollution is an effective mechanism for reducing carbon emissions, and eight out of 10 Canadian families get more money back
  13. misdirected
    Carbon PricingMs. Leslyn Lewis (Conservative) asked Jonathan Wilkinson (Liberal). loaded question.Answer accuses Conservatives of climate denial and ideology instead of responding to the Bill C-234 or affordability request.this is the fundamental problem with the remade Conservative Party, where policy is based on ideology and ignores all of the facts.
  14. partly answered
    HousingMr. Pierre Paul-Hus (Conservative) asked Jean-Yves Duclos (Liberal). substantive question.Answer acknowledges housing costs and notes new targets but pivots to criticizing Conservatives rather than addressing the CMHC plummet warning.That is why it is so surprising that the Conservatives oppose our investments in affordable housing, including social housing in the Quebec City area.
  15. misdirected
    HousingMr. Pierre Paul-Hus (Conservative) asked Jean-Yves Duclos (Liberal). substantive question.Answer invites the MP on a tour and attacks his record instead of addressing out-of-control spending or inflation concerns.if my colleague is looking for photo ops, I invite him to come with me to visit the housing project in his riding called Le Monterosso.
  16. answered
    HousingMr. Denis Trudel (Bloc) asked Sean Fraser (Liberal). substantive question.Answer directly addresses the request for unconditional transfers by citing the negotiated $1.8B agreement with provinces.We talked and negotiated, and now we have a $1.8‑billion agreement to build affordable housing in all the provinces.
  17. misdirected
    HousingMr. Denis Trudel (Bloc) asked Pablo Rodriguez (Liberal). loaded question.The answer attacks the Bloc Québécois instead of addressing housing delays or collaboration.Bloc Québécois members are the all-time champions of picking fights.
  18. deflected
    HousingMr. Denis Trudel (Bloc) asked Pablo Rodriguez (Liberal). loaded question.The answer defends federal actions and attacks the Bloc but does not address the priority or electioneering claim.The Bloc Québécois does not speak on behalf of Quebeckers.
  19. partly answered
    HousingMrs. Tracy Gray (Conservative) asked Sean Fraser (Liberal). substantive question.The answer notes local funding but pivots to criticizing Conservative policy rather than directly addressing the budget question.I take the question with a heavy dose of irony, considering that we have invested $31.5 million in that member's constituency through the housing accelerator fund.
  20. deflected
    HousingMrs. Tracy Gray (Conservative) asked Sean Fraser (Liberal). loaded question.The answer lists policies and attacks Conservatives but ignores the RBC report and housing starts forecast.Just this past week, the Conservative deputy leader held a press conference to proudly declare that they were siding with the NIMBYs when it came to municipal zoning reforms.
  21. partly answered
    HousingMr. Richard Martel (Conservative) asked Jean-Yves Duclos (Liberal). substantive question.The answer references a recent Quebec agreement but does not address red tape or the upcoming budget directly.just a few months ago, we signed a $1.8-billion agreement with the Government of Quebec that will provide, all at once, the largest number of new housing units in the history of Quebec.
  22. answered
    HousingMr. Blake Desjarlais (NDP) asked Sean Fraser (Liberal). substantive question.The answer directly outlines new funding for social and affordable housing in response to the question.The upcoming federal budget is going to include $1.5 billion to help non-profits acquire social housing so that it can be kept affordable forever.
  23. partly answered
    Northern AffairsMs. Lori Idlout (NDP) asked Ms. Yvonne Jones (Liberal). substantive question.The answer notes past investments but does not commit to fixing the Nutrition North program or ending delays.That is why, in our time in government, we have doubled our investment in programs such as nutrition north and added to programs such as the harvesters investment program
  24. misdirected
    HousingMrs. Karen Vecchio (Conservative) asked Jenna Sudds (Liberal). loaded question.The answer discusses unrelated programs like child care instead of addressing housing construction or the budget.I recently spoke to Chris, who lives in Peterborough.
  25. deflected
    HousingMrs. Karen Vecchio (Conservative) asked Jenna Sudds (Liberal). loaded question.Answer pivots to child care instead of addressing housing construction pace.In contrast to the Conservatives' continued fearmongering, on this side of the House we are doing the hard work to support families.
  26. misdirected
    HousingMr. Luc Berthold (Conservative) asked Jean-Yves Duclos (Liberal). substantive question.Answer attacks Conservative record and Quebec colleagues rather than confirming budget plans for housing.During his reign as minister responsible for housing, the Conservative Leader created six affordable housing units in the entire country.
  27. deflected
    HousingMr. Luc Berthold (Conservative) asked Jean-Yves Duclos (Liberal). loaded question.Answer repeats past achievements and attacks opposition without addressing red tape or upcoming budget specifics.The six affordable housing units built by the opposition leader were indeed affordable.
  28. partly answered
    Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipMr. Mario Simard (Bloc) asked Marc Miller (Liberal). rhetorical question.Answer acknowledges shared work with Quebec but does not identify who increased immigration levels.We have agreed to work together on reducing the number of people who are here temporarily, but we need to do it the right way.
  29. partly answered
    Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipMr. Mario Simard (Bloc) asked Marc Miller (Liberal). loaded question.Answer states temporary resident reduction target but deflects by questioning Bloc on specifics.We made it very clear that we are going to reduce the number of people who are here on a temporary basis from 7% to 5%.
  30. deflected
    FinanceMr. Greg McLean (Conservative) asked Jonathan Wilkinson (Liberal). substantive question.Answer lists government priorities but ignores deficit cap or dollar-for-dollar rule request.On the other side of the House, we have a Conservative Party of Canada that simply wants to cut and cut.
  31. deflected
    FinanceMr. Greg McLean (Conservative) asked Anita Anand (Liberal). loaded question.Answer highlights supports and fiscal metrics without committing to deficit reduction rule.We have been there for seniors with increases in the GIS and the OAS.
  32. misdirected
    FinanceMr. Marty Morantz (Conservative) asked Anita Anand (Liberal). loaded question.Answer invokes Bank of Canada independence and attacks opposition voting record instead of addressing spending rule.Every single time the party opposite has an opportunity to support Canadians, it votes against it.
  33. misdirected
    HousingMr. Jamil Jivani (Conservative) asked Sean Fraser (Liberal). loaded question.The answer congratulates then pivots to attacking the Conservative leader's policies without addressing the housing promises question.What the member may not realize, being new to the House, is that his leader is actively campaigning on commitments to build fewer homes than we have already projected to build.
  34. partly answered
    HealthMr. Frank Caputo (Conservative) asked Ya'ara Saks (Liberal). loaded question.The answer addresses safety concerns for health workers but deflects from the policy critique by shifting to slogans and stigma.I, too, am concerned about the reports and expect the B.C. government to take the necessary actions to address the concerns raised by health care providers.
  35. deflected
    HealthMr. Stephen Ellis (Conservative) asked Ya'ara Saks (Liberal). rhetorical question.The question is a rhetorical statement rather than a query, and the answer responds by challenging the member to read data instead of engaging the premise.I challenge the member to actually read the data.
  36. deflected
    FirearmsMr. Charlie Angus (NDP) asked Dominic LeBlanc (Liberal). loaded question.The answer begins with a salute but cuts off without addressing the AR-15 versus hunting rifles clarification requested.I want to salute my colleague's long service in the House on behalf of the people of northern Ontario.
  37. answered
    SeniorsMr. Alain Rayes (Independent) asked Seamus O'Regan (Liberal). substantive question.The answer directly acknowledges the lack of response and commits to investigating the New Horizons funding information issue.