All sittings← 2024-04-112024-04-16 →
Monday, April 15, 2024 · sitting No. 299
Commons debates listing IRGC as terrorist group in lengthy committee report debate
The House spent the largest share of its time on a concurrence motion for the 18th report of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. Conservative MP Garnett Genuis moved concurrence and pressed the government to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist entity and shut down its operations in Canada. Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux said the motion was being used to block debate on Bill C-50.
Question period featured repeated exchanges on housing costs and interest rates. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Liberal deficits are adding two percentage points to mortgage rates and asked the government to cut spending dollar for dollar. Housing Minister Sean Fraser replied that the Conservative leader built only six affordable units while in cabinet and that the government is advancing multiple housing programs.
The government also moved Bill C-50, the Canadian sustainable jobs act, through third reading after extended debate. Parliamentary Secretary Julie Dabrusin said the bill gives workers, industry and Indigenous representatives seats on a partnership council. Conservative MP Dan Albas said the government should instead support oil sands and LNG expansion to fund the transition.
From the Hansard record of the sitting. Full Hansard
Question Period – April 15, 2024. Video from CPAC. Watch on YouTube
Who held the floor · 2024-04-15
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
Canada Carbon Rebate
Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux said a family of four in Winnipeg North receives $1,200 a year and accused Conservatives of misleading Canadians about the rebate.
Read the exchangeCarbon Pricing
Conservative MP Philip Lawrence said farmers face sharply higher costs from the carbon tax and urged passage of Bill C-234 in its original form to exempt farm fuels.
Read the exchangeGrocery Industry
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Loblaws made $1.2 billion because of a Conservative-era corporate tax cut and called for an excess-profits tax on grocery chains.
Read the exchangeJustice
Bloc Québécois MP Claude DeBellefeuille asked whether the Prime Minister told French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal that Quebec's Bill 21 is discriminatory.
Read the exchangeIndigenous Affairs
NDP MP Charlie Angus said the government is protecting De Beers mining interests instead of transferring land so Attawapiskat can build homes.
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
- deflectedFinancePierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Sean Fraser (Liberal). loaded question.Answer attacks the plan and labels it incompetence without addressing the timeline or savings proposal.
That is not common sense. It is incompetence.
- misdirectedHousingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked François-Philippe Champagne (Liberal). loaded question.Answer pivots to attacking Poilievre's past record instead of addressing deficit reduction or interest rates.
We will not take any lessons from the Conservatives.
- deflectedHousingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Sean Fraser (Liberal). loaded question.Answer questions the value of programs rather than responding to the deficit and interest rate claim.
the Leader of the Opposition seems to know the cost of everything but the value of absolutely nothing.
- misdirectedHousingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Sean Fraser (Liberal). loaded question.Answer shifts to criticizing past housing record and proposed tax changes instead of addressing deficits and mortgage costs.
perhaps we should look at the 800,000 affordable housing units that were lost while he was housing minister.
- deflectedHousingPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Sean Fraser (Liberal). loaded question.Answer begins with immigration criticism and cuts off without engaging the housing cost or 2015 record claim.
However, let us actually focus on the housing issue right now.
- deflectedHousingMr. Alain Therrien (Bloc) asked Pablo Rodriguez (Liberal). substantive question.Answer ignores funding share statistics and pivots to referendum attacks.
While they are preparing for a referendum, we are preparing for the future.
- answeredHousingMr. Alain Therrien (Bloc) asked Sean Fraser (Liberal). substantive question.Answer directly addresses the fair share concern by citing the housing accelerator agreement and funding amounts.
We are providing $900 million in federal funds and Quebec is investing $900 million.
- partly answeredGrocery IndustryMr. Jagmeet Singh (NDP) asked François-Philippe Champagne (Liberal). loaded question.Answer acknowledges the question but pivots to urging a grocery code of conduct instead of directly answering on corporate handouts reversal.
Why does he not work with us to make sure that we have a grocery code of conduct across the nation, to help consumers, to help families and to help young kids?
- deflectedGrocery IndustryMr. Jagmeet Singh (NDP) asked François-Philippe Champagne (Liberal). loaded question.The answer promotes competition reforms instead of addressing the proposed excess profits tax.
Canadians watching us at home know that the best way to stabilize prices in Canada is to have more competition across the country.
- misdirectedHousingMr. Jasraj Singh Hallan (Conservative) asked Randy Boissonnault (Liberal). loaded question.The answer highlights inflation stats and programs while attacking the opposition's tone rather than addressing spending caps or housing affordability.
Now while that party is all doom and gloom, we are here, working every day for Canadians on a school food program, on the Canada child benefit and on making sure that we have $10-a-day child care across the country.
- misdirectedHousingMr. Jasraj Singh Hallan (Conservative) asked Randy Boissonnault (Liberal). loaded question.The answer attacks the Conservative housing plan and voting record instead of responding to food bank use or dollar-for-dollar spending rules.
The Conservatives are against every single measure that we have done to make home ownership affordable for Canadians again.
- deflectedHousingMs. Michelle Ferreri (Conservative) asked Anita Anand (Liberal). loaded question.The answer lists fiscal metrics and supports without addressing the dollar-for-dollar rule or specific mortgage renewal failures.
We will do that all while being fiscally prudent, with the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7 and with a AAA credit rating from an independent objective observer, as well as traditionally low unemployment.
- misdirectedHousingMs. Michelle Ferreri (Conservative) asked Jenna Sudds (Liberal). loaded question.The answer criticizes Conservative cuts instead of addressing the record on housing starts or interest rate impacts.
It is cuts to the programs that they need and that are supporting them in a time of need.
- misdirectedFinanceMr. Luc Berthold (Conservative) asked Jean-Yves Duclos (Liberal). loaded question.The answer attacks the Conservative leader's past housing record instead of addressing the requested spending rules or tax measures.
That is what the Conservative leader built when he was housing minister.
- misdirectedHousingMr. Luc Berthold (Conservative) asked Jean-Yves Duclos (Liberal). loaded question.The answer again attacks the Conservative leader's record and insults him rather than addressing CMHC delays or spending caps.
I am very pleased to see that my colleague knows that we are indeed doing much more than his Conservative leader, his insulting leader, did during his term as minister responsible for housing.
- deflectedJusticeMrs. Claude DeBellefeuille (Bloc) asked Pablo Rodriguez (Liberal). loaded question.The answer defends Canadian and Quebec identity while avoiding any direct response on Bill 21 or the Supreme Court challenge.
I can be a proud Quebecker and a proud Canadian at the same time.
- deflectedJusticeMrs. Claude DeBellefeuille (Bloc) asked Arif Virani (Liberal). loaded question.The answer restates the position on defending the Charter without addressing the premise about misunderstanding secularism or refraining from a challenge.
If Bill 21 reaches the Supreme Court, we will be there, as the Government of Canada, to defend the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
- deflectedJusticeMrs. Claude DeBellefeuille (Bloc) asked Arif Virani (Liberal). loaded question.The answer repeats the Charter defense stance and ignores the European examples and direct question about discrimination.
The Government of Canada will always be there to protect the people of Canada and their rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
- deflectedCarbon PricingMr. Philip Lawrence (Conservative) asked Lawrence MacAulay (Liberal). substantive question.The answer shifts to climate impacts and the rebate instead of addressing the request to pass Bill C-234 or axe the tax for farmers.
Also, we have a price on pollution, and along with the price on pollution, we have a Canada carbon rebate, which puts more money back in the pockets of Canadians.
- misdirectedCarbon PricingMr. Philip Lawrence (Conservative) asked Steven MacKinnon (Liberal). substantive question.The answer attacks the questioner's position by suggesting he advance rows and pivots to Bill C-59 instead of addressing food bank use or the carbon tax relief request.
I would respond to the hon. member that he should just advance a couple of rows up here.
- misdirectedCarbon PricingMr. Damien Kurek (Conservative) asked Jonathan Wilkinson (Liberal). substantive question.The answer insults the opposition as climate-denying and talking nonsense rather than addressing the bill or the specific cost calculation for farmers.
it is important that people are not talking nonsense in the chamber.
- deflectedGrocery IndustryMs. Leah Gazan (NDP) asked François-Philippe Champagne (Liberal). substantive question.The answer promotes a school food program announcement instead of addressing grocery CEO price gouging or student food bank usage.
We just announced a national school food program.
- partly answeredIndigenous AffairsMr. Charlie Angus (NDP) asked Patty Hajdu (Liberal). substantive question.The answer acknowledges the land issue and states communication with Ontario but provides no timeline or commitment on transferring the land.
I have been communicating with the Province of Ontario, which is currently the owner of the land.
- deflectedCarbon PricingMrs. Rachael Thomas (Conservative) asked Randy Boissonnault (Liberal). substantive question.The answer cites exemptions and lack of data on food prices instead of addressing the request to rescind amendments to Bill C-234.
At committee, Tyler McCann from The Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute indicated there is no data to support carbon pricing's relationship to any increase on the price of food in Canada, full stop.
- deflectedCarbon PricingMrs. Rachael Thomas (Conservative) asked Steven MacKinnon (Liberal). substantive question.Answer shifts to rural rebate legislation instead of addressing the bill commitment.
This member could help a lot of Albertans out if she would just get out of the way of the fall economic statement legislation, which doubles the top-up on the rural rebate
- deflectedCarbon PricingMr. Richard Lehoux (Conservative) asked Steven Guilbeault (Liberal). substantive question.Answer discusses fuel exemptions and climate impacts on farmers but ignores the bill passage request.
They are not talking to me about the carbon tax.
- partly answeredCarbon PricingMr. Richard Lehoux (Conservative) asked Marie-Claude Bibeau (Liberal). substantive question.Answer explains Quebec's separate carbon system and federal incentives but does not address passing the bill.
Quebec has had a carbon exchange since 2013, so it is not affected.
- misdirectedImmigration, Refugees and CitizenshipMr. Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Bloc) asked Marc Miller (Liberal). substantive question.Answer attacks the asker over immigration freeze instead of addressing work permit delays.
Does he agree with his party leader, in other words, the leader of the Parti Québécois, who wants to freeze immigration?
- misdirectedImmigration, Refugees and CitizenshipMr. Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Bloc) asked Marc Miller (Liberal). substantive question.Answer again attacks the asker on immigration freeze rather than responding to asylum seeker distribution.
The member did not answer my question.
- deflectedFinanceMrs. Tracy Gray (Conservative) asked Anita Anand (Liberal). substantive question.Answer lists past votes against programs instead of addressing deficit spending or one-for-one rule.
They voted against the Canada child benefit.
- deflectedFinanceMrs. Tracy Gray (Conservative) asked Anita Anand (Liberal). substantive question.Answer highlights debt-to-GDP and new programs but avoids the dollar-for-dollar rule or deficit reversal.
Our upcoming budget will build on that work by putting forward new funding for housing
- misdirectedHousingMr. Bernard Généreux (Conservative) asked Jean-Yves Duclos (Liberal). substantive question.Answer attacks the Conservative leader's housing record instead of addressing current mortgage policies.
That is the number of affordable housing units built by the insulting Conservative leader when he was the minister responsible for housing.
- deflectedPublic Services and ProcurementMrs. Stephanie Kusie (Conservative) asked Jean-Yves Duclos (Liberal). loaded question.The answer shifts focus to housing investments without addressing the McKinsey contracts or preferential treatment.
taking care of Canadians is exactly what we need to do, on this side of the House, certainly, through proper management of procurement exercises with the types of things and measures that we have announced in the last few weeks and months but also looking after the needs of Canadians with important investments in housing that we have made.
- deflectedPublic Services and ProcurementMrs. Stephanie Kusie (Conservative) asked Jean-Yves Duclos (Liberal). loaded question.The answer repeats the deflection to procurement rules and housing without addressing the specific minister's contract signing.
Taking care of Canadians is exactly what we are doing, while ensuring that the Canadian government's procurement system is efficient, fair and transparent, based on the new rules we have put in place over the past few months, for one.
- partly answeredForeign AffairsMr. Garnett Genuis (Conservative) asked Dominic LeBlanc (Liberal). loaded question.The answer addresses measures taken against the IRGC and review processes but does not explain failure to act on the motion or bill.
We have taken a series of severe measures to restrict members of the regime, including the revolutionary guard corps, from coming to Canada.
- deflectedInfrastructureMs. Lori Idlout (NDP) asked Ms. Yvonne Jones (Liberal). substantive question.The answer agrees on the need but pivots to school food programs instead of addressing investment in fixing or replacing schools.
That is why we have implemented programs to support schools, to support students and to support the school food program, which we think is very important for kids all across Canada, including those in the Arctic and in Nunavut.
- deflectedForeign AffairsMr. Kevin Vuong (Independent) asked Mélanie Joly (Liberal). loaded question.The answer condemns the attack and supports Israel but avoids the question on arms exports to Israel or NDP influence.
We support Israel and its people.
- misdirectedForeign AffairsMr. Chris Warkentin (Conservative) asked The Speaker (Liberal). rhetorical question.The answer is a Speaker's ruling on an unrelated privilege matter rather than responding to the consent request.
I am now ready to rule on the question of privilege raised on March 20, 2024, by the member for Portneuf─Jacques-Cartier concerning the presentation of an amendment in one language only during the debates of Monday, March 18, 2024.