Parliament AIIndependent · non-official

All sittings← 2024-05-082024-05-10 →

Thursday, May 9, 2024 · sitting No. 312

Conservatives move supply motion to halt hard-drug legalization

The House devoted the largest share of its sitting to a Conservative motion on the business of supply that calls on the government to reject requests from Toronto and Montreal to legalize hard drugs and to redirect funds toward treatment and recovery. Pierre Poilievre moved the motion, which cites a 166 per cent rise in opioid deaths since the Prime Minister took office. Debate on the motion remained ongoing at adjournment.

Question period featured repeated exchanges over the carbon tax, housing costs and reproductive rights. Conservative MPs pressed the government on rising mortgage payments and the July 1 moving crisis in Quebec, while Liberal ministers accused the opposition of planning to restrict abortion access. NDP members urged enforcement of the Canada Health Act to guarantee abortion services nationwide.

Decided that day

  • Time allocation for Bill C-59 passed
  • S-276, S-264 and S-269 reached second reading
  • C-355 advanced in the first chamber

From the Hansard record of the sitting. Full Hansard

Question Period – May 9, 2024. Video from CPAC. Watch on YouTube

Who held the floor · 2024-05-09

Government (Liberal)OppositionOver the day: government 34%, opposition 66% of the words spokenGovernment businessQuestion PeriodGovernment businessGovernment business▲ Government side held the floor▼ Opposition held the floorOpened 10:0012:0013:0014:0015:0016:0017:0018:0019:0020:0021:00Last speech 23:30Time of day, Ottawa · the House sat 13 h 30 min · each dot is a stretch of debate, placed at the minute it began
64Bills Advance While Answers Mostly MissThe House devoted most time to the fall economic statement and supply, advancing multiple bills and passing one time allocation. Yet Question Period produced almost no direct answers and 43 points of order interrupted proceedings.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

Damien Kurek told the House that a sophisticated cyber-attack on British Columbia government systems underscored the need for stronger protocols to protect members of Parliament from foreign interference.

Read the exchange

Petitions

Mike Morrice presented two petitions calling for a guaranteed livable income to replace the current patchwork of federal and provincial assistance programs.

Read the exchange

Housing

Gérard Deltell warned that the Bank of Canada’s forecast of higher mortgage and rent payments will worsen Quebec’s annual July 1 moving crisis.

Read the exchange

Official Languages

Alain Therrien demanded that the Prime Minister remove a Liberal member from the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie after the member insulted witnesses concerned about the decline of French.

Read the exchange

CBC/Radio-Canada

Martin Champoux pressed the government to guarantee Radio-Canada’s independence after the public broadcaster’s chief executive discussed closer integration with the CBC.

Read the exchange

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. misdirected
    FinanceAndrew Scheer (Conservative) asked Chrystia Freeland (Liberal). substantive question.Answer ignores mortgage question entirely and attacks Conservatives on abortion rights instead.Now we know the truth. Conservatives are going to attack our charter rights.
  2. misdirected
    FinanceAndrew Scheer (Conservative) asked Chrystia Freeland (Liberal). substantive question.Answer pivots from spending critique to accusing Conservatives of associating with white supremacists and attacking rights.Canadians have seen that they hang out with white supremacists and do not disavow them.
  3. misdirected
    FinanceAndrew Scheer (Conservative) asked Chrystia Freeland (Liberal). substantive question.Answer shifts from carbon tax and spending to demanding Conservatives defend abortion rights.It is time for the Conservatives to stand up and clearly say whether they are going to defend a woman's right to choose
  4. misdirected
    HousingMr. Gérard Deltell (Conservative) asked Chrystia Freeland (Liberal). substantive question.Answer ignores housing and moving day question to lecture Quebec Conservatives on abortion rights.Are the Conservative members from Quebec prepared to reaffirm the right of every woman in Canada?
  5. misdirected
    HousingMr. Gérard Deltell (Conservative) asked Chrystia Freeland (Liberal). substantive question.Answer evades inflation and spending question by returning to abortion rights and Quebec members' positions.What is affecting every woman in Canada, Quebeckers and Canadians alike, is our right to control our own bodies.
  6. partly answered
    Official LanguagesMr. Alain Therrien (Bloc) asked Chrystia Freeland (Liberal). substantive question.Answer acknowledges French decline and government support but avoids calling for member's resignation.We understand and agree that French is in decline across Canada, in Quebec and in the other provinces.
  7. partly answered
    Official LanguagesMr. Alain Therrien (Bloc) asked Chrystia Freeland (Liberal). substantive question.Answer affirms support for French language but sidesteps demand to remove the member from international role.our government believes French across the country is very important.
  8. partly answered
    Grocery IndustryMr. Alexandre Boulerice (NDP) asked Chrystia Freeland (Liberal). substantive question.Answer addresses grocery competition and fair share taxation but ignores donation and CEO profit critique.We understand that we need more competition in the grocery sector.
  9. deflected
    Grocery IndustryMr. Alistair MacGregor (NDP) asked Chrystia Freeland (Liberal). loaded question.Answer pivots to investments and competition law without addressing donations or CEO favoritism.When it comes to the grocery sector, we know that Canada needs more competition.
  10. misdirected
    Carbon PricingMr. Jasraj Singh Hallan (Conservative) asked Sean Fraser (Liberal). loaded question.Answer attacks Conservative tax plans instead of addressing fairness of the carbon tax increase.if my hon. colleague is concerned about tax increases, I suggest he talk to the leader of his own party
  11. misdirected
    Carbon PricingMr. Jasraj Singh Hallan (Conservative) asked Steven MacKinnon (Liberal). loaded question.Answer attacks Conservatives on unrelated issues rather than responding to the carbon tax question.It has been a very bad couple of weeks to be a Conservative in this country.
  12. deflected
    Carbon PricingMr. Scot Davidson (Conservative) asked Jonathan Wilkinson (Liberal). loaded question.Answer defends carbon pricing policy without addressing the PBO claim or rural impacts directly.the price on pollution is an effective way to fight climate change, but it is also a way to actually help with affordability.
  13. deflected
    Carbon PricingMr. Scot Davidson (Conservative) asked Jonathan Wilkinson (Liberal). loaded question.Answer begins to respond but cuts off without addressing rural classification or rebate eligibility.
  14. partly answered
    Public Services and ProcurementMr. Pierre Paul-Hus (Conservative) asked François-Philippe Champagne (Liberal). substantive question.Answer acknowledges public servants and spending cuts but does not commit to firing consultants.the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance also presented a plan to cut spending.
  15. misdirected
    Public Services and ProcurementMr. Pierre Paul-Hus (Conservative) asked Steven MacKinnon (Liberal). substantive question.Answer accuses Conservatives of cuts instead of answering whether consultant contracts will be cancelled.the Conservatives never miss an opportunity to offend, threaten, even propose vicious cuts to our public service.
  16. deflected
    CBC/Radio-CanadaMr. Martin Champoux (Bloc) asked Mr. Taleeb Noormohamed (Liberal). substantive question.Answer defends supporting both broadcasters but does not address protecting Radio-Canada's independence.the only way to protect Radio-Canada and the CBC is to support them both.
  17. deflected
    CBC/Radio-CanadaMr. Martin Champoux (Bloc) asked Mr. Taleeb Noormohamed (Liberal). substantive question.The answer avoids the firewall question by praising the government and attacking Conservatives instead.but what is really important is that on this side of the House, we believe in a CBC, in a Radio-Canada that is independent, that is powerful and that gives Canadians from coast to coast to coast a voice, not in what the Conservatives want to do, which is simply to say they will gut it, or worse, shut it.
  18. deflected
    CBC/Radio-CanadaMr. Martin Champoux (Bloc) asked Randy Boissonnault (Liberal). substantive question.The answer ignores the independence question and shifts to praising the French fact across Canada.We have a public broadcaster here in Canada to sustain the French fact from coast to coast to coast.
  19. misdirected
    Carbon PricingMr. Bob Zimmer (Conservative) asked Dan Vandal (Liberal). substantive question.The answer attacks the questioner's voting record instead of addressing the carbon tax and food insecurity in Nunavut.the member opposite has a lot of nerve.
  20. misdirected
    Carbon PricingMr. Bob Zimmer (Conservative) asked Dan Vandal (Liberal). substantive question.The answer lists past funding votes rather than responding to the current carbon tax impact on food prices.two years ago, in Nunavut, I announced $143 million of new funding for nutrition north.
  21. deflected
    Carbon PricingMr. Jeremy Patzer (Conservative) asked Jenna Sudds (Liberal). substantive question.The answer pivots to a school food program instead of addressing the carbon tax and food bank crisis.I am very proud to be part of a government that believes that every child should have access to food while at school.
  22. partly answered
    Women and Gender EqualityMs. Leah Gazan (NDP) asked Ms. Lisa Hepfner (Liberal). substantive question.The answer agrees on protecting rights and acknowledges more work is needed but does not address enforcing the Canada Health Act in New Brunswick.
  23. partly answered
    Persons with DisabilitiesMs. Bonita Zarrillo (NDP) asked Pablo Rodriguez (Liberal). substantive question.The answer discusses the summit and need for solutions but does not explain why the minister will not intervene directly.
  24. deflected
    Mental Health and AddictionsMrs. Tracy Gray (Conservative) asked Ya'ara Saks (Liberal). substantive question.The answer reframes around harm reduction and attacks the Conservative approach instead of addressing the motion to end hard drug legalization.The Conservatives continue to want to criminalize family members rather than getting them harm reduction, prevention and treatment.
  25. misdirected
    Mental Health and AddictionsMrs. Tracy Gray (Conservative) asked Ya'ara Saks (Liberal). loaded question.Answer attacks Conservatives and ends with 'Shame' instead of addressing the vote request.
  26. deflected
    Mental Health and AddictionsMr. Arpan Khanna (Conservative) asked Ya'ara Saks (Liberal). loaded question.Answer accuses of misleading and restates policy without addressing the motion or compassion request.Why do the Conservatives continue to think that it is okay to criminalize loved ones who need help?
  27. deflected
    Mental Health and AddictionsMs. Michelle Ferreri (Conservative) asked Patty Hajdu (Liberal). loaded question.Answer reframes to shared grief and scientists without addressing whose problem it is or ending legalization.
  28. deflected
    Public Services and ProcurementMr. Gabriel Ste-Marie (Bloc) asked Steven MacKinnon (Liberal). substantive question.Answer defends public service and attacks Conservatives and Bloc instead of addressing efficiency or encroachment.We are never surprised to hear the Conservatives threaten to hack up the public service, nor should we be surprised when the Bloc Québécois, which does not believe in the federal state, does the same thing.
  29. partly answered
    Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipMr. Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Bloc) asked Marc Miller (Liberal). substantive question.Answer notes member is not invited and coordination is needed but avoids specific demands or referendum stance.My colleague will have to hold his breath a little while longer.
  30. misdirected
    HousingMr. Luc Berthold (Conservative) asked Jean-Yves Duclos (Liberal). loaded question.Answer attacks Conservative leader's record instead of addressing July 1 crisis numbers or ignorance claim.The Conservative leader and former minister responsible for housing created only six affordable housing units across the country compared to the 8,000 that were built by Quebec's municipalities.
  31. misdirected
    HousingMr. Luc Berthold (Conservative) asked Jean-Yves Duclos (Liberal). loaded question.Answer pivots to 8,000 units and again attacks Conservative leader instead of addressing July 1 readiness or failures.By comparison, the fact that the Conservative leader built six units during his time as minister responsible for housing looks pretty bad.
  32. deflected
    FinanceMr. Richard Lehoux (Conservative) asked François-Philippe Champagne (Liberal). loaded question.Answer dismisses slogans and pivots to investments without addressing spending, prices, or housing stock.We are not building the future by asking questions.
  33. deflected
    EthicsMr. Michael Barrett (Conservative) asked Steven MacKinnon (Liberal). loaded question.The answer ignores the payment question and pivots to attacking the Conservatives on unrelated issues.However, during this bad couple of weeks for the Conservative Party, with Diagolon, white extremists and now the right to choose being put on the table, it is no surprise that they want to distract.
  34. deflected
    EthicsMr. Michael Barrett (Conservative) asked Steven MacKinnon (Liberal). loaded question.The answer avoids the RCMP investigation query and instead attacks Conservative MPs on abortion rights.the Campaign Life Coalition publishes a list of Conservative MPs whom they deem anti-choice and anti-LGBT enough to endorse in the election.
  35. deflected
    Public SafetyMr. Frank Caputo (Conservative) asked Dominic LeBlanc (Liberal). substantive question.The answer dismisses the specific security lapse question as exaggeration without addressing the hospital incident details.my hon. friend does not serve to reassure Canadians when he exaggerates and distorts a series of elements that he knows are misleading.
  36. partly answered
    Climate ChangeMr. Charlie Angus (NDP) asked Steven Guilbeault (Liberal). loaded question.The answer provides emissions data but does not address the TMX pipeline or COP26 promise directly.just last week the national inventory report came out and showed that, since before the pandemic, our emissions have gone down 44 million tonnes.
  37. partly answered
    Diversity and InclusionMr. Kevin Vuong (Independent) asked Kamal Khera (Liberal). substantive question.The answer notes local authorities' role and affirms free speech limits but does not confirm any federal investigation into funding.we know that the local authorities are engaged in their jurisdictions on this matter.
  38. answered
    Business of the HouseAndrew Scheer (Conservative) asked Steven MacKinnon (Liberal). substantive question.The answer directly lists the upcoming House business items for the week and following week.
  39. misdirected
    PrivilegeMrs. Rachael Thomas (Conservative) asked Patty Hajdu (Liberal). substantive question.The answer raises a point of order on language instead of addressing the Speaker's statement inconsistency.I was really disappointed with the use of the word "addicts" to describe people who are struggling with substance use.