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Monday, September 23, 2024 · sitting No. 341

Committees consume most of Commons time as online harms bill advances

Committees of the House occupied 34 per cent of the sitting, the largest share of the day, while members continued debate on the online harms act under government orders.

Question period featured repeated exchanges on carbon pricing, housing affordability and seniors' benefits, with Conservative MPs pressing the government on cost-of-living pressures and Liberal ministers defending recent economic indicators and program expansions.

From the Hansard record of the sitting. Full Hansard

Question Period – September 23, 2024. Video from CPAC. Watch on YouTube

Who held the floor · 2024-09-23

Government (Liberal)OppositionOver the day: government 38%, opposition 62% of the words spokenPrivate membersGovernment businessQuestion PeriodRoutine proceedings▲ Government side held the floor▼ Opposition held the floorOpened 11:0512:0013:0014:0015:0016:0017:00Last speech 18:30Time of day, Ottawa · the House sat 7 h 25 min · each dot is a stretch of debate, placed at the minute it began
20Another sitting that went nowhereThe House devoted most of its time to committee matters and the Online Harms Act yet passed no bills or recorded votes. Question period produced few direct answers while 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

Online Harms Act

Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux said the bill addresses harmful online contact and urged Conservatives to support protections for Canadians, while Conservative MP Cheryl Gallant said the government would choose the censors and lacks credibility on appointments.

Read the exchange

Carbon Pricing

Conservative MP Andrew Scheer said the government plans to raise the carbon tax to 61 cents a litre and blamed it for higher costs at food banks, while Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said inflation has returned to the Bank of Canada's target range and wages have outpaced inflation for 19 months.

Read the exchange

Housing

Conservative MP Gérard Deltell said housing starts are down 13 per cent in Quebec and 61 per cent of young renters are unsure they can afford rent, while Liberal MP Peter Fragiskatos said the government has lifted the GST on apartment construction and taken 87,000 people off the street.

Read the exchange

Seniors

Bloc Québécois MP Alain Therrien said the government should increase old age security for those aged 65 to 74 or trigger an election, while Liberal MP Steven MacKinnon said the government has increased support for seniors despite opposition from the Bloc.

Read the exchange

Canadian Dental Care Plan

Liberal MP Sean Casey said more than 8,000 Prince Edward Islanders have received care under the Canadian dental care plan and thanked the Dental Association of Prince Edward Island, while Conservative interventions elsewhere criticized the program.

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. deflected
    Carbon PricingAndrew Scheer (Conservative) asked Chrystia Freeland (Liberal). loaded question.Answer shifts to inflation stats instead of addressing carbon tax relief claim.That means interest rates are coming down.
  2. deflected
    Carbon PricingAndrew Scheer (Conservative) asked Chrystia Freeland (Liberal). loaded question.Answer pivots to accusing Conservatives of hidden agenda rather than carbon tax or election call.They have a hidden austerity agenda, and it is time for us to ask ourselves what they would cut.
  3. partly answered
    HousingAndrew Scheer (Conservative) asked Chrystia Freeland (Liberal). substantive question.Answer directly addresses housing measures announced but ignores the tax hike on builders criticism.Last week, we announced that amortizations for first-time homebuyers and everyone buying new builds will be extended to 30 years.
  4. misdirected
    The EconomyMr. Luc Berthold (Conservative) asked Jean-Yves Duclos (Liberal). rhetorical question.Answer attacks Conservative leader's prior statement instead of responding to student food bank question.last week, his Conservative leader said it would merely feed bureaucracy to support community organizations
  5. misdirected
    The EconomyMr. Luc Berthold (Conservative) asked Jean-Yves Duclos (Liberal). loaded question.Answer turns to inviting visit to food bank and attacks on opposition rather than addressing debt or election call.Is my colleague open to coming with me to Moisson Québec and the Granit food bank in his riding
  6. deflected
    SeniorsMr. Alain Therrien (Bloc) asked Steven MacKinnon (Liberal). loaded question.Answer lists past votes against instead of addressing OAS increase for 65-74 or election trigger choice.They voted against lowering the retirement age from 67 to 65.
  7. deflected
    SeniorsMr. Alain Therrien (Bloc) asked Steven MacKinnon (Liberal). loaded question.Answer repeats denial of cuts and past votes instead of addressing OAS for 65-74 or oil tax credits.All we have done, despite the opposition of our friends across the way, including the Bloc Québécois, is increase support for Quebec and Canadian seniors.
  8. misdirected
    HealthMr. Jagmeet Singh (NDP) asked Mark Holland (Liberal). loaded question.Answer attacks NDP choice and Conservatives instead of addressing for-profit doctor fees or Loblaw issue.
  9. misdirected
    HealthMr. Jagmeet Singh (NDP) asked Mark Holland (Liberal). loaded question.Answer attacks NDP and Conservatives rather than addressing the privatization question.Weak is to run away just two days after the Conservative leader demands that they stop action to work with the government to help Canadians on health care.
  10. deflected
    Carbon PricingMr. Eric Duncan (Conservative) asked Jenna Sudds (Liberal). loaded question.Answer pivots to unrelated topics like child care instead of addressing carbon tax impacts on food banks.Women's participation in the workforce is way up and has reached a record high.
  11. deflected
    Carbon PricingMr. Eric Duncan (Conservative) asked Steven Guilbeault (Liberal). loaded question.Answer lists unrelated positives like interest rates without engaging the carbon tax and food bank question.interest rates are down. Inflation is down. Gas prices are down, and pollution is down.
  12. deflected
    Carbon PricingMr. Kyle Seeback (Conservative) asked François-Philippe Champagne (Liberal). loaded question.Answer shifts to decarbonization investments instead of responding to carbon tax effects on workers.Under the Liberal government, investment in decarbonization is up to make sure that our steel mills are productive
  13. deflected
    Carbon PricingMr. Kyle Seeback (Conservative) asked François-Philippe Champagne (Liberal). loaded question.Answer discusses steel tariffs but avoids the carbon tax election and economic impact question.We just imposed tariffs on steel coming from China to make sure we protect our industry, our jobs and our future.
  14. partly answered
    JusticeMr. Pierre Paul-Hus (Conservative) asked Arif Virani (Liberal). loaded question.Answer addresses bail rules and provincial roles but sidesteps the broader Criminal Code weakening claim.The decision about bail provisions falls to the judges or justices of the peace appointed by the provincial government.
  15. deflected
    JusticeMr. Pierre Paul-Hus (Conservative) asked Arif Virani (Liberal). loaded question.Answer redirects blame to Quebec provincial government instead of addressing Criminal Code changes.In other words, they should talk to Mr. Legault.
  16. deflected
    Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipMr. Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Bloc) asked Marc Miller (Liberal). loaded question.Answer notes a past request from the asker to deflect from the immigration slowdown admission.The last time he contacted my office, it was to increase the number of temporary workers in Quebec, and rightly so.
  17. deflected
    Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipMr. Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Bloc) asked Marc Miller (Liberal). loaded question.Answer shifts to Quebec's actions instead of addressing federal targets or warnings.I would simply like to remind the member opposite that this is the same Quebec government that tripled the number of temporary residents in Quebec under its jurisdiction.
  18. partly answered
    Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipMr. Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Bloc) asked Marc Miller (Liberal). substantive question.Answer gives a timeline on work permits and mentions upcoming meeting but does not address relocation or processing delays.it takes only 60 days to get a work permit.
  19. deflected
    Mental Health and AddictionsMr. Jamie Schmale (Conservative) asked Ya'ara Saks (Liberal). loaded question.Answer attacks Conservatives' past record rather than addressing current overdose deaths or policy failure.It is nice to hear the Conservatives acknowledge that there is a crisis, because when they were in power, they cut the drug treatment fund by more than two-thirds.
  20. misdirected
    Mental Health and AddictionsMr. Jamie Schmale (Conservative) asked Ya'ara Saks (Liberal). loaded question.Answer accuses opposition of rejecting science instead of explaining de-escalation or policy changes.On that side of the House, they do not believe in science, they do not believe in data and they do not believe in saving the lives of Canadians.
  21. misdirected
    SeniorsMrs. Anna Roberts (Conservative) asked Steven MacKinnon (Liberal). loaded question.Answer attacks Harper's past statements and Conservative votes instead of addressing seniors' current cost-of-living issues.This is after the prime minister from that party, Mr. Harper, went to Davos, to the World Economic Forum, and took the opportunity to tell Canadian seniors back home that their retirement age was going up to 67.
  22. answered
    Foreign AffairsMs. Lindsay Mathyssen (NDP) asked Ms. Pam Damoff (Liberal). substantive question.Answer directly states Canada's position on travel advice and monitoring escalation risks.As we have said since October, Canadians should avoid all travel to Lebanon, and Canadians in Lebanon should book a commercial flight to leave the country.
  23. answered
    LabourMr. Matthew Green (NDP) asked Steven MacKinnon (Liberal). substantive question.Answer explains the recent Canada Labour Code change targeting misclassification of workers.In fact, earlier this year, we changed the Canada Labour Code to stop employers from miscasting employees as independent contractors.
  24. deflected
    HousingMr. Gérard Deltell (Conservative) asked Mr. Peter Fragiskatos (Liberal). loaded question.Answer questions Conservative plan and accuses them of using props instead of addressing housing starts or homelessness numbers.The Conservatives go to encampments to make videos and use people as props.
  25. misdirected
    HousingMr. Gérard Deltell (Conservative) asked Jean-Yves Duclos (Liberal). rhetorical question.Answer attacks Conservative housing record instead of addressing the 28% emigration stat or pride question.one, two, three, four, five, six affordable homes. That is all the Conservative leader and chief insult-hurler built across the country during his entire time as minister responsible for housing.
  26. deflected
    Forestry IndustryMr. Richard Martel (Conservative) asked Steven Guilbeault (Liberal). loaded question.Answer pivots to empty slogans and a funding offer without addressing the job-loss promise.as usual, all that the Conservatives have to offer are empty slogans.
  27. misdirected
    Forestry IndustryMr. Richard Martel (Conservative) asked Steven Guilbeault (Liberal). loaded question.Answer attacks Conservatives broadly on climate instead of responding to the 1,400 workers question.Workers, unions, businesses, regional governments and experts all understand that there can be no future in forestry if we do not protect our forest ecosystem properly.
  28. deflected
    Diversity and InclusionMr. Martin Champoux (Bloc) asked Jean-Yves Duclos (Liberal). loaded question.Answer shifts to general diversity praise without addressing Elghawaby resignation or Quebec Liberals' views.We know that diversity makes our universities strong everywhere in Canada, including Quebec.
  29. deflected
    Diversity and InclusionMr. Martin Champoux (Bloc) asked Marie-Claude Bibeau (Liberal). loaded question.Answer defends Quebec Liberals' influence without addressing the call for Elghawaby to resign.The difference is that the influence we exert on the government is real.
  30. deflected
    TaxationMrs. Stephanie Kusie (Conservative) asked Chrystia Freeland (Liberal). loaded question.Answer cites capital-gains stats but avoids why the tax targets food producers or supply chains.In an average given year, only 40,000 individual Canadians have capital gains above $250,000.
  31. misdirected
    TaxationMrs. Stephanie Kusie (Conservative) asked Chrystia Freeland (Liberal). loaded question.Answer accuses Conservatives of hypocrisy and quotes their leader instead of addressing intergenerational wealth transfer.what I want to know is why the Conservatives are so hypocritical and inconsistent.
  32. misdirected
    The EnvironmentMichelle Rempel Garner (Conservative) asked Chrystia Freeland (Liberal). loaded question.Answer attacks Conservative advisors rather than confirming or denying subsidies to Brookfield.They get advice on the cost of living from a Loblaws lobbyist.
  33. deflected
    Foreign AffairsMr. Michael Barrett (Conservative) asked Bill Blair (Liberal). rhetorical question.The answer pivots to the PM's general duties without addressing the spending allegations raised.the Prime Minister of Canada undertakes very important work representing Canada at home and abroad.
  34. misdirected
    Public SafetyMr. Larry Brock (Conservative) asked Dominic LeBlanc (Liberal). loaded question.The answer explains board independence then attacks the asker for fostering cynicism rather than addressing the specific parole decision.He knows very well that is incorrect.
  35. misdirected
    Foreign AffairsMs. Melissa Lantsman (Conservative) asked Ahmed Hussen (Liberal). loaded question.The answer details funding actions then pivots to attacking the member's party on UN membership instead of answering the immunity question.It is very rich for the member to talk about anything to do with the UN, because she will face down her party, which wants to quit the UN.
  36. answered
    Fisheries and OceansMr. Gord Johns (NDP) asked Mr. Mike Kelloway (Liberal). substantive question.The answer directly explains the engineering assessment and safety rationale for the closures while confirming navigation aids remain functional.After an engineering investigation and assessment this year, the Canadian Coast Guard determined that the locations were no longer suitable for the Canadian Coast Guard personnel to operate safely.
  37. partly answered
    Persons with DisabilitiesMr. Mike Morrice (Green) asked Kamal Khera (Liberal). substantive question.The answer affirms commitment and beneficiary numbers but does not address the requested alignment with GIS-level amounts or broader eligibility.We are stepping up and making sure that more than 600,000 Canadians with disabilities will get the Canada disability benefit.
  38. misdirected
    Civic-Mindedness and Respect in the House of CommonsMrs. Claude DeBellefeuille (Bloc) asked The Speaker (Liberal). substantive question.The Speaker's response addresses an unrelated privilege matter on foreign interference instead of the proposed unanimous-consent motion on conduct.I am now ready to rule on the question of privilege raised on June 18, 2024, by the member for Vancouver East concerning foreign interference