Debates of May 8th, 2024

Mental Health and Addictions

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I just asked now, four times, whether the Prime Minister plans to replicate, in Montreal, in Toronto or anywhere else, the radical experiment that he has had to backpedal on in British Columbia. He will not answer the question. He has a request from the Montreal mayor, the Toronto City Hall, and we do not know what other municipalities.

Either (a) the Prime Minister believes the experiment was a disaster, or (b) he plans to repeat it. Which is it?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I have answered this question many times by saying that the only way we move forward on any proposals across this country, around decriminalization or other methods to fight toxic drug overdoses, is when provinces step up and actually ask for them. Failing that, we will not be moving forward on any modifications. However, there are provinces that are choosing to reduce their harm reduction measures.

We will continue to increase harm reduction and public health responses to overdoses and to safe supply issues right across the country.

Official Languages

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, let us touch briefly on extremism. Last week, a party leader was expelled from the House, partly for using the word “extremist” without apologizing. Today, the Prime Minister is congratulating his friend for saying exactly the same word to guests in committee.

Is this a double standard or will he consider expelling his friend from the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, I expected the member to apologize and withdraw his comments, and that is exactly what he did.

At the same time, we will continue to defend the French fact across Canada and around the world through our participation in the Francophonie, based on our conviction that not only must we protect our two official languages across the country, but also be there to invest in protecting French in Quebec. We are the first government to do so, and we will continue to be there to protect French across the country.

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I just heard that we need to protect both official languages. Where does English need protecting?

This summer in Montreal there is going to be the equivalent of a global conference of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie that will be chaired by his friend, who, by his own actions, is embarrassing us on the world stage.

I think I get it: The Liberals are trying to have everyone believe that French is just fine in Quebec and there is no need to do anything to make Canada's anglophones happy.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, we are the first federal government to recognize that we have a special responsibility to protect French in Quebec and to contribute to that protection. No other government has done that before. It is because we recognize that more needs to be done to protect French. Unlike the Bloc Québécois, we are not going to focus on what needs to be done in Quebec. We are going to keep protecting French in the entire country. We are going to do so in Acadia, in Ontario, in Manitoba, in the Far North, across the country—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

Mental Health and Addictions

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, not only is the Prime Minister refusing to rule out future decriminalization across the country, which has just failed in B.C., but also he has now just announced that he plans to spend even more tax dollars on narcotic opioids. According to the Vancouver chief of police, 50% of the recovered hydromorphone originated with government programs handing it out as a so-called safe supply. That program has led to a 166% increase in drug deaths across the country since it was brought in.

Why will the Prime Minister not accept my common-sense plan to stop giving out deadly drugs and to start giving out treatment?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition proposes to return to the failed Harper-era approaches on opioids that Harper's former adviser Benjamin Perrin called obsolete and “immoral”.

Over the past number of years, we have invested in a compassionate, science-based, evidence-grounded approach that includes harm reduction through a public health lens. It also includes investments in housing, in mental health supports, in frontline workers, and in addiction treatment and recovery programs. These are the things that move us forward.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, when we were in government there were 60% fewer overdose deaths. This problem accelerated after the Prime Minister brought in these radical programs, which are not done anywhere else, to give corrupt pharmaceutical companies money to hand out more drugs.

David McEvoy, an addiction outreach worker right here in Ottawa, said that he witnessed the so-called safe supply clients “diverting their taxpayer-funded drugs to the black market”, and that they were given an “insane” quantity of drugs.

Will the Prime Minister stop giving out insane quantities of heroin-grade opioids and start bringing treatment so we can bring our loved ones home drug free?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know that any Canadian would think that adding more ideology to our approach to public health in dealing with the opioid epidemic is a solution, yet that is the only thing the Conservative Party seems to offer.

We will continue to be grounded in a compassionate, science-based approach that works with local partners and that attempts to provide the kinds of wraparound services in housing, in health care, in addiction treatment and recovery or in culturally appropriate services to those who need them. We will continue to be there to help heal people, not to imprison them.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

The Liberals are there to help kill people right now. That is exactly what they are doing.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

The Speaker will come back to this issue. I will allow the hon. member to continue his question.

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, not only is the Prime Minister's policy killing people, but he is by far the most radical ideologue who has ever occupied that job.

Always with these radical policies come profiteering by the companies making the money off of the opioids that are funded by Canadian taxpayers. It is indeed sick.

Will the Prime Minister agree to release all of the contracts for those pharmaceutical companies?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are facing, right across the country, a toxic drug and opioid epidemic that is taking lives left, right and centre, that is hurting communities and that is hurting family members who are losing loved ones at an alarming rate, and that is something we need to respond to.

We have continued to work, jurisdiction by jurisdiction, in thoughtful ways to try to do everything possible to keep communities safe, to keep families from suffering these further losses and to support people who are struggling with addiction. We will continue to be grounded in evidence and support.

Housing

[Francesco Sorbara, Liberal, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as members know, more Canadians are renting than ever before. These renters, many of whom are seniors or whom are on fixed incomes, face rising rents and renoviction threats.

Can the Prime Minister tell the House what our government is doing to help them—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I know that it is Wednesday, that members have come out of caucuses and that they are ready to go, but it is really important that we take the opportunity to listen to the questions. It will be from the top because the Speaker could not hear it.

The hon. member for Vaughan—Woodbridge from the top, please.

[Francesco Sorbara, Liberal, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

No. The hon. member is an experienced member. He knows there are no points of order during question period. The hon. member can raise a point of order after question period.

The hon. member for Vaughan—Woodbridge from the top, please.

[Francesco Sorbara, Liberal, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as you know, more Canadians are now renting than ever before. These renters, many of whom are seniors or whom are on fixed incomes, face rising rents and renoviction threats.

Can the Prime Minister tell the House what our government is doing to help them stay in their homes and enjoy affordable and stable accommodation?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with the member for Vaughan—Woodbridge that more needs to be done for renters. That is why we are unlocking well over 600,000 new rental homes across the country for the middle class, investing $1.5 billion to keep affordable apartments affordable and introducing a new renters' bill of rights to protect renters.

The Leader of the Opposition does not seem to worry about renters. He was housing minister in a government that pulled out of housing. Now, he wants to raise the taxes on apartment construction, and he continues to delay debate on his own housing proposal because he knows it does not measure up.

We will not rest until we level the playing field for renters.

Public Safety

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years, the Prime Minister is not worth the corporate crime and corruption. According to the Criminal Intelligence Service, there are $113 billion a year of money laundering. That is the equivalent of twice the entire GDP of Nova Scotia. That money laundering, all of it here in Canada, drives up housing costs, pays for drugs and stolen cars.

Why is it that the Americans had to be the ones to catch TD and to charge them with money laundering linked to fentanyl. Why did our federal government not crack down on that?