Garnett Genuis
Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta · Conservative · Canada
“It is getting increasingly harder for young people to find their first job, and for young families to afford their first home and be able to afford to take those critical steps forward in life.”
“I look forward to talking to people and listening to them over the summer. I would encourage colleagues from all parts of the country to also listen to, respect and try to understand the concerns Albertans have.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his kind words. Indeed, I would welcome him, and all members of this House from all parties, to come to Alberta this summer. Let me know. I would be happy to host. Members could spend some time talking to people in our province to understand some of their concerns.”
“This plan includes vital reforms to parental leave to make it easier for parents who are trying to start a family, maintain a connection to work and earn an income at the same time.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to extend my best wishes for the summer to all colleagues from all sides. We have fought hard for our constituents, for our convictions and to advance the common good of this country.”
“We have always sought to be productive and constructive by putting forward these good ideas and asking the government to adopt them. Therefore, as we face these ongoing challenges, an affordability crisis and a youth unemployment crisis, will the government take a serious look at what we have put forward, including the Conservative youth…”
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“When folks on the government side talk about this, they often highlight the continuing existence of programs that have already existed for a very long time. What we need are new solutions, like the Conservatives' youth jobs plan that would make a difference. I would encourage the member to refer to that report.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his kind words. Indeed, I would welcome him, and all members of this House from all parties, to come to Alberta this summer. Let me know. I would be happy to host. Members could spend some time talking to people in our province to understand some of their concerns. These are precarious times, but youth unemployment is very high here compared to in peer countries, and compared to what we have seen historically. I would draw the attention of the government to the 10th report of the human resources committee. It is a unanimous report that identifies specific policy problems in this country that need to be addressed, including high taxes, high red tape, hiring costs and failures in immigration policy and training policy. These are things we need to talk about.”
“We have always sought to be productive and constructive by putting forward these good ideas and asking the government to adopt them. Therefore, as we face these ongoing challenges, an affordability crisis and a youth unemployment crisis, will the government take a serious look at what we have put forward, including the Conservative youth jobs plan, parental leave reforms and the need to reform training to connect Canadian young people with Canadian jobs? Will the government look at our ideas, take them seriously and consider implementing them as part of the budget so we can finally reverse the trajectory that we have seen and give young people hope for jobs, homes and opportunity in the future?”
“This plan includes vital reforms to parental leave to make it easier for parents who are trying to start a family, maintain a connection to work and earn an income at the same time. I am very proud of the work we have done as a Conservative opposition, focusing on what matters to Canadians and on putting forward constructive proposals to make people's lives better. We have asked the government, in a spirit of goodwill and co-operation, to take these ideas forward and adopt our Conservative youth jobs plan and the parental leave reforms we have put forward. Unfortunately, in many cases, we have seen the government choose to move in the opposite direction, for instance, by defunding grants to students at vocational institutions who are trying to gain the vital experience they need for jobs.”
“It is getting increasingly harder for young people to find their first job, and for young families to afford their first home and be able to afford to take those critical steps forward in life. In recognition of that problem, and in an effort to be constructive, we have, as the Conservative Party, put forward constructive proposals to try to make life better for young people seeking jobs and for young families. Last fall, we announced the Conservative youth jobs plan to unleash the economy, fix immigration, fix training and build homes where the jobs are. This plan, if implemented by the government, would help young people have hope that they can have jobs and opportunity going forward, afford homes and have the standard of living their parents had. We have also released a work and family life plan to support young families.”
“I look forward to talking to people and listening to them over the summer. I would encourage colleagues from all parts of the country to also listen to, respect and try to understand the concerns Albertans have. Many Albertans, including those who support a united Canada, have concerns about the way our federation has operated and want to look for opportunities to improve things for the good of the whole country. Coming back to the question I had originally asked and that I am following up on, I am deeply concerned, as we go into the summer, about the challenges facing young Canadians and young Canadian families when it comes to finding employment, starting out in life and believing they can have a better future and that they can pass a better future on to the next generation. We have a worsening employment crisis.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to extend my best wishes for the summer to all colleagues from all sides. We have fought hard for our constituents, for our convictions and to advance the common good of this country. I want to share my best wishes with all colleagues, as well as the various staff and people in this institution who support the important work that we do. In addition to thanking and wishing best wishes to all colleagues and support staff here, I want to note that this will be a very important summer in my province because we will be discussing and debating the question of Alberta's place within Confederation. I can tell the House that I firmly believe in the importance of a strong Alberta within a united Canada. I believe that is the position held by the majority of my constituents.”
“While I am on my feet, I want to thank all those who advocated for giving us the opportunity to table private members' bills today so we can do our jobs as members of Parliament. (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)”
“This problem became evident to me when St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Forane Pilgrim Church in Scarborough was targeted in the theft of a sacred relic. It was not worth much in dollars and cents, perhaps, but was of immense value to the community. Today I am introducing a bill that would create a separate offence for the theft of religious or culturally significant property. Essentially, it would apply the same level of seriousness and the same sentencing range for theft of religious and culturally significant property as are applied to the theft of items worth over $5,000. This law would help protect religious communities but would also support local museums, indigenous nations and all ethnocultural communities that pass their traditions through culturally significant property.”
“Bill C‑290. Introduction and first reading moved for leave to introduce Bill C‑290, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (theft of property of cultural or religious significance) . He said: Mr. Speaker, today I am tabling a new private member's bill, an act to amend the Criminal Code regarding theft of property of cultural or religious significance. Canada's current laws on theft are based primarily on economic notions of value. Stealing an item worth over $5,000 can carry a heavier sentence than stealing an item worth less than $5,000. However, economic value is not the only or the most important concept of value. Things can be valuable for reasons that have nothing to do with their weight in economic exchange. Our current laws on theft do not incorporate other, higher concepts of value than the purely economic.”
“This motion is going to pass; they have their majority, so it is going to pass. Will the minister agree to come to the human resources committee, even for one hour, to talk to us about the bill? The human resources committee is supposed to be studying housing. We have two studies going, one on housing starts and one on homelessness. We have not heard from the minister. We also have this bill going through on housing. The minister is trying to skip coming to committee. Will he come to human resources committee for an hour to talk about this bill, yes or no?”
“Mr. Speaker, in response to what the parliamentary secretary just said, it is important for Canadians to know that there is a big difference between using closure or time allocation at one stage of a bill in the House and shutting the bill down at every stage so there is no possibility of committee study. On Bill C‑5 , we moved it forward, but we had detailed committee study and amendments from the Conservatives that improved that bill. In this case, the bill is being shut down at all stages with no committee study, no report stage and no third reading debate. I think it is because, in part, the housing minister is afraid to come to the human resources committee, where we sit— An hon member: Oh, oh! Garnett Genuis: Mr. Speaker, the member is blowing that off. I will ask the minister a simple question.”
“This is just an unconscionable attack on the processes that are supposed to defend the rights and liberties of Canadians and to defend good decision-making. How can the minister, if he really thinks this is a good bill, justify the most draconian use of shutting down a procedure that we have ever seen in the House, shutting it down not just at one stage but at all stages, with no possibility for debate, study or amendment?”
“Mr. Speaker, we have a Prime Minister who is really eroding the foundations of our parliamentary democracy. He is never here, yet he is imposing some of the most draconian measures on parliamentary debate. The motion before the House would impose on Bill C-26 that there would be one more speaker for each party at second reading, and then after the vote at second reading, it would be deemed adopted at all stages, with no committee study, no report stage debate and no third reading debate. An hon. member: Oh, oh! Garnett Genuis: Mr. Speaker, the member for Whitby is saying, “perfect”. This is what Liberals want. They want to shut down debate. This would not just be closure of debate at a stage. It would be shutting debate down at all stages, with no possibility for committee study or amendment.”
“It would be better if we did not pass laws that violate religious freedom in the first place, therefore not requiring that kind of charter action. Why is the member proceeding with this in light of those obvious concerns, especially from the Orthodox Jewish community?”
“Mr. Speaker, first, I would put to the member that the Orthodox Jewish community and the religious leaders within the Jewish community are overwhelmingly opposed to the removal of the religious exemption. I would encourage the member to take their concerns seriously. Moreover, the idea that a statute that denies religious freedom and attacks freedom of speech is not a big deal because the charter protects religious freedom is not great comfort to most people. It may be that this law could be found unconstitutional, if a person who is charged then addresses the issue of religious freedom through the courts and eventually gets a remedy for that, but that is a long and difficult process for an individual to go through.”
“Mr. Speaker, during question period, I asked a question about the government subsidizing the companies responsible for hiring illegal workers. The minister described it as a conspiracy theory. I wonder if there would be unanimous consent to table Order Paper question response—”
“Mr. Speaker, in the midst of a very tough job environment, the government repeatedly chose to give public subsidies to a company responsible for firing Canadian workers and hiring illegal workers instead. Despite being found guilty, the subsidies kept rolling in. Can the fisheries minister tell us if Ichiboshi L.P.C. is still eligible for public subsidies from her department, yes or no?”
“Mr. Speaker, given that there has been some inconsistency, I would like to request unanimous consent to be able to present my private member's bill, which has been waiting for weeks on the Order Paper.”
“Madam Speaker, I want to follow up on the issue of the trades. In 2006, Stephen Harper brought in grants for trades workers. In 2009, the same Conservative government brought in completion grants. One of the first acts of this Prime Minister was to cancel grants for trades workers and completion grants. The government also pulled student grants for students studying at vocational institutions. Now, after a lot of advocacy from Conservatives, as well as from unions, we were pleased to see the partial restoration of grants to trades workers. This is something we and unions had advocated for. I want to ask the minister, number one, why did the Liberals cancel these grants in the first place? Second, why are they still denying student grants to those studying at vocational institutions?”
“They should not have cut those grants in the first place, but they also should not be cutting grants for vocational training. The fact is the government has nothing new. Why will the Liberals not adopt our Conservative youth jobs plan?”
“Mr. Speaker, it is clear from that response that the government has nothing new to offer. The parliamentary secretary spoke about programs that have existed since the 1990s and their rebranded Canada strong program. Here are the facts: Conservatives introduced grants for trade workers in 2009 and 2006: 2009 were the completion grants, 2006 were the other grants introduced for trade workers. The Liberals cancelled those grants. The Minister of Jobs and Families defended the decision to cancel those grants, and then, in the face of significant advocacy from unions, as well as Conservatives and other organizations, the government chose to restore funding that the Liberals had cut. Restoring something that they cut and giving it a new name is not doing something new. We absolutely need to support trades workers.”
“However, when I talk to young people about whether they think they would be able to seize those opportunities, transportation and housing are major concerns if they are moving to an area that is unfamiliar. That is why we have included in our jobs plan incentives to make it easier for employers to offer workforce housing. We need to unleash the economy, fix immigration, fix training and build homes where the jobs are. That is our constructive Conservative plan to address the youth unemployment crisis. It is offered in good faith. Would the government take those good ideas that we have put forward?”
“We should be celebrating and recognizing the value of different kinds of post-secondary options, including vocational programs that provide practical, job-ready skills for young people. We need to be training young people for Canadian jobs. We know there is a desire for skilled workers. The response to that should be to train young people to be ready to fill those skilled positions, yet there is a specific attack on vocational institutions by the government. Fourth, we need to build homes where the jobs are. Conservatives are proposing constructive policies to support labour mobility so young people can take up opportunities that may exist outside the region they live in. We have very high unemployment in larger centres, and we have many opportunities in rural and remote areas to seize opportunities for young people who are able.”
“When it comes to immigration, we hear a big focus from the government on attracting foreign talent, but not enough focus on deploying the talent that is already in this country. There are so many young people with talent, training and passion who want to get to work. We should be focused on deploying the Canadian talent to give young people opportunities. We need to fix our immigration system so that the people who come here are able to have their credentials recognized so they are not competing for entry-level jobs, and so that we are clearly identifying where the skill gaps and needs are. The first two areas are unleashing the economy and fixing immigration. Third, we need to fix training. The government is going in the opposite direction. It is pulling funding for student grants for students in vocational programs.”
“Over the course of the spring session and the previous fall session, as we have been highlighting the youth unemployment crisis in this country, we have always been very constructive in our approach, putting forward specific policy proposals to address that crisis and inviting the government to embrace those proposals. We have highlighted four key areas as we have advanced our youth unemployment strategy. The first is unleashing the economy, addressing major concerns that small businesses have around the cost of hiring and around red tape and regulation, by having incentives, tax cuts and reduced bureaucracy that encourages investment in Canada. Second, we need to fix the immigration system.”
“Mr. Speaker, as we approach the end of the parliamentary session for this spring, it is important to highlight the ongoing jobs crisis facing young people, and the constructive measures that Conservatives have put forward. We are here in Parliament working late, but we are blessed to have the opportunity to work on behalf of Canadians. Meanwhile, there are many talented young people with skills and passion that they want to put to work but have not been able to. There are the top‑line unemployment numbers. Underneath that, there is declining labour force participation for young people, and there is the reality that many young people are not able to work in the field they have studied in. They have been encouraged to go in one direction in terms of their studies, yet they are not able to find employment that aligns with that area of study.”
“Petitioners point out that Australia has recognized these concerns and set of minimum social media age of 16, and similar laws are being debated in New Zealand, Sweden and Spain, reflecting growing global awareness. Further, they point out that social media and smart phone access exposes children to pornographic and other harmful online content at an early age with no meaningful age verification laws in place to offer protection. Therefore, petitioners ask the Government of Canada to establish a minimum age of 18 for accessing social media platforms, supported by effective age verification, and also to support Bill S-209 , an act to restrict young persons' access to online pornographic material.”
“Mr. Speaker, the final petition I am tabling today draws the attention of the House to concerns about risks to young people online. Petitioners highlight that smart phones give Canadian children direct access to harmful online content, with children getting their own devices at increasingly young ages, and that algorithm-driven social media platforms are designed to keep users hooked, harming youth mental health and well-being. They also highlight that rising social media use among young Canadians is contributing to a worsening mental health crisis, putting added strain on health care and social services. Parents find it difficult to limit social media access across devices and apps, especially when young people can be accessing these different things on devices that are not their own.”
“Mr. Speaker, next I am tabling a petition drawing the attention of the House to the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, persecution that includes forced organ harvesting. Petitioners want more action by the government to combat the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. No doubt, petitioners are also concerned about the attacks on arts and culture by the CCP that are evident through efforts to suppress artistic expression affiliated with Falun Gong.”
“Mr. Speaker, next I am tabling a petition drawing the attention of members to very concerning comments made by Mr. Louis Roy of the Quebec College of Physicians and Surgeons, calling for the expansion of euthanasia to “babies from birth to one year of age who come into the world with severe deformities and very serious syndromes”. Petitioners highlight their belief that infanticide is always wrong and that this proposal for the killing of infants is deeply disturbing to many Canadians, especially coming from a person affiliated with such an important organization. Petitioners want the Government of Canada to block any attempt to legalize the killing of children.”
“Therefore, petitioners call on the Government of Canada to repeal Bills C-69 and C-48 and replace them with a regulatory framework that protects the environment, respects indigenous rights and allows responsible energy projects to be built. They ask the government to commit to a clear, predictable and, at maximum, six-month decision timeline for approval of major energy and resource projects so investors, workers and communities can have certainty. Finally, petitioners want the government to scrap the federal energy cap on Canadian oil and gas production so responsible, lower-emission Canadian energy can grow, compete globally and displace higher-emitting sources from hostile or unstable regimes. I want to thank the petitioners for their hard work in bringing this important petition to Parliament.”
“Petitioners further highlight that Liberals introduced Bill C-69 and C-48 , anti-development legislation that has blocked the shipment of oil to our coasts; and that Liberal red tape has made it take almost 18 years to open a mine, 23% longer than in Australia and 38% longer than in the United States, while investors, jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity have been driven to other countries. Petitioners observe as well that Canada now exports 98% of its crude oil to the United States, leaving our producers and workers at the mercy of American policy and a single market, rather than getting world prices through pipelines and LNG terminals to the Pacific and Atlantic.”
“The Prime Minister , petitioners say, has promised to move with unimaginable speed to build now and to approve major projects quickly, yet his government has not approved a single new pipeline or major energy project, despite having been given exceptional powers by Parliament to do so. Petitioners observe that instead of delivering on those promises, the Prime Minister's government has doubled the deficit, presided over Canada's shrinking economy and turned a political ceremony and press release into a substitute for actual permits and construction.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise to table four petitions. I am, first off, very pleased to be tabling a petition in support of Canada's energy sector. Petitioners highlight that Canada holds vast reserves of oil and gas that could stabilize global markets, support our democratic allies and power Canadian paycheques, but only if these resources can reach tidewater and diversified world markets. They highlight that global energy markets are now in acute disruption due to the war in the Middle East and threats to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, leaving our allies urgently searching for secure supplies from friendly democracies.”
“Madam Speaker, the so-called “recession crowd” is literally the analysts at Statistics Canada. Here is the fact: Canada is in a recession under this Liberal Prime Minister . Let us talk about youth unemployment. The pre-pandemic average for youth unemployment was 10.8%. We are 2.5 points above the pre-pandemic average. The question for the government is this: Is this the new normal? It should not be the new normal; we should be back to where we were. A recession is not success. Canada is the only G20 economy in a recession, objectively. Why?”
“Madam Speaker, I want to be clear that it is good news that more Canadians are working this month than last month, but we have to be honest about these numbers, because the government House leader is eager to cherry-pick. We have 24,500 fewer Canadians working today than were at the beginning of the year. Compared to pre-pandemic averages, unemployment is up by 0.6% overall and over 2.5 points for youth. Under this Liberal Prime Minister , we have the second-highest unemployment in the G7. Having the best job numbers in Canada should not be like having the best bobsledding team in Jamaica. Canada is the only G20 economy in a recession.”
“Madam Speaker, under this Liberal Prime Minister , Canada is the only G20 country in a recession. We are glad to see that more Canadians are working this month than last month, but we are down over 20,000 jobs since the beginning of this year. We are still expecting negative growth, and we have the second-highest unemployment in the G7. Simply put, we are comparing to a worse baseline. This should not be the new normal for this great country. Why is Canada the only G20 country in a recession?”
“The last one was signed with Yukon in 2009. The government also trumpets things like the Canada summer jobs program. Again, these are programs that date back to the nineties and have existed for a long time. The government has nothing new. The best the Liberals can do is rename past Conservative programs. The Liberals clearly do not have a plan. They need to get a plan, and fast.”
“Madam Speaker, there are many things that are very strange about this response. Let us be clear. In 2006, in the first Conservative budget of Stephen Harper, Conservatives brought in grants for trades workers. We brought in completion grants in 2009. The current government cancelled them under the Prime Minister , and then, with much fanfare, announced they were bringing them back. Of course, we support bringing in these grants. We wish they had not been cancelled before being reinstated. We voted against the government's fiscal plan in general because, in general, it is going in the wrong direction. The member highlighted labour market development agreements, which are, of course, an important and valuable part of our national architecture. Most of those agreements were signed in the 1990s and early 2000s.”
“We have put those forward in the form of the Conservative youth jobs plan. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business has put forward its ideas, which are very similar to ours, but really emphasizes payroll tax relief. We have called on the government to adopt these suggestions. What we saw in the last fiscal update is a plan on the part of the government to increase EI premiums, which is again going in the opposite direction from what the Canadian Federation of Independent Business wants. My question tonight for the parliamentary secretary is this: When will we see a concrete plan to address the youth unemployment crisis that responds to these realities and recommendations by different stakeholders?”
“The CFIB proposed broad-based changes that would reduce the cost of hiring, taking into consideration the costs of training and making it easier for people to start and grow businesses. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business has also highlighted big gaps in terms of entrepreneurship in this country. It is talking about an entrepreneurial drought and saying that far more businesses are closing than are being started. Obviously, this affects the unemployment situation for young people. As I have led this file over the last year, and as Conservatives have been working on confronting this youth unemployment crisis, we have always sought to be constructive. That is, we have sought to put forward specific, concrete suggestions to the government on how these challenges can be addressed.”
“I will also draw the attention of members, in the context of this unemployment crisis, to a great report recently done by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business highlighting the challenges small businesses are facing when it comes to hiring young people and some of the disconnect that has existed between small businesses and young people. Its proposal, very much aligning with what we have talked about, focuses on creating the conditions in which small businesses can afford to hire young people. It proposed, for instance, payroll tax relief. Payroll tax relief would be a clear and simple way of making it easier for small businesses to hire young people. Small business owners report that a lot of the programming that exists right now can be difficult and onerous for small businesses to use and take advantage of.”
“We saw, for instance, with changes the Liberals made, the cutting of grants to students who are studying at vocational institutions. The Liberals ended completion grants for students in the trades. They brought them back eventually, following strong advocacy from unions, as well as from Conservatives, but they have now trumpeted them as if they were something new when they were, in fact, the restoration of grants that had previously been cut by this particular government under the Prime Minister . We are seeing some instances in which our advocacy has made a difference, but generally speaking, there is an unwillingness of the government to meet this moment.”
“Madam Speaker, we face serious economic problems now as a country. We are the only G20 nation in a recession. One in four Canadians is living food-insecure. We have seen a doubling of food bank use since 2020, and we are in the midst of a worsening unemployment crisis, particularly affecting Canada's young people. We have been repeatedly calling on the government to implement a plan to respond to this youth unemployment crisis. In the fall, Conservatives put forward our plan with a series of constructive suggestions focused on unleashing the economy, fixing immigration, fixing training and building homes where the jobs are. We have not seen a willingness on the part of the government to implement these constructive proposals. In fact, we have seen the government choose to move in the opposite direction.”
“Amany, an 18-year-old Coptic Christian woman living in upper Egypt, was kidnapped on her way to school as part of a coordinated effort to have her forcibly converted and married outside her community. The often hidden plight of women and girls who face this double persecution must not be ignored. Canada's government should push legal and practical reforms in partner countries to address this issue and ensure that our public service has the knowledge and capacity to address gender-specific religious persecution. There is a need and an opportunity for our government and our Parliament to champion a response to this issue.”
“Mr. Speaker, persecution based on religious belief is a significant and growing problem around the world. Women and girls from religious minority communities are increasingly at risk of a kind of double persecution known as gender-specific religious persecution, where they are targeted for both their faith and their gender. Gender-specific religious persecution can include abduction, sexual assault, forced marriage and forced conversion, along with other abuses. Maria Shahbaz, a 13-year-old Pakistani Christian girl, was abducted, forcibly converted and subjected to so-called forced marriage. The Pakistani court ruled that the marriage was legal.”
“Mr. Speaker, we are seeing the tragic effects of Liberal policies on the economy. Liberals want to be judged by their intentions, announcements, illusions and gimmicks, but Canadians will see the effects of Liberal policies in the grocery store aisle, at the gas pump, in the pink slips that are piling up and in the real numbers reported by Statistics Canada. The reports are in: Canada is the only G20 country in a recession. We have had recession levels of unemployment for months, with youth unemployment approaching 15%. One in four Canadians is food-insecure, and food bank use has doubled since 2020. The Prime Minister is not working, and he certainly is not working for Canadians. Canadians want jobs, homes and hope. There is hope for this great country, but Liberals need to stop pretending that everything is fine. It is not.”
“Madam Speaker, the parliamentary secretary does not know what he is talking about, which is often true, but it is especially true in this case. Just to pick one example, the member says that Conservatives did nothing on the trades program and to look at the Liberals because they brought in these completion grants. However, the Conservatives brought in completion grants for the trades in 2009. We introduced, in our first budget in 2006, grants for trades workers. The Liberals cancelled those grants, but then reannounced that they were going to bring them back. It is pretty rich for them to say that the Conservatives did nothing when all the Liberals have done is announce the return of a program they—”
“They are using this majority to gut the good work done at committee. For instance, the Liberals' first action as a majority was to undo good work done at committee on protecting victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment in the military. Great work was done across parties at committee, and then the government immediately undid all of that work to make things less safe for those victims. It failed to respond to what they asked for. Now we have this massive budget implementation act where, again, the government is bringing down its fist of a majority to undermine the good, collaborative work that could have happened, which used to happen in this place.”