Debates of March 21st, 2024

Carbon Pricing

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, once again, page 6 of the PBO report indicates that Albertans are $700 better off at the end of the year, thanks to a very real Canada carbon rebate.

In my riding of Edmonton Centre, well over 69% of residents want the government to fight climate change. We could not breathe the smoke in the air on the September long weekend or May long weekend. These guys want to let the planet burn. We are going to defend the planet and put more money in the pockets of Albertans.

They can do what they want to do. We are going to defend Canadians and make sure there is a planet for our kids and our grandkids.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this is how desperate and pathetic the Liberal government is. The ministers who repeat these talking points quote a two-year-old PBO report. It is two years old. The PBO was just at committee two weeks ago and debunked everything they have to say, because the carbon tax costs Canadians, and we know it. Orangeville, my hometown, is now predicting that, in a few years, 5,000 to 6,000 residents will go to the food bank every month in a town of 27,000 people. This is the Liberal carbon tax.

Will they spike the hike, axe the tax or call a carbon tax election?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the member talks about two years ago. Let us go back approximately two years in time, when the citizens of Dufferin—Caledon saw on their doorsteps a Conservative candidate who was solemnly promising to put a price on pollution, a price on carbon, for them and people all across Canada.

Now the member wants to take the cheque that is going to be arriving on April 15 in the amount of $280 away from the citizens of Dufferin—Caledon. He is renouncing his promise in the last campaign and he is renouncing the—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

The hon. member for Dufferin—Caledon.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, he cannot even defend what I said, because he knows the report he is citing is two years old. It is out of date and it is false.

Here is Liberal math: The average person in Ontario, including Dufferin—Caledon, will pay $1,674 in carbon tax and they will get a rebate, a fake rebate, of $1,047. Even Liberals can do the math. That costs $674. That has consequences. After eight years of the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister, he is not worth the cost.

Will they spike the hike, axe the tax or call a carbon tax election?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the facts are simple. The people in the member's riding and all across Ontario will be receiving a cheque for $280 on April 15. The Conservatives want to vote against that. What they have also voted against is a 20% rural area top-up for rural residents in the province of Ontario. They want to take that money away, which will disproportionately hurt the lower-income people in his riding.

The member needs to check his math and vote for the people he represents.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Mr. Speaker, if the federal government wants to say no to giving Quebec full control over immigration, then it needs to say yes to doing its own job, particularly with respect to asylum seekers.

Families are trapped in inhumane situations. Some spend years worrying because the federal government is incapable of processing their claim. They have no idea whether they will have to leave the country. Worse yet, some are unable to meet their basic needs because they have absolutely no right to work without a federal work permit.

Instead of stirring up fights, when will the minister do his job?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I am well aware that the member across the way followed very closely the decisions we made with respect to asylum seekers from Mexico and reinstating electronic travel authorization and visitor's visa requirements for Mexican citizens. We told Minister Fréchette and the Government of Quebec very clearly that we will work in partnership with them.

The Bloc is not happy that we are working with Quebec. They are picking a fight. It is clear that we have work to do with Quebec, but we will do it in partnership with Quebec.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last Thursday, the Journal de Montréal reported that police had responded to incidents involving people lining up at food banks. Food insecurity is causing chaos. Community organizations are blaming the dramatic surge in the number of hungry people on the fact that asylum seekers have to wait 21 months for a work permit. One coordinator said, “These people can't work for two years, but they have families to feed.”

Let us not forget that these permits fall under the exclusive responsibility of this minister. It is his responsibility. Instead of giving lessons, when is he going to hand out permits?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I know the hon. member does not follow what is going on in the rest of Canada very closely, but I want to point out that, with the Ontario government's collaboration, we have been able to speed up applications, and permits have been granted. That is what we told the Quebec government. We are certainly willing to work with Quebec to speed up access to work permits. We can do more. We will take the criticism for what it is worth, but it is very clear that we can do better.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, farming in Quebec has reached the breaking point. We have been saying so for months. Environmental disasters, inflation and high interest rates are driving our farmers out of business. Their debt load has more than doubled since 2015.

Last November, the Government of Quebec asked the federal government to activate the AgriRecovery program. There has been no response in the five months since, and there is still no federal support for struggling farmers.

Will the minister finally listen to farmers' concerns, listen to Quebec and activate AgriRecovery?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, being a farmer, I fully understand the devastation farmers go through with the environment. My hon. colleague is well aware that it is under a BRM program, and it is AgriRecovery; the application has been received, and it is being assessed. We are continuing to work with the Province of Quebec to make sure that the farmers in Quebec receive every remuneration possible.

Carbon Pricing

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years, Canadian farmers are at their wits' end, and the Prime Minister and his Liberal-NDP carbon tax coalition are not worth the cost. Instead of preparing for a new growing season, farmers are bracing themselves for another carbon tax increase on April 1. The Agriculture Carbon Alliance surveyed 50 farms and found out they were paying more than $320,000 a month in carbon taxes. That is just 50 farms. There are almost 200,000 farms in Canada, and the punishment is going to get that much worse when the Prime Minister increases his carbon tax by 23% on April 1.

Will the Prime Minister give farmers a voice and allow a carbon tax election?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, I believe my colleague and I both canvassed the last election indicating we were going to put a price on pollution. We did put a price on pollution. We also put in place a Canada carbon rebate, and my hon. colleague is well aware that eight out of 10 people in the country receive more than they pay. In fact, in Alberta, an average family received $450 quarterly. Why does my hon. colleague, with the Conservative Party of Canada, want to take $450 quarterly out of people's pockets?

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I think the minister should talk to his own constituents in Prince Edward Island, who are paying $1,600 a year in carbon taxes and getting about $1,000 back in the rebate, meaning it is costing islanders $600 a year in the carbon tax. That has consequences.

Higher carbon taxes are driving Canadians to food banks in unprecedented numbers. As a matter of fact, in his province, the Caring Cupboard food bank is struggling just to keep its doors open, as demand has increased 70%. There are 5,500 families it is serving.

Will the minister support a carbon tax election and give his Islanders a voice?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, my constituents in Prince Edward Island are fully aware that I told them we would put a price on pollution. We also indicated we would put the Canada carbon rebate in place.

In fact, my constituents receive $220 quarterly, and that is money in their pockets. What I cannot understand is why my hon. colleague wants to take that money out of their pockets.

Farmers understand there is a problem with the environment. They also understand we have a program in place to address the environment. We will continue to do that.

Government Priorities

[Richard Lehoux, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is keeping the Prime Minister in power even though he broke our immigration system, raised taxes and doubled the national debt.

What good is the Bloc Québécois if it does not even do its job as an opposition party, opting instead to side with the government every single time to make Canadians poorer and radically increase the carbon tax? Canadians and Quebeckers deserve better.

What promises did the Prime Minister make to the Bloc Québécois to keep his government in power?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, if I were the Conservative Party, when it comes to the promises that have been made for a while now, I would not be throwing stones.

In the 2021 election, the Conservative Party of Canada promised Canadians that it would introduce carbon pricing. The Conservative Party promised that it would establish a clean fuel standard.

What do they actually do? They change their minds as often as they change their clothes. The Conservative Party does not even believe in climate change. It has no plan for the economy, no plan for jobs and no plan for affordability.

On this side of the House, we are going to work to fight climate change, create jobs and help Canadians with affordability.

Oil and Gas Industry

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, what is unfair is that Canadians are doing everything right, but they are still struggling to keep up with costs.

Meanwhile, big oil and gas CEOs are raking in billions while not paying their fair share. It is because the Liberals refuse to stand up to their friends in oil and gas, while the lobbyists in the Conservative party fight to get rich CEOs even more handouts.

A windfall tax on the richest oil and gas appropriations would bring in $4.2 billion to put back into Canadians' pockets. Why will the Liberals not do it?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, it is extremely important that all sectors of the economy pay their fair share. It is extremely important that all sectors of the economy make their contribution to the fight against climate change.

We are certainly working very closely with the oil and gas sector, as we are with other sectors of the economy, to ensure, very much, that they do so. Moving forward, we need to see more progress. I have been very clear: It is important that we see reductions in absolute emissions as we move forward. I am sure we are going to see that. We are certainly going to continue to push the sector to accomplish that.

National Defence

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, military civilian workers who support our troops on Canadian military bases are still on strike.

They cannot get a fair deal. Why is this? It is because the employer is allowing scab workers to replace them. This is shameful.

Liberals tell workers they are for anti-scab legislation, and then they look away when scabs are brought in to prevent base workers from fighting for better wages. The Liberals cannot have it both ways.

Will the Liberals stand up for striking civilian military workers, or will they keep turning a blind eye to these unfair labour practices?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian Force Morale and Welfare Services is a trusted partner in the defence enterprise. They provide important services to our members.

We have met with both parties, and we are encouraging them to meet again at the bargaining table. CFMWS will continue to work with union representatives to reach agreements and to minimize impacts to CAF members. CAF members and their families are our top priority, and providing the supports that they require remains our priority.

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Waterloo, ON]

Mr. Speaker, over the past few years, we have made considerable progress in modernizing the military justice system and advancing culture change to support victims and survivors in the Canadian Armed Forces.

There remains a lot of work to do, primarily because of the inaction of the previous Conservative government. In her report, Justice Arbour recommends a transfer of all Criminal Code sexual offences to civilian jurisdictions. This approach would be suitable to constituents within the riding of Waterloo, should it be done with the resources to ensure justice for the people involved.

Will the Minister of National Defence update the House on the progress we are making to advance culture change?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I could not agree more with the member for Waterloo.. Creating meaningful and lasting cultural change for the Canadian Armed Forces is imperative.

I am pleased to share that this morning I had the opportunity to table Bill C-66, the military justice system modernization act. This legislation would address nine of the recommendations from the Justice Arbour and Justice Fish reports. It will uphold our governments commitment to building a more inclusive, respectful and professional Canadian Armed Forces.

For every member of the Canadian Armed Forces, I want to advise that we have heard them. We have heard them clearly and we will do whatever is required to provide them with a safe and inclusive workplace.

Carbon Pricing

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister, over 200,000 British Columbians are using the food bank every month.

On April Fool's Day, B.C. NDP Premier David Eby will raise the carbon tax on the people of B.C. by 23%, as his friend the Prime Minister has made him do. This B.C.-NDP-Liberal carbon tax coalition will cost British Columbians billions at a time when they can least afford it.

Since none of the 15 Liberal MPs from B.C. will stand up to spike the hike, will they at least call a carbon tax election so that Canadians can vote to axe the tax?