COVID-19 Pandemic Committee on May 13th, 2020

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

We are talking about two different programs here. We added $77.5 million to the program helping the processing sector and $50 million on two occasions for our pork and beef producers under the AgriRecovery program.

Once again, that is additional money. In recent years, an average of $15 million have gone out of this program, whereas this year…

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Mr. Barlow.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Chair, it is not new money; it has been budgeted year after year and it's budgeted again for next year. The cattlemen said that the set-aside funds that the minister is talking about are already gone and did not last even two weeks.

If this government isn't assisting Canadian farmers, is the government's food policy to rely on food imported from foreign countries to feed Canadian families ?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

Mr. Chair, the fund to assist our beef producers cannot have already disappeared because the criteria will be unveiled in the coming days.

I can assure you that we are working as efficiently as possible so that the program can be rolled out and the money can be channelled to our beef and pork producers.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Chair, producers across this country have said that an exemption from the carbon tax would help them greatly during this pandemic. When I asked the minister about any data that was available for the impact the carbon tax had on agriculture, the answer I got was that this information was secret.

Yesterday at committee, the minister said that this was a mistake and that this information has been public. My staff and I looked everywhere last night, as did journalists, and that information could not be found.

Is that information actually available?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

Yes, Mr. Chair, that information is available and public. I will happily pass the information on to my colleague.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

If that data is available, then the minister must know the financial impacts that the carbon tax has on Canadian farmers.

With the information that the minister apparently has, does she agree with the Prime Minister that Canadian farmers are much better off financially by paying the carbon tax?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Each organization analyzes different assumptions, methodologies and geographic areas, so the results give a broad range of estimated impacts.

According to the organization that has provided information, in 2019, the estimated impacts of a $20-per-tonne price on pollution due to grain drying ranged—

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We'll go back to Mr. Barlow.

You have 30 seconds, please.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Does the minister agree with the Prime Minister that farmers are financially better off paying the carbon tax?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

Mr. Chair, the price on pollution is an extremely important measure for our economy in general and for our transition to a greener economy. We have already provided various exemptions to the agriculture sector: for gasoline, for the access card and for the greenhouse sector.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The next question goes to Mr. Kelly.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Will the government fully fund the Office of the Auditor General?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The answer is that we have done that in 2018 and 2019, and the Prime Minister—

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Mr. Chair, I hope the minister would not want to mislead the House.

The office is certainly not fully funded, as per the testimony we heard yesterday at the finance committee. This government has expanded the Auditor General's responsibilities without adequate resources.

When will the government fully fund the Auditor General?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

To continue my answer, and as the Prime Minister said just a moment ago, that has led to the hiring of 38 new staff members. That's great to hear, because they are doing even better than they used to before we came into power.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

No previous auditor general in Canadian history has ever had to tell a parliamentary committee that they had insufficient funds to do their job. That is what in fact this Auditor General has done.

When will the government fully fund the Office of the Auditor General?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

I'm glad again to be given the ability to say how important the work of the Auditor General is. We believe very much in that role. That's why we increased the funding that is necessary for that office to do its important job. We will keep working hard with the Auditor General.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Sadly, Michael Ferguson passed away in 2019, yet the government has refused to name a permanent replacement. Why?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

Mr. Chair, this is another wonderful opportunity to remind all members of this House of the importance of these institutions. When we face these tragic deaths, we of course are very sad of the passing of the people, and we work—

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Go ahead, Mr. Kelly.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Yesterday the Parliamentary Budget Officer said that Canada's debt could reach $1 trillion this year.

What will it cost to service a $1-trillion debt?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we remain committed to doing, as we've said, whatever it takes to support Canadians through this challenging time. We think this is extremely important, and we will continue to focus on the well-being of all Canadians.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

What is the estimated annual debt servicing cost of the aid measures announced so far?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Chair, there will be an opportunity for us to give a full outline of the costs and benefits of our measures, and we will do that when we have the ability to have—