Citizenship and Immigration Committee on June 12th, 2024

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Okay. I understand it's sometimes difficult. I'll read the motion again so that it's very clear.

There's a part in the motion about what we do about Bill C-71, and then there's this part, which would say, “and after a carbon tax election is held so that Canadians and Québécois can vote out this tired, out-of-time NDP-Liberal coalition government”. That is the subamendment.

The point of the subamendment is to place a timing issue on this motion. It is to recognize the fact that as I speak to people, as I was saying, I hear that they are concerned about the carbon tax and the effect it is having on their costs.

What I find very interesting is that people are connecting the carbon tax to all of their expenses. They're not just connecting it to the price of gasoline or the price of diesel fuel. They're not even connecting it to just the price of natural gas to heat their houses or heating oil to heat their homes. People understand how it affects truckers, for example, and truckers pay a lot of money for their carbon tax—

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Mr. Chair, on a point of order, again, I go back to the point that Mr. Kmiec made that Bill C-71 is not important to them. We get that. They don't want it to come to committee, but we want to talk about—

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

This is debate. I'm going to carry on with Mr. Redekopp.

Mr. Redekopp, please go ahead.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Okay. Thank you.

What I was saying is that people have gone beyond connecting the carbon tax to increased fuel costs and increased home heating costs. They have also recognized that, beyond those two things, which are significant, it has also affected truckers, for example, who have to pay significant amounts of carbon tax, which is then built into every single thing we buy as Canadians.

Everything we buy that comes on a truck, which is pretty much everything we purchase, is affected by the carbon tax. Therefore, the price is passed on to consumers, because what else can you do when you're taxed by the government? At the end of the day, we all know there's only one taxpayer, so all of those increased taxes end up flowing back to that taxpayer.

People have also figured out—and I get this repeated back to me as well—that the carbon tax has impacted the cost of food in a big way. I've heard examples from farmers. I have one right near Saskatoon whom I spoke to, who spends $20,000 a month on the carbon tax. I've heard other stories from other ridings of farmers who spend in excess of $100,000 a month.

Once again, where do those costs go? They get passed on to the consumer, and then magically, the cost of food is much more. These are the kinds of things I've been hearing in Saskatoon.

Interestingly, I had the opportunity to travel to the Toronto region in the summer. As I spoke to voters there—no surprise—I heard the same thing. I heard the same thing in Toronto. In fact, I heard the same thing in Scarborough. I was in Scarborough, and people there were all complaining to me about the cost of living and the cost of food, and they also clearly understood the connection between those increased costs and the carbon tax.

That is why, on this motion here today, it's important that we tie this motion to the potential of a carbon tax election, because even in a place like Scarborough, I heard the same thing. I heard that people are tired. Again, the wording in this motion is “tired, out-of-time NDP-Liberal coalition government”.

You might just say, “Well, those are Conservative talking points”. These are words I heard from constituents—from people. People tell me this, so it's not—

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

I have a point of order, Chair. It is really irrelevant to relate it to Scarborough. We are talking about lost Canadians. What I have been hearing from many constituents for many years is that rights are being taking away from those kids—

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

This is debate. Let's carry on.

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

—who were born outside of Canada. It has been a very big issue in our riding of Scarborough Centre. I've been hearing from lots of constituents, and I think we need to move quickly on that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Thank you, Mrs. Zahid.

I have the floor, so I will give the floor to Mr. Redekopp.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

It's interesting. Scarborough is very much affected by carbon tax, and many of your constituents—

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

I have a point of order, Chair. How can we have a binding motion for the next Parliament and say it's for after the election? We cannot give any instructions to the committee coming in after the election.

How can we add that in a motion, asking for the next Parliament to do that, because anything after the election will not—

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Honourable members, please let the Conservatives talk. If you want to have a debate, you can raise your hand, and I will put you on the speaking list. Right now I have on the speaking list Mr. Redekopp, Mr. McLean and Mr. Dalton, and I have no one else on the speaking list.

I'll put Ms. Kayabaga on the speaking list, but, until then, unless there is an appropriate point of order, please do not debate this motion out of sequence.

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

I need to be added to the list.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

I will add you to it. I will read the list again. We have Mr. Redekopp, who has the floor, then Mr. McLean, Mr. Dalton, Madam Kayabaga and Madam Zahid.

Does anyone else want to be on the speaking list? If there's no one, then please, Mr. Redekopp, carry on.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Thank you.

Going back to Scarborough, I spoke to people in Scarborough. I know the member opposite is from Scarborough, so I know she's heard the same thing, because I didn't have to probe very hard to get this comment from people, and the people, not just in Saskatoon, not just in the GTA generally, but specifically in Scarborough, in Scarborough Centre, were talking about this very issue. I feel—

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Madam Zahid—

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

We cannot go into lots of concerns we are hearing. There are a thousand concerns. I have been to Saskatoon, and I have heard from caregivers about having a new program for caregivers to make sure that they are heard.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Cut the mike, please. The mike should be with me right now. Thank you.

I'm sorry about this, honourable members. I know this is the first day after the break. We are all energized, but please—

[Shafqat Ali, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

I will give you the point of order, but let me finish.

Honestly, you know that I try to do a very fair, equitable job, so please let me do that and continue to do that. If there is a genuine point of order, I always welcome that, but, please, no debate until you have your turn to speak.

Is there anyone else on a point of order? There's no point of order.

Then, Mr. Redekopp, you have the floor. Please go ahead.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Clearly Scarborough is a touchy issue, but the reality is that the carbon tax has impacted Canadians right across the country, which includes Scarborough. As I said, when I was in Scarborough, I was hearing all the time—

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

On a point of order, Chair, I hear from Scarborough constituents a lot. I had a barbecue where there were over 4,000 people, and we have been having conversations at the doors, at events, Taste of Lawrence, Canada Day—

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Madam Zahid, please, I have your name on the list. When your turn comes, you can speak about this. I humbly request that you follow the directions from the chair. I would really appreciate that, and I don't want any more interruption unless, you know, Mr. Redekopp is really going off on a tangent, which I don't see yet.

Mr. Redekopp, please go ahead.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Again, we're on the subject of carbon tax. We know that the carbon tax, what we have here.... I'll read it again, because this is a subamendment that we have to this motion, and the subamendment adds these words, “and after a carbon tax election is held so that Canadians and Québécois can vote out this tired, out-of-time NDP-Liberal coalition government”. That is the subamendment that we're speaking to.

You know, I was just talking about Scarborough and how people even in Scarborough, much to the surprise of the member for Scarborough, complain about the carbon tax and the way that it's impacting the costs of the food they are eating and the things that they're purchasing and about the struggling and the suffering that people are feeling when they don't have the money in their bank accounts at the end of the month to pay the bills that they need to pay. One of the reasons is that the cost of food and other things has been impacted by the carbon tax.

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

On a point of order, Chair, this is about relevance to this committee. We are not in the environment committee. We are in the citizenship and immigration committee, and it's important to discuss immigration cases and immigration issues in this committee. We have a committee where they can look into the carbon tax, but we are right now in CIMM committee. It's important that we talk about the issues that are relevant to CIMM committee.