Evidence of meeting #107 for Indigenous and Northern Affairs in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was cost.
A video is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Dan Vandal Liberal Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB
First of all, I have to give some context to this. There is no price on pollution on aviation fuel in the territories. There is no price on pollution—
Conservative
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC
You've said that already, Minister, and I've already said that the goods come to the north in other ways—
Conservative
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC
—and come to the territories in other ways, and the carbon tax does apply to truck and sealift.
Liberal
Dan Vandal Liberal Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB
The fellow sitting here from Calm Air gave the example of Winnipeg to Churchill. Churchill is not a nutrition north community. There is not one home in Churchill—
Conservative
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC
We're talking about food affordability in the north—
Liberal
Conservative
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC
—and he's trying to go in a different direction.
Liberal
Conservative
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC
It's null and void. The affordability in the north is what we're talking about here.
Liberal
Conservative
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC
The minister doesn't want to answer questions, and he hasn't before, about this. He's trying to evade the question.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John Aldag
Mr. Zimmer, I'm asking you to stop, please.
We have a point of order. I need to hear from Mr. McLeod.
Mr. McLeod, go ahead.
Liberal
Michael McLeod Liberal Northwest Territories, NT
Mr. Chairman, I don't know about the interpreters, but two voices on the microphone at the same time are impossible for me to follow with my headset. We have the guidelines here, and we have two people speaking at the same time.
Conservative
Liberal
Michael McLeod Liberal Northwest Territories, NT
If there's a way you can try to have one person speak at a time, it would be much appreciated. Thank you.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John Aldag
Thank you for that reminder. Yes, that's good not only for you, but to make a safe workplace for our interpreters.
I'm going to go back—
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John Aldag
Bob, I'm speaking, please. When my microphone's on, let me finish. I will let you ask a question. You will have the floor, but please let the minister respond. Then, when the minister is done, if you want to move to your next question, make it brief.
We can't have this talking. If I need to, I will ask the minister to wrap up and go back to you so you can continue. There are three minutes and 40 seconds left on your time. I'll ask you to continue.
Conservative
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC
Well, I have three minutes, but they've used up most of my time in just debating. He's not even answering the question.
Conservative
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC
I'm going to ask the third question, because he refuses to answer the previous two.
Is paying $13.29 for a one-litre bottle of ketchup fair?
Liberal
Dan Vandal Liberal Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB
Of course, it's too expensive, but the nutrition north program does do some good work. I gave the example of Igloolik and four litres of milk. It should be $42. It was $5.69. To answer your question—
Conservative
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC
That was my question, and that was your answer, so I have another question.
I'll move on to the next point. From a 2023 study that I'm sure you're familiar with, in 2020, Nunavut had the highest food insecurity rates in Canada, at 57%, with a national average of 12.7%. That was from 2018.
I have a recent document from the Nunavut Food Security Coalition that says, “Nearly 70% of Inuit homes in Nunavut are food insecure”. That means 70% of Nunavummiut are going hungry every day now. This rate is one of the highest rates for an indigenous population in a developed country in the world, Minister. Clearly, nutrition north in your department has gotten worse. It hasn't gotten better.
I was trying to show people watching today that we already have a crisis in the north for food affordability. People are going hungry. Then your government disregards those concerns and slaps another carbon tax on top of it. To me it just shows, Minister, that you clearly do not understand what the needs are in the north.
Here is my simple question for you: Why won't you help northerners and axe the carbon tax?