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, the carbon tax is a canard. I just pointed that out to you.
Food insecurity is a critical issue in the north. We are working with northern partners. We're working with indigenous leaders and territorial partners to try to address it, but to think that the nutrition north program alone is going to solve poverty in the world is unrealistic—
Conservative
Liberal
Dan Vandal Liberal Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB
We are trying to take reasonable steps in the north in Nunavut, and I think there's been progress in the nutrition north program, but there's lots of work to do. There's lots of work for everybody—
Conservative
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC
My time is very short. My question was in reference to nutrition north not working.
This was my question for you: Why won't you help northerners and axe the carbon tax?
Liberal
Dan Vandal Liberal Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB
I answered you. There is no carbon tax on aviation fuel in the territories—
Conservative
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC
I answered you back, and you would know—
Liberal
Dan Vandal Liberal Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB
—and you cannot deny that, but that doesn't mean there is not—
Conservative
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC
—that a carbon tax applies to diesel, to trucking food to the north and to sealift.
Bloc
Sébastien Lemire Bloc Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC
Point of order, Mr. Chair. There is no interpretation.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John Aldag
We can't have multiple people talking. When I ask people to stop talking, I need them to do that.
Conservative
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC
Mr. Chair, it's my time and not the minister's. I'm trying to get more questions in.
He's delaying this deliberately because he doesn't want to answer a question about carbon tax. He knows that.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John Aldag
I'm going to ask both of you to stop for a moment. I can't have control of the meeting when people's microphones are on and people are talking.
When my mic is on, I need you to stop. We'll have an orderly discussion here.
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John Aldag
I'm trying as well. The Minister is trying as well. He's trying to answer questions.
Conservative
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC
He's trying to answer in his way. He's not answering my question. It's clear he is not answering my question.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John Aldag
My mic is on, and I can't have anybody else's on when my mic is on.
You had a question there, and we were down to 30 seconds left. I'll turn it to the minister to provide a response.
Do you have a final question, Mr. Zimmer, so we can look at the time?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John Aldag
Why don't we go to your final question, knowing that there's 30 seconds for the question and the response. I'll give the minister time at the end of your question for his response, and then we'll move on to the next question.
Let's get the question out, and then we'll have the minister respond.
Conservative
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC
Nearly 70% of families in Nunavut are going hungry every day.
Why won't you axe the carbon tax?
Liberal
Dan Vandal Liberal Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB
We're here to talk about nutrition north. We're going to make improvements to nutrition north to try to get that number down.
I think we need a wider strategy that includes the federal government, certainly the territorial governments, indigenous governments, the Inuit and the wider community to address food insecurity in the north and in Canada.
Conservative
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC
He still won't answer my question.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John Aldag
That's the end of the first six minutes of questioning.
We're going to go now to the Liberal side.
Mr. Carr, you're up for six minutes.
Liberal
Ben Carr Liberal Winnipeg South Centre, MB
Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Minister, I will give you some time to perhaps clarify a few of the points.
Perhaps you would like to spend a moment briefly acknowledging the aspect of the question from my colleague across the way in terms of aviation fuel. Can you clarify that for us in terms of what the federal government's policy is vis-à-vis aviation fuel?
Liberal
Dan Vandal Liberal Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB
First of all, that's an excellent question.
I know the previous witness from Calm Air talked about the huge impact of the price on pollution from Winnipeg to Churchill. It's important to note that Churchill is not a community that receives nutrition north; it never has been, so I think that whole example is null and void.
There is no price on pollution on aviation fuel in the territories. There is no price on pollution on aviation fuel that goes from the provinces to the territories or for interprovincial travel. It is only within the provinces that there is a price on pollution.
The reality is that all sorts of studies that have been done say that the price on pollution's effect on food inflation is negligible.
I think that answers your question, and I'll wait for another one.