Debates of June 19th, 2008

Sébastien Audy Summits Everest

[Robert Bouchard, Bloc, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the people of my region are known for their eagerness to take up a challenge. Last month, a resident of Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean proved it in spades.

Today, I am proud to congratulate Sébastien Audy, the first person from the Saguenay to make it to the roof of the world. Together with François-Guy Thivierge and two sherpas, he reached the summit at 5:55 a.m. on May 22, 2008, a feat that so many people around the world want to accomplish. Support from our community, Deloitte, the Chicoutimi CEGEP, and Promotion Saguenay helped make his adventure possible.

I congratulate Sébastien on rising to this physical and mental challenge. At 29, he is the pride not only of his parents, Denis Audy and Réjane Roy, but of everyone in the riding of Chicoutimi—Le Fjord and the entire Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean region.

Bravo, Sébastien.

Carbon Tax Proposal

[Lee Richardson, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal leader promised he would not bring in a carbon tax. This is another broken promise. We now have a Liberal tax promise to pay for Liberal spending promises.

It is obvious to all Canadians that a carbon tax will increase the cost of gasoline, increase the cost of home heating fuels, increase the cost of electricity, and increase the cost of transporting goods and services to all Canadians. It is also obvious that the Liberal carbon tax is not revenue neutral and is not a tax shift.

Politicians impose taxes and raise taxes to raise money. The Liberal carbon tax, despite the green rhetoric, is just a way for Canadians to pay for $60 billion of Liberal spending promises. With soaring energy prices, Canadians want real solutions, not massive tax increases and phony promises wrapped in green rhetoric.

Canadians will not be fooled by this outrageous Liberal promise and will not fall for this crock of green shift.

Bashir Makhtal

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Bashir Makhtal is a Canadian businessman who has been in an Ethiopian prison for more than a year. Mr. Makhtal was caught up in the violence in Somalia and took Ottawa's advice and went to Kenya. There he was arrested and, in spite of his Canadian passport, deported to Ethiopia.

Why does the minority Conservative government continue to turn its back on Canadians who find themselves in terrible circumstances while travelling abroad?

While I have the government's attention, I would like to know why it has not stepped up and taken on a leadership role to help end the violence in Somalia. When will the Conservatives start to take concrete steps toward a resolution to the conflict in Somalia, once and for all?

Carbon Tax Proposal

[Ron Cannan, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the president of the B.C. Cattlemen's Association is saying a carbon tax in B.C. will cost a 200 head cow-calf operator an additional $1,300 in expenses every year, far from revenue neutral.

Earlier today the Leader of the Opposition announced that in order to pay for his reckless spending promises he is proposing a carbon tax on everything. Today, the Liberal leader confirmed that his carbon tax trick is going to raise the cost of everything that my farmers purchase: fuel costs, up; feed costs, up; fertilizer costs, up; transportation costs, up. How much? I do not know. Maybe $3,000 a year, maybe $5,000, maybe even $10,000 a year.

B.C. farmers agree and Canadian farmers agree a hike in taxes for essential expenses is not revenue neutral. The Liberals' carbon tax trick is bad for Canadian agriculture.

War Resisters

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Corey Glass, a U.S. war resister, and a constituent of my riding of Parkdale--High Park, faces deportation from Canada on July 10.

At age 19, Corey joined the Indiana National Guard. He was told that he would only be in combat if the U.S. were invaded. He signed up to defend people and to do humanitarian work. Instead, in 2005, he was shipped off to fight in the Iraq war, a war based on false premise, false intelligence, and without UN approval or that of major allies like Canada.

Most Canadians were opposed to this illegal war and accordingly Canada did not support the invasion. Countless Americans such as Corey feel the same. Many of them and their families have made enormous personal sacrifices to withdraw their military participation. They came to Canada to seek refuge and to seek the protection of a government whose House of Commons has demanded that the war resisters and their families be allowed to stay in Canada.

In the U.S. they will face hardship and prosecution simply for doing what our whole country has done: refusing to participate in this war. It is the highest form of hypocrisy for this government to keep Canadians out of--

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Malpeque.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to emphatically reject the personal attacks and blatant politics displayed by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food yesterday in this House on my person.

Such behaviour demonstrates complete and utter disrespect for Parliament and fellow MPs. Instead of debating ideas, the Conservative member attacks individuals as a cover for his government's utter incompetence. Canadians deserve better.

When I speak on the hog and beef crisis and the government's lack of resolve, I do so for all farmers. When I speak on the government's cruel cuts to program spending by $1.2 billion, I include all farmers. When I fight for the democratic rights of farmers to run the Canadian Wheat Board without government interference, I do so to protect supply management as well.

As a member of Parliament from Prince Edward Island, I have and will continue to fight for all our country's farmers and, in spite of the personal attacks, will continue to do so.

Order of Quebec

[Serge Cardin, Bloc, Sherbrooke, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Ordre national du Québec is the highest honour awarded by the Quebec government. Those included in this order are people who have been awarded the title of grand officer, officer or knight.

Yesterday, 49 people received the Ordre national du Québec. Robert Bourassa and René Lévesque, former premiers of Quebec, were invested into the order posthumously. The premier also bestowed the order insignia on two grand officers, 17 officers and 30 knights. Today he will bestow the grand officer insignia on five other former Quebec premiers, namely, Pierre-Marc Johnson, Daniel Johnson, Jacques Parizeau, Lucien Bouchard and Bernard Landry.

It is with great pride that my Bloc Québécois colleagues and I sincerely congratulate the recipients of this well-deserved distinction.

The Environment

[John Godfrey, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as you can see, I have not quite gone yet.

That is because now, today, more than ever, Canadians have a clear choice concerning the environment.

The Liberal green shift will offer big tax cuts to all Canadians: taxes down. The Conservative plan offers dead ducks on tailing ponds

While our plan offers an improved child care tax credit to help families, the Conservatives are completely abandoning those most in need.

While our plan offers credits to seniors and citizens living in rural areas, the Conservative plan offers unregulated hot air emissions from the environment minister.

While our plan will not—I repeat, will not—increase the tax on gas at the pump, the Conservatives are allowing gas prices to continually rise and—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

The hon. member for Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington.

Carbon Tax Proposal

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it was not so very long ago that the Leader of the Opposition said, “In my eleven years in politics, I have never broken my word”. Then in the very same speech he said, “There will be no carbon tax”.

He also promised, “the plan I will reveal soon to decrease Canada's industrial greenhouse gases will not include a carbon tax”. He even referred to a carbon tax as “simply bad policy”.

However, today, in an eye-popping act of green-shiftiness, the Liberal leader announced a massive carbon tax that will drive up the price of absolutely everything.

Now that Canadian voters understand what happens when they are asked to take the Liberal leader at his word, they are awaiting his next announcement, that he will be using his vast new carbon tax to pay for all those billions of dollars of new spending promises he keeps on making.

This carbon tax is not about a green shift. It is about shafting Canada's taxpayers. It is clear now just who Canadians can trust to keep their word, and it is not the Liberal leader.

The Environment

[Michael Ignatieff, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker,--

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Order, please. It is question period not cheering period. The hon. member for Etobicoke--Lakeshore has the floor. We will have some order.

[Michael Ignatieff, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am deeply touched.

Today, the leader of our party proposed a very bold plan that would shift taxes from what we earn to what we burn. Canadians will have a clear choice. Canadians now want a debate about the way forward for our country that respects their intelligence.

Will the government commit today to give Canadians what they deserve: a serious debate about how to tackle climate change and make our economy green? Will it--

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Secretary of State (Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity)]

Oh yes, Mr. Speaker, we promise to give them a good debate on this question.

Let me begin that debate by quoting a so-called expert on environmental policy who said that a carbon tax “is simply bad policy”.

This expert went on to say, “In the energy market, in particular, soaring prices make anything but a prohibitively high tax a mere nuisance for large producers”. Who said that? The leader of the Liberal Party.

[Michael Ignatieff, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, these attacks are a little rich coming from a party that is led by a leader who did not believe in climate change until he took office.

It is rich to hear this righteous indignation from a party that in two and a half years has not begun to give Canada a climate change policy.

When will the government stop playing to the lowest common denominator, get up from the basement, and join the Liberal Party in an open debate about this fundamental issue?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Secretary of State (Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity)]

Absolutely, Mr. Speaker. We are happy to have a debate on the Liberal plan to impose billions of dollars of new taxes on everything for everyone in order to pay for Liberal unbudgeted increases in non-prioritized spending.

Canadians know that when politicians talk about weasel words like “revenue neutral taxes”, they are going to end up paying for it. They are going to take it in the neck.

When the leader of the Liberal Party talks about a green shift, the only green shift that is going to happen is green from Canadians' wallets to Liberal coffers.

[Michael Ignatieff, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this proves what I just said. They are governing like an opposition party. Their mantra is attack, attack, attack.

It is not true that we are going to raise the price at the pump. It is not true that we are going to turn our backs on seniors and the disadvantaged.

When will they respect Canadians and engage with us in a serious debate about the facts, not about false accusations?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Secretary of State (Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity)]

Mr. Speaker, the only attack here is an attack by the Liberal Party on Canadian taxpayers. We are here to defend and serve the interests of Canadian taxpayers.

The leader of the Liberal Party talks about a “green shift”. The only green shift that is going to happen is green from Canadians' wallets going into Liberal coffers.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, less than a month ago in London, England, the Prime Minister admitted that he would “effectively establish a price on carbon of $65 a tonne”. He argued that $65 carbon was economic.

Can the Prime Minister now tell us why he says one thing outside of Canada and something else completely different here at home? While he is at it, can the Prime Minister name a single economist or environmentalist who says his plan will do what he claims?

And by the way, where the hell is the Minister of the Environment?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

I do not think that the hon. member would refer to this House as a place of purgatory. He could perhaps restrain that language. We do have, of course, the Minister of the Environment smiling happily in his seat, but the hon. secretary of state is going to answer this question apparently.

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Secretary of State (Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity)]

Mr. Speaker, it is sad to see the Liberals once again lowering the tone in this place, but I understand the member's anger. I understand it because I think he is more than a little frustrated that he cannot persuade one person, his brother, the Premier of Ontario, who has come out squarely defending Ontario taxpayers against the Liberal tax trick.

Premiers across the country understand that the Liberal so-called green shift will end up shafting taxpayers with higher energy prices, higher food prices, and higher prices on just about everything. They are not going to buy this bogus tax shift.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative plan for global warming does nothing for low income Canadians, nothing for families, nothing to punish the big polluters, and nothing for the environment. Liberals will put money into the pockets of Canadians. We will put even more money into the hands of those who change their daily habits and stop polluting.

Why are the Conservatives, described by Professor Mark Jaccard as “completely dishonest”, sitting on their hands while the world labels Canada one of the worst offenders in the battle against climate change?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Secretary of State (Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity)]

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to note--