Debates of Oct. 18th, 2016

Small Business

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, small businesses employ 8.2 million workers. Those jobs are a ticket to the middle class for the young, the poor, and the disabled, yet the Prime Minister not only broke his promise and raised small business taxes, he is imposing thousands of dollars in new carbon taxes on small trucking, landscaping, and construction companies.

If it is not just a money grab, why will the government not make it revenue neutral? Why does it not cut small business taxes so that our job creators will get back every single penny they pay in new carbon taxes?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to stand up today on Persons Day. It is a very important day, and I am so pleased that there are so many women in the House of Commons. I certainly hope to see more.

I want to explain to the member opposite why a carbon tax, a carbon price on pollution, makes sense. There are different ways to do it. We can have a direct price on pollution, like B.C. does, that is revenue-neutral, where the money is given back to the provinces or territories, or we can have be a cap-and-trade system, like Ontario has.

It is up to the provinces and territories to determine what makes sense for them, what to do with the revenues, and this—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Carleton.

Poverty

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, giving the money to Kathleen Wynne to spend does not make it revenue neutral.

Today, at the human resources committee, a Stats Canada official admitted that any policy that raises food and fuel prices pushes more people below the poverty line. That makes sense. Poor households spend a third more of their income on those items than do rich households, yet ESDC officials admitted at the same committee meeting that the Prime Minister has not even directed his government to conduct a study on the impacts on the poor of this new tax.

How can the Prime Minister impose such a regressive and large new tax without—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, once again, I am very pleased to stand up today.

Let me be clear. Provinces are able to design a system that makes sense for them, and it is revenue neutral. They can determine whether they want to give tax cuts to consumers, to small businesses, as B.C. has done.

Let us also be clear that the way we are going to grow our economy and position ourselves for the 21st century is by making these investments, by making sure that we have a price on pollution and we are investing in the things that we want, which is a clean and sustainable future that will grow our economy and ensure that future generations have a planet that is clean and healthy to—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Berthier—Maskinongé.

International Trade

[Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of International Trade demonstrated that she continues to dismiss the concerns of Quebeckers about the repercussions of this free trade agreement.

After promising transparency and consultation, she continues to ignore Canadians. It is no wonder that she is facing challenges in her negotiations in Europe. Quebec dairy producers have expressed serious concerns about this agreement, and there is still no sign of any compensation.

Will the minister finally fix this deal for Quebeckers and Canadians once and for all?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, our government is working hard to get this progressive trade deal done, led by Quebec. This deal is supported by the provinces.

Last month, I addressed the German Social Democratic Party convention, whose members voted overwhelmingly in favour of CETA. Manuel Valls, the socialist Prime Minister of France, described the deal as balanced, win-win, and mutually beneficial.

Is there any free trade deal that the NDP actually supports?

[Tracey Ramsey, NDP, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the only country I heard missing from the minister's comment was Canada.

The EU has delayed its vote on CETA as concerned Belgians refused to cave to pressure. Worries about the impact of rules that allow companies to sue local governments should not be dismissed. However, the minister continues to downplay its concerns and chastise Europe, when she should be working on a solution that would benefit all.

Instead of trying to bully Europeans, will the minister admit that Canadians share these concerns and put the work into fixing this deal?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, our government is very proud to be working hard to get this progressive trade deal done. This deal is supported by the provinces, led by Quebec, and the last time I checked, Quebec was very much a part of Canada.

Last month, after I addressed its party convention, the German Social Democrats voted overwhelmingly in favour of this deal. Manuel Valls, the socialist Prime Minister of France, described it as “balanced”, “win-win”, and “mutually beneficial”.

If the NDP cannot support a trade agreement with Europe, is there any trade deal that the NDP can support?

Taxation

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are making Alberta's dire situation worse. Medicine Hat's food bank use is up by over 300% this year over last. Another program for new mothers ballooned from 10 to 256 users during the same time. The Liberals are imposing a harmful tax that will make food, diapers, formula, and everything even more expensive for everyone.

Why do the Liberals not realize that they are hurting struggling Albertans at the very worst time?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I would encourage the hon. member to speak to some of the Albertans that she is speaking about, because she would find that they have actually had a reduction in taxes this year, which has gone to help their families—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. Members know that they are not allowed to interrupt when a member is speaking. They should wait their turn, whenever that may come, the member for Abbotsford included.

The Minister of Finance.

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we have lowered taxes for Albertans this year. We have made sure that people have more money in their pockets this year than they had last year.

We have actually made it such that 300,000 children across this country will be lifted out of poverty with the Canada child benefit. This is an enormous change for those people who are challenged and have to go to food banks. We are making changes that are making a real difference for people struggling to get by. For people in regions that are in very difficult shape, we have changed EI—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Lakeland.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Well, thanks for the mansplain.

Mr. Speaker, just reciting the same talking points is not cutting it.

In once booming Lloydminster, people cannot afford to keep their homes and they cannot afford to buy new ones. Businesses are closed, projects are frozen, and people have lost their jobs. There are two million square feet of vacant industrial space, up from nearly zero in just the last few years.

A strong Alberta means a strong Canada. When will the Liberals stop making things so much worse for hard-working Albertan families?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, our government understands the importance of Alberta to the Canadian economy, which is why, under the leadership of the finance minister, we provided a $250-million stabilization fund, assistance for EI, investments in infrastructure, which were historic, leadership on Fort McMurray, an investment of $225 million in post-secondary educational institutes, and an investment of $500 million through the Business Development Bank of Canada for better access and support for small businesses.

None of this would be possible without the outstanding work of the four MPs from Alberta.

Employment

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Mr. Speaker, as the Liberals are busy creating taxes on everything from heating bills to Netflix, unemployed Albertans are struggling to provide for their families. In places like Medicine Hat, they are facing staggering unemployment rates of over 11%, yet the Liberals continue to ignore and tell Albertan workers to line up for EI and hang in there.

My question to the minister is a simple one. Does he recognize that there is a jobs crisis in Alberta?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we recognize that there is a very real challenge in Alberta. There is a very real challenge with the changing resources prices that are impacting Albertans in a very difficult way. That is why we know we need to make investments that are going to make a real difference for people in Alberta and across the country.

We have improved the financial situation of middle-class families and those struggling to get into it, and now we are making investments that are going to improve the long-term health of our economy. We will continue to do this so that people in Alberta and across the country find themselves with a brighter future tomorrow than they had yesterday.

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would remind the minister that people need jobs to pay taxes.

The fact is that Alberta is Canada's economic engine and our engine is stalled. Families in Fort McMurray are struggling to rebuild their lives. Small businesses in my city of Edmonton are shutting down. Parents in Medicine Hat have to choose between paying their heating bill or putting their kids in hockey.

Does the minister think it is fair that Albertans are facing these tough decisions, yet the Liberals continue to spend recklessly and add more taxes on an already struggling Alberta?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, we all know that families in Alberta are struggling and we are working really hard to improve the situation. Since taking over this portfolio, I have approved more than 70 infrastructure projects for Alberta with a combined investment of more than $3 billion, much more than the previous government was able to do in the last five years.

We are working really hard. We understand the conditions in Alberta. We are working closely with the province and the municipalities to build the necessary infrastructure.

Foreign Affairs

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on October 8, a Saudi Arabian-led coalition bombed a funeral in Yemen, killing and wounding hundreds of civilians.

I have two questions for the government. First, will Canada support the UN request for an international investigation of what appear to be war crimes committed by the Saudi coalition in Yemen? Second, can the government assure us that no Canadian-made weapons are being used by this coalition in Yemen?

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we spoke out strongly against the bombing in Yemen by the Saudi Arabian-led coalition. We gave a very clear statement, and I can certainly repeat it in the House and say how much we condemn what has happened.

We are calling for an investigation and we are monitoring the situation very closely to ensure that arms sold by Canadian companies are used with respect for human rights and in the interests of Canada and its allies.