House of Commons Hansard #147 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was pre-clearance.
Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île dOrléans—Charlevoix, QC
Mr. Speaker, ever since this government came to power, there has been no end to the tax measures that hurt middle-class families. They are forced to pay more taxes and all sorts of exorbitant fees, and we still do not know whether dental care will be taxed as well.
Sometimes I wonder whether the Liberal slogan should be, “I tax, therefore I am”.
Do Canadians need to pay $1,500 to the Minister of Finance to get him to listen to them and agree to reduce their tax burden?
Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, fortunately for the middle class, we have already lowered their taxes. That is the first thing we did.
Thanks to this reduction, a single person will pay $330 less in taxes, and a family will pay $540 less. Those are the facts. We also brought in the Canada child benefit, which will give nine in ten families an extra $2,300 tax-free. This is good for the middle class and Canadian families.
Erin Weir NDP Regina—Lewvan, SK
Mr. Speaker, it has been a year since the government started the Phoenix pay fiasco. For months, over 360 employees at Saskatchewan's federal penitentiary went without proper pay. To protect Canadians, we must ensure that guards who are overseeing maximum security prisoners are not distracted by ongoing payroll problems.
Will the Minister of Public Safety, who is also from Saskatchewan, ask the Minister of Public Services to finally fix the Phoenix pay system once and for all?
Steven MacKinnon LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement
Mr. Speaker, of course, in Saskatchewan, as elsewhere, resolving the problems that we inherited from the other side in terms of the public service pay problems is our priority. We are obviously working tirelessly with—
The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
I am having a hard time hearing. Maybe you can keep it down. I am sure you have comments, but maybe you could keep them among yourselves, and then we can hear the answer.
The hon. parliamentary secretary.
Steven MacKinnon Liberal Gatineau, QC
Mr. Speaker, we are obviously working tirelessly with public servants, their representatives and unions, and other government departments to find and implement solutions to problems as they arise. We are taking measures, such as implementing emergency pay advances, opening temporary satellite offices, and recruiting more than 200 additional compensation advisers, many, of course, who were let go prematurely by the former government.
Cheryl Hardcastle NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are tired of the current government's broken promises.
My riding of Windsor—Tecumseh hoped the Prime Minister would deliver on promises for mail delivery, first nations, Bill C-51, and climate change. They were not the only ones. Canada's foremost environmentalist, David Suzuki, said the Prime Minister is “an out-and-out”, but then he uses a word that is unparliamentary but it means “misleading Canadians”.
Will anyone on the Liberal benches stand up and demand that their government start practising what they used to preach?
Catherine McKenna LiberalMinister of Environment and Climate Change
Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased last year when the Prime Minister stood with the premiers from the provinces and territories to announce a climate plan.
We are serious about taking action on climate change, because we know it is the right thing to do. It will also create good jobs, help grow the economy, and ensure a more sustainable future for our children.
Brenda Shanahan Liberal Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC
Mr. Speaker, last fall our government announced a federal investment of $7.9 million to launch the first phase of dismantling the Kathryn Spirit, a vessel that was abandoned on the shores of Beauharnois in 2011.
Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard update this House on the progress of this projects as well what the government will do to address derelict vessels across the country?
Terry Beech LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries
Mr. Speaker, in November, the Minister of Transport announced the first phase in ensuring the permanent removal of the Kathryn Spirit from the shores of Beauharnois. The work started in December to further secure the vessel by building an embankment around it to separate it from the marine environment. On February 20, this work was completed ahead of schedule and on budget.
Our government also recently announced a $1.5-billion investment in the oceans protection plan, which includes a comprehensive strategy to address other abandoned derelict and wrecked vessels in Canadian waters.
John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON
Mr. Speaker, Kathleen Wynne's example is clear: failed Liberal policies and skyrocketing energy costs go hand in hand. Every day we hear new concerns from seniors who cannot afford to heat their homes, and small businesses whose energy costs are doubling.
Now the Liberals are refusing to release the numbers that would show the actual cost of the carbon tax on Canadian families. Why the carbon tax cover-up? Will the Liberals do the right thing and release the numbers or are they going to keep Canadians in the dark?
Catherine McKenna LiberalMinister of Environment and Climate Change
Mr. Speaker, we are going to do the right thing by tackling climate change and growing our economy, because we were elected to do that. When Canadians voted, they said that they wanted to see action on climate change, which did not happen in the past decade.
We understand that we can grow a clean economy, we can reduce our emissions, and we can ensure a more sustainable future for our children. That is the smart thing to do, and that is the right thing to do.
Dave Van Kesteren Conservative Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and his mentor, Kathleen Wynne, are driving greenhouse operations out of business in my riding with the green energy policies. One greenhouse grower said that his natural gas costs will double from $120,000 a year to $240,000 a year because of carbon tax.
Why are these small businesses being penalized by the Prime Minister and the Wynne Liberals, and being forced to shut down or move to the U.S.?
Catherine McKenna LiberalMinister of Environment and Climate Change
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud that we are taking strong action on climate change, including putting a price on pollution. Once again, we are putting a price on what we do not want, which is pollution, and fostering what we do want, which is clean growth, jobs, and innovation. Business owners have stood up and said that this is the right thing to do, that this is what we need to do to prepare for the future. This is what will create growth. It will grow our economy and will ensure a more sustainable future for our kids.
Kevin Waugh Conservative Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK
Mr. Speaker, my province of Saskatchewan is the only jurisdiction to stand up to the Liberal government's carbon-tax scheme. Unlike these Liberals, my province has actually shared the numbers. Listen, a minimum of over $1,200 for the average Saskatchewan family and up to $100,000 per family farm. Where is the Liberal government's analysis? What is the cost, and why the carbon-tax cover-up?
Catherine McKenna LiberalMinister of Environment and Climate Change
Mr. Speaker, I was very proud that we were able to work with the Government of Saskatchewan on our climate change plan; for example, to phase out coal and to invest in innovation. I also had the chance to go to Saskatchewan. I listened to farmers and ranchers who feel the impacts of climate change already and are actually doing interesting climate research. They are developing climate-resilient crops and zero-till agriculture. We are going to continue working with them because we understand it is the right thing to do for the future but also for farmers.
The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
Members were doing well, but everything started picking up again. If members do not mind just holding it down, that is the way it should be when someone is answering.
The hon. member for Souris—Moose Mountain.
Robert Gordon Kitchen Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK
Mr. Speaker, in 2016, Saskatchewan lost 6,000 full-time jobs. Agriculture employment is down 19% year over year. At a time when my constituents are struggling to find work, the Liberals are forcing a carbon tax that will affect vulnerable Canadians. These constituents need to be able to feed their families and heat their homes without worrying about paying more taxes. Why are the Liberals trying to pay for their reckless spending at the expense of hard-working Canadians?
Catherine McKenna LiberalMinister of Environment and Climate Change
Mr. Speaker, quite frankly I am perplexed. Does the party opposite not understand that climate change is real, that it is having its impacts, that it is causing floods, and that it is causing droughts in Saskatchewan? Does it not understand that we need to take action because it is the right thing to do? Putting a price on carbon pollution is the most efficient way to reduce emissions, to grow the economy, and to ensure a sustainable future.
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Mr. Speaker, the backlog veterans face waiting for their pensions is a disgrace. Our veterans are going into debt just to make ends meet. This needs to stop now.
There is a simple fix. Follow the military ombudsman's advice and do not discharge a veteran until all pensions, benefits, and services are in place and are understood. When is the minister going to get his house in order so that veterans are not left struggling to survive?
Jean Rioux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, our government's investment in the Canadian Armed Forces pension plan reflects the important contribution made by its members in defending Canada's interests, both at home and abroad. The department continues to work diligently to improve the processing of Reserve Force members’ pensions. In July, the administration of Canadian Armed Forces pensions was transferred to Public Services and Procurement Canada. This is expected to streamline and improve the payment of pension benefits.
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, on Saturday I attended the funeral of Carl Jason Dunphy, a young veteran from my riding who died tragically on February 11. A few hours before his death, he posted the following message about his difficulties in getting help from Veterans Affairs: “It's eating away at my resources and my strength. It's not up to friends and spouses to deal with this because a government organization doesn't act.”
Carl Jason Dunphy's life, his service, and his memory deserve so much more than just a list of statistics read from a cue card.
I am asking the minister again: will the department conduct an internal investigation of the circumstances surrounding his death?
Kent Hehr LiberalMinister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his advocacy on behalf of veterans and their families and his constituents. I know this is an extremely difficult situation. Any time Veterans Affairs is notified of an untimely or unexpected death we undertake a review of that file, and this will be the case.
Our government is committed to expanding access to support the veterans and RCMP and their families. That is why we are working with over 4,000 registered mental health professionals, we are expanding our outreach capability by having nine points of contact reopened, as well as hiring front-line staff. We will continue to support veterans and their families.