Debates of May 1st, 2018

Taxation

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Milton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's lead ministers simply do not understand that they are very much out of touch with the reality of what's happening and the gravity of the issue that we are speaking of. I remember the days, and a lot of us do, of being able to put just five bucks in the gas tank in order to get to my work at the Dairy Queen, and there are people like that today in my riding who experience that.

This is a serious matter that is going to affect the affordability of life for many Canadians. His government knows how much it costs. Why will he not tell them?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have been putting in place practical, low-cost measures to tackle climate change and drive clean growth, including pricing pollution. It is clear that the Conservatives have no intention of taking climate change seriously and have no plan to promote clean growth in Canada. This is exactly the kind of inaction we saw in 10 years under Stephen Harper, who still very much apparently controls the backbench of the Conservative Party, and these Conservatives are no different.

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Milton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said that he wants to increase the carbon tax. He wants to put it on goods because he believes that Canadians need to be told to make better choices. Basically, he is running on the “no pain, no gain” platform. The reality is that we do not know how much the pain will be, or is this just a real issue of the fact that it is all pain and no gain?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I suggest the hon. member actually talk to some of her colleagues from British Columbia where they have had a price on carbon pollution for years and have among the strongest economic growth in the country. Eighty-five per cent of Canadians now live in jurisdictions where they have put a price on carbon pollution, and Canadians understand that growing the economy at the same time as we protect the environment is the only way forward.

The Harper Conservatives still demonstrate that they do not get it. They are stuck in what they were doing for 10 years. Canadians had enough.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, here is what the Conservatives have been doing for 10 years. A document published by the Department of Natural Resources reports that greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 2.2% and GDP increased by 16.9%.

That is the Conservatives' record. We reduced greenhouse gas emissions—

[The Speaker, Geoff Regan]

Order. I had trouble hearing the member not just because of the noise, but also because the microphone over here was on, when it should have been off.

The hon. member for Louis-Saint-Laurent.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to repeat what I said because it is the truth and it comes from Natural Resources Canada. The Conservatives' record from 2005 to 2015 is the following: a 2.2% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 16.9% increase in GDP.

That is the Conservative record. We lowered greenhouse gas emissions and grew the economy. We did that without the Liberal carbon tax.

Why does the Prime Minister want to impose a tax on Canadians?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, if these Conservatives want to run another campaign based on how well they did during the Harper years, I urge them to do so. Canadians rejected the approach of the Harper government, which presided over the worst record of economic growth since the Great Depression, was unable to create energy jobs in new markets, and failed to provide Canadians with the future they needed. Canadians made a choice: they rejected Harper and his Conservatives.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I think the Prime Minister has made a choice to brush truth and facts aside. The facts are that our government lowered GHG emissions and boosted the economy. The facts are that the Prime Minister, as a cabinet minister, has in his possession a document that shows how much more his Liberal carbon policy is going to cost Canadian families.

Could the Prime Minister come clean with Canadians, be straight with Canadians, and table this infamous document so that Canadians know exactly how much the Liberal carbon tax is going to cost them?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, to set the record straight, economic growth during the Harper years was lower than at any other time since the Great Depression, lower than under any other Canadian prime minister. In the past two and a half years, we have invested more money in the middle class, invested in infrastructure, and demonstrated that leadership on the environment and the economy go hand in hand. As a result, we ensured that Canada had the strongest record of growth in the G7 for the past year, and we are in the process of creating 600,000 new jobs.

That is our record, and that is what Canadians chose.

Natural Resources

[Guy Caron, NDP, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, October 27, 2016, is a problematic date for the Prime Minister. That is the day that indigenous groups were told that no decision had been made on the Kinder Morgan project. A few minutes later, six organizations heard the assistant deputy minister, Erin O'Gorman, instruct her staff to provide cabinet all legal grounds to say yes to this project. None of her representatives denied that these comments were made. The only people who deny it are the Prime Minister and the Minister of Natural Resources.

Will they release all the documents related to the approval of this project?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Federal Court of Appeal clearly stated that the Harper government did not consult the first nations enough on this energy project. Our government held the most comprehensive consultations with rights holders in the history of this country and we set up a review committee whose role was defined jointly with first nations communities. Some 43 indigenous communities signed agreements on the benefits and, for the first time in Canadian history, many indigenous peoples took part in the process. They benefited from it. As we share—

[The Speaker, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques.

[Guy Caron, NDP, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, fact: On October 27, 2016, indigenous groups were told that no decision had been made on the Kinder Morgan project. Fact: Minutes later, in a meeting of six organizations, a top government official instructed her staff to give the cabinet a legally sound basis for saying yes to the project. None of those present denied that this was said. In fact, one participant actually confirmed, “I was rather shocked at being given that kind of direction. It's not something that I would have expected from a Liberal government.”

Will the Prime Minister release all of the information on the approval of the Kinder Morgan project?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, what we actually did was improve the process by adding additional steps and additional consultations to the flawed process put in place by the Harper government.

We know that moving forward on resources requires that we demonstrate leadership on the environment and a plan to grow the economy sustainably. That is exactly what we did. We strengthened the approval process. We did extra consultations. We are moving forward with the project in the national interest.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

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

Mr. Speaker, we learned today that the government is trying to negotiate an invisible wall for asylum seekers. In public, the Prime Minister says that he welcomes refugees, but behind closed doors, he is trying to send them back to the United States. The ministers responsible refuse to answer questions.

Will the government be clear and confirm whether it is trying to renegotiate the safe third country agreement?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have been in talks with our American partners for months on a number of border-related issues, and this is what Canadians expect. However, the safe third country agreement between Canada and the United States allows for proper management of asylum claims. This agreement is based on a principle recognized by the United Nations Refugee Agency that refugees must claim asylum in the first safe country they reach.

That said, it is unfortunate that the NDP is using the Conservatives' fear tactics to sway Canadians. We are going to remain compassionate and ensure that everyone who should stay in Canada is able to do so.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, when the cameras are rolling, the Prime Minister wants people to regard him as a global humanitarian, but behind closed doors his government is quietly working to shut down Canada's border to asylum seekers who are forced to risk life and limb to get to safety. This has been happening since September of last year.

The double-talk does not stop there. It was just last week that his Minister of Immigration said that having one continuous official border crossing all 9,000 kilometres is “not a real solution”. Liberals and Conservatives, what is the difference?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, in Canada, we are incredibly fortunate that Canadians look at immigrants and refugees, across party lines, as a potential benefit to Canada, as nation builders, not just as immigrants or refugees. We know that being compassionate and welcoming is one of the great strengths of Canada. We also know that applying the rules and the laws around our immigration system is essential for fairness, but it is also essential to ensure continued support for immigrants and refugees. That is exactly what we are doing. We are going to remain compassionate while ensuring that our laws are enforced.

The Environment

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the finance minister. Today in the finance committee, government officials admitted that they have modelled the cost of the carbon tax to Canadian families. When I asked if they would share those calculations with the committee and with the people who will have to pay those taxes, the official said he cannot do that at this time. What the government wants is for Canadians to write a blank cheque, wherein the amounts will be written after that cheque is in the hands of the government.

Why will the finance minister not end his carbon tax cover-up and tell us what this tax would cost Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, I think that the member opposite did not read the report that was released yesterday. There is clear evidence that putting a price on pollution works, and that also we could do that while growing a clean economy. We make decisions based on evidence.

However, I have a question for the member opposite. What would his party do to tackle climate change? Do Conservatives even believe it is real, because they have no plan?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is disappointing that the finance minister is still in hiding and cannot answer questions about his own budget, but we will find out if there is anyone over there who can answer this question.

Today, gas prices in Vancouver have reached a record $1.60. Consumers are suffering. Families are paying more, and it is going to get a lot worse under this proposed Liberal carbon tax. The government knows how much this tax would cost families. Why will the Liberals not tell Canadians how much it will cost the average family?

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

Mr. Speaker, I wish the member opposite would not mislead people from British Columbia. If he understood economics, he would understand why the price is higher for gas in B.C. It has to do with a supply and demand issue. It has to do with exchange rates.

We understand that polluting is not free. There is a real cost on Canadians. I wish he could tell all of the kids who are watching question period right now what he would do to ensure a more sustainable future for them.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Well, Mr. Speaker, it might be a lot more sustainable if they would let us, as Canadians, build a pipeline to bring our own petroleum to market.

However, going back to the matter at hand, there is no question that this carbon tax will raise the price of gasoline. The minister's own document says that it will go up by at least 11¢, and that is if we believe his numbers. Liberals also know how much this tax will cost the average Canadian family, but nobody will answer over there. Why will they not end this cover-up and tell us how much this tax will cost?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would be happy after question period to hand over our analysis that shows that carbon pricing works and it can be done while growing the economy.

Eighty percent of Canadians live in a province—Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec—where there is a price on pollution. Guess what? Their economies were the fastest growing in the country.

Once again, I ask the member opposite, “What are you going to do?” Under 10 years of the Harper government, you did nothing—