House of Commons Hansard #289 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was change.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, the environment minister cannot answer the question about how much this tax will cost Canadians. The finance minister will not answer the question about how much this will cost Canadians. The Prime Minister was unable to answer the question.
I am trying to figure out which of these ministers has the answer. Why do we not just ask them all? How much, how much, how much, how much will the carbon tax cost Canadians?
Catherine McKenna LiberalMinister of Environment and Climate Change
Mr. Speaker, I have a question. What is your climate plan? What is your climate plan? What is your climate plan? What is your climate plan?
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, she should know, because she actually followed the Conservative targets on climate change.
We saw greenhouse gases go down at the same time as taxes went down under the previous Conservative government. We saved people money while protecting the economy.
Will the government finally answer the question, how much will a Canadian family have to pay for this new Liberal carbon tax?
Catherine McKenna LiberalMinister of Environment and Climate Change
Mr. Speaker, I wish that the party opposite would understand the cost of climate change right now.
One of the hardest calls I ever had to make was to a rancher in Alberta, whose whole ranch burned down because of forest fires. There are people who are suffering from floods across the country. The Arctic is literally thawing, and they think it is a joke.
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Order. I had no trouble hearing the question, but we also need to hear the answer.
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
I would ask the members not to speak until it is their turn to speak.
The hon. Minister of Environment has the floor.
Catherine McKenna Liberal Ottawa Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, there is a real cost of climate change right now, and Canadians across the country are feeling it. We have people who are feeling the impacts of forest fires, floods, and droughts. The Arctic is literally melting, but they think it is a joke.
We are taking serious action on climate change. We have a plan and we have a target, and we are going to meet it.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, actually, the Liberals just released a document yesterday saying that they will not meet their plan. They said they will not meet their target. They will come about 90 million tonnes short of meeting their target, and that is with their carbon tax.
The minister said she spoke to a rancher in Alberta. Did she tell that rancher how much this carbon tax would cost him and his family?
Catherine McKenna LiberalMinister of Environment and Climate Change
Mr. Speaker, I do not know how I can make it more clear. Maybe the member opposite could go call the insurance companies. Insurance companies tell me every day about the huge payouts they are having to pay because of the cost of climate change.
Let me also talk about the opportunity, the $23 trillion opportunity of clean growth, as Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, has called it.
The Conservative Party does not understand that we need to protect our environment and grow our economy. We are going to do both. They will do neither.
Matthew Dubé NDP Beloeil—Chambly, QC
Mr. Speaker, according to a media report, the Department of Justice fought hard to have a Canadian, Hassan Diab, extradited, even though the case would not stand up in court because of insufficient or unreliable evidence. This speaks volumes about the government's commitment to human rights, especially given that he is a Canadian citizen.
What has the government been doing since Mr. Diab returned to Canada to ensure that this nightmare never happens again?
Chrystia Freeland LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, we advocated at every level for Mr. Diab's return to Canada. It was a very important issue to us, one that I took very personally, and we are very happy that he is back home in Canada. We are aware of the reports of the involvement of government officials in his extradition. This happened under the previous government, and I think it is important to take that into account.
Matthew Dubé NDP Beloeil—Chambly, QC
Mr. Speaker, the biggest engagement the government had was using a low burden of proof to extradite Mr. Diab to France, a burden of proof that was so insufficient that it did not hold up in a French court.
A 2006 Supreme Court ruling said that courts have to stop rubber-stamping extradition requests and start weighing the evidence presented by foreign countries. Can the minister explain how the Department of Justice is supposed to deal with this issue when it is investigating itself? When will it fix this broken extradition system that people are paying for with their livelihood?
Chrystia Freeland LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, I am really glad to have that question. We advocated at every level for Mr. Diab's return to Canada. It is an issue that I took very personally. I am very glad he is back home in Canada with his family.
I have read the reports of the involvement of government officials in his extradition. This happened under the previous government. This is indeed a matter that is important to look into.
Alice Wong Conservative Richmond Centre, BC
Mr. Speaker, this year thousands of people will cross into Canada illegally. The Prime Minister created this mess with his tweet, and he is providing special treatment to those who skip the line and enter Canada illegally. What message does this send to the thousands of immigrants who have followed the rules?
Ahmed Hussen LiberalMinister of Immigration
Mr. Speaker, what the party opposite does not seem to understand is that we can protect the security and safety of Canadians while meeting our international obligations for refugee protection. We have a proud record of doing both. The party opposite wants to set one group of immigrants against another. That is the politics of division and fear that Canadians rejected in 2015.
Alice Wong Conservative Richmond Centre, BC
Mr. Speaker, I have heard from constituents who are frustrated by wait times to sponsor their families. There is a strict limit on the number of family members who can come to Canada, yet there seems to be no limit to the number of illegal border crossers who are allowed in. Can the Prime Minister please explain how it is fair to keep families apart while rewarding those who break the law?
Ahmed Hussen LiberalMinister of Immigration
Mr. Speaker, the party opposite is trying to muddy the waters. Its members know very clearly that refugees are processed in a different stream, by the Immigration and Refugee Board, and other immigrants are processed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Let us talk about processing times. Under the Conservatives, the processing time for spouses was more than 26 months. Spouses, children, and families were kept apart for a very long time. We have brought that down to 12 months or less.
Let us talk about the live-in caregiver program. Families were kept apart for five to seven years. We have reduced that to 12 months or less.
We have a great—
Ziad Aboultaif Conservative Edmonton Manning, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are mismanaging our immigration system. Just in the past year, over 20,000 asylum seekers have illegally crossed the border into Canada. The Prime Minister's policy is encouraging illegal immigrants to jump the queue while those who follow the rules have to wait longer. Can the Prime Minister explain to me how that is fair?
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman needs to understand the rules. In fact, when people cross the border inconsistently with the rules, they are arrested and questioned. They are identified, both biographically and biometrically, and their identity is checked against every Canadian and U.S. database for any immigration, criminal, or security flags. Then they are required, in fact, to prove the necessity for protection in Canada. If they cannot prove that, their admissibility is denied, and they are removed from the country.
Ziad Aboultaif Conservative Edmonton Manning, AB
Mr. Speaker, a Canadian, Roxanna, has been trying to privately sponsor a refugee from Djibouti, and the wait time is up to seven years long, yet there are people walking across the border illegally who immediately get to stay in Canada. Canadians and those who wish to come to Canada legally are frustrated. Why is the Prime Minister rewarding those who break the law and punishing those who play by the rules?