House of Commons Hansard #292 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was saskatchewan.

Topics

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:20 a.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan

As much as I almost always enjoy hearing the voice of the hon. member for Souris—Moose Mountain, I would ask him not to yell out when someone else has the floor and to wait until he has the floor.

The hon. member for Victoria.

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

11:20 a.m.

NDP

Murray Rankin NDP Victoria, BC

Mr. Speaker, three weeks ago, just outside these doors, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh suggested that the federal government, B.C., Alberta, and indigenous leaders refer jurisdictional issues concerning Kinder Morgan to the Supreme Court of Canada. The Liberal government scoffed. It said it was a ridiculous proposal, that their jurisdiction was clear and beyond dispute.

Now the government has decided to join in the reference case to the B.C. Court of Appeal. Oops. If it was such a ridiculous idea then, why is it such a good idea now?

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

11:20 a.m.

Northumberland—Peterborough South Ontario

Liberal

Kim Rudd LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources

Mr. Speaker, we are intervening in the reference question filed by B.C. We are confident in our jurisdiction and will intervene to defend the national interest.

The TMX project is of vital strategic interest to Canada, and it will be built. Our government has initiated formal financial discussions with Kinder Morgan, the result of which will be to remove uncertainty overhanging the project.

We are also actively pursuing legislative options that will assert and reinforce the federal jurisdiction in this matter, which we know we clearly have. Hundreds of thousands of hard-working Canadians depend on this project being built.

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

11:20 a.m.

NDP

Karine Trudel NDP Jonquière, QC

Mr. Speaker, almost one month ago, the NDP proposed working with British Columbia, Alberta, and indigenous communities on a reference question on Kinder Morgan to be submitted to the Supreme Court. The Liberals thought that was ridiculous.

However, we learned yesterday that the Liberals are planning to intervene in the legal proceedings initiated by the Government of British Columbia. Not only are they slowing down the process, but they also continue to ignore the fact that there is faster recourse.

When will the government refer this matter to the Supreme Court?

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

11:20 a.m.

Northumberland—Peterborough South Ontario

Liberal

Kim Rudd LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources

Mr. Speaker, as I said a moment ago, we are intervening in the reference question filed by B.C. We are doing so because we are confident in our jurisdiction, and we will intervene to defend what is in the national interest. The TMX project is of vital strategic interest to Canada, and it will be built.

We are also actively pursuing legislative options that will assert and reinforce the federal jurisdiction in this matter, which we know we clearly have. Our government has also initiated formal financial discussions with Kinder Morgan, the result of which will be to remove uncertainty overhanging this project.

HealthOral Questions

11:20 a.m.

NDP

Karine Trudel NDP Jonquière, QC

Mr. Speaker, another file, another disagreement with the provinces. We have the health transfers, Kinder Morgan, the price on carbon, the tax on cannabis, the tax on online products, and the reopening of the Constitution, just to name a few.

This time, the government could end up in court over the authorization of home growing. This is a far cry from the leadership and co-operative federalism that we were promised.

Will the government stop ignoring the provinces' concerns and finally work with them?

HealthOral Questions

11:20 a.m.

Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe New Brunswick

Liberal

Ginette Petitpas Taylor LiberalMinister of Health

Mr. Speaker, the current approach to cannabis does not work. It allows criminals to profit and has not managed to keep cannabis out of the hands of our children.

We have a lot of respect for the work done by the Senate, and we look forward to carefully studying the report that the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology is working on.

Our government is confident that Bill C-45 can be passed in June. Our government has taken significant measures to address the specific interests of indigenous communities and organizations.

HealthOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

NDP

Murray Rankin NDP Victoria, BC

Mr. Speaker, so much for co-operative federalism and sunny ways. Co-operative federalism means actually working with the provinces, not simply telling them that this is the way things are.

Now provinces are raising concerns about the home cultivation of marijuana, but the Prime Minister simply says, “No way, we are going ahead, regardless of your concerns.”

When did the Liberals decide to abandon co-operative federalism?

HealthOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe New Brunswick

Liberal

Ginette Petitpas Taylor LiberalMinister of Health

Mr. Speaker, the approach to cannabis does not work. It has allowed criminals and organized crime to profit while failing to keep cannabis out of the hands of youth.

We respect the work that the Senate has been doing, and we look forward to reviewing the recommendations brought forward by the social affairs committee.

Our government is confident that Bill C-45 can be adopted later this June. Our government has taken important steps to address specific interests expressed by indigenous committees and other groups.

We will continue to collaborate with the provinces and territories to ensure that a reasonable transition to a legal market is brought forward.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

Conservative

Rosemarie Falk Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is ignoring the basic economic reality that his carbon tax unfairly punishes farmers and rural communities. He refuses to accept Saskatchewan's own climate change strategy, and continues to threaten my province. At the same time, he refuses to come clean about the actual cost of his carbon tax on Canadians.

If the Prime Minister cannot answer this basic question about his carbon tax, will the public safety minister, who is from Saskatchewan, answer this question?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

Cardigan P.E.I.

Liberal

Lawrence MacAulay LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Mr. Speaker, in the last election, we campaigned on improving the economy and protecting the environment. We are protecting the environment, and we have the best growth in the G7. We have also not taken science money out of agriculture, like the previous Harper government did. We have added $100 million to the science budget in agriculture. We have and will continue to support the agricultural sector in this country.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

Conservative

Kevin Waugh Conservative Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal carbon tax will have a negative impact on Saskatchewan's exports, along with its energy industry's competitiveness. This will be one of the largest national tax increases in Canadian history, and that is why my province is taking it to the Supreme Court. This tax affects everyone, every man, woman, and child in my province.

Analysis has been done. The Liberals know the answer, yet they continue to cover it up. Why will the public safety minister, who is from my province of Saskatchewan, not come clean and give us the numbers?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

Regina—Wascana Saskatchewan

Liberal

Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. gentleman missed my speech last year, where I described some of these issues in considerable detail before the Canadian Club in a meeting in Regina. The fact of the matter is that the Province of Saskatchewan has the full option to design a carbon pricing system of its own, including the exemption of farm fuel, including the exemption of small oil and gas companies, if it would choose to do so. If it does not choose to do so, the fallback position will come into effect, but the first right—

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan

The hon. member for Souris—Moose Mountain.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

Conservative

Robert Gordon Kitchen Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK

Mr. Speaker, during a debate on the carbon tax, the Minister of Environment stated that carbon capture and storage is a solution that will benefit everyone. This technology has existed for years at the Boundary Dam power station, where carbon capture technology has removed over two million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere. The minister sings the virtues of this innovative, green, emissions-cutting technology yet is forcing a job-killing carbon tax on the people of Saskatchewan.

Why is the only minister from Saskatchewan, the public safety minister, not championing Saskatchewan's clean energy initiatives?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

Regina—Wascana Saskatchewan

Liberal

Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Mr. Speaker, jeepers, he missed the speech too. It specifically dealt with carbon capture and sequestration. I am pleased to tell him that I was the minister in the Government of Canada, 20 years ago, who put the initial funding into carbon capture and sequestration in Saskatchewan.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Conservative

Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK

Mr. Speaker, he should let his environment minister know that.

The carbon tax is already killing jobs and hurting families in Alberta and British Columbia. Saskatchewan is taking this Liberal Prime Minister and his greedy government to court to stop this punitive tax. In court, the Liberal carbon tax cover-up will be exposed. Why wait until Saskatchewan wins?

Will the Minister of Environment come clean today and reveal the cost of the federal carbon tax on Saskatchewan families? No, she will not. How about the public safety minister, who was elected to represent the beautiful, cutting-edge, environmentally efficient province of Saskatchewan?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Ottawa Centre Ontario

Liberal

Catherine McKenna LiberalMinister of Environment and Climate Change

Mr. Speaker, let me be clear. I was actually with Saskatchewan technology, with carbon capture and storage, in China so I could help promote this technology. Let me tell members another thing, but it will be hard, because they are going to have to stop shouting and listen. Carbon capture and storage is only economic if one puts a price on pollution, because people will choose that technology.

It is about choice. There are Conservatives who are very happy to explain why the price on pollution works. There are many of them, including the former adviser to Stephen Harper. Maybe you should listen to people who understand economics.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan

Order. On the one hand, I would ask members to listen and not be interrupting when someone else has the floor. On the other, I would ask the hon. minister to remember to address her comments to the Chair.

The hon. member for North Okanagan—Shuswap.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Conservative

Mel Arnold Conservative North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister lectured Canadians the other day that they need to make better choices and change their behaviour. Well, that behaviour change should not mean missing a health appointment because they cannot afford the gas to get there, but that is the choice some British Columbians are being forced to make with the Prime Minister's punitive carbon taxes.

Does the Prime Minister believe Canadians should be forced to make the choice between driving to a health appointment or paying for groceries?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Ottawa Centre Ontario

Liberal

Catherine McKenna LiberalMinister of Environment and Climate Change

Mr. Speaker, of course we care about the cost of living for Canadians. Of course we care about growing the economy. Of course we care about tackling climate change. That is why we have a serious, credible plan, with low-cost measures, to make sure that we tackle climate change. Once again, all I want to know, and all Canadians want to know, is, what did they ever do to tackle climate change, and do they actually believe it is real?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Conservative

Dan Albas Conservative Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC

The government says it cares, Mr. Speaker, but actions speak louder than words. In British Columbia this week, the Prime Minister lectured Canadians that they need to make better choices. What he considers better choices is devastating to my province. What is worse is that the Liberals will not tell Canadians or their representatives in this place how much it will cost. We are already starting to see the cost, with gas at $1.60 a litre. Of course, the Prime Minister and his cabinet will not feel the effects that everyday families are feeling, because everything is paid for. When will the Liberals come clean and tell Canadians what their carbon tax will cost them?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Ottawa Centre Ontario

Liberal

Catherine McKenna LiberalMinister of Environment and Climate Change

Mr. Speaker, we have been clear with Canadians. We released a study this week, and what does it show? It shows that putting a price on pollution works. Why does it work? It is because it creates incentives for people to choose low-cost options, it creates incentives to choose innovation, and it creates incentives to reduce emissions and tackle climate change.

Once again, we are going to continue asking: what is the Conservative plan to tackle climate change, and do they believe it is real?

Canada Revenue AgencyOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

NDP

Pierre-Luc Dusseault NDP Sherbrooke, QC

Mr. Speaker, two years ago, it was revealed that the Canada Revenue Agency had offered amnesty to the wealthy clients of KPMG. The Minister of National Revenue said that the net was tightening, that justice would be done, and that no one was above the law. Unfortunately, nothing has been done since then. No criminal charges have been laid against KPMG or its clients. However, when it comes to attacking single mothers who depend on the Canada child benefit, the CRA moves like lightning. It wastes no time going after the little guys.

Why, then, is the CRA taking so long to go after the real tax cheats, meaning KPMG and its clients?

Canada Revenue AgencyOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Brampton West Ontario

Liberal

Kamal Khera LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue

Mr. Speaker, cracking down on tax evasion, especially offshore, is a priority for our government. Budget 2018 would invest almost $100 million in the CRA, in addition to nearly $1 billion in the last two budgets, to allow it to go even further in this fight. The budget also includes legislative changes that would close tax loopholes used by multinationals. We have fully adopted the international standard for the automatic exchange of information with our OECD partners, and starting this year, we will have access to even more data from other jurisdictions, which will enable us to fight tax evasion even more effectively.