Debates of Feb. 1st, 2019

Carbon Pricing

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, many Canadians, including our injured and retired veterans, are $200 away from not being able to pay their bills each month. The Prime Minister's vast family fortune means he does not have to worry about a few hundred bucks as he introduces a carbon tax that will increase the cost of everything from gas to food to home heating. Government documents reveal that the carbon tax will have to go up. When will the Prime Minister come clean and tell us the final cost of his carbon tax?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to stand up and talk about how we are putting a price on pollution in an affordable way. A family of four in Ontario will get $307 back, which is more than 810 families pay. We are concerned about affordability.

The Conservative Party, unfortunately, is not. The Conservatives voted against the Canada child benefit. They voted against increasing taxes on the 1% and decreasing them on the middle class. They voted against putting a price on pollution; they believe it should be free to pollute.

We are going to continue to take action that makes life affordable and also take action on climate change.

[Jim Eglinski, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have received over 600 comments regarding the Liberal carbon tax. John wrote me from my riding, saying, “People are losing their homes because of this extra expense and the rebates do not come close to paying for it.”

Kenneth commented that he believes a carbon tax is ludicrous and “...that at some point we are going to need a F.L.D. tax—the Fixing Liberal Deficit tax—for all of their misspending....”

When will the Prime Minister stop making Canadians pay for his mistakes?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to say directly to the residents in the member's riding that we are committed to making life affordable. That is why we increased tax on the 1%: so we could reduce it on the middle class. That is why we increased the Canada child benefit: so more families in his riding will have more money and we can raise kids out of poverty. That is why we are also taking action to put a price on pollution, and giving more money back to families so life will be affordable while we tackle the biggest challenge of our generation.

The big question is this. Why does the party opposite not understand that the environment and the economy go together—that we need to tackle climate change and do it in an affordable way?

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, no one believes the Liberal election gimmick of rebating people more money than they have to pay in carbon taxes. It is ridiculous.

Make no mistake, the carbon tax will go up. In fact, the Liberals' own document shows that it could cost the average family of four up to $5,000 after the election. Why do the Liberals not just come clean and tell the truth for once—that their carbon tax will go up and will cost Canadians more money for the necessities of life, like buying groceries, driving their cars and heating their homes? Why do they not just tell them the truth?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to talk about the truth, but let us be clear: action on climate change is not a gimmick. We need to take action on climate change and we need to do it in an affordable way.

I wish the party opposite would stop misleading Canadians. We can put a price on pollution. We can reduce emissions and we can foster innovation and clean solutions and make life affordable by giving money back. Economists show it. The province of B.C. shows it. If we talk to Canadians, they tell us they want a serious plan to tackle climate change and they want us to make life affordable, and we are doing both.

Automotive Industry

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, instead of delivering their promised plan to save jobs in Oshawa, the Liberals have voted three times against Conservative motions to help our General Motors workers. The Prime Minister did not even bother to show up in Oshawa. Instead, he gave in to Donald Trump and signed an agreement without having the steel and aluminum tariffs removed, and now he is raising payroll taxes and forcing a job-killing carbon tax on hard-working Canadian families while giving the biggest emitters a pass and hiding its full cost.

Why do workers in Oshawa have to pay for the mistakes of the Prime Minister with their jobs?

[Rémi Massé, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, General Motors is obviously making a huge mistake by abandoning the workers in Oshawa.

Our government supports auto workers and their families. We have been consistent and clear on this during our meetings with GM, union representatives and our provincial and municipal counterparts.

At the Detroit auto show, the minister talked about commitments with regard to the production facilities in Brampton, Ingersoll, St. Catharines and Windsor.

Our government will always stand up for auto workers.

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the people of Oshawa know if they are standing up for auto workers. Where are they? They are not standing up in Oshawa or around Ontario anywhere.

We have tax after tax, mistake after mistake. Life has become much more expensive for Canadians, and the Prime Minister and the Liberals have voted against Oshawa and its auto workers.

While he is going around the country campaigning on our tax dollars, Oshawa and Durham region's auto sector is about to lose more than 15,000 jobs as a result of the Prime Minister's inaction.

Enough is enough. Why do auto workers in Oshawa have to pay for the Prime Minister's mistakes with their jobs?

[Rémi Massé, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, we will take no lessons from the Conservatives when it comes to supporting our auto workers.

During their 10 years in power, the Conservatives were responsible for the loss of 40,000 jobs in the auto sector. Stephen Harper's Conservatives left lapsed funding in the automotive innovation fund and refused to make the changes recommended by the industry and its workers. Through the strategic innovation fund, we are making major investments to support our highly skilled workers and the future of the auto sector.

Housing

[Georgina Jolibois, NDP, Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are doing nothing to help the homeless in northern Saskatchewan. Scattered Site served a record number of meals last year. Now it is being forced to find a new building to meet the growing demand in La Ronge.

The people who rely on shelters like these are elders, young children, families and students. Meanwhile, the Liberals are all talk and no action. When will the Liberals commit serious and concrete funding to help the homeless in La Ronge?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, many members of our government are most interested in this issue. We are constructing more affordable homes for all Canadians, and that also means reducing chronic homelessness in our country. One Canadian on the street in the country is one too many.

That is why we are going ahead with our historic plan to reduce homelessness by at least 50% by investing in communities across Canada and by doing this in partnership with many others who have waited for so long for renewed federal leadership and partnership on housing.

[Sheri Benson, NDP, Saskatoon West, SK]

Mr. Speaker, news of the Canada housing benefit led the Saskatchewan Party government to end its rental supplement for low-income people. This is a small subsidy that made a big difference to keep people in good homes.

Many living in my riding, like Roberta Fehr, need support to keep their housing affordable. Otherwise, homelessness will become a reality. It is wrong to make people wait until 2020 to have a roof over their heads. Will the Liberal government take action now, not later, to help people like Roberta?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, from day one we have made it very clear that we believe every Canadian has a right to have access to a safe and affordable home. That is why we have invested, since 2016, $5.7 billion, helping a million families have access to a home. It is so important for themselves, their families and their communities. That is why we are going to invest $40 billion in the next 10 years for the first-ever historic national housing strategy, which is going to transform the way the Government of Canada is going to be helpful for communities across Canada.

Natural Resources

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer has reported that the value of the Trans Mountain pipeline has dropped by $700 million, because the Prime Minister failed to get the project built. That is just the beginning. Every day of delay means fewer jobs for energy workers, and it is costing our economy millions.

When will the Prime Minister stop making Canadians and energy workers pay for his mistakes?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Natural Resources, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians understand that we need to reduce our dependence when it comes to exporting our oil to the United States. We need to expand our global markets, and that is exactly what we are focused on. We are moving forward on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion in the right way, with meaningful consultation with indigenous peoples and at the same time making sure that we are looking after the environment. This is a project that is very important to the Canadian economy, but the only way to move forward on this is to make sure we respect indigenous peoples and we respect our environment.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's lack of leadership on the Trans Mountain pipeline has already cost Canadians $4.5 billion. Now the Parliamentary Budget Officer has confirmed that if the Prime Minister does not get this project moving, taxpayers will continue to lose up to a billion dollars every single year, yet nine months have gone by and the Liberals still have no plan in place.

When will the Prime Minister stop making Canadians pay for his mistakes?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Natural Resources, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, the NEP review of marine shipping and its impact on the marine environment is under way, and the NEP is going to report to us on February 22. We have eight teams currently consulting in a meaningful two-way dialogue with indigenous peoples, something we owe indigenous peoples to make sure that their voices are heard and included in the decision-making, something the previous government failed to do. We are moving forward on this project in the right way, making sure it moves forward with proper consultation and looking after the environment.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians can longer afford to pay for this Prime Minister's pipeline mistakes. The Parliamentary Budget Officer said clearly that the Liberals grossly overpaid for the Trans Mountain pipeline, and every single year construction is delayed costs Canadian taxpayers another $700 million. Clearly, the Liberals have no intention of ever building this pipeline, which is now in regulatory purgatory.

Will they just finally admit that this Prime Minister is keeping his promise to phase out Canada's oil sector?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Natural Resources, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, it is very disappointing to hear a member from Alberta who does not believe that getting our resources to non-U.S. markets by building pipeline capacity is necessary for jobs in Alberta in our energy sector. We are investing in this project, which is good for the Canadian economy. It is good for Alberta's economy. We owe it to Alberta workers, we owe it to energy sector workers throughout the country, to move forward on this project in the right way, with meaningful consultation with indigenous communities and at the same time making sure we are reducing the impact on the environment.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, what is extremely disconcerting is a minister from Alberta in the government who is doing nothing to stand up for Alberta's energy sector. What the Parliamentary Budget Officer said is that every year construction is delayed on the Trans Mountain pipeline costs Canadian taxpayers $700 million. In fact, if it is not built by 2022, the project will no longer be viable at all.

The Liberals have put billions of tax dollars at risk, and by continuing to delay this very important project, Canadian taxpayers are seeing their dollars wasted.

Why is the Prime Minister forcing Canadians to pay for his pipeline mistakes?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Natural Resources, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are paying for the failure of a decade of Harper's government, which failed to build a single pipeline to get our resources to non-U.S. global markets. When the Conservatives came into office in 2006, 99% of Alberta oil was sold to one single customer, the United States. When they left in 2015, 99% of Alberta oil was still sold to a single customer, the U.S. That is how they failed to diversify Alberta's oil exports.

We are working hard on this project and at the same time exploring new markets.

The Environment

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian government has allowed companies to shirk their environmental responsibilities for too long. When companies do this, taxpayers end up footing the bill. Yesterday, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in the Redwater case that companies have a legal obligation to clean up orphan wells, even in bankruptcy. The Liberals have an opportunity to prove that they are putting the interests of Canadians ahead of big money.

Will they amend the legislation to clearly state that companies have a duty to clean up, yes or no?

[Rémi Massé, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, we are currently reviewing the Supreme Court's ruling to assess how it might affect our marketplace framework laws and the Canadian economy. Our government understands the importance of effective environmental protection regimes, as well as a sustainable and prosperous energy resource sector. Our bankruptcy laws aim to balance environmental obligations, the ability of Canadian companies to restructure and preserve jobs, and the fair treatment of creditors.

[Richard Cannings, NDP, South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

Mr. Speaker, families from coast to coast are struggling with the cost of living, and they should not be on the hook for the cost of cleaning up abandoned oil wells or contaminated mine sites. Yesterday the Supreme Court agreed, saying, “Bankruptcy is not a license to ignore rules”.

For too long, Liberal and Conservative governments have let companies escape their responsibilities. However, the Liberals have a chance to show whose side they are on, Canadians or corporations. Will they allow companies to walk away from their obligations, or will they make sure Canadians do not have to pay the cost?