Debates of May 14th, 2019

The Environment

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians across this country are asking for urgent action to fight climate change, action that leaves no workers or communities behind. Other countries have done it, and Canada can too.

The government bought a pipeline and is subsidizing the fossil fuel industry. That is not climate action. The Conservatives do not have a plan. Canadians want their government to act courageously on climate change.

The NDP tabled a motion with concrete steps to address the climate emergency, so when is the government finally going to get serious about it?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to outline in great detail our plan to tackle climate change. We negotiated it for a whole year with provinces and territories and indigenous people, and with input from Canadians. We are phasing out coal; we are investing in renewables, and we are ensuring a just transition for communities and workers. We are investing in energy efficiency so we can save people, businesses, schools and hospitals money.

We are investing in clean solutions, innovators and entrepreneurs who are providing the solutions we desperately need. At the same time, we are making sure life is affordable and we are creating good jobs. It is unfortunate that the NDP does not understand that the environment and the economy have to go together. It is cancelling a project supported by the—

[The Speaker, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Saint John—Rothesay.

Youth Employment

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Saint John—Rothesay, NB]

Mr. Speaker, young people in my great riding of Saint John—Rothesay are worried about finding well-paying jobs after they graduate. Thanks to our government's investment in the youth employment strategy, more young people in Saint John—Rothesay are getting the training and skills they need to reach their full potential.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment please update this House on what our government is doing to help young people in my riding get ahead?

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Saint John—Rothesay's preamble was absolutely spot-on. After 10 years of Conservative rule, we saw the highest youth unemployment records in the history of the country. After three and a half years of Liberal rule, we now see the lowest records in the history of youth unemployment in this country, because we said we would invest in innovation and we would invest in skills training. That is what we promised we would do, and that is what we did, even better than advertised.

Finance

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

Mr. Speaker, let us see if they really did do better than advertised.

Four years ago, the current Minister of Finance left Bay Street and offered his services to Canadians as a good steward of the public purse. One of his promises was to run very small deficits for three years before delivering a zero deficit in 2019.

What he actually delivered was three huge deficits and a $20-billion deficit in 2019.

Could the Minister of Finance stand up and apologize to Canadians for breaking his promise, or rather, for lying to them?

[The Speaker, Geoff Regan]

I would ask the hon. member to choose his words with care. He knows that the word he just used is unparliamentary. I know it was a question, but that is why I advise him to be cautious.

The hon. Minister of Finance.

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, this is a perfect opportunity for me to talk about what we have done over the past four years.

Things are going great for Canadians across the country, with over a million jobs created in four years and the lowest unemployment rate in about 40 years.

Four years ago, unemployment was too high, and growth was too low. We are better off now thanks to our policies.

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

Mr. Speaker, this all happened when the whole world was experiencing economic growth, boosted by the American economy, which was not the case when the Conservatives were in power.

As a result, Canadians are investing 66% more in the United States and the Americans are investing 50% less in Canada. This message does not lie.

Can the Minister of Finance tell us how many times he ran deficits at his company when he was on Bay Street?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, fortunately, when I was in the private sector I had the opportunity to make investments to grow a business. This was very successful, and what we have done here is similar. We decided that the Conservatives had a bad approach that led to too much unemployment and too little growth.

With our approach we are investing for Canadians and have reached another level of growth and the lowest unemployment rate in 40 years. This approach is working for our economy.

Carbon Pricing

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when the Conservatives warned that the carbon tax would be a cash grab, the Prime Minister said, no, that we should look at the B.C. Liberals who brought in a revenue-neutral carbon tax, where taxpayers would get back as much as they paid in. However, this was not as advertised. In fact, it has cost $1 billion more to British Columbia taxpayers than they have been given back and gas prices are now $1.80 a litre, something the Prime Minister celebrates as “exactly what we want”.

Are we not headed to $1.80-a-litre gas price if he is re-elected?

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

Mr. Speaker, where are we headed? We are headed to taking serious action on climate change while growing our economy.

Let us look at the facts. We have had to put a price on pollution because we have provinces led by Conservative premiers who do not seem to think climate change is a problem and do not seem to understand the economic opportunity of clean growth.

We are giving money back to Canadians. That is in the legislation. Eighty percent of families will be better off. A family in Ontario will get $307.

Did the member opposite cash his climate action incentive rebate?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal cheque bounced, as always and as we said it would, just like it did in British Columbia where the government said that taxpayers would be better off by paying high gas prices, but it turned out they were ripped off by $1 billion in overtaxation.

In that province, gas has reached $1.80 a litre, the highest price in the history of North America, which is exactly what the Prime Minister says he wants.

Again, are we not headed to $1.80 for gas if the Prime Minister is re-elected?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is probably good to get the facts on the table. There has been a 1¢ increase in the price of gas in B.C. as related to the price on pollution.

Let us be clear with what we are doing. We are putting a price on pollution and giving the money back. We are taking serious action.

What is the party opposite doing? It is having secret meetings with oil lobbyists to develop its yet-to-be-seen climate plan.

We need to take action on climate change. We owe it to our kids. We have a huge economic opportunity. I am very proud that we are taking action, and we have created a million jobs with Canadians.

Public Safety

[Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there is a reason why the NDP is calling on the Prime Minister to declare a climate and environmental emergency. We are still waiting for the Liberal government's plan, which, to date, has involved purchasing an old pipeline and continuing to subsidize fossil fuels.

People in Berthier—Maskinongé and other areas of Quebec have been hard hit by the recent flooding. Because of climate change, extreme natural disasters will become increasingly common. We still need the Canadian army.

Can the federal government confirm that soldiers will remain in place to help seniors and other residents clean up and remove the sandbags?

[Serge Cormier, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, once again, our thoughts are with all those who have been affected by the flooding and the first responders who are working hard to keep people safe.

Our government is doing everything it can to support response efforts in the affected parts of the country.

We remind people that they must be extremely careful. Those affected should continue to follow the instructions and guidance of municipal law enforcement agencies and first responders.

Canadians can rest assured that the Canadian Armed Forces will support and serve alongside our federal, provincial and municipal partners, who work diligently on behalf of all Canadians.

Rail Transportation

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, climate change has become a climate emergency. It is hard to take the Liberals seriously when they adopt ridiculously low targets, buy a pipeline, and create marine protected areas where oil development is permitted.

Knowing that 41% of Quebec's emissions come from the transportation sector, announcing a high-frequency train in the most densely populated corridor in Canada would be part of the solution to the climate emergency.

When will there be real action?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his weekly reminder of the high-frequency train.

I want to assure him that we continue to work on this complex and very important file. When we have something to say, he will be informed.

The Environment

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the environment minister claims that Canada is on track to meet the Paris targets, but we know that is not true. The evidence is overwhelming that the Liberals will miss those targets by a country mile.

Canadians are worried about carbon taxes and the skyrocketing price of gas at the pump. It has become very clear that the Liberals do not have a climate plan; they have a tax plan.

Will the minister now admit that her plan does absolutely nothing for the environment and is not as advertised?

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

Mr. Speaker, I guess what is advertised is that the Conservatives do not have a plan for the environment. They do not have a plan for the economy. They do not understand that climate change is a serious problem and that we can do both.

We can tackle climate change and we can grow the economy. We have a plan that eliminates coal and invests in renewables. It invests in clean technologies. It invests in energy efficiency. I could go on and on.

Unfortunately, the Conservative Party does not want to come together. It does not want to join Canadians and take serious action to tackle climate change and also grow our economy. We can do both; we need to do both.

Carbon Pricing

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Mr. Speaker, part of my riding is rural. There is no public transit. The sky-high gas prices are forcing them to make very difficult decisions about essentials. We have single mums who cannot afford to fill their tanks. We have seniors who are having difficulties making ends meet. We have small businesses that have no choice but to cut jobs or cut wages. The Prime Minister says this is exactly what he wants.

Could the minister explain exactly what he wants? Why sky-high gas prices for rural communities?

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

Mr. Speaker, I already talked about the fact that under our climate plan, we are putting a price on pollution and giving the money back.

However, let us talk about all the other measures that are helping single mums in the member opposite's riding. The Canada child benefit raised 300,000 children out of poverty. We have lowered taxes on the middle class, asking the 1% to pay a little more. We created a million jobs so single moms could have good jobs. We have lowered taxes on small businesses. from 11% to 9%, and created a million jobs for Canadians.

We are going to continue taking action on climate change. We are going to continue growing the economy. We are doing it in a way that is affordable and gets people ahead.

Natural Resources

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Mr. Speaker, gas prices are skyrocketing throughout Canada, but in British Columbia we have the highest prices in North America. The Prime Minister has made it very clear that high gas prices are exactly what he wants. Everyone knows that the approval and construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline would help drop the price of gas.

When will the Prime Minister get serious about giving Canadians a break and get the pipeline built?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member on the opposition side and his party were really serious on moving forward on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion in the right way, they would not have voted to shut down the consultation process and kill this project and the process that we have put in place.

We are working hard on this project. We are moving forward with meaningful consultation with the indigenous community. We are scheduled to make a decision on this project by June 18.

Health

[Bill Casey, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, almost every issue we talk about in the Standing Committee on Health has a mental health component, whether it is post-traumatic stress, or methamphetamine addiction, or LGBTQ issues or indigenous health. There is always a mental health common denominator.

Could the Minister of Health tell us what she is doing in her department to help Canadians with mental health issues right across the board?