House of Commons Hansard #411 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was plan.

Topics

Natural ResourcesOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Edmonton Mill Woods Alberta

Liberal

Amarjeet Sohi LiberalMinister of Natural Resources

Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member and his party were really serious about moving forward on the Trans Mountain pipeline process in the right way, they would not have voted to de-fund and kill a process that will get us to a decision.

We are moving forward on this process with meaningful consultation with indigenous communities. We are engaged with them, we are offering accommodation on the outstanding issues and we are scheduled to make a decision on this. Our hope is to make a decision on this project by June 18.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON

Mr. Speaker, when we first raised concerns about the carbon tax, the Prime Minister said, “Don't worry, look how successful it has been in British Columbia.” Then he travelled there and said that $1.69-a-litre gas is exactly what we want. Now British Columbia has the highest gas prices in the history of North America.

Is this what the Prime Minister wanted to replicate when he announced his new carbon tax?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Central Nova Nova Scotia

Liberal

Sean Fraser LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Mr. Speaker, I trust that the hon. member knows that our plan to put a price on pollution simply does not apply in British Columbia, because it implemented its own plan several years back.

What I am curious about is whether the hon. member, like his Conservative colleagues, is misleading Canadians by refusing to advise them that, in fact, they can claim the climate action incentive? I am also curious about whether the hon. member will be claiming his own climate action incentive, which is going to put $307 in the pockets of an average family of four in Ontario? The fact is, for 80% of Canadians, they can expect to have more money in their pockets after this plan is implemented. I do not know why he is campaigning on a promise to take that money away.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON

Mr. Speaker, actually, the federal carbon tax rules do apply in British Columbia, because if the province wanted to cancel its carbon tax, the Prime Minister would reimpose it. Furthermore, he has used the Liberal carbon tax from B.C. as the model for the whole country, where the tax will rise another 250%.

Why will he not admit that the consequence will be the same right across the country as it has been in B.C.: $1.80-a-litre taxes on their gas and higher prices for Canadian families?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Central Nova Nova Scotia

Liberal

Sean Fraser LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is using twisted logic in an attempt to mislead Canadians, which should not be surprising, because the only climate plan the Conservatives put forward has been to misrepresent our plan, because they simply do not have one of their own.

The fact of the matter is that people do not have to take my word for it. The Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed that eight out of 10 Canadian families who are subject to the federal backstop will have more money in their pockets after the climate action incentive. It is disappointing in the extreme that the Conservatives will not put forward a plan of their own and instead are campaigning on a commitment to take money away from their constituents.

International TradeOral Questions

May 7th, 2019 / 2:40 p.m.

NDP

Karine Trudel NDP Jonquière, QC

Mr. Speaker, last year, the Prime Minister visited Saguenay to offer reassurance to aluminum workers about Trump's protectionism. One year later, the tariffs are still in place, and the new Canada-United States-Mexico agreement will not eliminate them.

Yesterday, the municipal council of the City of Saguenay passed a motion demanding that the tariffs be lifted. The NDP's position is clear. The agreement must not be ratified until the tariffs are lifted.

Can the government confirm today, before the House, that it will not ratify the agreement until the tariffs are lifted?

International TradeOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Don Valley West Ontario

Liberal

Rob Oliphant LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs

Mr. Speaker, the illegal and unjustified U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum have to be lifted. That is a message we are delivering to the U.S. constantly, and it is working. Both Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress have called for the removal of these tariffs. Senator Chuck Grassley, the Republican chairman of the senate finance committee, said recently in The Wall Street Journal that the U.S. administration should “take the lead by promptly lifting tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada and Mexico”.

International TradeOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

NDP

Tracey Ramsey NDP Essex, ON

Mr. Speaker, I do not know what the Liberals' definition of “working” is. The Liberals promised to defend the Canadian steel industry when they signed the new NAFTA, but the number of layoffs we have seen over the past six months tell a different story. There were 12 layoffs at Nova Tube in Montreal, 50 layoffs at Iavaco Rolling Mills in Ontario, 228 layoffs at EVRAZ in Calgary and 230 layoffs at Tenaris in Sault Ste. Marie.

These are not just numbers. These are real people, and they are struggling to make ends meet. How many more Canadians will have to lose their jobs before the Liberals take action to end Trump's tariffs on steel?

International TradeOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Mississauga—Malton Ontario

Liberal

Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation

Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear in supporting steel and aluminum workers. We took immediate action when unjust and unfair tariffs were imposed by the Americans. It was dollar-for-dollar retaliation. We also introduced safeguards. Above and beyond that, we introduced a $2-billion support package for steel and aluminum workers.

We are going to continue to support those in the sector for years to come. We have their backs.

HousingOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Liberal

Ken McDonald Liberal Avalon, NL

Mr. Speaker, by introducing Canada's first-ever national housing strategy, this government has demonstrated an unprecedented commitment to giving more Canadians a place to call home. Since taking office in 2015, we have invested more than $7 billion in housing and have helped more than one million Canadians find safe, affordable places to call home.

Could the minister responsible for housing tell the House how the recent agreement between Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador will help more people across our province have access to affordable and dignified housing?

HousingOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Québec Québec

Liberal

Jean-Yves Duclos LiberalMinister of Families

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Avalon for his hard work.

We believe that every Canadian should have access to a safe and affordable home. That is why we were so proud in November 2017 to introduce the first-ever national housing strategy, which is going to lift half a million Canadian families out of housing conditions that are unsafe or unaffordable.

That is why we were proud to sign, just a few weeks ago, an agreement with the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador for $270 million, which will give the province more help to lift more people in the province out of housing conditions that are unacceptable in 2019.

Carbon PricingOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Conservative

Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC

The Liberal carbon tax imposed by the current government has a direct and tangible impact on the cost of transportation.

In practical terms, that means that Quebec families are paying more for fruits, vegetables and other groceries because transportation in Canada costs more. That is the reality. What is more, the Liberal carbon tax is doing nothing to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Do the Liberals understand that their tax is a fiscal measure not an environmental one?

Carbon PricingOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Central Nova Nova Scotia

Liberal

Sean Fraser LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Mr. Speaker, on his final point, I direct the member to the decision of the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal. It confirmed that because revenues go directly to residents, this is a regulatory charge and not a tax.

With respect to his allegation that the cost of goods and services is going to somehow increase, again I will refer to the Parliamentary Budget Officer's report. The Parliamentary Budget Officer corrected certain Conservative MPs by pointing out that his analysis factored in goods and services. He confirmed that eight out of 10 Canadian families would have more money in their pockets after the year had ended.

This plan is going to have a meaningful impact on emissions and make families better off. It is disappointing that the Conservatives will not do the right thing and are campaigning to take money from their constituents.

Carbon PricingOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Conservative

Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC

Mr. Speaker, it is all very interesting to hear about Saskatchewan, but my question was about Quebec.

Speaking of which, Quebec's experience has shown that carbon pricing does nothing to lower greenhouse gas emissions. A report tabled by the Premier of Quebec a few months ago shows that Quebec's carbon exchange did nothing to lower greenhouse gas emissions in 2014, 2015, or 2016.

I will ask my question again. Will the Liberals finally understand that the Liberal carbon tax is a fiscal measure, not an environmental one?

Carbon PricingOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Central Nova Nova Scotia

Liberal

Sean Fraser LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Mr. Speaker, I find the hon. member's fascination with our plan curious, since he knows that it simply does not fly in Quebec. One thing I can confirm is that Quebecers know that climate change is real. They believe that we have an obligation and an opportunity to do something about it.

We know what the solutions are in facing the greatest challenge of our time. We know that the most effective thing we can do to transition to a low-carbon economy is to put a price on pollution and return revenues to Canadian families.

If members do not believe me, they can look to Mark Cameron, Stephen Harper's former director of policy, or Preston Manning. They could even look to Doug Ford's chief budget adviser, who actually testified to that in the Senate in 2016.

This time—

Carbon PricingOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan

The hon. member for Chilliwack—Hope.

Carbon PricingOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Conservative

Mark Strahl Conservative Chilliwack—Hope, BC

Mr. Speaker, people in my riding are paying over $1.50 a litre for gasoline today, with prices nearing $1.80 in metro Vancouver. These prices are fuelled by the government's insistence on a carbon tax and the Liberals' inability to get the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion built. These high gas prices are making one of the most unaffordable regions in North America even more expensive. When the Prime Minister was asked about gas prices like these, he said this is “exactly what we want”.

Why does the Prime Minister continue to celebrate every time the price at the pump goes up, leaving Canadian families with less money in their pockets?

Carbon PricingOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Central Nova Nova Scotia

Liberal

Sean Fraser LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Mr. Speaker, I have been taking questions in this chamber for a number of months from the Conservatives, and not once have they asked us a question that indicated they were willing to do more to protect our environment.

The fact is that climate change is an existential threat, not only to Canada but to the entire world community. The fact is that we have put forward a plan that has 50 measures that are going to combat climate change.

The Conservatives are trying to grab lightning and campaign on misinformation that they think will pander to the masses. They do not have any ideas, so they mislead Canadians about ours. It is time they took climate change seriously, because that is what Canadians want us to do.

With respect to our plan, we know it is going to leave them—

Carbon PricingOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan

The hon. member for Chilliwack—Hope.

Carbon PricingOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

Mark Strahl Conservative Chilliwack—Hope, BC

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal member has just made it clear that he thinks consumers in my riding, the people who have to drive to work, drive to school, drive their parents to doctors' appointments, need to pay more.

I have news for him. I do not work for wealthy Liberal elites who have money to just throw around at high gas prices. Every extra dollar that my constituents spend at the pump comes out of their pockets—

Carbon PricingOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

Carbon PricingOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan

Order. Order on both sides. I am sorry. Members know they cannot be heckling throughout question period and then insist on the application of the rules strictly toward somebody else. Let us have the conclusion of the question.

Order. I asked both sides to come to order. The member for Newmarket—Aurora will also come to order. No more outbursts from him.

The hon. member for Chilliwack—Hope.

Carbon PricingOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

Mark Strahl Conservative Chilliwack—Hope, BC

Mr. Speaker, my constituents do not have an expense account. They do not have a trust fund. They do not have a motorcade to take them anywhere they need to go.

When will the Liberals stop punishing middle-class Canadians and raising the price of gas at the pump?

Carbon PricingOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Central Nova Nova Scotia

Liberal

Sean Fraser LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's feigned sanctimony and frankly his hypocrisy are disappointing in the extreme. He knows that in provinces where our plan applies, eight out of 10 families will be better off at the end of the year.

What is extraordinarily disappointing is that when he had the chance to support the middle-class tax cut for nine million Canadians that raised taxes on the wealthiest 1%, he voted against it.

When he had the chance to support the Canada child benefit, ending sending child care cheques to millionaires so we could put more money in the pockets of nine out of 10 Canadian families, he voted against it.

When he had the opportunity to support vulnerable low-income seniors, he voted against it too.

Now he stands up and has the audacity to lecture me on—

Carbon PricingOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan

The hon. member for Windsor West.