House of Commons Hansard #434 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was fisheries.

Topics

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

NDP

Niki Ashton NDP Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB

Mr. Speaker, Canadians want bold action on climate change, and they know that there is no time to waste.

The NDP has called on the government to invest in green jobs and green energy, but what did the Prime Minister do? He bought fridges and pipelines for his billionaire pals. Four years in power, and all we have seen from the Liberal government are more subsidies for big oil and its pipelines. This is not how we save the environment.

When will the Liberals stop siding with the big polluters so we can win the fight against climate change?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

Central Nova Nova Scotia

Liberal

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

Mr. Speaker, with respect, I have a great appreciation for NDP's desire to do something about the environment. It is too bad its desire does not match its ability to think out a plan that makes sense. If we look at the Ecofiscal Commission's review of the NDP plan, it has said that NDP's measures for big emitters will actually do nothing to reduce emissions and will hurt the Canadian economy at the same time.

We can tell that New Democrats lack the thoughtfulness that the climate debate demands when we look at the hon. member's question, which confuses fridges for refrigerants, which are actually one of the fastest-growing causes of climate change globally.

I share the New Democrats' desire to do something about climate change, but the difference is that we have thought about how to make it happen.

PharmacareOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

NDP

Niki Ashton NDP Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB

Mr. Speaker, people in our north and across the country are forced to make impossible choices because of the high cost of medication.

It is inconceivable that in 2019, in Canada, people have to choose between buying food and medication. Liberals have been putting pharmaceutical and insurance companies in the driver's seat, but the Hoskins advisory board is clear: Canadians need a universal, public, single-payer pharmacare.

This is what the NDP has been pushing for. Enough of the half-measures and the favours to the Liberals' corporate friends. Will the Liberal government implement universal, comprehensive, public pharmacare, yes or no?

PharmacareOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe New Brunswick

Liberal

Ginette Petitpas Taylor LiberalMinister of Health

Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear. Our government is absolutely committed to making sure that every Canadian has access to a national pharmacare program, and the work is absolutely under way.

In budget 2019, we announced funding: $35 million for the creation of a Canadian drug agency, and also $1 billion to address the situation of rare diseases. We will continue to work with our partners on the ground, provinces and territories, indigenous leaders and the health care sector, as we want to make sure that we make pharmacare a reality for all Canadians.

PharmacareOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

NDP

Robert Aubin NDP Trois-Rivières, QC

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Hoskins' report is crystal clear: we need a universal public pharmacare program. In fact, that is something the NPD is firmly committed to bringing in.

People should not have to cut up their pills to make their prescription last longer. Instead of listening to what people need, the successive Liberal and Conservative governments have consistently sided with large insurance companies.

Can the Liberal government commit, as we have, to implementing a universal pharmacare program as early as next year?

PharmacareOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe New Brunswick

Liberal

Ginette Petitpas Taylor LiberalMinister of Health

Mr. Speaker, once again, I want to be very clear. Our government is determined to ensure that all Canadians have access to a pharmacare program. The work is in progress.

In budget 2019, we announced $35 million to create a Canadian drug agency. We also want to ensure that there is money for it. We invested $1 million to address the issue of drugs for rare diseases. We will continue to work with the provinces and territories to ensure that all Canadians have access to a national pharmacare program.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

NDP

Robert Aubin NDP Trois-Rivières, QC

Mr. Speaker, while the Conservatives and Liberals prepare for a war of words on the carbon tax, young people are marching in the streets to demand climate action. Political will and leadership are necessary to combat climate change. Both the Conservatives and the Liberals have shown that they have neither.

We in the NDP have the courage to act as well as an ambitious plan to start transitioning to green energy.

Will the government commit to stop subsidizing the oil sector and start transitioning to sustainable energy?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:25 a.m.

Central Nova Nova Scotia

Liberal

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

Mr. Speaker, I have enormous respect for the young people who are advocating for more climate action. I wish politicians of all stripes would pay heed to the message they are sending us, which is we need to take action and we need to take action now.

The NDP is advocating for plans that we started implementing three years ago, not just putting a price on pollution but moving toward having 90% of our electricity generated from non-emitting resources by 2030; like making the largest investment in public transit in the history of our country; like making record investments in energy efficiency and green technology. With respect to fossil fuel subsidies, we have already phased out eight of nine that exist in the tax code.

When it comes to the NDP plan to eliminate all fossil fuel subsidies immediately, it has forgotten to consider that it actually provides electricity to northern communities and other—

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

The hon. member for Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill.

Carbon PricingOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Conservative

Leona Alleslev Conservative Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON

However, Mr. Speaker, he is not going to actually meet the targets.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer has confirmed what the Conservatives have been saying all along; that the Liberal carbon tax is a cash grab, not a climate change plan. The Prime Minister has tried to hide the real cost of his carbon tax, but the PBO has laid out the truth. The cost of gasoline would rise by at least 25¢ per litre.

When Canadians are trying to get ahead, not just get by, will the Prime Minister tell Canadians how much the full and final cost of this carbon tax will be?

Carbon PricingOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Central Nova Nova Scotia

Liberal

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

Mr. Speaker, to repeat an earlier answer, the analysis laid out in the report does not consider certain measures that will be implemented in the next 11 years and in fact leaves out certain measures that have already been announced, such as our investments in public transit, our subsidy for zero emissions vehicles or advancement in carbon sequestration technology.

With respect to the cost of our plan to put a price on pollution, I am pleased to advise the hon. member that eight out of 10 families that live in the riding she represents will be better off. They will have already received a climate action incentive of $307 and that will climb year over year.

It will be curious to see how that member campaigns in the next election with a promise to take that money from her constituents.

Carbon PricingOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Conservative

Marilyn Gladu Conservative Sarnia—Lambton, ON

That is simply not true, Mr. Speaker.

Half of Canadians are about $200 away from being able to pay their bills each month, yet the Liberals carbon tax will put a painful 23¢ per litre increase in the price of gasoline, and that will do nothing to help climate change.

The Liberals have said they want to help the middle class, but they are punishing it and those hoping to join it. Why ?

Carbon PricingOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Central Nova Nova Scotia

Liberal

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

Mr. Speaker, we now see Conservative MP after Conservative MP repeating false points in this chamber. It is entirely inappropriate. When it comes to the issue of affordability, I note that the Parliamentary Budget Officer previously confirmed—

Carbon PricingOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

Carbon PricingOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

I do not know what it is about the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment, but he keeps getting help from the other side when he is trying to answer a question to which the member for Sarnia—Lambton wants an answer. I want everybody to let the hon. parliamentary secretary answer the question and we will keep it down so the member can hear the answer.

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

Carbon PricingOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Liberal

Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS

Mr. Speaker, on occasion the truth can hurt, but it is important we say it as loud as we can no matter how many times it takes.

The truth is that the Parliamentary Budget Officer has confirmed that eight out of 10 families will be better off. If the Conservatives were concerned about affordability, I am curious as to why they voted against a tax cut for nine million middle-class Canadians and voted in favour of maintaining a favourable tax system for the wealthiest 1%. When they had an opportunity to support the Canada child benefit, which put more money into the pockets of nine out of 10 families, they voted against that.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Conservative

Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are the ones telling untruths.

This government is not telling the truth. After discrediting the United Nations it continues to undermine the findings of scientists and a number of relevant authorities, including the commissioner of the environment. Even the Parliamentary Budget Officer, an independent officer of the House of Commons, said yesterday that the Liberals' plan was insufficient to meet the Paris targets.

When it comes to the environment, the Liberals are misleading Canadians.

Once again, why is this Liberal government incapable of telling the truth?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Central Nova Nova Scotia

Liberal

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

Mr. Speaker, it would be easier to take criticism from a member of a party that has actually advanced a climate plan to date. The Conservatives refuse to and they refuse to put their plan before the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

If we want to see what a Conservative climate plan looks like, we should look at Doug Ford, who dismantled flood protections and showed up asking what the heck was going on. When we look at it, it will be less effective to reduce emissions and will be twice as expensive for households.

I would suggest the member, instead of attacking our plan, which is credible, talk to some of his caucus colleagues, who seem not to understand that climate change is real, who say that global warming is simply body heat coming off humans, who refuse to acknowledge the signs. When we look at the IPCC or Canada's changing climate report, it is real and we have a duty to—

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:30 a.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

The hon. member for Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

June 14th, 2019 / 11:30 a.m.

Conservative

Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC

Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate to hear that from the Liberals. This government is out of touch and has no credibility on environmental matters. What planet is it living on?

The Liberals are the only ones who believe that Canada will meet its Paris targets with their plan. I invite the Liberals to come back to planet Earth and do something now to protect it.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer said that Canadians will have to get poorer and pay five times more than the current carbon tax if we want to meet the Paris targets. Canadians deserve the truth.

Why is the government hiding the truth?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Central Nova Nova Scotia

Liberal

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

Mr. Speaker, I would point the hon. member to an article this past week, in which his leader refused to acknowledge the connection between severe weather events and climate change. The deputy leader of the Conservative Party tweeted out a quote to a similar effect. He has caucus colleagues who point to snowbanks in Saskatchewan in February as proof that climate change is not real. He has colleagues who do not want to abide by the Paris agreement, yet he has the audacity to criticize us on our plan to meet those targets.

The fact is that we will meet our targets, because failure is not an option. This is the greatest challenge of our generation and we found a way to do it that makes it more affordable for families.

Carbon PricingOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

Dane Lloyd Conservative Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB

Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer has released a scathing report that the Liberals will not meet their Paris climate change targets, that is, unless they raise the price at the pump by 23¢ a litre.

The Liberals have promised that they will not raise this until after the election. No kidding. They will wait until after the election when they no longer need Canadian votes, but still need their money.

When will the Liberals finally come clean and tell Canadians the true cost of their carbon tax plan?

Carbon PricingOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Central Nova Nova Scotia

Liberal

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member represents part of the province of Alberta, which I called home for a number of years. I am pleased to share with the hon. member that the province he represents will have constituents next year receiving a climate action incentive of $888 at tax time, which is more than they will pay as a result of our plan to put a price on pollution.

If he puts so much stock in the Parliamentary Budget Officer's report, I would challenge him to speak to his leader about presenting the Conservative Party platform so they can understand the cost. If he wants to look a little further, I can point him to the prior report of the PBO, which indicated that eight out of 10 families would have more money in their pockets.

I do not know why this is the case, but the Conservatives seem allergic to money for—

Carbon PricingOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

The hon. member for Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock.

Carbon PricingOral Questions

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

Jamie Schmale Conservative Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON

Mr. Speaker, the environment minister said that she would make her Paris targets, but the PBO has confirmed that the only way the Liberals' carbon tax will work is if they charge 23¢ a litre more for gasoline. Life is already too expensive. Canadians are already struggling to pay their heating bills and buy groceries. Clearly, this punishing tax plan will severely hurt families and seniors, particularly those on fixed incomes.

When will the Liberals finally admit that their carbon tax is not an environmental plan; it is a tax plan?