Debates of Feb. 2nd, 2021

Climate Change Accountability Act

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Madam Speaker, I would like to start by congratulating my colleague, the member for Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, for putting forward her first private member's bill, Bill C-215.

The climate emergency is the greatest existential threat of our time, and we are running out of time. Executive director Inger Andersen of the UN Environment Programme stated, “The science is clear that if we keep exploiting wildlife and destroying our ecosystems, then we can expect to see a steady stream of these diseases jumping from animals to humans in the years ahead.” There is a direct correlation between the climate emergency and the current pandemic in which we find ourselves. She went on to say, “To prevent future outbreaks, we must become much more deliberate about protecting our natural environment.”

It is clear that climate accountability and climate action are essential to preventing future pandemics. It is clear that without acting on this emergency, we will increasingly experience food and water insecurity, income crises, conflict and, even further, global conflict. The infinite cost of climate change will continue to rise unless we act now.

The climate emergency poses a serious threat to our environment, economy, health and safety. At the forefront of this issue are indigenous peoples. The government has even acknowledged that. In fact, a preamble paragraph in Bill C-15 states:

Whereas the implementation of the Declaration can contribute to supporting sustainable development and responding to growing concerns relating to climate change and its impacts on Indigenous peoples

This is in reference to the full adoption and implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The impacts of this crisis are already being felt in Canada, particularly in the Arctic and along our beautiful coasts. It is disproportionately impacting indigenous nations, rural communities and marginalized and racialized communities. This is what we call environmental racism. Indigenous and northern communities, farmers, food producers and others have been sounding alarms about the impact of climate change on ecosystems, but this has fallen on the deaf ears of consecutive Liberal and Conservative governments, which have failed in their duty to protect our beautiful mother earth.

We know that the climate emergency is now impacting our food security, and indigenous people across our lands are among the most impacted. It is disrupting traditional ways of life and food security, especially in remote northern communities, where the climate is warming at a much faster rate, which is impacting traditional food sources.

Not only that, when we take away people's sustenance, we force them to find other ways to acquire food. We force remote communities to rely on expensive imported food alternatives, leaving individuals to afford only the unhealthy food options. This has a negative impact on health, so it is not surprising that there is a correlation between physical wellness and the impacts of the climate emergency.

In addition, it goes beyond just climate to include the kind of violence and the increased rates of violence against indigenous women and girls that come as a result of resource extraction projects that bring workers into our communities. They are perpetrating violence against indigenous women and girls, a crisis that was confirmed in the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. We need to act now to respond to the calls for justice.

Indigenous people have experienced the greatest impacts of the climate emergency, so it is not surprising that many indigenous peoples from across this country, even as we speak in the House today, are on the front lines to fight against the climate emergency.

Reconciliation and fundamental indigenous rights, the rights that are articulated in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, go hand in hand with environmental justice. With all due respect to my colleague, the fact that she did not even mention the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in her bill is shocking.

Not only that, but I think we see the impacts of climate change on emotional health, particularly the emotional health of young people who are fighting to keep our world healthy. People are tired of governments committing to targets and then missing them again and again. We are running out of time to turn things around.

With Bill C-12, we will not be on track to meet our international climate obligations. We need an action plan that honours our international climate commitments and obligations. We need a plan that addresses the urgency of the climate emergency.

Although the current government proposed Bill C-12, the Canadian net-zero emissions accountability act, it is not consistent with agreements we have made with the international community. For example, there is no target for 2025 and there are no real accountability measures for the next 10 years, even though we know the next decade will be the most critical.

The accountability mechanisms, including the advisory committee, are weak and rely on the environment commissioner, whose office is already underfunded. We will not achieve climate justice without accountability, so it was surprising to me that although there are many good parts in the bill, the accountability measures put far too much power in the hands of ministers, who have a history of destroying our environment and not taking environmental stewardship seriously.

The NDP has a long history of pushing for greater accountability of government for its actions to fight climate change. I put forward, for example, Bill C-232, which provided a clear accountability framework and called on the federal government to take all measures necessary to address the climate emergency. For the first time, a piece of legislation pushed forward a clean, safe and healthy environment as a human right that would be enshrined in law with the federal environmental bill of rights.

We have other examples, such as Linda Duncan, Jack Layton and Megan Leslie.

We need to work together to push forward a bold climate agenda. We are running out of time.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Madam Speaker, the purpose of Bill C-215 introduced by my hon. colleague the hon. member for Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia is to make the government accountable for its climate action.

This bill calls on the government to bring in realistic and adequate measures and to implement oversight mechanisms. Through this bill the Bloc Québécois is hoping to make the government accountable to the House of Commons and the public on its environmental measures.

The Bloc Québécois is proposing that a commissioner of the environment assess the action plans to attest that they meet their objectives, or that he or she recommends to the federal government changes that will help meet the set targets. It is not rocket science.

We want the minister to take the commissioner's recommendations into account and implement them. I believe that Bill C-215 on climate change accountability is a tool for success, not an obstacle to action.

Quebec sets the bar for North America because it is one of the world's very few environmental leaders. Quebec's per capita CO2 emissions are lower than in the rest of Canada thanks to its massive investments in hydroelectricity over the past 80-plus years. Quebec understood the need for long-range climate action over 30 years ago. The rest of Canada did not. That is why the Bloc Québécois believes that meeting targets should not hinge on what the federal government decides to do. Measures need to be formalized, and the law must hold the government accountable to the people. It is time to walk the talk.

Reducing the impact of human activity on the environment is crucial for the future. A green recovery would stimulate our economy and increase our GDP while reducing environmental impact. We owe it to future generations.

By green recovery, I mean supporting renewable energy sources, such as forestry and hydroelectricity. I mean investing in research and development and in our CEGEPs and universities so they can create and adapt green technologies that our SMEs can use to their advantage.

We in the Bloc Québécois believe it is essential to meet our greenhouse gas reduction targets and stop funding tax incentive programs that support fossil fuels. We must encourage innovation and the quest for new economic avenues.

The necessary means must be deployed to achieve that. We need to look further ahead and encourage innovation and the energy transition. This economic recovery, which we will all contribute to, offers a great opportunity to take a hard look in the mirror and promote measures that will also have a positive impact on future generations.

The Association québécoise de lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique says that the government bill is extremely vague and not particularly binding, proving that the Government of Canada has not done its job since 2015.

To help the Canadian government come up with some solutions, I have a few to suggest. First, Canada must invest in freight transportation infrastructure and supply chains to make the movement of goods as efficient, sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible.

To that end, Canada must help businesses modernize digital platforms and data sharing. Canada must also fund research on heavy-duty vehicles with a view to making them greener, possibly even electric. Why not start immediately by providing incentives for the purchase of electric buses and ambulances, for example?

Quebec and Canada do not have a shortage of forestry resources. Canada must invest in this sector and Quebec's and Canada's regions must take advantage of forestry innovations to develop and supply the most environmentally friendly products possible and produce forestry waste with low carbon emissions. Let us develop markets for innovative forestry products.

Furthermore, why does Canada not focus on research and development for forestry biomass supply chains and the production of bioenergy? It should do so.

Why does Canada not also promote Quebec's aluminum, which is the greenest in the world?

We should fund the shift from producing simple aluminum to producing carbon-free aluminum. To continue its efforts to reduce greenhouse gases, Canada must invest in research and development and research centres in the regions and at colleges and universities in order to promote the acquisition and adaptation of green technologies that will benefit businesses as well as the land, wildlife and plant life, and above all, everyone's health.

Canada must make smart investments in transportation electrification by facilitating the purchase of zero-emission or hybrid vehicles and the replacement of older vehicles, while guaranteeing their availability on the market. The federal government needs to install charging stations at federal buildings, particularly in the regions, and establish carbon footprint as a criterion for procurement and the awarding of contracts in federal government procurement policies.

The Bloc Québécois supports enforcing the “polluter pay” principle, which rewards those who care about the environment, by instituting green equalization, which is a carbon tax for provinces that produce more greenhouse gas emissions than the national average. That money would be given to provinces that produce less pollution than the national average. That is an idea that is very popular among my colleagues in the House, at least those who are here. I am being sarcastic, of course.

At the same time, Canada should stop directly investing in western Canada's fossil fuel industry through subsidies and tax breaks. Obviously, we also need to support our friends in Alberta in their green transition. I am sure that Albertans will know better than the federal government how to expedite their transition to a greener economy.

The purpose of Bill C-215 is to make the federal government accountable for its climate action. The bill calls on the government to bring in realistic and adequate measures and to implement oversight mechanisms. We need to reassess how we operate and how we interact with the land and the economy. If we want to do things right, I think we need accountability mechanisms. I think Bill C-215, introduced by my colleague from Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, is an excellent bill.

I also want to mention some parts of this bill, which talks about adapting and mitigating effects, in addition to limiting greenhouse gas emissions as part of the fight against climate change. These are all things that I feel are missing from Bill C-12.

Key words are important to me. The bill establishes greenhouse gas reduction targets, mechanisms to review those targets and mechanisms to monitor that reduction. It requires the government to table, within nine months of its passage, an action plan for greenhouse gas reduction that includes detailed measures. It also provides for monitoring of the action plan by a competent and independent authority, an environment commissioner, who will be able to keep an eye the government's actions. The commissioner must analyze the action plan within six months of its tabling and report back to Parliament. The goal is to be accountable to the House and the public on the progress of the action plan.

If the environment commissioner determines that this is insufficient, the government will have to take his or her recommendations into account and rectify the situation. The legislation includes mechanisms for reviewing targets and evaluating how well the government is adjusting its actions. This is enshrined in legislation to ensure that Canadian climate action is consistent with Canada's climate objectives. In other words, the Bloc Québécois's climate accountability bill has been drafted in such a way that it can be supported by all MPs of all stripes. We are therefore reaching out to Conservatives, Liberals, New Democrats, Greens and independents.

If the government is serious about its stated intention to meet its own targets, nothing should stop it from voting for a bill that would enshrine those very same targets in law. The economic recovery must not compromise our climate future. It is interesting to note that climate change affects human health, security, the food supply, climate migration, human rights, the economy, jobs, national security, defence and transportation infrastructure.

When we talk about growing a green economy that is good for people, that is what we mean. Those are the conditions and the principles for a green recovery.

In closing, what this means is that we must move to ensure sustainable climate action. Meeting our targets can no longer hinge on what the government decides to do. It must be guaranteed by law. Emissions reduction targets and the mechanisms to adjust them must be enshrined in law. That, to me, is key. The purpose of the law is to make the Government of Canada keep its own greenhouse gas emissions reduction promises.

[Terry Duguid, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (Western Economic Diversification Canada) and to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change (Canada Water Agency)]

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak to Bill C-215, an act respecting Canada’s fulfillment of its greenhouse gas emissions reduction obligations. I would like to thank the member for Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia for raising an issue of urgency and importance: climate change.

Canadians know that climate change threatens our health, way of life and planet. They want climate action now and that is what the government will continue to deliver. Canadians continue to face the impacts of climate change during the COVID-19 pandemic. From forest fires and floods to ocean pollution and coastal erosion, Canadians are experiencing the impacts of climate change each and every day.

Canada's climate is warming at twice the rate of the global average. In the north, warming is happening at nearly three times the global rate. The effects of warming are already evident in many parts of Canada and are projected to intensify in the near future.

Bill C-215 aims to ensure that Canada will fulfill its obligations under the Paris Agreement to reduce Canada's greenhouse gas emissions. It would recommit Canada to achieving our current Paris Agreement target of at least 30% below our 2005 GHG levels by 2030 and enshrine in legislation Canada's commitment to ensure that greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to net zero by 2050.

Our government has committed to two key climate change mitigation objectives: exceeding our 2030 target of 30% GHG emissions below 2005 levels, and legislating Canada's goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. While the government supports the intent of Bill C-215 and thanks the hon. member for bringing this important issue forward, it will not be supporting the bill, as it has introduced Bill C-12, the Canadian net-zero emissions accountability act. Bill C-12 would codify the government's commitment for Canada to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

While Bill C-12 and Bill C-215 share similarities, they have important distinctions and differ in key respects. Both share a common purpose and objectives. They both require the establishment of a pathway for Canada to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and achieve its international commitments with respect to mitigating climate change.

Bill C-12 requires the federal government to set national emissions reduction targets at five-year intervals for 2030, 2035, 2040 and 2045. Moreover, Bill C-12 goes further than Bill C-215 by requiring the government to develop emission reduction plans for each target area, as well as explaining how each plan will contribute to reaching our long-term goal of net zero in 2050. This process ensures that each plan will be tailored to its target and will be built upon previous plans when applicable. It would also ensure that other federal ministers who have duties and functions related to measures that may be taken to achieve a target will be consulted when establishing emission reduction plans.

While both bills require reporting to provide updates on Canada's progress in reducing emissions or achieving the GHG targets, Bill C-12 goes further than Bill C-215. It enshrines in legislation reports that must be prepared to provide an update on the progress that has been made toward achieving the GHG emissions target and, furthermore, on the implementation of the federal measures, sectoral strategies and federal government operation strategies described in the emissions reduction plan.

Bill C-12 would also require that the minister prepare an assessment report in relation to a milestone year or to 2050 that states whether the target has been met or not and an assessment of how the federal measures contributed to Canada's efforts to achieve the target. If Canada fails to achieve the targets, the minister would have to explain why and describe actions the government will take to address the shortfall.

Bill C-12 goes further than Bill C-215 by establishing an advisory body whose mandate is to provide the Minister of Environment and Climate Change with advice on achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 and to conduct engagement activities related to achieving net-zero emissions.

This advisory body will be composed of up to 15 experts who will draw on research and analysis to identify actions that Canada can take to set the foundation for 2050. It will engage with stakeholders, indigenous peoples, other experts and the public.

In terms of accountability, both Bill C-12 and Bill C-215 include a role for the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development to examine and report on the Government of Canada's implementation of the measures aimed at achieving the greenhouse gas emissions targets. Bill C-12 includes robust transparency mechanisms, including requirements that all targets, emission reduction plans, progress reports and assessment reports be tabled in Parliament.

Finally, Bill C-12 would also require our government to lead by example by having the Minister of Finance report on key measures that the federal public administration has taken to manage its financial risks and opportunities related to climate change. The government intends to use the report to enhance transparency about its own operations with respect to climate-related financial risks and opportunities.

Net zero is not just a plan for our climate; net zero is a plan for our economic competitiveness in the global marketplace. In December 2020, the Government of Canada released “A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy”, which is the federal plan to build a better future with a healthier economy and environment.

This is a plan that builds on the work done to date and efforts that are already under way under the pan-Canadian framework on clean growth and climate change and continues down that path that Canadians, governments and businesses have been setting. It is a key pillar in the government's commitment to create over one million jobs, restoring employment to pre-pandemic levels, of which climate action and clean growth is the cornerstone. This strengthened climate plan will also enable Canada to exceed its current 2030 emissions reduction target under the Paris agreement.

While many of the themes presented in Bill C-215 echo our government's priorities set out in the Canadian net-zero emissions accountability act, we will not be supporting Bill C-215. While we will be advancing Bill C-12, I am encouraged to see all parties in this place recognize the need for strong climate action. Combatting climate change should not be a partisan issue and our government will work across party lines and with all Canadians to achieve our climate goals.

Once again, I thank the member for bringing forward such an important issue. I look forward to further discussions on Canada achieving net-zero GHG emissions by 2050.

[Kristina Michaud, Bloc, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Madam Speaker, I am so happy to be back in the House for the second hour of debate on this climate accountability bill.

This bill is deeply important to me because it is the first bill I had the opportunity to introduce in the House of Commons. I hope it will be the first of many. It is also deeply important to me because it could not be more timely.

The public health crisis we are going through spotlighted another crisis we were already going through: the climate crisis. As everyone knows, the current health crisis and the environmental crisis are inextricably linked. Decades of government inaction on the environment had a hand in the emergence of this pandemic. We need to acknowledge that and take action now.

This parallel is brilliantly explained in the book Pandemic, written by journalist Sonia Shah, who explains that today, we imagine pandemics “to be as unfathomable and unpredictable as being struck by lightning. We cast them as acts of foreign aggression. We did not grapple with our complicity in their spread.”

Like our increasingly mild winters, the pandemic is a reflection of how nature is changing. Our complicity in the increasing number of pandemics stretches back to the development of transportation and industry, from the dawn of the modern age to the chaos of contemporary urban development. All of this created an unhealthy proximity between humans, animals and potentially dangerous micro-organisms. Of course, the impact of oil and gas development, which exacerbates climate warming a little bit more each day, also serves as a vector of pathogen transmission.

There is no denying that not only are COVID-19 and nature connected, but the political decisions we make connect them even further. Failure to take action on the environment is setting up a world where the risk of epidemics will be part of our daily lives. The question is how our societies will choose to manage this risk. I believe that our societies are prepared to move forward with the energy transition and protect our environment and our communities by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The only thing missing is a bit of political will.

I see this bill as a sort of safeguard to shield us from the current and future governments' lack of political will to protect the environment. It is high time that the government took the climate crisis seriously. It is our responsibility as parliamentarians, legislators and representatives of the public.

The public deserves more than a government that talks out of both sides of its mouth. The public deserves more than a government that promises to surpass the greenhouse gas reduction targets it committed to under the Paris Agreement, but that continues to invest heavily in highly polluting industries. It is high time that the government stepped up and did what is needed to combat climate change. This is the main objective of the climate change accountability act. It would force the government to turn its rhetoric into meaningful action.

I would remind members that Canada has never met its greenhouse gas reduction targets. It failed to do so multiple times. It had to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol and will likely not meet the Paris Agreement targets. Making the government accountable for its climate action will prevent this failure from being repeated. That is the objective of the bill I introduced.

We cannot stress enough that this is critical. We are beginning to pay dearly for the government's inaction. The cost is high financially but also in terms of human life. We are running straight towards our own demise, and that is deplorable.

It is certainly a huge challenge, but I am confident that we can do it. I am confident in my generation, the young people driven by an inspiring passion. They deserve more representation in our institutions. The government must live up to the trust it has been given.

Bill C-215 gives Canada the opportunity to pass a climate act. A climate act must truly be binding and make it possible to have transparent and honest mechanisms. It must make the government accountable for its action or inaction on climate. This should have been put in place a long time ago.

The good thing about this bill is that it gives the government the freedom to choose the avenues it wants to take in the fight against climate change. For governments, this is a perfect opportunity to remain flexible on the means but firm on the targets.

I encourage my colleagues from all parties to vote in favour of our climate change accountability bill so that we can study it in committee.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all members who have risen in the House to speak to this bill. It has been inspiring to see that, regardless of our political affiliation, we are prepared to make this a non-partisan issue and work together.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

The question is on the motion.

If a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes to request a recorded division or that the motion be adopted on division, I invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.

[Kristina Michaud, Bloc, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Madam Speaker, I request a recorded division.

[Carol Hughes, NDP, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

Pursuant to order made on Monday, January 25, the recorded division stands deferred until Wednesday, February 3, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions.

A motion to adjourn the House under Standing Order 38 deemed to have been moved.

Ethics

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise today to address the failings of the government.

Throughout the fall of 2020, the Liberals spent time, effort and taxpayer dollars filibustering for dozens of hours across committees, all in the name of a cover-up to protect the Prime Minister's interests, to protect the Prime Minister from the consequences and accountability that go along with corruption. It is the same old song and dance with the Liberals, even during a pandemic.

While they were dialled in on this cover-up, they were dropping the ball on the pandemic response, including on rapid testing and vaccines. Like so many times before, the Liberals put their friends and insiders first, ahead of everyday Canadians, so they could protect their own interests.

They could have been working on bolstering domestic production capacity for vaccines. They could have been ensuring that we had delivery guarantees for vaccines. However, because of misguided selfishness, Canadians are left in the dark. We are left behind the rest of the world and are left in lockdown in many places across our country.

Canadians need to know when they will be vaccinated if they wish to receive a vaccine. They need to have access to rapid testing. They need to get their livelihoods and lives back on track. We need to return to some semblance of normalcy.

Canadians deserve good, ethical government. They deserve a government that will put the needs and interests of Canadians ahead of self-interests. We need a government that puts Canada first, because the great Canadian comeback starts right here at home.

With so much going on, members from 338 constituencies have been willing to work together to get results for Canadians. However, we have a government that wanted to shut down committees, shut down the House and then, when we came back, shut down debate.

When is the government going to put the needs of Canadians first, ahead of its insiders' needs and those of its Liberal friends?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, to be very clear, the Government of Canada has put Canadians in all regions of our great nation first right from the very beginning, and that has been the focus of this government, diligently, every day of the week, and I would like to start by paying a tribute to the many people who have worked alongside the Government of Canada in so many ways to ensure that we could minimize the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Nothing could be further from the truth in terms of what has actually transpired over the last 12 months than what the member opposite just finished saying on the record. A wide variety of programs were brought forward to assist small businesses, including the Canada emergency wage subsidy, the emergency rent subsidy, the emergency business account, the credit availability program and the regional relief and recovery funds. For individuals, we had the CERB, which helped just under nine million Canadians. The government has been there in a very real and tangible way for Canadians.

We have also been listening to the advice of experts, which is why we have a national vaccine committee to ensure that Canada got it right. There were hundreds of millions of dollars of investment to make sure that we would be positioned as well as we are today with the vaccines and the vaccine rollout, ensuring that we will have those six million doses by the end of March and that Canadians who want to be vaccinated will be vaccinated before the end of September. We have a plan. We have been working with partners to make sure that Canadians' backs have been covered.

The Conservative Party, on the other hand, has been focused more on personal attacks and more on what sort of destructive role they can play. Conservatives like to say that they have been co-operative, and to be fair, to a certain degree, in certain areas, they have been. However, when I hear the Conservatives talk about hindsight issues, whether it is the vaccines or the rapid tests, I would suggest that they would have a lot more credibility if in fact they had focused on issues of that nature back in the summertime as opposed to trying to look for conspiracies, corruption and so forth.

Yes, when we spend billions and billions of dollars covering the backs of Canadians, there are going to be some mistakes, and yes, there were some mistakes, and we have learned from them. However, to say that it was corrupt is a stretch. To try to give an impression that Canadians have not been the first priority of this government over the last 12 months is a real stretch, because nothing could be further from the truth.

Whether it is the Prime Minister, ministers or members of the Liberal caucus, we have been working seven days a week and 24 hours a day to ensure that Canadians would be protected and that we would be able to continue to move forward on this very important issue that we all have to face, which is to overcome this pandemic.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Madam Speaker, the member opposite does not need to look very deep into the facts to see that the Liberals did not spend their time focused on the right things, which is why Canada today is 29th in the world per capita on vaccine administration. That is an unacceptable result from a government that spent its time focused on helping Liberal insiders instead of helping Canadians.

When the Liberals tried to write themselves a blank cheque last March so that they could tax and spend without parliamentary oversight for nearly two years, the Conservatives, Canada's official opposition, worked tremendously hard to make sure that their measures did pass the House unanimously, but we did have to give them the opportunity to get it right. That is why the wage subsidy had to be improved. That is why so many of their measures had to come back before the House a second time. It was because they would not take the advice of the opposition the first time.

We are looking for a real team Canada approach.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Speaker, the government listened to Canadians, provinces, territories, indigenous leaders, many other stakeholders and members on all sides of the House when we introduced new programs because of the pandemic. The programs required some changes, and we did the responsible thing by having ongoing dialogue and making sure we could retool to produce protective gear and have vaccines for Canadians. That has been a priority for the government because we understand and appreciate the difficulties we all have to go through. I would hope members of the opposition would not exaggerate things, such as Liberal contracts. I can assure members that Liberals, New Democrats and Conservatives all received contracts in one form or another. I suspect even some Bloc members received contracts—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

Unfortunately, time is up for this debate.

The hon. member for Nanaimo—Ladysmith.

Housing

[Paul Manly, Green, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Madam Speaker, the government has enacted some positive measures through the national housing strategy. The act acknowledges that adequate housing is a fundamental human right affirmed in international law. This is important and should underpin every measure to address the affordable housing and homelessness crisis in Canada.

For decades the government shifted the responsibility for funding affordable housing onto the provinces and municipalities. It is good to see that changing, because there is no doubt that neglecting that responsibility worsened the current crisis. The housing and homelessness crisis is especially severe in Nanaimo—Ladysmith. Local agencies appreciate the funding sources, but more action is needed in the short and long term.

The forces driving the affordable housing crisis in Canada and around the world need to be addressed. Numerous reports reveal that Canada is an emerging tax haven for the world's ultrawealthy. Canadian real estate is a major vehicle for money laundering, with estimates that in 2018 alone $5.3 billion was laundered in British Columbia. Unregulated lenders, which are not required to report money laundering, accounted for $25 billion in residential mortgages in greater Toronto. These illicit activities have had a huge impact on home prices in Canada's major cities.

The government's amendments to the Canada Business Act are a welcome step toward closing tax evasion and money laundering loopholes, but much more needs to be done. The new registry for beneficial owners of privately held federally incorporated companies needs to be public and transparent. Corporate investment in residential real estate, and the financialization of housing, are distorting the market even further and making communities across Canada, both large and small, unaffordable.

In the 10 years following the 2008 market crash, $28 billion in housing in the Toronto area was acquired by corporate entities including numbered companies, hedge funds and real estate investment trusts. They went beyond traditional investments in multi-unit housing and started purchasing single-family homes as well. Many pension funds were heavily invested in real estate-backed investment packages. It is painful to realize that the workers paying into those pensions are being hurt by the unaffordable home prices and high rents that are the result of predatory real estate investment practices.

I often hear Liberal and Conservative members of the House bragging about how Canada is one of the most open jurisdictions when it comes to foreign direct investment. This is not something to brag about when it comes to the impact of foreign investment on housing affordability. We need stronger regulations to stop this free-for-all.

The increased price of housing drives up the cost of rent. Renters are often forced to move when the home they live in is sold and new landlords increase rent or engage in renovictions. Finding a new home with a comparable rent is often impossible. Transfers to the provinces should be contingent on stronger rental protections or national standards for rent and vacancy controls. The rental subsidy for low-income renters is a band-aid solution to help people with rising rents, when in reality it is a transfer of taxpayer dollars to private landlords who may be engaged in the predatory practices I have already outlined.

Affordable rental housing created through the rental construction financing initiative should have covenants in place to ensure the units remain affordable rather than allowing them to convert to market-rate housing in just 10 years. To guarantee long-term affordability, investing in non-profit and co-op housing needs to be the focus of the national housing strategy.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, I suspect we would have to go back 50 years or more to see a government, particularly a prime minister and a number of cabinet ministers, that has committed so much in financial resources and striven to get strategic plans before Canadians to deal with the housing issue.

Our government is focused on making changes that help as many Canadians as possible, including their ability to afford safe and adequate places to call home. This challenge is particularly true in Canada's largest cities, where a limited supply of affordable housing is making it harder for many Canadians to afford homes of their own. COVID-19 has exacerbated the existing housing affordability and the homelessness issue and called attention to the public health risks of substandard and crowded living quarters. Affordable housing is also essential for economic fairness and growth.

The hon. member has noted that speculative demand from foreign non-resident investors is contributing to the unaffordable housing prices for many Canadians in some of the biggest cities. To help make the housing market more secure and affordable for Canadians, the government has committed to ensuring that foreign non-resident owners who simply use Canada as a place to passively store their wealth in housing pay their fair share. That is why, in the fall economic statement, the government indicated it would take steps over the coming year to implement a national tax-based measure targeting the unproductive use of domestic housing owned by non-residents and non-Canadians.

Such a measure would ensure that foreign non-resident owners of Canadian residential real estate are contributing to Canada's tax base, either by paying income tax or rental income or through a tax on unproductive use of residential real estate. The fall economic statement also proposed to expand the existing rental construction financing initiative by $12 billion over the next seven years. This initiative provides low-cost loans for the construction of new purpose-built rental housing. The expansion will enable the program to support the construction of 28,500 additional rental units and employment in residential construction and other skilled trades.

This government is committed to doing whatever we can to ensure that homes are affordable for Canadians, and we are looking at ways to make a difference for as many Canadians as possible. I often talk about Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit organization that really makes a difference in Winnipeg North. Through that program, people are getting new homes in communities where they would never have had the opportunity before. It is not just about the federal government working with other levels of government; it is about engaging and supporting non-profit organizations wherever we can. I cite Habitat for Humanity for the fine work it has done in Winnipeg North, in particular, but obviously also in all regions of the province and in most regions, from what I understand, in Canada.

[Paul Manly, Green, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Madam Speaker, I appreciate what the government is doing, but I believe that we need to be doing more. We need national standards to protect tenants with rent and vacancy controls. This should be tied to federal transfers to the provinces. Affordable housing created through the rental construction financing initiative should be protected with covenants so that it remains affordable. Foreign investments in residential real estate need to be heavily regulated or banned. The tax exemption for real estate investment trusts should be abolished and replaced with incentives to protect affordable rental housing.

Finally, I would challenge my hon. colleague to browse through some Canadian real estate listings and count how many times the words “investor alert” are applied to affordable properties. Canadians who are trying to buy affordable homes are competing directly with investors. This needs to end.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Speaker, every Canadian should have the ability to afford a safe and adequate place to call home.

The government is committed to ensuring that Canada's residential housing stock is not used unproductively by foreign or non-resident investors. More generally, the government is committed to a fair tax system so that it has the resources to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and to fund the programs and services on which Canadians rely.

The government is providing $1 billion in funding through the rapid housing initiative. The funding in this initiative is available to municipalities, provinces and territories, indigenous governing bodies and organizations, and non-profit organizations. The funding is to be used for the construction of modular housing, as well as the acquisition of land and the conversion of existing buildings into affordable housing units.

Our plan is to continue to invest in Canadians and their families, so that the growth of Canada—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

Unfortunately, the time is up.

The hon. member for Kenora.

Indigenous Affairs

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

Madam Speaker, it is an honour for me to join the debate today to speak about an issue of immense importance to people across the riding of Kenora and across Canada, and that is the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.

Before the parliamentary break, I raised this issue in question period, asking when the government would confirm it would be able to provide its action plan, as promised, on missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. However, I was not able to get an answer. I am hoping I will get an answer today.

As we know, the national inquiry released its final report in June of 2019. The Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations had promised to release the government's action plan in one year's time. Of course, one year's time would have been last June. We are now into 2021, and the government has yet to show us that action plan.

I worry that this promise could follow a fate similar to the government's pledge to end all long-term drinking water advisories. We know the government had to walk that promise back very recently. We also know that the government has been using COVID-19 as an excuse not just for the lack of an action plan but also for the issue of the drinking water advisories, as well as many other issues.

Especially during a pandemic that has put vulnerable indigenous women and girls at an even great risk because they may be separated from their support systems or perhaps stuck in a situation where there could be further harm, I believe the need for this plan is quite urgent, and I know the government recognizes that urgency.

It is also quite unfortunate this issue seems to disproportionately impact my riding. Over the last eight years, as I noted previously in the House, half of Ontario's identified cases took place in the Kenora district. That is why I am seeking these answers. I hope the government can provide them for us.

As I was not able to get a clear answer last time, I would like to ask once again if the government could tell us when its national action plan will be released.

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Madam Speaker, let me begin by acknowledging that I am speaking to you from the unceded territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit.

I always enjoy the interventions of my hon. colleague and friend from Kenora at the INAN committee and I look forward to working with him on this issue.

We share the sense of urgency of the hon. member and many Canadians. Our hearts are with the survivors and the families of the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, two-spirit and gender diverse people.

In response to the first-ever national public inquiry regarding this ongoing national tragedy, our government is working with all provincial and territorial governments as well as indigenous leaders, survivors and families to develop a national action plan that sets a clear road map to ensure that indigenous women and girls, two-spirit and gender diverse people are safe.

As the Speech from the Throne and the minister's mandate letter highlighted, the co-development of the national action plan is a priority of our government and work is under way through a series of working groups led by indigenous women, with families and survivors at the centre of this work. The national action plan is being guided by families, survivors and grassroots community groups, and we will respond to this national tragedy in a progressive, accountable and enduring manner with an investment of $30 million over five years to support this indigenous-led engagement.

With our partners, including over 100 indigenous women, we will ensure that the proper indicators and measurements will allow the plan to be accountable for results and can evolve over time. The groups are also comprised of indigenous governments and organizations, federal, provincial and territorial governments, two-spirit and LGBTQ organization leaders, family members and survivors.

As the member knows, our government also did not wait to act to ensure indigenous women and girls, two-spirit and LGBTQ+ people would be safe wherever they lived. We have been working since 2015 to address the systemic issues that contribute to this tragedy and our collective work continues.

We have passed legislation to address the child and family services system, to preserve and protect indigenous language and culture, to toughen criminal law in cases of domestic assault and to eliminate gender discrimination under the Indian Act, while also making historic investments in education, housing, policing and shelters.

We are ensuring that we get this right for survivors and families, to honour those lost and to protect future generations. The resulting national action plan will be distinctions-based, regionally relevant, durable and accountable, ensuring we make progress on ending violence against indigenous women and girls, two-spirit and LGBTQ people. We will continue to focus on prevention, healing and putting in place concrete measures to end this national tragedy.

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

Madam Speaker, I appreciate a lot of what the parliamentary secretary had to say. Unfortunately, he was not able to answer the question again, specifically on the timeline. Could he provide more detail of the work the Liberals are doing? I know they are doing some good work on this file.

Is he able to provide any sense of what the timeline will look like? As he knows, many people are waiting to see this action plan, and hope to see it very soon.

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Scarborough—Rouge Park, ON]

Madam Speaker, I want to assure the member that we look forward to working with him on this and will be in a better position to give him more detailed observations in person due to the limitations of time.

In the fall economic statement, our government has demonstrated the ongoing commitment to responding with concrete action to the issues identified in the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls calls to justice. As part of our work to develop a distinctions-based national action plan, the fall economic statement will invest an additional $781.5 million over five years and $106.3 million ongoing to combat systemic discrimination against indigenous peoples and expand efforts to combat violence against indigenous women and girls, two-spirit and LGBTQ people.

Our government is working with all partners to ensure we get this right for survivors and families. We will not let survivors and families down. We look forward to working with him on this issue.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

The motion that the House do now adjourn is deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 2 p.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 6:44 p.m.)