Debates of Oct. 17th, 2022

Taxation

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, let me set the record straight. First, Canada has the lowest deficit in the G7. We have been incredibly fiscally responsible. We are the envy of the other countries.

I also want to point out that the Conservatives seem to be attacking our plan to address the climate crisis. I find it rather odd that a member from Quebec is asking me that question when we know how important it is to Quebeckers that we act on climate change.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what is clear is that in the past two years the Liberal government has increased the deficit by $500 billion. In that regard, the Parliamentary Budget Officer said that $200 billion had nothing to do with COVID‑19. That represents a shameless waste of public money and today, with the increase in interest rates, we must pay more to service that debt. On top of that, the Liberals want to inflict further pain on Canadians already struggling financially by refusing to cancel the tripling of the notorious carbon tax.

Will they cancel it?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are attacking our plan to fight climate change, which will ensure that we can deal with the climate crisis. Even worse, the Conservatives are attacking our system to helps workers, the employment security system for example. The Conservatives continue to attack our seniors as they are taking aim at our pension system. We must absolutely protect our pension system here in Canada and the Conservatives want no part of it.

Natural Resources

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

Mr. Speaker, when the Minister of Environment and Climate Change approved Bay du Nord, he indicated it would be the last oil and gas project he would approve. Last week we learned that it may have only just begun. The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board just issued a call for tenders for oil and gas exploration in a 100,000-square-kilometre area off the coast.

My question is simple. If Bay du Nord was the last oil and gas project that the minister would authorize, why is his government still undertaking oil exploration projects off the coast of Newfoundland?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for the question. First, I would like to remind her that the board is at arm's length from the federal government. Second, any new energy production project will be subject to our environmental assessment process, have a greenhouse gas emission cap, and be governed by the strictest regulations on methane emissions reduction, not in North America, not among G7 countries, but in the world. With a target to reduce methane emissions by 75% by 2030, we have the strictest regulations.

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

Mr. Speaker, the government continues to encourage oil exploration right in the middle of a marine refuge in Newfoundland. When one goes looking for something, it is usually because one hopes to find it. Worse still, the government is allowing drilling companies to bypass environmental impact assessments.

In the midst of the climate crisis, the government continues to look for offshore oil and it even scrapped environmental assessments to speed things up. Basically, it wants to produce more in order to pollute more.

How can this government's environment minister, who used to be an environmentalist, still look himself in the mirror?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for caring so much about my image.

What matters to us is setting the record straight. I think my colleague is confusing me, the Minister of the Environment, with the leader of the Bloc Québécois, who allowed drilling on Anticosti Island without an environmental assessment and without any public consultation with the local population or indigenous peoples. That is not how we operate here.

Climate Change

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that aligns perfectly with the new policy Canada unveiled in Washington last week. Canada announced that its new foreign policy and energy policy will put the pedal to the metal to sell more oil and gas to its allies. It has already started. That is exactly what it is doing right now in Newfoundland. It is expediting oil exploration by waiving the requirement for an environmental impact assessment.

Where is the fight against climate change in this energy policy?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleague that we are putting the pedal to the metal on renewable energy projects, clean tech projects like the one in Newfoundland to produce green hydrogen from offshore wind power. It will be one of the greenest projects on the planet. In fact, that is why the German chancellor spent a week in Canada. Canada is going to be a partner of choice for the green transition, not just in Canada, not just in North America, but around the world.

Taxation

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is spending like a drunken sailor. As a result, inflation is excessive and Canadians are finding it difficult to make ends meet. As a result of that, many Canadians are cutting back on the amount of healthy food they are purchasing and consuming.

Now the Prime Minister is planning to triple the carbon tax, which would again increase the cost of groceries, home heating and gasoline for people's vehicles. In other words, the cost of living would hike up once again.

Will the Prime Minister exercise some compassion and, for the sake of Canadians, stop his plan to triple the carbon tax?

[Terry Beech, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition, that member and the entire Conservative Party continue to put forward policies that would actually put the future of Canadians at risk.

They do that by telling us to stop fighting climate change. They do that by telling us to raid the pensions of seniors. They do that by telling us that child care and dental care is not important.

It is about time we came together in the House to focus on what matters, which is making life more affordable and making sure we grow an economy that works for everybody.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I understand the Liberal talking points and so do Canadians. They have heard them again and again. They are rather disingenuous and incredibly repetitive.

The reality is, to the Canadian families that are struggling to make ends meet, those talking points do not make the difference. What makes the difference is when the government exercises responsibility and cuts back on taxation to make life increasingly affordable for Canadians.

I will ask this again on their behalf: Would the government exercise some compassion, and would the Prime Minister commit today to ending his plan to triple the carbon tax?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, let us be clear what the results are on each side of the House.

Our government brought in the Canada child benefit, and they voted against it. We brought in the middle class tax cut, and the Conservatives voted against it. We brought in the Canada-wide early learning child care initiative, which is already delivering a 50% fee reduction to families in that member's riding of Lethbridge and across her province of Alberta, and the Conservatives voted against it.

They have an opportunity to vote in favour of dental care for low-income children, rental support for low-income workers and supports for Canadians with disabilities. If they care about low-income Canadians, I hope we see their support.

[Anna Roberts, Conservative, King—Vaughan, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are struggling because of the inflation caused by the Prime Minister.

More Canadians are turning to their local food banks for support. Senior usage of food banks has increased 30%. According to the CEO of a Toronto food bank, nearly triple the number of people visited the food bank in June 2022 compared to June 2019.

These Liberals have caused the cost of living crisis. Will these Liberals scrap the planned tax hikes?

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Minister of Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, we will not take any lessons from the party opposite, whose plan for seniors was to raise the age of retirement to 67. One of the very first things we did as a government was to reverse it to age 65.

We increased the guaranteed income supplement. We put more money into the pockets of seniors by increasing old age security by 10%. We are doubling the GST credit. That is our record for seniors and we are going to continue to deliver for them.

Public Services and Procurement

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians were shocked to learn that the ArriveCAN app cost this government $54 million, which is more than twice the original estimate, but it gets better. Last week we learned that most of that money went to a company with no offices and only five staff. The government was using this company to shield subcontractors from accountability and transparency. Canadians want answers. They deserve to know where their money went.

Will the government finally take accountability and disclose all the companies that got money from the ArriveCAN contracts?

[Bryan May, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, our government has been focused on protecting the health and safety of all Canadians throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. PHAC and CBSA launched ArriveCAN in April 2020 to support the Government of Canada's efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19 and ensure border security. The ArriveCAN app cost less than $1 million to develop and to ensure security of privacy and accessibility for all users. We will continue to ensure the safety and protection of all Canadians.

Child Care

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, while Canadians are struggling to make ends meet, Ontario is allowing for-profit child care to gouge parents. After signing an agreement with the federal government, Ontario removed profit caps and reduced the oversight for for-profit child care centres. This means higher fees for parents and lower wages for staff to maximize profits.

This morning, the Prime Minister stood with Premier Doug Ford. Did the Prime Minister tell the premier that removing limits on for-profit child care does not work, and will he ensure that federal money is not going to for-profit care?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, let me very clear. There is a cap on fees in Ontario for all registered child care providers going back to the time that we signed the agreement on March 28, 2022.

However, let me share some good news. We are moving forward expeditiously with affordable child care here in Ontario, and by December of this year, families in registered child care will receive a 50% reduction in fees. This is fantastic news for families in Ontario. In fact, I was in Sudbury on Tuesday where families are already receiving rebates, and we will continue to roll this out throughout the province.

Employment Insurance

[Michael Coteau, Liberal, Don Valley East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we know that EI sickness benefits are an important support for Canadians who need to leave work because of illness or injury. We also know that many workers face stressful income gaps between when they exhaust their benefits and when they are healthy enough to go back to work. That is why in budget 2021 our government extended EI sickness benefits from 15 weeks to 26 weeks.

Can the minister please share with the House more details about this important extension?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Don Valley East for his tireless work on behalf of his constituents and all Canadians.

Indeed, we recognize that Canada needs an EI system that is fair, flexible and more responsive to the needs of workers and employers. That is why I am so excited to let the House know that, by the end of this year, workers will have access to 26 weeks of EI sickness benefits so they have more time to recover and get back to work safely and in good health.

Taxation

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, analysts are saying that home heating prices in some places will increase by 300% this winter. That is triple. The Prime Minister's planned increases to the carbon tax and the payroll tax are cold-hearted actions. The Liberals are literally freezing Canadians out.

Is it just inflation or will the government cut its planned taxes?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect that responsible leaders and all members of the House need to address both the affordability issue and the climate crisis. We are certainly working very hard to address affordability issues through doubling the GST tax credit and a range of other things.

I do find it very interesting, though, that during the last election campaign every member sitting in the Conservative Party campaigned on putting into place a carbon tax, so this conversion on the road to Jerusalem is very interesting indeed.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' out-of-control spending and tax hikes are increasing the cost of everything. Food prices in remote indigenous communities are two and a half times higher than the national average, and rising fuel prices are just compounding inflation's economic toll on families absolutely everywhere.

While the minister monitors the situation, families are struggling with food and heat this winter. When will the government cancel its tax hikes and cap its spending?

[Terry Beech, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, let us be very clear. When the Conservatives talk about payroll taxes, they are talking about EI, a rate which is lower today than it was when the Leader of the Opposition was in charge of the file. They are talking about the Canadian pension plan. We came together with premiers to strengthen the plan and make sure that there was more money in the pockets of seniors when they retired, right when they needed it, and the Conservatives are trying to take that away. When they are talking about carbon pricing, they are talking about a revenue-neutral plan that puts more money in the pockets of eight out of 10 Canadian families.