Debates of Oct. 18th, 2022

The Economy

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the government does not have a plan to deal with the recession. The Minister of Finance admits that one is coming, and we need a plan. Right now, the current EI system, the one brought in by the Conservatives, only covers 40% of Canadians. We need a plan that covers all Canadians.

Will the government put into place a plan to deal with the recession that would support families and ensure that every worker in our country would be covered if they were to lose their job?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, this government has demonstrated time and time again over the past seven years that we have Canadians' backs, whether it was with lowering taxes for the middle class and raising them on the wealthiest 1%, or delivering a child benefit that has lifted millions of Canadians out of poverty.

The things we have done continue to focus on having Canadians' backs. Through the pandemic we supported them with unheard of direct supports and managed to make sure not only that Canadians kept safe, but also that our economy rebounded faster than other places. We will continue to be there through the troubled waters ahead. We will be there for Canadians, as we—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Calgary Forest Lawn.

Taxation

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Prime Minister, Canadians are sinking faster than ever as well, and as Canadians prepare for a harsh winter, Liberal inflation has driven up food, gas and utility costs for struggling families. The Ontario Energy Board estimates that natural gas prices are rising 153% just this month. Families across Canada could see gas bills rise anywhere from 50% to 300%, and it is all because of these failed Liberal energy policies.

Will the Prime Minister do the right thing, end his plan to further punish Canadians for necessities and cancel the tripling of the carbon tax?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, let me start by congratulating the member for Calgary Forest Lawn on his new role as Conservative finance critic. I am sure we will disagree about many things, but I also do believe there are issues where we will find common ground.

One good example is Bill C-30, which would provide inflation relief payments to 11 million Canadian households. Thanks to unanimous support in the House, including from the Conservatives, I am very hopeful that bill will receive royal assent very soon.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Liberal inflation is vaporizing any supports they could even come close to giving, and the carbon tax will never be high enough for the costly coalition. In Calgary, the average gas bill is $170 a month, but because of failed Liberal policies, it could be anywhere from $300 to even more than $500 after the price increase. When the Prime Minister triples the carbon tax, it alone could make up 60% of heating bills.

When will the Prime Minister finally stop draining Canadians' bank accounts and cancel the tripling of the carbon tax?

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

Mr. Speaker, the only way to eliminate energy poverty and reduce household energy costs in Canada is by fighting climate change. With the volatility of oil prices and the record profits of oil companies, Conservatives are proposing Canadians be chained to the oil and gas markets and completely vulnerable to foreign wars and cartels. Our plan would give Canadians autonomy and sovereignty in their energy needs and their finances.

Why do Conservatives want to let foreign oligarchs dictate Canadian household finances?

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is a bit rich to hear the Liberals blaming foreign oligarchs for attacking the Canadian energy sector. Every day we hear heartbreaking stories of Canadians struggling with the cost of living crisis caused by the Prime Minister's policies. Liberal inflation is forcing people to cut back on groceries, with many having to turn to food banks for the first time ever. Canadians are stretched beyond their limits.

Will the Prime Minister finally do the decent thing and end his plan to triple taxes on gas, groceries and home heating?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, our government understands that the cost of living is a real challenge for many Canadians, and that is why I am so pleased that we were able to put forward a plan to double the GST tax credit. This would provide nearly $500 to vulnerable Canadians families, and I am delighted all members of the House, including the Conservatives, have supported this plan.

Now it is time to provide some more support, such as $500 to help the most vulnerable pay their rent, and let us get behind making sure all kids in Canada under 12 can go to the dentist.

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Chilliwack—Hope, BC]

Mr. Speaker, thanks to Liberal policies, gas is up to nearly two dollars a litre and grocery bills are up 15%. It now takes about half of a Canadian's paycheque to pay their housing costs, and the cost to heat those homes during a Canadian winter is about to rise up to 300%, yet somehow the Prime Minister thinks this is the time to propose Liberal tax hikes that would make everything more expensive.

When will the Prime Minister stop making things worse and just end his plan to triple taxes on gas, groceries and home heating?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, certainly one thing we can agree on is that it is important to address the affordability issue, and that is exactly what we have been doing through doubling the GST tax credit and introducing dental care for children in this country.

With respect to the price on pollution, and it is a price on pollution, the hon. member knows that, with the average rebate, 80% of families get more money back in this country than they pay. Therefore, this is not an issue around affordability.

Let me be clear that, if we want to ensure affordability in the long term, we have to address the climate crisis. The leader of the opposition has been campaigning for over six months and the words “climate change” have almost never crossed his lips. Where is his climate plan?

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

Mr. Speaker, what the Liberals fail to understand is that the Liberal carbon tax is having a real and direct impact on the rate of inflation. Winter is coming. What does that mean for Canadian families? It means that heating costs will go up. It means that transportation costs will go up and, as a result, the cost of food will go up. All three are basic necessities for Canadian families. The Liberal government refused to cut taxes.

Does the Prime Minister realize that his actions are contributing to inflation?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are proving once again how much they love austerity. It is fine to criticize, but they do not have the guts to say what they would do. Where would the Conservatives make cuts? Would they cut supports to children who need a bit of help or cut child care? Would they cut supports for seniors, workers or families? It is easy to criticize, but the Conservatives do not have the courage to say what they would do instead.

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

Mr. Speaker, we should have done what every G7 country has done, that is, lower taxes. Only Canada under this government has refused to lower taxes. To stand alone like that suggests that the others may be right and we are wrong. Every G7 country, even the U.S. under Biden, the Prime Minister's friend, has lowered certain taxes. This government has refused to do the same.

Why is the government refusing to lower taxes, which is contributing to rising inflation?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Conservatives want to imitate what is currently going on in England, but I am not sure that is the right path to take.

Here at home, programs have been put in place to help children. I am thinking about the Canada child benefit that lifts children out of poverty. Is that what the Conservatives would cut? They should say so. Is it the guaranteed income supplement, which gives seniors a bit of a boost? Is that what they would cut? Would they cut the workers benefit? Again, it is easy to criticize, but they should have the courage to say what they would do.

Natural Resources

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

Mr. Speaker, last week in Washington, the Deputy Prime Minister announced to the world Canada's new foreign policy with respect to energy. She announced that Canada will fast-track energy projects to export more oil and gas. Fast-tracking projects implies a certain number of things. She might cut the environmental assessment, forego consulting Quebec, the provinces and first nations peoples or skirt the whole issue of social acceptability. She might also do all of that simultaneously.

What will it be?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, our government is determined to address the global energy security crisis and the climate change crisis. To do that, we are investing in good energy projects across the country. We are working directly with the developers to ensure that they advance as quickly as possible and we are working on harmonizing the regulatory process with the provinces and territories. That said, these projects will have to comply with our climate and environmental ambitions and respect the rights of first nations.

The Environment

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the new policy to fast-track energy products announced by the Deputy Prime Minister has already had an impact in Canada. We learned last week that a call for tenders was issued for oil exploration in 100,000 square kilometres of ocean off the coast of Newfoundland. However, this drilling is exempt from environmental impact assessments.

Is that part of Canada's new energy policy or is it Canada's same old habit of sacrificing the environment when oil is involved?

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

Mr. Speaker, the commission that made this recommendation is an independent commission. Independence is a term that the Bloc Québécois should understand well. It is not the federal government or the Newfoundland government, it is an independent commission. This energy development project will be subject to our rigorous environmental assessment process and public consultations.

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

However, Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Environment authorized the Bay du Nord oil project in Newfoundland, and he said that it was the last oil project that would be approved. He does have some power after all.

Now, there is a new call for oil exploration off the coast of Newfoundland. This is for serious contractors only. They have to commit to spending a minimum of $10 million each on oil exploration in order to obtain the permit. These people are paying a lot of money to look for oil because they expect to find it and develop it.

How many more projects like Bay du Nord does the government want to find off the coast of Newfoundland?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I want to talk for a moment about the green transition and the need for Canada to invest and attract private capital in this major transition. To do that, we need to build more.

This is a very big challenge before us, and I think that it must truly be a national project, a project for Quebec and for Canada. In order to do that, we must work—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

Natural Resources

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the environment minister now says that he does not like foreign oil oligarchs. Well, that is news, because I was beginning to think OPEC was going to give the Prime Minister an outstanding achievement award for all that he has done to promote foreign oil interests by blocking the 15 proposed LNG projects that existed when he came to office. He has reduced Europe to its knees and turned it to be dependent on Putin. By blocking oil production in Canada, he has prevented us from supplying ourselves and forced us to import more oil.

Why will the Liberals not stop sending paycheques out and pollution up?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, certainly, Canada has worked very hard with our allies around the world to augment the production of oil and natural gas. We committed to increasing production by 300,000 barrels by the end of the day to help our allies in Europe.

With respect to domestic energy security, here are the facts. When the Conservatives were in government, foreign oil imports were double what they are today. In fact, they have declined 80% from when Stephen Harper was the prime minister of Canada.

The facts speak for themselves. Under this government, more Canadians are using Canadian and North American energy. The leader opposite may not like it, but a fact is a fact.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Before going to the next question, and I do not want to interrupt, but I want to remind that with the shuffling and everything going around with the seats, I can hear those who are nearer to me they are pretty loud. I would ask them to tone down their outbursts. They are not constant, but they are outbursts and I ask that they just keep them down.

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.