Debates of Oct. 20th, 2022

Opposition Motion—Tax Exemption on Home Heating Fuel

[Shelby Kramp-Neuman, Conservative, Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON]

Madam Speaker, no one was waking up this morning in my riding with relief that the economy is in good shape. People in my riding are talking to me about the rising costs of everything, including home heating and groceries. Across the board, people are exasperated by rising costs.

The role of the opposition is to respectfully try to hold the government to account. I am encouraging it to listen.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (Senate)]

Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for St. John's East.

I think I will start by picking up on the question that the member for Don Valley East asked of the member for the riding that neighbours mine. Specifically, it was whether she believed that climate change is real. This is not just about her response. It is about all of the non-responses we get to that question from the other side of the House.

I think what we have to do is listen to her non-answer, listen to the continual non-answer and ask ourselves why. One of two things is happening: one, the Conservatives and this member do not believe that climate change is real and do not want to answer the question, or, two, which I submit is probably the more plausible explanation, they do believe climate change is real but are petrified of saying it and of their base hearing it.

Imagine being part of a political party that is so petrified of how the base might react to hearing the truth come out of its members' mouths. That is where we see the Conservative Party of today.

Earlier, we heard the Conservatives talk about how the federal government supposedly forced the provinces into this position. I am so glad to hear my colleagues from the Bloc Québécois point out the reality of the situation, which is that unfortunately for the Conservatives' narrative, Quebec and Ontario have been decades ahead of the rest of Canada as a whole when it comes to pricing pollution. It was Quebec and Ontario that met with Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former governor of California, and ironed out the deal for cap and trade. That was back in 2006. The member for Don Valley East was part of the provincial government at the time they did that. A number of members of the House were.

For the Conservatives to walk in here and suddenly suggest that carbon pricing is a brand new concept that is completely foreign to Canadian soil is absolutely ludicrous. We have seen Quebec and Ontario partner on it and get ahead of the game with responsible leadership, going straight to states in the United States, in particular California, and working on this. I find it incredibly rich.

There is another individual who supports carbon pricing whom the Conservatives might listen to. Do members know who that is? It is their former leader Stephen Harper. Stephen Harper believes in pricing pollution. He actually said, in 2008, “our plan will effectively establish a price on carbon”. That is what Stephen Harper wanted.

Where are we today? Ten years ago, people thought, wow, Stephen Harper's government is so non-progressive, but think of where we are today. The current form of the Conservative movement is so much less progressive than even Stephen Harper was.

The Conservatives full-on reject the notion that climate change is real. They reject the notion of a basic fundamental principle of the economic system and how to incentivize choice in the marketplace. Of all people, the Conservatives, who purport themselves to be the saviours of the economy and understand economic principle better than just about anybody else, as they will always tell us, cannot comprehend the simple concept that putting a price on something will change behaviour within the marketplace. How is it that we got to this place where this Conservative movement will not even accept the reality of a fundamental economic principle?

That is where we are. I know they are heckling me because they do not want to hear me say this, but one would think they would have learned over the last three or four years of listening to me speak that the more they do it, the more it encourages and emboldens me to continue, so I will.

I want to talk about a company that recently decided to choose Loyalist—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

I am going to ask hon. members to please respect the person who is speaking before I have to take other actions.

The hon. parliamentary secretary has the floor.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Madam Speaker, there is a company that recently chose, over two locations in the United States, Detroit being one and I cannot remember the other, to set up its new multi-billion dollar facility just outside of my riding, in the riding of the member for Hastings—Lennox and Addington. She was there when the Prime Minister made the announcement, and she was quite excited about it at the time, as she should be.

The company, which is called Umicore, decided to set up its brand new lithium battery manufacturing plant right outside my riding, in her riding of Hastings—Lennox and Addington. The most telling thing about that was when the CEO was asked why he chose Ontario over Detroit and other options. The answer was that Umicore is making a sustainable product. It sees itself as a corporate leader in sustainability. When it puts inputs into its product, it wants to make sure they are clean. It recognizes that because of great leadership, like that of the member for Don Valley East and other provincial Liberals from a few years ago, we no longer burn coal in Ontario. We have the cleanest energy grid of all the options those companies are looking at.

Where are we in the world right now? We are at a place where it is no longer just individuals demanding sustainability and saying they choose sustainability over profit or over money. It is now companies that are actively saying they do not want to set up in an area where they know the resources going into their product are harming the environment. That is exactly what we are seeing now.

We have come to the point where even corporations understand the fact that clean energy is absolutely key, yet we do not even have a Conservative Party in which a member will stand up and say they believe in climate change. The member was asked a direct, straightforward and simple question by the member for Don Valley East, who asked the member if they believe climate change is real, and it was a complete non-answer. It is just so easy to stand up and say one believes climate change is real, but the member refused to do that. I do not understand why.

They are mouthing “yes” to me now, but now they just need to verbalize it. They need to allow the voices to come out of their mouths and admit they believe climate change is real. That is all we are asking Conservatives to do. I know they have it in them. They are this close, and I am here to be the support they need in doing that.

I know the Speaker wants to interrupt me to start question period, and I look forward to continuing afterwards.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member will have two minutes remaining after question period to conclude his speech and for the questions and comments period.

Track Cycling World Champion

[Rechie Valdez, Liberal, Mississauga—Streetsville, ON]

Madam Speaker, last week, the Canadian cycling team, led by Olympic champion Kelsey Mitchell, raced at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in France. It was on that track that Mississauga's own Dylan Bibic, from Streetsville, became the first man to win the gold medal in his event, and he did it in his world champs debut at just 19 years old.

Dylan won the 15-kilometre scratch race with an average speed of over 54 kilometres an hour. He is only the second male Canadian to win gold on that track. Dylan is now looking forward to training for his upcoming races at the elite UCI Track Champions League.

It is a sincere and exciting privilege to congratulate Dylan for this historic win at Track World. Streetsville is proud of Dylan. Congratulations to him on earning his second rainbow jersey. We are all excited to follow his journey to the 2024 summer Olympic Games in Paris.

Abbotsford Rugby Football Club

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Abbotsford Rugby Football Club is celebrating its 50th season. Established in 1972 with just one men's team, it now boasts over 11 active men's and women's teams, with players ranging from five all the way to 70 years of age.

In its 50 years, Abbotsford has won 30 provincial championships, and 55 players have represented Canada in world championships, test matches, sevens and the Olympics.

Those of us in the House who have played this wonderful game know that rugby has a special and unique culture like no other. While two players may smash each other on the field, we will see them enjoying a post-game brewski, a meal and a friendly handshake at the clubhouse. Rugby brings people together like no other sport, and it builds strong communities.

I thank all the players, coaches and volunteers who have made the Abbotsford Rugby Football Club so successful.

Municipal Elections in B.C.

[John Aldag, Liberal, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Mr. Speaker, last Saturday was election day for municipalities across British Columbia. I am pleased to stand in the House today to thank the previous mayors and councillors for all their work, and I congratulate those who are newly elected or were re-elected to these leadership roles.

From Cloverdale—Langley City, I look forward to working with mayors-elect Nathan Pachal from Langley City, Eric Woodward from the Township of Langley and Brenda Locke from Surrey.

I also want to thank all those who put their names on the ballot, and their families. It takes courage to put one’s name forward to serve one's community, and it can be done only with a supportive family. Democracy is more fragile than many of us realize, and I appreciate all candidates and those who voted during this election.

I believe that municipal governments and the federal government can come together to solve our most pressing issues. Protecting the environment, fighting climate change, building affordable housing and combatting homelessness are the first issues that come to mind. This can all be achieved through collaboration and respect. I look forward to working with the new mayors and councillors.

Medal for Meritorious Acts

[Sylvie Bérubé, Bloc, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on December 20 of last year, firefighters in Val-d’Or were called to a fire at a factory where dismantling work was being done. In fighting the fire, one of the firefighters fell into a seven-metre hole partly covered by steel plates. His colleagues went to his rescue in difficult conditions, due to a lack of visibility and the fire close by, in a place that was hard to access. In the end, the victim got out with just a few injuries. The firefighters had to rely on their remarkable professionalism, unparalleled mental strength and intense efforts to rescue their colleague in distress.

The Government of Quebec awarded the medal for meritorious acts to the five firefighters from the Val d’Or fire department who rescued their colleague and helped him avoid the worst.

I would like to congratulate firefighters Luc Gronne, my former colleague at CISSSAT, Sébastien Ménard, Karl Hanbury, Jean-Christophe Pichon and Matthew Lachaîne for their act of bravery and courage. Bravo.

Michel Gervais

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Nickel Belt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my nephew Michel Gervais who is an ardent 2SLGBTQ+ community activist and president of West Nipissing Pride.

Michel is once again putting Sudbury, Nickel Belt and Sturgeon Falls on the map. He has been cast to be a contender on the second season of Call Me Mother, a drag competition reality show on OUTtv. The first episode will be airing October 26. The series is hosted by Entertainment Tonight Canada reporter Dallas Dixon. The show allows prominent LGBTQ2S+ people across Canada to appear in a drag competition, which will see up-and-coming drag performers.

I am proud of Michel, and our government is proud to support the 2SLGBTQ+ community. I encourage parliamentarians to support gay and queer communities and individuals in their goal to advance their rights.

Affordability for Students

[Ziad Aboultaif, Conservative, Edmonton Manning, AB]

Mr. Speaker, runaway inflation is hurting Canadian students. The University of Alberta campus food bank is facing the highest demand ever. In the past year, the food bank has gone from serving fewer than 300 families to having more than 1,100 clients. Most of these new food bank users are international students.

Four litres of milk is $1 more than last year, and it costs 60¢ more for a loaf of bread. That may not seem like much to the Prime Minister, but it is a hardship for students on fixed budgets. With price hikes already on textbooks and rent, it is no wonder students cannot afford to feed themselves.

Why is the government making it so hard for students to be successful?

Small Business Week in Yukon

[Brendan Hanley, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, this week Yukon celebrates Small Business Week while also marking Poverty and Homelessness Action Week, with the theme “healing hearts, building relationships”. Surely there is no better time to promote our local economies while reaching out to those who are struggling.

I am proud to be part of a government that is creating an economy that works for all Canadians. I am also proud of our government's support for innovative enterprises like Kaska Dena Designs and Anto Yukon in my riding. Yesterday we announced almost $200,000 toward these two women-owned Yukon businesses, helping them scale up their reach in Yukon and beyond. Investing in Canada’s small and medium-sized businesses means we all prosper.

Meanwhile, Coast Mountain Sports in Yukon is stepping up to help support homeless and housing-insecure people at this time of year. Its share the warmth program allows customers to exchange their winter jackets toward the purchase of a new one, with proceeds donated through the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition to help those in need. When we support local businesses, they, in turn, invest in our communities.

Happy Small Business Week, Yukon.

Autism Awareness Month

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to recognize October as autism awareness month.

As a nation, we have made great strides in our knowledge of the autism spectrum, and much of that success is due to the efforts of organizations like the Société de l'autisme et des TED de Laval.

However, there is still much to be done.

Persons on the spectrum are an essential part of our society and we, as a people, are stronger because of their contributions. That is why all of us must continue to raise awareness and acceptance for persons on the autism spectrum, and I encourage us to go further and create inclusive communities for neurotypical and neurodivergent persons alike.

We all deserve a dignified place in our society. People living with autism are no exception.

Tourism

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this morning I had the pleasure to meet with members from the Tourism Industry Association of Canada. Tourism matters. It enables economic development and job creation. My community of Niagara Falls is the number one leisure tourism destination in all of Canada, generating some $2.4 billion in receipts. More importantly, it employs almost 40,000 workers.

The recovery of Canada's visitor economy is key to Canada's overall economic growth, and I encourage all members of the House to meet with representatives of TIAC to discuss the impact tourism has, not only on this country but also in each of our communities. As they say, all politics is local, and so too is tourism.

As the newly appointed shadow minister for tourism, I am committed to working with our Canadian travel and tourism stakeholders, including members of TIAC, to find creative and innovative ideas to expedite and support the recovery of our tourism sector across Canada, including in my home communities of Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Fort Erie.

Constable Shaelyn Yang

[Terry Beech, Liberal, Burnaby North—Seymour, BC]

Mr. Speaker, our community has suffered an incalculable loss. Constable Shaelyn Yang was killed in the line of duty on Tuesday. At 31, in the prime of her life, she was working every day to make our community a better place.

As I stood with all members in silence yesterday to honour her memory and her service, I struggled to find the words I might say to her family and to her loved ones. I think about the families of her fellow officers, whose partners, mothers and fathers continue to serve so selflessly so that we can all be safe.

I would like to ask that all Canadians who might hear this very short speech at one point or another take some extra effort to appreciate a first responder. It might be a police officer, a firefighter, a paramedic or a nurse. It would be a great way to honour Shaelyn’s service and, honestly, it is impossible for any one of us to say “thank you” enough.

Small Business Week

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this week is Small Business Week, a time to celebrate the backbone of Canada's economy.

Small business owners are our unsung heroes who employ nearly two-thirds of workers across the country. From my riding of Lambton—Kent—Middlesex to Victoria to Whitehorse to Regina to Halifax, millions of Canadians rely on meaningful paycheques from small businesses to feed their families.

The new Conservative leader will put the people first: their paycheques, their savings, their homes and their country. The Conservatives will fight the Liberal government's high payroll taxes, carbon tax, wasteful spending and careless attitude that is costing hard-working Canadians their jobs.

This Small Business Week, I encourage everyone to shop local, support small business and know that the Conservatives are doing the same. I thank all Canadians who own or work for a small business for what they do.

Home Ownership

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

Mr. Speaker, first-time homebuyers in Canada are giving up on the idea of ever owning a home due to the housing crisis. The average cost of a detached home in my riding of King—Vaughan is $1.8 million. Canadians are already struggling with their budgets. Buyers are not able to qualify for a mortgage. This is due in part to the high interest costs by the Bank of Canada.

The qualification process used by financial institutions include principle and interest, property tax and, of course, heating costs. The tripling of the carbon tax will further reduce the purchasing power.

The Liberal government has created more problems than it is solving in our housing market. The government needs to commit to stopping the tax increase. The dream of home ownership under the government has become a nightmare.

The government must demonstrate compassion and understanding toward the desire of Canadians to own a home. The Conservatives will work to make this a reality.

National Small Business Week

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this is national small and medium-sized business week, and I am proud of our government's support for innovative projects that move our economy, our community and our country forward.

There is a small business in Châteauguay-Lacolle called Logiag, whose agrology and agricultural engineering experts help farmers adopt innovative, sustainable practices. With funding from the agricultural clean technology program, Logiag will participate in our greenhouse gas reduction strategy by calculating how much carbon is sequestered in farmland. That is just one example among many of our government's contribution to our SMEs.

Together we will build an economy that benefits everyone.

Labour

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as a proud Hamiltonian, it is an honour to rise in the House and report that the “spirit of '46” is alive in the NDP caucus. We continue our fight for workers' rights to collectively bargain with their employers and, when necessary, withdraw their labour in order to push back against a tax on their wages, working conditions, pensions and benefits.

For decades, the New Democrats have introduced anti-scab legislation in the House to ensure that during labour disputes the use of scab replacement workers does not undermine the ability of workers to negotiate fairly or hurt labour relations. Scabs prolong strikes and lockouts and give employers little incentive to reach a fair deal. In the past, Liberals and Conservatives teamed up and voted against our anti-scab legislation.

Today, I am proud to also report that we have not stopped fighting for workers and have used our power in this Parliament to force the Liberals to include legislation to ban replacement workers. That includes not just strikes but lockouts as well. We will always fight for more democratic workplaces, democratic economies and to improve the material conditions of working-class people in our country.

International Poetry Festival of Trois‑Rivières

[René Villemure, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the 38th edition of the International Poetry Festival of Trois‑Rivières came to a close just a few days ago. This year, 2022, approximately 60 poets from around the world gave more than 250 performances that were enjoyed by tens of thousands of poetry lovers.

Ukraine was at the heart of this year's festival. In collaboration with the Ukrainian poet Dmytro Tchystiak, the festival wanted to give a voice to the Ukrainian people by presenting approximately 60 works by their poets. These poems were featured and translated, and then hung on the “clothesline of poetry”.

I am proud of the festival's success and would like to congratulate Gaston Bellemare, its president, Maryse Baribeau, the executive director, and the entire festival team for making Trois‑Rivières the capital of poetry.

The festival adds to the beauty of our world and brings elegance to its anguish, providing respite for the heart and soul.

The Economy

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, food prices are up 11% and Canadians are struggling to put healthy food on the table because of Liberal inflation.

The Liberals could throw Canadian families a lifeline by cancelling their planned tax hikes on food, fuel and home heating. Instead, it seems the Liberals are determined to increase the cost of living with bad policies like failing to establish a Canadian vaccine bank for foot and mouth disease, putting out entire livestock industry at risk; by forcing front-of-pack labelling on manufacturers; by failing to give deemed trust to our fruit and vegetable growers; by putting a tariff on fertilizer and farms; and. now, tripling the carbon tax on farms and every aspect of our food supply chain.

Grocery prices are at a 41-year high and 1.4 million Canadian kids live in households with food insecurity. Canadian families can no longer afford the Liberal government.

There is hope on the horizon. A new Conservative leader, who does think about monetary policy, will end the Liberals' unjust inflation and ensure every Canadian can put affordable food on their table.

Curling

[Terry Duguid, Liberal, Winnipeg South, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Don Duguid won every conceivable championship in curling, including two men’s world championships, three Canadian men’s championships and a Canadian masters championship, to name a few.

He was the face and the voice of curling both in Canada and abroad for almost 40 years, and no individual has had a bigger impact on the spread of curling throughout the world. He was curling’s very first colour commentator, beginning a 29-year career with the CBC in 1972, followed by seven years at NBC covering five Olympics as well as countless Briers, Scotties and other championships. He was inducted into the Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame and was the very first inductee into the World Curling Hall of Fame. He was awarded the Order of Manitoba in 2014.

Today, curling great, and my father, Don Duguid received the Order of Canada from the Governor General. I want to congratulate my dad.

The Economy

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, this Prime Minister added $100 billion to our national debt before COVID‑19 and $500 billion to it before Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He doubled the national debt by adding more debt than all of the other Canadian prime ministers in the history of our country combined. All of that money is driving up the cost of the goods that we buy and the interest that we pay.

All of a sudden, today, the Minister of Finance has done a flip-flop by recognizing that these inflationary deficits are increasing the cost of living. How can we trust the people who caused inflation to reverse it?

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

Mr. Speaker, we have the lowest deficit and the lowest debt in the G7. We also introduced a budget that proposes to reduce government spending by $9 billion. We also have the highest growth in the G7.

While the Conservatives are busy playing petty politics, our government brought Rio Tinto to Sorel-Tracy. Our government brought Moderna to Montreal. We are the ones who are going to ensure the long-term resilience of our economy.