Debates of Oct. 25th, 2022

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, let me simply correct the record by saying, as I have said before, that we actually have the lowest deficit among G7 countries. It is hovering around 1%. That is almost zero deficit.

Let me also come back to the importance of the measures we put in place and the importance of supporting Canadians when they needed it most. It ensured not only that Canadians continued to take home a paycheque and continued to be able to pay their rent and their mortgages, but that our economy came roaring back even stronger than it was prior to the pandemic thanks to the smart investments we made and the fiscal responsibility we still maintain today.

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, the member is in deficit fantasy land.

Our leader and our party have been calling for weeks for the Liberals to cancel taxes on Canadians, yet the Liberals are still planning to triple the carbon tax. I am going to ask this again today: Will they stop their punishing plans to increase the carbon tax and drive up the cost of gas, groceries and home heating, yes or no?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to quote the member for Durham, who said, “We recognize that the most efficient way to reduce our emissions is to use pricing mechanisms.” We agree, and I will also quote the member for New Brunswick Southwest, who said, “The backstop will kick in, the feds will take it over, and...cheques will begin to roll out to New Brunswick”.

That is exactly what we are doing. We are fighting climate change and supporting Canadians.

Sport

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

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Sport recently announced the renewal of $25.3 million in funding over three years for gender equity in sport. This investment will help recruit and retain women and girls, and will support ongoing efforts to achieve gender equity in sport at all levels by 2035.

Can the minister explain how this new contribution will help women in sport?

[Pascale St-Onge, Liberal, Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Châteauguay—Lacolle for the great work she does. We want to see more girls and women participating in sports, but we also want to see more women coaches, women officials and women in leadership positions.

This investment is about making all levels of sport in Canada more inclusive and accessible. We know this will make a big difference in the Canadian sport system. As we have seen recently, women's place in sport is still being undermined, but we are here to change that.

Taxation

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have mismanaged our national debt. They counted on low interest rates to continue spending. Now they will have to tax people and tax them again to make it all work. After undermining our energy sector, the government was unable to adequately prepare for the global economic shock. Inflation is devastating families, and people have no money and no breathing room.

Will the Liberals promise to show some compassion and cancel the carbon tax increase?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have an extremely short memory. The programs that were brought in during COVID‑19 required unanimous support. We did not have time to debate it in the House. Every party needed to approve every program. The Conservatives could have blocked each program every time, but they did not. We talked about it, we negotiated and they approved each program that we introduced, unless they too were not being sincere then either.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Mr. Speaker, people in my part of Alberta were just hit with five inches of snow, and more is on the way. Winter is coming, and Canadians will need to heat their homes to keep out of the cold.

Why is the Prime Minister taxing home heating fuel like it is some kind of luxury? Has he forgotten we live in Canada? When will he do the right thing and cancel his plan to triple the taxes on gas, groceries and home heating?

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

Mr. Speaker, the only way to eliminate energy poverty is to reduce household costs in energy by fighting climate change.

With the volatility of oil prices and the record profits of oil companies, the Conservatives are proposing that Canadians be chained to the oil and gas markets and be completely vulnerable to foreign wars and cartels. Our plan is to give Canadians autonomy and sovereignty in their energy needs and finances.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Mr. Speaker, honestly, the Liberals need to start listening to Canadians. They cannot afford to put food on their tables, put gas in their tanks or to heat their homes. The Prime Minister insists on punishing Canadians for the crime of just heating their homes or putting food on their tables. He thinks it is a crime. It is just ludicrous.

While the Prime Minister can afford to jet set around the world on the taxpayers' dime, Canadians are just trying to afford basic necessities. Will the NDP-Liberal government have some decency and cancel its plans to triple the carbon tax?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we are listening to Canadians. In fact, we have measures on the floor of the House right now that would support low-income Canadians, such as rental supports for low-income Canadians and dental supports for low-income children.

The Conservatives continue to have an opportunity to support those. They did not and I do not know why they did not, but if they did care about Canadians' household income and did care about making sure that Canadians had those dollars in their pockets, they would have supported rental and dental support.

Disaster Assistance

[Churence Rogers, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

Mr. Speaker, a month ago, one of the strongest storms hit this country and destroyed homes and forever altered the lives of thousands of people in Atlantic Canada. In the first days after the storm, we saw neighbours go above and beyond to help their neighbours. Local charities, non-profits and even the Canadian Armed Forces stepped up to help our communities. I offer them my deepest thanks.

However, while the immediate danger is passed, there are many people who still need help. Can the Minister of Emergency Preparedness tell this House how the federal government will continue to support my constituents and the people of Atlantic Canada in the months ahead?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, let me first say that I believe what it is in the thoughts of every member of this House and remains in our hearts is the member's constituents and all those who were impacted by hurricane Fiona. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my thanks to the many people and organizations who stepped up when the storm struck and who were there to help when people needed it most.

In true Canadian spirit, people from coast to coast have chipped in to support ongoing relief efforts. Over $22 million has been fundraised so far for the Red Cross's work, and our government is matching every dollar raised. In recognition of Canadians' generous spirit, we recently extended this donation matching program to October 31. I want to assure my colleagues that we will be there for people throughout this recovery.

The Environment

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are experiencing the devastation of the climate emergency. Natural disasters, like hurricane Fiona, are leaving entire communities reeling. Local governments want leadership from the Liberals on climate-resilient infrastructure. It is past due for infrastructure funding to live up to the times.

The government would rather give billions in subsidies to big oil and gas instead of helping people fight the climate crisis. When are the Liberals going to stop dragging their feet and fund the resilient infrastructure that communities need?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, according to an independent international report, we are now investing in Canada twice as much in clean technologies and renewable energy than we are in fossil fuels, but that is just the beginning. We have already invested $4 billion in adaptation measures, and we will be announcing in the coming months our national adaptation strategy to work with provinces, territories, indigenous leadership and municipalities to better prepare Canadians for climate change.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, over 600 students, including 80 Ukrainian refugees, at the University of Alberta were not able to go to school this September because they could not get a study permit. Because of IRCC delays and backlogs, students are choosing to study elsewhere and it is costing Canadian universities millions of dollars.

The minister needs to be held accountable for ruining the lives of students who just want to study in Canada. When will the government fix the shameful problems at IRCC for students and for all those wanting to come to Canada?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, with enormous respect to my colleague who posed the question, I point out that we have actually processed the largest number of study permits this year compared to any year on record. We have had 30% this year over last year, which represents a 30% increase over the record-setting year prior.

In addition, we know we need to do more to continue to support international students. I am pleased to remind the House we recently have made a change to lift the cap on the number of hours international students can work and have adopted new measures to make it more flexible so students can continue to pursue their studies online before they arrive in Canada. We will look under every stone, we will turn them over to find solutions to support international students, because it is good for Canada.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I wish to draw the attention of members to the presence in the gallery of the 2022 Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering prize winner, Lenore Fahrig.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Also with us are the winners of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council's John C. Polanyi Award, Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering, Synergy Awards for Innovation and the Arthur B. McDonald Fellowships.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I would also like to draw the attention of members to the presence in the gallery of Louise Bernice Halfe — Sky Dancer, the ninth parliamentary poet laureate.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

Oath of Allegiance

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a very serious matter. The member for Beloeil—Chambly today made a very disturbing statement when he clearly stated that his oath of allegiance to the Crown was not sincere. If it was not sincere, it is as if he never took it.

As such, I believe the Speaker should look into the appropriateness of the member continuing to sit in this place. We all know the Constitution states that each member must take an oath or make a solemn affirmation and that breaching this would be a very serious offence.

I would ask you, Mr. Speaker, to reflect on this and come back to the House with a ruling.

Speaker's Ruling

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

If I can have members' attention, it is a very serious item and each and every member does take an oath. However, we do have a precedent set here on page 209, chapter 4 of the 3rd edition of Bosc and Gagnon. Let me quote it.

...the Speaker was asked in 1990 to rule on the sincerity of a Member’s solemn affirmation. Speaker Fraser ruled that the Chair was “not empowered to make a judgement on the circumstances or the sincerity with which a duly-elected Member takes the oath of allegiance. The significance of the oath to each Member is a matter of conscience and so it must remain”.