Debates of Oct. 3rd, 2022

Taxation

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the tax has failed. The Liberals have missed every single emissions target they have set since they put it in. According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, the vast majority of Canadians are paying massively more in carbon tax costs than they get back in rebates. The problem is about to worsen as the government plans to triple the tax on gas, groceries and heat. Canadians are already cutting back on their diets. Adults are living in their folks' basement because they cannot afford a new house.

Will the government cancel this insane plan to triple the tax?

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

Mr. Speaker, I have a riddle. Who said, “We recognize that the most efficient way to reduce our emissions is to use pricing mechanisms?” One could say it was the Minister of the Environment, or my friend and colleague, the Minister of Natural Resources, or the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, but no, it was the member for Durham, and I agree with him. Pricing mechanisms are the most effective way to fight climate change pollution, and he said that in April of 2021.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, tripling a tax at a time like this is not just insane it is cruel. This is going to happen even in British Columbia. It has its own tax there, but the federal government, the costly coalition of the NDP and Liberals, want to force B.C. to triple its tax now at a time when gas prices are at $2.40 a litre.

Once again, for the third time, will they cancel their plan to triple the tax?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Leader of the Opposition for allowing me this opportunity to talk about the fact they were getting their next time. Carbon pricing is good.

What they wanted to put in place was the principle of pay to pollute. That is not how we do it on this side of the House. The principle is polluters pay and not pay to pollute. Next time, when they flip-flop again on carbon pricing, like they have done about 15 times in the last 10 years, pricing pollution is good, the polluter pays principle. They need to go that extra step.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, there they go. The Liberals want to divide and distract. They attacked the little old lady living in rural Newfoundland, calling her a polluter for the crime of heating her home in February. According to the Liberal premier of that province, after the forthcoming increase in the carbon tax, the increased cost of heating the homes of rural Newfoundlanders will have gone up by 80%. Worse yet, the government wants to triple the tax. Why will it not axe the tax?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to announce that we are putting in place a program to help tens of thousands of Canadians get off home heating oil. The price of home heating oil is skyrocketing because of the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia. We will put a quarter of a billion dollars to help tens of thousands of Canadians go to clean, efficient, renewable energy in Canada to heat their homes and save money.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, just what we need, a new government program to help us pay the cost of a government tax. People do not have to worry if they live in the countryside of Atlantic Canada, where 40% of people now live in energy poverty after the government has been in power for seven years, because there is a new government program coming. They do not need to worry about freezing in the dark as this new tax comes in. That is what it wants people to believe.

Canadians are not stupid. Canadians are not polluters. They need to heat their homes and travel in a big cold country.

Will the government cancel its plan to triple the tax?

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians understand that climate change is real and Canadians also understand that the global economy is in the midst of a green transition. It is the biggest transition since the industrial revolution.

Our government believes that we need to help Canadians with the green transition. We need to help Canadian companies, like our auto manufacturers. We need to help Canadian families, like those families in Atlantic Canada that want to get off home heating oil.

We are going to help Canadians with climate action because that is the right thing to do.

Public Services and Procurement

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

Mr. Speaker, the decision to make Roxham Road and all its facilities permanent raises some serious ethical questions.

We know that the government awarded two Liberal donors at least seven contracts without a bidding process. We have no idea if there are more.

Since the government refuses to disclose all the contracts, this afternoon, I will be asking the Standing Committee on Ethics to investigate the ethical aspect of awarding contracts.

If the government has nothing to hide, it should disclose these documents itself. Will it make public all the federal contracts tied to Roxham Road?

[Helena Jaczek, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, transparency and accountability are critically important to our government.

The rental agreement was negotiated based on a fair market value to arrive at a competitive price. Disclosing confidential contractual information would violate the agreement we have with the supplier.

We will continue to work with the departments and agencies to meet their needs through fair and open contracts.

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

Mr. Speaker, honestly, we are not talking about top secret documents here. We are talking about leases signed for land, trailers and hotel rooms.

By refusing to disclose all the contracts tied to Roxham Road on a questionable pretext, the government is the one sowing doubt. The government is the one whose actions are reminding us of the billions of dollars awarded without a call for tenders to the big Liberal family during the pandemic. The government is the one suggesting that there is something to hide.

Why wait to be forced to be transparent? Why not simply disclose the contracts?

[Helena Jaczek, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, transparency and accountability are critically important to our government. The rental agreement was negotiated based on fair market value to arrive at a competitive price. Given the location of the land and its proximity to the border, this was an ideal location for CBSA to use for this purpose.

Our government is delivering open, fair and transparent procurement processes, while obtaining the best value for Canadians.

Employment Insurance

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, tens of thousands of homes and businesses are still without power in Atlantic Canada after hurricane Fiona. People have been unable to leave their homes and go to work. They need urgent help as they continue the long recovery.

The Atlantic provinces are asking for employment insurance to help people get through this crisis, and so far they have had no response from the government.

Will the Liberals do the right thing and move immediately to waive EI rules for Atlantic Canadians so that these families can put food on the table at this critical time?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, we understand the seriousness and the challenges that Atlantic Canadians are facing when it comes to work right now. We are there with them on the ground. Service Canada has waived the requirement for record of employment. We are looking at what we can do to be more helpful. We are on top of this. I can assure members we will be there for Atlantic Canadian workers.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, they did it for British Columbia. Now it is time to do it for Atlantic Canada.

The Conservative leader is going after workers in order to give millions to CEOs. A contribution is not a tax, it is an investment in the future. It looks as though a recession is inevitable, and families will need protection. Workers are at risk of losing their jobs and the Liberals are dragging their feet on employment insurance. The old system is letting people down, and the Liberals are doing nothing.

We need a modern, effective and accessible system for seasonal workers and the self-employed, and we need it now.

When will the Liberals wake up? In the middle of a recession?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, our government understands that EI benefits need to be more fair, more responsive and more adaptable to the needs of Canada's ever-evolving workforce.

That is why we are committed to delivering a full-scale modernization of Canada's EI system. We look forward to launching our long-term plan to improve the EI system.

Foreign Affairs

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Mahsa Amini, two words that echoed around the world over the weekend, as hundreds of thousands of people protested against the terrorist regime in Iran. In Canada were among the biggest protests, but the Prime Minister did not have the guts to show up, because he did not want to have to explain why he had failed to criminalize the IRGC, the terrorist arm of the Iranian government, which killed over 50 Canadians when it attacked a civilian aircraft.

Will the Prime Minister have the guts to stand today and announce that he is banning this terrorist organization?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, we condemn, in the most unequivocal terms, the tragic killing of Mahsa Amini and we stand with the women, her family and her supporters at this very difficult time.

There needs to be consequences for everyone who was responsible for that killing and, indeed, all of the transgressions of human rights in Iran, which is why there are tangible consequences, including, just last week, the Minister of Foreign Affairs listing the morality police as one of those parties that will be sanctioned.

We will continue to explore all options when it comes to holding those responsible and defending human rights here and around the world.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, we do not need symbolic sanctions; we need real action against this terrorist organization, and we need it now.

The minister says that he is still exploring. This terrorist organization murdered over 50 Canadians by shooting down a civilian aircraft over two years ago. The government promised that it would ban that terrorist organization. Not long after that, it still has not done it. It is perfectly legal for that group to raise money and organize logistics on Canadian soil after it killed our people. What kind of prime minister fails to stand up for his own citizens after they have been murdered?

Why will he not stand in this place today and ban this group?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, what is happening in Iran is completely unacceptable. This is the regime that is persecuting women. This is the same regime that decided to down Flight PS752.

Therefore, we are sanctioning the IRGC's core leadership. We are imposing new sanctions and we will do more, because more needs to be done.

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, I attended an event in my riding on Friday morning in support of Wendake's Comptoir Agoshin, which provides food and clothing to those in need. I also attended the grand opening of the Val Bon Coeur community fridge in Val-Bélair.

I wanted to share that because these two important events are both about food aid. This is a challenge many families in Quebec and across Canada are facing. People need to eat, but they cannot afford food.

Will the government recognize that and do the bare minimum, which is not raise taxes?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, we understand that the cost of living is high for families.

That is why we introduced the Canada child benefit in 2015. Since then, it has lifted 450,000 children across the country out of poverty.

We are here for families, we have been here for families, and we will be here for families.

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

Mr. Speaker, we are talking about the essentials. We are talking about food. We are talking about families in need. We are talking about people who, as recently as a year ago, were donating food but now need it themselves. That is the reality in Canada today. We are talking about a G7 country.

What the government wants to do is raise taxes.

Could the government at least show some compassion and understand that the answer to the Liberal carbon tax is no, no and no?

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

Mr. Speaker, we understand very well that Canadian families are struggling with affordability today.

That is why we are going to increase our inflation relief plan. I am thrilled that the Conservatives have decided to support this measure, which will give Canadian families $500. Now is also the time for the Conservatives to support our plan for children's dental care and housing payments. That is real support.

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Mr. Speaker, there are two constants with the Liberal government: Liberals have never seen a tax they do not like; they have never seen a tax they will not hike.

Conservatives know that a dollar is better left with Canadians than in the hands of the politicians who taxed it. Therefore, will this government cancel its plan to triple, triple, triple its carbon tax on groceries, gasoline and home energy fuels?