Debates of Nov. 18th, 2022

Taxation

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Madam Speaker, that answer is cold comfort to the millions of Canadian families that are going to struggle to heat their homes this winter.

The Liberals said that inflation was transitory and that interest rates would never go up. Now interest rates and mortgage payments are through the roof, and millions of Canadians are going to struggle to make their payments. The Liberals are also going to raise the payroll tax. Canadians cannot pay higher mortgage payments and a higher carbon tax with a smaller paycheque.

When will the Liberals cancel these tax increases and the inflationary spending?

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

Madam Speaker, I think the Conservatives should be a little cautious about purporting to offer advice on handling inflation to Canadians. After all, it was their leader who advised Canadians to invest in crypto as a way of opting out of inflation. Had Canadians done that, they would have lost 65% of their savings or been totally wiped out. I hope the Conservatives will apologize to Canadians for that reckless advice.

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

Madam Speaker, this is from the woman who said that we would have deflation and interest rates would remain low for decades. The highest inflation in 40 years means Canadians cannot pay their bills, yet this costly coalition continues their out-of-control tax-and-spend agenda.

Will the Liberals have some compassion, end their inflationary spending and cut their plan to triple taxes on gas, home heating and groceries?

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

Madam Speaker, we learned this week that inflation in Canada had been stable or fallen for four months in a row. That is good news.

We also recognize that we need to take a fiscally responsible approach. I discussed that in a previous answer. We know Canadians need compassion too. That is why we are really glad to be able to send cheques for $500 to families who need it. We are glad to finally be able to say in Canada families are not going to have to choose between buying groceries and taking their kids to the dentist.

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

Madam Speaker, that is the Liberals: Give a little with one hand and take a lot with the other. Half of Canadians cannot pay their bills. They have lost hope. The Liberal government is out of touch and Canadians are out of money.

Again, will the Liberals end their inflationary spending and cancel their plan to triple taxes on gas, groceries and home heating?

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

Madam Speaker, our government will take no lessons from the Conservatives when it comes to supporting the most vulnerable Canadians.

It is our government that introduced the CCB. That is a policy that is indexed to inflation. It has lifted two million Canadians, including 450,000 Canadian children, out of poverty. That is good, important policy all Canadians can be proud of. The GIS, also indexed to inflation, is helping 900,000 Canadian seniors.

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

Madam Speaker, people are skipping meals and going hungry because they can no longer make ends meet.

It sounds like I am talking about people somewhere else in the world but no, I am talking about Canadians, people in Canada, in a G7 country. Every month, 671,000 Quebeckers, a third of whom are children, use food banks. The reasons are obvious: inflation and rising food prices.

Will this government stop impoverishing Canadian families and promise them that it will not raise taxes?

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

Madam Speaker, I definitely agree that today's global economic situation is difficult, and Canadians are struggling with affordability. That is why I find it astonishing that the Conservatives opposed two measures that we will be putting in place, namely the $500 payment to help vulnerable Canadians who are struggling to pay their rent and dental care for Canadian children.

How do the Conservatives justify their position?

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

Madam Speaker, it might be more important for people to have something to sink their teeth into before we worry about dental care.

Food insecurity is not even something we should be talking about in Canada, and yet one out of two employed people are experiencing food insecurity. Men and women who get up every day to go to work are going hungry. Things have gotten that bad in Canada. We have workers who are poor.

Will the government stop impoverishing families and guarantee them that it will not raise taxes?

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

Madam Speaker, I think it is worth recapping the Conservatives' plan and approach. What the Conservatives want to do is gut the employment insurance system, jeopardize seniors' pensions, make pollution free and leave children without dental care. They do not want to give $500 to the less fortunate who are having a hard time paying their rent. That is a problem.

The Environment

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Madam Speaker, the Canadian oil monarchy wants to prevent the final COP27 report from including a sentence on the importance of phasing out fossil fuels. Even a small, non-binding sentence is too much. Canada is coming to the rescue of the oil companies.

We will not solve climate change without reducing oil and gas production. Either that or we scrap the planet. The Liberals will have to decide: Is the minister they sent to COP27 the Minister of Environment or the Minister of Oil?

[Terry Duguid, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Madam Speaker, as many members in the House know, we have the most ambitious climate plan in the history of Canada. It is a $9.1-billion emissions reduction plan that is as much an economic plan as it is an environmental plan. We are going to be eliminating fossil fuel subsidies. We are going to be capping oil and gas emissions. We are going to be building the clean economy of tomorrow, which will be a $2.5-trillion economy. We have to catch that wave.

Natural Resources

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Madam Speaker, the only thing more infuriating than Canada's actions at COP27 is its apology. Yesterday, when we asked the government why it continues to approve oil projects in the midst of a climate crisis, it said that a net-zero world will always need oil, for example to lubricate the parliamentary secretary's bike.

I just want to clarify something. If the government approved Bay du Nord and its billion of barrels of oil and if it approves offshore oil exploration in Newfoundland, is it really just to lubricate bicycle chains?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Madam Speaker, let me be very clear. I have said it before, and I will say it again. Even in a net-zero world, we will always need oil for some things, and not just bike chain grease. We also need it to make lubricant for windmills. If members want to keep seeing latex gloves in our hospitals, we will always need oil. What we are going to do is cap greenhouse gas emissions. That is what we have to do. We have a plan, and we are putting it into action.

Elections Canada

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Madam Speaker, when the Prime Minister was briefed by CSIS that at least 11 candidates in the 2019 election illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Beijing, which violated multiple sections of the Canada Elections Act, the Prime Minister had to make a choice. He could report this illegal activity to Elections Canada so that it could investigate or he could cover it up.

What choice did the Prime Minister make?

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Madam Speaker, as I have said in the House previously, Canada's fair and free elections process was never, ever compromised. It is not just me saying that. This was determined by an independent panel of national security experts. Let us remember that the only ones who benefit from foreign interference are enemies of democracy.

I am disappointed that the opposition members, for five days now, have continued to amplify the foreign-interference messaging in the House. We should be standing together to stand up to this attack on our democracy.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Madam Speaker, after that third non-answer to my straightforward question, the only conclusion that can be reasonably drawn is that the Prime Minister made no report to Elections Canada.

The Prime Minister professes to be concerned about Beijing's interference in our elections, but when he had an opportunity to do something about it, to report the illegal activity to Elections Canada, he instead chose to cover it up.

Why? What is the Prime Minister hiding?

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Madam Speaker, foreign interference is a threat to the fabric of our democracy. We will continue to invest in our intelligence agencies, in CSIS, to ensure they have the resources they need to take action and ensure they are protecting the interest of Canadians. All members of the House should be standing side by side and standing up against foreign interference, and not implying things that were not said by the answers that are given. This is a problem for every member of the House. It is a problem for every Canadian.

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Madam Speaker, it is stain on our democracy, and every day that the Liberals refuse to be transparent about it, that stain continues to linger. The government knew there were 11 candidates who received illegal foreign funds in the 2019 election. Now, the Liberals have repeatedly said that this is a threat to our democracy. We agree, but they refuse to give us the evidence.

If the Liberals will not reveal the names to Parliament, will they at least confirm when and if the Prime Minister shared this information with the Commissioner of Canada Elections?

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Madam Speaker, I would like to just take a breath here and remember what is motivating foreign interference. Foreign interference is motivated by a desire to destroy the fabric of our democracy here in Canada. We are taking action by introducing legislation on cybersecurity. I hope the hon. member, who serves on the public safety committee, will assist our government in getting that legislation passed. We will always take protecting Canadian democracy seriously, and we will take every action, including legislative action, to make sure that happens.

[Richard Lehoux, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Madam Speaker, in January of this year, the Prime Minister was informed that 11 election campaigns had received illegal funds from foreign actors that may have influenced our elections. The government is refusing to disclose details about the campaigns involved and will not say what it is going do about it.

The question is simple: Did the Prime Minister inform the Commissioner of Canada Elections of these allegations or not? If not, when is he planning to do so?

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Madam Speaker, this is the fourth question today, and the fifth day of questions, on foreign interference. The opposition seems to not recognize who is being attacked in this foreign interference. It is not this side of the House. It is not that side of the House. It is every single member in the House.

Foreign interference is meant to sow chaos. It is meant to destroy our democracy. We need to be standing together. I invite them to support cybersecurity legislation. I invite them to support the actions other ministers have taken when it comes to mining and other actions our government is—

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

The hon. member for South Okanagan—West Kootenay.

Post-Secondary Education

[Richard Cannings, NDP, South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

Madam Speaker, Canada's graduate students and post-doctoral fellows are living in poverty because the government has not increased their wages in almost 20 years. This week, scientists were completely unimpressed when the minister tried to tell them that ongoing funding was new money. One Canada research chair even tweeted “just the same old investment with a shiny new bow.”

When will the Liberals stop pretending they support science and increase the funding for Canada graduate scholarships and post-graduate fellowships?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Madam Speaker, I think my colleague attended the same conference that I did. I did not get the same feedback he received, obviously, because I met with a thousand people who were there in the room, and we told the group what investments have been done by this government on science over the last few years.

We agree with him we need to do more for our graduate students, scientists and researchers. We want to promote science in this country. If there is one government in Canadian history that has done a lot for science, it is this government. We will continue to invest in science across our nation.