Debates of March 2nd, 2022

The Environment

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the solution to Ukraine and Europe's energy dependence on Russia is not Canadian fossil fuels, but the green transition. That is what Ukraine and the UN are saying.

However, in Canada, we might say that depends a bit on who is talking. Yesterday, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change said, “we have to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels...to reduce our dependence on countries like Russia”.

Today, the Prime Minister is doing everything in his power not to close the door on the idea of sending resources to Europe, but he has to make a choice. Is he right, or is his minister right?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as I said very clearly, we know that we must reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. We will always work to protect the environment and transform our economy and our energy sources.

On the other hand, I am sure that the hon. member is not suggesting that we should not help our friends in Ukraine and our friends in Europe because we want to be greener than green.

We will be there to give them what they need, because they are in need and are in a terrible situation because of Russia. We will be there to help them, and we will also be there for the green transition.

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, just this week, despite everything it is going through, Ukraine stated that the world must not give up the fight against climate change. We are going to help continue the fight.

The UN is asking Canada to accelerate the energy transition, and the IPCC is telling us that the world is on fire and that half the world's population will suffer as a result.

In this context, let us be very specific. The Prime Minister must make a decision on the Bay du Nord project and the 300 million or so barrels of additional oil involved. Will the Prime Minister approve Bay du Nord, yes or no?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as the member well knows, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada is conducting an assessment of the Bay du Nord project.

It is an important decision, and we will deal with it accordingly. These assessments are done at arm's length from the government and are science based. Once the assessment has been completed, the Minister of the Environment will make a decision and announce it.

The Economy

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, today the Bank of Canada began to raise interest rates. I know the Prime Minister might be surprised, because it was he who famously once said that he does not think about monetary policy.

Millions of Canadians will begin to see their mortgage and credit card interest rates go up, making life even more unaffordable for them. With inflation rising and interest rates going up, what is the Prime Minister's plan to address this inflation and affordability crisis in Canada?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have been focused on having Canadians' backs for many years now. During this inflation crisis, which is caused by the pandemic and present all around the world, we are doing exactly that.

We committed to lowering Canadians' cellphone bills by 25%. We did that. We committed to working with provinces and territories to cut child care fees in half this year. Families are already seeing real savings as a result. We committed to raising the federal minimum wage. It is now $15 an hour. By delivering on an enhanced Canada worker benefit, more families will benefit from that support. These are real supports that support Canadians. We will continue to deliver.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I just want to pause the hon. member for Abbotsford for a second.

We were doing so well, but things started to get rowdy again. I just want to pause and let everybody take a deep breath.

The hon. member for Abbotsford.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is very clear that the Prime Minister still is not interested in monetary policy, but he has a keen interest in spending taxpayers' dollars. His out-of-control borrowing has left future generations with a massive debt, raging inflation and rising interest rates. Canadian families with mortgages and credit card bills are being left behind as life becomes more unaffordable.

When will this Prime Minister take an interest in monetary policy, and when will he finally turn his mind to solving Canada's affordability crisis?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are once again caught in a terrible contradiction. They deplore the fact that the cost of living is going up for Canadians because of this global inflation crisis, yet they want us to do even less to help them out. We will choose to have Canadians' backs. We will choose to invest in child care. We will choose to invest in workers. We will choose to invest in supporting Canadians, because we know, as we saw through this pandemic, that the right kinds of investments in families now leave them better off years into the future.

Housing

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, that is just my point. This Prime Minister has spent more and achieved less than any prime minister in our history. He has forced our central bank to jack up interest rates and created a cost-of-living crisis that has put unbelievable pressure on Canadians. With skyrocketing house prices and rising interest rates, the dream of home ownership has become a pipe dream for Canadians. Inflation is rising, the cost of everything has gone through the roof, and now interest rates are on their way up.

When will the Prime Minister take this crisis seriously and begin to take an interest in monetary policy?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, for almost 10 years under the previous Conservative government, there was no interest in investing in housing or in dealing with the challenges that people were facing in terms of housing. We changed that in 2017 with a national housing strategy, and we are continuing to invest to counter this crisis.

We are putting forward strong programs, and I will take no lessons from Conservative politicians on housing when their plan in the last election on housing was to give tax breaks to the wealthiest landlords to help them sell their buildings. That does not help families get into homes.

Official Languages

[Sophie Chatel, Liberal, Pontiac, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I, along with many of my constituents in Pontiac, care deeply about our two official languages. Our government remains firmly committed to protecting the French language in Quebec, of course, and across Canada.

Could the Prime Minister tell us what our government is doing to protect our two official languages?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Pontiac for her hard work and her advocacy for our two official languages.

Yesterday was a historic day for the advancement of these two official languages. We are taking responsibility and taking action within our jurisdictions to do more to protect and promote the French language, while defending our official language minority communities. We committed to proceeding even more quickly with the modernization of the Official Languages Act, and this ambitious reform is concrete evidence of that commitment.

Health

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the tourism industry is still being affected by public health measures, and even replacing PCR tests with antigen tests will cost a lot of money for nothing because the tests still have to be certified by a health care professional.

Canadians are not even taking short trips to the United States because they are worried about being exiled from their own country for 10 days or facing fines of up to $5,000.

When will the government eliminate testing at the border?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we were very pleased we were able to relax the rules at the border a few weeks ago based on science and public health recommendations. We know how much Canadians want to travel and to be done with the COVID-19 pandemic.

To put the pandemic behind us, we need to remain vigilant. That is why an antigen test to return to Canada is an easy and much less onerous approach that will make it easier for Canadians to travel in the coming months.

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, provinces are moving away from testing individuals for COVID-19. There is almost no contact tracing at all. Canadians without symptoms must use rapid antigen tests with a very high false negative rate. Given that we have minimal domestic testing and tracing, Canadians returning home are being unfairly penalized.

The science is clear. On what date will the government end land border mandates for Canadians exercising their charter right to return home to Canada?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as we have since the very beginning, we will continue to ensure that we are doing everything necessary to keep Canadians safe. That is what has guided us throughout this pandemic, and that has actually led to far better health outcomes and economic outcomes than most, if not all, of our peer countries.

We will continue to do what is necessary to keep Canadians safe at the borders. Of course, provinces and territories will continue to make decisions in their jurisdictions. Our job, as a federal government, is to give them the tools they need, from vaccines to rapid tests to treatments, and to keep people safe. That is what we will continue to do.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, all of the provinces in Canada have announced their plan to reduce and eliminate public health measures across the country. Meanwhile, in Ottawa, we are still waiting for the Prime Minister to have the courage to present his end-of-pandemic plan with regard to mandatory vaccination.

Canadians are fed up with Liberal incompetence. When will the Prime Minister finally inform Canadians in a clear and transparent way, without mocking them, about the government's intentions—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order. The right hon. Prime Minister.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians stepped up in large numbers to get vaccinated, and it is, in large part, due to those efforts that we can adapt our measures at the border so that Canadians can travel and people can visit Canadians more easily.

As we have done every step of the way, we will continue to follow the science and evidence to protect Canadians. That is what we will continue to do.

Youth

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

Mr. Speaker, Cloverdale—Langley City is the third-youngest riding in British Columbia. Our government has always stood up for young Canadians and their futures through systems of programs and support.

Could the Prime Minister tell the House how youth programs will help to enrich the lives of young people both in Cloverdale—Langley City and across Canada?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Cloverdale—Langley City for his question and his extraordinary dedication to young people.

We know that the future of our country rests with our youth. During the pandemic, young Canadians experienced more job losses than any other demographic. For many young people, this caused worry about things like building their savings and paying for school.

Budget 2021 invested $5.7 billion to help young Canadians pursue their education, to provide relief from student loan debt and to create 215,000 new work opportunities. We will continue to work hard to support our young Canadians and make sure their voices are heard.

Indigenous Affairs

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, indigenous communities in northern Alberta are reeling from the potential discovery of another 169 indigenous children in unmarked graves. This is a horror we cannot look away from. This is a horror that we cannot get used to, and we have to heed the calls from indigenous communities for justice.

When will the Prime Minister appoint a special prosecutor to prosecute those responsible for these horrific crimes?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are profoundly saddened by the findings in Kapawe'no. Our thoughts are with the first nation and with all indigenous communities across Canada.

Our government remains committed to supporting families, survivors and communities in commemorating those who never made it home. We will continue to provide support as the needs arise and work with indigenous communities to undertake this work while respecting the wishes of communities and of the families that are grieving.