Debates of March 22nd, 2022

Opposition Motion—Tax Reduction on Gasoline and Diesel

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC]

Madam Speaker, does the member share the concern we have as New Democrats that if we put in place the measures in the Conservative motion today, oil companies would simply be able to scoop up the reduction in excess profits, as they have done repeatedly? Does she agree with the idea we put forward that applying this to home heating fuels would reach more vulnerable Canadians and would avoid the problem of gas companies simply increasing prices?

[Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Liberal, Hochelaga, QC]

Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question.

Indeed, as I said earlier, I think the intention is good, but the idea is bad. This is not the right approach. I think we need to provide direct assistance to Canadians across the country to help them cope with inflation. Our government has worked with all the provinces and territories to provide additional assistance during the pandemic.

I think that, in the future, we will have to work together to provide direct assistance to Canadians rather than doing things in a roundabout way and helping oil companies make more money.

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

Madam Speaker, I would ask my colleague to provide her thoughts with regard to the global situation. We have seen inflation around the world, and in comparison with other countries, whether it is the United States or other G20 countries, Canada is doing relatively well on fighting inflation. Could she provide her thoughts on that perspective?

[Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Liberal, Hochelaga, QC]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

I just returned from Chile, where I had the pleasure of representing Canada, our great country, at the swearing-in of the new Chilean president. The people of Chile are facing the same challenges, since this is a global reality.

We are very fortunate to live in a country where the government has introduced measures to help all Canadians. I am very pleased to continue this work with all members of the House.

[Andy Fillmore, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise today on the opposition motion brought forward by my Conservative colleague from Abbotsford.

Members may have noticed that there is an unmistakable air of non-partisanship in the House today and all throughout Ottawa. It is in this positive and productive spirit that I wish to invite my Conservative colleagues to work with us in partnership to serve the best interests of Canadians.

With that in mind, I will start by thanking the member for Abbotsford for raising this very important issue that I know is on the minds of many families across the country, from his side of the country to my own, and that is the rising cost of gasoline. On the surface, it is a bit confounding to see that an issue so very close to home for many Canadians, the price at the pump, is also a story about what is unfolding a world away with Russia's brutal, illegal, unprovoked and unjustified war with Ukraine, an invasion, it is worth noting, that is being funded by the very resource that we are discussing today.

One of the consequences of Putin's illegal invasion has been a sharp increase in oil and gas prices across the globe, including right here in Canada. While Canadians are willing to make sacrifices in order to preserve the freedom of the people of Ukraine and maintain European security, we know that the rise of the price of oil is placing the greatest burden on those who are least able to afford the sharp energy increases. Therein lies the hard truth for us as parliamentarians to consider.

We have a responsibility to seriously examine our reliance on a resource so volatile that a sudden turn of events, such as the heinous actions of a dictator across the globe, can have such a dire impact on how our own residents can afford to drive their cars to work or to heat their homes. However, here is where the Conservatives differ from the other parties in this place. Conservatives see this as an opportunity to yet again double down on this volatile resource, but doing so would only further endanger the financial well-being of low- and middle-income Canadians who will bear the brunt of the next sudden surge in gas prices, just like they are today.

There is a different way, a better way. As my father taught me long ago, when one is in a hole, stop digging.

This rise in gas prices only strengthens the case to speed up our transition to a carbon-neutral economy and to energy sources that will not fluctuate at the whim of world events: renewable energy like solar, wind and green hydrogen. A great example is the solar city program in Halifax, which puts solar panels on residential rooftops and is supported by the green municipal fund, a program of FCM funded by the Government of Canada.

We have a chance right now to signal that the federal government will not continue to put low- and middle-income Canadians in this difficult position again, and that comes down to how we allocate taxpayer dollars to support clean growth and the stable energy costs that Canadians deserve. We have done that already in a wide variety of ways, and here are a few local examples from my own riding of Halifax.

This summer, I announced the federal share of $112 million in joint funding from all orders of government to purchase 60 new battery-operated, zero-emission buses to electrify Halifax Transit, removing 3,800 tonnes of emissions annually by 2030. This funding also includes charging infrastructure for the fleet. In June, I announced a $5.5-million investment to create a renewable district energy system in the Cogswell Interchange redevelopment area in downtown Halifax, which is a project that will provide residents with a rate-stable, clean energy source for years to come by extracting waste heat from treated effluent in downtown Halifax.

I am proud of my past work as parliament secretary to the minister of infrastructure and communities to lead the development of Canada's first active transportation strategy and its associated $400-million fund, the first of its kind in Canada. This is in addition to the $25 million in joint funding from all three levels of government to improve the Halifax “all ages and abilities” bikeway network.

As a final example, I can share that productive discussions are under way between the federal government and the Atlantic provinces toward the development of the Atlantic loop, an interconnected, clean power grid that would serve as the foundation for a competitive, electrified economy across the Atlantic region.

These are just a few of the many measures we have taken, but we can still do more to cut and stabilize energy costs for Canadians so that we do not find ourselves back in this place again. The upcoming federal budget presents that opportunity. I sent out a pre-budget consultation survey to my residents in Halifax and received an overwhelming amount of feedback in return. Many were concerned about the cost of living and indeed the cost of energy.

In response, I wrote to the Minister of Finance with two ideas I think would be worth considering. One is an acceleration of the implementation of interest-free loans for green retrofits, announced in budget 2021. This would allow Canadians to reduce their energy bills, insulating them from further oil price shocks in the future. The second is an acceleration of our government's efforts to support the adoption of zero-emission vehicles, including adding 50,000 new electric vehicle chargers and hydrogen stations to Canada's growing network and expanding purchase incentives for zero-emission vehicles, which have been massively popular.

Work is already under way in Halifax to prepare for this transportation transition, as last year I announced funding to advance cost-effective energy solutions for an electric vehicle smart grid integrated system in Nova Scotia. I believe these are the more productive kinds of ideas needed to address the root cause of the strain being put on Canadians, which is our reliance on a volatile resource to heat our homes and power our vehicles.

Ultimately, this is about using the power of government to help Canadians who need it. However, the mechanism presented by the Conservatives in today's motion is not one that will achieve its desired effect. Although I do believe the Conservatives have submitted this suggestion because they want to provide relief at the pumps, there is still no guarantee that their proposed measure would do anything of the sort. In fact, it could result in energy companies pocketing even more astronomical profits, as they have over the past few weeks, without any benefit accruing to Canadian consumers whatsoever.

Instead of putting more money into the pockets of oil companies and executives, we should instead focus on putting money into the pockets of Canadians in need. That is what our Liberal government has been doing throughout our time in office with means-tested benefits, indexed to inflation, that are supporting Canadian families with the rising cost of living, measures like the Canada child benefit, cutting taxes on the middle class, increasing the OAS and GIS for seniors, introducing the Canada housing benefit for the housing insecure and slashing child care costs to $10 a day. These are the measures that have a positive impact on the pocketbooks of everyday Canadians, not the pocketbooks of big oil and gas, yet the Conservatives have routinely voted against these very measures. It certainly shows us where their priorities lie.

As I conclude, we will continue to be there for Canadians by providing them with the financial support they need to get ahead and to stay ahead, by funding the transition to net zero so that they do not have to live in fear of the next big oil shock, and by putting in place programs that rely on stable, reliable, clean energy sources that protect the planet and the pocketbooks of Canadians for years to come.

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

Madam Speaker, the member opposite hails from the same province I do. I find it fascinating that we are talking about electric buses, energy from thin air and the like. When I speak to the rural residents of Cumberland—Colchester, they wonder how they are going to get to the doctor's office, the hospital or the grocery store because, surprise, surprise, they all do it by car. How do they heat their homes? Most of them use home heating fuel, which is also known as diesel. This proposal would change things for Canadians overnight and cost the government nothing in a timely and proportioned response. How is the member opposite going to help with that?

[Andy Fillmore, Liberal, Halifax, NS]

Madam Speaker, my colleague from Nova Scotia raises important concerns. It is important that we get off this kind of monoculture of fuel we have been on for a long time. The importance is going to have to be in the diversification of transportation options, be that public transit, electric vehicles or the active transportation we have heard many people discuss. It is going to be very important to support rural transit as well as we go through this. The point is that we would like to create conditions in which Canadian families do not have the decision to own multiple vehicles forced upon them when there are alternative options to that.

Likewise, with respect to home heating, there is the solar city program I mentioned and energy retrofits for which we are providing zero-interest loans. The objective here is to diversify our sources of energy so that we never again have to live through a spike like we are right now.

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

I would ask hon. members to respect the people who are giving answers so that we can actually hear what the answer is.

Questions and comments.

The hon. member for Shefford.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his speech, in which he talked about everything his government is doing with the eco-energy retrofit program.

That is great, but meanwhile, his government gave billions of dollars to the oil companies again recently. This did not go unnoticed, and my colleague from Jonquière mentioned it in his speech this morning.

Would it not be better to invest this money in social programs first—

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

I am sorry to interrupt the member, but there is a lot of noise in the House and in the lobbies. Could we have a bit of order so we can hear the member's question?

The hon. member for Shefford.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Madam Speaker, my colleague talked about what his government has done with respect to green or energy-efficient retrofits. That is good. In the meantime, however, the numbers indicate that his government continues to invest heavily in the oil industry and in pipelines.

Would it not be better to invest that money in programs that help the victims of inflation, people with fixed incomes like seniors, including by increasing old age security starting at age 65, instead of 75 like his government is preparing to do?

Would it not be better to invest that money in the energy transition, in research and development, in much greener programs?

If that money were invested in those two things, it would go a long way to helping people deal with the problem of inflation.

[Andy Fillmore, Liberal, Halifax, NS]

Madam Speaker, our government has committed to and in fact ran on the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies and most recently has accelerated the phase-out, which does create capacity in past and upcoming budgets to support the very kinds of programs that the member raised so diligently today.

This will allow us to allocate more money to seniors and those living in need, more money for other methods of low- and zero-emission transit, as well as other means of heating homes and running industries.

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

Madam Speaker, through the discourse today and even through the first question and answer, I cannot help but be reminded of how, whenever the Conservatives talk about energy, they talk about energy as if there were only ever going to be one source of energy and it comes from fossil fuels.

The reality of the situation, as we know, is that different types of energy, renewable energies, energies that are created in a much more sustainable fashion than extracting fossil fuels from the ground, are just gaining more and more popularity. As a matter of fact, in Alberta itself—

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

Could we have some order please, so that we could actually hear the questions and then the answers. Thank you.

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

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

Madam Speaker, I was going to say that, in Alberta itself, the renewable energy industry has been employing more people for the last number of years than the fossil fuel industry. It is a signal that we are moving forward, and they are heckling that.

I am wondering if the parliamentary secretary could provide his comments as to where he sees the future as it relates to energy—

[Damien Kurek, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

Madam Speaker, on a point of order. I would simply encourage you to give the opportunity to the hon. member across the way to retract what was a categorical falsehood that he just referenced within this chamber.

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

That is obviously a matter for debate.

I will let the hon. parliamentary secretary give a very short answer.

[Andy Fillmore, Liberal, Halifax, NS]

Madam Speaker, I wish to thank my colleague for the wonderful question.

Where do I see the future of this? I look no further than my own home province of Nova Scotia and the Atlantic provinces that surround it for the future. The Atlantic loop, which is in discussions now, is going to create an improved electrical grid that would allow us to phase off of coal earlier than we expected and would allow all kinds of renewable inputs, wind, solar and others, as we electrify the lives of Atlantic Canadians.

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

The hon. member for Thornhill will have about four minutes to begin her speech.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Red Deer—Mountain View.

It is hard to think of a more appropriate debate to expose the consequences of what transpired between the government and the NDP this morning. While today it might seem politically expedient in the moment, Canadians lost out on having a voice in the NDP, who once played a critical role in championing issues like this, issues of affordability. I am actually rather surprised at some of those members, and I will be even more surprised at their silence as time goes on.

With the fallout from the broken trust with their constituents, coupled with a fire sale of their principles in exchange for what amounts to broken promises from the government year after year, it is far more important that Canadians understand the consequences of a bad deal, not only for the two political parties in the House but a bad deal for them.

To simplify this transaction, the NDP members of the House have agreed to never hold the government to account. In turn, the government has agreed to never control spending: higher spending, higher taxes. While I believe this to be a disingenuous attempt by politicians to protect themselves, I am far more concerned with the devastating impact this deal may have: higher spending, higher taxes, higher prices.

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

I will have to interrupt the hon. member. The noise in the antechamber is really bothersome. I can barely hear the hon. member's speech. Can people please quiet down? We are trying to have proceedings in the House.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Madam Speaker, today we have an opportunity to answer the call of Canadians from coast to coast, one that if we have even spent a moment outside of this place talking to anyone, just about anywhere, we would be hard pressed not to hear. It is the loud and clear call that skyrocketing inflation and the cost-of-living crisis is devastating families across Canada.

The inflation rate is at the highest point in 30 years. That is 5.7%, and it is growing faster than Canadian wages. For the average Canadian, that is equivalent to a pay cut of 5¢ for every loonie earned.

We will hear in the House today the government's greatest hits, featuring a litany of excuses stating that the inflation rate is a result of global supply chains being disrupted by COVID, leading to higher prices. We will hear the one-hit wonders of listing off countries and their corresponding inflation rates. There is also my very favourite, that somehow asking the government to acknowledge a cost-of-living crisis, which members of the House are hearing about from their constituents, is an attack on the Canadian economy and that we should be thankful because everything is absolutely fine.

What we will not hear is that the prices for Canadian products are rising the most and the fastest. That is the inconvenient truth of the matter when we speak to people at the grocery store.

International Day of La Francophonie

[Chris d'Entremont, Conservative, West Nova, NS]

Madam Speaker, last Sunday was International Day of La Francophonie. French is the sixth most spoken language in the world. This day was celebrated in francophone countries, but also in the small but important communities of Baie Sainte‑Marie and Par‑en‑Bas.

As a proud Acadian who lives in the francophone region, I know how important this day is to all francophones in my community. For many generations, we have been working very hard to preserve our beautiful French language and promote the culture that sets us apart and showcases Acadia to the world.

I want to thank and congratulate all those who contribute to growing our francophone communities throughout Nova Scotia. Francophonie Month is not over, and many activities are being held as part of Rendez-vous de la Francophonie to celebrate the francophonie, its diversity and its inclusivity across Canada.

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

Order. I do not know what is going on today. There is a lot of noise, especially outside the House. I would ask that everyone respect the work of the hon. members.

The hon. member for Malpeque.

Eliot River Elementary School

[Heath MacDonald, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise to recognize Eliot River Elementary School and its environmental and climate change initiatives. With a student body of 470, Eliot River recently won a national contest put on by Earth Rangers, a conservation organization. Eliot River collected over 3,000 kilograms of used batteries for proper recycling.

Eliot River's environmental spirit also led its students to another challenge of collecting over 300,000 single-use plastic bags through the plastic bag grab challenge. Using contest prize money and returns from a daily recyclable school program, Eliot River reinvested to help finance climate initiatives such as school roof solar panels, EV chargers and garden green spaces.

We could all learn from these elementary-aged students, their teachers and administrators. The staff and teachers, such as Darren Ford, are dedicated to educating children and their families through sustainable initiatives at the school. Our future is important to them, so as policy makers, their futures should be just as important to us.