Debates of March 22nd, 2022

Declaration of Emergency

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency.

Public Sector Integrity Commissioner

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

Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties, and if you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent to adopt the following motion. I move:

That, in accordance with subsection 39(1) of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act, S.C. 2005, c. 46, and pursuant to Standing Order 111.1(2), the House approve the reappointment of Joe Friday as Public Sector Integrity Commissioner, for a term of eighteen months.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

All those opposed to the hon. member's moving the motion will please say nay. It is agreed.

The House has heard the terms of the motion. All those opposed to the motion will please say nay.

(Motion agreed to)

Ukraine

[Michael Kram, Conservative, Regina—Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I have two very important petitions to present this morning, both relating to Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine and both signed by the Ukrainian community in Regina and southern Saskatchewan.

The first petition calls on the Government of Canada to implore the United Nations Security Council to fulfill its responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and find a resolution to the conflict. It is self-evident at a time like this that international law is very important. Finding a resolution to the conflict is what the United Nations and the Security Council are for.

The second petition calls on the Government of Canada to recall Canada's ambassador to Russia and to sever all diplomatic ties with Russia. It is very clear that Russia needs to become a pariah on the world stage just like North Korea. Certainly, severing diplomatic ties and recalling the ambassador is a good place to start.

I am pleased to present these petitions here this morning.

Afghanistan

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, while our attention is certainly on Ukrainian refugees, we still have to deal with the matter of Afghan interpreters who served our Canadian Forces.

I have a petition from a former member of the armed forces, veteran Wayne Pickering. He circulated a petition across Canada, and within a matter of two weeks he had over 1,000 signatures from serving and retired members of the Canadian Armed Forces. At the top of the list is retired Major General Lewis MacKenzie. The petitioners are calling on the government to put all its efforts into getting these people who served with our soldiers in Afghanistan to Canada.

Human Organ Trafficking

[Karen Vecchio, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today I am very honoured to present a number of petitions focused on Bill C-350 and Bill S-240 regarding the organ trafficking that continues to occur. These are things we have to bring forward to Parliament and discuss for the greater good, and I am hoping everybody in this chamber will agree.

Health of Animals Regulations

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have a number of petitions that I am prepared to raise, and I will wait for the appropriate signal when I am finished.

The first petitions draw the attention of the House to concerns with respect to health of animals regulations, livestock identification and traceability. The petitioners are concerned that these would pose a threat to the future of agricultural exhibitions, fairs and rodeos. They are concerned about the impact of these regulations. They note that provincial and national associations for agricultural societies, exhibitions and fairs have raised serious concerns over these proposed regulations, and they call on the government to consult with agricultural societies, exhibitions and fairs in developing these regulations.

I think I will leave it at one for today.

Questions on the Order Paper

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Opposition Motion—Tax Reduction on Gasoline and Diesel

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

moved:

That, given that,

(i) Canadians are facing severe hardship due to the dramatic escalation in gas prices,

(ii) the 5% collected under the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), and the Quebec Sales Tax (QST) creates increased revenue for the federal government as fuel prices rise which compounds the pain on Canadian consumers and the economy,

the House call on the government to immediately provide relief at the pumps to all Canadians by introducing a temporary 5% reduction on gasoline and diesel whether collected under the GST, HST, or QST which would reduce the average price by approximately eight cents per litre.

Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to speak to something that concerns virtually every single Canadian: the skyrocketing cost of living in our country. Fifty-three per cent of Canadians today say that they cannot keep up with rising prices, and I suspect that percentage is going to keep going up. Things are going to get worse before they get better.

Yesterday, at the finance committee, we had a number of Canadian economists speak to us, and they very clearly said that the cause of the inflationary spiral we are in today, which is leaving so many Canadians behind, is our federal government. Our federal government has claimed that this is a global phenomenon and there is nothing to see here, and it has washed its hands of that problem. However, these economists noted that there are two types of inflation. One is CPI, consumer price index inflation, or the cost of everyday goods and services. The second is asset price inflation, which is for some of the big assets we purchase, like housing, that are not subject to the whims of the world markets.

What is the reason this is happening in Canada? We have this inflationary spiral, where millions of families no longer have the dream of owning their own home, and the cause is profligate borrowing and spending on the part of the Liberal government, facilitated of course by the Bank of Canada through its quantitative easing, asset purchases and government bond purchases. At the end of the day, the problem is this: We have an inflationary crisis in Canada because the government has pumped excessive stimulus into our economy, effectively pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into our economy beyond what it can manage. What has happened is that we have more dollars chasing the same number of goods and services, and that drives inflation.

I know that my Liberal friends are laughing at me, saying that is not true. However, we had some of the highest ranking economists in the country at our committee, including an economist from the C.D. Howe Institute, who confirmed that the liquidity in our economy now is driving inflationary pressures. Even the Governor of the Bank of Canada admitted that things will get worse before they get better.

I will let members know that I will be splitting my time with the member for Brandon—Souris, who is also ready to speak to this very important issue.

Today, we are calling on the government to pause the GST on fuel. We are talking about gas and diesel at the pumps. We are asking the government to at least temporarily lift the GST.

Members may be asking why we are using the GST to perhaps diminish the impact of inflation on Canadians. Well, the reason is that GST is a tax on a tax. When Canadians go to the pumps and pay for their gas, there is already a fuel excise tax built into the cost. There is a carbon tax built into it too. On top of that is layered the GST. Of course, the problem with that, and the pernicious part of it, is that as the price of gas goes up and up, GST revenues go up. The government has actually reaped windfall revenues from the oil and gas sector in Canada and has this windfall because the GST is generating more and more revenue due to the escalating price of gas at the pumps, so we are suggesting that it would only be fair for the government to at least temporarily lift that GST and provide Canadians with a break.

We are calling for the government to finally, after months and months of calling for a plan, fight inflation. We as Conservatives are coming forward now to say that we have a plan. This is part of the plan. It is not the whole plan, but part of the plan is to lift the GST. There are millions of Canadians across Canada who would appreciate the 8 to 10 cents per litre at the pump they would pay less if the government heeded our call for this GST relief.

Giving Canadians a GST break is actually a simple, common-sense solution to help Canadians who are suffering because of inflation. I used the term “ common sense”. That is a rare thing in the House under this Liberal government, but we are asking colleagues to listen. We are coming forward not only with complaints, but also with solutions for the government. I am asking the government not to pour cold water on our motion. We are asking for the government to support our motion and to provide relief for Canadians, because we need real action to help Canadians make ends meet.

Colleagues know that we, as Conservatives, are always the defenders of the taxpayer. This, of course, would help taxpayers who go to the pumps to pay less GST. I would also note that this is all driven by the fact that we have an inflationary crisis in Canada. It is a significant cost-of-living crisis. Today, millions of Canadians have been priced out of the housing market. Why? The economists yesterday told us that it is because the government has pumped so much stimulus into the economy, with so much cash sloshing around, that it is driving the spiking prices for houses across Canada.

In my own community, since the Prime Minister was elected, housing prices have doubled. A house that used to sell for $500,000 in Abbotsford is a million plus today. In fact, recently some friends of ours sold their home and were expecting to get about a million dollars for it. Of course, there was a bidding war. They got $1.2 million for a house that, five or six years ago, was half a million dollars. I feel happy for this couple because this is a tax-free gain that they are experiencing, but what about all the millions of families that are lining up behind this couple and waiting to get into the housing market? Their dream of home ownership has been dashed. It has been shattered, probably forever.

Day after day in the House, we have been asking the Liberal government for a plan to fight inflation. I have been doing it and my colleagues have been doing it. Where is the plan to fight the cost-of-living affordability crisis that is facing most Canadians across the country? There has been no plan and no response from the government. In fact, the finance minister effectively has washed her hands of the whole problem by saying it is a global phenomenon and there is nothing we can do about it. Yes, there is something the government can do about it. We have brought forward a motion that would be a start. It would be a head start to addressing the inflationary crisis we have in Canada.

It is time for the government to step up for Canadians and temporarily remove the GST on gas and diesel. The least we elected parliamentarians can do is to heed the voices of Canadians who are being left behind. Inflation is at 5.7%. Wages are only increasing by somewhere in the order of 2.5%, so Canadians are being left way behind as inflation roars ahead. We need to address this problem. We have come up with a solution, or at least a partial solution. I hope my Liberal friends are listening.

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

Mr. Speaker, the member said that the Conservative Party is the great defender of tax breaks, yet one of the very first votes after Conservatives were put in opposition was on the tax decrease to Canada's middle class. It was hundreds of millions, going into billions, of dollars in tax relief for Canada's middle class, and they voted against that tax break.

The member now speaks about common sense and applying it to housing prices. Does the member not realize that it is more than just Ottawa? One could talk about municipality responsibilities, from zoning to building permits, or about the role that provinces play in housing. The best way for us to address the housing crunch today is by the different levels of government working together.

We know that the national government has put a great deal of money on the table. What would the member like to see the provinces and municipalities do to deal with the housing crisis in Canada today?

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the member is part of the governing Liberal-NDP coalition government. They are the ones who have the power to introduce policies within the House that can make a difference in the lives of Canadians. They have not done so. We have asked them repeatedly. Now the member is asking me to pass the buck over to the municipalities and the provinces. That is typical Liberal bafflegab.

At this point in time, Canadians just want to see their federal government, the Prime Minister and the member do something about the housing crisis and the affordability crisis. Conservatives are starting to do that on this side of the House. We are offering a solution to lift the GST on fuel, at least temporarily.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

I have to get a better suit.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like my colleagues to quiet down so that I can ask my question.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

Order.

We will take a minute. I know there is a lot of go-between. It is interesting go-between, but I think maybe we could get to the point.

The hon. member for Timmins—James Bay.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my Conservative colleagues told me I am the new minister, but I have not gotten my suit yet. I am going to get the suit and then they can ask me the questions.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

We are getting into debate.

The hon. member for Jonquière.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the childish antics are finally over.

I have often heard the Conservatives claim that they champion respect for jurisdictions, including Quebec's jurisdiction. However, in their motion, they indicate that they want to revoke part of the Quebec sales tax.

I would like someone to explain to me how the House of Commons can magically lower a tax that falls under the jurisdiction of the Quebec National Assembly.

I am anxious to hear my colleague's answer. I am breaking out in a cold sweat.

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, we want this GST relief to apply equally across Canada so that Canadians in all provinces, such as Quebec, enjoy a reduction in GST that allows them to at least buy gas at a lower price. That goes to affordability.

As to how this will be executed in Quebec, we have simply said that the federal portion of the GST, or the QST that is applied in Quebec, would be temporarily lifted to provide relief to Canadians: to Quebeckers. We are not in any way proposing that we intrude on provincial jurisdiction, and certainly not on Quebec's provincial jurisdiction.

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that a huge part of the extreme gas prices we are seeing is the egregious price gouging by the huge oil companies, yet this motion from the Conservative Party would do nothing to address the windfall profits that the big oil companies are making.

Could the member please inform the House why he has entirely missed dealing with the primary source of this affordability issue?

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague from British Columbia rolls out this often-articulated trope that somehow extreme prices are due to price gouging by the oil companies and retailers. That is nonsense. There is not a shred of evidence to support that.

He did note that oil companies are making windfall profits right now because of the high prices of oil and gas. He is right, but in reality that money is also taxed. It translates into tax revenue that the federal government receives, which is why we have these windfall revenues at the federal level. We believe those, at least in part, should be applied to lifting the GST on gas and diesel.

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for Abbotsford for moving this opposition day motion to give some immediate relief to Canadians.

Life is getting expensive. Inflation is at the highest point in a generation. Every time people fill up at a local gas station or go through the checkout at the grocery store, they are constantly reminded that their paycheques and pensions do not go as far as they did once.

While we have been raising these issues for months, I cannot point to a single policy change the Liberal government has enacted to respond to this cost of living crisis. Instead, the NDP-Liberals made a backroom deal with the NDP to hold on to power until 2025. This is no benefit to Canadians struggling to feed their families and pay their bills.

I fear how bad it must get out there to finally shake the government out of its slumber. The bears are coming out of hibernation at this time of year, and I urge the Liberals to do the same. Time is of the essence and inaction is inexcusable. There are going to be a few more bumps, or perhaps potholes, along the way for Canadians, and I urge them to brace themselves and their wallets.

The federal carbon tax is about to go up on April 1. According to the Canada Revenue Agency, the price increase translates to 8.8 cents per litre of gasoline for the regular consumer. Supply chains are struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. As well, the war crimes committed by the Putin regime and the Russian military are not only killing thousands of innocent Ukrainians, but the impact of this illegal invasion is also being felt around the world. Its shock was immediately felt on global markets, such as in the price of energy and the price of commodities.

While I am fully aware there are external pressures driving up the price of energy, as my colleague for Abbotsford just said, and the price of food, there is no excuse for the government not to act now.

As we stand here in this chamber, I am thinking of the seniors who have reached out about how the prices of groceries, rent, utilities and putting gas in the car are getting out of reach. I am thinking of the parents in my riding who go into town to drop off their kids at school or to pick up their groceries. I am thinking of the students who must drive into the city to go to Brandon University or to Assiniboine Community College on a daily basis.

No one is immune to the rising price of gas. The only difference is that some people can afford to pay extra hundreds of bucks per month, while most others are getting crushed by it. Seniors on fixed incomes and working families are struggling, and the government is drowning in its own talking points rather than proposing solutions.

Just yesterday, when my colleague to the north asked about removing the GST from gas and diesel, the Liberal associate finance minister responded by talking about GDP growth. Try telling that to a pensioner unable to fill her car and see what she has say to the government. His answer reflected the typical Liberal arrogance and the disconnect to everyday Canadians. Maybe the minister should lecture a single mother about GDP growth while she cannot afford to drive her kids to music lessons or to sports practice. What an incredibly tone-deaf thing to say. It is insulting, it is arrogant and it shows how out of touch the Liberal government is with reality.

With the price of gas skyrocketing in the past month, it has resulted in hardship and hard choices for families and seniors. Politicians must have their heads further in the sand than an ostrich to not recognize what is happening. The simplest and easiest way to provide some relief to my constituents and Canadians facing the rising cost of gas is to temporarily waive the GST from gas and diesel fuel. This policy could be implemented without needing to set up one new program. It would not involve growing the size of government or need people to fill out a form. It could be implemented quickly and would provide at least some relief for those who are struggling most.

I want to outline some of the reasons why I am advocating for this motion and how it would impact the people I represent. I represent a vast rural constituency. From communities such as Alexander, Pierson, Elkhorn, Pilot Mound, Ninette, Medora, Goodlands, Waskada, Tilston, Kola, Minto, Lyleton, Baldur, Glenora, Belmont, Elgin and all the others, commuting and travelling long distances is just a fact of life. As a fierce defender of the rural way of life, it is my responsibility as a parliamentarian to ensure these voices are heard.

While the city of Brandon is the largest community, it is also the regional hub where people drive in to from all over the region every single day. It is not unusual to drive 75 to 100 kilometres every day just to get to work or go to school. In some cases, someone who lives in one town must drive to the next town over to go to work.

It is very common for a teacher, a nurse, a social worker or someone in the construction industry to drive from one town to another, or for a senior to need to drive to their doctor’s appointment or the pharmacy. These examples are not just unique to my constituency. They are happening in every province in the country.

I fear that too many members of the government, this NDP-Liberal government, have no idea what happens in rural constituencies. I fear they have either forgotten, or they simply cannot or do not care, about the realities of living in a small community or on a farm.

People drive pickup trucks to work, for their daily lives or simply due to the fact they need four-wheel drive for the blustery prairie storms that we get. There are no buses, subways or LRTs anywhere in sight. There are no taxis, Ubers or Lyfts. There are no bike lanes, but there are snowmobile trails. There are simply no public transit alternatives for people who must get from point A to point B in rural Canada.

While the reward for living in rural Canada is too great to put into words, the consequence is paying for a lot of fuel. That is the cost of living in a small community, one that many do as they decide to raise their family or retire outside of a major town or city.

It is not only the odometers in rural Canada that are worth mentioning but also the gap in earnings cannot be ignored. As Statistics Canada has reported, the variation in earnings from urban to rural areas accounts for a large part of the variation in provincial earnings. Some of the poorest regions in Canada are found in rural and remote communities.

As well, I will complement my colleague on the doubling of the price of housing that has taken place under the Liberal government. It has not made it any easier for any Canadian.

These are the people who are hardest and fastest hit with the rising price of fuel. They feel it immediately and have few options to avoid the rising cost of gas. They do not have the money to purchase a more fuel-efficient car. They do not have the luxury of working virtually, and they do not have the savings to get them through this prolonged cost-of-living crisis.

Today we are pushing for one way to provide immediate relief, which would be to temporarily remove the GST from gas and diesel. For those wondering why we would target the GST and not other taxes, it is because, unlike other static taxes, the GST is also a tax on a tax. When the price of gas goes up and the carbon tax goes up, the GST goes up as well.

Our proposal is targeted, timely and can be implemented in short order. It is just one way the government could acknowledge that our constituents are facing severe hardship due to the dramatic escalation in gas prices.

In closing, the time for inaction and excuses is over. People are tired of hearing nothing but platitudes. This proposal is guaranteed to provide that tax relief. It acknowledges that the government can reduce the financial pinch that families and seniors are facing at the pump. It acknowledges that rural Canadians and those who must commute are struggling to get fuel in their cars and trucks to get to work or take care of their families.

These are extraordinary circumstances. I call on all my colleagues to support this motion, to stand up and to vote to provide some relief for those seniors living on fixed incomes and those families struggling to put fuel in their cars or trucks.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am very sympathetic to the issue of gas prices. In fact, I am seeing the Conservatives in opposition here in Ottawa taking a popular consumer-related issue and trying to score political points, albeit it is up to the opposition to do so.

In the prairie provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta, all of which have Conservative governments, have any of those Conservative governments taken an initiative to reduce the price of a litre of gas in recent weeks?