Debates of March 23rd, 2022

The Economy

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

Order. I will let the minister restart.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Thank you kindly, Mr. Speaker.

As we all know, putting a price on carbon is one of the most effective ways of fighting climate change. If the Conservatives will not take it from the Parliamentary Budget Officer or the International Monetary Fund, maybe they will take it from the Conservative member for New Brunswick Southwest, who asked his own province to implement the federal pricing system.

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

Mr. Speaker, the new NDP-Liberal government gives us plenty of reasons to worry, especially about the implementation of Canada's next four budgets.

Canadians are having a hard time figuring out everything they will have to do day to day to make ends meet.

Can the Prime Minister tell us if the new NDP-Liberal government's new colours, orange and red, are an accurate representation of what Canadians are about to go through: hell?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my very passionate colleague for his question.

Let us look at the facts. We on this side of the House have recovered 112% of the three million jobs lost during the global pandemic. We introduced the child care benefits to help Canadian families. We increased support for seniors. We increased the Canada child benefit.

While the Conservatives are busy fighting over who they should pick to lead them, we will focus on ensuring affordability for all Canadians.

Health

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Quebec government tabled what will be seen as a pot-stirring budget yesterday, in which it announced an anticipated shortfall of about $6 billion a year in health care because the federal government refuses to co-operate.

Some will call it bickering, but it was simply reiterating the same message that all the provinces have been sending to Ottawa for the past two years, namely that health transfers must be increased to cover 35% of costs, with no strings attached. That is what all the premiers of Quebec and the provinces want, and they are demanding negotiations.

Since the government found time to negotiate with the NDP, will it find time to negotiate with the premiers?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to answer this question.

This gives me the opportunity to remind the House of the $72 billion we invested during the COVID‑19 pandemic to support the health and safety of all Canadians, including, of course, Quebeckers, the $45 billion in Canada health transfers that will begin to flow in just a few days, the $4 billion announced last year to deal with all kinds of delays, including surgeries and diagnostic tests, as well as the $5 billion invested in recent years.

If anyone has more questions, I have more answers.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is unanimous. Everyone is asking for increased health transfers with no strings attached.

Quebec and the provinces, whether Liberal, NDP or Conservative, are all in favour of increased health transfers. That is called a consensus.

I am sorry to be the one to say it, but when the government goes up against consensus and unanimity, it is the one picking a fight.

My question for the government and its orange farm team is this: Why pick a fight instead of joining the consensus and increasing health transfers with no strings attached?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc is calling for transfers, and we are sending them.

In the last budget, we announced $3 billion to support the health and dignity of our seniors in long-term care centres in Quebec, $1 billion to help the provinces and territories implement vaccination programs over the past few months, and another $300 million to help pay for the vaccine passport system that they used quite successfully over the past few months.

If I may, I will provide more answers afterward.

The Economy

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, two taxes are increasing on April 1: the excise tax and the carbon tax. The carbon tax increase will basically increase the cost of anything that is shipped or heated. Both will add to the 5.7% inflation. People cannot keep up, yet yesterday, the associate finance minister said that a temporary pause on taxes would not help Canadians at the pumps.

As other jurisdictions have done, will the NDP–Liberal Prime Minister have some empathy for Canadian families and small businesses, do the math, and cancel the April Fool's Day carbon tax increase?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we understand the affordability challenge that Canadians are facing. Let us remember that inflation is a global phenomenon and that energy prices, supply shocks and the war on Ukraine are causing prices to rise. On this side of the House, we will keep focusing on affordability.

Without our fiscal prudence, Canada's GDP would have declined by a further eight points, the unemployment rate would have risen by another 3.2 percentage points, and we would not have recovered over three million jobs, which were lost at the height of the pandemic.

[Richard Lehoux, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the cost-of-living crisis continues to affect the day-to-day life of the people of Beauce. Record inflation is making it difficult for Canadians to make ends meet.

The price of gas in Beauce has now risen to more than $1.80 a litre. There is no public transit in my riding, so the impact is even greater.

Will this NDP-Liberal government vote with us after question period to eliminate the GST and help Canadians and businesses take back control of their lives?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I acknowledge my hon. colleague's question. We realize that Canadians are facing rising prices at the pumps. As my colleague knows, energy prices are rising as a result of the tragic war in Ukraine.

We also know that the Conservative plan would not work because there is no guarantee that cutting the GST would result in a direct transfer to Canadians.

On this side of the House, we are going to rely on real solutions, not on half-baked Conservative suggestions.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we all know who is hurting the economy the most. It is the Prime Minister and his Liberal government, and they now have blind support from the NDP. They have spent the most to achieve the least and have no intention of balancing the budget.

Since the government was first elected, our great country has gradually lost its wealth and Canada's middle class is shrinking. Now its failure to control spending has driven the cost of living to record heights. When will the NDP-Liberal government give Canadians a break and cancel the planned taxes on April 1?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, let us set forth some facts. There was $511 billion invested in Canadians during the height of the pandemic, and more than three million jobs have been recovered since the height of the pandemic.

The inflation that we are experiencing is a global phenomenon. We will keep focusing on affordability. While the Conservatives fight among themselves to pick a leader, we are going to focus on Canadians and putting more money in their pockets.

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

Mr. Speaker, the government is presiding over Canada's highest inflation rate in a generation, which has been fuelled by structural deficits that were baked in before COVID, out-of-control spending, monetary expansion, and an ever-increasing carbon tax.

The Bank of Canada recently confirmed that the carbon tax alone is responsible for driving up inflation by nearly half a per cent. Will the NDP–Liberal government commit today to cancelling this year's carbon tax increase and give consumers a break?

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

Mr. Speaker, speaking of giving Canadians a break, let us talk about provinces where carbon pricing is being applied by the federal government. In Ontario, households will receive $745. In Manitoba, they will receive $830. In Saskatchewan it will be $1,100, and it will be almost as much in Alberta.

Carbon pricing is working for Canadians to reduce emissions. The Conservatives have no plan whatsoever to fight climate change.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, over 3.6 million people have fled Putin's destruction in Ukraine. They are desperately trying to unite with friends and family, and find safety, including here in Canada. Even though older identity documents are supposed to be recognized in the fast track visa process, Ukrainians with an older internal passport are unable to complete the government's online application process. My constituent is having a hard time getting a visa for his 83-year-old mother.

Will the minister take swift action to ensure older identity documents are recognized through the government's online emergency visa application process?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her sincere concern for the well-being of those who are fleeing the unimaginable circumstances in Ukraine.

We have now seen more than 10,000 Ukrainians arrive in Canada since the beginning of this calendar year, and we are going to continue to do more to promote and facilitate the safe transport of people to Canada as quickly as possible. With respect to outdated travel documents, we contemplated this possibility during the program design, and we are working to issue single journey travel documents for those who do not have a valid passport.

I will be pleased to continue to work with any member of this House who identifies problems along the way because, as this system develops for the first time, we want to make sure it continues to operate smoothly to welcome as many people here as quickly as possible.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Ukrainians are fleeing horrific attacks in their country and they are vulnerable. They are seniors. They are mothers with children. The open work permit will not help these people because they may not be able to work. Mothers will need access to day care, and they will need money to pay for it. In many cases, they may not want to leave their children, who have been deeply traumatized.

Canada must provide air and ground transportation to help Ukrainians get to Canada and then support them when they are here. This is urgent. Will the minister commit immediately to financial support for Ukrainians when they arrive in Canada?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for her advocacy for the well-being of those fleeing Ukraine. With respect to her point regarding the open work permit, I would like to point out that nearly 80% of those who have applied to come through the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel have also applied for the open work permit, which we have made them eligible for.

With respect to supports for people to get here and once they land, we are working right now with non-profit partners, private sector donors and airlines to sort out some of the very issues she raised in her question. We are working around the clock across ministries, with partners, with provincial jurisdictions, and on the ground in Canadian communities, so we can maximize the extraordinary goodwill we are seeing coming from Canadians who want to do their part.

The Economy

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, rising inflation is presenting real challenges for my constituents in Scarborough Centre, especially seniors on fixed incomes and families with young children already challenged by high housing prices. The rising cost of groceries and other daily necessities is making it harder for families to put healthy and nutritious food on the table for their children.

Could the Associate Minister of Finance please tell us what the government is doing to help families that are having to make difficult choices between healthy food and paying rent?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague from Scarborough Centre for her exceptional work on this file. Thanks to the historic investments in budget 2021, and thanks to the incredible work of the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, we now have early learning and child care agreements with nine provinces and three territories.

This means that across the country Canadians are already saving over $5,000 a year. These are savings for families in B.C., Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, and my own province of Alberta. We continue to work hard every day to make high-quality child care affordable for all Canadians.

Foreign Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians who choose to join Ukraine's foreign legion would do so at great risk to themselves. They should not have to worry about being prosecuted in Canada. According to the Foreign Enlistment Act, it is against the law for a Canadian to fight against a friendly foreign state, but the act contains no definition or list regarding who is a friendly foreign state.

Could the Attorney General of Canada clearly state that, for the purposes of this act, Russia is not considered a friendly foreign state?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, obviously we know Ukraine is at war and that we need to make sure we help Ukraine defend itself.

Now, I have been clear, and the travel advisory on Canada's website is clear, that we need to make sure that, if people are in Ukraine, they need to shelter. At the same time, we have been clear since February 1 that, should Canadians be in Ukraine, they should be leaving the country. We have been clear also that Canadians should not go to Ukraine.

That being said, we know this is a personal choice on the part of many Canadians, and I look forward to working with my colleague on this issue.

Natural Resources

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

Mr. Speaker, I hope we will get some clarity at some point on that specific question.

A defining challenge for democracies in many parts of the world is energy security. Fuelling democracy and protecting the international rules-based order requires Canada to step up and do our part to help our partners kick Putin's gas out of their supply chains.

Does the NDP-Liberal government recognize that supplying energy to fellow democracies is critical for global security?