Debates of April 1st, 2022

Finance

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

Madam Speaker, the saddest April Fool's joke on Canadians today is the inability of the Conservatives to simply pick a lane. On Mondays it is “do more for seniors”. On Tuesdays it is “cut CPP”. On Wednesdays it is “do more for small businesses”. On Thursdays it is “block Bill C-8”.

While the Conservatives struggle to pick a lane, we are focused on investing in Canadians and managing the nation's finances responsibly.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

It may be before noon, and that is no joke because on the other side, whatever they say now will change in an hour. That is no joke.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I am sure the hon. members want to hear the answers so they can pose another question, so I ask members to please hold on to their thoughts.

The hon. official opposition House leader.

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Madam Speaker, no one ever imagined a time when a family or seniors would be punished financially for simply driving their car to earn a living or to visit their grandchildren, yet gas prices are up again today because of the 25% hike in the carbon tax. The Liberals have a choice in the budget next week. They can be fiscally responsible like the Chrétien–Martin Liberals were or they can continue to take their marching orders from their radical NDP partners and be completely out of touch with Canadians, according to Ipsos.

What will it be: a Chrétien-Martin Liberal budget or an NDP-Liberal party budget?

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

Madam Speaker, as economists and the Parliamentary Budget Officer will tell us, our price on pollution is progressive and efficient. Eight out of 10 families will receive more than they pay. If the hon. member has forgotten the numbers, let me remind him. This year, a family of four will receive up to $745 in Ontario, $830 in my home province of Manitoba and $1,100 in Saskatchewan and Alberta. We are fighting climate change and delivering on affordability.

Taxation

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

Madam Speaker, it might be April 1, but the tax increases taking effect today are no joke.

This morning, Canadians woke up to higher taxes on their gas, groceries and heating as the result of a 25% increase in the carbon tax. Everything that gets delivered by truck is going to go up. It is inevitable, and the consumers are the ones who will pay.

Why does the Liberal-NDP government think it is acceptable to punish Canadians at the worst possible time, when they cannot afford it?

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

Madam Speaker, the saddest April Fool's joke on Canadians today is the Conservatives' inability to pick a lane.

On Mondays it is “do more for seniors”. On Tuesdays it is “cut CPP”. On Wednesdays it is “do more for small businesses”. On Thursdays it is “block Bill C-8”.

While the Conservatives struggle to pick a lane, we are focused on investing in Canadians and on sound fiscal management. While we are investing in Canadians on this side, they are simply making jokes on that side.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Once again, I would like to remind members that it is difficult for people at home to hear the answers. I hope members will take note of this; otherwise, I will have to ask the member to repeat the question and someone at the end will not have time to ask theirs.

The hon. member for Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup.

Finance

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

Madam Speaker, a new Ipsos poll confirms how out of touch the NDP-Liberal government is with the reality of Canadian workers.

We are in an affordability crisis. Canadians want a budget that addresses the high cost of living, not an ideological platform with higher taxes on basic necessities like food, transportation and heating.

There was a time when Liberals like Jean Charest—oops, I meant to say Jean Chrétien—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

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

That is the first time his name has been mentioned in the House, Madam Speaker. I was talking about Jean Chrétien.

We have known Liberals like Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin who governed responsibly.

What happened to the Liberal Party?

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

Madam Speaker, I am very happy to hear the members opposite acknowledge that they have a Liberal in their party's leadership race, and that the Liberals of the good old days focused on affordability, just like we do.

We know that the affordability and inflation problems are real. That is why we are working every day to make life more affordable, through improvements to the Canada child benefit, investments for seniors and the national housing strategy, for example.

On this side, we are taking action. On that side, it is nothing but nonsense.

Public Services and Procurement

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Madam Speaker, in 2015, the Prime Minister decided not to purchase F‑35s because they did not meet Canada's needs. However, seven years later, he is prepared to spend $19 billion on them, which makes us wonder what has changed since then.

The Bloc Québécois demanded a committee study to look at the various models and strategic needs, but that never happened. Today, the F‑35s still have 871 technical problems, seven of them critical.

Again, what has changed?

Will the government buy F‑35s for the right reasons or to please the United States?

[Bryan May, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Madam Speaker, we are ensuring that our Canadian Armed Forces have the equipment they need to protect Canadians. On Monday, we announced that we will enter into the finalization phase with the top-ranked bidder for the F-35 fighter jet, bringing us one step closer to delivering on a new fleet of 88 state-of-the-art fighter jets for our Royal Canadian Air Force. This will help ensure that our pilots have the most advanced equipment available to protect Canadians' territorial integrity, including our Arctic, to meet our commitments to NATO and NORAD and to deal with unforeseen threats.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Madam Speaker, the future fighter jet agreement is a losing proposition for Quebec's aerospace industry.

If the government buys F‑35s, there is no guarantee that our businesses will be doing maintenance and upgrades. Even so, Quebeckers will pick up a quarter of the $19‑billion tab.

The Department of National Defence will have to compensate Quebec, and one way to do that will be through the new drone program, an area in which Quebec excels.

Given that choosing F‑35s could weaken our industry, will the federal government finally implement the national aerospace policy that the industry has been demanding for ages?

[Bryan May, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Madam Speaker, as I said, we are ensuring that our Canadian Armed Forces have the equipment they need to protect Canadians. Although this process is long, we are focused on getting it right.

Again, on Monday, we announced that we will enter into the finalization phase with the top-ranked bidder for the F-35 fighter jet, bringing us just one step closer to having those 88 fighter jets in service. This will help our pilots have the most advanced equipment available to protect Canadians' territorial integrity, including our Arctic, and meet our commitments to NORAD and NATO.

Pensions

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Madam Speaker, the Liberals have repeatedly promised to fix the bankruptcy and insolvency laws to protect Canadians' pensions. Right now, if a company is insolvent and must declare bankruptcy, the pensioners lose the money they are owed. Advocacy groups representing more than four million Canadians who rely on defined pension benefit plans wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to change the laws. Hard-working Canadians deserve answers from the government.

Will the minister take action and change Canada's bankruptcy and insolvency laws, yes or no?

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

Madam Speaker, we appreciate the challenges that pensioners are facing. It is why we have had reviews on the pension system.

As we anticipate what happens in the budget, we cannot comment about what will be in the budget, but we have stood steadfast with Canadians from day one of forming this government to make sure we have a stable, predictable pension system. We will take the hon. member's question under advisement.

Oil and Gas Industry

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Madam Speaker, a new report shows that carbon capture is a fairy tale told by profitable oil and gas companies to justify more production and get more subsidies. As these companies rake in record profits, the Liberal government plans on giving them $50 billion as a tax credit. That is $50 billion that could be put toward renewable energy, a just transition for workers or toward real climate solutions, not big oil and gas.

When will the government stop throwing money at the very companies that are fuelling the climate crisis?

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

Madam Speaker, in our climate plan, our government committed to develop a comprehensive carbon capture, utilization and storage strategy, CCUS, and to ensure Canada is globally competitive in this growing industry. Developing carbon capture features in the mix of every credible path to net zero, and smart policies that incent the use of these technologies will help reduce our emissions and grow our economy.

Finance

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Madam Speaker, my constituents and many Canadians are expecting big words, huge costs and little improvement to their lives in the upcoming budget. Canadians do not want an NDP wish list budget; they want a responsible budget. Young Canadians struggling to get ahead should not be burdened with more debt because the government of today refuses to spend wisely.

How much will this ultra-left budget cost the next generation of taxpayers?

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

Madam Speaker, this government invested in the lives and the livelihoods of Canadians at the darkest time in the last 70 years. We invested $511 billion to make sure that we could get to where we are now with the second-fastest-growing economy in the G7, poised to be the fastest-growing economy in the G7 next year. We are on the track to fiscal prudence. We will make the right investments for Canadians, we will support Canadians and we will manage the nation's finances responsibly.

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Madam Speaker, we have been through a global pandemic and now we are living through a European conflict that has exacerbated the already irresponsible fiscal record of the government. The effects of the government's incompetence are continuing to bleed into the household budgets of people across the country as we see inflation levels reach new heights and everyday essentials become more and more unaffordable.

My question, and what Canadians want to know, is this: On April 7, will the budget return to the fiscally responsible ways of the classic Liberals like Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin, or will this just be a budget of NDP wish lists?