Debates of May 4th, 2022

Carbon Pricing

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I am disappointed to hear one of our Quebec colleagues speak out against putting a price on pollution.

We know that it is important to my constituents in Papineau and to people across this country to put a price on pollution so that it is no longer free to pollute anywhere in the country. We know that putting a price on pollution is the right thing to do in the coming years to protect future generations.

At the same time, we are investing so as to return more money to the provinces where we had to impose this pricing, and we are investing to support families, including more child care spaces.

Housing

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, since the Liberals took office in 2015, national home prices have more than doubled. This is greatly outpacing the United States and other G7 countries. The Liberal government has had six years to fix this issue and has failed to develop a plan that works. Instead of Canadians moving into new homes, the dream of home ownership or an affordable place to live is moving further and further away.

When will the Prime Minister finally focus on building new homes?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, when we took office in 2015, we started from a standing start in terms of federal investments in housing because the previous Conservative government, for 10 years, had not seen housing as a priority for it to invest in. We moved forward with 2017's historic national housing strategy, which is now up to about 70 billion dollars' worth of investments, to help families get into homes.

In budget 2022, we are moving forward with support for families to save up and investments with municipalities to double the increase in housing over the coming years, and we are cracking down on unfair speculation. These are the things that will help families get into their new homes.

Seniors

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I was in Quebec City yesterday to attend a conference on seniors' living conditions. It was hosted by the Coalition for the Dignity of Seniors, which represents 150,000 people.

All the attendees were unanimous in denouncing the Prime Minister for creating two classes of seniors. Everyone sees that the skyrocketing price of food and housing does not affect 74-year-olds differently than 75-year-olds. Unlike the Prime Minister, inflation does not discriminate based on age.

When will he increase old age security for all seniors starting at age 65?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, since 2015, we have always been there for seniors, whether by increasing the guaranteed income supplement by 10% for the most vulnerable seniors or by investing in programs to help them.

We have always been there. To help seniors, we brought the retirement age back down from 67, where Mr. Harper set it, to 65. We improved the CPP, and Quebec followed suit with the QPP. We increased the GIS for 900,000 seniors. We made a one‑time payment of $500 to seniors 75 and older, and we will always be there for our seniors.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, obviously that is not enough. Continuing to be there for seniors does not simply involve telling people between the ages of 65 and 74 to go back to work if they need more money. That is not helpful; it is insulting.

What would be helpful is to give every senior $110 more a month, every month. That would keep their purchasing power from eroding and help them cope with unforeseen situations. That is what being there for seniors looks like, not giving them a one-time cheque just before an election to try to buy their vote.

When will the Prime Minister really be there for all seniors rather than dividing them into two classes?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the fact that seniors are living longer and longer is good news. The challenge is that, as they live longer, their expenses go up too.

That is why we recognize that seniors aged 75 and older need a little bit more help. That is why we were there to give it to them. This will not take anything away from seniors between the ages of 65 and 75 since we also increased their benefits.

We are doing a little more for the most vulnerable seniors, those who are older. I think that is exactly what Canadians expect.

Natural Resources

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, special interest activists south of Canada's border are intending to go around existing legal processes to shut down Enbridge Line 5. Line 5 supplies 540,000 barrels of oil per day and fuels the economies of Ontario and Quebec. It is governed by the terms of the transit pipelines treaty between Canada and the United States, yet the Prime Minister says he is not interested in enforcing the terms of this treaty. This is critical.

Will the Prime Minister intervene today and defend Canada's interests?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Line 5 is a critical piece of infrastructure for both Canada and the United States. That is why we have been consistently and continually advocating for its continued operation with the Government of Michigan and the federal government in the United States, and continue to demonstrate how important our energy partnership is across the border.

We continue to be there to defend the interests of Canadians and of the people in northeastern United States. We will continue to be there to ensure that we are working as true partners on energy security for everyone across North America.

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, energy security is what we need, but this pipeline has seen repeated attempts to shut it down. Last year, the government filed its brief with the U.S. court on a different attempt to shut down Line 5. Now it is pretending that there is no Canadian interest at stake in losing 540,000 barrels per day of critical energy delivery. Something has changed.

To the Prime Minister, is silence on Line 5 the price of buying the NDP's support for his government?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, once again we see the Conservatives trying to invent conspiracy theories where there simply are none. We have consistently advocated for Line 5 and continually pressured both the company and the State of Michigan to resolve their differences. We have continually advocated in the United States at the highest levels in Washington and we will continue to. This is something we take very seriously, and we will continue to be there to fight for it.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Line 5 pipeline is the energy lifeline for southern Ontario and Toronto. Millions of jobs in Canada depend on affordable gas. This pipeline is a vital link that directly impacts thousands of jobs in my riding. The imminent shutdown of this pipeline will mean shortages at the pumps and the doubling of gas prices.

Will the Prime Minister deviate from his usual lack of leadership and assure Canadians that Line 5 will not be shut down?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Line 5 is critical infrastructure for Canada and the United States. We have taken strong steps to defend Line 5, including formally invoking the bilateral pipeline treaty. I have raised Line 5 directly with President Biden, and I have emphasized its importance to the Canadian economy and North American energy security.

Ambassador Hillman and others in our government continue to raise Line 5 with U.S. officials. We will always stand up for Canadian workers and Canadian industry.

Women and Gender Equality

[Sophie Chatel, Liberal, Pontiac, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I was shocked and then horrified to see the 10 Conservative members from Quebec remain silent about the possible eradication of abortion rights south of the border. That is so regressive.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

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

Order.

The hon. member for Pontiac may start her question over.

[Sophie Chatel, Liberal, Pontiac, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I was horrified and shocked as I sat here in the House and watched 10 opposition members from Quebec remain silent about the possible eradication of abortion rights south of the border. That is troubling.

[Some hon. members]

Oh! Oh!

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

I would ask members to come to order.

[Some hon. members]

Oh! Oh!

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

Order, please. I do not know what is in the air today.

The hon. member for Pontiac.

[Sophie Chatel, Liberal, Pontiac, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to know what the Prime Minister has to say about the official opposition's shameful reaction.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Pontiac for her question, and I share her sentiments. Every woman in Canada has the right to safe and legal abortion services.

The Conservative MPs' reaction to this recent news proves one thing: They would rather talk about me than address the issues that really matter to women and, frankly, to all Canadians.

As for us, we will always be there for women, and we will never question their right to choose. Shame on Quebeckers.

Canada Revenue Agency

[Jake Stewart, Conservative, Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the Canada Revenue Agency is at it again. This time, it is being investigated by the Privacy Commissioner for betraying whistle-blowers who just want to do their work honestly. A CRA executive ordered them to make the deal and agreed that it was an “atypical process” to give sweetheart deals to big business.

Will the Prime Minister hold the CRA accountable and protect whistle-blowers?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, an expert third party review found that there was no wrongdoing in this case, and the agency did not provide any form of preferential treatment to the taxpayer. We would like to remind the member that CRA is an independent agency and that at no point is political input sought for these sorts of matters.

We take the protection of employee privacy extremely seriously and believe that those who disclose serious wrongdoing must be protected. Our whistle-blowing law provides secure and confidential processes for disclosing serious wrongdoing in the workplace and protection for acts of reprisal.