Debates of June 16th, 2022

Public Safety

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Safety has repeatedly said that he invoked the Emergencies Act, a historic law that had never been used before in this country, at the request of the police. The problem is that every single police force has told the committee that they never asked for it.

I am asking the minister to do the only honourable thing left to him and resign.

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, it is clear that we will always protect Canadians' needs and safety. That is exactly why we invoked the Emergencies Act. In the process, we sought the advice of the police and used that advice to make our decisions.

On the other side, there are the Conservatives, who encouraged the illegal blockade. They must apologize.

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Emergency Preparedness, himself a former chief of police, said the following in committee, referring to the Emergencies Act: “I do not believe that would have been an appropriate thing for law enforcement to ask, and they did not ask”.

The reality is that we have a Minister of Public Safety who has totally lost Canadians' confidence. There is only one course open to him now, and that is to do the honourable thing and resign. What is he waiting for?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, the government will always defend its decision to invoke the Emergencies Act, because it was a necessary decision.

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police supports the decision. The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police supports the decision. The Canadian Police Association supports the decision. Why? Because it was necessary.

We on this side understand that. The Conservatives have never understood that. They need to apologize for their role in the illegal blockade.

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

Mr. Speaker, the public safety minister continues to hide the truth from Canadians on the use of the Emergencies Act. The minister cannot just tell Canadians that the act was necessary. He must show them. That is his job. I will quote the emergency preparedness minister, who said, “I do not believe that would have been an appropriate thing for law enforcement to ask, and they did not ask.”

The public safety minister has misled Canadians and Parliament. Will he resign today?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, we have been consistent and clear on this side of the House that the decision to invoke the Emergencies Act was necessary because it was needed to restore public safety. Past president of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, Chief Gary Conn, said that, in their view, the Emergencies Act provided the appropriate authorities and powers for police services to ensure the rule of law and the safety of citizens. He said that had been their experience, particularly during the “freedom convoy” of 2022.

That is law enforcement right there, and it was the Conservatives who exacerbated the situation with their reckless behaviour.

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

Mr. Speaker, these are more diversion tactics to avoid answering one simple question. The public safety minister has misled Canadians and Parliament. Law enforcement did not ask to have the use of the Emergencies Act. It is just that simple. I will quote the emergency preparedness minister: “I am not aware of any recommendation of law enforcement.”

Will the minister do the honourable thing and resign today, right now?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, doing the honourable thing means protecting Canadians. That is why we invoked the Emergencies Act. Doing the honourable thing means not taking that decision in a vacuum, which means consulting with police, searching for their advice and using that advice to inform the decision of the Emergencies Act, which is why police associations across the country supported the decision.

It was the Conservatives who knew all to well that, by making reckless statements asking the blockades to double down and entrench, they were undermining public safety, and they should apologize for that role. They undermined public safety, but on this side of the House, we protect it

Climate Change

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there is a flaw in how Canada's greenhouse gas emissions are calculated. Canada is the fourth-largest oil exporter in the world, but it is not responsible for what it sells.

Between 2016 and 2020, Canada as a whole emitted 3.6 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases, yet Ecojustice calculated that fossil fuel exports caused 4.4 billion tonnes of emissions elsewhere in the world.

Canadian exports pollute 29% more than Canada in its entirety. Does the minister find it acceptable to wash his hands of that pollution?

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

Mr. Speaker, let me give a quick lesson on the greenhouse gas emissions inventory. Canada uses the same methodology as every country in the world, which is the one used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the IPCC. Simply put, emissions are calculated at the point of combustion. If the oil is burned here, it goes into our emissions balance, and if the oil is burned in the United States or Europe, it goes into their balance. That is how it works for everyone on the planet, including Canada.

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, even if the Bay du Nord project pumps the minimum estimated volume of oil, which would be an additional 500 million barrels, the minister keeps saying that this project will achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. I am inclined to say that he is washing his hands of it. However, if oil pollutes while it is being extracted, it also pollutes while it is being used. This oil will never be zero-emission once it is burned in a vehicle in Canada or elsewhere.

Climate change does not care whether it is Canada or another country that is responsible for accounting for the pollution.

In the middle of a climate crisis, how can the Minister of the Environment really claim that Bay du Nord is going to reach net-zero emissions?

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

Mr. Speaker, first of all, that is not a claim, but rather a condition for the project to go ahead. This is the first time in this country's history that the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency has imposed a net-zero condition on a project.

Second, I would invite my colleague to read the International Energy Agency report, which states that in 2050, we will still be using fossil fuel products, not as fuels, but instead as solvents or to build roads, for example. We will no longer be burning that fuel in 2050, but we will be using it for other purposes.

[Kristina Michaud, Bloc, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is absurd to hear the Minister of Environment boast about having the support of environmental groups when none other than Équiterre is taking him to court over Bay du Nord.

It is also absurd to hear him say that the number of additional barrels has no impact, as though more means less. It is utterly absurd to hear him speak about zero-emission oil as though it were green oil. It is even more absurd to hear him defending Canada's responsibility for pollution as a mere accounting exercise, while turning a blind eye to the impact of these oil exports.

The minister is speaking, but what we are hearing is the voice of the oil companies. Does he realize this?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I said and will repeat, we are putting a cap on greenhouse gas emissions. This cap will be in line with current levels and will decline over time so we can achieve our 2030 and 2050 targets.

No matter how much oil is produced, companies will have to respect this greenhouse gas emissions cap to ensure that Canada can reach its 2030 and 2050 targets. That is what we are going to do.

Tourism Industry

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government continues to be reactive rather than prepared. The vice-president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce said that if the Government of Canada has a plan for tourism, it has never shown it to us. Mark Webber of the Customs and Immigration Union said that his border agents are no longer agents but instead have become “IT consultants”, and wait times have skyrocketed because of the inefficient ArriveCAN app. He went on to say that they were never consulted on the app. No wonder our airports and land borders are a disaster and an embarrassment.

Why would the government create a system without consulting the frontline workers who must implement it?

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

Mr. Speaker, not only do we have a plan for tourism, but this side of the aisle put in $23 billion to make sure that the tourism sector would recover. Who voted against it? It was that side. They are not there for workers, not there for entrepreneurs, not there for tourism operators.

This side of the aisle has the backs of tourism operators. A federal tourism growth strategy is coming. We are going to boost tourism, we are going to boost this sector and we are going to show the world what Canada has to offer.

[Shelby Kramp-Neuman, Conservative, Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, backlogs and delays at the border and points of entry are crippling our tourism industry. Whether it is a major event like the Toronto International Film Festival or a small rural event like the Tweed Stampede and Jamboree in Hastings-Lennox and Addington, our tourism industry is hurting. The government needs to take action to alleviate the absolutely unnecessary chaos.

When will the government stop slacking and start acting?

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

Mr. Speaker, perhaps the colleagues on the other side of the aisle have not caught up with the news, but this government has taken off random mandatory testing at the airports. It will be moved outside of airports July 1. We have no more PCR tests and no more rapid tests and billions of dollars have gone into the tourism sector. Even the Greater Toronto Airports Authority has sent a letter to us, thanking us for doubling down and working to make sure that the airports are functioning.

We are going to get this right. Those on the other side can yell and scream all they want. We are going to boost tourism and welcome the world once again.

Government Policies

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

Mr. Speaker, airports are in chaos. Global affairs is partying with Russian diplomats instead of expelling them. Immigration files are backlogged for years. Violent crime is up. Fraud is endemic. Inflation is out of control. The government does not even pretend to care about its deficits. People are lining up all night just for a chance at a passport appointment.

Will the minister stand up and take ownership for this disastrous delivery of basic services?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, we understand that there is an unprecedented demand to travel after these two years of the pandemic. We are retooling and redoing processes so that we can absolutely serve Canadians as necessary. However, what we are not doing on this side of the House is pretending that there was no pandemic, pretending that it did not have an impact on a whole wide range of industries.

We are taking action. We have been there throughout the pandemic to support Canadians. We have taken responsible decisions and we are going to continue to do that to serve Canadians.

Health

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, imagine a family member needs urgent medical attention. In Nunavut, this means spending thousands of dollars to travel great distances just to access basic health care. If elders need long-term care, there are too few options. Families are forced to send their loved ones across the country, afraid that they will never seem them again.

Nunavut residents deserve to have the care they need at home. Why is the government still failing to provide basic health care services to Nunavut?

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Minister of Northern Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to the Arctic and northern policy framework, an Inuit Nunangat new policy that puts the emphasis on providing better services to the residents of Nunavut and Inuit Nunangat. Health care is one of the priorities that is first on our schedule. We are investing millions in health care in the north and a better partnership with Nunavummiut.

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, people in northern Ontario often drive an hour to get to work, yet rising gas prices is putting serious pressure in working-class families. Big oil made $100 billion in profits in the first quarter. That is triple what they made last year.

As the finance minister is hanging with the über-rich at the Empire Club, the Liberal government does nothing as working-class Canadians are held hostage at the pumps.

When is the government going to tax these obscene oil profits and put the money back in the pockets of working-class Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague knows, our budget takes serious measures to address affordability. The example that I will cite today is that the budget proposes to introduce a temporary Canada recovery dividend so that big banks and insurance companies, which have turned a big profit during the pandemic, pay a one-time 15% tax on their above-average taxable income over $1 billion for 2021.

The banks made money. We have asked them to pay more. That is how we are going to make sure that we have affordability for all Canadians.

Foreign Affairs

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Scarborough—Agincourt is home to a large, vibrant Armenian community. Canada and Armenia have deep and long-standing people-to-people ties, and Canada must support Armenians' efforts to improve their democracy.

Recently, special envoy Stéphane Dion submitted his report to the Minister of Foreign Affairs on how Canada can support Armenians in their efforts advance democratic progress and build on our relationship. Could the foreign affairs minister share with this House the findings of this report on how Canada can best support Armenia?