Debates of Oct. 20th, 2023

Housing

[Gerald Soroka, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, after eight long years under the Prime Minister, Canadians expect more than just empty promises on housing. Construction is down and costs are climbing way up. The NDP-Liberal coalition's inflationary spending feels like a cruel joke to those trying to afford a home.

The Prime Minister is just not worth the cost. Is it not time for some common-sense Conservative solutions to ensure every Canadian has a roof over their head?

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, there is a bill on this floor that the Conservatives can get behind. The result, if they decide to support it, would be a more affordable situation for builders, because it would lift GST off the construction of rental apartments. They are not in favour of that. They want to tax the construction of rental apartments for the middle class.

On top of that, we are putting forward measures to help support builders by making sure there are training programs so labourers can be available. They have no support for that. It is an entirely reckless approach that they take.

Carbon Pricing

[Arpan Khanna, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after eight long years of the Liberal-NDP government, seven million Canadians are now struggling to put food on their tables thanks to the carbon tax. When one taxes the farmer who grows the food and taxes the trucker who ships the food, one ultimately punishes the Canadian who buys the food. Now there are Canadians driving across the U.S. border to buy basic grocery essentials. The Prime Minister is not worth the cost.

Will the Prime Minister do the honourable thing, axe the carbon tax and bring home affordable groceries for all Canadians?

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, Conservatives consistently use the carbon price as a scapegoat for global inflation in this House. I think they are having trouble grasping the concept of magnitude. The Bank of Canada governor recently said carbon pricing contributed 0.15% to inflation, which is equivalent to 15¢ on a $100 grocery bill. The European Central Bank said climate change contributes as much as 3% to the cost of food per year, which is three dollars on a $100 grocery bill. That means climate change has 20 times the influence on food prices than the carbon price. If Conservatives were serious about fighting global inflation, they would have a plan to fight climate change.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, of all the provinces, Quebec is the one most affected by inflation. Quebeckers are spending 23% more for their groceries. Food banks are swamped with people no longer able to afford supermarket prices, but this is a matter of utter indifference to this government and to the Bloc Québécois, which wants to drastically increase the tax. Voting Bloc is costly.

Will the Prime Minister show some empathy, do the right and reasonable thing and cancel his costly carbon tax?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for raising the issue of affordability and the Quebec City region.

She is a brand new MP, so she may not know that her Conservative Party colleagues voted against the Canada child benefit in 2016, before her time. Tens of thousands of children and families receive a tax-free cheque every month, lifting 40% of the people in her riding out of poverty.

Would she choose to vote against the Canada child benefit too?

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of this Liberal government, Quebeckers are getting poorer. Those are the facts.

According to Statistics Canada, inflation is rising faster than Quebec wages. What is more, the second carbon tax to be applied in Quebec will increase the price of gasoline by 17¢ per litre. Then there is the Bloc, which claims to defend Quebec, yet is further harming Quebeckers by demanding a drastic increase. Voting Bloc is costly.

When will the government abolish its carbon tax and give Quebeckers a chance to get their heads above water?

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, when I talk to Quebeckers, they tell me that voting Conservative is far too costly. The Conservatives are proposing an austerity plan. They want to cut support for our seniors, support for families with children, the help Canadians need to make ends meet.

We are here to support Canadians. The Conservatives are not worth the risk.

International Development

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Amnesty International is calling on Export Development Canada, EDC, to stop funding Canadian mining companies in Colombia, where human rights violations are on the rise.

Some 146 political dissidents were killed last year. That represents 46% of all political assassinations around the world. Environmental activists, farmers, indigenous people and anyone who has reservations about the mining companies' activities are at risk.

Will Ottawa suspend the funding of mining companies in Colombia while there are serious concerns that they are contributing to a climate of violence there?

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development]

Mr. Speaker, the government will always stand up for human rights. This is why we created the CORE to maintain social responsibility of businesses around the world. This is why we will continue always to ensure that when Canadians and others are doing business around the world, particularly mining companies, we will always stand up for human rights everywhere, all the time.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, CORE, the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise, does not even have the authority to call witnesses.

I went to Colombia in 2021 as part of a human rights mission. I can confirm that there are some disturbing accounts there. Ottawa has no idea what is happening with the mining companies abroad. Export Development Canada has no checks and balances or credible monitoring.

Ottawa needs to tighten the accountability and transparency requirements of the companies it funds in countries where human rights are being violated.

In the immediate term, will it listen to Amnesty International and restrict EDC investments in Canadian mining companies in Colombia?

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development]

Mr. Speaker, we have very strong export control mechanisms. We always stand up for human rights. The Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise was created specifically so that we can work together with businesses.

We know that there are ways in which that can be strengthened. This is exactly why we are listening. It is why, when the Subcommittee on International Human Rights did a study, the government accepted those recommendations regarding CORE.

We will work together with every member of the House to ensure that Canada and Canadians, when we are abroad, stand for human rights.

Public Services and Procurement

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the current government and the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister, it is no surprise that the Liberals' billion-dollar green slush fund is lining the pockets of Liberal insiders and is now under investigation. Annette Verschuren is a good friend of the Prime Minister and chair of the board that is doling out taxpayer cash. However, it turns out that her own company received millions from that same fund. The Prime Minister simply is not worth the cost.

How many other Liberal insiders got rich with this green slush fund?

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, I know that Canadians are wising up to the fact that the Conservatives are just not worth the risk, but let me answer the member's question by saying this: When the minister became aware of the allegations of mismanagement at SDTC, he immediately acted and commissioned a review. The review resulted in an action plan that the executive will now implement by December, and we expect the highest standards of excellence in governance from all of our federal agencies.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this is the same scandal that has whistle-blowers pleading for legal and career protection after exposing the latest scandal in this billion-dollar boondoggle. We know that everyone from the board chair to the CEO is in a conflict of interest. They all protect each other and they all make money, and it is all on the backs of Canadians. The Prime Minister simply is not worth the cost.

Will the Prime Minister guarantee these whistle-blowers the same protection afforded to whistle-blowers in Canada's public service?

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, when the minister became aware of the allegations of mismanagement in this particular case, he immediately acted to commission a third party independent review of SDTC. That review produced an action plan that, now, SDTC will implement by December. That will make a substantive difference to addressing the mismanagement. The highest standards of governance are the expectations that Canadians should have, and that is exactly what our government is doing.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, what Canadians expect is that whistle-blowers, when they bring to light corruption within the Liberal government, will be afforded protection, but we have seen before how the government treats the rule of law. The Prime Minister blocked the RCMP from pursuing a criminal investigation into Liberal corruption by hiding documents from them. If anyone else hid documents from the RCMP, they would end up in handcuffs, but with the Liberals, what we see is the continuation of that cover-up. After eight years, he is a Prime Minister who is not worth the cost to our democratic institutions.

What evidence is the Prime Minister so desperate to hide from the RCMP, and why does he think he is above the law?

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, it is no surprise that what the member falsely claims is something that we take issue with. Earlier this year when the minister became aware of the allegations of mismanagement, he acted immediately and decided to conduct a fact-finding exercise through an impartial third party review. That third party produced a report, and that report has now resulted in an action plan that is being implemented. That is going to make a substantial difference in addressing the issues that have been identified.

Let us make one thing clear: We expect the highest standards of governance from all federal agencies, and that is exactly what we are standing up for.

Veterans Affairs

[Francis Scarpaleggia, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the well-being of veterans and their families will always be a priority for our government. We know that Canadians across the country also want to help those who have given so much to our country. Whether through organizations that provide housing, mental health services or assistance for the transition to civilian life, Canadians are stepping up to support our heroes.

Can the Minister of Veterans Affairs tell the House how our government is helping those who support our veterans?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for his question. He is absolutely right. Canadians and other veterans are stepping up to help those who have served our country. Through the veteran and family well-being fund, we have been able to invest in innovative projects, such as the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, which will support mental health among veterans.

This fund is helping veterans and their families from coast to coast to coast, with supports in areas ranging from mental health to housing, and we will not stop there.

Oil and Gas Industry

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Supreme Court has affirmed every argument regarding the overreach of the government's disastrous Impact Assessment Act. Its effect has been over $100 billion of projects cancelled. No major projects have proceeded, and 42 projects are in limbo. First nations cannot get roads built to their communities. This bullheaded ideology has broken Canada's regulatory system.

After eight years, will the NDP-Liberal government finally take a lesson, abide by the Constitution and stay in its lane?

[Chris Bittle, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, after a decade of the Harper government, the Conservatives gutted environmental regulation and still got nothing built.

The government is continuing to review the ruling and will have more information to share soon about aligning existing legislation with the Supreme Court's ruling. We have previously said that the current system will remain in place. We will have more to share soon, including any changes or guidance on the project.

The Conservatives have zero credibility on the environment. They are just not worth the risk.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Once again, before we continue with questions, I will ask members to please limit their comments to the people who have the floor.

The hon. member for Calgary Centre.

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would advise the member across the way that the last project, which was built was in 2016, was under the previous government's environmental assessment regime, LNG Canada.

The chief justice is clear in his statement. He says, very clearly, that the federal government cannot overstep its boundaries into provincial jurisdiction. Who else has said that this bill was an immense overreach? Every province, over 100 first nations, industry groups across the country, the Conservative Party and anyone who can read the Constitution has said this.

Will the NDP-Liberal government finally accept the decision, respect provinces and stay in its lane?

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and to the Minister of Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, as stated earlier, when the Conservatives were in office, they gutted environmental protection, eroded public trust, discouraged investment and made it harder, not easier, to build projects. This is why we delivered better rules for environmental assessments to help move projects forward. While we are making amendments to the act, the Supreme Court was clear: “Parliament can enact legislation to protect the environment”.

The Conservative Party's plan to eliminate environmental protections and disregard indigenous rights is reckless and unacceptable. The Leader of the Opposition is not worth the risk.