Debates of Oct. 3rd, 2023

Housing

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of this Liberal government, the average house price has doubled. The Prime Minister said, “it wasn't me”. After eight years of this Liberal government, the cost of rent has doubled. This Liberal Prime Minister said, "it wasn't me”. After eight years of this Liberal government, it now takes 25 years to save for a down payment for a home. This Liberal Prime Minister said, “it wasn't me”.

This Liberal Prime Minister is not worth the cost. If he is not responsible for anything, will he just get out of the way so that Conservatives can fix what he broke?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, it is telling in the member's question that no ideas on how we can build more homes have been introduced by the Conservatives.

With respect, we are moving forward with a plan that is cutting taxes for home builders. We are moving forward to increase the amount of money that we are going to contribute to help cities change the way that they build homes.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, as I hear members opposite yell, “We put a bill forward”, let us dig in on what it actually includes: A plan to raise taxes on home builders and cut funding for homebuilding. That will not lead to more homes getting built.

We have a plan to address the housing crisis. I hope the Conservatives join us.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I would like to remind members once again that only one member has the floor at a time. If members are patient and wait for their time to ask a question, we will obviously allow members the opportunity to do so.

Even if members look away from the Speaker, I can sort of guess where the voice is coming from.

The hon. member for Dufferin—Caledon.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is amazing, with a government that has accomplished so little, for the minister to be so proud. What he talks about is 5,000 units that are going to be built. CMHC says we need to build three million more units than we normally build. That 5,000 works out to 0.0016%, and he stands here bragging like he has accomplished something. The Liberals' lack of action has consequences and they are not worth the cost. Paula from B.C. is 71 and retired, and she is saying she is facing a 75% increase in rent.

If Liberals cannot actually do anything to fix it, will they get out of the way so the Conservative leader can fix what is broken?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, with great respect, my hon. colleague deeply mischaracterizes both the nature of the plan and the impact that it is going to have. He is clearly only reading one sub-bullet when he is looking to the measures that will build 5,000 homes. I would point him to the estimates that the cut on GST for apartment construction in this country would have, showing that we expect to see up to 300,000 homes built. I point him to the recent change to the Canada mortgage bond program, which is going to add 30,000 homes a year over the next decade, which is 300,000 homes.

I could continue, but if he reviews the measures we have put together in their totality, he will see it dwarfs the effort Conservatives are putting forward.

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Prime Minister, millions of Canadians are struggling to pay the rent. Last month, TVA Nouvelles reported that a single mother with three children was forced to abandon her mould-infested apartment and live in a garage because she cannot afford to pay the rent anymore. She described the experience as hell.

The Prime Minister just is not worth the cost.

What is the NDP-Liberal government going to say to this single mother of three who cannot afford to pay the rent anymore and who is descending into depression?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, what we are going to say to that single mother is that she cannot afford the Conservatives and their austerity that will make her life worse.

What we are going to say is our government has helped to lift 2.3 million Canadians out of poverty. What we are going to say is our early learning and child care program has cut child care fees by 50% across the country already. We are down to $10 a day in four provinces.

We will take no lessons from the Conservatives when it comes to helping the most vulnerable.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

We are doing very well, but I would ask the member of Parliament for Grande Prairie—Mackenzie to please wait his turn and give the example to all of his colleagues going forward.

The hon. member for New Westminster—Burnaby.

The Economy

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, yet another report has come out saying that the number of Canadians who are in dire financial situations is jumping dramatically. More than half of all Canadians are now living paycheque to paycheque and are overwhelmed by debt. This is a national emergency. Liberals must help Canadians who are struggling to get by. Conservatives are sure never going to help them. Liberals need to get serious about tackling corporate greed that is jacking up prices for everyone. Canadians need a crackdown on price gouging and a windfall tax on the biggest profiteers.

When will Liberals finally take action?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I certainly agree with the member opposite that the most vulnerable among us can expect nothing but pain and cuts from the Conservatives.

I also agree with him that we need to be there to support Canadians. That is why I was so proud to be there with my colleague, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, when we told Canada's grocers that they have to stabilize prices. We need to be there for Canadians.

That is why our government has imposed a COVID dividend on our banks and insurers: to pay for the price of supporting Canadians in those difficult days.

Climate Change

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, young kids are going to experience the worst impacts of the climate crisis, inheriting the mess made by governments today. The Canadian Climate Institute just released a report showing Canada's emissions are going up when we desperately need them to go down. The Liberals like to talk about climate change, but they have been dragging their feet on capping oil and gas emissions, prioritizing the profits of rich CEOs over our children's future.

Can the minister explain to kids who are watching why, eight years in, on the government's watch, Canada's emissions are still going up?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleague that Canada is the only G20 country that has eliminated fossil fuel subsidies. No one else in the G20 has done that and we have done that two years earlier than all the other G20 partners.

Since 2015, we have reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by 53 million tonnes. That is the equivalent of removing, from our roads, 11 million gas-powered vehicles. We are the only country in the world that is going to put a cap on the emissions of the oil and gas sector. No one else is doing that. That is how we are fighting climate change and helping Canadians with affordability.

International Development

[Shafqat Ali, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last year, the people of Pakistan experienced the most devastating floods in its history, wiping out critical infrastructure. There were 1,739 people who died, including 647 children, and an additional 12,867 were injured. While Pakistan is in the process of rebuilding, it has also helped house refugees fleeing Afghanistan.

Can the Minister of International Development please share with this House how Canada is supporting efforts to rebuild communities in Pakistan and Afghan refugees?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of International Development]

Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I would like to take this opportunity, as a member of the Black Canadian community, to really congratulate you for making history as Canada's first Black Canadian Speaker.

I want to thank the member for his advocacy on a really important issue. Pakistan has faced tremendous challenges with some of the most devastating floods of the region. While it rebuilds, it has also stepped up to help Afghan refugees. That is why we announced $14 million to support it, to provide health and essential services for the refugees and the host community. Canada will always be there.

Carbon Pricing

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal-NDP government increases the carbon tax on farmers who grow the food, on truckers who transport it, on manufacturers who process it and on retailers who sell it, but no, these higher taxes certainly do not impact the price of food when Canadians buy it. They do not believe them. They do not believe them when seven million Canadians are struggling to put food on the table. They do not believe them when food bank usage in Alberta is up 70%. They do not believe them when families cannot put turkey on the table.

How many families are going to be relying on food banks for Thanksgiving dinner because of the Prime Minister's inflationary carbon tax?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my hon. colleague that the poultry association of Canada, the grain growers and the canola growers have all committed to be net zero by 2050. Interestingly enough, every time the member, who I respect, stands in the House to talk about the impacts of climate change, he never talks about the impacts on farmers, and the billions of dollars that droughts, flooding and pests are costing our farmers all across the country from coast to coast. We never hear about that. The Conservatives have no solution to help our farmers fight climate change and help them with affordability.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, here is the impact on farmers: A third-generation farmer from B.C. called me saying in three months, they are going to lose their farm. Four of her neighbours have already done so and another one is selling their cows and their quota. Why? It is because after eight years of the Liberal-NDP government, they cannot afford farm-killing carbon taxes and higher interest rates. Farmers cannot afford when diesel goes up 70¢ a litre. Farmers cannot afford to pay more for feed, fuel and higher interest rates. Canadians certainly cannot afford to pay more for food.

If the Liberals really want to defend the family farm and lower prices for Canadians, why will they not cancel their inflationary carbon tax?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, the first thing I would like to do is congratulate you on your appointment as Speaker of the House of Commons.

I think my colleague fully understands what is taking place with climate change. On Prince Edward Island, we had hurricane Fiona. It destroyed barns and it killed cattle. I visited western Canada. Bales of straw are $300 a bale because of the drought and not far away, there are floods because of climate change. Farmers fully understand the costs of climate change and they are in the front row in order to make sure that we protect the farms and the farmland, and we will continue to do so.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of this Liberal Prime Minister, here is the sad reality.

The executive director of a food bank had this to say today: “It is an absolute disaster. Six families could not get a food hamper last month...it is the first time in 37 years that we have had to limit our resources.”

Nevertheless, this situation does not seem to bother the Bloc Québécois, which supports saddling Quebec families with a second carbon tax. Yes, the Bloc Québécois voted in favour. It had a chance to oppose it on June 5. Instead, the Bloc chose to applaud the new tax. It is costly to vote for the Bloc Québécois.

Are the Prime Minister and his partner proud of wanting to drastically impoverish Quebeckers?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, obviously, I am neither a francophone nor a Quebecker, but I have enormous respect for the Quebec nation, which was the first in our entire country to have a climate plan and to understand the importance of climate action for our environment. That is the reality in Quebec.

Our government is here to support the most vulnerable people across the country. We are working with our colleague, the Minister of Industry.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we know how the Liberals do things. It is obvious: The Prime Minister used the back door to charge a second carbon tax that in the end is going to cost Quebeckers 20¢ a litre of gas.

On June 5, the Bloc Québécois had the chance to oppose that tax. The Bloc Québécois MPs chose to vote with the Liberals for the taxes. Tomorrow, the Bloc Québécois will have the chance to vote against the second carbon tax that families back home are being saddled with.

After eight years, will the Liberals allow their Bloc allies in the coalition to have a free vote on the drastic tax increases? Will they choose the Liberals or Quebeckers?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my hon. colleague that Quebec is not only the first province in Canada to have put a price on pollution, but it is the first state in North America to have done so. This happened under a succession of governments of all stripes, except for the Conservatives who disagree with this. Why? According to their party's official position, they do not even believe that climate change is an issue.

The difference between them and us is that we believe in climate change and we also believe that we must support Canadians during these tough times.