Debates of Oct. 5th, 2023

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, there are a number of measures that we have put on the table that will stabilize grocery prices and that will build more homes in this country. Consistently, what we have seen from the Conservatives are delay tactics.

Thankfully, this morning, we had a Conservative member stand up in the House and say that he was supportive of the government's legislation and that he would be voting for it. I wonder if there are other Conservatives on their bench who are also of that view. Perhaps they could get together and speak to the Conservative leader, because I believe it is actually the Conservative leader who wants to delay help to Canadians.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I did not hear a yes or no to my question, so I will try again.

Food Banks Canada stated that at this time of the year, the number of people turning to food banks is growing. What happens is that people are forced to make impossible choices, choices like paying rent or buying food. NDP-Liberal food inflation is driving food bank usage to its highest levels since Pierre Trudeau, 42 years ago. After eight years, the Prime Minister is not worth the cost.

Will the Prime Minister lower food prices by Thanksgiving, or will he break his promise to Canadians again?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, I find it curious that my hon. colleague is standing up only now to defend the interests of low-income families that might need the services that food banks provide, when his party, over the course of my time in the chamber, has consistently voted against the measures that would make life more affordable for them.

I look back to when we first formed government. We raised taxes on the wealthiest 1% and cut them for the middle class, and the Conservatives voted against it. When we changed the Canada child benefit and stopped sending cheques to millionaires so we could put more money into the pockets of nine out of 10 Canadian families, the member voted against it. Every step of the way, including support for food banks during the pandemic, the Conservatives could not get behind it.

Will the member now vote for the measures that could have a direct impact on the price of groceries, and support Bill C-56?

Carbon Pricing

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the NDP-Liberal government, food bank usage in Newfoundland and Labrador is at a 42-year high. It is no wonder. According to the PBO, carbon taxes 1 and 2 are going to cost households in my home province an extra $2,166 per year. After yesterday's vote, where 23 Atlantic Liberal MPs voted to support this suffering, folks back home are saying that the Prime Minister is not worth the cost.

Will the NDP-Liberal government finally be the servant, not the master, and axe the tax?

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity]

Mr. Speaker, the agri-food sector has endured more extreme weather events, particularly in the province of the member, such as increasingly severe and frequent storms, soil erosion, erratic and unpredicted rainfall, and higher-than-ever temperatures, including here in Ottawa in the last three days. That all results from climate change.

As farmers always do, they have persevered. They have developed and implemented more environmentally friendly on-farm practices and have reduced their emissions. The government is supporting them every step of the way through that process, and we will make sure that we continue to be there for farmers and consumers when it comes to lowering food prices.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years, the member for Milton should be able to do a better job than that when answering a question. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians want answers.

According to a CTV news report, many will not be able to afford a turkey dinner this Thanksgiving. With vegetables and turkey up around 70% in just eight years, the NDP-Liberal carbon tax is now taking food off tables.

Will the costly coalition listen to the Liberal premier of Newfoundland and Labrador and axe the tax?

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity]

Mr. Speaker, what the member for Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame will not say is that next week, climate action incentive payments will be arriving in the bank accounts of his constituents. He should make sure they know those are coming.

If the member really believes in affordability, then he ought to vote for Bill C-56 and the Atlantic accord, which he is standing against.

This is not the Conservative Party of our parents. The Progressive Conservatives stood up against things like acid rain, and they created solutions. The present Conservative leader, the member for Carleton, does not believe in climate change. He has spun his heels. The Conservatives have ditched progressive values and do not care about fighting climate change or fighting for lower grocery prices.

Climate Change

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

Mr. Speaker, September 2023 is the hottest September on record. The temperature of the water in the Gulf of St. Lawrence has hit record highs, with unprecedented marine heatwaves.

The trees planted in Saguenay-Lac‑Saint‑Jean to reduce our carbon footprint burned in this summer's wildfires. Meanwhile, we learned from a report that the federal government will increase oil production to record levels within the next two years. Its Trans Mountain pipeline will be wide open and fully operational as of January. That is really discouraging.

How is it that the Minister of Environment and Climate Change does not understand this?

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague. It is very important to consider our impact on the environment. That is why our government put a cap on greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas sector. That is one of the key measures in our emissions reduction plan.

Oil and gas companies have shown many times that they are able to innovate and develop other new and competitive technologies.

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is October and it is 30°C. Clearly, there is something unusual about this.

More and more experts believe that the 1.5°C increase we wanted to avoid before the end of the century will be exceeded by 2030. However, Canada is an oil-producing country, as the Minister of Environment and Climate Change likes to say. It is an oil-producing country that will increase production, rather than slow it down, to the point where it is poised to break all production records within 10 years. Canada is throwing fuel on the fire.

Is this what the former environmental activist turned Minister of the Environment wants his legacy to be?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, we take the fight against climate change very seriously. In fact, it is our government that will ensure that we are net zero by 2050.

If the Bloc Québécois is so interested in the oil issue, I would like to know why the leader of the Bloc Québécois, when he was Quebec's environment minister, said without hesitation that the Government of Quebec planned to go ahead with the development of the oil industry in Quebec. I would like an answer.

Innovation, Science and Industry

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of Liberal governance, it is clear that mismanagement is their hallmark, to say the least. Unfortunately, it is rubbing off.

Radio-Canada journalist Daniel Leblanc informed us a few days ago that Sustainable Development Technology Canada's green fund has spent nearly $40 million without scrutiny. Unfortunately, it is not surprising. Why not? Because the example comes from the top. When the government mismanages everything, it is perfectly normal for other organizations to mismanage everything as well.

When will the government finally manage its files properly, with common sense?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Louis-Saint-Laurent for his question. It is important to remind Canadians who are watching us today of the facts. As soon as the allegations were made, we commissioned an independent expert report. On that basis, we took action and demanded that a plan be put in place to ensure that we have the highest level of governance at that foundation. When it comes to public funds, we expect the highest level of governance at every institution.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what the minister said is very interesting. I thank him for that. The problem is that the story never changes. Whenever the government is caught red-handed, it starts taking action. However, it was slow to act when alarm bells went off a long time ago. Now, the government says that it will have to demand accountability and ensure sound management.

Does the government have confidence in this organization's current management, which is responsible for the current financial problems?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, this is not about anyone being caught red-handed. It is about the serious allegations that were raised.

The government requested the report precisely to ensure that it could investigate the allegations and then implement a system with the highest level of governance, because that is what Canadians and the government expect from all agencies that receive federal funding. We are going to ensure that taxpayers' money is managed properly.

Canadian Heritage

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the NDP-Liberal government, it has made it absolutely clear that it intends to censor what Canadians can see, hear and post online. It is hell-bent to make sure that this is the case.

My colleagues and I brought forward a very common sense motion today in committee, asking that the minister come and answer questions with regard to her new podcast registry. This podcast registry is moving forward under the government's current censorship legislation. The response was this: The NDP, the Liberals and their Bloc allies all voted down our motion. They do not want to hear. They do not want to ask questions. They do not want to understand. They do not want to give Canadians a voice. In fact, one may refer to them as the censorship coalition.

Why is the government so hell-bent on censoring Canadians?

[Pascale St-Onge, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, let us hear what an expert has to say.

Professor Pierre Trudel calls the Conservative argument “a complete disconnect with reality”. He says that it is clear it was not intended to control what users see or post online. He calls the CRTC process a “mere formality”. He said, “As a teacher, if a student writes this” in an exam, “I put a big zero” on his exam. He said, “You really don’t have to know how to read to say something as pathetic as that.”

Air Transportation

[Patricia Lattanzio, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after years of inaction under the Conservative government, our government became the first to adopt a regime to protect passenger rights, establishing a common set of obligations that all airlines must respect. To strengthen this regime, additional measures were introduced in Bill C‑47, creating even stricter regulations for airlines and ensuring that passengers are always protected.

Can the minister provide an update on this work?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend for her question.

Canadians work hard, save up and put money aside for their vacations or to visit their loved ones and families. That is why our government was the first to protect workers' rights. We strengthened our passenger rights regime by making compensation mandatory for most disruptions, putting the onus on airlines, not passengers, and guaranteeing standard or improved service levels in the event of a disruption.

In fact, we were the first to be there for Canadian travellers, and we will continue to be.

Public Services and Procurement

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal-NDP government, Liberal insiders have never had it so good and Canadians are paying the price.

We have learned that the RCMP is investigating allegations of misconduct involving three companies that worked on the ArriveCAN app. They paint a picture of cozy relationships between the government and questionable contractors, sweetheart deals for the Liberal insiders, while Canadians struggle to make ends meet. The Prime Minister is not worth the cost.

When will the Liberal government come clean on its unethical behaviour and quit lining the pockets of Liberal insiders?

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, as this is my first day rising in the chamber with you in the chair, I want to congratulate you sincerely on your appointment.

Misconduct of any kind in procurement processes is never acceptable. We are aware of the RCMP's ongoing investigation into these serious allegations. To protect the integrity of the investigation, we will not be providing any further comment at this time.

Small Business

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years, the NDP-Liberal government is not worth the cost.

Statistics Canada reports that the number of businesses closing shop in Canada is greater than the number of businesses opening. In August, there was a 37% increase in business insolvencies year over year. This is the highest it has been in recent history. Canadians are losing confidence at an alarming rate in their ability to do business in our country.

Why has the government turned a blind eye to the looming crisis of declining entrepreneurship in our country?

[Rechie Valdez, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, I want the small business owners of Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon to know that their Conservative member of Parliament has voted against cutting taxes for growing small businesses, voted against lowering credit card transaction fees by up to a quarter, voted against supports for diverse and under-represented entrepreneurs. Common sense does not mean voting against supports for small businesses.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal minister knows as well as I do that many of the problems facing small businesses in our country are a direct result of that party's governance and negligence: higher inflation, higher payroll taxes, higher carbon taxes, higher commercial rents, a labour crisis, more red tape and a botched CEBA repayment plan that confused thousands of entrepreneurs across our country. All of these factors hurt our job creators and business confidence in our country.

When will the government begin taking these problems seriously?

[Rechie Valdez, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition called the supports we provided small businesses “big fat government” supports. He is literally mocking the idea that we stood up for small businesses in a time of their need.

In the middle of the pandemic, small businesses were worried about keeping their doors open, keeping the lights on and keeping their teams employed. Our government stepped in during their darkest hour and delivered supports like the Canada emergency rent and wage subsidy for the hardest hit business, the tourism and hospitality recovery program and the CEBA loans.

I am proud of the fact that we are there for them. While the Leader of the Opposition mocks the support we provided small businesses, we will continue to have their backs.