Debates of Oct. 6th, 2023

Carbon Pricing

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Global News published a report just last week that over seven million Canadians are struggling to put food on the table. Let us talk turkey. Under the last Conservative government, turkey cost only $1.49 a pound, but under the Liberals, it is $2.49 that Canadians have to pay. That is a 67% increase. The Liberal-NDP carbon tax is hurting everyday Canadians, who are just trying to have a nice Thanksgiving dinner with their families. After eight long years of the Liberals, Canadians have had enough.

Why are the Liberals not axing the carbon tax so Canadians can bring home affordable dinners this Thanksgiving weekend?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, for days, I have listened to Conservatives across the way filibuster a bill that would make a difference. When we talk about competition, as a government, that is what we want to see. This is one reason that we called the five major grocery chains to Ottawa. What do the Conservatives say? They say it is an op. When it comes to legislation, what do they do? They talk. They are not prepared to get behind Canadians when they need to be there in a very real way. They should stand up and vote for the legislation.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, that sounded like a bunch of gobbledygook. In my riding, we have some of the best turkey producers in Canada, but the Liberal-NDP carbon tax is increasing the cost to feed their turkeys and heat their barns. When the Liberals tax the farmers who grow the food and the truckers who ship the food, Canadians have to pay more to buy the food. Canadians know that the Liberal-NDP coalition is just not worth the cost.

Will the Prime Minister stop his photo ops, get back to work and axe the carbon tax, or is he just going to wreck Thanksgiving for everyone?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleague that the Dairy Farmers of Canada have committed to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The Egg Farmers of Canada also announced that they want to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The Grain Growers of Canada also committed to reaching net zero by 2050.

Farmers understand how climate change is impacting their sector and that we need to put measures in place to fight it.

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

Mr. Speaker, after eight years under this government, Canada is in debt, divided and humiliated.

Despite all that, the Bloc Québécois is backing the Liberals on the second carbon tax. It even voted in favour of it on two occasions.

Believe it or not, the Bloc Québécois is calling for a radical increase in this tax. Voting for the Bloc Québécois is so costly that no one can afford it.

As Thanksgiving approaches, what does the government intend to do to ensure that Canadians can have a good meal, as promised?

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

Mr. Speaker, I think many Canadians are wondering why the Conservative Party of Canada is supporting Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who has put a moratorium on renewable energy projects in Alberta.

That decision is putting $30 billion at risk, while the Conservatives say they are in favour of clean technologies and the free market. Will they do the same in Quebec? Will the Conservative Party oppose renewable energy development in Quebec, Nova Scotia and Ontario?

I think Canadians want to know.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' inflationary taxes, supported by the Bloc Québécois, are having a very serious impact.

According to a recent poll, 46% of consumers are buying lower quality food because it costs less, and 63% are concerned that those choices are having a negative impact on their health.

Contrary to what the Bloc Québécois would have people believe, the second carbon tax does apply in Quebec and it will drive up the price of all consumer products.

The question is very simple. Will this government show some empathy and cancel the two carbon taxes?

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

Mr. Speaker, what I cannot understand is how, in 2023, a party aspiring to form government can have no climate change plan and nothing to say to the tens of thousands of Quebeckers who have been affected by the flooding and wildfires this summer and to the people across the country, particularly in Quebec, who have been displaced.

The Conservative Party is saying that what it is going to do is make pollution free and let oil companies pollute our water, air and the health of our communities even more. That is the Conservative Party of Canada's environmental plan.

Small Business

[Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, Bloc, Terrebonne, QC]

Mr. Speaker, our SMEs are unable to repay their CEBA loans on time after being squeezed by inflation. According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, 250,000 businesses will go bankrupt next year if the federal government does not offer them some flexibility.

The Quebec National Assembly has heard this dire warning. It is unanimously calling on the federal government to significantly extend the deadline for the repayment of CEBA loans. Is that clear enough?

Will the government listen to the Quebec National Assembly and take action?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, one thing we recognize is that small business in Canada is the backbone of our Canadian economy in all regions of our country.

That is one of the reasons we developed, during the pandemic, programs such as loan supports, rent supports and wage loss supports, because we understand the importance of small businesses to Canada.

The minister will continue to work with small businesses to ensure that we are there to have their backs and protect jobs into the future.

[Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, Bloc, Terrebonne, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in case it was not clear enough, I am talking about the Canada emergency business account.

All the parties in the Quebec National Assembly are saying the same thing. We are headed towards 250,000 small and medium-sized businesses going bankrupt unless Ottawa assesses each case and offers deferrals, as needed.

If Ottawa thinks it will get its money back faster with 250,000 bankruptcies, it is mistaken. If Ottawa thinks it makes financial sense to put the employees of 250,000 SMEs out of work, it is mistaken.

When will this government finally listen to reason?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, we announced a bit of an extension just recently.

We are very aware of the pains that small businesses are experiencing, in good part, because of the pandemic. As I said, as a government, whether it has been reducing taxes for small business or being there to support them in regard to what I made reference to in terms of rent subsidies, wage losses and CEBA loans, the Government of Canada is there for small business. We recognize just how important it is to our economy in all regions of our country.

Carbon Pricing

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

Mr. Speaker, after eight years, the NDP-Liberal coalition has driven demand for food banks to a 42-year high. The Liberal MP for Avalon said, “I've had people tell me they can't afford to buy groceries.”

CTV News has reported that a large number of people cannot afford Thanksgiving dinner this year. For those people especially, the Prime Minister is not worth the cost.

Will he axe the carbon tax to lower prices, or will he break his promise to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, what I find ironic is that this member opposite purports to stand up for fish harvesters, but the fishers across this country tell us that climate change is real. They are concerned about the future of fish harvests and about the future of their economies and local communities.

If the members opposite care about affordability in Newfoundland and Labrador, why do they vote against technology and advancement in industry to fight climate change and ultimately protect fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador?

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

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary should know better. Her 23 buddies from Atlantic Canada should know better, because they all voted against the motion to axe the carbon tax that we put forward earlier this week. The lone holdout over there, the Liberal member for Avalon, said that everywhere he goes, people are losing faith in the Liberal Party.

To lower food prices in provinces such as Newfoundland and Labrador, which is so dependent on fuel for shipping, the carbon tax has to go. Will the Prime Minister axe the tax to lower prices for food in Newfoundland and Labrador, or will he break his promise to the people?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, over the course of the past eight years, we have had a number of opportunities to see where the Conservative Party stands when it comes to supporting measures that are actually going to fight climate change and create good jobs in our region.

Time after time, they oppose reasonable measures that are going to reduce pollution and prevent the kinds of severe weather events that my communities have been impacted by. These events include hurricane Fiona, wildfires such as we have never seen and floods that have literally taken the lives of my community members.

The Conservatives have a chance to support a concrete measure by voting for Bill C-49, which would create well-paying jobs in clean industries. Why does the member oppose well-paying jobs in his community?

Grocery Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, the people of Central Nova want to know why that member voted 23 times to increase their taxes and increase the cost of food.

After eight years of the NDP-Liberal government, even this Prime Minister's own MPs are admitting that people cannot afford to buy groceries. Lettuce is up 94%. Onions are up 69%. Carrots are up 74%. In the last year of the Conservative government, a turkey cost $1.49 a pound. Now it is $2.49 a pound. That is a Liberal 67% increase.

The Liberal Prime Minister is just not worth the cost. The Prime Minister promised to reduce grocery prices. Why is he breaking his promise?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, the people of Central Nova are benefiting from a middle-class tax cut we put in place back in 2015. They are benefiting from a Canada child benefit, which delivers thousands of dollars every year to families who are struggling with the cost of raising kids. They are benefiting from a new Canada dental benefit. They are benefiting from new measures that are going to build more houses. They are going to benefit from measures that are going to help protect against further rises in the cost of groceries.

I wonder if the people of South Shore—St. Margarets are starting to ask questions about why their member opposes all these points.

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

Mr. Speaker, the people of South Shore—St. Margarets are asking why the member's solution to the grocery food challenge is that they should watch flyers and clip coupons. Only one Liberal actually understands what is happening and is listening to their constituents, when people are saying that they cannot afford to heat their homes and buy food.

A Liberal MP said that Liberals have made it more expensive for people, to a level that they cannot handle. Even this Liberal believes that the Prime Minister is not worth the cost.

I will ask this again: Will the Prime Minister keep his promise to lower food costs, yes or no?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, I will be the first to acknowledge that we need to do more to continue to support low-income families who are struggling with the rising cost of living. However, if the hon. member is asking questions about families who are having challenges trying to heat their homes, why did he describe our program that is helping cover the cost of heat pumps to get people off home-heating oil as some “fairy tale” program?

We give upfront cash to families so that they can cover the cost without having to put up their own money first. We are going to continue to advance measures to make life more affordable, mitigate against further rises to the cost of groceries and help the people who call my community home.

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is Thanksgiving weekend and three out of five Canadians are being forced to take healthy food out of their carts because of the cost. After two years of inaction, the Liberals' out-of-touch solution is to leave it up to rich grocery CEOs. We know Conservatives have no serious plans to confront corporate greed. A year ago, the NDP successfully launched an investigation into food prices and now we have a bill that will lower prices, not just stabilize them.

Will the Liberals do the right thing and support the NDP's plan to lower food prices?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are doing the right thing, which is to bring the grocery CEOs of the largest grocery chains in the country to the table and get them on board with an action plan to help fight for affordability for Canadians. They have committed to implementing action plans that include discounts on a basket of basic goods, bringing back price-matching because some of them did not have that before and introducing price freezes for Canadians.

I do not think that those measures are insignificant. I think they are going to make a tangible difference for Canadians. Canadians will be the judge and we will find out in the coming days and weeks.

Persons with Disabilities

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, accessible transit is critical for people living with disabilities, but in this country transit is underfunded so it is not meeting accessibility demands. In my community this means that the transit authority is pushing people into taxis that do not meet their needs. Because the Liberals are holding back federal transit funding until 2026, Canadians with disabilities are being left behind.

Will the minister immediately release the public transit funding that has been promised and bring equity to transit?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her concern for people living with disabilities.

One of the things that we know well is that when we invest in public transit, it helps people move throughout their communities, disproportionately benefiting low-income families, people living with disabilities and seniors.

That is why we made historic investments through the investing in Canada infrastructure plan to have unprecedented levels of federal money going toward building our transit projects, including accessible transit projects.

That is why we moved forward with the rural transit solutions fund to make sure that small communities benefit. That is why we have now committed to a permanent public transit fund that will be coming in the years ahead to ensure we continue to make these investments, going forward in perpetuity.

Innovation, Science and Industry

[Majid Jowhari, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, teachers across the country deserve recognition every day for shaping the lives of our young people and encouraging them to pursue their ambitions.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry update this House on the Prime Minister's award for teaching excellence in the STEM fields and what we are doing to support students and educators in this important subject?