Debates of Nov. 1st, 2023

Public Services and Procurement

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

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the NDP-Liberal government, Canadians are struggling to eat as well as heat and house themselves, but money from the carbon tax is lining the pockets of Liberal insiders. One government official said that it is “a sponsorship-scandal level...giveaway”.

It is clear that the Prime Minister is not worth the cost when his $1-billion green slush fund already has $40 million under investigation. One insider, Annette Verschuren, is a friend of the Prime Minister. It turns out she is also chair of the board.

Can the Prime Minister stand up and tell us how much his friend received in contracts from his billion-dollar slush fund?

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

Mr. Speaker, I find it interesting that the Conservative member began his question by talking about the affordability crisis here in Canada but did not end it that way.

Allow me to address the fact that Canadians are struggling right now and that the supports we have put in place are helping them to make ends meet, whether they are supports through our child care program or supports to Canadians who are having a hard time paying their rent or mortgage. We have lifted over 2.3 million Canadians out of poverty since coming into government. These programs work and we will continue to make sure that Canadians benefit from them.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is astounding to hear the member say this program works. This program is under investigation, and $40 million is the subject of gross mismanagement and conflicts of interest in the Prime Minister's billion-dollar green slush fund.

After eight years of the NDP-Liberal government, it is picking Canadians' pockets with the carbon tax and putting it into Liberal insiders' pockets. The Prime Minister clearly is not worth the cost.

His friend is chair of the board. She is receiving contracts. Can the government tell us exactly how much of the money it has taken out of Canadians' pockets he has put into the pocket of his friend?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier with respect to SDTC, the Minister of Innovation welcomes the decision of the Auditor General to conduct a full audit. The SDTC has agreed to provide all of the information and documents necessary to the committee. I understand the Minister of Innovation will be appearing before the committee next week in order to answer everyone's questions.

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

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of this Liberal government, another Liberal scandal involving the mismanagement of public funds has come to light. This time, it has to do with the $1-billion green fund that is currently under investigation by the Auditor General.

That fund comes from the money collected through the carbon tax, which the Bloc Québécois supports and wants to radically increase. Today, Daniel Leblanc reported on CBC that a senior official said, “That is almost a sponsorship-scandal level kind of giveaway.”

Will the Prime Minister rise in the House and clearly indicate which Liberal friend benefited from this misplaced generosity?

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

Mr. Speaker, we expect the organizations to adhere to the strictest standards of governance. As I was saying, the Minister of Innovation welcomed the decision by the Auditor General of Canada to proceed with an audit. The minister himself is appearing before the committee next week to answer questions.

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

Mr. Speaker, according to the report, whistle-blowers are very disappointed at how slow the federal government is to act. Again in the report, a senior official states that this is about “sloppiness”, “laziness” and “outright incompetence”.

That is how this senior official describes this management of public funds by this Liberal government. After eight years of this Liberal government, here is more evidence that it is not worth the cost.

What interest did the Prime Minister have in dragging his feet in this case, which, unfortunately for all Canadians, brings up sad memories, namely the sponsorship scandal?

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

Mr. Speaker, I can confirm today that the department has been working in close collaboration with the Office of the Auditor General of Canada on this issue from day one. As I said, the Minister of Innovation welcomes the decision of the Auditor General to proceed with an audit and he is prepared to answer questions from the Conservatives and all members of the committee next week.

Small Business

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

Mr. Speaker, 250,000 businesses are at risk of bankruptcy if the federal government does not push back the deadline for repaying the Canada emergency business account loans without loss of subsidy. If the government thinks it is expensive to help businesses, it has not calculated how much it costs to abandon them. How many companies will be unable to repay the loans in full? How many collections will it have to undertake to get its money back? How many workers will end up on employment insurance?

When will the minister finally realize that causing 250,000 bankruptcies is going to cost her dearly?

[Rechie Valdez, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, our government understands that small businesses are still trying to recover from the pandemic. That is why we recently announced a one-year repayment extension, more refinancing flexibility and more time to access loan forgiveness.

This is in addition to our increase in the Canada child benefit and $10-a-day child care, which has enabled more women to enter the workforce than ever before.

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

Mr. Speaker, presenting information in this fashion is called disinformation. It is unbelievable that we have to explain to the government that forcing 250,000 businesses to go bankrupt is not economically viable, but we will keep trying. The government thinks that taking a hard line with our SMEs helps curb inflation. On the contrary, all these bankruptcies will increase the scarcity of goods and services, which could impact the prices people have to pay. This could in turn drive up the cost of living while hurting local economies.

Why take such a risk when the government could simply show some flexibility with our SMEs?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I do not think that scaring our SMEs is a good idea. We were there for them with the Canada emergency business account, wage subsidies and rent supports. The federal government provided $8 out of every $10 of relief during COVID‑19.

We are there for SMEs, and we are making the transition. It is now up to commercial banks to continue the work. We encourage businesses to make the transition as well, but we are still there and programs still have three years of flexibility and many different terms and conditions.

Carbon Pricing

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change said that he will not grant any more carbon tax exemptions while he is minister. He seems to think that people in the Atlantic provinces are the only ones suffering as a result of these taxes. Meanwhile, what is the Bloc doing? The Bloc is asking the government to drastically increase the Liberal taxes. It seems as though the Conservatives are the only ones who care about Quebec's interests.

I have a question for the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Will he get out of the way so that we can cancel the carbon tax across the country?

[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, again, I repeat that there is no federal carbon tax in Quebec.

Not only do the Conservatives still not have a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent climate change, but they also have no vision on how to adapt to the effects of climate change. That is not just irresponsible; it is incompetent.

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

Mr. Speaker, last week, a desperate Prime Minister admitted his punishing carbon tax is making life more expensive for all Canadians. He also said that if re-elected, the NDP-Liberal government will quadruple the carbon tax on home heating, gas and groceries. After eight years, the Prime Minister is now admitting he is just not worth the cost.

Will the Prime Minister stop the gimmicks, stop the temporary measures, stop the bogus claims and axe the carbon tax for all Canadians for good?

[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, if there was ever any doubt, the leader of the Conservatives has made it perfectly clear for Canadians that the Conservatives have no plan to fight climate change. They want to take Canada backward on climate action. The Conservatives all ran on a promise in 2021 to price carbon, but when they ditched Erin O'Toole, they ditched any progressive values they once had and the words “climate change” from their vernacular.

Their lack of a plan on climate change is risky and irresponsible. They should get with the program and realize that climate change is a real problem in Canada and around the world.

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

Mr. Speaker, after eight years, the panicking Prime Minister is plummeting in the polls and the nervous Nellie Atlantic Liberal MPs are whining to please help save them. The NDP-Liberal government's solution is to put the carbon tax up 61¢ after the next election. In other words, people should vote Liberal to quadruple the carbon tax after the next election or vote Conservative to axe the tax. The flip-flopping Prime Minister now admits he is not worth the cost.

Will the Prime Minister come clean and tell Atlantic Canadians how much the carbon tax will cost after the next election?

[Seamus O'Regan, Liberal, Minister of Labour and Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, I am going to come back to the Conservative leader's comment about the thunderous rally that was held on the east coast and perhaps refer to the gigantic one that was held in my riding.

There is a user on Twitter called “The Answer Is No”, and it is kind of funny. They spread it around and criticize me quite often too. The trick is that they ask a question but the answer is always no. Last week, his question was whether the Conservative leader's gigantic rally drew more people than a Saturday at the St. John's dump. The answer was no, it did not. As one Mount Pearl resident noted, there were more people at the Cowan Plaza Bingo.

Health

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, COVID‑19 has proven how important it is to prepare for pandemics. Vaccinations are one of the most effective tools we have to help protect public health from COVID‑19 in general and to prevent severe forms of the illness.

Can the Minister of Health tell the House about his visit to the new Moderna factory in Laval and its impact on Canadians?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent question and his excellent work.

Clearly, vaccines have saved millions of lives. Canada's response to the pandemic was one of the best in the world.

I had the privilege of visiting the new Moderna plant in Laval last Friday. It is a site where future vaccines will be manufactured here, in Canada. Producing the next vaccine here, in Canada, is extremely important to protect our health and safety.

Carbon Pricing

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

Mr. Speaker, after eight years, the desperation of the NDP-Liberal government proves the Prime Minister is not worth the cost.

Liberals admitted that the carbon tax exemption was not granted to western Canadians because they do not vote Liberal. The minister from Edmonton Centre and the member for Calgary Skyview are either so ineffective that the Prime Minister just ignores them or they actually agree that Alberta should pay more to keep the heat on.

Will the Prime Minister take the heat off home heating for all Canadians, yes or no?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, we have the opportunity in Alberta to join the federal government and provide heat pumps for those who need it, but let us look at the facts.

What have the MP for Calgary Skyview and the MP for Edmonton Centre, who happens to be me, done for Albertans? We have worked with the Liberal government to cut child poverty by over half. We have delivered a Canada child benefit to our ridings. We have implemented $10-a-day child care, and we got a new pipeline to tidewater, which is something the members on that side of the aisle could never accomplish. Two Liberals have done more than 30 MPs in six years. They do not like it, but we do, and so do Canadians.

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is finally admitting he is not worth the cost. He removed his punitive carbon tax on home heating oil, temporarily relieving the burden on the backs of 3% of Canadians.

Over 90% of Saskatchewan households are heated with natural gas. Are there higher taxes for them because they do not vote Liberal? Well, Saskatchewan cleaned its house in 2019, and now coast to coast to coast, Canadians are calling for a majority common-sense Conservative government that will axe the tax.

How about them apples, Mr. Prime Minister?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said a couple of times, heating oil is up to four times as expensive as natural gas. It creates affordability challenges. We have put into place measures that will ensure affordability and save families up to $2,500 a year going forward, but in a manner that also addresses the climate crisis.

I would say to the hon. member, she also may want to do her homework on the programs in place that enable the replacement of natural gas-fired furnaces with heat pumps. It is called the greener homes loan.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, now, Quebeckers know that voting for the Bloc Québécois is costly.

The Bloc Québécois voted in favour of the second carbon tax. The Liberal government decided to create two classes of Canadians: people from Atlantic Canada and everyone else. Quebeckers and other Canadians will not get the temporary carbon tax rebate. The Prime Minister says that it will not make any other exceptions. It is outrageous.

After eight years, this government has lost control and Canadians are getting poorer. Can it regroup and cancel the carbon tax for all Canadians?