Debates of Nov. 30th, 2023

The Economy

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

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

While the U.S. economy is booming with a growth of 5.2%, Canada's economy is shrinking. Canada will have the worst GDP-per-capita growth in all developed nations. In fact, U.S. GDP per person will be $80,000 while Canada's will only be $50,000.

Never has a government spent and taxed so much on Canadians with so little to show for it. Will the finance minister stand up today to tell Canadians why she is taking more from them and making them poorer?

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

Mr. Speaker, while the Conservatives continue to talk down the economy, I will ask members to allow me to add in a few more facts.

We have ensured that 1.1 million additional jobs are available to Canadians since the end of the pandemic. That is important because those are well-paying jobs. Wages have actually increased and outpaced inflation in this country. The report that my Conservative colleague cites indicates that there was a significant upwards revision of Canada's growth in the second quarter in this country.

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the NDP-Liberal government, the financial gap between Americans and Canadians has never been larger.

The average GDP per capita in the United States is over $80,000. In Canada, it is merely $50,000. Unbelievably, the situation is getting worse. The growth in the United States was over 5% this year. In Canada, it is shrinking by more than 1%.

When will the government finally take responsibility for failing Canadians, and change direction to adopt a common-sense plan led by a common-sense leader?

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Once again, I would encourage all members, especially the member for Timmins—James Bay, to wait their turn to ask a question.

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

Mr. Speaker, the member gives me the opportunity to talk about an American investment that just happened yesterday. In fact, Dow Chemical made one of the largest investments in 126 years of history. It is going to invest more than $10 billion in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta for the first net-zero ethylene plant in the world.

We are going to be producing green plastics. We are going to create jobs. We are going to grow the economy. That is a plan for the future, and we are going to put it in place.

[Philip Lawrence, Conservative, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the reality is this. The more the government spends, the poorer Canadians get.

Over the last eight years, the government has imposed a record tax burden on Canadians, levels of debt and deficit never seen before in our country. The result is the worst per capita growth rate since the Great Depression. There is record food bank usage, with two million Canadians going to a food bank every month.

Why are those Liberals so hell-bent to bankrupt Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, our job as a government has been to balance compassion with fiscal responsibility, and that is exactly what we have done. We are there for Canadians with the Canada child benefit. We are there for families with supports. We are there for our seniors with supports.

When the member opposite talks about being there for Canadians, I wonder why that very member has been filibustering our motion on the Canada pension plan in the finance committee for weeks now.

We will continue to be there for Canadians.

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, we learned that the American economy grew by 5.2%, while the Canadian economy shrunk by 1.1%. The American economy is booming and the Canadian economy is at a standstill. Americans are getting richer, while Canadians are getting poorer. Nothing has been working in Canada for the past eight years.

Given these numbers, will the government recognize that its economic plan is a failure?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend my colleague for being brave enough to ask a question in French. It is not easy to be a francophone in the Conservative caucus.

Even though I do not often agree with him, all of the Liberals in the House will be there to defend his right to speak in French.

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

Mr. Speaker, to give a clear answer in French to the member here, who made this type of comment before on May 5, 2009, I would say that my colleague from Lethbridge apologized to the committee.

That being said, can the government tell me what it is thinking—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

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

Mr. Speaker, I will continue with my question. Children in Quebec have been sending their letters to Santa Claus to Opération père Noël since 1995. This year, instead of asking for toys, children are asking for winter boots and snowsuits. That does not make any sense.

Does the Prime Minister think it is normal for Santa Claus to be getting these kinds of requests from children?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, there are two official languages here, French and English. Both can be used. Both—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I would ask the members to be quiet when a member is exercising his right of reply in the House.

The hon. Minister of Transport may begin his reply again.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, again, French must be respected in the House. Both official languages must be respected in the House. If a colleague chooses to respond in her mother tongue, she must be respected in that regard, whether it is English or French.

Once again, I commend my colleague's courage, because it must not be easy to be a francophone Conservative in the face of such tyranny from his colleagues. We will always defend his right to speak in French.

Climate Change

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

Mr. Speaker, COP28 starts today and the Liberals have already had time to make another cowardly decision on climate change.

Just yesterday, Canada announced that it refuses to include in the final statement that we must one day give up fossil fuels. COP had not even started and Canada was already fighting alongside other petro-monarchies to pollute even more. According to Greenpeace, “The government is severely slowing the global fight against climate change”.

Why are the Liberals sabotaging the world's efforts to fight climate change?

[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, COP28 is the important next step in our collective efforts to advance human safety, economic prosperity, health and the well-being of our planet.

We recognize that there are still some challenges to address. Canada is working with its partners to accelerate global efforts to keep within reach the objective of the Paris Agreement, namely to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have bad news for the Liberals. Last week, the OECD criticized their carbon capture strategy, which is what they are hiding behind at COP28.

A report by the International Energy Agency warns that it is a mistake to rely too much on carbon capture. The agency warns that people need to drop the illusion that we will be able to capture unimaginable amounts of CO₂. The agency insists that there is no alternative to switching to clean energy.

When will the Liberals finally understand that the carbon capture strategy they are talking about in Dubai is a mirage?

[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 see that the Bloc Québécois recognizes that the federal and provincial governments each have an important role to play in projects with environmental impacts that fall under federal jurisdiction.

I find it rather ironic that the Bloc Québécois is asking the government to cancel projects that are supported by the provinces when their position is always to tell the federal government to mind its own business.

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, history is repeating itself at COP28. Canada continues to hold out the empty promise of green oil. While the Minister of Environment and Climate Change is making lofty speeches in Dubai, back in Canada, the Suncor oil company announced on Monday that it was increasing its output, now that operations have resumed at the Terra Nova oil field in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Once again, while the minister engages in rhetoric, oil is flowing more freely than ever in Canada, as the planet burns. When will the Liberals stop being part of the climate problem?

[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 appreciate the question from my Bloc Québécois colleague and friend.

The oil and gas sector is a major contributor to Canada's economy, yet it is also the country's biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions. That is why setting an emissions cap for the oil and gas sector is a key commitment in our emissions reduction plan.

Our government intends to publish a framework on the design of the emissions cap by the end of the year.

Carbon Pricing

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after enduring eight years of the NDP-Liberal government, one in five households in Ontario is struggling to put food on its table. That adds up to 2.8 million people, including 700,000 children. This is shocking. These are the highest recorded numbers we have ever seen. It is painfully clear that the Prime Minister is not worth the cost.

Will the Prime Minister tell his appointed senators to stop delaying Bill C-234 and to pass the bill now to bring lower prices for food for all Canadians?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, we introduced legislation in the House today that seeks to modernize competition laws to stabilize grocery prices. We encourage everyone in this chamber to vote in favour, including the member opposite.

In addition, I wonder why the party opposite continually votes against measures that aim to make life more affordable for Canadians. Whether it is for the Canada child benefit, whether it is for $10-a-day child care or whether it is for supports for small businesses, every single time the party opposite votes against. It is really difficult to understand what its plan is.