Debates of Dec. 12th, 2023

Carbon Pricing

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal-NDP government, it is evident Canadians despise the carbon tax. Premiers are suing the government, first nations are taking the government to court and people are lined up at food banks because they cannot afford this Prime Minister's inflationary carbon tax.

This Prime Minister has ruined Christmas for Canadians by keeping his punitive carbon tax that raises the price of food we buy. This Prime Minister is not worth the cost of the lost hope that Canadians should feel around the holidays. Therefore, will the Prime Minister cancel his plan to quadruple the tax on families, first nations and farmers for good?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure that as the holiday season approaches, the Conservative members in this House thought that Christmas was coming early because it seems that Tucker Carlson is coming to Calgary to host Danielle Smith, and that does not stop there. It is going to be Rex Murphy, Tucker Carlson and Conrad Black in Edmonton just after. The question is, will that member pay for her ticket individually or is there a group discount for Conservative MPs?

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, can he stand with Albertans and stop gaslighting Canadians?

Yesterday, CTV reported that basic necessities cost more in Calgary than any other major Canadian city. One Calgarian said, “It's really difficult if you're sacrificing your own meals so that your children can eat because grocery prices are expensive, or if you're rationing on things like heat for your home."

After eight years of this Liberal-NDP government, families are struggling to meet their basic needs, feed themselves and heat their homes because of this cruel carbon tax. Will the Prime Minister cancel his carbon tax or will he continue his plan to ruin Christmas for all Albertans and all Canadians?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, that member has clearly found her voice today, but it has been months that she and the Alberta Conservatives have been silent on defending Albertans when it comes to Danielle Smith's risky and reckless approach to taking Albertans out of the CPP. Maybe she agrees with her leader that Ukraine is some far-flung foreign land. Ukraine matters to Canadians, it matters to Albertans and it matters to Ukrainian Canadians. They and she should be ashamed.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, things are happening with the $460 million the federal government has to give back to Quebeckers for asylum seekers. Yesterday, the minister confirmed that the ball is in the Minister of Finance's court. That is why we are asking her about this today, but there is information she may be unaware of.

For starters, asylum seekers are a federal responsibility. Even so, Quebec takes in 48% of all those seeking asylum in Canada, at Quebeckers' expense, with no help from the provinces. Basically, we do all the work and we foot the bill. Will the government pay Quebeckers back?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the member may be disappointed to learn that we have a good relationship with Quebec. Last week, we spoke in a reasoned and reasonable way about reasoned and reasonable immigration to Quebec within the context of the Canada-Quebec accord that gives Quebec more than $700 million to do the work that falls within its jurisdiction, which is to take in immigrants, especially French-speaking immigrants.

Asylum seekers are a shared responsibility. We have to work on this together, because it is a challenge for all western societies. Canada and Quebec are ready to take up the challenge.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we are addressing the Minister of Finance, because right now, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship is the problem. He is the one who is preventing this file from being resolved. We want a conversation between serious-minded people. Quebec takes in 48% of all asylum seekers across Canada as a whole and pays 100% of the bill. The Minister of Finance can clearly see that this is not fair or equitable. Quebec is simply asking for everyone to do their part.

Will the Minister of Finance do her fair share, take the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship off this file and pay Quebec back?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I will give the Bloc Québécois the time to speak. I think it has time to listen to my answer as well. First, I commend the hon. member for his superhuman effort to reinvent and rephrase his question. While I am at it, I will repeat the same answer: Canada is not an ATM for the provinces. It takes a reasoned and reasonable discussion, a good discussion like the one we are having with Quebec. I look forward to continuing that conversation.

Carbon Pricing

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian premiers and first nations are suing the federal government over its unjust carbon tax, and Canadians cannot afford to eat, heat or house themselves. After eight years of this NDP-Liberal government, indeed it is a weary world.

Back home, there are over 1,800 on the roster for our local food bank, and over two million Canadians across this great country are visiting their local food banks so they can afford to eat. The Prime Minister is not worth the cost.

On behalf of all Canadians, will the Prime Minister cancel his plan to quadruple his tax on families, first nations and farmers?

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

Mr. Speaker, I find it interesting that the member opposite brings up the misery in the world, and part of that is what Ukrainians are facing right now defending their democracy.

Let me read from Trump's “America First”. It says, “we will no longer use American military might to construct democracies in faraway lands, or try to rebuild other countries in our own image.”

Is that why Conservatives vote against the Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement, because they are taking their lessons from Donald Trump and do not support the rebuilding of Ukraine and democracies around this world?

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, clearly, according to that member, Canadians have never had it so good. Sadly, every day we hear from Canadians who are selling their homes because they cannot afford their mortgages, who are visiting food banks because they cannot afford to eat and who are spending most of the day in bed with the covers pulled up because they cannot afford home heating fuel. After eight years of the NDP-Liberal government, this is the situation for Canadians in our great country. The Prime Minister and that member are not worth the cost.

Once again, on behalf of all Canadians, will the Prime Minister cancel his plan to quadruple the tax on families, first nations and farmers forever?

[Gudie Hutchings, Liberal, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, I love to see another member from Atlantic Canada stand up because, again, he voted against ACOA funding last week. Also, does he not realize that that is jobs, that is communities and that was 95 projects in his riding with over $60 million in jobs, helping to grow the economy and putting food on people's tables?

That is what we do on this side of the House. We support business. We support people and help them through these trying times.

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

Mr. Speaker, I will tell this House what she supports. She supports seals in rivers. She did not vote for Bill C-251.

Food bank usage at Memorial University in St. John's has nearly tripled since last year. Groceries have increased. Students and families cannot afford them, thanks to the carbon tax. Christmas is not far away and many folks cannot afford Christmas dinner this year. After eight years, the NDP-Liberal government is not worth the cost.

Will the Prime Minister cancel his plan to quadruple the tax on families, first nations and farmers?

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

Mr. Speaker, sadly, the official opposition voted against all agricultural programs last Thursday evening. Again, Conservatives showed their true colours on how they feel about Atlantic Canada and Prince Edward Island when they voted against the funding for the replacement vessel for the Wood Islands and Caribou ferry service, a vital link between Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.

I can assure Prince Edward Islanders and Nova Scotians that this government will continue to support a two-vessel system for that vitally important service.

Government Priorities

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. I wonder if she could tell the House about our plan to develop the middle class, our plan to deliver services and programs for our country, a plan that the Conservatives tried to scrap last week. They showed their true colours by voting against the programs and services that Canadians depend on. Fortunately for Canada, their efforts failed.

Can the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance tell the House about the Liberal plan?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives showed their true colours last week. For 24 hours, the Conservative leader and his entire party voted in favour of cuts to our plan to support and grow the middle class. They voted against the Canadian dental care plan. They voted against programs to build homes. They voted against funding for our $10-a-day child care plan. They even voted against—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

The hon. member for Cypress Hills—Grasslands.

Carbon Pricing

[Jeremy Patzer, Conservative, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal-NDP government, the cost of taking over a family farm is becoming insurmountable. A family in Elrose has passed their family farm down to the next generation. Over the past year, the carbon tax on natural gas alone has cost this young family over $3,000 and the Prime Minister's Christmas gift to them is to quadruple the carbon tax. This is just insane.

Since the Prime Minister will not axe the tax before Christmas, does he truly believe a new generation of farmers should pay these ridiculous costs, or has making farming unaffordable been his goal all along?

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

Mr. Speaker, are we meant to believe that on the other side of the House, in their zeal to vote against a carbon tax that they see as harming farmers, they would vote against all funding for Canada's poultry, egg and dairy farmers? Is that a way to support farmers? Is the way to support first nations to cut all housing for new housing on reserve for first nations? Is the way to help families to cut affordable child care and affordable dental care? No one believes them.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Mr. Speaker, this Christmas, Canadians are shouldering the weight of the NDP-Liberal government's costly carbon tax. Every gift under the tree, every family visit and every meal prepared will come at an additional cost. The Prime Minister's punishing carbon tax is ruining Christmas. After eight years of the NDP-Liberal government, Canadian families are tired of making the unimaginable sacrifices. The NDP-Liberal government is not worth the cost.

Will the Prime Minister allow his heart to grow three sizes and axe the carbon tax on families, first nations and farmers?

[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 hon. colleague, but Canadians have some questions for the Conservative Party after its leader's $2-million temper tantrum last week.

The first question is, since an average family of four in Ontario receives more than $300 back from the climate action incentive, why are the Conservatives so hell-bent on taking money from lower- and middle-income Canadian families?

The second question is this: Why are they so hell-bent on betraying Ukraine?

My third question for the member for Battlefords—Lloydminster is, why is she so against the farms in her riding that received over $120,000 in climate action rebates?

CBC/Radio-Canada

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

Mr. Speaker, the president of the CBC is completely out of touch with reality. A month ago, she hired a Paris-based company to translate a podcast, rather than hiring Quebeckers, because she did not like our accent.

Now, when hundreds of employees are wondering whether they will still have a job after Christmas, she has decided to head off to Australia for a good time, even though she is supposed to be deciding whether she should follow through with her plans to give her executives bonuses.

Does the Minister of Canadian Heritage still have confidence in the president of the CBC, Catherine Tait, to lead Radio-Canada?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question, because it gives me an opportunity to remind everyone in the House, as well as all Quebeckers, that the last time the Conservative Party was in power, it made cuts to CBC/Radio-Canada that jeopardized the public broadcaster's future. Still today, the Conservatives want to destroy the CBC, even though they are saying that they will protect Radio-Canada, as if that were doable.

All the Conservatives want is to no longer have a public broadcaster and to undermine Canadian democracy. That is shameful. Once again, we are seeing their true colours.

Diversity and Inclusion

[Leah Taylor Roy, Liberal, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we know governments that have strong representation by women and strong women leaders invest more in people.

Just last week we saw the Conservative Party, which has a caucus that is only 17% women and lacks diverse representation, oppose program after program that invests in Canadians. In fact, Conservatives voted 120 times “no” to investing in Canadians.

Could the President of the Treasury Board share with us how the reckless Conservatives would have greatly hurt the very Canadians we are working so hard to support?

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

Mr. Speaker, last week, parliamentarians voted on 120 measures to support Canadians, especially vulnerable Canadians. These included supports to the Canadian Armed Forces and supports for families for affordable child care, as well as supports for more affordable housing.

Canadians deserve opportunities to succeed, yet on 120 occasions, Conservatives voted against Canadians. We will stand shoulder to shoulder with Canadians every single time.