Debates of Dec. 15th, 2023

Carbon Pricing

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, I would like to begin by wishing all members in the House happy holidays. I think everybody will be enjoying time with their families over the holidays and we look forward to seeing everyone back here in February.

I think it is important to make sure that the facts are right. It was actually Conservative senators who were bullying independent senators. In fact, the Conservative leader in the Senate was actually sanctioned by the other place for his terrible behaviour.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Madam Speaker, we all know that the biggest bully in this House is the Prime Minister. He is squashing any hope that Canadians had for getting relief this holiday season.

They are doubling down, once again, on their plan to quadruple the tax on gas, on groceries, on home heating and on everything else. There is hardly enough money for food, let alone Christmas presents.

As two million people are eating in a food bank, families are left to skip meals and children write Santa asking for warm boots rather than toys. Why do these Liberals insist on making Santa deliver the basic necessities instead of toys this Christmas?

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

Madam Speaker, I, too, would like to wish everybody in this House a merry Christmas, a happy Hanukkah, happy holidays and a happy new year.

I also hope that the Conservatives come back willing to work in the new year.

Conservatives continue to take farmers for granted. Not only do they vote against Canadian farmers, they have also abandoned Ukrainian farmers. Ukraine is the breadbasket of the world. Time and time again, they have been given the opportunity to vote for the Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement and, disappointingly, they have voted against it every single time.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Madam Speaker, we are ready to fight for Canadians every single day in this House, despite them not wanting to.

It turns out that Santa is not the only one flying around the world this Christmas. He has got some serious competition from the environment minister, except the minister does not fly a sleigh. He flies on a private jet. From Beijing to Dubai, he burns fuel and taxpayer dollars just to rub elbows with dictators and pop stars. He emits more carbon with one flight than most Canadians do in a whole year, while telling Canadians to pay more carbon taxes. The more he flies around, the higher the tax goes.

Will he park the hypocrisy and finally axe the tax before Christmas?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, speaking of hypocrisy, we know what the Conservatives wanted to give Canadians for Christmas and that is cuts to the vital programs and services that they care about.

In fact, just last week, they voted against $10-a-day child care. They voted against dental care for seniors and for children. They voted against Operation Unifier, which is an important NATO mission to Ukraine. In fact, when they refer to Ukraine as a foreign land, they forget that the country that is invading it is Russia, which is a border of Canada as well. We want to protect our sovereignty here at home. That is what they would give to Canadians.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Madam Speaker, Christmas is just around the corner and a lot of families are worried about whether they can have their traditional holiday meal. Prices are just too high. Parents are having to choose between feeding their children or putting gifts under the tree. There is nothing funny about it. That is the result of eight years of the policies of this government, aided by its Bloc allies who want to drastically increase the carbon tax.

Will the Prime Minister listen to our demands to end inflationary taxes so that Quebeckers can have a stress-free Christmas?

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

Madam Speaker, while the Conservative Party wants to see our planet burn, we intend to protect our communities. While the member for Kelowna—Lake Country wanted to see our planet burn, there were homes in her community gutted by forest fires.

If the Conservatives really want us to help with affordability, we have to protect communities from natural disasters. The Conservatives still want to see all that. We, however, want to protect communities.

Finance

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Madam Speaker, my question was about children and Christmas.

The folks at Moisson Kamouraska in La Pocatière are doing a great job, but they are facing growing demand, which is up 37% since 2019. Some 25% of their clients have low-paying jobs.

After eight years, we cannot count on this Prime Minister or his Bloc allies to give them a break. It is costly to vote for the Bloc Québécois.

Will the Prime Minister follow our common-sense plan and eliminate inflationary spending so that Quebeckers can have a proper Christmas dinner?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Madam Speaker, I am very happy to hear about Moisson Kamouraska.

I would like to know what the folks at Moisson Kamouraska think of the Conservatives, who oppose the Canada child benefit, which reduces child poverty by 40% every month in every riding, including my opposition colleague's riding.

What do the folks at Moisson Kamouraska think of the Conservatives opposing affordable, quality child care that reduces gender inequality and gives more money to middle-class families?

Dental Care

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Madam Speaker, the federal government is trying to pick a fight on dental care for no reason. Quebec agrees with expanding coverage, and Ottawa knows that. The difference is that Quebec wanted to expand coverage through the RAMQ public plan.

Instead, the Liberals and the NDP decided to favour a private company, Sun Life Insurance, over the public plan. We no longer have the left-leaning parties we once did. A simple agreement with Quebec would have led to better public dental care coverage in Quebec.

Why did the Liberals and the NDP choose to favour the private sector on health?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, it is clear that the Block Québécois is the one trying to pick a fight. Our party, the government, is the one trying to come up with solutions.

We are having discussions with Minister Dubé—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I am going to have the hon. minister restart. We cannot hear him.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I know you all love his jacket and it looks great on him. He is going out this year in style. It is lovely, but I just want to remind members that we need to hear what the hon. minister has to say.

The hon. minister.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax, ON]

Madam Speaker, I wish you happy holidays and a merry Christmas.

It is clear that the Bloc Québécois is the one looking for a fight. Our government is the one looking for solutions to ensure that everyone, everywhere in the country, can have access to dental care.

I have had good conversations with Quebec's health minister, Minister Dubé, and I am confident that we can find productive solutions to ensure that dental care is available everywhere.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Madam Speaker, we are not trying to pick a fight. We are trying to protect our jurisdictions. Protecting our jurisdictions means protecting our ability, as a nation, to make different choices.

Quebec wanted better dental coverage through the public plan, but thanks to the Liberals and the NDP, what we are going to end up with is more private coverage through an insurance company, and not just any insurance company. Sun Life fled Quebec sometime around 1978 when we asked it to operate in French under Bill 101.

Instead, why not respect the will of Quebec, sign an agreement and enhance our public plan?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, there is good news. Dental care will be accessible to everyone across the country, Quebeckers and Canadians alike.

That is good news, and I am wondering why the Bloc Québécois is angry about it. It really is good news for everyone. Of course, there are some details to iron out, and we are going to talk to Quebec to make sure that we get the right results, but our goal is to improve the quality of health care across the country.

Government Priorities

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Madam Speaker, we all know Canadians are better off when New Democrats are fighting for them in Ottawa. Here is what we succeeded in fighting for in this session: anti-scab legislation to empower workers to fight for better wages and working conditions; for indigenous, by indigenous housing to build suitable, affordable homes for first nations, Inuit and Métis peoples; national child care and dental care, putting thousands of dollars back in the pockets of Canadians.

While the Conservatives vote to gut and cut these services, New Democrats are delivering results and we will keep fighting in the new year, but why does the government always wait for the NDP to force them to deliver?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, we are very proud of the record we have in delivering $10-a-day child care for families across this country, delivering dental care for low- and moderate-income children and seniors throughout this country and delivering a sustainable future for Canadians across this country.

This government is here every day fighting for Canadians, and we are happy to work with any party in this House that wants to support Canadian families, Canadian workers and the future of this country.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Madam Speaker, thanks to the NDP, Quebeckers and Canadians are seeing concrete results, namely, funding for social housing, anti-scab legislation, dental care for millions of Canadians and Quebeckers, and consumer protection. In Quebec alone, nearly 50% of the population will benefit from the NDP dental insurance. While the Conservatives aim to cut services for people, the NDP is delivering results. If we do not force the Liberals to act, we know they will drag their feet.

Why are the Liberals always waiting on the NDP in order to deliver the help people need?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, that is why it is so important to work together. There is no point in simply criticizing, raising a fuss or creating problems. I really like it when other parties come up with solutions, because times are tough right now, all over the world. It is time to work together, to find solutions like dental care and the other results this government has delivered for all Canadians.

Finance

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

Madam Speaker, Moisson Québec reports that the face of poverty has changed. Roughly 30% of the people using food banks in the greater Quebec City area have a job. A growing number of students, newcomers and seniors are using food banks. That is the legacy of the Liberal government and its Bloc Québécois allies who want to radically increase the carbon tax, which is increasing the price of everything.

Will the Prime Minister listen to reason and axe his inflationary taxes once and for all?

[Élisabeth Brière, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families]

Madam Speaker, we know that many Canadians are struggling to put food on the table these days, so it was especially disappointing, last Friday, to watch the Conservatives vote against measures such as the strategy to bring in a food school program. We know that students learn better on a full stomach, and we are working on that. However, last week, the Conservatives showed us their true colours when they voted against that measure.

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

Madam Speaker, I would love to know what my colleague thinks about food banks that are overwhelmed by the demand. For example, La Bouchée généreuse in Quebec City is preparing twice as many hampers as it did two years ago. Its staff perform small miracles every day, but they are wondering, and rightly so, how they are going to cope. That is the result of the Bloc-Liberal coalition. It is costly to vote for the Bloc Québécois.

Will the Prime Minister listen to us and scrap his inflationary taxes and deficits so that Quebec families can have enough to eat, especially at Christmas?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for asking this question and for mentioning La Bouchée généreuse in Quebec City, which I know very well. I am sure the folks there are also wondering how the Conservatives can oppose the Canada child benefit, which reduces poverty in the Quebec City region by 40% every month, lifting more than 400,000 children across the country out of poverty every month.

How, in 2023, can the Conservatives claim to care about poverty and then oppose what La Bouchée généreuse, Moisson Kamouraska, Moisson Québec and Moisson Bellechasse do every day, namely reduce child poverty?