Debates of Dec. 15th, 2023

Carbon Pricing

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Madam Speaker, yesterday, Empire Foods, one of Canada's largest grocers, stated that its suppliers were still passing along price increases above the rate of inflation. As costs go up for Canadian farmers and food processors, they have a choice to make: increase prices or go out of business.

After eight years, Canadians have a bad taste of what is in store. When we tax the farmer more and tax the trucker more, Canadians pay more.

When will the Prime Minister pull his head out of the sand and acknowledge this carbon tax is the root of food inflation in Canada?

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing]

Madam Speaker, that is quite the statement from the member opposite, who in the past has voted to not go ahead with tax cuts for the middle class and who has voted against the Canada child benefit. Just a few days ago, the Conservatives voted against more homes being built. They voted against, in fact, shelter spaces for women and children who are trying to escape domestic violence.

It is true, of course, that Canadians are going through a difficult time and we need to continue to be there for them with supports. The Canada child benefit, which I mentioned; the Canada dental benefit; day care; and support services are all there, and we will continue that support.

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Madam Speaker, we voted 134 times last week to show the government that it had a lack of confidence from the Canadian people.

Canadians are responding to food inflation in two ways: buying less-nutritious food and lining up for food banks. Reliance on food banks is at all-time highs. Worse to come, the NDP-Liberal coalition is committed to quadrupling the carbon tax on Canadian farmers—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I am sorry. A lot of individuals seem to want to contribute and it is not time to contribute, so I am going to get the hon. member to repeat his question.

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Madam Speaker, we voted 134 times last week to throw the government out through confidence measures.

Canadians are responding to food inflation in two ways: buying less-nutritious food or lining up at food banks. Reliance on food banks is at record highs. Worse to come, the NDP-Liberal coalition is committed to quadrupling the carbon tax on Canadian farmers. That means those who can afford it the least will be punished the most. It is obvious the Prime Minister is not worth the cost.

There are two options here. Will the government exempt Canadian farmers from the carbon tax or should Canada import more non-taxed foreign food?

[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 would like to point out that the stunt, the overnight filibuster, the member pointed out cost taxpayers $2 million, so as he preaches about fiscal responsibility, it is a bit tough to stomach.

The food report he references said explicitly that it is misleading to suggest that carbon-pricing policies are affecting food prices. Moreover, Trevor Tombe said last week, “If we got rid of the carbon tax and the rebate, then this would harm a much larger fraction of lower- and middle-income households than it would higher-income households.”

The Conservatives are making it very clear who they are standing for: It is big oil executives and the wealthiest Canadians.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Madam Speaker,

'Twas the night before Christmas when the members across,
Doubled down on their plan to keep raising costs.
They set out to do it by taxing the carbon,
On the hard-working people who do all the farming.
This dastardly plan to make our farmers poor,
Was almost disrupted by Bill C-234.
However, the time is coming for a bigger course correction,
When Conservatives bring home the carbon tax election.
After eight years we have gone from feasting to scraps,
So for Christmas will they finally axe the tax?

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Madam Speaker, I want to congratulate the member. Bravo on the great performance. However, I am going to remind him that every time grain farmers come to Ottawa they ask for new markets.

The Conservatives had a choice last week. They had a choice to support grain farmers, support the agricultural bureau in Manila and support the Indo-Pacific strategy. They had a choice and they voted against this. On this side of the House, we not only walk the walk but support our farmers.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Madam Speaker,

Farmers do not like their carbon tax plan,
They do not like their pipeline ban.
They do not like it here or there,
They do not think it is just or fair.
It taxes the food the farmer grows,
It taxes the tractor when he mows.
It taxes the food as it gets trucked,
It taxes the people as they get squeezed.
Liberal policies are breaking our backs,
So when will they finally axe the tax?

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Madam Speaker, I think what Dr. Seuss is concerned about is food security. Food security is relevant to the member and the people he represents in Alberta, because the good Ukrainian Canadians in Alberta know that Ukraine represents the breadbasket of the world.

It is not just Ukrainian Canadians who are disappointed in the member and his caucus. It is Polish Canadians, it is Baltic Canadians and it is every eastern European person who stands against the authoritarianism of Vladimir Putin. The member has been noted for combatting Communist authoritarianism. Where was he last week when we voted on that?

News Media Industry

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Madam Speaker, we now know what the breakdown of Google's royalty payments is going to look like. Of the $100 million specified in the agreement, $30 million is earmarked for electronic media, $7 million for CBC/Radio-Canada and the rest for print media. This amount of money will not fix the media crisis for newspapers, television stations or radio, by any stretch, but $7 million for the CBC? Seriously?

Since every dollar counts and every dollar can help save a local newspaper or a regional radio station, will the Minister of Canadian Heritage ask the CBC to keep its hands off this tiny little pot?

[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 thank my colleague for his question.

Last month, we announced a historic agreement with Google to compensate local journalists for their important work. This agreement will enable newsrooms to keep producing local content for their communities. We know that all media outlets are in crisis. We are doing our part to ensure that they can continue delivering the news to Canadians across the country.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Madam Speaker, if the government can guarantee that the $7 million from Google will prevent the dismissal of 600 CBC/Radio-Canada employees, we might reconsider our position.

Seven million dollars out of $1.5 billion is a drop in the bucket for public television, but it is a huge amount for the small weekly newspapers in our towns and regions. I have an idea. If we were to cancel the Christmas bonuses for Ms. Tait's inner circle and cancel one or two trips to Australia or the other side of the world, voilà, that would make up the $7 million.

Can we get assurances that CBC/Radio-Canada will not dip into that fund?

[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, we know that the Conservatives do not value the work of journalists, but we do. Over 500 newsrooms have closed in the past 10 years. That is why we passed the Online News Act, to level the playing field for journalists against the web giants.

The publication of our final regulations is the final step in the process for Bill C‑18.

Carbon Pricing

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Madam Speaker, after eight years, the NDP-Liberal government has driven up the cost of food for everyone. Canadians knows that when we slap a carbon tax on a farmer and then a trucker, these added costs are going to be paid by consumers.

Anthony, a dairy farmer in Saskatoon, is currently paying $55,000 every year in carbon tax. It is clear for dairy farmers that the Prime Minister is just not worth the cost.

Does the Prime Minister want Anthony to raise prices on consumers or does he want him to cut production so Canadians are forced to buy dairy from polluting foreign countries?

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Madam Speaker, it is the Christmas season and I want to thank all farmers who are providing food for Canadians.

What the hon. member is not telling his constituents and dairy farmers is that last week he had a choice. He had a choice to support dairy farmers and all supply-managed sectors and he voted against dairy farmers, he voted against the poultry sector and he voted against the turkey sector. The Conservatives love to talk, but when it comes to supporting dairy farmers in the supply-managed sector, they are nowhere to be found.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Madam Speaker, Canadians do not have confidence in the government, and I am proud to say that our party voted non-confidence in the government 135 times.

It gets worse. Instead of supporting Bill C-234 to reduce the cost of food by removing the carbon tax on farmers, the NDP-Liberal government is going to quadruple the carbon tax. This will balloon Anthony's carbon tax bill from $55,000 to $220,000 every year. This is guaranteed to increase the price of dairy for Canadian consumers.

What does the Prime Minister want Anthony to do, raise prices or cut production and force Canadians to import dairy from polluting foreign farms?

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Madam Speaker, I see the enthusiasm they have for a particular bill on the other side. I do not hear them being as loud in supporting Bill C-282, a bill we unanimously supported on this side of the House that supports supply management.

Where is the member and the other side of the House's support for Bill C-282, which the supply-managed sector, dairy farmers, turkey farmers, egg farmers and chicken farmers are all asking us to support? Where is the member and that party's caucus support for Bill C-282?

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister's carbon tax is taking direct aim at Canadian farmers and hitting our grocery prices. The Liberal government does not know Jack, a grain farmer from southern Manitoba who paid $6,000 in carbon taxes on his most recent bill. When the Liberal government quadruples its punishing carbon tax, he will be paying $24,000 in a single month.

How will the Prime Minister advise that Jack pay that $24,000? Will he be raising prices on Canadians? Should Jack cut back on production or should Canadians be forced to import more polluted foreign food from foreign farms?

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Minister of Northern Affairs]

Madam Speaker, the member for Portage—Lisgar should be embarrassed, and he should be ashamed of himself.

Last weekend, during the temper tantrum, he voted against PrairiesCan, an organization that has invested millions of dollars in Portage—Lisgar.

He voted against the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Canada's only major national museum in western Canada.

He voted against Ukrainian immigrant settlement services in Manitoba.

The member should be ashamed.

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Madam Speaker, I am so proud, and my constituents are extremely happy, that I voted non-confidence in the government 135 times last week.

It has become clear, after eight years, that this Prime Minister is simply not worth the cost, certainly not to Jim in my riding, who is paying $5,000 a month to heat his poultry barn. The NDP-Liberal coalition is planning to quadruple that to $20,000 a month.

How does the government expect Jim to pay that $20,000 a month? Is he going to cut back on production, raise prices for Canadians or are we going to be forced to import food from more polluting foreign farms?

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

Madam Speaker, as members of Parliament, we are representatives of the constituents in our ridings. They send us to Ottawa with one very important job, and that is to vote on government policies and programs.

Last week, the Conservatives voted on over 120 items that Canadians depend on. That member and all the members of the Conservative Party voted against farmers. They voted against supporting supply-managed sectors, like poultry, dairy, egg and turkey. The Conservatives need to stand accountable for the fact that they stand against farmers, and they stand against our agricultural sector.

Infrastructure

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Madam Speaker, everyone deserves to know that they will make it home safely at the end of the day. Weather stations in North Island—Powell River are vital to this. However, poor upkeep and underfunding by both Liberal and Conservative governments have left our weather stations in ruins. We need real action now to fix this problem.

Will the government make sure these weather stations are working, or continue to neglect the maintenance of infrastructure that people rely on for safety?

[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 really appreciate the advocacy from the member opposite, who I know recognizes that in modern times, the incidence of extreme weather events happens more frequently because of climate change.

We have an obligation to ensure that the data and reporting from those weather stations is up to date and fully functional. That has a direct impact on the safety of our neighbours, particularly during the winter months and particularly when folks are travelling.

I sincerely appreciate the question from the member, and I would be happy to touch base with the member after question period to discuss how we could make sure that Canadians stay safe over the holidays.

Health

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Madam Speaker, in 2019, I put forward a motion for a national suicide prevention strategy, and it received all-party support.

Since that time, the Liberals have broken their promise to deliver the Canada mental health transfer to the provinces. I am really concerned that this past week the Conservative Party voted against the national suicide prevention hotline, as well as voted against clean water on reserves. That would have a huge impact in my region. We know now the Conservative leader would break any promise on mental health.

Will the Liberals finally commit to implementing the full national suicide prevention strategy, so that people are not playing political games on such important issues as mental health and suicide prevention?