Debates of Feb. 14th, 2023

Carbon Pricing

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the minister wants to tell us about small businesses. I think it is the Ethics Commissioner who just told us what the Liberals do with small business.

It has been reported now that more than half of Canadians are spending $200 a month or more to heat their homes. Let us ask Linda, who has a family of four. She is choosing to skip meals to heat her home.

Conservatives will keep the heat on and take the tax off, so when will the Prime Minister get out of the way so Conservatives can fix what he broke?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I wonder why my colleague from Edmonton voted against tax breaks for small business when he had the opportunity to support them.

I can tell members that, in the jobs report for January, 150,000 new jobs were created and 121,000 were full-time. I do not know where he is, but in Edmonton things are going well.

We are supporting Canadians. That is our job.

[Marc Dalton, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the current Prime Minister, British Columbians are really struggling. Liberal policies have pushed home, rent and fuel prices through the roof. We pay the highest prices in North America. Gas is projected to hit $2.65 a litre this summer. The Liberal solution is to triple down on the carbon tax to force Canadians not to drive to work or take their kids to soccer.

Will the Prime Minister take responsibility for making life more expensive? Will he keep the heat on and take the tax off?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I would remind my hon. colleague that eight out of 10 Canadian families actually get more money back than they pay on the price on pollution, but I would also remind—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order. I think things are getting a little out of hand. I am going to ask everyone to take a deep breath and, when someone is speaking, not say anything, other than the person who is entitled to speak.

The hon. minister.

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, North Vancouver, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would also remind my hon. colleague, who comes from the same province I do, that it was in 2008 that the British Columbia government put in place the first price on pollution in North America, showing enormous leadership in the fight against climate change. If he has a problem with the price on pollution in British Columbia, he might want to raise that with the premier.

[Marc Dalton, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister should know that British Columbia has received zero back in tax rebates from the federal government. After eight years of the Prime Minister, everything is more difficult. In Surrey, a thousand Indo-Canadian owner-operators met to protest that the Liberal government and the port authority do not care about their livelihoods. They are being unnecessarily forced to buy new trucks. They are also struggling to pay increased fuel prices, including the carbon tax that is tripling.

Will the Prime Minister take responsibility for his actions and admit he does not care for hard-working Canadians?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the hon. member points out that British Columbians do not get a refund, as every Canadian who lives under the federal system does. Eight out of 10 Canadians get more money back under the federal system. If he has a problem with how that process is implemented, and I believe the hon. member used to be a member of the political party that brought the price on pollution in, he should raise it with the premier.

Health

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, for-profit clinics across Canada are selling preferential access to surgery for those with the money to pay for it. They are exploiting a loophole in the Canada Health Act that is costing Canadians up to $28,000 per procedure. Even former Liberal health minister Jane Philpott says this contravenes the principles of medicare. New Democrats believe Canadians should have access to care based on need, not wealth.

Why are Liberals letting for-profit clinics pray on the desperation of patients and allowing two-tier access to care in Canada?

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and to the Minister of Sport]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from my colleague and his collaboration on the health committee.

We believe, on this side of the House, that all that people should need in order to get health care is their health card, not their credit card. We will always stand up for Canada's universal, public health care. Canadians are proud of our system, which has always been based on need, not their ability to pay. Our discussions with the premiers included the importance of upholding the Canada Health Act, which means making sure that services are based on need and not a person's ability to pay.

We will always protect Canada's equitable access to universal health care and services.

Infrastructure

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals said they would defend public health care, and now they are not.

Another example of Liberals putting the interests of corporate profits over people is the flailing Canada Infrastructure Bank. The bank has failed to deliver the climate-resilient infrastructure needed by communities, and Liberals do not want people to know this. The government is keeping that information secret and out of the hands of Canadians.

Why are the Liberals protecting a bank that is not delivering for Canadians?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, the Canada Infrastructure Bank is an innovative way to deal with infrastructure gaps that our country faces. For example, the Manitoba fibre project has created over 400 jobs, and 49,000 households will be connected to broadband. Would the member opposite like to tell those residents, those people who are employed, that the Infrastructure Bank is doing nothing for them?

We are going to continue to invest in good infrastructure right across this country.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Kody Blois, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, Nova Scotia's wine, grape and fruit-growing sector is facing an uncertain future. On the weekend of February 3-4, a polar vortex event hit Nova Scotia with sustained temperatures of -25°C and a wind chill record of -43°C. This, coupled with the fact that we had one of the mildest winters on record in Nova Scotia, has resulted in significant damage. Early estimates suggest that we will completely lose the vinifera crop and up to 50% of hybrids, and the fruit industry is concerned about peaches, cherries and stone fruit.

Can the Minister of Agriculture provide some guidance to producers in my riding and across the province about what programs they can use and whether she has received any application from the Government of Nova Scotia for an AgriRecovery framework?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank my colleague from Kings—Hants for his continuous dedication to agriculture.

We recognize that the recent weather events impacted the grape growers of Nova Scotia and have caused them significant stress. I want to ensure them that we stand ready to assess the disaster as soon as the province submits a request for AgriRecovery. Until then, I invite them to check their eligibility for the AgriInsurance, AgriInvest and AgriStability programs.

Canadian Heritage

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

Mr. Speaker, interesting news this morning: the Quebec government is urging the Liberal government to include a mechanism for mandatory consultation in Bill C‑11 to ensure the protection of Quebec culture.

It is asking the Prime Minister, who still enjoys the Bloc's support, to ensure that, before Bill C‑11 passes, it includes an official consultation mechanism with the Quebec government.

Do the Prime Minister and the Bloc agree with Minister Lacombe when it comes to Quebec culture and the fact that the government needs to send the bill to committee?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, we co-operate extremely well with the Government of Quebec on culture and on many other files too.

The Bloc Québécois, the NDP and the Liberal Party understand the importance of culture. They understand the importance of asking various streaming platforms, like Netflix and Disney, which are very popular, to contribute to Canadian culture.

There is a party that decided to abandon the cultural industry, as well as our actors, our creators, our producers and our directors. It decided to abandon all those who produce the very best in the world. That party is the Conservative Party.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is nice to see the Minister of Canadian Heritage, who often says that the Bloc is picking fights, all of sudden say that the Bloc is his biggest ally. As was the case for several bills, bills C‑5, C‑75 and C‑11, the Bloc is a great ally to the Liberals.

Can the minister give us an answer? Will the government send Bill C‑11 to committee so it can study the request of the Government of Quebec?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, it is true that the Bloc likes to pick fights a lot of the time, but sometimes it wants to collaborate, and that is the case for Bill C‑11.

I wonder how a member from Quebec and the other colleagues from Quebec can come here to debate and say that we do not need this bill when everyone in Quebec is calling for it. We need C‑11 for every industry, including the music, television and film sectors, so we can continue being the best in the world in what we do, despite the Conservatives.

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

Mr. Speaker, how can a member from Quebec, a minister from Quebec, refuse to listen to the demands of the Government of Quebec?

I understand that the purpose of Bill C‑11 is to centralize power in Ottawa, with help from the Bloc Québécois, which I might have to start calling the “centralist bloc”.

Will the Liberal government and its Bloc Québécois buddies allow the parliamentary committee to study the Senate amendments and Quebec's legitimate request?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, again, we have a good working relationship with Quebec and have had a number of collaborations in the cultural industry.

The Conservatives just want to filibuster. They have gone on at great length about everything under the sun—very eloquently, I will give them that—but at the end of the day, we need this bill.

We are competing with global giants. We need to keep putting our very best out there. We need Bill C‑11. We will keep working with Quebec regardless of what the Conservatives do.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would urge the minister to be cautious. Listening to Quebec does not mean filibustering. It means being respectful of the will of the Government of Quebec and the Quebec National Assembly.

While the Liberal government may be very happy with its new friends from the Bloc Québécois, which has become the centralist Bloc, and may be refusing to abide by the unanimous position of the Quebec National Assembly and Quebec's request, we, the Conservatives, want to have those debates.

Will the government accept our proposal to send Bill C-11 to committee so that the committee can examine the Senate's definitive request and, more importantly, listen to the Government of Quebec?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, once again, we have a very good working relationship with Quebec. We maintain an ongoing dialogue. In fact, I am meeting with my counterpart, Quebec's minister of culture, on the weekend, and I am very pleased to do so. The Conservatives are saying that culture is important? Come on.

As far as dog-and-pony shows go, this is the biggest one of the year. It is even bigger than the one put on by the Bloc Québécois. The Conservatives have been filibustering since the beginning of the year. They do not give a damn about supporting culture.

Despite all of that, we are going to move forward. We are going to help our creators, our producers and the cultural community.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order. I know that emotions can sometimes run high in the House and that it is easy to get carried away and say things that we should not. I would like members to pay attention to what they are saying and make sure that they are using parliamentary language.

The hon. member for Lac-Saint‑Jean.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

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

Mr. Speaker, authorities are concerned about an 846% increase in irregular border crossings. Border services are worried, saying, “it is extremely dangerous, particularly in inclement weather, which our Swanton Sector has in incredible abundance”. It is not the federal government saying so, it is the Americans. The Americans are worried because it is dangerous to cross the border through the woods in the winter. However, in Ottawa, when we raise the same concerns about Roxham Road, the government calls us intolerant.

Should it not be concerned about people crossing through the woods in the winter?