Debates of Feb. 15th, 2023

Carbon Pricing

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Lambton—Kent—Middlesex.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are the kings of misinformation. Farmers do not get a rebate, and the government has not even hit a single climate target.

After eight years of the Prime Minister, the carbon tax is making food too expensive for Canadians. Fertilizer restrictions are making it harder for farmers to grow food. Big grocery chains are nickel-and-diming our produce farmers with high fees while they are raking in record high profits, and the government has done nothing.

Will the Prime Minister take responsibility for his mounting failures, give Canadian farm families a break and axe the carbon tax?

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

Mr. Speaker, today is Canada's Agriculture Day, and I am very proud of everything we have done for our farmers over the years. We have provided the most funding to this sector to support farmers, with a focus on investments in green technology. We have provided nearly half a billion dollars for green technology alone.

Yesterday we announced an additional $150 million for the protein industries supercluster. We are there for farmers. We have increased our budgets for risk management programs, because we know that our farmers are having to face extreme weather events. We also increased the budget for the Canadian agricultural partnership, something the Conservatives never did.

[Richard Lehoux, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years under this Prime Minister, Canadians can no longer afford to put food on the table, and this is a direct consequence of his government's policies. Canadian farmers are being crushed by the carbon tax. The government has also imposed a 35% tariff on fertilizer. Incidentally, Canada is the only G7 country doing this. This is further driving up the price of all food.

When will the government finally scrap these taxes so that farmers can feed our families?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleague from Quebec that the price on pollution is not applied in the same way in Quebec. It is administered by Quebec.

I would also like to take this opportunity to remind all of our farmers that we have improved the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada advance payments program, which provides short-term loans of up to $1 million. The advantage of this loan is that the first $250,000 is interest free. I encourage farmers to take advantage of this interest-free loan.

[Richard Lehoux, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague opposite seems to be living on another planet. The carbon tax certainly does affect Quebec because we are not self-sufficient. For example, the propane and natural gas needed to dry grain and heat buildings has an impact. We also import many products from other provinces and territories, so I will take no lessons from my colleague.

Things are only going to get worse on April 1 when the government plans to triple the carbon tax. The Conservatives will continue to defend Canadian farmers.

When will the Liberals be courageous enough to do the same?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, what my hon. colleague just said in the House is simply not true. Federal carbon pricing does not apply in Quebec because Quebec has its own cap-and-trade system, which was implemented before the federal government introduced carbon pricing.

I would also like to remind my colleague and all of the Conservatives across the way that climate change affects farmers across the country just as it affects all Canadians.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

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

Mr. Speaker, for six years now the federal government has repeatedly said that it is negotiating with the Americans on Roxham Road, but no one has heard anything about it.

Who is negotiating on behalf of Canada and with whom? What are the objectives of the negotiation? How often are discussions held? When did the negotiations begin? What is the target date for seeing some results? Who does the negotiator report the hits and misses to?

We want answers.

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for his passion and his work on this file. I know he works very hard at committee. Certainly, our government is working to modernize the agreement. That is exactly what we are committed to doing. I thank my colleague for the question. Our government will continue to take appropriate action and modernize the agreement.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is nice to hear the Bloc Québécois's work on the refugee file being recognized, for once. This government just admitted how hard we are working and how much we care about the future of migrants and of Quebec. I thank my colleague.

Now, that does not change the facts. We still do not have an answer about the negotiations. People advocating for asylum seekers have the right to know. If the negotiations were truly moving forward, the government would be able to tell us who the negotiator is, with whom that individual is speaking, and how many meetings have taken place.

It is not complicated. We want transparency and answers.

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I just want to say that the migrant crisis is not happening only in Canada. It is happening everywhere. This is a global challenge. I know my colleague is well aware of that; I am convinced of that.

Now more than ever, we must continue to work with our international partners, with the provinces and territories. Our government has committed to updating this agreement. That is what we are doing.

Carbon Pricing

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Prime Minister, Canadians have never struggled more with paying for groceries, paying for rent and paying to put gas in their cars. Everything is more expensive, and the government still plans to increase its ideological carbon tax. This tax has done nothing to reduce emissions and has made everything more expensive. When will the Liberals abandon their cruel carbon tax, and let Conservatives fix what they broke?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, for most of us in the House, and for most Canadians, climate change is the reality and facts do matter, though I know not for everyone. The facts are that greenhouse gas emissions are down 9% below the 2005 level. That is a fact. Methane emissions in the oil and gas sector are down almost 40% two years before scheduled. That is another fact. EV sales in Canada have doubled in the last few years. That is another fact.

If they will not take it from me, and they will not take it from environmentalists, maybe they will take it from the oil sands Pathways Alliance, which said, “With positive industry and government collaboration”—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Haldimand—Norfolk.

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, taxing Canadians to death is not going to fix the climate. Statistics Canada is reporting that a quarter of Canadians would not be able to afford a sudden expense of $500, yet the government still plans to triple the carbon tax on April 1. If the government would only cancel its plans to increase the carbon tax this year, Canadians would be able to afford to pay their bills once again.

When will the Prime Minister take responsibility for overtaxing Canadians into poverty and let Conservatives fix what Liberals broke?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, if they will not take it from me, they will not take it from environmentalists and they will not take it from experts, maybe they will take it from the Cement Association of Canada, which said about our climate change plan, “Emissions Reduction Plan provides cement industry with predictability”.

Electricity Canada welcomed the smart renewables and electrification pathways program. The oil sands Pathways Alliance, the five largest oil sands producers in the country, said, “With positive industry and government collaboration, Canada has an incredible opportunity to help provide for global energy security while being a leader in producing clean energy.”

That is what we are doing on this side of the House. We are fighting climate change. We are creating jobs and the economy of the 21st century.

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Prime Minister, Canadians are suffering and struggling to make ends meet, yet he wants to dismiss their pain and say things have never been better.

John's heating bill has nearly tripled this winter, despite using the same amount as last year, and the PBO is on record explaining the average Canadian will not receive more in their carbon tax rebate than they use. It is long overdue for the Prime Minister to listen to the people he works for. It is time to show leadership and admit when something is not working.

Will he scrap the carbon tax and, if not, will he step down and let us fix what he broke?

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. former critic for tourism, and every single Conservative member on that side of the House, ran on a plan to combat climate change. It seems there has been a change of management and now they do not believe in climate change. Guess what, they do not have a plan to address climate change. They do not have a plan to address affordability. They do not have a plan to help seniors. They do not have a plan to position this country for robust economic growth.

We raised 2.7 million people out of poverty, and 326,000 jobs were created since September. We have a plan; they do not. Thank goodness for Canadians.

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals certainly do not have any results.

After eight years of the Prime Minister, Canadians are out of money, and it is destroying their mental health. Anxiety, depression, addiction and suicide continue to rise because of the Prime Minister's outrageous, unethical and wasteful spending. The punitive carbon tax is not compassionate, nor is it responsible leadership. It is not a climate plan. It is a tax plan, and it has failed to meet any emissions targets.

The Prime Minister has a chance right now, this second, to listen, act and help Canadians, so will he do it? Will he scrap the carbon tax?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, invoking mental health is something that we should consider at all moments, but I will tell everyone what does not help mental health when the world is going through something as difficult as it is. It is to expand people's fears, to increase people's anxieties. The party opposite refuses to offer solutions. All it offers is fearmongering and pretending that Canada is an island alone while it goes through what the world is suffering.

That is not reality. That is not truth, and it certainly does not help those who are suffering from mental illness.

Seniors

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

Mr. Speaker, seniors built this country and they deserve dignity, but soaring food and housing costs are leaving so many behind. Under the government, seniors are struggling to keep up with the basic everyday costs, but the Liberals honestly do not seem to care.

The government has failed to raise the OAS for people under 75, so will it raise the guaranteed income supplement in this budget to lift all seniors out of poverty?

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Minister of Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, we recognize the challenges that all Canadians, including seniors, are facing. That is precisely why we have been there for them every step of the way since 2015 by restoring the age of eligibility for retirement back to 65; increasing the guaranteed income supplement, which has helped over 900,000 seniors, and has actually lifted 45,000 seniors out of poverty; enhancing the Canada pension plan; or, recently, increasing the old age security for those 75 and over by 10%.

We have been there for seniors, and we will continue to make sure that we have their backs now and into the future.

Climate Change

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the City of Windsor and the federal government partnered to address climate change and pollution by tackling devastating flooding under the disaster mitigation and adaptation fund by agreeing to a 60% to 40% cost-share. With rampant global inflation, construction costs have escalated, and now the Liberals are using this as an opportunity to squeeze the partnership and jeopardize important work on the Great Lakes.

For all the Liberals' bluster on fighting climate change, one would think that they would show some shame here. Windsor residents need action on the climate emergency, not patronizing lip service. When will the government stop backtracking and live up to its word for a change?

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

Mr. Speaker, our government has made record investments to Windsor and the surrounding area. Our commitment to investing in infrastructure is solidified in the fact that we are investing in green and climate-resilient infrastructure.

It is not just about creating good jobs. It is also about creating resilient communities. That is precisely what our infrastructure plan is doing. We are working with communities and partners to set those priorities and make sure that our communities are resilient into the future.

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the increasing impacts of climate change have made it clear that more needs to be done to fight the climate crisis, not less. National governments play an integral role in leading this work by greening their operations, an area in which Canada continues to demonstrate its leadership on the global stage.

The net-zero government initiative invites governments from around the world to lead by example and achieve net-zero emissions from national government operations by no later than 2050. Could the President of the Treasury Board please update the House on this initiative?