Debates of March 28th, 2023

Transportation

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank our hon. colleague for her continued interest in supporting something as important as public transit. We agree with her that this is important not only for protecting our environment, but providing a reliable and secure way for Canadians to get around communities big and small across the country.

Our government has made record investments in public transit, including a permanent $3-billion public transit fund. We have always recognized the importance of this to Canadians. We will continue to support municipalities and provinces in securing public transit.

Natural Resources

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, for almost a decade, I have asked respective governments to stop plans to bury and abandon nuclear waste near the Great Lakes.

Last week, the U.S. Congress and Senate, both Democrat and Republican, united opposing Canada's plan to create this radioactive dump. High level nuclear waste has long-standing and devastating consequences on lakes that provide 40 million people with drinking water. The Liberals should be funding the organizations that clean and protect these waters, like the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, not science fiction.

Will the government stop this plan from moving forward and instead focus on its commitments to keeping these lakes great?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure everyone in the House and all Canadians that all radioactive waste in Canada is currently being safely managed according to international standards at facilities that are licensed and monitored by a world-class regulator: the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. The CNSC is an independent regulator that makes science-based objective decisions and regularly undergoes peer reviews from world renowned organizations. We are keeping Canadians safe.

Innovation, Science and Industry

[Viviane LaPointe, Liberal, Sudbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, semiconductors are what make our telephones, computers and vehicles work. The industry that manufactures them is vital for innovation and economic growth.

Can the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry inform the House of our government's recent success in terms of investments in semiconductors and how these investments will help to create good jobs for the future?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Sudbury for that great question.

Semiconductors are at the heart of the 21st-century economy. Last Friday, everyone in the House was very pleased to hear the President of the United States talking about the Albany-Bromont corridor, a major semiconductor manufacturing corridor. He also mentioned IBM's investment.

Yesterday, we announced, here in Ottawa, that Ranovus, a Canadian company, is going to manufacture the fastest, most power-efficient semiconductors.

Canada is poised for success in the 21st-century economy.

Taxation

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are struggling with generational high inflation. Meanwhile, the Liberals are raking in the cash through tax increases on the backs of Canadians.

After eight years of the Liberals, mortgages have doubled, rents have doubled, tax increases are creating uncertainty and people are worried about losing their jobs. Labour groups, small businesses and everyday Canadians have demanded that the government cancel the excise tax increase.

Will the Liberals listen to workers and businesses and cancel the April 1 excise tax increase in today's budget?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for the work she does on behalf of the tourism sector in her area.

As Minister of Tourism, I understand the value that the spirits, beer and wine producers in our country offer, not just to their local communities but to the visitor economy. We have removed the excise tax from low-alcohol beer. We will continue to keep the escalator in place, which is less than one cent per can of beer, and we will continue to see growth in the sector.

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this just shows how completely out of touch the government is with small businesses.

I represent thousands of people in my community who work at wineries, breweries, cideries and distilleries, and I have seen how hard business owners like Richard have worked. I have seen how hard Richard has worked planting his vineyard, going to school and building a small winery, and the struggles he has had, whether they have been bears eating his grapes or the government increasing his taxes. After 40-high inflation, Richard cannot afford the Liberal plan for a 6% excise tax increase that would crush his bottom line.

Will the Liberals listen to small business owners like Richard and cancel the April 1 excise tax increase in today's budget?

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

Mr. Speaker, perhaps an apt question is whether the Conservatives will ever vote for a measure that we put on the table that reduces taxes, because their record speaks for itself. On tax cuts for working Canadians, how did the Conservatives three times? Against. On reducing home buyer taxes, how did the Conservatives vote? Against. On a federal minimum wage, what did the Conservatives do? They voted against. On eliminating interest on student loans, how did the opposition vote? Against.

Whatever plans we put in place to reduce taxes, the Conservatives vote against them. We are here to deliver for Canadians.

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

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of Liberal governance, Canadians have never been more taxed, and it is not over yet. Unfortunately, on Saturday, taxes on wine, spirits and beer will go up, as will the carbon tax.

This does not bother the Prime Minister because it does not affect him personally. When the Prime Minister goes home to his riding in Montreal, he chooses the most polluting mode of transportation possible by taking the Challenger jet for a 22-minute flight. That is quite the lesson to teach everyone on being careful about pollution: Take a private jet to Montreal.

Could the Prime Minister act for the good of all Canadians and not increase taxes on April 1?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, when the Conservatives were in power, an additional 2.7 million people were living in poverty. When the Conservatives were in power, Canadians received family benefit cheques, but had to pay tax on them.

Our government increased the Canada child benefit without taxing it. This represents up to $7,000 a year for families with children under six.

Carbon Pricing

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

Mr. Speaker, sadly, we all remember when the Prime Minister stated that small and medium-sized businesses were a way for people to pay lower taxes. That is when the Prime Minister looked in the mirror.

Real small business owners, however, have their hearts in the right place. When they see taxes going up, they are no longer able to provide the services they believe in. That is why, according to a recent poll, 45% of small business owners will have to cut salaries, 56% say they will have no choice but to increase retail prices, and 61% are opposed to the Liberal carbon tax.

Will the Prime Minister listen to small businesses and forgo the Liberal carbon tax?

[Pascale St-Onge, Liberal, Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec]

Mr. Speaker, not only are we listening to small and medium-sized businesses but we proved it during the pandemic, among other times.

I cannot say how many small business owners I have met in my riding and across Quebec who tell me the extent to which we were there for them. It is thanks to programs that we put in place during the pandemic that they were able to retain jobs and, thanks to those jobs, families are now able to pay their rent and buy groceries.

We have always been there for small businesses and for those most in need, and that will still be the case today with this budget.

Finance

[Julie Vignola, Bloc, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, expenses for our beloved Governor General of Canada's official trip to Germany totalled nearly $700,000.

We are talking $700,000 for a four-day trip when Quebeckers are tightening their belts. Meanwhile, her salary was just increased by $40,000 a year, which is almost as much as the average income in Quebec.

How many more times will $700,000 be thrown out the window before people understand that this expensive and useless position must be abolished?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, if my colleague were to look at the numbers and compare them, she would see that the cost of that tour was the same, on average, as other tours.

Obviously, we are going to do everything we can to keep costs down and to make sure that these tours cost as little as possible every time.

[Julie Vignola, Bloc, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we do not have the same information. I want to be clear that all my questions about the Governor General concern the office and not the individual appointed to the position.

It is the position itself that is problematic and costly. When we ask someone to literally stand in for the Queen of Canada, it leads to behaviour that is disconnected from reality. Ms. Simon is wasting her own talents in this useless position that is insulting to all those that were wronged by the British Crown over the years.

When will it be abolished?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc is attacking the office. It is attacking the federation. It is attacking Canada. It is attacking things we all hold most dear.

The Bloc members are obviously here to promote sovereignty, to pick fights whenever possible and ensure that nothing works. Unfortunately for them, Quebeckers are very happy to be part of Canada and we intend to stay that way.

Public Services and Procurement

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the government spent $21.4 billion on outside consultants in this fiscal year alone. That is a 95% increase under the Liberal government. This is at a time when Canadians are struggling to put food on the table. This is at a time when Canadians have record-high credit card debt.

Why does the government not show some compassion and stop helping high-priced consultants instead of struggling Canadians?

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, it is important to understand that this government is implementing an ambitious agenda to help Canadians, support workers and ensure that workers can keep working. I believe that we have to continue to highlight the fact that we are implementing an ambitious agenda.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the current government is a government that helps its friends. The trade minister gave $23,000 to her friend. The housing minister gave $93,000 to his friend. The current government spent $21.4 billion on outside consultants. This is at a time when rents and mortgages are doubling. This is at a time when the excise tax and the carbon tax are set to increase on April 1. Why does the government not find some compassion and help struggling Canadians instead of just its rich friends and consultants?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is important to be very careful how we characterize the use of consultant services. When a government is, for example, in a circumstance like a pandemic when it needs to scale up and expand its impact at a particular moment in time, it is important to be able to use contracting services so that we do not create permanent costs by engaging permanent employees. The use of contracts allows flexibility in government to expand to deliver services without permanently increasing costs. It is irresponsible to misrepresent that and to hold it out as something other than what it is.

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

Mr. Speaker, at a time when Canadians are facing being caught in the vice of a cost-of-living crisis, the current Liberal government has done nothing but crank the handle. Rather than merely being content with raising the carbon tax, the tax on everything, the government is still spending millions upon millions of dollars on outside management consultants, and I have been schooled on being careful about that. There is something broken when the current Liberals cannot seem to understand that the spending is an inflationary dollar upon dollar. Why is the Prime Minister more focused on helping his high-priced Liberal consultants than on helping everyday Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, again, the use of consultants is an ability that allows the government to maintain flexibility in difficult times. As an example, during the pandemic we had to vastly increase our ability to be there for Canadians and to be there for small business owners to make sure that their businesses did not fail so that they could have the success we are seeing in the incredible jobs recovery, which is one of the strongest of our comparator nations. It is in fact due to the ability to use the flexibility of contracts to achieve that. To mis-characterize that or to try to create shadows with it is irresponsible.

National Defence

[Brendan Hanley, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, as a joint Canada-U.S. command, NORAD is integral to maintaining peace, stability and sovereignty in our country. Given Russia's arbitrary and brutal invasion of Ukraine and other recent threats to global security, there is intense interest, among my constituents of Yukon and across the north, in our government's commitment to modernizing NORAD while respecting and protecting Arctic sovereignty. Could the Minister of National Defence update the House on the progress made to protect Canada's Arctic security?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, last week we reaffirmed our commitment to continental defence and Arctic security by investing $7.3 billion in bases across this country, including in bases that will house the F-35. These investments will ensure economic benefits for indigenous communities and Canadians across this country. As President Biden said, we can “rest soundly, knowing [that] NORAD [has] the watch.”