Debates of April 17th, 2023

Democratic Institutions

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, we already knew that, according to intelligence services, Beijing's Communist government contributed $140,000 to the Trudeau Foundation specifically to influence the Liberal leader who is now the Prime Minister of Canada. Now we have learned that it was his brother who signed the agreement to obtain this money.

Would the Prime Minister agree to invite his brother to appear before a parliamentary committee to answer questions?

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

Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister has said several times, he has not been involved in any way with this non-partisan foundation for approximately a decade.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, it was definitely a family business for the Prime Minister, whether it was the WE Charity paying his brother and mother and the Prime Minister claiming to know nothing about it as he handed a half-billion dollars over to that organization or the Trudeau Foundation, which got $140,000 from the dictatorship in Beijing for the specific purpose of influencing his decisions in politics. Now we know that his own brother was the one who negotiated and signed the deal to receive the money.

Will the Prime Minister accept to call his brother to a parliamentary committee to answer questions about this?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition knows well that the Prime Minister has not been involved with that foundation for approximately a decade. The member for Carleton's fixation on the Prime Minister's family is well known for its partisan interests, and he wishes to pursue those partisan interests. However, the Prime Minister and the government are not engaged with that foundation.

Carbon Pricing

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, if the Prime Minister had nothing to hide and no relationship whatsoever with the foundation, he would have no problem inviting his brother to testify before a parliamentary committee under oath about the money the foundation received for the specific purpose of influencing the Prime Minister.

I will move on to another Liberal falsehood. They told us the carbon tax would make emissions go down. A new report shows that for the most recent years emissions went up. The tax goes up, the emissions go up and now Canadians are expected to pay a net $1,500. Given that everything the Liberals have said about the tax is false, will they axe the tax?

[Terry Duguid, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives just do not seem to get it. The climate rebate puts more money in people's pockets. Eight out of 10 families will be better off. The member can look at page 5 of the original PBO report. What will not leave families better off is investing in cryptocurrency. That was reckless advice by the Leader of the Opposition. I have invited him to stand in this House and apologize.

Now, for the fourth time, will he stand up now and apologize to Canadians?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, that is another falsehood. I will read directly from the report written by the Parliamentary Budget Officer, who was appointed by the Prime Minister. On page 3, he says that, for example, an Ontario family will pay on average $1,820 more in carbon tax costs than they get back in these phony rebate cheques. In Prince Edward Island it will be $1,500. In Newfoundland and Labrador it will be $1,300. I could go on. In every single province, the majority of people pay far more in taxes than they get back in benefits from this scam.

Given that it has been false, will they not axe the tax?

[Terry Duguid, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I have good news. On April 14, climate rebate cheques started to arrive in people's mailboxes. A family of four in my home province of Manitoba will receive $1,000. That is $250 quarterly. That is going to help with cash flow. That is going to help with affordability. The Conservatives do not seem to be interested in either.

Taxation

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, according to a poll, 74% of Quebeckers say they are struggling to pay everyday expenses such as groceries, gas and basic necessities. This is because of inflationary taxes and deficits, which are increasing the cost of living for all Quebeckers. Furthermore, the government threw another $60 billion of fuel on the fire of inflation in its budget.

Will the government cancel its inflationary taxes and deficits, which are creating a burden for Quebeckers?

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

Mr. Speaker, I think that the Leader of the Opposition should listen more closely to Canadians.

He may have missed it, but in the latest budget, we introduced three key measures to address three things affecting Quebeckers and Canadians across the country. The first was the cost of groceries. That is why this government proposed a grocery rebate. It will help families in need. The second thing that Canadians told us to take action on was health care. Having a family doctor is a priority. The third thing that Canadians asked us to do was to build the economy of tomorrow with the jobs of tomorrow.

That is exactly what we are doing to help Canadians, and I think that he should listen to Canadians a bit more often.

Democratic Institutions

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the House voted for an independent commission of public inquiry on Chinese interference, and that is what Canadians want too.

Rather than heeding the consensus, the Prime Minister is hiding behind his special rapporteur and good friend, David Johnston. However, Mr. Johnston is a former member of the Trudeau Foundation, which is itself in the midst of a Chinese interference scandal. That means that a former member of the Trudeau Foundation, which allegedly received money from China, is going to tell the government how to avoid Chinese influence. We cannot make this stuff up.

Does the Prime Minister realize that this undertaking has absolutely zero credibility?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, our colleague opposite certainly has a way with words. However, we do not like when he claims that our government has not taken any action from the get-go to counter potential foreign interference.

As we have often said, we put in place a series of measures that we have adapted based on evolving threats. The work of the Right Hon. David Johnston is part of that exercise, and we look forward to implementing his recommendations.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's chief of staff, Katie Telford, did not tell us much during her testimony on Friday. It took two hours for the committee to hear that she would not say anything.

She did tell us that whatever she knows, the Prime Minister knows as well, and she said that the Prime Minister pays very close attention to CSIS reports. Therefore, the Prime Minister has known about the allegations of Chinese election interference all along.

If he refuses to launch an inquiry, does he realize that he is sending a very clear message that he has something to hide?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the chief of staff said exactly what the Prime Minister and other ministers have been saying all along. Security agencies repeatedly informed the government of the threat of foreign interference. That is precisely why we took action, unlike the previous government.

We have also said that the Right Hon. David Johnston is in a better position to look at the big picture and advise the government on any additional steps to be taken, and we look forward to following his advice.

Labour

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in the pandemic, public sector workers stepped up and provided the much needed help to give Canadians a lending hand in a difficult time. Now these workers are being impacted by inflation. They do not want to go to strike, they want to work, so the government has a responsibility to negotiate fairly.

Will the government get serious and negotiate a fair contract that respects the public service workers?

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

Mr. Speaker, public servants from the PSAC provide important services to Canadians, and the government values their work. The government is committed to reaching agreements at the bargaining table that are fair for the employees and reasonable for taxpayers. We have a good offer on the table and there is enough ground to reach a deal. Canadians expect both parties to bargain in good faith and find compromise, and that is what we are doing today.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, during the difficult times brought on by the pandemic, public servants delivered assistance to Canadians. Now they deserve respect. For them, like many other workers, inflation is a major concern.

Is the government going to take the negotiations seriously and reach an agreement that respects these public service employees?

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

Mr. Speaker, public servants from the PSAC provide important services to Canadians, and the government values their work.

The government is committed to reaching agreements at the bargaining table that are fair for the employees and reasonable for taxpayers. We have a good offer on the table. There is enough ground to reach a deal. Canadians expect us to work together, which is what we are doing today.

Carbon Pricing

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Liberals misled Canadians for eight years about their carbon tax scam. They claimed that it would put more into the pockets of Canadians than what they paid into it, but the Liberal environment minister admitted that they misled Canadians and the PBO backed that up in its current report on the carbon tax scam.

Our hard-working truck drivers are going to get slammed with an extra $150 in costs every single time they fuel up because of this scam. This carbon tax scam is going to cost Canadians more so Liberals can continue to virtue-signal and fill up their own coffers.

Why does the Prime Minister not stop virtue-signalling, stop punishing Canadians for eating, heating and living, and scrap the scam?

[Terry Duguid, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, good news is coming to Atlantic Canadians. On July 1, the climate action rebate will be coming to all of the Atlantic provinces. That will mean $1,000 or more to a family of four. Even the premier of New Brunswick likes it. At least one Conservative likes it. He said, “We need to make a choice that is in the best interest of New Brunswickers, and what this does now is provide relief from inflation.” We agree with the premier of New Brunswick. I wish the Conservatives did too.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals should slap a “not as advertised” label on it every single time the Liberals and the NDP talk about their carbon tax scam. They know for a fact, and it is backed up by the PBO, that, on average, Canadians will pay an extra $1,500. The PBO also proved them wrong and emissions have gone up.

The Liberals claimed they would fix the environment; that was false. They said that Canadians would be better off; that was false. The Liberal minister admitted that they misled Canadians for eight years. One in five Canadians are skipping meals and 1.5 million Canadians are using a food bank in a single month. Let us get real; this is a tax plan. Let us scrap the scam and give Canadians a break.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to correct the record. The hon. member knows that Canadians will receive more than they actually pay as a result of the increased prices. The only thing that the Conservatives' argument hedges upon is the belief that the alternative is to take no action—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order. I am having a hard time hearing the hon. minister. I am sure everyone wants to hear the answer.

The hon. Minister of Immigration, please continue.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' argument rests upon the premise that the alternative to putting a price on pollution is to do nothing to fight climate change. Every measure that they have put forward would have a greater cost than putting a price on pollution. Look to the court decisions, including those from western Canada, that said putting a price on pollution is the most effective way to combat climate change. We found a way to make it more affordable for families at the same time.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals still claim that families would get more back than they paid in the carbon tax. We know that is not true. The Minister of Environment finally admitted the truth. It turns out that they do not get more. They also claimed that the carbon tax works, but we know otherwise. New data says that emissions have increased 12 million times in the last reporting year, and they still plan to triple the tax.

How many more increases will it take before they realize the carbon tax does not work, it does not reduce emissions, it lowers our economic output and it hurts hard-working Canadians who cannot pay their bills?