Debates of April 21st, 2023

Budget Implementation Act, 2023, No. 1

[Lisa Marie Barron, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge that I appreciate working alongside the member on the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans. I thank him for speaking about campaign promises. I was reflecting, as a fellow member on the fisheries committee, about the campaign promises of the Conservatives, and I am wondering if the member could clarify something.

The Conservatives campaigned on getting open-net fish farms out of the water, yet I am hearing very different discussions happening today. I am wondering if the member can clarify what the Conservative stance is currently on the importance of getting open-net fish farms out of the water. Furthermore, what are his thoughts on the fact that the current budget does not have a commitment to support all those impacted through this very necessary transition?

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I enjoy sitting on the fisheries committee with the member for Nanaimo—Ladysmith, as well as her thoughtful interventions during the fisheries committee work we do together.

From our perspective, what we do is respect provincial responsibility first of all. Open net-pen farms or aquaculture in Atlantic Canada is a provincial responsibility in licensing. In British Columbia, it is a federal responsibility. The government has lost several cases in the B.C. courts over its handling of it. It committed to consulting with the industry, which it did not do. The fisheries minister previous to this one, whom I happen to have defeated, also promised, when she made the decision to remove the Discovery Islands fisheries, that there would be transition programs for the industry and the employees, and now the current government, of course, is silent on those promises.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am going to tell you a secret that I am sure you will keep to yourself. I went into politics because I care about keeping the public finances in respectable shape. I am a member of the opposition and, to put it mildly, I have had my work cut out for me when it comes to opposing the government's management of public funds, which has been anything but sound.

I will give a few examples. The debt-to-GDP ratio was already very high at 42.4%. Because of this government's inflationary measures, which are costing all Canadians dearly, the debt-to-GDP ratio, which was 42.4% last year, has now reached 43.5%. The Liberals will surely say that that is not a lot and that it is normal, but we need to be careful. Let us remember what the Minister of Finance herself said in her budget statement in the House in November, just six short months ago. I would remind members that the debt-to-GDP ratio increased from 42.4% to 43.5% this year.

Nevertheless, just six months ago, the finance minister said, and I quote, “let me be very clear. We are absolutely determined that our debt-to-GDP ratio must continue to decline and our deficits must continue to be reduced.” I will talk about that shortly.

She also said, “The pandemic debt we incurred to keep Canadians safe must [and will] be paid down. This is our fiscal anchor. This is a line we will not cross. It will ensure that our finances remain sustainable.”

Her words are almost lyrical. They are words that I, for one, would have spoken with honour and dignity. However, the Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, who is second in command in this government and a contender for the top job, as everyone knows, said one thing and did exactly the opposite when the budget was tabled two weeks ago. That is what we are seeing with every number and every word in this omnibus bill that we are debating today.

The promise on the debt-to-GDP ratio has not been kept, and the debt-to-GDP ratio has gone up. The finance minister was so proud about a balanced budget at the economic update. She boasted that the budget would be balanced in five years and that there would even be a $4.5‑billion surplus. That is hogwash, because exactly the opposite is happening. This year, the deficit is more than $40 billion, which is completely unacceptable.

I would remind the House that those folks over there got elected in 2015, eight years ago, on what was admittedly a bold promise. They promised a shift to the left, and they have definitely delivered on that. They promised that if a Liberal government was elected, it would run small, strategic deficits for three years and return to a balanced budget in the fourth year. What happened was the exact opposite. The Liberals have run huge deficits over and over again, and the budget is far from balanced.

Balanced budgets are important. We cannot spend our lives, as individuals and families, perpetually living on credit. Sooner or later, we have to pay off our debts. If we do not pay now, we will have to pay eventually, or our children will be left to pay the price. A deficit leads to a debt, which leads to a bill that we pass on to our children and grandchildren, who will have to pay the price because we are living beyond our means today. Canada's debt is now $1,220,000,000,000. That is a lot of zeros. That is fitting, since there are a lot of zeros on that side of the House. Seriously though, Canada's debt is $1.220 trillion, which works out to $81,000 per family.

Every family now has $80,000 in debt that will be passed on to our grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who have not even been born yet but who will have to pay it off. Today, we are spending $43.9 billion to service the debt compared to last year, when it was half that, $24.5 billion. That is a huge amount. It is double the budget of the Department of National Defence. I will repeat, this is money being sent to banking institutions to pay for past spending, not for any direct services to Canadians.

It is irresponsible to live beyond our means. Is it any surprise that this is happening, when we know that the leader of this government once said that deficits balance themselves? As far as I can tell, he is the only person on the planet in a position of authority who has made such a silly comment. Deficits do not in fact balance themselves.

The government's money does not grow on trees. The government has no money. The government gets its money from Canadian workers. That is something we must never forget.

Now, about taxes, we know that the carbon tax is going up. As the Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed, this directly affects all families. It costs them more than they get back from the government. The PBO says it could cost the average family between $402 and $847 more.

The Prime Minister and the minister boasted that they had listened to the Liberal caucus, that they had listened to members speaking out on behalf of their constituents. Guess why? They wanted to make sure that the tax hike on alcohol would not be too high. I am not going to judge them for not wanting to raise taxes on alcohol too much. They are within their rights. I just wish these members would show the same concern over the debt, the deficits and the bills we are leaving to our children and great-grandchildren.

We also see this government announcing income tax hikes. The increase amounts to $305 for workers earning an average of $66,000. The Canada pension plan will cost them an additional $255. Employment insurance will cost them another $50.

When we look at the key elements affecting all Canadian families, be it taxes, the deficits or the debt, and we look at the overall numbers, such as the debt-to-GDP ratio, we see that this government has failed to do its duty to ensure responsible government. These people have never had a balanced budget. They have never paid attention to public spending. On the contrary, they continued to spend recklessly.

I want to share an anecdote. There is a section on Facebook called “Memories”. We can open it to see our memories. Facebook then shows us what we did last week or in previous years. This is the time of the year we debate the budget, so, every day, Facebook reminds me of the speeches I made or the questions I asked. The hallmark of this government is that it has no control over spending, it has no idea when it will return to a balanced budget and it always spends without restraint. However, when the Liberals were elected in 2015, they said that they would balance the budget by 2019. They did not do that. Six months ago, the minister projected a return to a balanced budget in five years. That is not happening.

Earlier, my colleague gave a history lesson about the 15th Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau, father of the current Prime Minister. I want to talk about what happened next. In 1972, the Liberals won a minority government under Pierre Trudeau. The Liberals struck a deal with the NDP to keep them afloat for a while. This arrangement lasted until 1974. All of a sudden, a measure was rejected, leading to an election. When the election was triggered, the Liberals said they would not introduce price and wage controls to bring down inflation. After being elected on July 8, 1974, however, they did just that a year later. As my colleague said earlier, like father, like son. They say one thing and do another.

In closing, I move the following amendment:

That the motion be amended by deleting all the words after the word “That” and substituting the following: “the House decline to give second reading to Bill C‑47, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 28, 2023, since the bill fails to end inflationary deficits, high taxes, and the war on work, measures that would allow Canadians to bring home powerful paycheques, lower prices, and affordable homes.”.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

The amendment is in order.

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism .

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague knows, I have a great deal of respect for him.

Last month, here in the House, he said, “Our party's objective is not to take money away from the CBC”. However, his leader was quite clear about his contempt for our public broadcaster, even going so far as to beg Elon Musk to ridicule CBC/Radio-Canada.

Will the member opposite from Quebec, who was a Radio-Canada journalist himself, continue to support his leader, who wants to cut funding to CBC/Radio-Canada?

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

Indeed, Mr. Speaker, we have heard many contradictory statements that are not true. Let us remember that our plan calls for budget cuts to CBC but not to Radio-Canada.

The member's intervention gives me the opportunity to clarify the misinformation floating around in the last few days. The Conservative Party's goal is not to cut funding to Radio-Canada, which provides French programming across the country, but rather to take a completely different approach with CBC, which has a 4% audience share, whereas Radio-Canada has 25%.

That is not new. Need I remind members that the father of the Prime Minister wanted to literally shut down both CBC and Radio-Canada? Let us remember that, 20 years ago, Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien orchestrated the biggest budget cuts in the history of Radio-Canada, to the tune of $600 million. That is the Liberal Party's signature.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my regards to my hon. colleague for Louis‑Saint‑Laurent. I thank him for his speech. We might not always share the same values, but he always has something interesting to say during our debates in the House.

I want to ask him about something that is unclear to me, to see if he feels the same way. In her budget, the Minister of Finance announced funding of $80 billion for the economic transition, as it is called. A lot of upcoming tax credits are absent from the bill. No money for investments, subsidies or support is directly announced, but the infrastructure development is there. From the way things are presented, it appears as though the money earmarked for this will not be part of the budget framework and will be managed separately, outside government accounts. That means there will no longer be accountability to the House.

What does my hon. colleague think of that?

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

Mr. Speaker, to echo my colleague's remarks about me, I could say exactly the same thing about him and all of his hard work in the House of Commons.

On the substance of the issue, specifically, the Liberal approach and the fact that the $80-billion investment in tax credits for new measures will be without any parliamentary oversight, that is unacceptable.

I would remind members that our leader has always said that to have a green economy, we need to give the green light to green projects and encourage them by focusing on positive tax measures rather than making Canada a place where, unfortunately, when people invest, they face a lot of cuts. This is especially true when it comes to setting wages. Canadians pay too much in taxes, and this discourages investment.

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

Mr. Speaker, one of the great concerns my constituents have right now is the growing concern of what is happening in our climate. They are seeing changes in their region that they have never seen before. They have been very clear that, when we step forward to address climate change, they want local responses, and they want to make sure good jobs are attached to that.

Of course, the NDP forced the government to make sure that, in its clean energy economy tax credits, there would actually be a tie to companies that pay better wages and have better working conditions. I am just wondering if the member is against this, as well as the other things that are in the budget.

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

Mr. Speaker, yes, responding to environmental challenges is important to us. Climate change is a reality. That is why we are committed to giving the green light to green projects, precisely to accelerate access to green energy for Canadians and to cut red tape when it comes to developing lithium mines, for example. Lithium is needed for the electrification of transportation.

We know that there is lithium in Quebec and in several regions of Canada, but unfortunately, it takes a long time to make these investments. We want to give the green light to green projects to ensure that more Canadians have access to green energy.

National Volunteer Week

[Terry Sheehan, Liberal, Sault Ste. Marie, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciated your S. O. 31 on Monday, opening up National Volunteer Week, and today I am tremendously honoured to be closing up National Volunteer Week. I want to take this opportunity to thank all those who donate their time and labour to make Sault Ste. Marie and the broader Algoma district a better place to live, work and play.

Last week, I had the opportunity to meet the folks from Sault Search and Rescue, whose members log over 4,000 hours each year responding to urgent situations and training, at no cost to the community. They provide such an important service. Whether it is in a field like firefighting, conservation, hospitals or local child and sporting activities, volunteers make our communities run. Board leaders, fundraisers and those who work on the ground, these people are absolute jewels to our community.

I urge all Canadians to take some time and find ways to give back to their communities, because with each individual act of volunteerism, we collectively make our communities better. We also make our country an even better place to live.

Regina Pats Player

[Michael Kram, Conservative, Regina—Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to say, “Thanks for the memories” to Connor Bedard.

Over the last three hockey seasons, Connor Bedard has been the starting centre for the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League. During this time, he has accumulated a long list of records and achievements, including the WHL's Rookie of the Year and youngest player ever to score 50 goals in a season. This season he led the league in goals, assists and points.

Connor Bedard's play for Team Canada at the World Juniors has been just as exciting, including a memorable goal in the quarter-finals in overtime against Slovakia, a goal that also saw him break the record for most World Junior points by a Canadian, a record previously held by Eric Lindros.

Now that the WHL season is over, Connor is off to bigger and better things, as he will be the first overall draft pick in the NHL entry draft this June. I hope Connor enjoyed his time in Regina. I hope he will not be a stranger, and I wish him all the best.

Community Service and Climate Initiatives

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to have IKEA Ottawa in my riding.

Our government announced $300,000 of Canada's zero-emission vehicle infrastructure program to install electric chargers at IKEAs across Ontario and Quebec. IKEA has partnered with Ottawa-based GoBOLT for a fleet of zero-emission delivery trucks. This means that, when people order from IKEA, their products will be delivered in a sustainable way, which is a big step toward a net-zero future.

I also toured IKEA to learn about how it is reducing waste through its AI waste disposal in the kitchen and through recycling and reusing items. These are just some of the ways IKEA is contributing to our community. I would like to thank IKEA employees, who, during the recent ice storm, volunteered on their day off to cook 400 meals for people who had lost electricity in the storm.

It is through partnerships like this that we will achieve our climate goals and position Canada for the economy of the future.

Indigenous Affairs

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, the budget allocated almost a billion dollars to persuade indigenous peoples to exploit their lands.

There are too few of the 338 MPs who will work to protect indigenous peoples' rights. That is why I say now, directly to Inuit, first nations and Métis, that their inherent rights are being violated, infringed upon and exploited. I say to the families of the MMIWG, the survivors and families of residential schools, families who were forced off the lands and into settlements and to indigenous peoples and their lands that were, and continue to be, stolen, that they must protect and defend indigenous peoples' lands. To indigenous peoples who are homeless, living in overcrowded or dilapidated housing conditions, and to all Inuit, first nations and Métis, I say that too few of MPs will stand up for their rights and I plead with them to protect their rights, speak up and demand justice from their MPs.

Gatineau Olympiques

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Gatineau Olympiques in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for reaching the semi-finals in the Gilles Courteau Trophy playoffs. That is bad news for MPs from the Quebec City area, as the Remparts de Québec are bound to lose.

I want to highlight the passion and commitment of the players, coaches, host families, sponsors and supporters who backed the team throughout the season at the new Slush Puppie Centre in Gatineau.

All members and everyone in the Outaouais are pulling for them.

Go, Olympiques, Go!

Fisheries and Oceans

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Mr. Speaker, elver licence-holders wrote DFO in January, stating, “Over the last 4 years we have heard every excuse in the book why C&P can’t enforce, including Covid-19, staff shortages, safety concerns, and the ever popular 'we’re working behind the scenes'. We see zero change in the enforcement strategy.”

These Liberals ignored the pleas of legal licence-holders for years about poaching. Now, of the few DFO arrests of the thousands of poachers on the rivers this year, all have been released by DFO without processing because DFO enforcement staff are on strike, leaving no enforcement of any fishery in Canada.

Hardware stores and Canadian Tire stores in my riding are telling me that the last few days they have sold out of nets, buckets and bubblers, which are all needed to poach elvers.

The Liberals bragged about increasing patrols. Observing is not arresting. Now DFO is not even observing. I know the Liberals failed math, so let me help. Zero multiplied by any number is still zero. Lawlessness is on our rivers. Legal harvesters are paying the price. The Liberals are as effective as washed-out bait.

Milton

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Milton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last week our community in Milton came together to support Bradi McCoy after she was the victim of an unspeakable act of horrible violence. The Rad Brothers Sports Bar in Milton was overflowing with support last Friday night, and it would not have been possible without a really incredible volunteer effort, so I thank Mary, Dave, Marg, David, Heather, Veronica, Jo Anne, Jan, Greg, Annalisa, Francesco, Carie-Mae, Amir, Erin, Liz, Roger, Janet and all the Rad staff for doing what Milton does best.

Bradi is a 23-year-old Miltonian. She is an educational assistant with the Halton District School Board. She loves working with kids who have special needs and dreams of becoming a teacher. She spent weeks on life support in the hospital after her face and body were burned in that horrible attack, but to everyone's delight last week she got out of the hospital early and was able to join the celebration in her honour.

A GoFundMe page has raised over $125,000. As my friend Heather put it, it is just a group of perfectly good strangers pitching in for a neighbour who needs a bit of support.

To Bradi I want to say that our community stands with her, Milton loves her, and we are going to be supporting her every single step of the way.

Kimz Angels

[John Aldag, Liberal, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday mornings in Langley City a line forms in front of the Langley Vineyard church. This line includes people struggling with hunger, homelessness and sometimes mental health issues.

Waiting inside to welcome those in need are Kimz Angels. With over 70 volunteers, Kimz Angels cares for our community's homeless and hungry populations. These angels provide food, clothing, housing and essentials to those who need it, no questions asked. They champion the importance of making positive impacts on the lives of others.

The giving of furniture, non-perishable food, baby necessities, kids' toys, school supplies or shelter changes life stories. All it takes is a community coming together to help give a hand up. This is what Kimz Angles do, rain or shine, in our community.

I have had the privilege of volunteering with Kimz Angels many times over the years. I have seen the tireless efforts that Kimz Angels make in Langley City. I thank Kim Snow and all her angels for the work they do.

Public Safety

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Swan River used to be a town where you could raise a family, enjoy retirement and operate a business, but today Swan River is unrecognizable. It is unrecognizable because, after eight years of the government's catch-and-release policies, crime is out of control. The crime severity index in this rural town of 4,000 is six times the national average and over 50% higher than just five years ago.

When I was in Swan River, I met with Linda, who owns a small clothing store. After 26 years in business, Linda never thought she would experience an armed robbery, but she did. A surge of robberies by repeat offenders has nearly put her out of business. Now nearly every business in Swan River has bars on their windows and buzzers on their doors.

Canadians deserve to feel safe. If the Liberals will not cancel their failed soft-on-crime policies Conservatives will.

Eid al-Fitr

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Scarborough—Rouge Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to wish my Muslim friends and neighbours Eid al-Fitr. During Eid, Muslims are encouraged to forgive and seek forgiveness, as well as generously sharing their blessings with those less fortunate. Eid al-Fitr symbolizes the virtues of patience, piety, godliness and fortitude. It is a time to reflect, spend time with loved ones, show grace for the blessings in their lives and celebrate fresh beginnings.

Ultimately, it is a celebration of and reward for the spiritual discipline exercised by worshippers during the holy month of Ramadan. During this month, I want to thank the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Masjid AI-Jannah and Spiritual Society Canada for their warm welcome to prayers. I also want to acknowledge the enormous contributions of the Muslim Welfare Centre of Toronto for its ongoing fight to ensure food security in our community and beyond.

To all those who will be celebrating today in Scarborough—Rouge Park and across Canada, Eid Mubarak.

Opioids

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the record-setting rate of addiction deaths is bringing to the forefront the horrifying effects of addiction from Vancouver to St. John's, Newfoundland and everywhere in between.

The B.C. coroner reported that almost 600 people died from overdose in the first three months of 2023 in B.C. alone. Every life lost to addiction is one too many. This data further proves what Canadians are experiencing within our communities and often within our own circle of friends and loved ones. More and more people are falling through the cracks and losing their lives to the disease of addiction.

Every Canadian living with addiction deserves the opportunity to pursue recovery, yet the Liberal-NDP coalition believe the answer is to flood the streets with opioids under the guise of so-called “safe supply”. Conservatives know that recovery is possible for those with addiction, and it should be the goal.

We invite the government to join Conservatives and commit to a recovery-focused approach that will improve the lives of Canadians with addictions, their families and their communities, because recovery is possible.

Liberal Party of Canada

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this government will shamelessly announce anything, but it always fails to implement anything other than, say, higher taxes, deficits, inflation and now higher emissions.

Yesterday, we learned that this Liberal government has broken another one of its election promises. The environment commissioner’s audit revealed that the Liberals' promise to plant two billion trees within 10 years is failing so badly that they are on track to plant only 3.8% of what they promised.

Seedlings are not in production. Partnership agreements are not signed. The Liberals are so far behind that there is no chance they are going to achieve the carbon sink that they have been counting on by 2030 through tree planting. Another A for announcement and F for follow-through.

This government could not manage a two-car funeral. There is absolutely no reason to believe any announcement about anything that these Liberals promise.

Mission Inclusion

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, quite often in the House we spend our time talking about the problems in our society and how to fix them. During this volunteer week, we should also take the time to recognize all those who work on the ground to improve people's lives.

That is precisely the mandate of Mission inclusion, an exceptional organization in my riding of Outremont that is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. Mission inclusion has made its mark in the world for 75 years. It has helped nearly 30 million vulnerable people through support programs in Outremont, throughout Quebec and around the world.

To the entire team led by Richard Veenstra and Isabelle Morin I say in the House of Commons, here in Ottawa, congratulations, Mission inclusion, here is to many more years.

Earth Day

[Kristina Michaud, Bloc, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow is Earth Day, a day for people to come together and take action for the future of our planet and our future generations.

It is an opportunity to individually commit and recommit to joining forces in the fight against climate change. More importantly, it is an opportunity to put pressure on governments, starting with Ottawa. Although the federal government is saying that we need to accelerate the transition of our economy by supporting workers, it is continuing to fund oil activities in its budget this spring. At a time when we urgently need to fast-track the fight against climate change, this government is investing in future oil exploration in the Arctic.

On Earth Day, let us make Ottawa understand that climate change is not a business opportunity. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I encourage everyone to join the protests that are being held in Montreal, Quebec City, Joliette, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, Chicoutimi, Rouyn, Rimouski and Baie-Comeau.

Ensuring our future means investing our energy in climate action, not investing in the energy stakeholders of the past.

Anniversary of the Battle of Gapyeong

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

Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 72nd anniversary of the Battle of Gapyeong. This battle is regarded as the most famous and significant action fought by the Canadian armies in the Korean war, and the most famous battle fought by the Canadian Armed Forces since World War II. In this battle, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand troops blocked the Chinese advancements towards South Korea’s capital, Seoul.

Today, I will join members of the Korean Canadian community to commemorate the battle at the Gapyeong Stone Korean War Memorial in Langley, B.C. The stone came from Gapyeong, South Korea and will serve as a reminder of the bravery of those who served in the Gapyeong battle and their commitment to upholding freedom and democracy. The efforts of those who created this monument, to keep the memory of this battle alive and to educate the next generation on the sacrifices made during the Korean War, are an inspiration to all of us.

There is an eternal friendship between Canada and South Korea that must be celebrated. I thank all the veterans of the Korean War and commemorate the more than 26,000 Canadians who served.