Debates of April 21st, 2023

Foreign Investment

[Andy Fillmore, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, the Investment Canada Act provides for the review of the most significant investments by non-Canadians to ensure the net benefit to the Canadian economy. All investments, no matter their value, are subject to a national security review under the ICA. Therefore, the acquisition of a Canadian company by a foreign company would be subject to review. As the member knows, due to the confidentiality provisions under the act, we cannot comment further.

Natural Resources

[Parm Bains, Liberal, Steveston—Richmond East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, across Canada, people are increasingly feeling the effects of climate change. My home province of British Columbia is experiencing severe floods, droughts and fires, all of which have taken a toll on the health of our iconic forests.

In this context, planting two billion trees in the next decade will support the expansion of Canada's forests and the restoration of important habitats.

Can the Minister of Natural Resources please update the House on how the government is supporting these efforts in British Columbia—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

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

Order.

I did not hear half that question. I am going to let the hon. member back up to the question part of his question so he can actually ask it to the minister.

The hon. member for Steveston—Richmond East has the floor.

[Parm Bains, Liberal, Steveston—Richmond East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in this context, planting two billion trees in the next decade will support the expansion of Canada's forests and the restoration of important habitats.

Can the Minister of Natural Resources please update the House on how the government is supporting these efforts in British Columbia this planting season?

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

Mr. Speaker, this week, we kicked off the planting season by announcing an agreement with British Columbia to plant over 37 million trees. The effect is like taking almost 470,000 cars off the road. It is going to turn burnt areas into healthy forests and restore wildlife habitat and ecosystems.

I would like to wish everyone who is working in the planting fields, such as the scientists, planners, nursery workers and recipients the best throughout this year’s planting season.

Automotive Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, last year, Volkswagen had the same revenue as the Government of Canada, at $413 billion. Now the Liberals are providing a $14-billion subsidy from taxpayers.

My question is simple. How many jobs in the plant does $14 billion buy for this auto company, which was convicted of environmental law crimes in Canada?

[Andy Fillmore, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, my friend may not have heard that the world is facing a new future built on the green economy. President Biden reminded us in this chamber that the countries able to develop green economies within their borders will be the countries that will win. This is a historic investment for all Canadians.

I will point out to the member that our investment is not a subsidy. In fact, this investment is equal to the economic impact of just five years of operations at this new plant. The scale of the site will create thousands of direct and indirect jobs. Our government is bringing the auto sector back to St. Thomas after a plant closed under the Conservatives' watch in 2011. The area MPs and the Conservative premier are behind this; why is this not the case for the member and his party?

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

Mr. Speaker, perhaps the member should listen to his Minister of Finance who, on Wednesday, said that competing with the subsidies of the Biden inflation act is a “race to the bottom”. Liberals surely would not give away $14 billion in taxpayer money without a contract on the exact commitments of jobs in the plant.

I will ask again: How many jobs in the plant will this $14-billion subsidy buy?

[Andy Fillmore, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, every day in the chamber, the government members come to work to make life more affordable for Canadians, grow the economy and take action against climate change.

This investment by Volkswagen and the federal government is a game-changer for the positioning of Canada as the world's green supplier of choice. It means that we are well on our way. There will be thousands of jobs created in the St. Thomas area. There will be thousands of knock-on jobs created in adjacent industries.

This is a win for Canada, and it is a win for the world.

Housing

[Scott Aitchison, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Mr. Speaker, “we see the interest rate increases over the course of 2022 leading to lower housing starts this year.”

Those are the words of a market analyst at the CMHC. Excessive Liberal borrowing and spending caused a spike in interest rates and will stall new housing construction. CMHC has also said that we need to build 5.8 million homes by 2030 if we have any hope of restoring affordability.

Why, then, is this costly coalition so determined to block the construction of the homes Canadians so desperately need?

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Rural Economic Development]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. Indeed, too many Canadians are struggling with the cost of housing, and that is unacceptable. That is why we have good news: The federal government is showing bold leadership by quickly increasing housing supply, helping Canadians who are struggling with the cost of housing and protecting the dream of home ownership.

We launched a $4-billion housing accelerator fund and introduced a federal top-up of $500 to the Canada housing benefit that will help 1.8 million renters. We also created a tax-free savings account of $40,000 for first time homebuyers. I could go on.

[Scott Aitchison, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Mr. Speaker, well, it is pretty clear it is not working. The average rent in Toronto for a one-bedroom apartment is now over $2,500 per month. Canadians who are going to renew their mortgages this year are faced with record increases in interest costs, and now the CMHC has increased fees by up to 200% on the programs builders use to finance multi-unit residential construction.

If the government really wants to build more homes, why does it continually make it so much more expensive?

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Rural Economic Development]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the Conservatives, we believe that every Canadian has the right to live in a safe and affordable place. That is why we brought in the first national housing strategy.

It is an ambitious plan of over $82 billion that has already helped hundreds of thousands of Canadian families get the housing they need. We have also introduced new measures in budget 2023—measures that the Conservatives voted against—to double construction, directly support Canadians and help them save for their first home.

Climate Change

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

Mr. Speaker, the UN issued a warning to the entire planet this morning reporting that glaciers are melting at a record rate because of greenhouse gases. It warns that it will take several decades to stop this negative trend. When it comes to melting glaciers and rising sea levels, we have already lost the fight.

At the same time, the federal government's climate change plan has been slammed in no less than five reports by the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development.

When will the federal government finally take action instead of watching our chances to stop climate change melt away before their eyes?

[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 thank my colleague for that question. She is giving me the opportunity to say, first, that we thank the commissioner for his reports and all his recommendations, which we are taking seriously.

This is also an opportunity for me to say that the results of our national inventory report of greenhouse gas emissions show progress in our fight against climate change. In 2021, there were 53 million fewer tonnes of pollution in our cities. That is the equivalent of taking 11 million cars off of Canada's roads.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the commissioner of the environment is very critical of the federal plan to combat climate change, and the government is not out of the woods yet.

Speaking of wood, he specifically mentions the Prime Minister's much-touted plan to plant two billion trees.

How is the government doing on that front? It has met 2.3% of its target. Two per cent is not terribly impressive, and that is assuming all the trees that were planted managed to survive. The commissioner warned us that Ottawa is not doing any tracking.

It is time to get serious. Instead of pretending to plant trees, when will the Prime Minister take real action by cutting off funding to oil companies?

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

Mr. Speaker, I will begin by thanking the commissioner again for his reports.

Many of the recommendations in his report about the two billion trees have been implemented or are currently being implemented. In fact, he said himself that he has seen progress, and he sees the work that has been done as a result of those recommendations.

Thanks to this program, we have signed or are in the process of negotiating multi-year agreements to plant 260 million trees over 10 years.

Government Appointments

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

Mr. Speaker, over the last eight years, Liberals have repeatedly broken ethics laws, more often than any government in Canadian history. Liberals have been found guilty of breaking the law six times, with the Prime Minister alone being found guilty twice.

They decided to appoint the sister-in-law of a current cabinet minister, who has also been found guilty of breaking an ethics law. However, now that it is has been caught, she has resigned, leaving the position to be filled yet again.

What Liberals do not seem to get is that the appearance of a conflict is in fact a conflict. Will the Prime Minister commit to appoint someone who is not a friend, a family member or a member of the Trudeau foundation?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I have already answered this question. I talked about making sure that there will be a replacement, and that will happen in due time with proper process.

As the Conservatives like to focus their attention on the Prime Minister, I would like to bring their attention to today, when we debated the budget implementation bill, which is an important bill for all Canadians. It is a bill that delivers on things such as the grocery rebate, which would be a benefit to 11 million Canadians.

There are all sorts of opportunities for the opposition. They can continue to repeat the same question, but my preference is to highlight some of the things that are happening in Canada.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, now that the acting ethics commissioner has stepped down, we hope to see a return to an acceptable ethical standard.

Appointing the sister-in-law of an influential government minister to fill the position of Conflict of Interest Commissioner showed unbelievably bad judgment and clear favouritism.

This time, would it be asking too much to find a candidate to fill the Conflict of Interest Commissioner position who is not related to friends of the Trudeau Foundation?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, we have always supported the work of the conflict of interest office. We are actively looking at a replacement for that particular position, and it will take place.

If I may, I will focus on what is happening in Canada today through budgetary measures, which include things such as the grocery rebate, as I mentioned, and the dental expansion program, which would help people during the difficult time of inflation. We can talk about the health care issue and how it is that the federal government is investing in future generations for health care services, which we all expect of the government.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there are more than 38 million Canadians, yet only members of the Prime Minister's inner circle were eligible for the Ethics Commissioner position. What is wrong with this picture?

Could the government finally consider candidates other than close friends and donors from the extended Trudeau Foundation family?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, again, we are actively looking for a replacement for that particular position. It will come in due course and follow a proper process. This is a government that has consistently respected the independence of our offices.

I would encourage members to change gears, get off the personal assassinations of character and start focusing on the issues that are important to Canadians, such as the economy.

Sport

[Sophie Chatel, Liberal, Pontiac, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this week, we learned that the 2027 Canada Games will take place in Quebec City. That is excellent news for our beautiful province and the sports community.

This not-to-be-missed sporting event provides many athletes with their first opportunity to participate in a high-level competition in a very friendly environment.

Can the Minister of Sport tell us more about the government's efforts to make events like this one possible?