Debates of May 30th, 2023

Democratic Institutions

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are telling us that an inquiry would not be effective because there are too many national security issues. However, they launched a commission of inquiry into Maher Arar. They tell us that they have taken concrete measures to ensure the integrity of the electoral system. Since then, at least three opposition members have been threatened. They are telling us not to be partisan, but they are not respecting the will of the majority of elected representatives. None of their arguments make sense.

Why are they refusing to call an independent public inquiry?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, since forming government in 2015, we have taken the threat of foreign interference seriously.

We were the first government to put in place a suite of non-partisan measures precisely to strengthen our ability to respond to interference in our democratic institutions and also to inform parliamentarians about threats to democratic institutions and what the government is doing to counter them. I think the member will be happy if she talks to her colleagues who sit on these parliamentary committees.

Carbon Pricing

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

Mr. Speaker, many families, especially those who live in rural communities, have to drive out of necessity. They drive to school, work, medical appointments and social activities.

Families are already struggling with higher cost of living expenses. Now the Liberal government wants to add two more carbon taxes on financially stressed Canadians. Liberal carbon tax 1 would add 41¢ a litre on gas. How painful does life have to get before the Prime Minister will finally cancel the carbon tax?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives never want to talk about the costs of climate change.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer reported that there was a $20-billion impact to the Canadian economy in 2021. Six hundred fires are burning from coast to coast to coast. They are devastating our communities, and they are threatening lives and livelihoods.

When are the Conservatives going to get serious about climate change and stop the denial?

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

Mr. Speaker, this carbon tax costs lower-income Canadians the most. It is an unfair tax.

Carbon tax 2 is coming at a time when many Canadians are struggling just to feed themselves. Now every time a Canadian fills up their car, they will be paying an additional tax on the GST and the HST. The Prime Minister is literally putting a carbon tax on a tax.

When will the Prime Minister take his boot off the neck of Canadians and finally cancel carbon taxes 1 and 2?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have no credibility when it comes to affordability. Every time we put an affordability measure on the table, whether it is dental, rental or the Canadian child benefit, the Conservatives vote against it. The climate rebate is an affordability measure. It is going to help families be better off.

What is not going to leave families better off is investing in cryptocurrency. The Leader of the Opposition has not walked back his comments. He has not apologized. That is because he has no plan for the environment, no plan for the economy and certainly no plan for affordability.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals already have one carbon tax that would add 41¢ to the price of a litre of gasoline. Carbon tax 2 would add another 17¢ per litre. GST will, of course, be applied to both. This means an extra 61¢ on the price of a litre of gas.

Since Canadians cannot afford higher taxes and the existing carbon tax has not achieved emission reductions, will the Liberals cancel this new carbon tax today?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I would remind all members of the House that climate change is real. I came to Ottawa this morning from my home province of Nova Scotia, where some of our communities are literally on fire.

There are thousands upon thousands of Nova Scotians who have been displaced from their homes, and hundreds who are risking—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I am going to interrupt. I am starting to have a hard time hearing the answers again. I want to make sure that everyone gets to hear the voice of the person who is speaking and to hear the message as well, whether it is from the question or the answer.

I am going to ask everyone to calm down and not yell at people. Whoever said, “Shh”, I agree with them. That is a very good point.

The hon. minister can begin from the top, please.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I know that it is difficult for Conservatives to accept this, but climate change is real. I came to Ottawa this morning from my home province of Nova Scotia, where our communities are literally on fire. Thousands upon thousands of families have been displaced from their homes. Hundreds are watching as their homes may be turned into ashes. Eight months ago, hurricane Fiona damaged our communities beyond measure, not only displacing homes, but also sweeping people out to sea in some instances.

The Conservatives are peddling policies that they know will increase the level of pollution that is causing these severe weather events. We have one planet. It is my home, and it is theirs. I will not stand idly by and watch it burn.

[Terry Dowdall, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the number one thing that people in my community contact me about is the cost of living. High inflation, mortgage renewal increases and the carbon tax are punishing Canadians. In rural ridings like mine, there is no subway. People need to drive.

A good government makes life more affordable, and the government institutes a second carbon tax instead. Carbon tax 1 will add 41¢ a litre. Carbon tax 2 will add 17¢ and, because they are Liberals, they will tax the taxes and add GST. Is 61¢ a litre enough, or is there a third carbon tax?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I think most members of the House recognize the scientific reality of climate change and the need to address it, but of course we need to do so in a manner that reflects affordability. That is why we have put in place the heat pump program, the grocery rebate and others.

I must say, though, that I find the positions being taken by the Conservatives to be increasingly bizarre. First, they ran and were elected as MPs on a platform that acknowledged that pricing pollution is the most efficient way to reduce emissions, and now they repudiate their own platform. Now, they criticize the clean fuel regulations, a policy very similar to the renewable fuels regulations that were introduced in 2010 by none other than Stephen Harper.

The Conservatives should start being honest with the Canadian public. The only thing they presently do that is constant is ignore the scientific reality of climate change. They have no plan to build an economy for the future.

Democratic Institutions

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are worried about the state of our democracy. Diaspora communities have been sounding the alarm for decades on this issue of foreign interference. The government is clearly not listening to them, and the official opposition is more interested in making political points.

New Democrats are listening. We know that 72% of Canadians want a public inquiry. They need to trust our democratic institutions. Will the Prime Minister put the interests of Canadians first and call a public inquiry?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, we are confident that Mr. Johnston has laid a path forward in holding public hearings that will put communities at the centre of a conversation on the way we can fight against foreign interference to protect our democratic institutions. It is encouraging that at least the NDP is prepared to take the briefing. It is simply up to the Conservatives now, if they are serious, to roll up their sleeves, get a seat at the table and take a briefing so we can fight foreign interference together.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Before going to the next question, I just want to remind the hon. member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes that he has a very strong voice and it carries very well, so if he is speaking to anyone, and I am sure he is only talking to the people around him, maybe he could just whisper to the best of his ability.

The hon. member for Vancouver East.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, foreign interference is real. It is happening here in Canada, and the Prime Minister has failed to address it. By refusing to implement an independent public inquiry into foreign interference, the Liberals are hurting people and our democracy.

Their appointed rapporteur David Johnston does not have the confidence of the House. He must go. The Prime Minister needs to listen and do the right thing. Will he remove David Johnston and immediately launch an independent public inquiry?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I share my colleague's concerns about the threats that are posed by foreign interference, which is why this government has been acting concretely by introducing new powers for the Communications Security Establishment by creating new mechanisms of transparency.

Most recently, I signed off on a ministerial directive to ensure that I and the Prime Minister are getting briefed. We now have a public hearings process, which we hope to start in earnest, so we can bring Canadians along as we equip our establishment with new tools, but to do so in the right way. That is something that we are all committed to doing.

Health

[Taleeb Noormohamed, Liberal, Vancouver Granville, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the overdose and toxic drug supply crisis is having a devastating impact on Canadian communities and families of all backgrounds from all walks of life. From Fort Mac to St. John's, from downtown Montreal to my own riding of Vancouver Granville, the illegal supply laced with toxic substances is killing people. Moms Stop the Harm, a network of Canadian families impacted by substance use related harms and deaths, are on the Hill today to tell us that harm reduction saves lives. If members do not believe it, they can just ask anyone who has lost a loved one to tainted drugs. The Conservatives are proposing a false choice between treatment and harm reduction, but one needs both.

What does the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions make of the Conservatives' absurd suggestion that harm reduction measures are contributing to the overdose crisis?

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Vancouver Granville for his determined advocacy on this issue. It is so important to listen to the families and loved ones with lived and living experience, such as those of Moms Stop the Harm. It is so disappointing that the Conservative Party is pursuing a campaign of fear over facts and that the leader has refused to meet with this truly important group.

Multiple experts have affirmed there is no evidence that prescribed safe supply is contributing to drug deaths. The B.C. chief coroner was clear: “There should not be a dichotomy between access to life-saving safer supply and access to life-saving treatment options.”

Carbon Pricing

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Mr. Speaker, Atlantic premiers have begged the government to remove the carbon tax from home heating fuels, but instead of listening, the Liberals have come up with carbon tax 2, which is going to punish Atlantic voters even more. Carbon tax 1 is a 40¢-a-litre tax on the pump price. Carbon tax 2 adds another 17¢, plus there is the 15% HST, adding another nine cents to pump prices. This makes everything we buy more expensive. Carbon tax 1 and carbon tax 2 will cost Atlantic households an extra $2,000 a year.

When will the Liberals stop punishing Atlantic Canadians and remove the carbon tax scam?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague and I have something in common. Both of our provinces are on fire right now. The reality is that, for eight years now in the House, every time we advanced a policy that would reduce emissions, the Conservatives voted against it. For goodness' sake, one of the members of Parliament on the Conservative side from Nova Scotia has described investments in heat pumps as fairy tales. They will not get behind anything that protects our environment.

The reality, which the member knows, is that this policy puts more money in the pockets of families than it will cost them. He would take money from his neighbours to make pollution free. That is an incredulous policy.

We will be there to make life more affordable. We will be there to protect our environment. That is the path forward.

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Mr. Speaker, it is absolute rubbish that a carbon tax is going to control the weather or bring down natural disasters. The government is not serious about an environmental policy. It has a tax policy. It is going to cost motorists in Atlantic Canada 67¢ more to fill up their pumps because of carbon taxes 1 and 2. It is the Parliamentary Budget Officer who said the net cost to Canadian families in Atlantic Canada is over $2,000 a month.

I will ask it again: When is the government going to do what Atlantic premiers have asked and cancel carbon tax 2 to give all Atlantic Canadians the break they deserve?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, do colleagues know what is costing Atlantic Canadian families right now? It is the forest fires in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. It is the fact that there are thousands of families across this country that have had to flee their homes. Instead of putting policies on the table that would help fight climate change, they are obsessed with trying to deny it and trying to ensure that Canadians do not have the tools they need to fight climate change.

It is no wonder that the members opposite yesterday accused us of putting them on a guilt trip. They feel guilty for the fact that they are not doing anything to support Canadians in fighting climate change.

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

Mr. Speaker, as we speak, 1.5 million Canadians are using food banks every month. As we speak, one in five families has to cut back on their food budget because they do not have enough money in their pockets. As we speak, to help Canadians, this Liberal government has decided to invent a new tax: the Liberal carbon tax 2.0. That is what the government will create, and it will cost every Quebec family an extra $436. We are not the ones saying that, it is the PBO.

Why is the finance minister imposing another tax on Canadians?