Debates of June 19th, 2023

Finance

[The Speaker, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Hastings—Lennox and Addington.

[Shelby Kramp-Neuman, Conservative, Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the long-term consequences of the current government's inflationary deficit spending on Canadian mortgage-holders is already at a head, driving up interest rates to the highest in 22 years. Senior economists across the Canadian banking sector have all indicated that another hike is likely in July, another cost of living hike on top of the carbon tax hike.

At what point will the government stop footing middle-class Canadians with the bill for its poor economic and fiscal stewardship?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion]

Mr. Speaker, at what point will the Conservative Party actually have a real housing policy that emphasizes the importance of investing in affordable housing? At what point will it stop gatekeeping real help for Canadian renters?

At what point will it stop gatekeeping rapid housing initiative investments? At what point will it include homelessness in its half-baked housing plan?

Let it get serious about housing before it lectures us about anything.

Carbon Pricing

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after eight years of this Liberal Prime Minister in power, Canadians have never been in worse financial shape. After eight years of this Liberal government, nearly half of Canadian families say they could not afford an unexpected $500 expense. What great solution did the Liberals come up with? They are charging an extra 20¢ tax on every litre of gasoline that Quebeckers buy. This will cost Quebec families $400 or more on average. That is outrageous.

Will the Liberals get out of the way instead of making things worse for Quebec families?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we will take no lessons from the Conservatives when it comes to supporting the most vulnerable Canadians with the cost of living.

We introduced the Canada child benefit, which is indexed to inflation and has lifted almost 435,000 children out of poverty. Our government increased the guaranteed income supplement, or GIS, which is also indexed to inflation and has helped over 900,000 seniors.

Public Services and Procurement

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, opioids have killed 36,000 Canadians since January 2016. The Government of British Columbia revealed that McKinsey allegedly worked with opioid manufacturers that targeted doctors and pharmacists to increase opioid sales in Canada. That is unbelievable.

Former director of McKinsey Dominic Barton gave the Liberal government some free advice. In return, the Liberal government gave McKinsey $116 million in contracts, many of which were untendered. Rather than rewarding McKinsey, could the Prime Minister commit to putting an end to all of the firm's contracts, given its involvement in the opioid crisis?

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

Mr. Speaker, since 2018, our government has been working with British Columbia on the litigation against big pharma and those that enabled it, including a specific class action lawsuit against McKinsey. If it is certified, we intend to officially become part of that lawsuit. Canada has also addressed big pharma's predatory practices by further restricting the marketing of opioids.

Disaster Assistance

[Sylvie Bérubé, Bloc, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois continues to monitor the forest fires near Lebel-sur-Quévillon and elsewhere in Quebec. We stand with everyone affected.

The fire in my region is growing. The forecast is for 30 degrees Celsius and higher this week, without any rain until Sunday. People are worried. Our businesses are also worried. They are worried that nothing has been put in place to cover their losses. On Monday, the government committed to doing more to support the communities affected. What does the government plan to do for the regions affected in Quebec, including Abitibi—Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Québec?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question.

Of course, our hearts go out to all the first responders who are helping in the affected region, as well as elsewhere in Quebec and Canada. We are keeping a very close eye on the forest fires. We are working directly with the province. We are in constant contact to make sure they have everything they need. At the province's request, we approved the deployment of the Canadian Armed Forces to assist in the efforts. We also have firefighters who came from all over the world. We are all working together to fight the forest fires.

Climate Change

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government committed to doing more for people in our communities and our regions, and it has my thanks for that. However, it also committed to doing more to prevent climate-change-related disasters. From now on the two must go hand in hand, because we cannot allow natural disasters to keep happening time and time again.

Everyone knows that the combination of forest fires and climate change increases the risk of fire. Then the fires turn the forest into a greenhouse gas emitter. In other words, the more fires there are, the more fires there will be. That scares me. What concrete action is the government taking to stop this cycle and reduce those risks?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for offering a different perspective on forest fires. We have to realize that climate change has a direct impact not only on forest fires, but also on floods and tornadoes. We have brought in the Canadian army to help. We have formed a coalition with foreign countries. We also have a consultation and working group with the province of Quebec that meets every day. I had the opportunity to meet my counterparts in Quebec City as recently as this month. I can assure members that we are working together and that Quebec is doing a very good job on the ground.

Carbon Pricing

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, big spending and big deficits by the Liberals have accomplished one thing; big inflation. Actually, they have accomplished two things as Canadian food bank use has never been higher because Canadians cannot afford to put food on the table.

Here are the consequences of the accomplishments of Liberal inflation and carbon taxes: In 2021, about two million Canadians accessed a food bank every single month. That more than doubled to five million last year. This year, a staggering eight million Canadians are accessing a food bank every single month.

How much more will Canadians have to pay to put food on the table when the Liberals implement a second carbon tax?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, I seem to have to remind the members across the way that since this government came into power, we have lifted over 450,000 children in this country out of poverty since 2016, with the CCB. Since implementing the dental care benefit, we have lifted 11 million Canadians to new levels to have safety and security in their homes.

The real question Canadians want to know is what will the Conservatives cut? What will they take away from Canadian families? Will they take away dental care? Will they take away rental assistance? Will they take away grocery rebates?

We are here for Canadians.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the parents of those children are now facing an impossible choice: pay their mortgage or put food on the table. The Liberals' answer to this crisis is higher spending, higher inflation and another carbon tax. The consequence of that is an average Alberta family will be paying $4,000 a year in additional taxes and Alberta farmers will be paying as much as $150,000 a year on carbon tax 1. When we add taxes and cost to food production and transportation, it adds to the cost of the grocery store shelf.

Will the Liberals cancel both carbon taxes so that farmers can afford to produce the food and Canadians can afford to buy it?

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, on-farm fuels are exempted from farms. They do not pay taxes on them. As the Parliamentary Budget Officer has already admitted in his report last week, there is $600 million of carbon taxes that has not been collected. In 2030, it will be $1.5 million that has not been charged to farmers.

As to the other point, he knows full well that this is good policy for canola farmers everywhere in Canada.

[Richard Lehoux, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we are facing a cost of living crisis. In my riding, the number of people using food banks has never been so high. The price of gas is through the roof and families in Beauce are hurting.

On July 1, things will only get worse. In Quebec, the second carbon tax will add $436 to every family's burden, on top of the goods and services tax. This measure will hinder everyone's ability to get to work and, more importantly, to put food on the table. Will the government finally see the light and cancel the second carbon tax?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, in a recent poll, we can see that 83% of Canadians think that the forest fires we are seeing right now are linked to climate change and that the situation is only going to get worse. The Conservative Party has nothing to say about climate change.

I would like to hear my opposition colleague's outrage over the fact that between 2019 and 2021, the profit margins at the refineries increased by nearly 30¢. Will the member rise in the House to oppose these incredibly high prices?

Diversity and Inclusion

[Julie Dzerowicz, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, sadly, we are seeing the rise of anti-2SLGBTQI+ hate in Canada, which is having a devastating impact on the community. It was this Liberal government that banned the terrible, harmful practice of conversion therapy, so it is sad to see an aspiring member of this House, hand-picked by the opposition leader, defending the destructive practice of spiritually counselling someone out of who they love.

Can the minister reiterate, for all Canadians, our government's unwavering support for the 2SLGBTQI+ community?

[Marci Ien, Liberal, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth]

Mr. Speaker, we are celebrating pride in the midst of rising anti-2SLGBTQIA+ hate. I am so proud our government banned the dangerous practice of so-called conversion therapy. Survivors I speak to tell me this law saves lives. There is a lot more to do, but we are on the right track.

While Conservatives try to take us backward by promoting this dangerous practice, we will always stand on the side of the queer community.

Carbon Pricing

[Earl Dreeshen, Conservative, Red Deer—Mountain View, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government's ever-increasing fixation on carbon taxes is damaging Canada's global agricultural advantage. It hurts farmers' profit margins. At the same time, the cumulative costs are pushed on to Canadian consumers.

Will the government scrap carbon tax 1 and at least, for the sake of Canadian consumers, stop the implementation of carbon tax 2 planned for July 1?

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, again, I will repeat that climate change costs money to farmers by not acting. In 2021, 30% of the grains out west did not make it to market. That is money that is supposed to go into farmers' pockets, and because of climate change it has not made it into farmers' pockets. Here is one thing we are working on. As of July 1, farmers will have a new opportunity, and I ask him to talk to canola farmers in his riding because they are all on side. They will be able to participate in a new economy, and this is great for farmers.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the carbon tax has not stopped any floods or fires or met any targets. It has done absolutely nothing to help the environment. The Liberals seem to like paying the carbon tax to assuage their conscience for their jet-setting lifestyle. Meanwhile, working families in Alberta are struggling to make ends meet. With carbon tax 2 coming into effect on July 1, the average Alberta family will pay $4,000 in carbon tax.

When will the minister admit that his carbon tax is a tax plan and does nothing to help the environment?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to correct the record. Our pollution levels have gone down by 50 million tonnes between 2019 and 2021. That is the equivalent of removing from our roads 11 million vehicles. Despite what they are saying, we have the best performance in terms of cutting pollution among all G7 countries now.

If the Conservative Party members believed in climate change, they would have something to say about it. There is no light switch to fight climate change. There is no fairy dust that will make climate change go away. There is no magic wand. Only hard work will make this possible. That is what we are doing on this side of the House. Unfortunately, they have nothing to say on that on the Conservatives' side.

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the reality of the environment minister's numbers is that he shut the economy down for two years. It is the only way he met his targets. Next week, kids across Canada are going to be looking forward to their summer break. Dreams of baseball and soccer tournaments, maybe a modest camping trip or maybe even going to Toronto watch the Blue Jays is what they are looking forward to. Unfortunately, the Liberals, on July 1, are bringing in another carbon tax: $2,300 a year to Ontario households. Their dreams of a summer holiday are vanishing.

When are Liberals going to get off Canadians' backs, go to their—

[The Speaker, Anthony Rota]

The hon. government House leader has the floor.