Debates of June 5th, 2023

Carbon Pricing

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, as we all know, Quebec has had a carbon exchange for a long time, so the federal price on pollution does not apply.

Our government has a number of measures to help the agricultural sector. One of them is the agricultural clean technology program, which is open right now. I encourage producers who want to acquire these new technologies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and become more resilient in dealing with climate change to take advantage of this program.

The Environment

[Charles Sousa, Liberal, Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on World Environment Day, we recognize our shared responsibility to protect our planet and to fight climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, now and in the future. This year, the theme for World Environment Day is “Solutions to Plastic Pollution”. This is an opportunity to highlight the initiatives taken by Canada, such as the banning of certain harmful single-use plastics to preserve the cleanliness of our shores.

Can the Minister of Environment and Climate Change tell us what solutions our government is putting forward to reduce plastic pollution?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for his advocacy on this issue.

Happy World Environment Day. I am happy to announce that in just a few weeks, on June 20, the single-use plastic ban will come into full force. Following that date, harmful plastics such as straws and plastic cutlery will no longer be able to be used in, sold in or imported into Canada. This is news worth celebrating. Plastic products are harmful to our wildlife, our oceans and our lakes. That is why our government continues to take action toward having zero plastic waste before 2040.

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

Mr. Speaker, despite the clear damages from abandoned vessels to food security, marine life and the environment, the Liberals have not done enough. Locals know this damage well as abandoned vessels, or what locals call “vessel graveyards”, line our coasts. First nations and community groups are willing to clean up the government's mess. All that is missing is the government's political will.

Therefore, will the Liberals immediately provide the necessary funding to first nations and locals to clean up these harmful, destructive vessels?

[Omar Alghabra, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, last year, the Prime Minister announced the renewal of the oceans protection plan, which is the largest investment Canada has ever made in protecting our oceans and our waterways. Part of that plan is working collaboratively with coastal communities and indigenous communities to make sure that we maintain the health of our waterways, including collaboration on removal of abandoned vessels. We have been dedicating the resources to work with indigenous communities to do so, and we will continue to do so.

Employment

[Alain Rayes, Independent, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, I asked the government why the budget for the Canada summer jobs program had been drastically cut by 30% compared to last year. At the time, the Prime Minister told me that the budget had simply dropped back down to prepandemic levels. However, when we look at the numbers, we see that the budget for this program is now $60 million less than it was in the years before the pandemic.

Given the impact that this will have on community organizations, municipalities, the agricultural industry, small businesses and, of course, job opportunities for young people, can the Prime Minister assure us that he will remedy this situation in the next budget?

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

Mr. Speaker, youth come first and foremost in this country, and we have a suite of programs under the youth employment skills strategy, including Canada summer jobs program. We have gone back to prepandemic levels because employment for youth has gone down some 20%. There are several programs within this suite, and I would be pleased to chat with the member more about them.

Carbon Pricing

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, while Canadians are struggling to choose between heating their homes and feeding their families, and while record numbers of Canadians are going to food banks, with nearly 1.5 million Canadians going to food banks in a single month, the response from the Liberal government is to increase the tax on everything.

With carbon tax 2, Canadians are going to be paying more than 61¢ a litre in tax on gas, which is going to not only raise the price of getting to doctor's appointments, but also raise the price of food production for our farmers who make our food. Why is the government continuing to hammer Canadians with higher taxes?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives know that it is actually the contrary. Since we have come into office, we have lowered taxes for middle-class Canadians, and we have increased benefits for low-income Canadians. We have also lowered child poverty by half since we came into office in 2015.

It does not mean that we do not know there are Canadians who are struggling, which is why, on July 5, we will be bringing forward a second grocery rebate that will be providing, on average, $467 for families of four in this country. It is also why we brought forward affordable child care. If Conservatives truly care about affordability, they have an easy thing to support—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

That is all the time we have for question period today.

The House resumed from June 1 consideration of the motion.

Opposition Motion—Carbon Tax

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

It being 3:10 p.m., pursuant to order made Thursday, June 23, 2022, the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion of the member for Mégantic—L'Érable relating to the business of supply.

Call in the members.

(The House divided on the motion, which was negatived on the following division:)

Vote #345

Business of Supply

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I declare the motion defeated.

Health

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure and honour to table, in both official languages, a report on COVID‑19 rapid test procurement and distribution.

Government Response to Petitions

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (Senate)]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to seven petitions. These returns will be tabled in an electronic format.

Justice and Human Rights

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the following two reports of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. The first is the 11th report, in relation to Bill C-41, an act to amend the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other acts. The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.

The second is the 12th report, in relation to the motion adopted on Wednesday, May 31, regarding the Taliban regime and human rights.

Defence of Canada Medal Act (1946-1989)

[Carol Hughes, NDP, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-335, An Act respecting the establishment and award of a Defence of Canada Medal (1946-1989).

Mr. Speaker, Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine has been difficult to watch from afar. As one of Ukraine's closest allies, Canada has and will continue to support the efforts of those brave individuals defending their homeland. This conflict, in many ways, may conjure memories of Canadians working with our allies in other democratic nations to ward off a common foe: the Soviet Union and eastern bloc nations during the Cold War, which lasted from 1946 to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

Many Canadians served their nation during this tense period in our history. To properly acknowledge their hard work and sacrifice, I am proud to introduce an act respecting the establishment and award of a defence of Canada medal for the men and women who served Canada during the Cold War.

This medal would be awarded to individuals who served in the Canadian Armed Forces, including reserves, as well as police organizations, emergency measures organizations and civilian assistance organizations, such as St. John Ambulance.

This act represents the vision of an Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing resident, retired captain Ulrich Krings, and has widespread support across the country, especially from those who worked so hard to keep us safe and prepared during those unsettling times.

I am very pleased my colleague from North Island—Powell River, who is also the NDP critic for Veterans Affairs, is seconding my bill.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Strengthening Reporting Obligations for Sex Offenders Act (Noah's Law)

[Gerald Soroka, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-336, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Sex Offender Information Registration Act (Noah's Law).

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present my first private member's bill, the strengthening reporting obligations for sex offenders act, Noah's law, which is seconded by the hon. member for Battle River—Crowfoot.

This bill would empower vulnerable people, such as women and children, by legislating the compliance of highly-likely-to-repeat sex offenders with conditions outlined under the Sex Offender Information Registration Act, or SOIRA, under court orders.

For most people, September 16, 2021, was an uneventful day, but for Cody McConnell, it was the day his life was destroyed by a tragic event when his 24-year-old fiancée, Mchale Busch, and his 16-month-old son, Noah McConnell, were murdered by a 53-year-old registered sex offender who was deemed highly likely to reoffend. Because of this horrible and devastating event, Cody McConnell does not want anyone else to experience what he went through and still endures every day.

Noah's law would allow a court to order highly-likely-to-repeat offenders to comply with SOIRA for 30 years, in order to protect the public; to complete a sexual behaviour rehabilitation/treatment program before the termination of the order; to increase the frequency of reporting to a registration centre before moving to a new address; and to make it an offence for offenders to fail to report to a registration centre in accordance with SOIRA.

I would like to acknowledge Laura MacRae, the lawyer and family friend of Cody McConnell who drafted Noah's law. I am also extremely pleased to have Senator Boisvenu introduce Noah's law into the Senate tomorrow afternoon. I would like to acknowledge the hon. member for Red Deer—Lacombe as well for supporting Noah's law by sponsoring petition e-4460. The petition has been online for just over a week and already has over 1,100 signatures.

My heart goes out to Cody McConnell and his family and friends. Mchale Busch and Noah McConnell have not been forgotten. Their deaths should lead to meaningful change within Canada's criminal justice system so that no other family will have to go through a tragedy like this again, and this bill would do just that. MPs and senators should quickly pass this bill. I would also like to thank Cody McConnell and his family and friends who came from Alberta to join us today.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Public Accounts

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

moved that the 20th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts presented on Thursday, October 20, 2022, be concurred in.

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to be able to speak to this very important committee report. It has been an honour for me to work as part of the team on the public accounts committee. I will be sharing my time.

The 20th report deals with the public accounts themselves, which are the volumes that come out every year, detailing the government's spending. There are various important items in the report. I particularly want to highlight the dissenting report the Conservatives submitted, because it talks about an issue that is top of mind for many Canadians: the carbon tax. Our dissenting report highlighted how the public accounts revealed key information about the cost to Canadians associated with the carbon tax, and, in fact, the action we want the government to take, namely to cancel the carbon tax.

The dissenting report from the Conservatives highlights something we have been saying in the House for a long time, which is how the cost of the Liberal government is driving up the cost of living. We are seeing out-of-control spending by the government and higher taxes. This is driving up the cost of living for many Canadians. The more the government spends, the more it costs Canadians and the more those costs are seen in terms of taxes, as well as higher prices, which are the result of inflation. Every time the government spends money, it has an impact on Canadians in terms of higher prices and higher taxes. The dissenting report from Conservatives highlights how grocery prices are up; they are rising at the fastest pace in 40 years. The average family of four is now spending over $1,200 more each year to put food on the table. We have seen particularly astronomical increases in costs in areas like housing and rent.

The carbon tax applies to the fuel that Canadians use, as well as to the goods that need to be transported using fuel, which is almost everything. It is the things we eat and many of the things we buy. The carbon tax is baked into those costs, and Canadians are seeing those costs increase. In the past, the government has tried to claim that this is a tax that will not cost anybody anything, a rather convenient but absurd claim. The public accounts revealed, and Conservatives were able to identify in our exploration in the public accounts committee, the enormous cost to Canadians associated with the carbon tax. One way the carbon tax is obviously not neutral is the GST. The GST is charged on top of the carbon tax; it is a tax on a tax. I recall a time when a former Conservative MP, the late Mark Warawa, I believe, put forward a private member's bill to take the GST off the carbon tax, but Liberals opposed it. They voted in favour of double taxation, which is clearly not revenue-neutral.

For Canadians who are concerned about the cost of the carbon tax, I am sorry to say that, as long as the Prime Minister remains in office, it is going to get worse. The Liberal plan is to triple the carbon tax, and to do so in the coming years. Hopefully we will see a Conservative government reverse those plans. The Conservatives' plan is not only to not increase the carbon tax, but also to eliminate the carbon tax. We want to bring tax relief to Canadians. We want to focus on deploying technology, not taxes, as the tool required to move us toward our environmental objectives.

The Liberals do not have an environmental plan. Their plan is clearly not working. Their only plan is to increase taxes on Canadians, and this is hurting Canadians. It is driving up the cost of living and making everything harder for Canadians. I am—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member has a phone that is vibrating.

The hon. member.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Madam Speaker, I apologize for that and I apologize to the interpreters.

Canadians are struggling because of increasing costs, and these costs are the result of a failed fiscal policy from the current government. We listen to the way the government talks about spending, and whenever things go wrong, it is not the Liberals' fault. Whenever the Liberals are spending money, they have no sense of the source of where that money comes from. We hear members of the government, ministers and other members, say that costs are high and things are challenging. It is as though when bad things are happening, they wonder, “How did this happen? We have been in power for eight years and costs are going up; surely it has no relationship to the policies we have pursued.”

It is actually very clear to Canadians that there is a direct, causal link between the decisions the government has made and the pain Canadians are experiencing. It is the Liberals' policy to increase taxes, especially in the area of the carbon tax. We actually just had a vote on what is, in effect, a second carbon tax that the Liberals want to impose. Not only do they want to triple the existing carbon tax, but they also have a second carbon tax in mind. They are constantly lying awake at night trying to think of creative new ways of taxing Canadians. The result is that Canadians are paying more. They are paying more to the government, but also, as government spending continues to grow and in even greater proportions outstrip the amount we are seeing in terms of tax increases, we are seeing rising prices driven by inflation and by more money chasing fewer goods.

All of this was in the Conservatives' dissenting report for the public accounts committee. Conservatives have called for tax relief for Canadians. We have called for more freedom for removing the gatekeepers, for eliminating the carbon tax, for not imposing a second carbon tax, for not having a tax on a tax and other such attacks on Canadians' efforts to live an affordable, prosperous life.

There are some other things I will share from the discussions we had around the study of the public accounts at the public accounts committee. It was interesting to me to note that there are instances where the government has provided loan forgiveness to various corporations. They could be very large and profitable corporations that have benefited from loans from the government, to which the government says it is going to forgive those loans, so, effectively, those loans turn into a subsidy. Therefore, as part of the public accounts discussion, we asked whether the government would be willing to provide the names of those companies and to release information about who is benefiting from a corporate subsidy. It seems to me to be a common sense proposition that, at the very least, if a large profitable corporation is benefiting from a federal government subsidy in the form of debt forgiveness, that is, the stakeholders took a loan they were supposed to pay back and did not pay back, and the government says they do not have to pay it back, then at that point, they should have to tell not only the government; Canadians should also be able to know that the company benefited from a public subsidy.

Many people would want to ask questions, and the company operators should be expected to provide some kind of explanation. Corporate welfare should not be something that is provided in secret. Maybe it should not be something that is provided at all, but certainly it is not something that should be provided in secret. Therefore, we asked, as part of the public accounts committee process, whether more information could be given with respect to which companies are benefiting from such loan forgiveness. That information was not forthcoming.

We have asked for similar information through Order Paper questions as well, by the way. Some points were raised earlier today about the government's not answering Order Paper questions and that it provides what are very clearly non-answers to Order Paper questions. Answers are supposed to provide information. Again we see, in the public accounts committee, in responses to Order Paper questions and in other areas, this decline in terms of the willingness of the government to provide information in general in response to queries from members of Parliament, committees, the public and journalists, etc.

However, as I say, the main thrust of our dissenting report is about the fact that life has become more expensive. It has been eight years under this Prime Minister. Everything feels broken. Costs are up. Rent, housing and food are up and the government members want to behave as if it is not their fault and it is all some accident, as if to say, “How terrible that bad things keep happening to the country while we are in charge” and “What terrible fate we have.”

That is obviously not the case. The Liberal government is pursuing policies that are making life less affordable. It is piling taxes on taxes. It has the second carbon tax, in addition to the tripling of the first. Inflation is up because of government spending. We have seen the accumulation of more debt under the Prime Minister than in the entire history of the country up until this point.

It is clear that the Liberals are not working. Their policies are not working. They are not making life better for Canadians. They are not making life better for the middle class and those working hard to join it.

That is why we need an alternative policy prescription that recognizes the creativity, potential and creative genuis in every individual, and that seeks to harness that creativity to create more space and opportunity for individuals to go out and pursue their own ideas without the kinds of impediments that we are constantly seeing from the Liberal government. We need to unleash the creative potential of Canada by removing the gatekeepers and the barriers, and that includes reducing the regulatory burden on Canadians and lowering taxes. That is why we have put forward concrete policy proposals that move us toward—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

It is time for questions and comments.

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

[Chris Bittle, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Madam Speaker, once again, it is disappointing to hear Conservatives' stance on climate change, which is, “Don't worry about it.”

The hon. member's province is on fire. There are fires raging out of control across the country, and the Conservatives are heckling. They are not serious about this. They are completely unserious about climate change as an existential threat.

I want to ask the hon. member a question. When residents of his own province, and other provinces across the country, are evacuating, why does he raise a point to make pollution free in this country?

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Madam Speaker, the hon. member would like us to believe that the Liberals have a plan.

How is that plan going? The carbon tax was supposed to fix this problem, but then the member comes to me to say that we still have a problem. The Liberal plan is not working. The Liberal plan is not achieving results. Conservatives do not believe that increasing taxes on Canadians is the solution. The more effective alternatives, the ones we have proposed, emphasize technology and not taxes.

Let us be honest about this. The carbon tax was an excuse that the government put forward, calling it an environmental plan, with the goal of simply generating more revenue.