Debates of Sept. 28th, 2023

Opposition Motion—Carbon Tax

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

Madam Speaker, I often hear the Minister of Environment say that greenhouse gas emissions decreased in 2022. Let us remember that, in 2022, we were just coming out of the pandemic. We had not broken free of it quite yet.

Yesterday, I read an article from the Canadian Climate Institute that said that, according to research, emissions actually rose in 2022. What is more, over the past few weeks, we learned that Canada intends to double oil production in Newfoundland.

In this context, what is Canada's plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Madam Speaker, I always appreciate the comments of this Bloc Québécois member. I can tell that we are both passionate about the environment, something I consider very important.

What are we doing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?

We are doing a number of things. By 2035, for example, all new vehicles sold will be zero-emission vehicles. We are also helping Canadians change how they heat their homes. We are providing money to assist them. We are doing a variety of things, not just one thing. Carbon pricing, however, is very important.

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Madam Speaker, I want to start by saying that I have the pleasure of sharing my time with my esteemed colleague, the hon. member for Jonquière.

Next, I want to quickly thank our Conservative friends. They have given us an amazing opportunity to expose their battle tactics. In my view, they have given us this opportunity far too early, to their own disadvantage. These tactics could prove to be their undoing. In summary, their strategy is to say the opposite of the truth or, to put it more bluntly, to lie.

The example of the firearms bill made that quite clear. The Conservatives brag like there is no tomorrow, but the removal of hunting rifles from Bill C-21 is due solely to the efforts of the member for Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia. To say otherwise would be a crude and vulgar lie.

The example of the emissions regulations is another good joke. We do not get to vote on regulations. Let everyone take note. However, true to form, relying on rather old-fashioned tactics, the Conservatives have cobbled together a motion containing one point and a whole lot of vitriol. Now they are saying that if we do not want the point, we have to swallow the vitriol. Obviously, we vote against these kinds of Conservative motions. That is the natural reflex of an intelligent person.

The carbon tax does not apply to Quebec. I am almost tempted to say it in English, so there will be a small chance that three people or so will understand me. The carbon tax does not apply to Quebec. Quebec has a carbon exchange. It is a cap-and-trade system that was negotiated by successive ministers of the environment. The minister of the environment who was in office when the system was introduced in 2013 is someone I know well. It is me.

I just want the Conservatives to know that their attack ads are not working on Quebeckers. They can make all the dumb little jokes they want and buy ad spots on television because their coffers are full, but it is not working on Quebeckers. The Conservatives do not realize it. What do they know about Quebec? They held a convention in Quebec City where they somehow managed to avoid talking about Quebec and adopted proposals that run counter to what Quebeckers want. The Conservative leader comes to Quebec once a year, but he wants people to think that he has a second home there.

It was a tactical error to do this so early and to tell these lies so early. I have a whole year to debunk these lies, expose these tactics and show that the Conservative leader is not worthy of Quebeckers' trust, whether he becomes prime minister or not.

Canadians are caught between a rock and a hard place. They are caught between right-wing activists and proponents of fake left-wing individualism. They are caught between the Conservatives and the Liberals. However, that is not the case in Quebec. In Quebec, Quebeckers have the Bloc Québécois. They may even have the balance of power without any risk. We vote for what is good for Quebec, whether it comes from the Conservatives or the Liberals. We vote against what is bad for Quebec. In the meantime, we try to improve what is presented.

Let us look at the contents of the latest narrow-minded Conservative propaganda motion. First, as I was saying, the Bloc Québécois did not support anything because we do not vote to pass regulations. As usual, the Conservatives cooked up a motion today to try to trick the House. We will vote against the motion again today because it is bad for Quebec.

Still, the Conservative leader has done us a favour. I am pleased because, in between buying a tight T-shirt and a pair of Ray-Bans, by attacking us, he is admitting that it is the Bloc Québécois that will prevent any party from having a majority in the House, as it did in 2019 and 2021.

When we are talking about these two parties, a majority spells bad news for Quebec. The Bloc Québécois has never asked for new taxes or an increase in taxes. That is untrue. That is on the Conservatives. It is fake news.

Yes, the cost of living is a concern. Gas prices are concerning. The cost of groceries is concerning. Costs for farmers are concerning, as are costs for truckers. The plight of seniors is concerning, or at least it is to us. However, none of that is because of the carbon tax in Quebec. It does not apply in Quebec.

There is a question I often want to ask the Conservatives. I want to know what their issue is with the truth. I will explain why things are so expensive. I will explain why the Conservative leader's wacky idea of imposing partisan Conservative rule on the central bank is a ridiculous idea.

Here is a number: $200 billion. That is how much the oil companies made in profits in 2022. I repeat: $200 billion. There are 11 zeros in that number. In Canada, there are 40 million people, including Quebeckers. Let us do the math. Let us remove seven zeros from the $200 billion. That adds up to $5,000 per capita in profits for the oil companies. That includes babies, seniors, everyone.

The Conservatives claim that fighting climate change is increasing the cost of living. That is false. It is big oil's despicable profits that are increasing the cost of living. That is $200 billion in 2022 alone, on the backs of farmers, seniors, truck drivers, families. They need to stop with the lies. They are just knock-off lobbyists for big oil.

The Liberals are no better. There is one group that lies and another that covers up, and the oil companies are profiting from the $200 billion in generous subsidies.

Neither one of these parties is working for the environment. Neither one of these parties is working for Quebec.

The Bloc Québécois will continue to work in good faith to keep Parliament running, even though some members are in campaign mode. We will continue to fight against inflation in a responsible and clean way. We will not put up with lies or deceit.

We will be voting against this motion. If the Conservatives or Liberals are looking for Quebec, if they are looking for the Bloc Québécois, they know where to find us.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. leader of the Bloc Québécois for his leadership on this file. The member mentioned that the leader of the Conservative Party did not know anything about Quebec. He has come to British Columbia a few times, but I personally believe he does not know about British Columbia either. British Columbia was the very first province—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

I only recognized one individual. That individual is speaking, but I am hearing other voices. I would ask members, if they wish to participate, to wait until I recognize them.

The hon. member for Surrey—Newton.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

Madam Speaker, I know why those members are aggravated. They know that he does not know anything about British Columbia. British Columbia was the first province to bring in a carbon tax in 2008. It covers 70% of the emissions created by fossil fuels.

What are his comments about British Columbia being the leader in that future?

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Madam Speaker, I find that very interesting.

In 1999, I went to Vancouver for four days. This means that I know as much about British Columbia as the Conservative leader knows about Quebec. I do not claim to know British Columbia. I say that with no malice whatsoever. I do not speak on behalf of British Columbia, and I do not wake up longing for the Rockies.

However, I will tell everyone here that when I say that no one else serves Quebec's interests, it is because the two major parties in the House must represent the interests of those they consider to be Canada as a whole, meaning Toronto and Edmonton.

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

Madam Speaker, I took the time to listen to my colleague and I found what he said about oil company profits interesting.

My question will be simpler. Let us focus on Quebec, because my colleague is an expert on Quebeckers and was the environment minister.

To help us understand the impact of all the gas taxes on an average family in Quebec, can the leader of the Bloc Québécois tell me how many litres of gas the average individual or average family in Quebec uses per year?

That way, we do not have to be very good at math to see how all these taxes taken together can affect a family. In Quebec, how many litres of gas does the average family of four use per year?

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

In other words, Madam Speaker, how old is the captain? That is nonsense, but it is not entirely unexpected.

The member wants to do the math, so let me just say that it is $5,000 per capita. That makes me want to say, “It is scandalous”.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Madam Speaker, historically, thanks to Jean Lesage and René Lévesque, Quebec has used its hydroelectric resources to produce green, clean energy. There is no oil production in Quebec, although the leader of the Bloc Québécois was once briefly tempted by a project on Anticosti Island.

However, we are among the world's biggest polluters. English Canada has a lot of work to do in the oil and gas sector, but the biggest purchasers of SUVs in Canada are Quebeckers.

Despite our fantastic water resources, should we not be pushing our compatriots, our fellow Quebeckers, to make an effort? It is not just English Canada's fault. Quebeckers also need to do more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Madam Speaker, everyone must do more at all times to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but the temptation to shift this responsibility to individuals is potentially rather regrettable because it removes some of the responsibility from those who are the biggest emitters.

I would remind my esteemed colleague that my work, at the time, with respect to Anticosti, was to regulate a project that would never happen. I believe that his party was strongly in favour of a project called energy east. They paid the price for it.

I think that everyone must reduce emissions, make the effort. Quebeckers are no angels when it comes to the environment. Our consumption and our emissions are not so angelic. We have the advantage of being in an exceptional geographic position in the world when it comes to green energy and that means we have an obligation to be an example.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Madam Speaker, it is hard to speak after someone so eloquent. I will do my best.

I feel that, with this motion, the Conservative Party has gone from what we knew about them, the populism of constantly presenting us with very simplistic solutions to complex problems, to trickery. Trickery that is crass and abhorrent deceit. It is hypocritical, devious. That is what I see in the motion by the Conservative Party

Indeed, comparing efforts to fight climate change and the rising cost of living is irresponsible. I am sure that people will agree with me. I wonder if that irresponsibility is what the Conservatives call “common sense”.

I will say it again, and I will not come back to it. I will reiterate what my leader said. There is no carbon tax in Quebec. Quebec has its own carbon pricing, the carbon exchange. The second tax the Conservatives are referring to is a clean fuel regulation on which no one voted, but that they had previously proposed themselves. I will come back to that later.

I have repeatedly heard the leader of the official opposition say that Canada is broken. When I read his motion this morning, I see that the only thing that is broken is the Leader of the Opposition's value system. I have also heard him say, with respect to the cost of living, that people are requesting medical assistance in dying because they have nothing to eat. I have never heard anything so irresponsible in my life.

This summer, my mother-in-law passed away. She requested medical assistance in dying. Whenever anyone in that situation hears absurdities like that, they see the Conservative Party's true colours. I would say there is a love affair between the Conservatives and the oil industry, a bit like the Bloc Québécois and Quebec.

The worst deception before us today is the use of the rising cost of living and the plight of the must vulnerable to advance oil company projects. I do not think we have ever seen anything so indecent in the House.

In my view, the leader of the official opposition is driven by fear. I have the feeling that the leader of the official opposition is afraid that our dependence on oil and gas in Canada and Quebec will come to an end. I think that the leader of the official opposition is afraid of the end of oil in the same way that we in the Bloc Québécois are afraid of the demise of Quebec's culture, language and unique lifestyle. Our project is Quebec. His project is oil.

Let us review the facts. Again this week, we saw Conservative members burst into applause at the mention of new oil projects. That happens a lot. When we talk about oil in the House, they clearly lose their heads. When I first arrived here in 2019, I was surprised to hear shouts of “build the pipeline”.

Not only that, but I have previously seen a motion from the Conservative Party stating that oil is irreplaceable. The only thing that I see as being irreplaceable is air, water, and the relationship that I have with my son and my wife. It is certainly not oil. For a Conservative, oil is irreplaceable. The Conservatives even have buttons that say, “I love oil”. At this point, it is an all-consuming passion.

The Conservatives are in favour of all investment tax credits for the oil and gas sector. That is $82 billion. We will not hear a Conservative say that we need to tighten public finances and reduce subsidies for fossil fuels. We will never hear that. As the Conservative leader said, 2022 is a record year. The big oil companies made $200 billion in profit.

The opposition leader made an appearance in Québec City. I will read a thoroughly unpleasant quote. The Leader of the Opposition said that he would not throw billions of dollars at “projects that are mismanaged by incompetent politicians”. He actually said that to Quebeckers when he talked about strategic projects for public transit. However, I have never heard him say a single word about a Canadian project worth over $30 billion that is nothing short of a disaster, does not serve us in Quebec and will continue to exacerbate the climate crisis. I have never heard him say a single word about Trans Mountain.

Let us be clear, the leader of the official opposition is not thinking about the next generation, he is thinking about the next election. The leader of the official opposition is not thinking of the poor, he is thinking of the wealthy, the big oil companies that are raking in billions of dollars. He is thinking about the greedy people living off fossil fuel subsidies. These are not empty words. I have hard evidence.

The duplicity does not end there. In 2011, the Conservative government did exactly what the Conservative Party is accusing the Liberal government of doing. What they are criticizing us for, as though we were in government, is Harper’s renewable fuels regulations. Who was in government then? The leader of the official opposition and former leader Erin O’Toole.

I will quote Mr. O’Toole. I love this quote. I read it at night before going to bed: “We recognize that the most efficient way to reduce our emissions is to use pricing mechanisms.” The former Conservative leader wanted to put a price on carbon. That is incredible.

Not long ago, last week, the member for Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis started waving an invoice that she wanted to bring to the table. I invite her to table it. It is an invoice that, in her opinion, shows that there was a carbon tax in Quebec. If we look more closely at that invoice, however, what does it refer to? It refers to Quebec’s emissions cap-and-trade system. The member was criticizing a Quebec pricing mechanism in the House of Commons.

The idiocy does not end there. There is more. Where was the member for Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis from 2008 to 2018? She was in Quebec City; she was a minister.

At that time, in 2015, what did Premier Philippe Couillard say on the floor of the Quebec National Assembly? He said, “And the beauty of the carbon market is that it can also generate revenues that are directly linked to climate change.” I can imagine the member right behind him cheering and clapping.

In 2012, Premier Jean Charest, who almost became the Conservative leader, said, “Quebec was the first jurisdiction in North America to introduce a carbon levy, with a program that was applauded by environmental groups while also being very good for the sector and producing $200 million per year.”

Jean Charest was talking proudly about putting a price on carbon. Where was the member? She was right behind him, cheering. Now she is in the House of Commons waving around an energy bill mentioning that there is a price on carbon in Quebec and accusing the Bloc Québécois and the Liberal Party of Canada of bringing in this tax while she was a provincial minister in Quebec. Is that not deceitful?

Earlier, I contrasted our interest in Quebec with the Conservatives' interest in the oil industry. It made me think of a poem by Gérald Godin. He wrote a fantastic poem commenting on the turpitude and deceit of some politicians who were not standing up for Quebec. The poem ended by saying that some politicians will have “a grease stain on their conscience”.

That made me think about my Conservative colleagues, particularly those from Quebec. In 20 or 30 years, when their grandchildren ask them what they did to fight against climate change when they were MPs and how they acted, the only thing the Conservative members will be able to say is that they defended the interests of oil companies. They will have to say that they did nothing and that they defended the interests of oil companies.

My colleagues from Quebec are not going to have a grease stain on their conscience. They are going to have a great big oil stain.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his very interesting and impressive speech. I liked the way he described the opposition leader. He made my day.

One thing is important. Can he explain why he thinks the Conservatives are against the Atlantic accord and the changes that we want to make to harness offshore wind energy? We want to ensure that we are able to do two things: contribute to the economy and help the environment.

The Conservatives are against that. Are they against the fact that the Atlantic provinces are starting to make some money? Are they against it because they do not want to invest in the green economy?

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Madam Speaker, is my colleague talking about Bill C‑49? Yes? Okay.

I find that rather strange. The Conservatives are probably against this bill for their own reasons. What I find odd about this bill is the addition of the term “renewable energy”. To me, oil has never been renewable energy. I do not know what others think, but I do not believe that oil is a renewable energy source.

They can speak for themselves, but I would say to my colleague that we have to be very careful. The Liberal government has a tendency to greenwash the oil and gas sector. Unfortunately, it is a lot like our Conservative colleagues in that regard.

[Ziad Aboultaif, Conservative, Edmonton Manning, AB]

Madam Speaker, we can tell sometimes when members of the Bloc Québécois are not comfortable, because they go in all directions, making accusations everywhere.

The question is this: How can the member of the Bloc Québécois support a radical tax increase on Quebeckers by 17¢ a litre by supporting the clean fuel standard?

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Madam Speaker, what a happy coincidence. My colleague was the one who moved the motion stating that oil is irreplaceable. Not only did he say at the time that oil was irreplaceable, but he also wanted to designate a day to celebrate it. He wanted an international day to celebrate oil.

We are moving toward renewable energy, but the Conservative Party says we need to keep using oil. The Conservatives are dinosaurs through and through. The chief oil and gas lobbyists are telling low-income earners, people who cannot afford food, clothing and housing, that the oil sector should get more money. If that is not indecent, I do not know what is.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Madam Speaker, I apologize in advance, but I am going to try to speak French today.

I would like to thank my colleague for his important speech. I feel compelled to tell him that, while the Conservatives deny climate change and do everything they can to divide the House and prevent Parliament from fighting climate change, most Albertans want the federal government to act. Albertans want a clean, healthy environment for their children, as do all Canadians.

Therefore, I want ask the member the following. How can we protect the environment and ensure that Albertans are protected, even those who are Conservatives?

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Madam Speaker, as we have said many times, no one wishes ill on Albertans. Unfortunately, their economy is based on the fossil fuel sector. Earlier, the leader clearly stated that Quebec was no more virtuous than anyone else. We have renewable energies, and we put them to good use.

We need to review Canada's industrial landscape and stop subsidizing fossil fuels. We could develop wind and solar energy, as the United States is doing. Unfortunately, Canada is very far behind. The government is trying to invest in carbon capture strategies that will never work and trying to produce net-zero oil. It is sheer idiocy. We need to put an end to these pipe dreams and ask ourselves some tough questions about the energy transition.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Madam Speaker, first, I will be sharing my time with the super, dynamic, experienced, highly knowledgeable and learned member for Timmins—James Bay.

I am tired of constantly talking about the carbon tax. I have reached my limit. The Conservatives have circled back to this nonsense five times in one year. That is just for one year and I am tired of it.

It is Groundhog Day all over again. They keep at it again and again, with the same old Conservative pro-oil, pro-fossil fuel rhetoric that flies in the face of science, the IPCC, the United Nations and even things that are happening in the Conservatives' own ridings. At some point, this kind of wilful blindness and denialism becomes frightening. It means we are going to keep right on polluting and, because polluting should be free. We are setting a bad example to the world, when average Canadians are already among the world's worst polluters per capita. Based on Canada's per capita greenhouse gas emissions, we are the world's second leading polluter. Fortunately, Canada is not as big as China or the planet would already be screwed.

We have to make a considerable effort to protect our environment, our children, future generations and to create good jobs for the future and sustainable jobs with sustainable energy. The Conservatives are living 50 or 60 years in the past, when we thought there would be no consequences to polluting so much and emitting so much carbon in the atmosphere, but now we know.

We not only know, but it has been proven and we are seeing it. The impact of climate change, climate disturbances and climate chaos can already been seen here at home and around the world. It is happening faster than predicted, more dramatically than predicted. Every three months, scientists tell us that they thought this was coming, but that it is going to be more serious more quickly and everywhere. No one will be spared.

We saw that this summer with forest fires like we have never seen in Quebec and in Canada. Here in Ottawa and Montreal, it smelled like smoke. There was smoke everywhere. Then there were the people in British Columbia and in Abitibi and on the North Shore who were forced to evacuate because they were risking their lives. Their homes could catch fire. That is where we are.

Because of climate change, some places are not getting enough rain, while others are getting far too much. The temperature is rising. There are more, bigger and more dangerous fires and wildfires. Other areas are being affected by flooding. I think it was in 2022 in Pakistan. At one point, a third of the country was under water. Millions of people were displaced to save their lives. We saw it again this summer in many places, such as Greece, Italy and just recently Libya. It rained so heavily in such a short period that a dam broke. Part of the city of Derna was completely devastated. Thousands of people were killed, and that sort of thing is going to start happening more and more often.

If we listen to the Conservatives, we will hit a brick wall and keep pressing on the gas. Their plan is to do nothing. There are small measures that might help a little, like the carbon tax. The carbon tax is not a panacea. I am not saying that it will solve the problem, but they do not even want to do that. They are so out of touch with reality that they are ideologically blocked and unable to look anywhere else. They are wearing blinders.

There are parts of the planet, entire areas, that are going to become uninhabitable. If the average temperature rises to 35°C and the humidity is greater than 90%, the human body cannot cool itself down.

This causes extreme heatstroke leading to death, as the organs cannot survive. This will happen with greater frequency around the equator, whether in North Africa, Asia or Central America. Global warming is also causing accelerated evaporation of the oceans, which will make it more humid. What will people do when it reaches over 35° on a regular basis with extremely high humidity? They are going to move. They are not going to stay where they are. There will be a massive influx of climate refugees. We cannot be angry with them, since, where they live, it will literally become uninhabitable.

I asked a question last year to the Department of Immigration and the department of housing to find out what the federal government's plan is for receiving climate refugees. I was told that programs already exist. In fact, there is no plan, and yet we are already seeing a greater influx of refugees at the border. I recall that Roxham Road made the headlines in a somewhat populist way. People are increasingly going to be moving around on the planet and that will have consequences. I am saying this so that it is clear: The current Liberal government has no plan. I just want to mention that.

People will be on the move not only because they are too hot, but also because they are hungry. In a recent article in The Guardian, Cary Fowler, U.S. President Joe Biden's special envoy for food security, said there is every reason to believe that a global food shortage will take hold by 2050. As we have seen, problems are already happening because of certain conflicts. The war in Ukraine is impacting the wheat supply of many countries. However, the magnitude of the food shortage in question will be far greater and will persist in regions of the world where growing grains, fruit and vegetables becomes difficult. These consequences are very real, and the Conservatives seem determined not to see them. The current federal government, the Liberals, also have a responsibility, but they are clearly not doing enough. They tend to want to have it both ways

Here is a quote:

We need to cut worldwide emissions by half by 2030 if we want to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. That will require far more ambitious efforts to reduce emissions right now while ramping up investments in clean energy.... That is why it is time to do what a majority of Canadians, including in Alberta, believe is necessary, which is to put a hard cap on emissions from the Canadian oil and gas sector. ...any company or jurisdiction with net-zero emissions targets cannot continue to build or invest in new sources of fossil fuels. Companies cannot put off actually reducing their emissions by buying carbon credits. Also, they cannot lobby against climate action behind the scenes while claiming to be climate champions. Any progress made regarding net-zero emissions must be made public and independently verified.

That quote was from Catherine McKenna, former Liberal minister of environment and climate change. She wrote an op-ed in La Presse yesterday to tell us that the time to act is now. Unfortunately, despite the promises by the member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie, despite the commitments made by his government to put a hard cap on emissions from the oil and gas sector, there is still nothing on the table as of September 2023. We are still waiting for the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to introduce a measure that was supposed to have been in place months ago. The oil and gas sector is responsible for 30% of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions and its emissions are increasing. It has the worst record of all industrial sectors in the country by far. Without strong action, nothing will change.

Greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase, sadly. Looking at the curve between 2005 and 2021, we can see that they are increasing. It is unfortunate that my time is up, because I had a lot left to say.

[Jenica Atwin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services]

Madam Speaker, I really appreciate that my hon. colleague is offering Canadians facts and truth. When it comes to the climate crisis, we all have to face this reality together.

Could he comment quickly on how important it is to speak about what is really happening across the country and in this world? The fact is that it is a clear waste of our time what we are seeing with this opposition motion.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question, for her long-standing concern for environmental issues and for her work on this file.

I wanted to make an important point. Canada is a laughingstock right now. Successive Conservative and Liberal governments have not been able to turn things around. The Paris Agreement tells us that in order to avoid catastrophe and keep the planet livable, we must not exceed 1.5°C of global average temperature increase by the end of the century. We are already at 1.3°C, I think, so there is very little room to manoeuvre left. On top of that, even if countries meet their current commitments—if they meet them, which they have not—we are heading towards 2.4°C. At 2.4°C, we will have the catastrophic scenarios I mentioned earlier.

I therefore hope that we can work together to improve things. We have a lot of work to do in many areas. One thing is clear. We cannot count on the Conservatives on this.

[Denis Trudel, Bloc, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Madam Speaker, I really liked my colleague's indignant tone when he said the Liberals opposite are not doing enough to fight climate change.

I do have one question, though. In the last budget, in 2023, the government still gave billions of dollars to oil companies, specifically for carbon capture, an approach that we know does not work at all. My NDP friends voted for the budget. How do they explain that?

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for acknowledging my indignation over climate change. Everyone knows that we are pushing the Liberals to do more on a lot of files, including the climate crisis and the housing crisis, because they are not doing enough in either of those areas.

We negotiated an agreement to make them do things that they never agreed to do in the past. We are using our leverage to obtain many advantages for people in the areas of health, dental care and indigenous housing. We are also pushing the government to pass anti-strikebreaking legislation at the federal level, which would be a first in the history of Canadian federal politics.

[Ziad Aboultaif, Conservative, Edmonton Manning, AB]

Madam Speaker, the hon. member is from Quebec. Does he deny that the Bloc Québécois supported the clean fuel standard, which has added 17¢ per litre for every Quebecker?